St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-04-06
ABOUT CONVERSATION.


Truth. Good Sense. nuaoe aaA WIT Sho0ld
ne Its Four Chief lagrodleats.
According to Sir William Temple
the four ingredients Of conversation
should be truth. good sense. good
humor and wit To this would add
the knowledge Of what not to say. and
the faculty OF listening. There Is .
story Of a great talker who chatted in
cessantly to a man he met at an even
ing party. Tho next day . common
friend asked him how he liked his new
acquaintance. 1.-THE most intelligent
person 1 have met for long time. ="
cried the talker. II thought you
would like him." was the dry re-
ioindcr: '.he is deaf and dumb"
Conversation. In the sense in which
l use the word. is not mOnOlogue. nor
is it even dialogue. it is the inter-
change of ideas among n number OF
people who are assembled together for
social intercourse and amusement
The sparks do not fly until the flint
and steel have been struck together.
The attrition OF one mind upon another
whets them both. The best cOnversa-
tiOnalist Is he who. while contributing
his fair quota to the general entertain
ment. Mt the same time extracts the
most from other peoples stores Of wit
and knowledge. The man whose mind
is wholly dominated by his own ideas
may be q ready speaker. but he will not
6c a good talker. or an agreeable COM
panion. nor even a persuasive advO-
cate. A drawing-room full Of men
and women is not a debating forum
wherein each is forever seeking to
trip up an unwary antagonist He Is
but an underbred man who turns the
diuing-table or the fireside or the
smOking-room into an arena for the
display Of his controversial talents.
A self-conceited and lrrepressible
talker will be as Ineffective from q
conversational point Of view as shy
man or even a stupid one; people viii
be bored by his tedious harangues. and
will breathe more freely when the in
cubus OF his overpOwering egOtism i.
removed.
All men. and especially young men
should be modest in conversation. II
is very wholesome for young fellow
to associate occasionally with persons
who arc older than himself It will
not fiatter his vanity to learn-as learn
he will, sooner or later-that the crude
notions which had seemed 70 him quite
. glorious revelation, are by no means
inspired. or even original. but have
been all well sifted. and for the most
part decisively rejected. by men Of an
experience q good deal wider than his
own; but IL will lead him TO form q
more lOwly estimate Of himself and
his abilities-and that will do him no
harm. LET us remember. gentle
men," said DR.. Whewell once to the
members of his college," that We are
not infallible-not even the youngest
Of u.s."
Be easy and uncOnstrained-as mer-
ry and cheerful as your nature will let
you be; but never try to be either i'm
pressive or funny. Be what you are.
II the mantle Of Sydney Smith have
descended on you. the wittier and more
humorous you are the better; but do
not joke on solemn or serious subjects.
and do not hold up to ridicule or sar-
casm any member OF the company in
which you find yourself. But il any
one else 50 far forgets himself rs to
make personal or ill-brcd remarks
about you. keep tight rein on your
temper. and laugh it on rs best you
can. Remember COwper's cOuplet:
A moral, sensible and well-bred maa
Will not afiront me, and no other can
Notes for Boya