New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-16
TALLEYRAND, GOLDSMITH, OR WH0i

To he Editor of TIE " L. Tribune
SIR: The columns of The ~ Y. Times often
enforce the truth OF the expression, "that little
Learning is dangerous thing; and there Is every
reason to believe, that in attributing the saying
Language is given TO man to conceal his thoughts,
t. Goldsmith il has made of its usual mistakes.
Almost all such epigrammatic sayings have not
come freshly coined from the brain of any one single
man but are rather the result of many Efforts until
at last shaken into their beet FORM and bearing the
mint mark Of some eminent person, they are handed
down to all time. This is especially the with the
cay ing referred to. Thus the germ OF il is to be
found in the Had Book TX, line 3l3, where Achilles
Gays:
He coucesls thing In his mind but says another"
And think you will agree with me ia considering
the above line the original of the stronger maxim,
equally DOW attributed TO South and Taley snd but
more recently by The N. Y. Times to Goldsmith.
In your article Of this morning you bring Young in
for share. Youngs lines are:
Where Natures end of Language s declined.
And men talk only to conceal their mind"
But more about this below.
Dean Moss, who died in 1929, in his sermon, " OF
"the Nature and Properties Of Christian Humility"
says:
Gesture artificial thing may stoop and crnse,
ard popusy low yet have ambitious designs in their
head. and peeh mot alrdy, he ju' istup,se Of their
mind tefmODs, &c, l7JJ. Vol VII, r. W.
DR.. South, q far ADLER man, perhaps than either
Talleyrand or Goldsmith, says in his sermon, upon
Cor, ill.,, 10:
,resk IN the dark this be the ward
udsnen, Of al polite 'sse. t speech d, gsen re od
men 10 ocn Vol T. D. ia. Dublin Ed, ITO, fol-
And now for Goldsmith
do not remember to have seen the saying in any
of Goldsmths works. unless il be an expression
which he makes Of in bis Essay on the policy Of
concealing our wants Poverty" but certainly he
lie there speaking Of something very dferent-neves
intending to lay down pr0higate and unprincipled
maxim. His words are as follows:
1t usually said by sramsans that the Of language
wants ana desires but men who know toe
world hold and think with show Ct reason that be who
beet Knows bow setp bis necessities private the most
likely TO have them redessed and that the true OF
speech much EXPIRE. oans conceal them
But, it would be scarcely fair, either TO Goldsmith
or Young's memory-,he enc highly religious man,
ard the o,her warm-h hearted, and sincere lover OF
Biz knd-to attribute to them the maxim in its pre-
sent cold worldly form, while its sneering epgram-
matte shape COMFORTS well with the general view
entertained Of TsneyrGnd.
And, now, to the probable source Of the mistake
Of your cotemporary:
The London Morning CkrORice, Of Friday, Nov.
10, 1889. in giving an account Of the life OF the
Duke OF Wellington, says:
Perhaps Wellington the perfect living contradic
the ord Gods Tslleyrands msxin
that speech s,en TO to conceal Bis thoughts
ls i, not quite possible that the Editor 10 quest On
read the article referred to, and like Captain Cu',le'
made note of il :" In fine, you may rely on ita
not being anywhere in Goldsmith, unless the sentences
from the Essay have quoted be made to bear TIC
meaning implied For Goldys sake hope II caneot'
am, Sir. your obedient servant, O.
Nso- Yo,k Dec. II. 1854