The division of blushes into the true blush, the false blush, the blush of modesty or bashfulness, the blush from morbid sensibility, the deceptive blush, and the blush of conscience, serves no useful purpose, since all these blushes resolve themselves under examination into some form or other of the two kinds of blushes under a sense of shame, of which I have been speaking.

When we speak of ' modest worth ' that' blushed at its own praise,'we seem at first sight to reach a blush from a cause that is far removed from shame, yet in point of fact this person of 'modest worth' blushes because he is ashamed that it is openly noticed, that attention is improperly drawn to him as its possessor, or that praise beyond desert is given. He blushes from a quite praiseworthy shame. Indeed the sense of shame that excites the blush is often praiseworthy. Modesty may beget a blush either at too high praise, or when under humility about an indelicate or unbecoming word or deed.

Being intently looked at, for any reason, which leads to Locke's 'uneasiness of mind,' is also a cause of blushing. The blusher is ashamed of being openly and much noticed, and it may be enough that he thinks himself so noticed. He is probably still young - for blushing almost belongs to youth - and has not yet acquired the cold, hard, and callous condition of advanced years. It might be well called, as indeed it has been called, 'a blushless impudence,' if he only showed indifference, when he thought the bystanders were intently gazing at him. Nor would it be far otherwise described, if he took with indifference such quite comparable, though greatly differing, occurrences as having a blameworthy act or word openly disclosed and noticed, or getting into a situation that involved some sort of indelicacy.

All blushing seems thus to work round to being the expression of a sense of shame, and no young person should regret that she feels what brings up the blush. To say of a girl, as they do in Gaelic, that 'her face lit up with shame' is not to speak evil but good of her. To say, on the other hand, that she had a nature which could not feel a sense of shame, and that she was incapable of blushing, is to give her a bad report.

If I am asked to define with sharpness and shortness the meaning of the word shame, as the word which best names the cause of blushing, I confess that I cannot do so, nor have I found any other person able to furnish such a definition. Nevertheless, I think that I have made plain the meaning of the word, and have left no room for misconception. I think that I have made it clear that feeling the shame which calls up the blush is not a thing which young persons should be sorry to experience. It is in the time of youth that this sense of shame does and ought most readily to arise. Its not arising readily in later life can, 1 think, be easily explained, as I shall afterwards show. It almost belongs to youth, and it is an adornment of the youthful mind, as much as the blush which expresses it is an adornment of the youthful body. The too ready rising of this sense of shame, and the too frequent calling up of the blush, may no doubt cause inconvenience and distress. Excesses do so in all matters. But it is better far for a young person to blush too often, than not to blush at all.

It is of importance to realise that, practically always, the things which excite the blush of shame are of a trivial character. Gross indecencies or great crimes never rouse blushing. The things that call up the blush are often, if not generally, of an exceedingly trivial nature. A person thinks he has shown some deficiency in what is proper in manners or conversation, or he breaks some rule of etiquette, and he is ashamed and blushes. He dreads that he may be charged with something of this kind, and he becomes flurried, embarrassed, and blushes. He is corrected for some small error, and he becomes confused, ashamed, and blushes. He is asked a commonplace question, has not a ready answer, and he blushes. There is something out-of-the-way, some blemish or peculiarity about his dress or person, he sees that it has attracted notice, and he blushes. And so on endlessly. It is nearly always something small - never a thing of grave import.

Darwin makes self-attention of much importance in the production of blushing, chiefly as directed to personal appearance, but also as directed to moral conduct, always however in relation to the opinion of others. In this he is right, but, with theories of evolution always in his mind, he pushes the view into an explanation of the far-off acquirement of the habit of blushing. He does not, however, do this with any success. He has nothing to adduce which shows that blushing was ever different from what blushing now is, and it is only with blushing as it now exists and as we see it, that I am concerned.

There is one point in regard to the causes of blushing which must not be lost sight of, namely, that young men and women blush more frequently and easily in the presence of the opposite sex than in that of their own sex. This is easily understood as affecting sensitiveness about personal appearance under depreciating remarks, or under a feeling that he or she is being intently regarded. As has been already stated, the blush of shame connected with personal appearance - some peculiarity about dress or some blemish on the person - or with some breach of etiquette or gaucherie in conduct, or with some indelicate or unbecoming word or act, is much more common than the blush at being found out to have done something which deserves blame; and the first is most readily excited in the presence of strangers, while the second comes most easily in the presence of acquaintances whose opinion is valued. As a general statement, undeserved or unexpected approval causes blushing, but disapproval or ridicule does so much more frequently.

There is still another point which requires notice in considering the source of blushing. It is not absolutely necessary that the thing which excites the blush shall relate to the blusher himself. The shame that brings a blush may arise from the appearance or conduct of another. This is not of frequent occurrence, but it is a well-known possibility.