There
is no merit in being apologetic about oneself. One has a right to be
there, wherever one is, a right to an opinion, a right to take some
kind of a hand in whatever is going on; natural tact is the only
thing which can tell us exactly how far those rights extend; but it
is inconvenient to be apologetic, because if one insists on
explaining how one comes to be there, or how one comes to have an
opinion, other people begin to think that one needs explanation and
excuse; but it is even worse to be solemn about oneself, because
English people are very critical in private, though they are
tolerant in public, because they dislike a scene, and have not got
the art of administering the delicate snub which indicates to a man
that his self-confidence is exuberant without humiliating him; when
English people inflict a snub, they do it violently and
emphatically, like Dr. Johnson, and it generally means that they are
relieving themselves of accumulated disapproval. An Englishman is
apt to be deferential, and one of the worst temptations of official
life is the temptation to be solemn.
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