314 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



have been local only had he not come too near to the American news- 

 paper correspondent. The desire of the weak to appease or flatter the 

 strong has been the most fertile origin of titles. In darkest Africa the 

 king is addressed by such names as the 'Lion of Heaven,' the 'Bird 

 who eats other birds/ or 'Thou who art as high as the mountains.' 

 A proper name easily becomes applied to a family or a class, and is 

 thus handed down to successive generations. Nothing is easier for 

 the savage than to apply superhuman attributes to a successful warrior 

 and to deify him after his death. After natural slumber he wakes 

 with renewed strength. The slumber of death seems merely deeper 

 and longer than usual, and it is easy to believe that latent power ha* 

 not been lost. The warlike father of his tribe is transformed into the 

 god of his tribe. The grand lama of Thibet does not wait for death, 

 but is worshiped as ' God the Father ' by his obsequious subjects. The 

 ruler, whether visible or invisible, is 'father,' 'king' or 'God,' indiffer- 

 ently. If his authority becomes widely recognized, if his empire in- 

 cludes subordinate kingdoms like that of the German Kaiser to-day,, 

 he becomes ' king of kings ' and ' lord of lords. ' 



With the development of successive grades of honor, power and 

 position comes the demand for recognition to be accorded by those' 

 below and the temptation to appease and flatter those above. The 

 fundamental motive is the lively sense of favors to come; the wish to 

 create obligation among those whose power enables them possibly to 

 interfere with our welfare, and to exact allegiance from those whom 

 we may possibly use for our own advantage. The ordinary father of 

 a family addresses the king in the language of adulation, and is ad- 

 dressed in similar terms by his wives, children and servants; while 

 these in turn receive from the dogs all the flattery that can be ostenta- 

 tiously suggested by wagging tails and eloquent barking. 



But while selfishness is one of the bases of title-giving, it is not 

 the only one. Regard for others is a characteristic of humanity quite 

 as natural and universal as self-regard. Selfishness and generosity are 

 relative terms. The man or woman who is much less considerate of 

 the rights of others than are the majority of people composing society 

 is soon found out and becomes an object of dislike, if not of positive 

 hatred. To be kind to one's friends, to take an interest in the welfare 

 of those around us, to help those who are in trouble, to sympathize with 

 the pleasures of those who are enjoying life, to make friends by being 

 friendly — these are some of the most fertile sources of human happi- 

 ness. Nor is this confined to humanity. If happiness can be judged 

 by its visible manifestations, there is many a dog whose happiness is 

 apparently bound up in the most unselfish devotion to his master. 

 Love in the home circle and politeness in general society are not merely 

 indications of refinement ; they are positive contributions to the general 



