Smyrna times., 1859-09-22
ISCELLAN NEO US.
The Art of Not Hearing.

The art of not hearing should be taught in
every we'll regulated family. 1t is full as i'm
portant to domestic happiness as a cultivated
ear, for which so much money and time are ex-
pended. There are so many things which it is
painful to hear, many which we ought not to
hear; very many which. if heard, will disturb
the temper, corrupt simplicity and modesty, de-
tract from contentment and happiness, that
every one must be educated to take in or shut
out sounds, according to their pleasure.
If a man falls INTO a violent passion. and
calls me all manner of names, the first word
quiet voyage of life. find myself caught in one
of the domestic whirlwinds of scolding, shut
my ears as sailor would furl his sails, and
making all tight, scud before the gale. If a
hot and restless man begins to nfame my feel
ings consider what mischief these fiery
sparks may do in he magazine below where my
temper is kept, aud instantly close the door.
Does a gadding, mischief ma king fellow be-
gin TO inform me whit people are saying about
me, down drops the pnrtculIs of NV ear, aud
he cannot get any further. Does the collector
of a neighborhoood's scandal ask my ear as
warehouse, it instnctlvely shuts up. Some
people seem anxious to hear everything that
will vex and annoy them. If 1t is hIuted that
any one has spoken evil of them, they set about
searching the matter, and finding out. If all
the petty things said of one by needless or Ill
natured ldlers were to be brought home TO him,
he would become a mere walking pin-cushion,
stuck full of sharp remarks | should as soon
think of tha mixing a man for emptyng upon my
bed bushel of nettles, or setting loose swarm
OF ants in my chamber, or raising a pungent
dust in my house generally as to bring IN upon
me all the tattle of careless and spletuI people.
II you would be happy when ameng good
men, open your ears; when among bad, shut
them. And as the throat has a muscular ar
rangement by which it takes care Of the air
passages of its own accord, SO the ears should
be trained TO an automatic dullness of hearing.
1t Is not worth while to hear what your SER
wants say when they are angry what your
children say after they have slammed the door;
what your neIghbOrs say about your children
what your rivals say about your business, dress,
oryOur affairs.
This art of not hearing, though untaught in
the schools. Is by no means unknown, or un-
practlced in society. | have noticed that
well-bred woman never hears an lmpertnent or
vulgar remark. A kind of discreet deafness
saves one from many insults, from much blame,
from not little apparent connivance in dIshon-
orable conversation.
There are doors inside my ears-a right
handed door leading to my heart, and a left
handed door, with broad and steep passage out
into the open air. The last door receives all
ugliness, profanity, vulgarity, mischief making
which suddenly find themselves outside of me.
Judcious teachers and indulgent parents save
young urchns a world of trouble by a convent
ent deafness. Bankers and ouey-lenders Of
ten are extremely hard of hearing, when unsafe
borrowers are importunate. | never hear
man who runs after me in the street, bawling
my name at the top of his voice; nor persons
that talk evil of those who are absent; nor
those who give me unasked advice about my
own affairs, nor those who talk largely about
things of which they are ignorant.
1t there are sounds OF kindness, of mirth, of
love, open fly my ears But temper, or harsh.
ness, or hatred, or vuIgurlty, or fiattery, shut
them. If you keep your garden gate shut, your
| flowers and fruit will be safe. II you keep
your door closed, no thief will run off with
your silver; and if you keep your eyes shut,
your heart will lose neither its flowers nor its
treasures.-ReynoLGS Miscellany.