Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1876-02-18
The Advantage OF Expression.

THE men who have gained firm foot
hold on the ladder of prosperity by skill
in speech, are not to be numbered. They
are prominent in every department of lite.
They have won fortune in commercial,
fame in Intellectual, and position in So
cial circles, since civilization dawned, and
will to the end of time. He who is slow,
inexact, or laundering, has no chance
with them. Before he is fairly off, they
have reached the goal, and are bearing
away the price he has just begun to con-
tend for. = Cleverness of expression is by
no means the necessary indicator of abil-
ity or character, though it is so generally
believed to be that 1t frequently wins
where they, unalded by it, do not and can
not. 1t counts for all it is worth, and
more, and, since it is held at premium,
he who reskons it at discount is never
likely to get it into his possession.
have been told story of the junior
partner of large importing firm down.
town. Twenty-Five years ago his father
died in New England, and, though
thought to be in comfortable circum-
stances, the estate, when settled, would
not pay its liabilities, The young man
was Obliged to go to work at once. Hav-
ing been we'll educated, but with reference
to no particular calling, he came here,
and looked for situation in vain. Driven
by poverty, he applied for position on
one of the et-cars-the resort of all
desperate souls-and quite Unexpectedly
procured it. The President of the COM
pany told him: II ain pleased with your
manner of speaking, and give you the
preference over a hundred applicants. %
While on the cars he was much liked,
nearly everybody observing that his Ian
guage was above his station.
One afternoon an elderly gentleman,
while standing on the platform, made
some inquiry Of him. His amiabie, we'll
worded reply brought on conversation,
with many questions concerning the con-
ductor's antecedents. They were frankly
answered, and the young man thought
nothing more of the circumstance.
A month later he received note, re-
questing him to Gala No. - Beaver
street. He called, and found the elderly
gentleman, who informed him that he had
been looking into his CASE and had de-
cided to offer him clerkship, the salary
to be fixed by the value of his services.
| The offer was most gratefully accepted
he gave entire satisfaction from the first,
and, after frequent promotion, was adj
mitted to partnership, which he still re-
tains.
He ascribes his good fortune to his
Knowledge and careful use of his native
tongue, which he had always cultivated.
! 1t is not long since that young man,
well known in London literary circles,
married handsome heiress, much to the
surprise of her friends, because she had had
several wealthy suitors, and her husband,
considering his calling, was almost nee
essarily poor. She had fallen in love
with him, if rumor may be trusted, on ac-
count of his powers of conversation. This
is not strange, for it has grown into a
proverb that men lose their hearts through
their eyes and women through their ears.
In the present instance, however, the
heiress is not reputed, does not assume to
be, Intellectual, or to care for culture.
| Still, she admired and was drawn to
what she had not herself; believing, per-
haps, that, in the partnership of marriage,
one member of the firm should make up
the deficiency of the other. She pos
sessed beauty and riches he intellect and
such reputation as comes from persistent
and dexterous dabbling in ink
This is not narrated as an example to be
followed, but as an illustration of the prac-
teal benefit to be derived from a certain
degree of lingual equipment. No doubt
the husband of the heiress, had he been
unwilling to have his individuality swal.
lowed up in a fortune, might have availed
himself of his nimble and oily tongue to
talk himself out of the matrimonial meshes
he saw gathering around him.-Juntns
Henri Br0ton, in Applet0n's Journal.