"More men know how to flatter," said Wendell Phillips, "than how to
praise." To flatter is easy, to condemn is easy, but to praise
judiciously and discriminatingly is not easy. Extravagant praise
defeats itself, as does extravagant blame. A man is rarely overpraised
during his own time by his own people. If he is an original, forceful
character, he is much more likely to be overblamed than overpraised.
He disturbs old ways and institutions. We require an exalted point of
view to take in a great character, as we do to take in a great
mountain.
We are likely to overpraise and overblame our presidents. Lincoln was
greatly overblamed in his day, but we have made it up to his memory.
President Wilson won the applause of both political parties during his
first term, but how overwhelmingly did the tide turn against him
before the end of his second term! All his high and heroic service
(almost his martyrdom) in the cause of peace, and for the league to
prevent war, were forgotten in a mad rush of the populace to the other
extreme. But Wilson will assuredly come to his own in time, and take
his place among the great presidents.
A little of the Scottish moderation is not so bad; it is always safe.
A wise man will always prefer unjust blame to fulsome praise. Extremes
in the estimation of a sound character are bound sooner or later to
correct themselves. Wendell Phillips himself got more than his share
of blame during the antislavery days, but the praise came in due time.