Progress and Achievements of the Colored People: Containing the Story of the Wonderful Advancement of the Colored Americans—the Most Marvelous in the History of Nations—Their Past Accomplishments, Together With Their Present-day Opportunities and a Glimpse Into the Future for Further Developments—the Dawn of a Triumphant Era. A Handbook for Self-improvement Which Leads to Greater Success — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Progress and Achievements of the Colored People: Containing the Story of the Wonderful Advancement of the Colored Americans—the Most Marvelous in the History of Nations—Their Past Accomplishments, Together With Their Present-day Opportunities and a Glimpse Into the Future for Further Developments—the Dawn of a Triumphant Era. A Handbook for Self-improvement Which Leads to Greater Success
John Stuart Mill · en
We not only have the natural appetites but the acquired appetites, which
are related to desires but in their action they are like original
appetites. Artificial appetites may be inherited. This is especially
true in the case of the children of the drunkard, opium taker and
tobacco user. This is probably due to the effect upon the nervous
system, and it is, as a rule, for the effect upon the nervous system
that these things are taken. Or, they may be acquired by the
individual’s deficiency of self-control and a natural inclination on his
part to act the braggadocio or abandon, deluding himself that he is
acting manly, and endeavoring to create a like impression upon others.
THE PERIOD OF “COLTISHNESS”
This disposition is always more or less present in children, and
particularly so in youth. It would appear in the minds of a great many
there is the necessity of a period of coltishness through which we all
must pass, and during which there would seem no help for us but a free
rein and copious mother-tears. As the world is growing wiser and better,
and as we all are coming to recognize this improvement of conditions,
these fatuous delusions are losing ground and now instead of it
appearing “big” to the child or youth to do those “smart” things, he is
beginning to realize that his standing in the community and the respect
which he wishes to command, must be governed wholly by the qualities of
manliness and gentility of which he is possessed.
It is a failing on our part individually to look upon our own as good
and all others as bad, where there is a difference, and however
comforting this may be to us, we must face the question squarely—that
there is just about as much bad in one as there is in the other. The
scales may not always balance in such a comparison, but usually they
will very nearly do so. The virtues which are possessed by different
individuals may not always be the same, but they always make up for the
more or less patent deficiencies.
For instance, our attention was once called to a very lovable young man,
weak in character and somewhat dissipated, who was so sympathetic that
he would show the deepest solicitude for the poor and helpless child,
the dumb brute in its sufferings, or the poor wounded bird. Had the
character of this young man been properly trained in the days of his
childhood, no thought would have been given by him to those things
resulting in dissipation, but that natural energy of young manhood would
otherwise have found vent, and have been a great good and a great
blessing.
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