The Washington herald., 1917-05-07
The Joy of SeH-Expression
BY ORISON SWEET MARDEN.

The head Of a famous dancing school
urges her pupils at the very outset TO
forget their bodies as much as possible
She tells them to imagine that they
are some animal, perhaps a deer. or
bird fitting among the trees, or but
terfy flying from flower to flower.
The idea is to get their minds away
from their bodies,I otherwise they are
heavy, awkward. self-conscious. The
teachers constant effort is to make the
children forget their personalities. When
she succeeds in this they are very much
moro graceful: they step much more
lightly, and in their lighter Indian dances
they really appear to be floating in the
air.
She wants the girls to forget their
sex also, to forget their dress and to
think Of themselves as fairies hoating
in the air, otherwise. she says, they are
inclined, especially when dancing in pub
lie, to he embarrassed by the airiness and
lightness of their dancing costumes and
frequently attempt to pull them lower
down. to lengthen them out.
There is no better or more helpful
wav than this to train children and
young people to be graceful and easy
in manner, and free from what is a bane
to so many people-self-consciousn
know a young singer who longs TO
go on the stage, but who has never even
dared to sing in public because OF her
very large ankles and feet. She thinks
that people would make fun Of her, and
although she has a glorious voice and
is a natural actress, her morbid SEN
sitiveness regarding what she considers
humiliating defects keep her probably
from very brilliant career.
Nothing will paralyze ability quicker
than self-consciousness or extreme sem
far a1
Many a man with a colossal brain has
been a comparative failure because of
his sensitiveness. It made him tinid and
he never dared to push himself forward:
Everywhere we find lovable men ana
women, of strong splendid minds and
good education, who go through life iso-
lated, like cold mountain peaks covered
with eternal snow, because they have
never learned to mix easily with strang-
ers. They possess fine talents, but are
so self-conscIous that they never dare
to be natural, never even attempt TO
express themselves freely outside OF
their own or their intimate friends
homes.
Now, you will never receive your de-
serts; you will never attain to the posi-
ton to which your merits entitle you II
YOU allow yourself to be held back by
timidity or exaggerated modesty. The
unnatural self-repression engendered by
this weakness will stunt your develop
ment, minimize your efforts, and leave
you at a disadvantage wherever you go.
Extreme cases of self-consciousness
will even interfere with the normal func-
tions of the body. Few people ever
think that it causes physical illness.
But there is no doubt that when per
son is over-sensitive or morbidly self
conscious he is the great obstruction TO
naturalness and freedom Of self-expres-
sion and this causes all sorts of trouble
in the system and encourage the devel-
opment of abnormal conditions.
Whenever we fail to express ourselves
in any way the Creator intended, l.
means trouble. If for instance you have
great musical talent, and you fail to
express it; if you have q great business
talent and you fail to express It; If your
nature is smothered, If self-consciousness
condemns you to work as rough peg IN
a square hole all your life, you are alb
normal. Your creative power is sup
pressed, and your happiness is marred
in proportion, because happiness comes
from the constant exercise of our great
est talent.
Now there is one sovereign remedy for
ever form of hampering self-conscious-
ness, timidity, shyness, over-sensittve-
ness, whatever we may call it-that is
to remember your kinship with your
Creator. As child of God. you partake
of His power. and you are one with Him
Say to himself, ct am a child of Om-
impotence. can and will do what He
sent me here to do. I have no fear. I
am working in partnership with Him.