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the others immediately approach in succession, like friends who 

 come to share in suffering or death. The irritation is not local, 

 but communicates from circle to circle in the various elements 

 of a leaf, and propagates itself from one leaf to another, like 

 sympathy in an association of true friends. The more vigorous 

 the sensitive plant is in its habit, the more susceptible is it ; for 

 sympathy everywhere (unlike sentimentality) is always most 

 powerful in the noblest organisations. v. 



The Human Soul Seeks the Face for Sympathy. 



The human soul seeks the face for sympathy, as if constituted 

 for that sociality only through that medium the living tele- 

 graph of all that is felt within. So strong is this disposition to 

 look into the features for fellowship, that even a blind man, 

 when excited by the voice of a friend, seems to see the accom- 

 panying expression of his face. Those who have had oppor- 

 tunity of observing the attitude of an intelligent blind person 

 while in lively conversation with him, can testify to the force 

 with which his features respond to every word. He seems to 

 watch you with his sightless face, and to look through the 

 whole of it into your eyes. Holman, the blind traveller, says, 

 " When any one is conversing with me, I conceive myself to 

 see the expression of countenance as the words are pronounced, 

 almost as if I actually saw it, and in ordinary cases receive a 

 similar kind of satisfaction." u. 



Tact is Superior to Force. 



When the hawk is soaring above the court, scarce discernible 

 to human eye, the pigeons have already perceived him ; and if 

 no hiding-place is to be found, the whole flock arise and career 

 upwards in close circles. Faster and still faster the entangled 

 maze goes round, in order to confuse the marauder. He swoops 

 down and misses his prey, for look and blow have grown un- 

 certain. He makes another, and a third attempt, but in vain ; 

 there is nothing left him but to retreat discomfited. Their tact 

 thus saves the pigeons from being the prey of this stronger bird. 

 How often have men of tact saved themselves by tact alone 

 from powerful foes ? ST. 



