had never committed an error,” The best maxim that ever was made cannot directly impart or create knowledge or virtue or spiritual force.  It can only give a voice to those qualities where they already exist, and so set in motion a strengthening interchange of action and reaction.  Though a fool’s mouth be stuffed with proverbs, he still remains as much a fool as before.  He is past preaching to who does not care to mend.  As the brave Schiller affirms, “Heaven and earth fight in vain against a dunce.”  Eternal contact with nutritious wisdom can teach no lesson, nor profit at all one who has not a cooeperative and assimilative mind.  The anchor is always in the sea, but it never learns to swim.  Philosophic precepts address the reason; but the springs of motive and regeneration are in the sentiments.  To attempt the reformation of a bad man by means of fine aphorisms is as hopeless as to bombard a fortress with diamonds, or to strive to exhilarate the brain by pelting the forehead with grapes.

And yet, notwithstanding these large limitations and abatements, it is not to be denied that both proverbs and maxims, when habitually recalled, generally have some effect, often are strongly influential, and may, by a faithful observance of the conditions, be made extremely efficacious.  What, then, are the conditions of deriving profit from the contemplation of aphorisms?  How can we make their futility end, their utility begin?  The first, ever indispensable condition is fresh discrimination.  There are false, cynical, mean, devilish aphorisms, as well as sound and worthy ones.  Each style of character, kind and grade of experience breathes itself out in corresponding expressions.  “Self is the man”; “Look out for Number One”; “Devil take the hindmost”; “One for me is as good as two for you”; “Every man has his price”; “Draw the snake from its hole by another man’s hand”; “Vengeance is a feast fit for the gods.”  The fact that such infernal sentiments are proverbs must be no excuse for not trampling them out of sight with disgust and scorn.  Discrimination is needed not only to reject bad sayings, but also to correct incomplete or extravagant ones.  The maxim, “Never judge by appearances,” must be modified, because in reality appearances are all that we have to judge from.  Its true rendering is, “Judge cautiously, for appearances are often deceptive.”  A proverb is almost always partial, presenting one aspect of the matter,—­or excessive, making no allowance for exceptions.  Here independent insight is requisite, that we may not err.  As a general thing, aphorisms are particular truths put into forms of universality, and they must be severely scrutinized, lest a mere characteristic of the individual be mistaken for a normal faculty of the race.  For instance, it is said, “A reconciled friend is an enemy in disguise.”  Not always, by any means; it depends greatly on the character of the man, “Forewarned is forearmed.”  Generally this is true, but