American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-03-27
" Silence is Golden"

| Words spoken in season are of the
greatest value but now and then, even
with our best and dearest, there come
seasons when the gift of silence is far
more to be desired than the most royal
gift of eloquence.
| With almost every one there will
arise something that tempts to dispute;
when to refrain from reply would be
the better as well as the harder way,
when even "a soft answer" has not half
the power of perfect silence.
With the ignorant and passionate it is
not only useless, but the widest folly to
dispute. We doubt if Solomon, with all
his wisdom, was in the most trustwor-
thy state of mind when he advised to
answer fool according to his folly.''
With great self-control sensible people
may dispute or disagree over points of
interest, and yet not forget the laws of
kindness and common sense. But to
attempt to answer F" fool according TO
his folly" is to descend to his level
In the household there are many
things which demand forbearance and
a good stock of patience. In a large
family hardly an hour goes by but little
shadows cross the horizon which tri-
fling irritation might change into dark
clouds, threatening q storm; yet by
"setting a watch over the door of the
mouth" they pass over without a fall
ing shower.
The wife, more than any one, should
have full possession of the browning
household grace of silence. Men are
so unlike women in this respect that
while they love strongly and faithfully
they do not depend on the daily out
ward expression of it as much as wom-
en- do. A loving wife can forget her
own bodily need to cater for the taste or
minister to the comfort of those she
loves. But these expressions of affec-
ton and tenderness she can not dispense
with without suffering loss. They are
her life. With them her nature ex-
pands, brOadens, becomes richer and
nobler; without them she withers and
becomes greatly impoverished. Some
husbands little know how quickly their
wives may deteriorate and become
mere cold mechines if they pass heed
lessly on their way, forgetting the heart
famine they leave at home.
But no matter how much wife Graves
gentle attentions and loving notice,
it is better that she should teach herself
to know the great strength she may
command by silence-not unamiable
silence, but that which gently tends up
WdTu bOWdTu pctce, anu us paLleQb
continuance will sometimes open a hus-
bands eyes to his unintentional neglect
and make him love and honor his wife
all the more for the quiet lesson she has
taught him. There are times in a mans
life, far more than in a woman's, when
any reply to careless remarks, or COM
plants of inattention or seeming neg
lect, would be unwise and threaten
trouble.
Can you effect change by constant
repiningP Does not that mood enhance
the evil and risk, changing carelessness
now and then into settled indiffer-
encep And by expostulations, COM
plants and perhaps reproaches, does
not wife endanger her own loveP
While that shines undiminished there is
always hope that the "dove of peace
and promise - will yet fold its wings
and take up its abode there, and the
last days Of that household be brighter
and more lovely than the first.
Try the virtue of silence, when tempt
ed to &c last speeches, :" and see if it will
not do more to lift the cloud than the
bitter invectives which wounded pride
and irritated love are sure to utter.
The first, faithfully acted upon, brings
hope of better times; the latter, if not
at once and forever dismissed, is sure
destruction of all true love and domestic
Weekly.