Every thing thou reprovest in another, thou must above all take care that thou art not thyself guilty of. In speaking of a brother's faults, Should seldom throw a stone. -CICERO. He whose house is tiled with glass must not throw stones at his neighbours. -OLD SPANISH PROVERB. Avoid that which you blame in others. MORAL MAXIM. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? -"BIBLE-ST. MATTHEW 7." The fault of others is easily perceived, but that of oneself is difficult to perceive; a man winnows his neighbour's faults like chaff, but his own faults he hides as a cheat hides the bad die from the gambler. If a man looks after the faults of others, and is always inclined to be offended, his own passions will grow, and he is far from the destruction of passions. “ DHAMMAPADA.” Never yield to that temptation which, to most young men, is very strong, of exposing other people's weaknesses and infirmities for the sake either of diverting company, or of showing your own superiority. You may get the laugh on your side by it, for the present; but you will make enemies by it for ever; and even those who laugh with you then will, upon reflection, fear and consequently hate you; besides that, it is illnatured; and that a good heart desires rather to conceal, than expose, other people's weaknesses or misfortunes. -LORD CHESTERFIELD. The talent of turning men into ridicule, and exposing to laughter those one converses with is the qualification of little ungenerous tempers. A young man with this cast of mind cuts himself off from all manner of improvement. Every one has his flaws and weaknesses; nay, the greatest blemishes are often found in the most shining characters; but what an absurd thing is it to pass over all the valuable parts of a man and fix our attention on his infirmities? to observe his imperfections more than his virtues? and to make use of him for the sport of others rather than our own improvement? : -ADDISON. It were well indeed for mankind if ridicule could confine itself to the frailties and imperfections of human nature, and not extend its baneful influence over the few good qualities and perfections of it but there is not perhaps a virtue to be named, which may not, by the medium through which it is seen, be distorted into a vice. The glass of ridicule reflects things not only darkly but falsely also: it always discolours the objects before it ventures to represent them to us. The purest metal by the mixture of a base alloy, shall seem changed to the meanest. Ridicule, in the same manner, will clothe prudence in the garb of avarice, call courage rashness, and brand good nature with the name of prodigality; will laugh at the compassionate man for his weakness, the serious man for his preciseness, and the pious man for his hypocrisy.* -T. SMOLLETT. Better to be blind than to see ill. -MORAL MAXIM. Every man's censure is first moulded in his own nature. -PROVERB. Censure is the tax a man pays to the public for being eminent. -SWIFT. The conception which one frames of another's mind. is inevitably more or less after the pattern of his own mind is automorphic, and in proportion as the mind of which he has to frame a conception differs from his own, his automorphic interpretation is likely to be wide of the truth. -HERBERT SPENCER. We are apt to judge of the rest of mankind, not so much by what we see in them, as by what we feel in ourselves.t The distance between the ear and the eye is very small, but the difference between hearing and seeing is very great. -AN EASTERN SAYING. Believe not all that you hear. *From Readings in English Prose Literaturc. In things that a man would not be seen in himself, it is a point of cunning to borrow the name of the world, as to say, The World says, They say, or, There. is a speech abroad. --BACON. He who comes to thee enumerating the faults of others, will assuredly carry thy faults to others. -SADI'S GULISTAN.* Never show that you suspect, nor accuse, till you have found that your suspicions were well-founded. The sting of a reproach is the truth of it. Find fault, when you must find fault, in private if possible, and sometime after the offence rather than at the time. The blamed are less inclined to resist when they are blamed without witnesses. Both parties are calmer, and the accused party is struck with the forbearance of the accuser, who has seen the fault, and watched for a private and proper time for mentioning it Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. "BIBLE-ST. MATTHEW 18." Never reprove in the presence of a third person; it repels rather than inclines.† Translated by Platts. -DR. W. W. HALL. A famous critic having gathered together all the faults of an eminent poet, made a present of them to Apollo, who received them very graciously, and resolved to make the author a suitable return for the trouble he had been at in collecting them. In order to do this, he set before him a sack of wheat, as it had been just thrashed out of the sheaf. He then bid him pick out the chaff from among the corn, and lay it aside by itself. The critic applied himself to the task with great industry and pleasure, and, after having made the due separation, was presented by Apollo with the chaff for his pains.* -STORY OUT OF BOCCALINI. * A knowledge of our weakness creates in us charity for others. How little we know of each other! Of ourselves, too, how little we know ! Let us put away envy and spite. Charity guards the mind and secures it from several great and dangerous vices, as first from envy. Secondly it keeps down pride and haughtiness. Thirdly it casts out censoriousness and rash judging. Fourthly it casts out dissembling and feigned kindness. Fifthly it casts out all mercenariness, and self-seeking: it is of so noble and generous a temper, that it despises all protectings for gain or advantage. Lastly it turns out of the heart all • From Readings in English Prose Literature. |