Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-02-21
rhe Ktt of ContersinC.


When you are the messenger Of very
painful tidings, what is the best method?
After much reflection, must conclude
that the shortest and simplest way OF
communicating the fact Is the best
Here nature and philosophy meet; here
our last experience confirms our first
practice. You have to impart TO an af-
fectionate mother the death OF her son,
who was drowned at sea. Hew shall IL
be done? Nature teaches art can add
nothing more 20 lady, have sad news
to impart: your son, on such day, fell
from the yard and wasfirowned. He has
leftu This is the way they communi-
Gated things of old. So Homer Uliad,
xviii, 20, 2D, when the tidings is brought
to Achilles of Patroclus's death PA
troclus Is down; they are fighting around
his naked corpse, and his armor Is held
by the plume-wavingH Hector"
A striking instance is found in British
history. When Gen. Burgoyne surren-
deredat Saratogs, the rumor VERY indefi-
nite) one morning had reached the House
OF Commons. Every one was alert to
hear, when Lord North arose slowly i'm
his place, and with u solemn voice, said:
Gen. Burgoyne and his whole army are
Prisoners to the Americans" and dead
silence of several minutes followed. How
different is this from the 9huffiing and
equivocations in which IN modern times
we disguise our defeats The same
method is sanctioned in the Bible. When
Eli sat trembling for the ark of God he
heard the dreadful news: "And the mes
senger answered and said, Israel Is fled
before the Philistines; and there hath
been great slaughter among the people
and thy two sons Hophni and Phineas
are dead and the ark of God is taken"
u Sam. iv. 17.) What condensed langu-
age and every word laden with sorrow!
No wonder that the effect followed I:
And it came to pass when he made men,
ton of the ark of God fhat he fell from
oil the seat backward, by the side of the
gate, and his neck broke, and he died !;
for he was nn old man and heavy; and
he had judged Israel forty years.P .il ll
There are few people that touch the
summit OF excellence in the art of con-
versation. Just as among the swallows
that hy around steeple, it is only part
0f the number that settle on the yane.-
Various reasons may be suggested for
this. Men of copious minds do not al
ways pour out their illusions in crystal
stream. Some are irritable, some sullen
some have POST their Tongues over their
fQllies; some are scnsitive some trem-
blingly alive to their own reputation, and
hazard nothing without preparation
man of ability fails In conversation is a
double surface to his heart and double
tone to his tongue. He is like q tree that
gives its fading blossoms before its -four
ishing fruit. He talks from superficial
consciousness that is, he rattles away
without the least effort, pouring out his
first thoughts In his first language.
..Goldsmith was am example. Every
body that had read his books was dieap-
ula..t Ii. IA
was said of him, Gle wrote like an angel
and talked like a parrot.na Webster had
something like this. He delighted to
whistleand talk likea boy. John Adams
wifs another example. L have n strong
impression If, In the days of Queen
Elizabeth, you could have overtaken the
bard Of Avon going up from Stratford to
London, and could have heard his con-
versation as he rode on his nag with his
wife on pillion behind him, had you
not known by n previous introduction
you would never suspect you were in the
presence of the Immortal Shakespeare
How do you know this? Ireply, | do
not know.
We have few traditions of the peculiar
tiles and personalities of the great bard
whose deliheatlons of all other charac-
tiers are'so well known; and yet / never
had conversation so deeply rooted with
positive proof as that Shakespeare did
not talk up to his reputation. Why ??
First, the relaxed temper of his mind !;
secondly, the supreme carelessncss of his
best efiusions; thirdly, the depths of his
inner consciousness show that it must
havehad an butter rlnd and finally,
analogy. Wefind many dramatic writer's
who have this superficial folly, which
covers up and dares not indicate the
thoughts IL conceals. Sheridan was in
some degree an example. How like a
fool he acted inhis convlvial pleasantrles.
lie hardly degenerated when he was
drunk [BibliothecaS Sacra.