The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-20
SATURDAY, FEB. 20, 1904.
PERSONALITY.

A lecturer in an address delivered
before a st. Paul audience the other
night stated that it would not be a
bad idea to introduce a course in the
cultivation of musical laughter into
the schools and colleges. We think a
more profitable one would be a course
in the cultivation Of personality. 1t Is
a trite remark that causes go down
before personalities, but it is a true
one, too, and it's truth was never more
strongly demonstrated than it is to-
day. That which constitutes a person
is personality, says the photographer,
but, with apologies to him, we think it
is just as frequently what doesn't con-
stitute person. 1t is what apparently
constitutes him. Personality is the
scheme that was ever invented, but 1t
is also the foundation of every legiti-
mate success. There was Mr.. Whita-
ker Wright, for instance. His PERSONAL
ity was his biggest asset. By means
of it he was able to persuade rich and
wide-aWake people to trust him as q
financial leader. Then somebody call
ed his bluff and when he laid down his
hand he showed that personality was
not only his biggest card but his only
valuable one.
Sometimes personality may be i'm
pressed upon the crowd by a trick.
Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain has accom-
plished this with his air of boredom
and the orchid in his buttonhole.
Wilhelm II. has accomplished it by
means Of a constantly bubbling en-
thusiasm for God and Wilhelm and
native land, an enthusiasm that is
never allowed to quiet down. Pade-
rewski accomplished it by avoiding the
BARRIERS shears. Oscar Wilde accom-
plished it also with the aid of long
locks and the additional assistance of
a sunf1ower. But personality is not in
itself a trick. 1t is neither a matter
OF wearing apparel nor of department.
Indeed, one might have the department
of Mr.. Turveydrop himself and a taste
in clothes equal to Harry Lehr's, with
a purse big enough to crafty it. and
still lack personality as the world has
come to recognize it.
For fba xyorI5So 5oS~;+;.
sonality is, of course, not the diction-
ary's. The latter grants to everybody
the possession of a personality. The
former knows that very few peonIe
possess personalities that can be de-
fined as such. And this is why so
many people are led about bv the nose
to use a somewhat impolite figure.
They stand in awe of what they do NOT
possess themselves. Therefore the
Dowies and the Mrs. Helen Posts and
the Whitaker Wrights and the other
leaders, religious or financial, it matters
not which, thrive. And therefore ruIars
like Wilhelm IL, Edward of ENGLAND
and Isl An of China keep the center
OF the stage. though they live in an
age that cares little for rulers. Nicho-
las OF Russia has more exalted no.
sltion, but who knows or cares any,
thing about him? He is without q
personality.
Because it is an elusive thing a
course in the cultivation of personality
might not be successful in a college
but at least the experiment would he
worth trying. If success IT would
develop more leaders, and we tbin1,
nobody will dispute the statement that
the great difficulty today is that foo
many people are inclined to follow
Oilndiy some attractive personality.
once persuade a man that he can per
Suade others and he will immediately