Show i i smartness and dullness Dall neg carly carlyles les reminiscences are mart aart Ez though the great g genius e ni u s i in n t them hem a almost 1 m 0 s t overshadows their r smartness m a r tn e s sti still 1 1 t the h e L predominant egotism in them the accent of self assertion is ia never absent and mrs carlyles letters are smart emar t vc vry v ry smart thou though gh extremely dextre in fascinating bating in in their way indeed we do not wonder when we notice the predominate ag though su subtle atle egotism in both carlcie and his wife that there was not a little of jarring between natures nature so much alike in the one characteristic which h needs supplementing and abhors rivalry rival ry we should say that while sm artees ma may y be combined with high genius and great fascination it cannot be combined with those qualities which are of the very essence of high bred society reticence modesty fastidious taste self forgetfulness and smartness are irreconcilable qualities and self forgetfulness is essential to the highest breeding and smartness when it is not joined with great genius genins soon satiates nay even nauseates it is all very well in public public life because all public life is intermittent but in private society smartness wearies and overwhelms mr disraeli was smart and in his youth oppressively smart when he took gibraltar by storm by changing his cane at the evening gun he was smartness in ex celsis but if we were i compelled to choose between artness smartness em I 1 in ex celsis and sunday school teacher ism in ex celsis we are disposed to think that of the two great evils we should choose i i the latter dullness Dull nesa jean can be endured 1 but glare and smartness in ex celsis i b full of glare soon becomes intolerable london spectator I 1 |