Vanity

M iet people are altve to the (mperm o( wthe' s ; few, however, percci'vc their miïii. Ta Tstxrw one's eelt te the ni 1 dlffieuli o( all kniwwledge. There aro mcvoe bo ill-fnvu-ed, aar tasrtence, Wh-owlll aat admire t.hf -msclvcs in a inirror, bscause tihey see molt tihemselves, bat ome ideal individual.-. And wifch like partiality do we regard t'h.e sa;l aad evil qualRles whlch ; m our ciia,racter, always esteeming oa'selves, iva matter h jv despicalble we may really be. Henee vanity is the predomiïKiuit and imivf.'sal vice. ïlliius a pious pbliOBOpher sail : 'Whit Ijlindcth the eye, or wlvat hldeth the heart Of a man irom himself liko va.nity ? Lo ! Whon thou eeeat aot thysolf, tllien oth!O"s disoO'Ver thee most plainly." Cosan deftnes vaiuty as 'ttaat specles of pride whlch, while it presumes npon a degree oí Biipertority, in soime particular articlos, fondly courts the iipjtlft'use of everyooe wit'hin, lts sptiere of actioin ; seeking every occasion to display some talcat or some supposed exccllewy."' Thus vanity is vain-glory, and arisea rom a desire to appear wlser, o" rictier, or cleverer, t)u:ui we actually are, and consequently is a sort of imposture, oftcai offeMive to others and injurious to ourselves. Tihe extfaordiaary circumstance aixout this failins is thiat it attacks , those wtuo may have many estimable qualftics, as wcll as those Who have few of mooie. Peer and peasant, lady arad waítiog-maid, are, in tihietr distinctive ways, alike subject t i it, and the more acutely they are aïfected by it, the greater U their scli-degradati-on and loss of e;enuine esteem. They may succeed in acquirlng tte lip-service of parasites and and fools, but in dohig tliis they must lose the good opi'nion of those whose regard alone is worth. Iiaving. Hume the htetortaa, in one oP his essays, writes on tli.is Kubject wlth his usual po and lucldlty : "A dcsiie of íame, reputatton, or a charactei' wfth. others, is B3 Sar from beiiu-; blameable, that it seems inseparable from vitrüe, genius, capafity, and a generous ot nble -lisposition .... wluerein, then, consists vanity, whicli is so justly regarded as a fault o" imperfection ? It Beems ti eomsist chiefly in such an intemperate display of 6ur advantages, IUmío-s, and accomplisliments ; in such an Importúnate and open dematnd 01 pnalse and admiration, as is oifensive to othei's, and encroaches too Sa.T il -Hifiir Becret vanity and ■íimbíti ju. It Is besides a sure symptom of th.o want of true dignity and elevatiom of mind, wSiirii i3 s i great an orna ment ia auy eharacter. For, why that Impatient desii'o oí applause, a.s ü you were not ju.stly entitled to it, a.ml misit not re.istmably expert thrufc it would roeever attend yau ? Wliy so anxious uo in'm us of t!i? great eompany which you have kept ; the obligiog things -nihich were said t you ; the Jionors, th: distiuctions wihich you met wlth ; as it these were ;v t thinga oi coutse, aii'l wiha1 we c ald "eadlly, of ourselves, have Lmaaed, sclts i1 belng told of them ?" MMjt8igie says : "TJie corruption of tthe aííe is made up upon the partioul i: c initirlbutiOBS of every individual man. Ont ctmt iilmtes Ueaehery, others iiajuetices, trreligi m, tyranny, aviu:i:-e, aind C-'uolty, aoeoiPding as tbey air 1 power ; 'the wea-feer sort coi tribute ,olly, v..uity, aiililUn s ." Th-: wiocd vanity includes withlu its meaniinig all so-ta oí empty delight o-1 frivolous display, all iinsubst-antial pageante and pleasu-es wfeose end is merely tj gratify weak pride, and all the little oatemtatioias whlcfl are iiiteniled to make otlxers thiak of us more highly than. we deserve. It is derived eitiier from tdie Aaglo-Saxon verb fyn-jgean,, ti witter, t fade, to pas away, to faimt, ai' iroan "Waiiiaii, to wane to íall away, and tima it deniotee that which lias a substaratial basis, but is ia ifcs natu esspnti&Uy epliemeval, di'ln.siw, and evanescent. And yet observe tlie extent to wliich l'.his Idle (iiunlity is cultimted li.v almosrt .-til claasea oír maavklnd ; elvlllzed and umcilvlUzed, higli and low, rich nmd piu:-, lcarncd aad üliterate. Tbe uialied aavage wlu ► can display BOane paltry o3 jeci d by otihers, strivts as thpugli he rere iord oí the oniverse. We ïniuli at the ridiculoujsness oií his va.nity. 'lel in a tli.O'iiKMiiil v;iys oU!T o n iiirs and aífectatione aie equially absuïd. We 1: ourselres upom so miny tüings wWei aire either i, il woirtfi posaessin'j.', u , ii' Uhey ace, were nat o-btaincd by a.ny meirit mi; ouir own. Stars and garterBi rltíbOBS and dcc-'i-ation.s, are aoifc to be d ispised "vhen they hnve been wioin by persomal valor r bMlty ai comduct. Tlvy are then aufcwiard aod visible eiapia a? a.u hnuard amd spiritual worttünesa. Hut h,e win ) (lc:'ivr(l his orders oi titles irom Bhs merite oí aaiotíhier, without coming up to Vbe standard of the i 'iginal. decks lumself in bo-rrowed plumea ti wihich he bas nr moral i.iii. He resembles a clowoigarbed In the mntle O! pWlcwopñy, or a pigmy eutttempting to bear the burdou of Atlas. Kut even i hoy wh) liuvc obtained thei" distinctions li.v iraud. -bi-eachcry, riea, 'r eruelty ; th nïini ma of momarehs, the betrayers (: ttne i)'opiR, the oppreasors of thfi poia-r. We do wcll to htve wiint la called "a pieper pride ;" t respect ourBelves and t be Jealous oif on" repnbEêtKxa, beca use tihis coiwi'uces to rect.itude oil coaiduct. Hut we Sflwuld beware af belng bitt&n by vanity. Whiea. omce its poisan enters the soul, l In: c is n n saying to -svhat lengtlis oí i Flly we may be eventually nr-ged. 'I li ■ se-Vant girl wlll ape her mistress, 'hie? mistress the next ia rank, and bo om, ad tnfinitum. ThiP excessive loive of dress is a pestilent vanity, and go-es Jar to denioralize botii sexes. It is, however, peculiarly dangërwujs to wexmen. To drese madesUy, asid even well, so tli.:it it wlthin ;ir m-aans, is desirable. Eut to endoavor t adorn i;i sel beyood thiis polnt, or to dress extvsivaantly, is ttie uure :nark oí .-i vain miad. H'ow many a deluded woman Ins 1,;uii.m1 her vitrue - a woraan's afbiest jewel- for some gawd out of a ü si:-: f i's shop-window ! How n::ui.v a y.nni'í and ini'xpc.'ienced gtrl has been led astray by a passion for stowy dress ! Eve ís sald to have been tempted through nn npple. Hei' daugilvters are tempted by rtasgs, trfnkets, and íine clothing, anii wear im public tlliie price oí their prívate dislhoujor. If we coald only recognize ourtrue wants, pei'ceiving wilxat is really advantageons, ne sfoould avoid much licait-burniing and nuany useless stnainings. Hiappmess and peace o mimd come only witih. content, aad Jinw little is needed to satisfy actual requirements ! A well ordered lióme ; good plain food ; intelligent sunpoundlngs; simple recreati'Ons, and a modest and ■vromianly demeiamOJ-, would carry all ttoonglh liíe with domestic Iiappiness and pu'blic esteem. lint we ,ai'e not oo.ntent with; 1 solid and permanent blessings. Oui' dresH rnust be mo:-e expenstve, our servaats more ninnerous, our equipa ges more strikiniSi our huses largor, anú ouar furniture mm-o costly, tÍLan those oí our neighlbors. Wlth tliu humlbler in circumsta.nces it is the samf. All are toiling for tliat nliich pno-.Iteth them not. Husbands and wivee seo little oí each, other. Parea-te and caildren are oten barely acquainted, and frequently, alttiough Im ttie same bause, do not meet from veek's end to week's end. Ei'ther tlivi st'rugigles li've or tlie promptlligs Oi anibitious vanity keep tho f.-ithers wo-rking from early till late. Thus theitr livos pas-; away n-nreliered by the tnue joys of existence, and unsweeteraed by necessary leisure. WelJ m.iy suc'h. say, in the vords of the Wtedom of Solomon : ■Wliit hatb p:ide pro;ited us? Or wh.at goöd hath riehes witb. aar vaunting Ir.iisight iis ? All these ïhiags are passed away like a s'hadJw, and as a poet that, liasteth by ; and as a síhip that passeth over t'ae waves of tho water, whlch when it is go'ne by, t:he trace thereaf caunot be found, neither t'he pathway ai the keel in t'he wavos !"