Society and Solitude

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Tishardtomesmerizeourselves,towhipourowntop;butthroughsympathywearecapableofenergy
andendurance.Concertfirespeopletoacertainfuryofperformancetheycanrarelyreachalone.Hereis
theuseofsociety:itissoeasywiththegreattobegreat;soeasytocomeuptoanexistingstandard;as
easyasitistothelovertoswimtohismaidenthroughwavessogrimbefore.Thebenefitsofaffectionare
immense;andtheoneeventwhichneverlosesitsromance,istheencounterwithsuperiorpersonson
termsallowingthehappiestintercourse.
Itbynomeansfollowsthatwearenotfitforsociety,becausesoiresaretedious,andbecausethesoire
findsustedious.Abackwoodsman,whohadbeensenttotheuniversity,toldmethat,whenheheardthe
best-bredyoungmenatthelawschooltalktogether,hereckonedhimselfaboor;butwheneverhecaught
themapart,andhadonetohimselfalone,thentheyweretheboors,andhethebetterman.Andifwe
recalltherarehourswhenweencounteredthebestpersons,wethenfoundourselves,andthenfirst
societyseemedtoexist.Thatwassociety,thoughinthetransomofabrig,orontheFloridaKeys.
Acold,sluggishbloodthinksithasnotfactsenoughtothepurpose,andmustdeclineitsturninthe
conversation.Buttheywhospeakhavenomore,haveless.Tisnotnewfactsthatavail,buttheheatto
dissolveeverybodysfacts.
Thecapitaldefectofcold,aridnaturesisthewantofanimalspirits.Theyseemapowerincredible,asif
Godshouldraisethedead.Thereclusewitnesseswhatothersperformbytheiraid,withakindoffear.Itis
asmuchoutofhispossibilityastheprowessofCoeur-de-Lion,oranIrishmansdays-workontherailroad.
Tissaid,thepresentandthefuturearealwaysrivals.Animalspiritsconstitutethepowerofthepresent,
andtheirfeatsarelikethestructureofapyramid.Theirresultisalord,ageneral,orabooncompanion.
Beforethese,whatabasemendicantisMemorywithhisleathernbadge!Butthisgenialheatislatentinall
constitutions,andisdisengagedonlybythefrictionofsociety.AsBaconsaidofmanners,Toobtainthem,
itonlyneedsnottodespisethem,sowesayofanimalspirits,thattheyarethespontaneousproductof
healthandofasocialhabit.Forbehavior,menlearnit,astheytakediseases,oneofanother.
Butthepeoplearetobetakeninverysmalldoses.Ifsolitudeisproud,soissocietyvulgar.Insociety,high
advantagesaresetdowntotheindividualasdisqualifications.Wesinkaseasilyaswerise,through
sympathy.SomanymenwhomIknowaredegradedbytheirsympathies,theirnativeaimsbeinghigh
enough,buttheirrelationalltootendertothegrosspeopleaboutthem.Mencannotaffordtolive
togetherbytheirmerits,andtheyadjustthemselvesbytheirdemerits,bytheirloveofgossip,orbysheer
toleranceandanimalgood-nature.Theyuntuneanddissipatethebraveaspirant.
Theremedyis,toreinforceeachofthesemoodsfromtheother.Conversationwillnotcorruptus,ifwe
cometotheassemblyinourowngarbandspeech,andwiththeenergyofhealthtoselectwhatisours

andrejectwhatisnot.
Societywemusthave;butletitbesociety,andnotexchangingnews,oreatingfromthesamedish.Isit
societytositinoneofyourchairs?Icannotgointothehousesofmynearestrelatives,becauseIdonot
wishtobealone.Societyexistsbychemicalaffinity,andnototherwise.
Putanycompanyofpeopletogetherwithfreedomforconversation,andarapidself-distributiontakes
place,intosetsandpairs.Thebestareaccusedofexclusiveness.Itwouldbemoretruetosay,they
separateasoilfromwater,aschildrenfromoldpeople,withoutloveorhatredinthematter,eachseeking
hislike;andanyinterferencewiththeaffinitieswouldproduceconstraintandsuffocation.Allconversation
isamagneticexperiment.Iknowthatmyfriendcantalkeloquently;youknowthathecannotarticulatea
sentence:wehaveseenhimindifferentcompany.Assortyourparty,orinvitenone.PutStubbsand
Coleridge,QuintilianandAuntMiriam,intopairs,andyoumakethemallwretched.Tisanextempore
Sing-Singbuiltinaparlor.Leavethemtoseektheirownmates,andtheywillbeasmerryassparrows.
Ahighercivilitywillre-establishinourcustomsacertainreverencewhichwehavelost.Whattodowith
thesebriskyoungmenwhobreakthroughallfences,andmakethemselvesathomeineveryhouse?Ifind
outinaninstantifmycompaniondoesnotwantme,andropescannotholdmewhenmywelcomeis
gone.Onewouldthinkthattheaffinitieswouldpronouncethemselveswithasurerreciprocity.
Hereagain,assooften,Naturedelightstoputusbetweenextremeantagonisms,andoursafetyisinthe
skillwithwhichwekeepthediagonalline.Solitudeisimpracticable,andsocietyfatal.Wemustkeepour
headintheoneandourhandsintheother.Theconditionsaremet,ifwekeepourindependence,yetdo
notloseoursympathy.Thesewonderfulhorsesneedtobedrivenbyfinehands.Werequiresucha
solitudeasshallholdustoitsrevelationswhenweareinthestreetandinpalaces;formostmenare
cowedinsociety,andsaygoodthingstoyouinprivate,butwillnotstandtotheminpublic.Butletusnot
bethevictimsofwords.Societyandsolitudearedeceptivenames.Itisnotthecircumstanceofseeing
moreorfewerpeople,butthereadinessofsympathy,thatimports;andasoundmindwillderiveits
principlesfrominsight,witheverapurerascenttothesufficientandabsoluteright,andwillacceptsociety
asthenaturalelementinwhichtheyaretobeapplied.