Year: 1873

the world as possible without taking
too much time from your serious studies,
but not to expect anything valuable from
the general talk, which is nothing but a
mental medium in which intelligences float
and move as yachts do in sea-water, and
for which they ought not to be held indi-
vidually responsible. The talk Of society
answers its purpose if it simply permits
many different people to come together
without elashing. and the purpose OF It's
conventions is the advoidance OF collision.
In England the small talk is heavy like
water IN France it is light as air in both
countries it is a mediam and no more.


Society talks, by preference, about


amusemeats it does so because when peO


pie meet for recreation they wish to relieve


their minds from serious cares, and also


for the practical reason that society must


talk about what its members have IN COM


mon, and their amusementS are more 10


common than their work. As NJ. Tnlers


recommended the republican form Of gov


ernment in France on the ground that it


was the form which divided his countrymen


least, so polite and highly cilivized socie-


ty chooses for the subject of general con-


versatIon the topic which is least likely to


separate the different people who are pres


ent. 1t aim st always happens that the


best topic having this recommendation Is


some species OF amusement; amusemeHts


are easily learned outside the business Of


life and we are all initiated into them in


youth.


For these reasons think that we ought


to be extremely tolerant of the dullness or


frivolty which may be seen to prevail in


any numerous company, and not to con-


clu1e too hastily that the members of it


are IN any degree more dull or frivolous


than ourselves. 1t is unfortunate, Ger


tainIy, tlat the art of general conversation


is net so successfully cultivated as it might


be, and there are reasons for believing


that our posterty will surpass Us IN this


respect, because as culture increases the


spirit Of toleratlon increases with 1t, so


that the great questions of politics and


religion, in which all are interested, may
be discussed more safely than they could


be at the present day, by persons Of differ


ent ways of thinking. But even the sort
Of general conversation we have now, poor
as 1t may seem, still sufficiently serves as
medium for human intercourse, and per-


mlts Us to meet on a common ground


where we may select at leisure the agree
able or instructive friends that our higher
, intellect need., and without whom the in
telectull life is one Of the ghastlest Of
solitudes.


And now permit me to add few obser-
vatlons on another aspect of this subject,
witch is not without Its Importance. Let
Us suppose that every one of rather more
than ordinary capacity and culture were
to act as you yourself are acting, and
withdraw entirely from gensral society
Let US leave out of consideration for the
; present the loss to their private culture
which would be the consequence Of missing
every opportunity for forming new intel
lectual friendships Let Us consider, this


time, what would be the consequence to
: society itself If all the cultivated meI
we're withdrawn from 1t, the general tone
of society would inevitably descend much
= over even than 1t Is at present; 1t would
> sink so low that the whole national intel


Il
deterioration 1t is plainly the duty Of
. men situated as you are, who have beer
endowed by nature with superior facu ties
= and who have enlarged them by the ac
> QUESTION of knowledge, to preserve society
. !, by their presence from an evil so surely
" prolific of bad consequences. If society


is less narrow, and selfish, and intoerant
, and apathetic, than it used to be, it is De
, cause they who are the salt of the eartt
i have not disdained to mix with its grosseI
and earthier elements. All the improve
ment 10 public sentiment and the advance
ment in general knowledge which have
marked the course Of recent generation.
: are to be attributed to the wholesome
inf uence of men who could think and feel
" and who steadily exercised, often quite
: obsc rely, yet not the less usefully in theil
. time and place, the subtle but powerful
attraction of the greater mind over the less
= Instead Of complaining that people are
y ignorant and frivolous, we ought to q
Il amongst them and lead them to the highe
Il life " know not how it is, said one IL
% a dull circle to more gifted friend wht
:, entered it occasionally; when we are
J.. left to ourselves we are all Iamentably


stupid, bnt whenever you are kind enougt
Il to come amongst US We all talk very muct
i better. and Of things that are well wortl
'S talking about The gifted man is alway
= welcome, if only he will stoop to conquer
y and forget himself, to give light AMI hea
% to Others The low PnillstinIsm OF man
a provincial town is due mainly to the SD
- ! reserve OF the one or two superior men
- - who fancy that they cannot amalgamat
u with tue common intellect of the place.
~ Philip Gilbert Hamerten on Society.