Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-01-19
The vfrsaes or silence.

: In instances. and many might be men,
toned. silence is chiefly used as pro-
tective power, and that is no doubt its
most obvious, though by no means its
only use. In former days the Fellows
of Trinity College, Dublin, were for
hidden by statute to marry; but the
violation of :he rule, which in fact they
seldom observed, was connived at so
long as they maintained discreet re-
ticence on their cOnnubial arrangements.
aud their wives bore their maiden names
IN public. One of these welded cell
bates was asked by friend, who had
been much perplexed on discovering the
state of the case, how he managed to
hold his fellowship. ''My dear sir"
was the reply, "a man can hold any
thing who can hold his tongue" Ii
follows, of course, that man who
wears his heart on his sleeve will let
everything slip through his fingers.
This gift Of silence is Characteristic OF
the ''canny" Scot. A Scotchman will
never 'tell lee," but he will make il
next to impossible for you to discover
what he wishes to conceal. The surgi-
cal operation which is said to be so requi-
site for gettinga joke into him is equally
required for getting anything out of
him when he prefers, as he very fire.
quently does prefer, to keep his own
counsel. He is an adept at beating about
the bush, which is another way of say
ing that he knows how 10 hold his
tongue. But silence is not merely a
protective power. If it often serves 10
conceal what there might be an indis-
cretiOn in betraying, it may also prove
a positive means of influence. The
Greeks thought it so difficult to .speak
gOod-Omened words" that they used the
phrase as equivalent to what the Romans
more directly termed ''sacred silence"
And, great as is the repute which their
orators and poets have
won by their writings, it is difficult to
determine how much of the still grander
reputation of Socrates is due to his hav-
ing written nothing. In one sense
certainly he was the reverse of silent,
but he did not commit his thoughts to
paper, and he has been credited-we do
not say undeservedly-with more than
the highest wisdom of those who under
took to report his utterances, while /
their weaknesses are attributed to them |
selves. How much gain of influences |
anu iCPuthtiOh 10 uut
to a judicious silence. We have all heard /
Of Lord ThurlOw's awful nod, but there !
are other professions than the law where /
a sententious silence has proved the Sc
eret of success. How many medical |
have been built on capa- /
city for looking wise and saying moth
ing, A doctor who knows how TO
nsinuate by tone and face and gesture 1
his perfect command of the situation,
without committing himself to specific
may make little skill go
Ong way, and may even make serious
mistakes with impunity. 1t does not
'eem so easy for a preacher to trade upon
MS capacity of reserve, yet even in the
clerical profession many have gained
he reputation of profound divines and
ible guides in the spiritual life by
management of platitudes. Nor
would it be hard to show. on the other
land, how lofty regulations and bril-
liant prospects have been blighted by
90 open-mouthed frankness. Ii matters
little what opinions an aspirant for poll
ical or clerical promotion may hold, so
Ong as he understands when to hold
his tongue about them; but single
lip may mar a whole career.