The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-02-28

the proud inslpid fop strutting along
with unspeakable airs of lordllness,
whom wag overlook with the start
ling inquiry: SAY mister, are you
anybody in particular:" Someone oe-
fines fast lives as Ignorance and vul-
garity seeking notoriety.' With
little softening of terms the definition
might do for egotism.
The root of this offensive growth, is
an inordinate elf-cOnsciousneSs. Prom
inence is given to the ego IN speech
and act, because it is enthroned IN the
inner court Thought is supremely On
self. though pride and prudence may
put bit and bride on the tongue, ana
check even the pen. 1t is amusing to
read in one of our current periodicals
the frequent letters upon great men
and women of modern times, Ill which
the writer invariably manages to let
the public know how much he has
been 'honored with personal acQualnt-
ance and correspondence" of said dis
tinguished persons, A prominent
clergymen that l knew Ill the east
made such frequent references to his
foreign tours and large circle OF great
friends that when | was i'll Europe,
passed into by-WOrd; and another VINO
, had removed to d western city, found
all excuse for retraclng his steps be-
= cause he felt like big steamboat III
+ little pond This peculiar trait OF
! character has many forms OF manl1es-
q tation One. OF them is the disguise OF
Il humility: for instance, 1t IS TO De
@ lanented that honorary degrees are sc
Il common, and i'll many directions sc
y cheap. that any value they may be
u suppOse to have as compliments, Is
# fast being reduced to nothing. But II
Il a man really does not want Il title, Il
-e not the part Of modesty, rather to keel
% silence than by formal and pubic
l. refusal only to give the 'hOnor more
10 publicity, and make the ''seml-luna
b. tardels' shine the brighter. MOreoVe
i, the colleges confer degree prOnounc
Ing Complementary Judgment on one
il scholarship; it is the people who CIV
w the title: and if man prefers to b
h called master why not say nOthln!
Il. about the degree, but When any on
= uses the title, quietly request it to b
dropped.
&c Is egotlsm never exhibited i'll tina
!, deDreclatiOn of others which lndlrectl
puts high appreciation upon oneself
III Men do not think themselves untru
st or untrustworthy, and the expresslo
H. of universal diStrust and susplclo
40 stripped of all nice phrases, amount
TO no less than a declaration or Tn
~ sneakers belief that no man Is capabl
al of a sincere attachment or all unfalte
ed ing integrity but himself piece OF II
ID sutferable egotism! He who says "a
men are liars" must say 1t IN haste
~ or with the profoundest self-conce
lc and self admiration, for Of course
res eXcepts "me.
dc Nothing can be more laughable tina
the eeOtiSm of ignorance. VINO dO
lIo not remember the youthful trials
Ill. James Watts? His aunt, Mrs: Mul
lse head. was sure that what She did n
to know was not worth knowing, lOOkf
~: down with lofty pity on the boyish e
perimentS OF the young lnNelt(
cal James get something te do, boy;
red have been idle this hour or more, al
,ok worse than idle, taking OIL the ket'
-. lid and putting it on again, holding
cup Oh Spun wv oiiN SP"o ~
ra- ING steam!' What would she ha
md thought had she known those IL
,ce experiments with the tea kettle won
~ suggest those improvements IN
o0- steam engine which put Watt amo
I'M the grandest inventors OF history.
ery egotism is so incurable as that OF
to nOrance. Here again it is true, TT
"if anv man thinketh that he knoWe
uie ANYTHING, he knoweth nothing yet
lty' he ought to know.
nity And hence the grand corrective
die egotism is knowledge; for true kno
r+;o edge begets humility. The more {
oOi0' knows Of what is to be known, the
here does he feel that he has done or can
of Let study of truth actually greaten
the mind, expand it's powers, enlarge
.o+ scope. increase its informatlon;
so'- unless the evil be too deep-seated
the any remedy, egotism will rapidly
lists appear, or at least take the mild
mis-. modified form of simple self-rellal
,o1or It may seem strange that two thing
oioi different should be kin. Yet 1t is
lsto- For. as to the difference between
lace shiny mud and the pure porcelain,
d at sapphire, the opal and even the
mond is one of mere cOnSlStence
mag crvstallization. so the difference
In tween the most offensive self f.con'
oked and the most desirable self-rellanc'
IS of of one degree rather than OF K