OCR Text |
Show 332 llLUSIIING. CrrAP. xrn. in tho <1 i fro rent races of man; but a Ilindoo gcn t lo~ n1an assnrocl Mr. Erskine that it is recognizable in hi8 countrytnen. . . . Shyness, as the derivation of the word IndiCate~ 1? several lano-uao-es 27 is closely related to fear; yet It 1s 0 b ' distinct from fear in the ordinary sense. A shy man no doubt dreads the notice of strangers, but can hardly bo said to bo afraid of them; he may be as bold as a hero in battle, and yet have no self-confidence about trifl~s in the presence of strangers. Altnost . every one ~s oxtren1ely nervous when first addressing a public asson1bly, and most 1nen remain so throughol:t their lives; but this appears to depend on the consciousness of a great coming exertion, with its associated effects on the system, rather than on shyness; 28 although a titnid or shy man no doubt suffers on such occasions infinitely n1ore than another. With very young children it is difficult to distinguish between fear and shyness; bnt this latter feeling with them has often seemed to 1~1e to partake of the character of the wildness of an untamed animal. Shyness comes on at a very early age. In one of n1y own children, when two years and three months old, I saw a trace of what certainly appeared to be shyness, directed towards myself after an absence from home of only a week. This 'vas shown not by a blush, but by the eyes being for a few minutes f:;lightly averted from me. I have noticed on other occasions that shyness or shamefacedness and real shame are exhibited in the eyes of young children before they have acquired the power of blushing. 27 H. Wedgwood, Diet. English Etymology, vol. iii. 18G5, p. 184. So with the Latin word verecundus. 2s J'"'r. Bain ('Tho Emotions and the Will,' p. 64) hns discussed tho '' ubu. hod" feelings experienced on these occasions, us well as th.c stage-fright of actors unused to tho stage. Mr. Bain apparently n.ttnbutes these feelings to simple apprehension or dread. CH.\.t>. XIII. DLU 'HING. 1")1 I · ~ As shyness ~pparently deJ)ends on self-attention, wo can perceive how right are tho e who maintain that r ... prehending children for shynes , ins teal of loino- th m any good, does much hann, as it calls their attention Btill more closely to themselves. It has been well urged that "nothing hurts young people more than to " be watched continually about their fcelino-s to have 0 ' " their countenances scrutinized, and the d grees of their " sensibility measured by the surveying eye of the un" merciful spectator. Under the constraint of such " examinations they can think of nothing but that th y " are looked at, and feel nothing but shame or appro" hension." 29 'Jforal owases: guilt.-vVith respect to blushin()' frotn . I b strJct y moral causes, we meet with tho same funda .. mental principle as before, namely, regard for the opinion of others. It is not the conscience which raises a blush, for a man may sincerely regret some slio-ht fault committed in solitude, or he may suffer the deepest remorse for an undetected crime, but he will not blush. ''I blush," says Dr. Burgess, 30 "in the presence " of my accusers." It is not the sense of guilt, but the th?ught that others think or know us to be guilty which cnmsons the face. A n1an may feel thoroughly ashamecl ~t having toll a small falsehood, without blnshing; but If he even suspects that he is detected he will instantly blu h, especially if detected by one whom he reveres. On the other hand, a man may be convjnced that God witnesses all his actions, and ho may feel de ply consc1ous of some fault and pray for forgiveness; but :! 9 ' 1::-.st ys ~~l Pntdi •al Elluratiull,' l>y 1\ aria and ll1 L. Edguwortlt, now cdtt. vol. u. 182~. p. ~8. Dr. Burgess (ibid. p. 187) inai~t:; stru11 o-Jy to the so.mc cfi'oct. u Ibid. p. 50. b |