330 BLUSHING. Chap. XIII. 



blushed and been shy, had he been paying a bill to a 

 tradesman. Some persons, however, are so sensitive, 

 that the mere act of speaking to almost any one is suf- 

 ficient to rouse their self-consciousness, and a slight blush 

 is the result. 



Disapprobation or ridicule, from our sensitiveness on 

 this head, causes shyness and blushing much more readily 

 than does approbation; though the latter with some per- 

 sons is highly efficient. The conceited are rarely shy; 

 for they value themselves much too highly to expect 

 depreciation. Why a proud man is often shy, as appears 

 to be the case, is not so obvious, unless it be that, with 

 all his self-reliance, he really thinks much about the 

 opinion of others, although in a disdainful spirit. Per- 

 sons who are exceedingly shy are rarely shy in the pres- 

 ence of those with whom they are quite familiar, and 

 of whose good opinion and sympathy they are perfectly 

 assured; — for instance, a girl in the presence of her 

 mother. I neglected to inquire in my printed paper 

 whether shyness can be detected in the different races of 

 man; but a Hindoo gentleman assured Mr. Erskine that 

 it is recognizable in his countrymen. 



Shyness, as the derivation of the word indicates in 

 several languages, 27 is closely related to fear; yet it is 

 distinct from fear in the ordinary sense. A shy man no 

 doubt dreads the notice of strangers, but can hardly be 

 said to be afraid of them; he may be as bold as a hero 

 in battle, and vet have no self-confidence about trifles 

 in the presence of strangers. Almost every one is ex- 

 tremely nervous when first addressing a public assem- 

 bly, and most men remain so throughout their lives; 

 but this appears to depend on the consciousness of a 



27 H. Wedgwood, Diet. English Etymology, vol. iii. 1865, 

 p. 184. So with the Latin word verecundus. 



