The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-10-14
WHAT is VANITY 4?
By LADY Cook tnee TENNESSEE CLArLlN).
to Greenville Mountainecr.

| Contributed to Greenville Mountainecr.
Most people are alive to the imper-
fectiOns Of others; few, however, per-
ceive their own. TO know ones self
Is the most difficult of all knowledge.
There are mono SO ill-favOred, for in
stance, who will not admire themselves
in u mirror, because they see not them
selves, but some ideal individuals. Auo
with like partiality do we regard tho
good and evil qualities which form our
character, always esteeming ourselves,
no matter how despicable we NAV
really be. Hcnce vanity is tho pre-
dominant and universal vice. Thus a
pious philosopher said What blind
eth the eye, or what hideth the heart
OF man from himself like vanity
Lo! When thou seest not thyse!f, then
| others discover thee most plainly"
Cogan defines vanity as that species
OF pride which, while it presumes upon
degree OF superiority in some par
tlcular articles, fOndly courts the an
plause OF evcry one within its sphere
OF action: seeking every occasion to
display some talent or some supposed
eXcellency.'
Thus vanity is vain-glory, and arises
| from q desire to appear wiser, or richer.
or cleverer. than we actually are, and
consequently is u sort of imposture,
often offensive to others and injurious
to ourselves.
The extraordinary circumstance
about this failing is that it attacks
those who have many estimable Quail
lies, as we'll as those who have few or
none. Peer and peasant, lady and
waiting maid, are, in their distinctive
ways, alike subject to it, and the more
acutely they are affected by it, the
greater is their self-degradation and
loss OF genuine esteem. They may
succeed In acquiring the lip.scrvice of
parasites and fools, but in doing this
they must loso the good opinion Of
| those whose regard alone is worth
having.
Hume, the historian, in one OF his
Essays, writes on this subject with his
usual power and lucitlity "A desire of
fame, reputation, or q character with
otherrS, is SO far from being blameable,
that 1T seems inseparable from virtue
genius, capacity, and generous or
noble disposition wherein, then.
consists vanity, which is 80 Justly re.
garded as fault or imperfection 1t
seems to consist chiefly in such an in
temperate display Of our advantages,
honors, and accomplishments in such
an lmpOrtunate and open demand of
praise and admiration, as is offensive to
others, and encrOaches too far on their
secret vanity and ambition. IT is be-
sides u sure symptom Of the want of
true dignity and elevation OF mind,
which Is SO great an ornament in any
character. For, why that impatient
desire OF applause, as if you were not
justly entitled to 1T, and might not
reasonably expect that it would for
ever attend you? Why so anxious to
inform us of the great com pany which
you have kept; the obliging things
which were said to you; the honors,
the distinctions which you met with
as If these were not things of course,
and what we could readily, of our
selves, have imagined, without being
told OF them"
Montaigne says: "Thc corruption OF
the age is made up upon the particular
cOntrl buttons of every individual man
Ono contributes treachery, others in.
'sticc, irreligion, tyranny, avarice.
and cruelty, according as they ars OF
power; the weaker sort contribute
folly, vanity and idleness." The word
vanity includes within it's meaning all
sorts of empty delight or frivolous dis
play, all unsubstantial pageants and
pleasures whose end is merely to graf
ify weak pride, and all the little ostcn,
tations which are intended to make
others think Of us more highly than
we deserve. 1t is derived either from
the Anglo-Saxon verb Jyn-igean, to
Wlther, TO fade, to pass away, to faint,
or from Vdntan, to wanc, to fall away,
and thus it denotes that which has no
substantial basis but is in its nature
essentially ephemeral, delusive and
evanesccnt. And yet observe the cx-
tent to which this idl quality is cult
vatcd by almost all classes Of mankind {;
civilized and uncivilized, high and low.
rich and poor, learned and illiteratc.
The naked savage who can display
some pal!ry object coveted by others,
struts as though he were lord of the
universe. We laugh at the ridiculors-
ness OF his vanity. Yet in a thousand
ways our own airs and afcctati0ns are
equally absurd. We pride ourselves
upon SO many things VIII ch arc either
not worth possessing, or, il they are
were not obtained by any merit of our
own. Stars and garters, ribbons and
decorations, arc not to be despisc6
when they have been won by personal
valor or nobility Of conduct. Thev are
then the outward and visible signs of
an inward and spiritual worthincss,
But he who derived his orders or titles
from the merits of another, without
coming up to tho standard of tho orig
inal. decks himself in borrO we'd plumcs
to which he has no moral right. He
resembles clown garbcd In the man.
tlc OF philosophy. or q pigmy attemDt-
ing to bear the burden Of Atlas. But
oven worse are they who have obtained
their distinctions by fraud, treacherv.
vice, or cruelty; the minions of mon
archs, the betrayers OF the people, tho
opprcssors Of the poor.
We do woll to have what Is called "a
proper pridc"; to respect ourselves
and to be jealous OF our reputation,
because this cOnduces to rectitude of
conduct. But we should beware of
being bitten by vanity. When once its
poison enters the soul, there Is no saw
ing to what lengths Of folly we may be
eventualiI y urged. The servant girl
will ape her MISTRESS her mistress the
next in rank, and 80 on, al infntun.
The excessive love of dress is n
pestilent vanity, and goes far to de-
m0raliZe both sexes. 1t is, however,
peculiarly dangerous to women. TO
dress mOdestly, and even we'll, so that