Chamberss Edinburgh Journal, No. 430

Chambers's Edinburgh Journal,
No. 430

Project Gutenberg's Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 430, by
Various This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 430 Volume 17, New Series,
March 27, 1852
Author: Various
Editor: Robert Chambers and William Chambers
Release Date: May 7, 2006 [EBook #18337]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK
CHAMBERS'S EDINBURGH ***

Produced by Malcolm Farmer, Richard J. Shiffer and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.

CHAMBERS' EDINBURGH JOURNAL

CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS,
EDITORS OF 'CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE,'
'CHAMBERS'S EDUCATIONAL COURSE,' &c.
NO. 430. NEW SERIES. SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1852. PRICE
1-1/2d.

PRONOUNCERS.
Do you not find, in almost every company, one who pronounces
decisively upon every matter which comes in question? His voice is
loud and firm, his eye bold and confident, and his whole manner
oracular. No cold hesitations as to points of fact ever tease him. Little
time does he require to make up his mind on any speculative subject.
He is all yes or all no at once and without appeal. Opposite opinions he
treats with, at the best, a sublime pity, meant to be graceful, but, in
reality, galling. He is often a goose; but, be he what he may, it is ten to
one that he carries off the majority of the company in the mere sweep
of his gown. They are led by him for the time, fascinated by the energy
of his pronunciations. They may all recover from him afterwards--some
after one day, some after two, and particularly weak men after, perhaps,
a week. At the moment, however, the pronouncer has vast influence,
and, if immediate action can be determined on, it is very likely that he
drags his victims into some committal of themselves, from which
subsequent escape may not be very easy.
While pronouncing is thus the prominent quality of a few, it is more or
less the vice of nearly all. Men feel that they have an inherent right to
their opinion, and to the promulgation of it, and are not very apt to
reflect that there is another question--as to whether their opinion be
worth delivering; whether it has been formed upon a good basis of
knowledge or experience, or upon any basis at all; whether it is the
emanation of ripe judgment and reflection, or of some mere passing
gust of ideas springing from the whim of the minute. Hence, when any
question arises, it is seldom found that any one is quite unprepared to
give some sort of decision. Even the giddy girl of seventeen will have

something to say upon it, albeit she may never have heard of the matter
before. It is thought foolish-looking not to be able to pronounce, as if
one imperiled the right of private judgment itself by not being prepared
in every case to act upon it. In consequence, what absurd opinions do
we hear in all kinds of companies upon all kinds of topics! How the
angels, who know better, must weep!
A conversational party even of tolerably well-educated persons, often
presents itself in a ludicrous light. Some question has arisen amongst
them. No one has any clear or definite information upon it. They have
had disputes about the simplest matters of fact involved in it. Yet no
person there, down to the youngest, but would take scorn to be held as
incapable of pronouncing upon it. There are as many opinions as there
are persons present, and not one less confident than another. What is
very natural in such circumstances, no one has the least respect for the
opinions of any of the rest. Each, in fact, does justice upon his
neighbour for the absurdity of pronouncing without grounds, while
incapable of seeing the absurdity in himself. And thus an hour will be
passed in a most unprofitable manner, and perhaps the social spirit of
the company be not a little marred. How much better to say: 'Well, that
is a subject I know nothing about: I will not undertake to judge.'
Supposing all who are present to be in the same predicament, they
might dismiss the barren subject, and start another on which some one
could throw real light, and from which, accordingly, all might derive
some benefit.
Is not this habit of pronouncing without preparation in inquiry and
reflection just one of the causes of that remarkable diversity of opinion
which is so often deplored for its unpleasant consequences? In
ignorance--fancy, whim, and prejudice usurp the directing power. If