The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-10-12
WHAT is VANITY =?
By LADY Cook (uee TENNESSEE CLArL1N)

: Most people arc alive to the impel
: fectiOns Of others; few, however, PEI
/ cGive their own. To know ones sci
is tac most difficult of all knowletl o {
: There are none so ill-favored, for In
] stance, who will not admire themselvc
In mirror, because they see not them
selves, but some ideal individuals. AnC
with like partiality do we regard tn,
} good and evil qualities which form ou
character, always esteeming ourselves
no matter how despicabe we may
really be. Hence vanity is the pre-
dominant and universal vice. Thus 8
pious philosopher said What blind
eth the eye, or what hideth the heart
OF man from himself like vanity
Lo! When thou seest not thyself, then
others discover thee most plainly"
COgan defines vanity as that species
of pride which, while it presumes upon
a degree Of superiority in some par
ticular articles, fondly courts the ap-
plause OF every 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 desire to appear wiser, or richer,
or cleyeter. than we actually are, and
consequently Is 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
ties, as well as those who have few or
none. Peer and peasant, lady and
waiting-mad, 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 service of
parasites and fools, but in doing this
they must lose 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 lucidity "A desire of
fame, reputation, or a character with
others, is so far from being blameable,
that it seems inseparable from virtue,
genius, capacity, and a generous or
noble disposition wherein, then,
consists vanity, which is so justly re-
garded as fault or imperfection 1t
seems to consist chiefly in such an in
temperate display Of our advantages,
hon0rs, and accomplishments; in such
an importunate 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 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 company which
Nyni how hn l;x
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 reGG'ly, of our
selves, have imagined, without being
told Of them"
Montaigne says: THE corruption Of
the age Is made up upon the particular
contributions OF every individual man.
One contributes treachery, others in.
Justice, irreligion, tyranny, avarice,
and cruelty, according as they are Of
power; the weaker sort contribute
folly, vanity and idlcness." The word
vanity includes within its meaning all
sorts of empty delight or frivolous dis
pleasures whose end is merely to graf
ify weak pride, and all the little osten-
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-tgean, to
wither, to fade, to pass away, TO faint,
or from Wdntan, to wane, to fall away,
and thus it denotes that which has no
substantial basis, but is in its nature
essentially ephemeral, delusive and
evanescent. And yet observe the ex-
tent to which this idle quality is culti-
waited by almost al classes Of mankind
al nd i,,i l.; h;,,h
rich and poor, learned and illiteratc.
The naked savage who can display
some paltry object coveted by others,
struts as though he were lord Of the
universe. We laugh at the ridiculous
ness of his vanity. Yet in u thousand
ways our own airs and aifectations are
equally absurd. We pride ourselves
upon so many things which are either
not worth possessing, or, IL they are,
were not obtained by any merit of our
own. Stars and garters, ribbons and
decorations, are not to be despise6
when they have been won by personal
valor or nobility OF conduct. They are
then the outward and visible signs of
an inward and spiritual worthiness.
But he who derived his orders or titles
from the merits Of another, without
coming up to the standard OF the orig
inel, uecks himself in borro we'd plumes
to which he has no moral right. He
resembles a clown garbed in the man
tie Of philosophy. or a pigmy attempt
ing to bear the burden OF Atlas. But
even worse are they who have obtained
their distinctions by fraud, treachery,
vice, or cruelty; the minions Of mon
archs, the betrayers of the people, the
oppressors of the poor.
We do well to have what Is called "a
proper PRIDE; to respect ourselves
and to be jealous Of our reputation,
because this conduces to recttude OF
conduct. But we should beware Of
being bitten by vanity. When once its
poison enters the soul, there Is no say
ing to what lengths Of folly we may be
eventually urged. The servant girl
will ape her mistress, her mistress the
next in rank, and so on, dd infnitum
The excessive love OF dress is a
pestileht vanity, and goes far to de-
moralize both sexes. 1t is, however,
peculiarly dangerous to women. To
dress modestly, and even well, so that
1t be within our means, is desirable
But to cndeavor to adorn ourselves
beyond this point, or to dress eXtrava-
gantly, is the sure mark OF a vain
mind.
How many deluded woman has
pawned her virtue-a woman's noblest
jewel-for some gawd out Of u gold
smiths shop-window How many a
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