Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-02-29
Hints u lad Helps.
BY MISS NJ. F.. BURLINGTON

Many talk too much, some too little,
few talk WELL To talk we'll think.
Talk what you know, but try to know
something valuable. Do not gabble,
talking for hours without saying any.
thing, telling the minutest details of
yonr personal affairs, and what MIR. and
Mrs Somebody, whom your nearer new
cr saw, wore, said, and did.
Do not monopolize the conversation,
or speak aftectedly, or lisp, or mince
your words. Talk naturally, freely,
scnsibly, and modestly about anything
You think will interest your hearers,
except your private affairs and those of
Your ncighbors.
Make no display Of your knowledge,
lat give all nee1fnl information in an
;lnassuning manner. Never be asham
cd OF afraid to confess your ignorance
about matters YOU do not clearly un-
ierstand. You lose information by not
asking for explanation.
Be a good listener Talk to the one
yu't are talking with; look him in the
Eye and listen; do not be paying at
tntion to something across the room.
Give him your whole attention, mani
fest interest aud sympathy, and do not
interrupt.
There are times to keep silent. Do
not be like Fred Norton, possessed with
the idea that good manners require you
10 keep conversation going all the time
'ln,ler all circumstances. When we
went to Split Rock, one June moonlit
II CHIT, and were too strongly impressed
with the beauty of tue hills and river
/" want IN talk, Fred thought it his
duty not to let conversation lag, and so
he told how much grander the Sierra
Neva.s;.s were, md his theory about
the moon, and what he thought about
the rocks, until our enjoyment was
spoiled.
Read and think, and you will have
resources for talk. Do not worry about
a method for talking, but improve and
refine yourself, and strive to use good
language, avoiding slang, grammatical
errors, extravagant expressions, and
bad pronunciation Never speak light
~ Of what is sacred he courteous, be
discreet, tell the truth, talk your best,
and do not talk too much.
When you write letter to friend,
write Us you would talk were he with
you.
When you write composition,
choose subject you know something
about. Do not write upon The Pow.
or OF Imagination" or "Broken Idols, y
or anything of the kind. You know
nothing Of such subjects, except that
they sound fine. Write about the trip
you took last summer, or your picnic,
or your dog, or anything else that you
understand thoroughly. Do not think
such subjects too childish. Some OF
our best literature is upon common
place affairs. Henry Ward Beecler
recent y wrote q charming paragraph
upon an old rocking. chair.
Use the language in which you think
and talk. DO not search for long words
or pile i'll the adjectives. In writing
and talking, know what you want ia
say, and say it in the shortest, clearest
way possible. Short words and sen.
tcnces are better than long ones. Gen
c:Al Grants declaration, "I'll fight i,
ont on this line it it takes all summer. ,
was far better than any pompous hiel
sounding war speech. It is short, de-
cisive, and clear, not a word too many
and every word monosyliable save
one.
You need not think to write o com
position ut recess, between recitations
OF III half an hour. Anything fit t.
read requires time and thought
Choose your subject and think abou,
it. Keep thinking when going to ant
from school; after you go to bed, when
ever you Can, think. One thought will
lead to another. When you have
Thought and written all you can. chi
out all the useless words, substitute.
short words for long ones, rearrang,
the sentences, and make all the i'm
pro'tments you can; then write clea
copy. After day or two, give that ,
similar criticism and pruning. Th,
more times you can re-write it. til,
more times the better. See that ever,
sentence means something on the sub
l"ct. Do not try to stretch two idea.
over three pages. An essay spun on
rows that the writer was too law t.
l;,iuk
Stud y good work on compositio,
Thoroughly; it will give the rules fol-
flc ;lri.
Choose subject you understand
stick to it, think about it, strive for ex
rrl'cnt thoughts, use simple, shor
words, rc-write your essays, cut they
town, be brief and pointed, anil talk,
:''t'nty ri time, if you want to write any
"'';, wl'icl, will be credit to.you..
q "l writing is the result Of Mo,uh
I'D iIr',cfirr.