Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-02-15
THE Arr OF CoNYERsING.

When you are the messenger of painful
I tidingS, what is the best method? After
( much reflection, | must c1nlude that the
I shortest and simplest way of communicating
+ the facts Is the best. Here nature aud
4 philosophy meet; here our last experiences
I confirms our first practice. You have to
impaIt to an affectionate mother the death
( of her son who was drowned at sea. How
shall it be done? Nature teaches; art can
add nothing more, 20 lady, / have sea
news to impart Your son, on such day
fell from the yard aud was drowned He
has left US. This is the way they commu
nicated things Of old. So Homer llliad
xviii, 20, 2ll, when the tidiug IS brou ght
10 Achilles Of Patroclus's death. 'Patro-
cious Is down; they are fighting around bis
naked corpse aud his armor is held by the
plume waving Hector. "
j striking instance IS found in British
history. When General Bargoyue surTen-
dered at Saratoga the rumor (yery indefi-
nitel one morning had reached the House
of Commons. Every one was alert 10 hear
when Lord North arouse slowly In his place,
and with a solemn voice, said. General
Burg2gne and his whole army are prisoners
10 the Americans, and a dead silence of
seysra! minutes followed. How different IS
tins from the shutting and equiyOcations in
which IA modern times we disguise our de-
leatS, The same method is sanctioned in
the Bible. When Elf sat trembling for the
ark Of God he heard the dreadful news.
And the messenger answered and said,
Israel is fed before the Philistines: and
there bath been great slaughter among the
people; aud thy two sons Hophni and Phi
meas are dead; and the ark ofGod is taken.
[ Sam. iyl7. Whatc0ndensed language
aHd every word laden with sorrow. No
wonder that the effect followed, And il
came to pass when he made mention Of the
ark Of God that he fell from off the scat
backward, By the side of the gate, and his
neck brake and he died; for he was an oil
man and heavy; and he had judged Israe
forty years
There are few people that touch the sum
NIT Of excellence in the art of conversation.
Just as among the swallows that fy around
steeP!e, ltSs only q part OF the number
that tctGle on the vane. Various reasons
may be suggested for this. Men Of c0pious
minds do not always pour out their etiusions
Ia crystal stream. Some are irritable,
some sulieu; some have lost their tongues
over their f0iios. some are sensitive; some
trembhngly alive 70 their own reputation
and hazard nothing without preparation,
but one OF the most common causes why
man OF ability fails in conversation Is q dou-
bic surface 70 his heart and a double tone to
hIs tongue. Hcis Ike tree that gives Its
fading blossoms before its Hourishing fruit.
lie IaulGs from a superficial consciousness, /
that Is, he ratties away without the least
effort, pouring out his first thoughts in his
first language
Goldsmith was an example Everybody
that had read his books was disappointed
when they heard him talk 1t was said Of
him, He wrote Ike an angel and talked
like q parrot. Webster had something
ike this He delighted to whistle and talk
Ike boy, John Adams was another ex-
ample. have a strong impression if. il
the days Of Queen Elizabeth, you could
have oyertaken the bard of Avon going up
from Strattord TO London, and could have
heard has conversation as he rode on his nag
with his wife on billion behind him. had
you not known by previous introduction,
y9u would never suspect you were in the
. presence OF the Immortal Shakespeare,
How 60 you know this? reply, | DO not
know.
/ We have few traditions of the PECULIAR
. ties and personalities of the great bard
whose delineati0ns Of all other characters
are so well known; and yet | never had
conviction 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
( carelessness Of his best effusions: thirdly,
the depths Of his inner consciousness show
that il must have had an outer rind; and
finally, analogy. We find many dramatic
writer's who have this superficial folly,
which covers up aud dares not indicate tie
thoughts in conceals. Sheridan was in some
degree an example How like fool he ac
ted in his conviyial pleasantries He hardly
degcuerated when he was drunk. BHIjo-
ftccQ .Sqcrd.