YES AND NO. "We came into the world like brother and brother, SHAKSPEARE. ON MR. 66 "He humbly answered Yea! "My son-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 probability 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 unworthy 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 more gratifying, than to behold a man relying boldly on the powers which nature has bestowed upon him, and spurning, with a proper consciousness of independence, the suggestions of those who would reduce him from the rank he holds. as a reasonable creature, to the level of a courtier and a time-server. Nothing is to us more gratifying than to hear from the lips of such a man that decided test of a free spirit—that finisher to all dispute that knockdown blow in all arguments Nothing indeed is to us more gratifying, than to behold a man modestly diffident of the powers which nature has bestowed upon him, and assenting, with a proper sense of his own fallibility, to the opinions of those who kindly endeavour to remedy his faults, or to supply his deficiencies. Nothing is to us more gratifying than to hear from the lips of such a man that true test of a complying disposition-that sure prevention of all animosity -that immediate stop to all quarrels that sweet, civil, complacent, inoffensive mo--that strong, forcible, exnosyllable-Yes! Yet, alas! how many we find who, from an affec pressive, incontrovertible monosyllable-No! do Yet, alas! how many do we find who are either un G 5 tation of singularity, or a foolish love of argument, do as it were expunge this admirable expression from their vocabularies. How many do we see around us, who are in the daily habit of losing the most advantageous offers, of quarrelling with strangers, and of 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 able or unwilling to pronounce this most useful, most necessary response! How many do we see around us, who are in the daily habit of professing to know things of which they are altogether ignorant, of making promises which it is impossible for them to 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 save the King of Clubs, and may of wedlock, Mrs. L., and the Princes of the Blood Royal be early instructed in the art of saying "No." all the Masters and Misses L. shall be early instructed in the art of saying "Yes." Look into the pages of Look into the pages of history!-You will find 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 imporbegged Achilles to pocket his affronts and make an end of Hector, he refused. Very well, we have no doubt he did all for the best; but we are morally sure that Patroclus would not have been slain, if Achilles had known how to tuned to give battle to Cæsar;-he complied. Poor devil!--he would never have been licked at Pharsalia if he had learned from us the art of saying "No." Look at the conduct of his rival and conqueror, Cæsar! 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 trou- productive of the same conbles both to the Greeks and sequences. Juvenal tells us the Etonians. It would of an unfortunate young have saved the Ancients ten man, one Caius Silius, who years, and the Moderns was unlucky enough to be twelve books, of bloodshed. smiled upon by the EmIt is almost unnecessary to press Messalina. The poor allude to the imprudent, the boy knew the danger he ran luckless Hippolytus; hehe saw the death which never would have been awaited him; but an Emmurdered 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. "Yes," cries a critic, "I agree with all this, but it's all so old." We assent to your opinion, my good friend, and will endeavour to benefit by your suggestion. Come then-we will look for illustrations among the characters of our own age. There's Lord Duretete the misanthrope. He has a tolerable fortune, tolerable talents, and tolerable person. He plays a tolerable accompaniment on the flute, and a tolerable hand at whist. Yet, with all these tolerable qualifications, he is considered a most intolerable man. What is the reason of this seemingly press sued, and he had not the heart to say "No!" He lost his heart first, and his head shortly afterwards. "Dam'me," says a blood, "all that happened a hundred years ago." -An Etonian has occasionally great difficulty in carrying his ideas a hundred years back.-Well then we will go example-hunting nearer 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 |