YES AND NO, "We came into the world like brother and brother, "He humbly answered Yea! "Myson-learn betimes to say No." Bob.'" ANON. OUR opinion is very much strengthened by the belief that many of our friends will assent to it, when we assert that no art requires in a greater degree the attention of a young man, on his entrance into life, than that of saying "Yes." A man who deigns not to use this little word is a bull-dog in society; he studies his own gratification rather than that of his friends, and of course accomplishes neither : in short, he deserves not to be called a civilized being, and is totally unworthy of the place which he holds in the creation. MISS EDGEWORTH, OUR opinion is not a jot weakened by the proba bility that many of our friends will dissent from it, when we assert that no art requires in a greater degree the attention of a young man, on his entrance into life, than that of saying "No." A man who is afraid to use this little word is a spaniel in society; he studies to please others, rather than to benefit himself, and of course fails in both objects: in short, he deserves not to be called a man, and is totally unwor thy of the place which he holds in the creation. Is not it right to believe the possible fallacy of one's own opinion?-Yes. Is not it proper to have a due consideration for the opinion of others ?-Yes! Is not it truly praiseworthy to sacrifice our conviction, our argument, our obstinacy, upon the shrine of politeness?—Again and again we answer-Yes! yes! yes! Is he a rational being who has not an opinion of his own?-No. Is he in the possession of his five senses who sees with the eyes, who hears with the ears, of other men ?-No! Does he act upon principle who sacrifices truth, honour, and independence, on the shrine of servility?-Again and again we reply-No! no! no! Nothing indeed is to us Nothing indeed is to us more gratifying, than to more gratifying, than to bebehold a man modestly hold a man relying boldly diffident of the powers on the powers which nature which nature has bestowed has bestowed upon him, and upon him, and assenting, spurning, with a proper with a proper sense of his consciousness of indepenown fallibility, to the opi- dence, the suggestions of nions of those who kindly those who would reduce endeavour to remedy his him from the rank he holds faults, or to supply his de- as a reasonable creature, to ficiencies. Nothing is to us the level of a courtier and a more gratifying than to hear time-server. Nothing is to from the lips of such a man us more gratifying than to that true test of a comply-hear from the lips of such a ing disposition-that sure man that decided test of a prevention of all animosity free spirit-that finisher to -that immediate stop to all all dispute that knockquarrels that sweet, civil, down blow in all arguments complacent, inoffensive mo--that strong, forcible, exnosyllable-Yes! pressive, incontrovertible monosyllable-No! Yet, alas! how many do we find who, from an affec Yet, alas! how many do we find who are either un able or unwilling to pro- tation of singularity, or a foolish love of argument, do as it were expunge this admirable expression from from their vocabularies. How many do we see around us, who are in the daily habit of losing the most advantageous offers, of quarrel-making promises which it ling with strangers, and of is impossible for them to offending their best friends, solely because they obstinately refuse to call to their assistance the infallible remedy for all these evils, which is to be found in the three letters upon which we are offering a brief com ment. We are sure we are only chiming-in with the opinion of other people, when we lament the manifold and appalling evils which are the sure consequences of this disinclination to affirmatives. To us it is really melancholy to look upon the disposition to contradiction by which some of our friends are characterized, to observe the manifest pride of some, the unreasonable pertinacity of others. Of a surety, if we are doomed at any future season to put on the yoke perform, of saying (to use for once a soft expression) the thing which is not,— solely because they will not call to their assistance the infallible remedy for all these evils, which is to be found in the two letters upon which we are offering a brief comment. It is dreadful to reflect upon the evils which this neglect must infallibly produce. It is dreadful to look round upon the friends and relatives whom we see suffering the most appalling calamities from no other misconduct than a blind aversion to negatives. It is disgusting to observe the flexible indecision of some, the cringing servility of others. Forgive us, reader, but we cannot help soliloquizing - God save the King of Clubs, and may of wedlock, Mrs. L., and the Princes of the Blood all the Masters and Misses Royal be early instructed L. shall be early instructed in the art of saying "No." in the art of saying "Yes." Look into the pages of history!-You history! You will find Look into the pages of history!-You will find there innumerable exam- there innumerable examples in support of our opi- ples in support of our opinion. When the Greeks nion. Pompey was impor begged Achilles to pocket tuned to give battle to Cæ his affronts and make an sar;-he complied. Poor end of Hector, he refused. devil!-he would never have Very well, we have no been licked at Pharsalia if doubt he did all for the he had learned from us the best; but we are morally art of saying "No." Look sure that Patroclus would at the conduct of his rival not have been slain, if and conqueror, Cæsar! Achilles had known how to You remember the words say "Yes." We all know of Casca, "I saw Mark how he cried about it when Antony offer him a crown, it was too late. To draw and he put it by once; but another illustration from for all that, to my thinking, the same epoch, how di- he would fain have had sastrous was the ignorance it!" Now this placid which Priam displayed of "putting by" was not the this art, when a treaty was thing for the Romans: we on foot for the restoration are confident Julius Cæsar of Helen. Nothing was would never have died by easier than to finish all dis- cold steel in the Senate, if putes, to step out of all dif- he had given them a good ficulties, by one civil, oblig- decisive insuperable "No!". ing, gentlemanly "Yes." Whatever epoch we exBut he refused-and Troy amine, we find the same rewas burned. What glori-luctance to say "No" to ous results would a con- the allurements of Pleasure trary conduct have pro- and the mandates of Amduced! It would have bition, and alas! we find it prevented a peck of troubles both to the Greeks and the Etonians. It would have saved the Ancients ten years, and the Moderns twelve books, of bloodshed. It is almost unnecessary to allude to the imprudent, the luckless Hippolytus; he never would have been murdered by a marine monster, if he could but have said "Yes:" but the word stuck in his throat, and he certainly paid rather dear for his ignorance. 66 productive of the same consequences. Juvenal tells us of an unfortunate young man, one Caius Silius, who was unlucky enough to be smiled upon by the Empress Messalina. The poor boy knew the danger he ran he saw the death which awaited him; but an Empress sued, and he had not the heart to say "No!" He lost his heart first, and his head shortly afterwards. "Yes," cries a critic, "I “Dam'me,” says a blood, agree with all this, but "all that happened a hunit's all so old." We assent dred years ago."-An Etoto your opinion, my good nian has occasionally great friend, and will endeavour difficulty in carrying his to benefit by your sugges-ideas a hundred years tion. Come then-we will back.-Well then we will look for illustrations among go example-hunting nearer the characters of our own home. There's Sir Philip Plausible, the Parliament man. He can make a speech of nine hours, and a calculation of nine pages: nobody is a better hand at getting up a majority, or palavering a refractory oppositionist; he proffers an argument and a bribe with equal dexterity, and converts by place and pension, when he is unable |