The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-04-21
Hasty Words.

Half the actual trouble of life would
be saved if people would but remember
that silence is golden when they are
irritated, veXed or annoyed. To feel
provoked or eXasperated at a trife when
the nerves are exhausted is perhaps nat
ural to us in our imperfectly sanctifed
state. But why put the annoyance into
the shape ofspeech, which, once uttered,
is remembered-which may burn like a
blistering wound or rankle like poi
soned arrow? If a child be trying, or
friend capricious, or servant unrea-
sonable, be careful what you say Do
not speak while you feel the impulse of
anger, for you will be almost certain to
say too much-to say more than your
cooler judgment will approve, and to
speak in a way that you will regret. Be
silent till the sweet by-and-by,"
when you shall be calm, rested and self
controlled. Above all, never write
letter when you are in the mood of irri-
tation. There is an anger which is JUS
tifiable; there are resentments which
are righteous; it is sometimes duty to
express indignation. But, if you con-
slider the matter, the occasions for put
ting such feelings on record are COM
paratively few. They come once in a
lifetime perhaps, and to many fortunate
beings they never come at all. Upon
the whole, people-our friends and
peighbors, and the community of which
we form part-are trying to do the
best they can; and in hours of good
temper and health life wears bright
and sunny aspect. Much of the fric-
ton which makes the machinery of liv-
ing move roughly and discordantly is
caused by things too petty to be noticed
if we were in our normal condition.
The hasty word, spoken in petulance,
may be explained, forgiven and forgot
ten. But the letter, written in an ebul-
lition of wounded feeling, is fact tan
gible, not to be condoned. There it
lies with certain permanence about it.
You have sentit to friend, who, read
ing it half-dozen times, will each time
find it more cruel and incisive than be-
fore. Letters once written and sent
away cannot be recalled. You cannot
be sure that your friend Cor enemy will
burn them. Hidden in bureau drawers
or in compartments of desks, folded up
in portfolios, locked in boxes, they will,
IL may pO3 idoh lip again III ouNoCu lcuu
and fire, months after you have ceased
to think of the folly which melted them,
or the other folly which penned them.
Never write an angry letter, or write a
letter when you are angry. All heated
feeling seeks the superlative as an out
let, and superlatives are apt to be dan
gerous. So long as we cling to the pos
tive in speech we are pretty safe. We
all need to be cautioned against undue
haste in speech, but mothers most of
all. 1t is so easy to misunderstood
child; so easy to grieve little person
who is forbidden to answer back; so
easy to leave a picture of yourself in
the plastic memory, which will be pho
tographed there for the remainder of
life and of which you would in coming
days be ashamed Let who will be
hasty and uncontrolled, the mother can
not afford to be either; and, if she ask
the help of her Lord daily, hourly and
every moment, she will be kept from
this sin and peril.-Christian IntelH-
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