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Show 33() BLUSHING. CHAP. XIII. . . d for these two frames of blushes are readily ex~Ite ' 1 Shyness also, i'rom 1 . 1 8 In comn1or . Inind have not ung e s . t ken for modesty in the tlu.s same cause, I·S often Jnis a sense of humility. I have observed and have Son1e persons flush up,dads _, disaareeable recol-d t y su en anu o been assure , a . an seems to be the sudden . Th commonest cause l lectlon. e . d e something for anot 1er remembrance of not having _ond In this case it may h . h h d been promise . person w 1c a half unconsciously through be that the thought.lplahssestl 'nk of me?" and then the . d "What WI e n l the min ' k f th nature of a true blus l. iiush would parta e o e . most cases due to the But whether such flushes are In d . . doubtful· . I t' being affecte ' IS very ' capillary cu·cu a 10~ r that almost every strong emo-for we must rem em e t J. oy acts on the heart, tion, such as anger or grea ' and causes the face to redden. The fact that blushes tnay b. e exr cl• t edt 1i~n absomluetlye l t the view here a ... en, na solitude seems opp?s~c 11° . fr·om thinkjng about h h b't rigina y arose that t e a I. o Several ladies, ·who are great what others thmk. of us.in re~ard to solitude; and some blushers, are unanimous 1 t blushed in the dark. of them believe that t 1ey lave ·. res ect to the IT m what Mr. Forbes has stated. wlth p d bt ro n sensations, I have no ou Aymaras, and from my ow Shakspeare, that this latter statement i~ c~:l~~~· who was not therefore, erred when he rna e . . ' ) . even by herself' say to Romeo (act u. sc. 2f .- " Thou know'st the mask of nl·g h t _·J S on n1 y1 (a cke ·' Else "vould a, maiden blush bepamt rn: ~ ~ee-~io-ht." For that which thou hast heard me spea {_ o o . . d in solitude, the cause l3ut when a blush IS exmtc thouo-hts of others about almost always relates to the "' ted by them; ~s·-to acts done in their presence, or suspec HAP. XITI. llLU IIING. 337 or again when we rofle t what oth rs would hav th ught of us had they known of the act. Neverthol . s one or two of my informants believe that thev hav w ~ blushed from shame at acts in no way relating to other . If this be so, we mu t attribute the result to the force of inveterate habit and asso iati n, und r a state of tnind closely analogous to that which ordinarily excit a blush; nor need we feel surprise at this, as even syinpathy with another per on who commit a flagrant breach of etiquette is b lieved, as we have just se n, sometimes to cause a blush. Finally, then, I concluJe that blushing,-whether due to shyness-to shame for a real crime-to shame from a breach of the laws of etiquette-to modesty fro1n humility-to n1odesty fr01n an indelicacy-dep nds in all cases on the ~ame principle; this principle being a sensitive regard f r tho opinion, n1ore particularly for the depreciation of others, primarily in relation to our personal appearance, especially of our faces ; and secondarily, through the force of association and habit, in relation to the opinion of others on our conduct. Theory of Blttshing.-vVe have now to consider, why should the thought that others are thinking about us affect our capillary circulation? Sir C. Bell insists 31 that blushing "is a provision for expression, as may be " inferred from the colour extending only to the surface "of the face, neck, and breast, the parts most exposed. " It is not acquired; it is from the beginning." Dr. Burges believes that it was designed by the Creator in "order that the soul might have sovereign power of " displaying in the cheeks the various internal emotions 31 Bell, ' Anatomy of Expression,' p. !>5. Burgess, as quoted be1ow. ibid. p. 49. Gra.tiolct, De ]a P1ty8. p. Di. z |