WHICH HAS THE GREATER INFLUENCE ON CHARACTER—SOCIETY OR SOLITUDE?

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 83

WHICH HAS THE GREATER INFLUENCE ON CHARACTER— SOCIETY OR SOLITUDE?

Paper read at Invercargill Club, August 4,

Bx Octava

From childhood our character is influenced .T>y the society of others. Through the constant companionship of its mother a child's character is influenced either for good or evil. The child unconsciously imitates its mother, and all through life a child's character is influenced to a large extent by its early training. Good mothers will rc-£v good children, and bad mothers will rear bad children. Of course there are exceptions, but these are rare. The natural edu-

cation of the home is prolonged far into life — indeed, it never entirely ceases. But the time arrives, in the progress of years, when the home ceases to exercise an exclusive influence on the formation of charact f? >. , and rt 'is succeeded by the more artificial educatcion of the school, and the companionship of friends and comrades which continue to mould the character by j Powerful influence of example. If solitude has the greater influence, why is it ]**M a * T thfir is alwa y s anxious for her W if n S com P aa ions- A child left by her nin7 if TJT J if * he has At JE ?'ii WayS , busv ' even at her play. cluL M, to , have Plenty of companions, betf? S ! v , t - hey k"™ that companionship is bettrL' ha - nn a sohtude - A £cho °l teacher has a funYu m T 1 Uen r ° n *te character of his !o Pe-tP e-t ' a . makes it his principal the pupils will lespect themselves and their bn^wV^ tfcey J^ U wor k» not under hiS SS tlWltht IWlth1 Wlth J lvu > T a*d they will imitate him in all he does. In Smiles' book of character much is written about a teacher, D* £no d . of ~rl m i° r? fuJly recc S n «ed the influence le?5! =™TV S*J=K --- one occasion he said to an assistant master I AJo you ccc those two boys walking tofisLV* Ve l MW *•» tether before. «?£i *v mftke an M P«a«l Point of obn a the ,, Ranges m a boy's character " m i« rn tw S VUV U exam P le w »a an inspiration as is that of every great teacher. In hispresence young men learned to respect themselves; out o* the root of self-resect £ grew up the manly virtues. His very presence seemed' to create a new spring of health and vigour within them, and to give to life V n ;r esi , and elevation which remained Tn? a e n 1OD £ fter they h^ left him* | and dwelt, so habitually in their thoughts as a lmng image that when death had tak f n him away the bond appeared to be I £! Jf broke ?' and fhe sensed separation I E£* ■? ™ lon . "»*»tn*tible. Of another w! he *. * « wnten that "he breathed th<, r,Z-l°£ tUe ln ,*.° whole generations ol pupils. "To me," says the writer "his lectures were like the openings of the vi^wTunfoJl* ? - a *»!• HiTaowS: views unfolded in glorious sentences-, elevated me into a higher world. They changed my whole nature." -On the other hand if a 1 Hl,H 1 ,. 0"*"'0 "*"' f» d :ndifferent, then Ws pupils will be careless and Indifferent tco Ruskm says: "That which is borT of cvii bagts evil, and that which is born of valour Character tells m all conditions of life As our bodies take nourishment suitable to the mesfi on which we feed, so do our souls as insensibly take in virtue ox ' vice by the example or conversations of good £ bad »Er- By 5r A , ma ?- £ eood dieter ™U tspwe and elevate, his fellow workers, while irZ \Z* bad - A ch * ratl <» will lower and de^ P*ny te, keeps." Another saying <s "Keen good company and you will be of the nuSwi«, £ Tl**,T I **, d ° not n *™«% associate with the drunken, the refined with tiho D S c ' Vl6V 16 d -tTL "** *• dilute Com! panionship wath those around us has a great ~fi?f*r* ?a ° Ur Association with re&red, wiser, and more experienced persons than ourselves is always inspiring and invigorating. Intercourse with selfish vulgar IOTBB injurious by inducing a dry duj!, reserved, and selfish condition of mmd, more or less inimical to true manliness and breadth of character. The mind soon learns to run in email grooves, the heart grows narrow and contracted, and the fu Ta L n ! tu ?f bb V icme3 we *k and irresolute ♦ iT° £" s ° f our ' character are brought out by the constant society of others, not by solrtude. J3y living alol f A '™l only becomes wholly ignorant of the me aa S of helping his fellow creatures, but is without the perception of those wants whichmost need help. We are told if we wish to E3* 'T* bb n rdell , H ,? hter 4 "^ n ]Ht mother's v£a» i f6ehn S m? ' k es us wondrous kmd, and we can only learn self-reliance, £££ ft Bymp »thy, and the other virtues from others, not from ourselves. How often ■ have we found our views on certain subjects entirely changed by a conversation with a person of great character. By companionship we are influenced, and unconsciously we influence others. The very presence of a good man has a great influence, he will subdue the bad and at the same time inspire the good. If we read the life story of any man or woman we will find +hat they have been greatly influenced through the constant companionship of some dear friend. It was after .the death of his dearest friend that iennyeon. wrote- his best poem. "In Memonain" Wordsworth seems to have been especially impressed by the character of his gentle sister Dorothy, who exercised upon his mind and heart a lasting influence He descrrbes hei as the blessing of his boyhood as well ad of his manhood. Dhoueh two years younger than himself, her tenderness and sweetness contributed greatly to mould his nature, and open his mind to the influences of poetry : She me eyes, she gave me ears, And humble <:ures and delicate fears; A heart, the fount-am of sweet tears And love and thought and joy. The life of Henry Martyn, the Indian missionary, seems ro have been singularly influenced by a -friendship which he formed when a boy. As a boy he was of a delicate nervous temperament, a^d being of a somewhat petulant, temper, the bipger boys took pleasure in provoking and bullying him. His friend stood between him and hi 3 persecutors, and not only fought his battles for him, but helped him with his lessons Maityn's friend was h steady, patient, hardworking fellow, and he never ceased to watch over, to guide, and keep Martyn out of the way of evil company. This friend never achieved any distinction himself, but he shaped Martyii's character, and inspired hi? soul with the love of truth, and prepared him for the noble work on which he afterwards entered. Florence Nightingale exercised a great influence not only on the soldiers whom she nursed, but on the whole of the British race. Hers was a gentle, noble character, her very presence had such an influence that the soldiers said she Iliad's the hospital as holy aa a church, and they even kissed her shadow as it fell. Her example has inspired many womer to enter upon a noble work. Her example will always have an influence on others. If we are given much to solitude we will not be happy ; we will become selfish and narrow-minded To. be happy we must live Tor others and with others!

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