BOOK I. CH. IV. $ 69. type. predominant and make a strongly marked type of character, yet a type subordinate to the general type of ambition. The passion of chivalry and honourable The ambitious emulation, when combined with the love of grace and politeness of demeanour, makes the character of the perfect gentleman. Some would deny the term gentleman to any one who does not also possess strongly marked traits of goodwill or benevolence; indeed would make the sympathetic emotions the root of this character. These persons are fond of saying, that only the true Christian can be a true gentleman; and they give St. Paul as an instance, who certainly was both in the highest sense. But, as commonly used and applied, the term gentleman includes only the justice of chivalrous emulation, and this is the foundation of the character; the other element is the fruit of good breeding and education, either given or self-acquired, and consists in good taste, polished manners, and courteousness, which are the fruit of one of the modes of emotion belonging to the comparison of having, as emulation belongs to the comparison of being. Compare on this subject what Montesquieu says of honour being the principle of action in monarchies, De l'Esprit des Lois, Liv. iii. 6, 7. Wherever there is a hierarchy of social or of social and political conditions in life, there it is one of the most constantly and powerfully operative motives with every one to keep himself and his family in the condition in which he was born, or to raise them above it. "L'honneur, c'est-à-dire le préjugé de chaque personne et de chaque condition;" and again, "La nature de l'honneur est de demander des préférences et des distinctions;" and again "L'ambition est pernicieuse dans une république: elle a BOOK I. $ 69. type. des bons effets dans la monarchie; elle donne la vie à ce gouvernement." We are but too well acquainted, The ambitious in England, with the excessive action of this principle; we know but too well the desire to be distinguished from the minutely different class below, and assimilated to the minutely different class above; we need a renovation, as of a genial spring restoring the wintry earth to life and warmth, a renovation which will relax the cankering gripe of this ambition, and restore, by the substitution of more natural aims, the sense and enjoyment of independence and brotherhood. 5. Passing to another subordinate type, humility is one of the emotions of comparison of being, and when the tendency to it is strongly marked produces a character very distinctly and obviously traced, that of the humble, meek, and lowly disposition. But this emotion has no passion founded on it, since its nature is to withdraw from rivalry and emulation rather than to court them. It combines readily with goodwill and love to others, and as such is itself amiable. It is from this combination that it acquires the title of a virtue, since a low estimate of oneself, if combined with illwill to others in consequence of that estimate, is hateful. The tendency to form a low estimate of self in comparison with others seems to belong to a low degree of mental activity, since it is to acquiesce in a judgment which derives its pleasure from the small amount of burden or task which it imposes. It enables the person to acquiesce in being guided by others; it aims at peace and rest, and avoids responsibility. Hence the humble character receives its colour from the other emotions with which it may be combined. Humility in com BOOK I. CH. IV. $ 69. type. bination with love is the state of mind which is meant by the term humility as the name of a Christian virtue. It may seem strange to find humility The ambitious classed under the head of ambition, being as it is rather a deterrent from rivalry, which is the soul of ambition. But it must be remembered that ambition is the character formed by the passions arising from emotions of comparison, not from these emotions themselves, which are opposites to each other; the passions are envy, jealousy, and emulation; when any of the emotions are predominant, they will form subordinate types of character which may be very different from those of the passions. The emotions on the side of the comparison unfavourable to self, that is, ashamedness, admiration of externals, humility, and admiration of essentials, as already said, have no passions; the passions spring from these emotions in combination with those on the other side of the balance, favourable to self; and yet these emotions may be strongly marked, so as to serve as foundations for distinct but subordinate types of character. And what is said of humility may be said also of other subordinate forms of these emotions, either alone or in combination with others, such as selfdenial, unselfishness, complaisance, submissiveness. A comparison with other persons, their possessions and faculties, is essential to all these emotions and their modifications of character; but the comparison itself does not become a passion, unless the superiority of self over others is the object of desire; and this desire is ambition. § 70. 1. Another type of character is founded upon pride, one branch of the emotions which arise in reflection on self alone. Reserve is the charac $ 70. The self isolating type. Book I. $70. The self isolating type. teristic of these; but the reserve of self-respect is modesty, that of pride is defiance. The emotions of reflection on self alone were described in § 30 as supposing two kinds of comparison to have taken place, first, comparison between oneself and other persons, secondly, comparison between the good and the bad features in one's own nature or history. Everything which can possibly be considered good in oneself or favourable to oneself may become material, object, or framework, for the emotion of pride. The comparison is then, in pride, given up by the unfavourable side of it being forgotten, not purposely but spontaneously, and the favourable side alone dwelt upon; only what is good in oneself is dwelt upon, the good in others and the bad in others are equally dropped out of view; and therewith all reci procal obligations between oneself and others denied. This kind of pride, then, has no career before it, because it is founded, by its nature, in an error, in mistake of the facts of its representational framework. It requires a comparison to exist, and it tries to eliminate all comparison; it destroys the framework which is necessary to it. It might be pictured as lopping off the bough on which it is seated. It aims both at isolation from others and at isolation from portions and parcels of itself. Yet to effect this isolation it must keep producing and reproducing in thought the objects from which it would make abstraction. The future before it is only secured by the strengthening of the natural tendency which may be due to repeated acts of indulgence; the aim of the passion is not to intensify itself, but to intensify or complete the isolation which is one element of its object. 2. But although this kind of pride has no career, the case is different with that kind of it which is self-respect, attaching to an ideal of character formed of other elements, and comparing itself constantly with its own ideal; an emotion which is noble in proportion to the nobility of the character constituting the ideal, and which shares its career. When this ideal is noble, self-respect becomes one kind of Honour, which is an essential characteristic of all excellence; the other kind of Honour being that belonging to emulation (§ 69. 4). This kind of pride consists, then, in exclusive cultivation of one's own ideal; but that ideal may include the cultivation of every virtue. Towards others the conduct of the self-respecting man will be marked by a reserved benevolence, by scrupulous justice, by attentive delicacy and politeness. "There are proud men," says Landor, "of so much delicacy that it almost conceals their pride, and perfectly excuses it." Pericles and Aspasia, cxii. This kind of pride I should call selfrespect. The two kinds of pride must therefore be carefully distinguished, and that only which is the passion of self-isolation denied entrance into the system of virtues. 3. The combination of the irascible emotions with the better kind of pride has been touched upon in § 68. 4; they will also combine with the worse kind of pride, the tendency to proud self-isolation. The resulting disposition is then morose, sullen, sulky, a disposition too well known by its name to require description. The framework of this compound emotion, which, since it is a compound one, is already a habit and disposition of character, is distinguished by the representation of some unwarranted intrusion VOL. I. LL BOOK I. $ 70. The selfisolating type. |