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Geniality.
GENIALITY .
AKIN" to that good fellowship of which we wrote last week , or perhaps we should say a prime element in its composition , is geniality , and the duties of Masonry necessitate a considerable leaven of this admirable quality . Softness of disposition—by which we do not mean weakness
or any lack of intellectual vigour , but gentleness merely—is a necessary property of the genial man . Emollience , in the sense implied in the old familiar line , Emolltt mores nee sinit esseferos , would best convey our meaning , but it savours somewhat of certain advertised soaps , and sounds pedantic
withal . The evenness of temperament which is understood by contentedness is indispensable . The man who is dissatisfied with his position or prospects—we by no means imply that he should be hopeless of better things—such a man hardly comes up to our idea of a genial man . We
call him genial who is gentle , contented , happily disposed towards his fellows , not unduly shy or reserved , for that implies a degree of coldness , and geniality and coldness run not together in the same channel ; who , while not ignoring the dark side of things , is readier to acknowledge
the saver lining , be it never so small , which philosophers tell us even the darkest clouds are furnished with ; who can sympathise with the unfortunate , and cheer them iu theirefforts to make good their losses , who is both moral and religious , that is , respectfully observant of human and divine
ordinances . The man who is , or strives to become , all this we are justified in regarding as the model of geniality . There is , however , a more modified form of this virtue with which our readers are more familiar , for the picture we have drawn of the genial man is what the Americans
would call a " tall ideal , not easily attainable by even the best of men . We mean the man who is all smiles and good wishes for every one he meets , who is a companionablefellow , one with whom you feel at home the moment you see him , who is the heart and soul of every entertainment , and always
to the fore when some kind action is on the carpet . The rule of conduct he invariably follows , both at home and abroad , is known of all men as the suaviter inmodo . He is easy and frank always , yet a man of resource and of ready wit , whom few contretemvs are likely to ruffle . He goes
through life thinking no evil . Being a man of the world , he knows well enough there are evil thinkers and evil doers—he dreads to think how many . Such as are incorrigible he avoids ; while others with whom he is brought in contact he shames into good behaviour by the very force
of his geniality . Such a man makes a good chairman at a banquet . He is the heart and soul of the meeting , and infects all with his lively humour . He is geniality in himself , and the source of geniality in others . Such a man is a tower of strength in the conduct of all charitable
work . Who shall resist his happy pleadings for the worthy objects of our charity ? We assume , and rightly too , that no unworthy object will meet with even the slightest degree of help from him . He will charitably abstain from all active opposition , though he will not
support what is unworthy of support . Then the genial man is a good W . M ., during whose reign the petty carpings of our weaker nature find no outlet for expression . With a genial Master to rule and direct it , the harmony of
a Lodge runs no risk of being disturbed . Differences of opinion are likely enough to occur , nay inevitable , perhaps , but they involve no bitterness in the settlement . Again , the genial is a firm man as well as a kind and gentle . He is alive to the responsibilities of his office , and is fully
Geniality.
resolved to brook no invasion of his right . He wields his sceptre gently yet resolutely . He disarms opposition by his very gentleness . He is an effective ruler , for obedience to his sway is no hardship , involves no sense of inferiority , no loss of self-respect . We respect the man of eminent
abilities , of great attainments , of commanding genius ; but the genial man we love , and love is of the very essence of Masonry . How often do we meet with men for whom we feel the deepest and sincerest respect , whose intimate acquaintance , however , we have no desire to cultivate . Old
Cantanker , for instance , is not a bad fellow really . There is a splendid array of kindly actions set down to his credit . Most of these have been done by stealth , as though doing good were , in his sight , a vice . Many a distressed fellow being has he relieved , many an institution is indebted to him for
liberal support , but men fight shy of him , for he has contracted the unpleasant habit of cultivating unpleasant thoughts , and worse still of giving expression tothem when in the company of his fellows . His rough personalities , his invariable objection , " on principle , " to any proposition that
is made , his habit of grumbling , all these neutralise the effect of what good he does , and people go about saying , " Cantanker has some admirable qualities in him , but his presence in the social circle is unendurable . " Then there is Cold Shoulder . Many a time and oft has he done a good
turn to some well-deserving fellow . But there is no bearing his society , his very appearance is enough to freeze all the kindlier feelings of our nature . Nor is Shy Boots
perceptibly more sociable . He is so uncomfortable , so painfully reserved , with never a word to say for himself , never a smile of hearty greeting , that we feel he is worse even than a wet blanket . We wonder of what use such men are
in society , who seem incapable of helping either themselves or others . Yet Shy Boots has some excellent points about him . He , too , has given freely of his substance , and is written down as governor or patron of balf-a-doz ^ n , or it may be half-a-score , of institutions . There is the Shy
Boots scholarship for the encouragement of political economy , and the Shy Boots exhibition for the highest proficiency in modern languages or modern history . All these are ordinary types of men whom we meet and associate with , under protest , of course , everywhere and every day of
our lives . We know the good that is hid behn d a most unprepossessing exterior . We respect that good , but we cultivate not the society of its owner , or at least we do so as little as possible , and then with a sort of mental protest , as we have said , against its being taken as a precedent to
bind us in our future relations with him . To show the influence of geniality , a man has only to assume the outward and visible signs of it ; let him talk kindly , be ready to fall in with even the slightest of our wishes , plunge into any
conceivable business merely to oblige , and at once his shortcomings are overlooked and his peccadilloes forgiven . How popular he is . How every one sings his praises . What hosts of friends he makes , and , being worldly wise , what famous services he extracts from them . Some one at
length discovers that the geniality was merely a cloak , under cover of which the fellow pursued his own selfish ends with earnest vigour , and , invariably , with success . Old Cantanker and the others had many excellent qualities about them , but they hid them from the world , and assumed
or gave rein to a roughness of disposition which , in spite of their virtues , brought them unpopularity . The vicious man looked pleasant , while the virtuous seemed disagreeable , and the world , in the face of the old adage , " Nimium ne crede coin , " was influenced by externals only . There is nothing very remarkablein whatwehave just said . We have
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Geniality.
GENIALITY .
AKIN" to that good fellowship of which we wrote last week , or perhaps we should say a prime element in its composition , is geniality , and the duties of Masonry necessitate a considerable leaven of this admirable quality . Softness of disposition—by which we do not mean weakness
or any lack of intellectual vigour , but gentleness merely—is a necessary property of the genial man . Emollience , in the sense implied in the old familiar line , Emolltt mores nee sinit esseferos , would best convey our meaning , but it savours somewhat of certain advertised soaps , and sounds pedantic
withal . The evenness of temperament which is understood by contentedness is indispensable . The man who is dissatisfied with his position or prospects—we by no means imply that he should be hopeless of better things—such a man hardly comes up to our idea of a genial man . We
call him genial who is gentle , contented , happily disposed towards his fellows , not unduly shy or reserved , for that implies a degree of coldness , and geniality and coldness run not together in the same channel ; who , while not ignoring the dark side of things , is readier to acknowledge
the saver lining , be it never so small , which philosophers tell us even the darkest clouds are furnished with ; who can sympathise with the unfortunate , and cheer them iu theirefforts to make good their losses , who is both moral and religious , that is , respectfully observant of human and divine
ordinances . The man who is , or strives to become , all this we are justified in regarding as the model of geniality . There is , however , a more modified form of this virtue with which our readers are more familiar , for the picture we have drawn of the genial man is what the Americans
would call a " tall ideal , not easily attainable by even the best of men . We mean the man who is all smiles and good wishes for every one he meets , who is a companionablefellow , one with whom you feel at home the moment you see him , who is the heart and soul of every entertainment , and always
to the fore when some kind action is on the carpet . The rule of conduct he invariably follows , both at home and abroad , is known of all men as the suaviter inmodo . He is easy and frank always , yet a man of resource and of ready wit , whom few contretemvs are likely to ruffle . He goes
through life thinking no evil . Being a man of the world , he knows well enough there are evil thinkers and evil doers—he dreads to think how many . Such as are incorrigible he avoids ; while others with whom he is brought in contact he shames into good behaviour by the very force
of his geniality . Such a man makes a good chairman at a banquet . He is the heart and soul of the meeting , and infects all with his lively humour . He is geniality in himself , and the source of geniality in others . Such a man is a tower of strength in the conduct of all charitable
work . Who shall resist his happy pleadings for the worthy objects of our charity ? We assume , and rightly too , that no unworthy object will meet with even the slightest degree of help from him . He will charitably abstain from all active opposition , though he will not
support what is unworthy of support . Then the genial man is a good W . M ., during whose reign the petty carpings of our weaker nature find no outlet for expression . With a genial Master to rule and direct it , the harmony of
a Lodge runs no risk of being disturbed . Differences of opinion are likely enough to occur , nay inevitable , perhaps , but they involve no bitterness in the settlement . Again , the genial is a firm man as well as a kind and gentle . He is alive to the responsibilities of his office , and is fully
Geniality.
resolved to brook no invasion of his right . He wields his sceptre gently yet resolutely . He disarms opposition by his very gentleness . He is an effective ruler , for obedience to his sway is no hardship , involves no sense of inferiority , no loss of self-respect . We respect the man of eminent
abilities , of great attainments , of commanding genius ; but the genial man we love , and love is of the very essence of Masonry . How often do we meet with men for whom we feel the deepest and sincerest respect , whose intimate acquaintance , however , we have no desire to cultivate . Old
Cantanker , for instance , is not a bad fellow really . There is a splendid array of kindly actions set down to his credit . Most of these have been done by stealth , as though doing good were , in his sight , a vice . Many a distressed fellow being has he relieved , many an institution is indebted to him for
liberal support , but men fight shy of him , for he has contracted the unpleasant habit of cultivating unpleasant thoughts , and worse still of giving expression tothem when in the company of his fellows . His rough personalities , his invariable objection , " on principle , " to any proposition that
is made , his habit of grumbling , all these neutralise the effect of what good he does , and people go about saying , " Cantanker has some admirable qualities in him , but his presence in the social circle is unendurable . " Then there is Cold Shoulder . Many a time and oft has he done a good
turn to some well-deserving fellow . But there is no bearing his society , his very appearance is enough to freeze all the kindlier feelings of our nature . Nor is Shy Boots
perceptibly more sociable . He is so uncomfortable , so painfully reserved , with never a word to say for himself , never a smile of hearty greeting , that we feel he is worse even than a wet blanket . We wonder of what use such men are
in society , who seem incapable of helping either themselves or others . Yet Shy Boots has some excellent points about him . He , too , has given freely of his substance , and is written down as governor or patron of balf-a-doz ^ n , or it may be half-a-score , of institutions . There is the Shy
Boots scholarship for the encouragement of political economy , and the Shy Boots exhibition for the highest proficiency in modern languages or modern history . All these are ordinary types of men whom we meet and associate with , under protest , of course , everywhere and every day of
our lives . We know the good that is hid behn d a most unprepossessing exterior . We respect that good , but we cultivate not the society of its owner , or at least we do so as little as possible , and then with a sort of mental protest , as we have said , against its being taken as a precedent to
bind us in our future relations with him . To show the influence of geniality , a man has only to assume the outward and visible signs of it ; let him talk kindly , be ready to fall in with even the slightest of our wishes , plunge into any
conceivable business merely to oblige , and at once his shortcomings are overlooked and his peccadilloes forgiven . How popular he is . How every one sings his praises . What hosts of friends he makes , and , being worldly wise , what famous services he extracts from them . Some one at
length discovers that the geniality was merely a cloak , under cover of which the fellow pursued his own selfish ends with earnest vigour , and , invariably , with success . Old Cantanker and the others had many excellent qualities about them , but they hid them from the world , and assumed
or gave rein to a roughness of disposition which , in spite of their virtues , brought them unpopularity . The vicious man looked pleasant , while the virtuous seemed disagreeable , and the world , in the face of the old adage , " Nimium ne crede coin , " was influenced by externals only . There is nothing very remarkablein whatwehave just said . We have