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THE HESPEBIAN STUDENT.
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as much prido in the wearer, when out nc.
cording to an ancient model, us When by
u modern one. To this class of persons
the words of Dr. Young sooin to ho ml
dressed :
"Tluiiigli wrong tho uiudu. comply: moro iciio Is
shown
In wurlin; others ' folllu tlmn your own."
Jt has boon well said, that "variety is the
spice of life," and il might, he as truly said
that variety is tho civilizing ngont in life.
A people thai never change- the style of
their lints, or the cut of their coats, are in
a fair way to remain unprogrcssivo in ov
erything else.
Billion has somewhere remarked that a
man's clothes are a part of the individual,
and enter into our conception of tho char
acter. The outward appearance speaks to
tho eye in plain and unmistakable Ian.
gunge, and before we know what a man is
or hear him speak, wc judge of him from
what we see of him. If his garb is slov-
I'opiilurity mid Culture.
Now Is tho day of our national pride
and solf-gratulation. Rigged in our best
holiday attire, we are having a gigantic
picnic at the close of a busy century's
work. The eagle soars high the Hag
limits wide upon the breeze. Our neigh
bors from across the Atlantic, from tho
Orient, tho isles of the Pacific, and from
south of the Gulf, aio all gathering at our
commodious hearthstone. They are all
bringing their tributes of congratulation
and respect, and whispering pretty things,
and insinuating graceful compliments in
our ears. It is tliu expected and correct
thing to do on this occasion. Dame
Columbia has tricked out her preco
cious and somewhat obstreperous sons in
their best bibs and tuckers to do honor to
all this pageantry.
But pause a moment, .Madam, in your
matronlv nrido. and nauso also, vo sons of
wily, or badly arranged, we conclude tliut Columbia! Flattery is a dangerous thing!
he is a drone, or eNo, ns. an able writer has, Doin yoll kow (hu( vanity lovo of
expressed it, "shows him to be a man, sat- j,,.,, ls ()f om. imtiolml weaknesses?
isticdwith his own recourses, engrossed Why) wc ,. H,vur wcn.y ,. wnnlrjng
with his own notions and schemes, indif. amI imiUmg ourselves, even in ordinary
Cerent to tho opinion of others, and not j0rouin8luncoS wi,cll wo cull find no one
looking abroad for entertainment." There elso t0 lck,0 om. ril)S, jcwnl.Ci ii1(.r(.fo,c,
is no excuse for a tatterdemalion; a neat j ost( iu a ,hls prori,sOI1 ()f buns ml
paicu is cneap, even it a now sun " ;8WW.inenls, lliis foible be pampered into
by no nieansjbllows, as that sweetest of
essayists, Charles Lamb, insists, and the
Ameiiean has satifactorily demonstrated,
that a bully Is necessarily a coirurd.
The American is fond of Ills Institu-
(hunter, with very little previous (mining.
They expect to ncliiovo great feats with
untrained muscles, without getting wind,
ed." Mark the consequence the people
are demanding shortened courses of oilu.
lions. The infallibility and perfection of cation, and they gel thein they mo
American institutions is our national post-' imposed upon by all kinds of industrial
ulato. If you are a foreigner and want to I quackery. You can get your diploma
make a yankoo mad, just criticise the now-a-days, by studying nil tho way from
Constitution I The son of Liberty, the
American boasts of his pedigree. Possess
ing the ballot, and having all tho seats of
honor winking at, and beckoning him, lie
likes to call himself a kiny, worthy to
hobnob, like Sam Slick's father, with tho
proudest potentates Like that worthy
statesman, tho Senator, in James Do Millo's
"Dodge Club," he will elevate Ills heels at
an angle A' sixty degrees, insert his thumbs
in his nrmholes, cock his eye, thrust his
tongue in Ills check, and pull' his cigar
under the very noses of princes. Of course
there is something admirable iu all this,
but here is (lie dllllcuHy : True royalty
of character implies something moro than
reckless boldness. There must be rofino-
six weeks iu a Business College, up to six
years in a University; and tho people rate
them at about the same value, with a pur.
I ltd it, if anything, for tlio six week's doc.
union!. The fact is, alt the advantages of
liberty will not make us superior to our
neighbors, without sound culture. Yet I
have known young men of talent, hasten,
ing to gain public reputation, ami he
called men, who have abandoned their col.
lego studies on tlio very threshold, to en.
gnge in the Law, or Journalism. Ami
how did thoy seek success? By becoming
the companions of bummers, the compos
crs of vile squibs, tho disseminators of lo.
cal pestilence, the inditers of barbarous
English, the authors of weak and mawk-
clothes isnot, and is ever a symbol of lion
orablo thrift waging war against adverse
circumstances. A man of negligent hab
its ostracizes himself from good society,
for to him no one feels encouraged to make
any advances, because his personal appoar-
a frightful blemish on the national char
acter! The fact is nations, like individu
als, have private, as well as a public,
character.
It is my II rui conviction, that they owe
then ultimate fall more frequently to cor
menl, culture, wise consorvativisin, duo re-' Ish editorials all to gain the applause of
spool for others, u healthy regard for the j bar-room critics, and interested villains!
jitnexs of thinys. Tlio Yankee is decidedly jTlie American public man is tlio boldest
ill-bred. There is danger of becoming too , individual extant. Ho is vulgar, and an
Hum of one's countrv of mak nir an do .excruciatingly bad grammarian, on prlti-
of Liberty and kissing her blemishes into
perfections. Arc our Institutions perfect ?
ciplc. He talks slang from policy. Let
old stagers like Abraham Cowley, rhapso.
mice sliows that he keeps aloof from soci- mil ul,iovelinesses and unamiablenesses
cty. On the other hand, a finished dress of ........ disnosition. than thev do to the
indicates a man of tho world, one who
greed of avarice, the lust of ambition, or
. i i i t u
inwes piuusuri' in socieiy, ami is loiming l)08tUeiico and war. And it is a sad truth,
abroad for entertainment. It shows, also, j wIlicll ought 1J0l t0 bo conC(.ae(i, that
a kind of general oiler of acquaintance, lhoro uro somo lu,i()Vcly blemishes in our
and a willingnoss to enter at any time into j nntlon.s prieaUt character. Though airs,
conversation. 1 speak now of a carefully , Columbia-like all good mothers-will
dressed gentleman, and not of a dandy. llot thallk us fol. pointing olU fuuUs in hor
The latter individual shows the cloven foot idolized ollspring-ospeciully before visit-
ors however impish tho aforesaid prog
May thou not grow with the world's 'dizo about "obscurity ;" I say, " Bo popu
growth? The tree of Liberty is as danger li" ly all means!" But you need not,
ous a trust as that celebrated treoot Eden I therefore, kiss the feet of tho rabble, nor
It must be guarded and hemmed in by j awl in the dust with tlio multitude.
of his vulgarity and ill breeding in li Is
foppish and unsymmetrical attire. Hands
set oil' with rings instead of gloves; watch-
ony may appear in the eyes of everybody
else yet conscience compels us to play
guard loaded with trinkets, hat cocked to lUo cvnlcul Apemaiitus at this feast of T
one side. Instead of making himself tho I ,,.
ing
agreeable gentleman tli'it ho should be, ho
bores everybody with his everlasting cigar
and insipid prattle. Ills highest aim and
ambition in life is dress, and his ideal of a
man might bo aptly summed up in the fig
ure of a wax dandy. His outward appear-
mon.
The American is proud of his courage
ho likes to bo called brave. In truth lie
is not without a fair share of this admira
ble virtue. But there ls a vast dillerence
between bravery and boldness. Hear Lord
JJacon: "Wonderful like is tho case of
mice seems stiff and out of place. There 1 1)oldn03s ln clvll business; what first?
is something about his whole bearing that , Holdnoss: what second and third ? Hold.
ness. And yot boldness is a child of ig
norance and baseness, far inferior to other
parts; but, nevertheless, it doth fascinate,
and bind hand and foot those that are
displeases, and renders his company little
else than a nuisance.
The dross of people is a badgo of thoir
calling n well ns iv symbol of their char
acter. The knights and warriors of the either shallow in judgment, or weak in
middle ages clothed themselves In steel ! courage, yea and tirovailoth with wise
armor because thoir occupation was war. men at woak 1111108." Thus the groat 1'hi
'The peculiar dress of p.lysicians and ' losoplier describes our generic vice, of
lawyers or ancient times deepened tho lim-. which thoir arc many spcoios. Holdnoss
its of professional dilleronce, and doubt. Is u plant Indigenous to Freedom's will.
less quickened professional devotion." JTho very air of Liberty wo breathe is
The sailor is known everywhere by his ' pregnant with iu aroma. And alas!
tarpaulin hat and ponjackct; and even the ' where culture is lacking, it charms the
business man can generally !.. distin- jjudgiuont; and rowdyism and reckless of-
law on every side. Wc have not half so
many absolute, God-given personal rights
as we suppose. Perhaps ours is not tlio
highest ideal of Freedom ? The eminent
Frenchman, DeToc.quevUlo, observes, that
ono of tlio first things a foreigner notices
on lauding in the United States, is the
quickness of tho American to take otfenso
at criticism on his Institutions. "Wc arc
childish in this respect. For shame! Let
it no longer be said. Let us earn tlio titlo
of kings by controlling ourselves. Lot us
burn our debasing image, and worship
tlio pure, omnipotent spirit of Liberty.
This foolish prido will bo tlio death of us
some time, if wo don't have a care it will
breed corruption!
Diogenes, tho Cynic, onco, unbidden,
entored tlio richly decorated looms of
Plato during a splendid entertainment.
Clothed only in his filthy blanket, ho
stamped with his bare and muddy feet on
tho costly carpets, and exclaimed" Thus
do I trample on the prido of Plato the
Athonoan!" "With still y renter pride, 0
Diogenes of Sinopo!" Plato replied. Be
ware, American, lest while all unbidden
you enter tho palaces of princes and
Tho notion lias seized hold on tho minds
of journalists and politicians, that, in or.
dor to reach tho people, to hit them hard,
they must strike low. This is "scoundrel
ethics," says E. P. Whipple, and through
Its precepts, they not only drag Mio people
lower, but are themselves possessed by the
very Imp they thought to use as a tool.
It is not necessary to strike so low as you
suppose to hit tlio masses. A deep rever
ence and respect for tho grand, pure, and
noble, exist in tiio heart of every man, in
spite of himself. The very rough who
laughs at the slang and indecent tilhi
sions of tho daily paper and cheers the
fustian and rhodomontadc of the political
orator, at heart, despises tlio clown who
amuses him, and could bo reached and
moved far easier by chaste, noble, and
grammatical sentiments. Quintiliau says
that nearly all words, except a few which
are too indecent, may be used with pro
priety in an oration. 'Iho politician has
transposed tho statement, and says: Near
ly all slang, abusive epithets, vuigarty, and
foolishness have thoir place in a speech,
excopt a low which arc too refined for the
popular taste! Bad grammar is about the
i spurn Willi your coarse brogans their ven-; worst, disease with which our system cor
I orablo ponato.s exclaiming "Thus do poroul Is allllctod. It is fast becoming
I tramplo on tho prerogatives of blood chronic. Perhaps a liberal dose of pure
I and tho prido of kings," Royalty may! syntax would bo tho best cathartic wu
justly retort" With still more abject ; could administer. I am not sure but we
prido, Osons of Columbia, iu tho idol yo I need orthoopists and danoing-maslois
have sot up!" It Is not so surprising, af-' moro than wo do doctors and statesmen.
tor all, that Dickens and othei European , But, with prido and expectation, we turn
..,,bliWIO imiUu:uiii, hum smin.o us so io mo American JJar. Surely hero wo
guished by his snugly fitting suit of brown
or gray, while the professional man is
characterized by his dingy black. Tho
parson is known by the length of his coat
and tlio man of fashion by hia kid gloves.
A man must chooso his dress as most befits
his occupation and rank in society; but
of whato'-er kind or degree this may be,
whether of patrician or plebohm, ho should
drosa with carefulness and taste, with a
view of pleasing his follow beings, and
making himself appear tho noble being
for winch he is divinely fitted. UniKii.
frontery pass for a free ami courageous
spirit. Tho typical Yankoo, tho " Uncle
Sam " of the inimitable Nasi, with his
cowhides, and checkered pantaloons, is a
bit of a bully, an oinnipresont braggart,
and very vulgar withal. Our moro re
fined cousins across the water rogard tho
trueeliny yankee ns a sort of precocious
monster, a kind of Centaur, n savage
Chiron, whom, on the whole, it is better
to humor and caress, tlinn to offend; for it
severely. In spile of all .Mr. Paulding or
anyone ol&o can say to tho contrary, are
wo not a good deal to blame?
Another little Haw in tho American
diameter is its impetuosity Ms thirst for
speedy popularity, and in consequenco, its
superficiality. This is an insidious species
of boldness, and it is tolling upon tho in
tollcctual development of the nation. Wo
arc over-anxious to gain notoriety for do
ing something practical, pro bono jntblico.
Hence young men vault into life's ninplii-
shall find a balancing owor of wise con
bervntivit.ni an unshnking pillnr upon
which we may safely rest our institutions.
Says Do Tocqucvillc, iu criticising Ameri
can Democracy, Iu tho United Stales,
tlio lawyers are the Aristocracy j lionco
tho law-and-ordor men, tho wise conserva
tives, whoso influence isiv perpetual eliccK
to the impetuosity, and radicalism of tho
people at largo. Tho Logal Profession is
our Aristocracy, that is true. It represents
much lenrniug and talent. But how is it
j jt tow "Tf .ZmEk , , ,imn,-i ,j,tti,t,t . & jM' i..- i toJ.fcate.!;,. -fr.C ..MmjriimttnmrUlBrrrTmm-vninimt )
