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Article THE SIGNS OE ENGLAND. ← Page 2 of 6 →
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The Signs Oe England.
hospitals crowded with dead and dying , —in the Times newspaper . Sudden death is realized to the public appreciation more in that list of arrivals on the other side of the commercial Styx , the Gazette ( with my friends Mr . Pennell or Mr . Bell , Official Assignees , as their Charon ) , and in your exit from society , than in the real mortal disappearance .
But , my good sir , urgeth the reader , what are these twin evils who wear the crown of dominion in this , confessedly , not so perfect world of ours ? My dear Brother , the world that I indicate is that called civilized ; and the two things that seem to me to divide empire in it are Conceit and Selfishness , I believe that these two bad qualities mutually react upon and produce each other , and I know not which is the worse of the two , for Selfishness is but unexpressed Conceit , while
Conceit is expressed Selfishness . But Conceit—that is , the lively form of it which is so very salient—is the vice of society . Ah , how should I enumerate its countless forms , when the whole thing is a masquerade , in which you may as readily detect the gown of the ecclesiastic , the snuffle of the Methodist preacher , and the thickheaded prosing of the Scotch justice , as the giggle of the juveniles , or the rhodomontade of the be-wdiiskered . Is it really because there is but one man in the world , and that is Self , that we have all this
turgid a ffl atus—this sole grandeur ;—this kingdom with but one cushion , and that for yourself to place your foot upon ? Is there no second he to the first he ; or is Egotist lord paramount , the giver and receiver , the beginning and the ending , and the everything between ? However , we design , in this sketch , only to treat but certain forms of this coxcombry : Jupiter forgive us for handling , with a silken glove , so monstrous a paw ,
Preaching is unpopular , especially where you are thought to be preaching at people . So long as you make your charges general , all well and good . Nobody takes offence at that which anybody may claim . By no means grow too particular in your denunciations . People soon get wonderfully weary of being told that they do anything
wrong . , Not that they believe what you say if you find fault with them ; but they are only astonished that you should so far forget yourself ; that , really , they had been inclined to consider you a rather agreeable person , but , if you will persist in talking in that
very unpleasant manner , you must not bo surprised if you are not listened to , or be ruffled and hurt if you are not met quite so cordially . Folks do not want truth from you . They want praise and acquiescence . For what other reason have you a share of their hearth , or a seat , now and then , at their table ? Why else do they call you a candid , truthful person ? Why else do they give you their arms at public places , and consent , now and then , to laugh gently at your pleasantries—feeble enough , but w ell-intended , no doubt ? It is the clergyman ' s business to tell people of their misdoings—once a week . This , if delicately done , may not be thought too obtrusive . You prepare for something of the kind when the church-bells begin
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Signs Oe England.
hospitals crowded with dead and dying , —in the Times newspaper . Sudden death is realized to the public appreciation more in that list of arrivals on the other side of the commercial Styx , the Gazette ( with my friends Mr . Pennell or Mr . Bell , Official Assignees , as their Charon ) , and in your exit from society , than in the real mortal disappearance .
But , my good sir , urgeth the reader , what are these twin evils who wear the crown of dominion in this , confessedly , not so perfect world of ours ? My dear Brother , the world that I indicate is that called civilized ; and the two things that seem to me to divide empire in it are Conceit and Selfishness , I believe that these two bad qualities mutually react upon and produce each other , and I know not which is the worse of the two , for Selfishness is but unexpressed Conceit , while
Conceit is expressed Selfishness . But Conceit—that is , the lively form of it which is so very salient—is the vice of society . Ah , how should I enumerate its countless forms , when the whole thing is a masquerade , in which you may as readily detect the gown of the ecclesiastic , the snuffle of the Methodist preacher , and the thickheaded prosing of the Scotch justice , as the giggle of the juveniles , or the rhodomontade of the be-wdiiskered . Is it really because there is but one man in the world , and that is Self , that we have all this
turgid a ffl atus—this sole grandeur ;—this kingdom with but one cushion , and that for yourself to place your foot upon ? Is there no second he to the first he ; or is Egotist lord paramount , the giver and receiver , the beginning and the ending , and the everything between ? However , we design , in this sketch , only to treat but certain forms of this coxcombry : Jupiter forgive us for handling , with a silken glove , so monstrous a paw ,
Preaching is unpopular , especially where you are thought to be preaching at people . So long as you make your charges general , all well and good . Nobody takes offence at that which anybody may claim . By no means grow too particular in your denunciations . People soon get wonderfully weary of being told that they do anything
wrong . , Not that they believe what you say if you find fault with them ; but they are only astonished that you should so far forget yourself ; that , really , they had been inclined to consider you a rather agreeable person , but , if you will persist in talking in that
very unpleasant manner , you must not bo surprised if you are not listened to , or be ruffled and hurt if you are not met quite so cordially . Folks do not want truth from you . They want praise and acquiescence . For what other reason have you a share of their hearth , or a seat , now and then , at their table ? Why else do they call you a candid , truthful person ? Why else do they give you their arms at public places , and consent , now and then , to laugh gently at your pleasantries—feeble enough , but w ell-intended , no doubt ? It is the clergyman ' s business to tell people of their misdoings—once a week . This , if delicately done , may not be thought too obtrusive . You prepare for something of the kind when the church-bells begin