American citizen., 1876-02-26
The Advantage OF Expression.
Tnr men who have gained a firm ft

TnE men who have gained a firm foot;
hold on the ladder Of prosperity by skill
in speech, are not TO he 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 blundering 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 il frequently wins
where they, unaided 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 rcckons it at discount is never
likely to get il into his possession.
have been told a story of the Junior
partner Of a large importing firm down
town. twenty-five years ago his father
died in New England, and, though
thought to be in comfortable circum-
s ances, the estate, when settled, would
not pay its liabilities. The young man
ing been well educated, but with reference
TO no particular calling, he came here,
and looked for situation in vain. Driven
by poverty, he applied for a position on
one Of the strcet-cars-the resort of all
desperate souls-and quite Unexpectedly
procured it.. The President of the COM
pany told him: Il am pleased with your
manner of speaking, and l give you the
preference over q 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 CT him. His amiable, we'll
worded reply brought on q 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 q note, re-
questing him to call at No. -, Beaver
street. He called, and found tlYe elderly
gentleman, who informed him that he had
been looking into his case, and had de-
cided to offer him a 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 ad-
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,
we'll 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 1t 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-
tical fbenefit to be derived from a certain
degree of hDgual equipment No doubt
the husband Of the heiress, had he been
unwilling to have his individuality swal-
lowed up in fortune, might have availed
himself Of his nimblo and oily tongue to
talk himself out of the matrimonial meshcs
he saw gathering around him.-Juni,s,
Henri Br0son, tn Appteton's Journal.