Poise: How to Attain It

feels like crying this to those who, thinking to reach the goal of

ss. We have seen that this quality

nd in those who

which essays to travel through life as a child might wander among

into a conflict without any thought as to the blows likely

this: life is a battle in which strategy a

k for which he is not really prepared. However brave he may be he will infallibly find h

courage. Still l

s all outward manifestations that are likely to result in giv

nothing of the delights of contemplation, from which a

art ineptitudes, they hypnotize themselves so thoroughly that they are

quite unable to follow a beaten path and was cons

ould have been, and he received a constant stream of abuse, to s

saults and insisted upon following,

peasant in the story, the man of effrontery is always wandering

sed at his approach, and, if he can not overcome the opposition of the porter, watches for the moment whe

he result

from him, and were he the bearer of the most advantageous proposition, refuse

s only a momentary deception, quickly dissipated the moment

urage exhibited by the timorous who sing in a loud voice in order to lessen

g the most difficult questions with only a passing thought, but remain silent and are put completely out of counte

evotee of bluff, and not only of that v

rity discount

further o

casion demands it, in order to give the impression

ome realities that allow them to establish themselves in pos

hor con

, must never be founded

ngs of the man of effrontery, who only achieves by accident

but equally unlucky as to their results,

n toward this defect that old-fashioned educ

its rapid course all forms of progress, w

undreamed of, and those who still believe in the virtue of modesty are their

meaning has been undergoing a gradual change due to the erro

ly nothing more than an

would be up to date must avoid at all hazar

self, it flourishes among the lazy, who try to save their pride and to conceal their se

dn't care

more fr

the lists. I am absol

es people who are unknown

a horror o

at were it not for their retiring modesty, the hun

as it exhibits the form of a wise reserve it must be c

ecoming known is not a laudable one, and can only b

unknown to us if all the scientists and all th

ly a few of the initiated would know that men of exceptional merit, which they had sedulously concealed, had written manus

t! This false virtue is the appanage

were not so constituted, and that their faith in themselves, by giving them confiden

ny we have ever read had once been written, if the modesty of its author had led him to keep it

aises of modesty, which is no more than

ides his ineptitude behind this convenient veil whose thickness allows him to h

m. The moment he begins to have doubts about his own powers he will be sure to find himself the prey of an

e course of a climb up a mountain, found themsel

nother a boaster, and the third

g to think and without taking the troubl

f, then decided to make use of the irregularities in th

but could hardly touch the edge before an i

for the decisive attempt. He jumped, indeed, but in such a half-hearted way that he merely touched

d made a number of trial jumps to test his ability to clear it, and when, with a firm resolution to succeed, he reached the edge from which he

e, was able to cross the gulf in whi

, by isolating them and denying them the means of expansion, prevents them from obtaining a real con

stomed, to the extent of a complete failure to notice their pecu

take on the guise of every-day matters when once w

ge his feelings, is practically unable to ta

involuntarily with imaginary utopias, which he begins by considerin

loves to feel himself important, and he merely pities the people whom he considers incapable of understandi

ons the shelter of its chrysalis, and, following the example of that gorgeous insect, he flies a

is brave, courageous, eloquent. It accomp

t of exploits quite impossible of performance. We must remember, however, that it is not he who sp

of seeing things exactly as we would wish them to be, by clothing them little

told the following little personal anecd

ent sage, "to be the victim of a serious illness

ly distraction was the study of the

lar impression upon me with its cluster

s in the conte

ture. But, little by little, the clusters of flowers were transformed into gardens, the rose-trees took on the im

e romanc

character. The princess was very soon taken captive by a giant--w

the events of the story. Finally the obsession took such a strong hold of me

er, it was brought back for me to see, I was able to discover

shows us better than the most extended a

essential to concentration, the practise of w

in depriving us of contrary views, develops in us the propensity to see things from only

eprives them of the ability of discussing things, may be compared t

the same track without any means of dis

their efforts, coupled with the fever-heat engendered by their exertions, very soon causes the

ost. He studiously avoids taking his eyes off the goal, which he has carefully located in advance, and t

untarily assumes the r?le of effrontery, from very despair of

ot lacking. Rousseau, who was a coward of the

ercome, of perpetrating some breach of good manners led me to a

further o

posed as a despiser of the politen

ght think of the exhibition of an effrontery w

esy, assumes the attitude of caring nothing for them and of avoiding them deliberately, whi

ensitiveness of soul that is quite obvious, and the actor makes so poor a hand at identifying h

itself plainly in his attitude which vacillates betw

ery effort accuses them, no less than their flighty and unreasoning conversation and their gestures, now exa

between a soul and a body that are co

sumption or effrontery and the poise that we have in

ies that are shown by those who exceed their own

s that are dominant within us, to cultivate them, and to strengthen them in every p

deal in it of self-possession, the discretion belo

r emotions which makes a perfect cloak for our intentions, and leaves our oppo

rontery, both equally prejudicial to succ

ossess this gift of poise. Are those who do not sh

an be cultivated, so that it can be gradually perfected and carried about with one as the germ of every sort of success, the happy issue of which depends u