The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1869-07-16
Talk Less-Act More.

Talk Less-Act More.
What the world needs now is,
that those who are only profession
al takers shall cease their pratings
and make room for those who work.
The most fat and unpalatable stuff
to men Of brains that the literature
of the period abounds with is the
talk Of people who talk for the sake
Of talking. Men who string
sentences to order, like beads, al
ways ready at a convention, at a
pray yer-meeting, at a dinner party,
to "say something - which means
nothing. What shall rid US of the
talking nuisance If people have
nothing to say, why should it be
expected that on all occasions, in
all places, talk should form . part
of the exercises? People get to-
gether ostensibly to pray; the
praying lags, and recourse is hard
to talk to fill up tho time. So
brother this. or sister that, feeling
all the time that he or she can say
nothing that could by any remote
contingency benefit or instruct the
poorest intellect present on the oc-
casion, which is as like to be theirs
as any ones, is impc.led by sense
of duty to get up and talk, to the
infinite disgust, perhaps, of all the
devout listners, who, nevertheless,
make no protest, because talk Of
some kind is so necessary. If you
present a man With a watch or cane,
ten to one no will treat you to a
set speech that is the thing cx-
pected, you know. You, in prof
fering the gift, did your best to air
your own clequence. You dwelt
upon the lofty virtues of his char
acter, and expatiated upon suoh
traits As d" singular probity," ana
"purity of motive, "and SO on, un-
til yon filed some thirty minutes,
more or less with platitudcs. You
might have said all that was neces-
sary in couple Of dozen words or
so "John, you are good fellow
in the opinion Of your friends, we
like you so we'll that they wish me
to give you for myself ard them this
watch" +" But You shook up all the
ideas in your head and made them
into images like . kaleidoscope,
(only the truth is they were not
half SO prctty,) } and killed of your
number of minutes nanfully. So
John feels bound in turn to kill as
many as he can. It would be so
easy and so much less embarrassing
to say, II accept your present.
thanking you for it rs we'll es the
good opinion which prompted the
glft," and sit down aud have done
with it; but no, poor John takes
up the burden Of talk, and hens,
and baws. and perspircs, until he
in his heart wishes cane or watch
and friends in the bottom of the
oceap before be gets through. Why
not let US have done with this non-
sense, and cease this eternal and
meaningless chatter? Talk for in
struction, Improvement, for busi-
ness or for fun !; when you have no.
thing to say, say nothing.
In the grehtest temptations, q
single look to Christ, and the bare
" pronouncing his name, suffice to
overcome the wicked one, if it be
done with confidence and calmness
of spirit. Gods command to ''pray
without ceasing" is formed on the
necessity we have Of his grace to
preserve the life Of God in tho soul |;
which can no more subsist one mo-
ment without it than the body can
without air. Whether We thinkSf,
or speak to G God, whether We act or
suffer for him, all Is praying, hav-
ing no other object than his love
and the desire Of pleasing him. In
souls filed with love, the desire to
please God is continued prayer
Wesley.