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

the proud msipid fop struttlng- along
with unspeakable airs of loneliness,
whom a wag overlook with the start
ling inquiry: ''Say mister, are you
anybody in particular:' Someone de
fines fast lives as ignorance and vul-
garity seeking notoriety. With a
little softening of terms the definition
might do for egotism.
The root of this offensive growth, is
an inordinate eself-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, and
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, in 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 | knew i'll the east
made such frequent references to his
foreign tours and large circle OF great
friends that "when | was III Europe,
passed into by-wOrd; and another who
+ had removed to d western city, found
an excuse for retracing his steps be-
!, cause he felt like big steamboat III
+ little pond This peculiar trait OF
= character has many forms OF nantes
i tatiOn. One of them is the disguise OF
/ humility: for instance, 1t is TO De
e lamented that honorary degrees are Sc
q common, and in many directions sc
y cheap, that any value they may bt
suppose to have as compliments, Il
f fast being reduced to nothing. But i
II a man really does not want d title, l:
g not the part of modesty, rather to keel
% silence than by formal and public
l. refusal only to give the 'hOnor" NOR
o publicity, and make the ''seml-luna
j. fardels' shine the brighter. MoreoVe
;s the colleges confer a degree pronounc
= ing complementary Judgment on one
u scholarship; it is the people who Civ
W the title; and if man prefers to b
h called master" why not say nothing
i. about the degree, but when any on
uses the title, quietly request it to b
dropped.
,e Is egOtiSm never exhibited III tina
+ depreciation of others which Indlrectl
puts high appreciation upon oneself
II Men do not think themselves untru
st or untrustworthy, and the expressio
n of universal dlStruSt and SuSplclO
Of oil
~ TO no less than declaration OF tn
Cy speakers belief that no man is capabl
al of sincere attachment or an unfalte
ed ing integrity but himself piece OF IL
H. sufferable egOtism! He who says "a
men are liars must say 1t 'ln haste
y or with the profoundest self-conce
lc- and self admiration, for of course +
eS eXceptS me
1s Nothing can be more laughable tina
80 the egotism of ignorance. Who do'
~ not remember the youthful trials
I'LL. James Watts? His aunt. Mrs. Mul
se head. was sure that what she did m
to know was not worth knowing, locke
down with lofty pity on the boyiSh e
Ill periments of the young inventC
cal James get something te do. boy;
ed have been idle this hour or more, al
ok worse than idle, taking off the kett
49, lid and putting it on again, holding
7o' cupOr spoon over the spout and cate
ra- ING steam What would she ha
nd thought had she known those ld
90 experiments with the tea kettle won
ao suggest those improvements in t
W. steam engine which put Watt amol
M the grandest inventors OF history!
cry egotism is so incurable as that OF
to nOrance. Here again it is true, tn
"if anv man thinketh that he knoWe
u. ui0 ANYTHING, he knoweth nothing yet
lCy' he ought to know.
lity And hence the grand corrective
lie egotism is knowledge; for true knoN
+;o edge begets humility. The more Q
wv knows of what is to be known, the II
ere does he feel that he has done or can
of Let study of truth actually greaten
the mind. expand its powers, enlarge
~ scope. increase it's information; a
so' unless the evil be too deep-seated
the any remedy, egotism will rapidly c
lists appear, or at least take the mild a
mis-. modified form of simple self-rellan
olor 1t may seem strange that two things
aioi different should be kin. Yet it is
sto- For. as to the difference between
ace. shiny mud and the pure porcelain,
at sapphire, the opal and even the
49,, mond is one of mere cOnsistence
hae crystallization, so the difference
In tween the most offensive self-conc
,ked and the most desirable self-rellance
!, of of one degree rather than OF kl