The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-02-05
CONVERSATION.
A Growing Tendency Not to Talk Which
Should be Resisted.

A Growing Tendency Not to Talk Which
Should be Resisted.
The voice of the scientist or of the
preacher is not required to emphasize
the fact that an intense desire for amuse-
ment marks the present age. For the
man or woman wearied by the cares of
an active life, recreation now and then
is not only delightful, but healthful.
The writer's purpose is neither to point
out the proper kind of amusements nor
to indicate the extent to which they
should be INDUCED. On the contrary.
he merely wishes to intimate that there
seems to be a growing tendency on the
part of many people to disregard con-
versation. This is apparent in some
homes where a different state of things
would naturally be expected. In
many places it has become the fashion,
when a few friends are invited in ito
spend the evening"" to ignore the pleas
ure and profit derivable from an inter-
change of ideas, and spend the time in
playing trivial game. Unhappily, this
practice is not confined to u ''young
people" 1t is natural that children
should wish for amusements of a trifiing
character, but adults ought to be able to
say with the Apostle: E'When l became
a man l put away childish things
The hope of the fathers is in the
children. What may we expect of our
young people if no effort be made to
check the excessive indulgence in parlor
games that are so popular nowadays?
At the same time. something better
must be provided. Indeed, n might
be pardoned for fearing that in some
places conversation is in danger of be-
coming a lost art. Hence, the question
arises: ''Whither are we drifting?"
In nine cases out of ten, on the part
of those who give themselves up to ION
sensical games, there will be no desire
for anything of an ennobling nature.
If we habitually neglect to cultivate our
minds, we can hope for nothing but in
tellectual inferiority, and inability to
converse with ease and elegance. What
is there more enjoyable than a brilliant,
witty conversation, enlivened by an
occasional pun and sparkling repartees
1t is true that we all can not excel in
this delightful accomplishment, any
more than we can all excel in any
branch of learning or business; but we
can, at least, use the talents that we
have, whether they be one, two Oh five,
Though conversation, in its better part,
May be esteemed a gift, and not an art,
Yet much depends, as in the tiller's toll,
On culture and the sewing of the SOIL"
1t is said that the celebrated Samue
johnson for a long time looked upor
conversation as the chief amusement
He told Sir Joshua Reynolds that hi
had always made it a rule to talk upor
every occasion as well as he could
HE had thus obtained a master oyel
his weapons which made him one o
the most accomplished conversational
g%ladiators." A great responsibility il
laid upon us to improve the mind. w
should ascertain its various facultie.
and susceptibilities, and earnestly striv'
to make as much progress as possible
We have the power of introspection, an
should not fail to make good use of it
OF people who are negligent in thi
respect, it has been we'll said: ''Thu
multitudes live and die as truly stranger
to themselves as to countries of whicl
they have heard the name. but whicl
human foot has never trodden." /
leady talker may not have any bette
natural ability than one who is ''slow Q
speech but on account of being abb
to express his thoughts in an intelligibl
and forceful style, he is looked upon a
! belonging to the 'iaristocracy of inteI
lect," while the other is relegated t
the region of intellectual mediocrity.-
Thomas C. B. Fraser, IN Chicago Gu
rent.