The Wahpeton times., 1889-05-02

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Chase, 9 few years ago, remarked that
his cold, unimpulsive temperament,
his dignified reserve, his fine presence
and grave manner, impressed the
crowd, and created respect without lik-
Ing" But, adds Mr.. Piatt, these quali-
ties are more in the end than more
genial ones. "Many statesman, hon.
ored in his grave, owed his success in
life to the prima facie evidence OF wis
dom, so acceptable to the popular
mind, that is found in silent gravity.
The late Tom Corwin of Ohio, a man
OF genuine and infinite humor, on one
occasion, when lecturing me for nv
disposition to joke with q crowd, said:
''Don't do it, my boy. You should al
ways remember that the crowd looks
up to the ringmaster and down on the
clown. 1t resents that which amuses.
The clown is the moro clever fellow of
the two, but lie is despised. If YOU
would succeed in life you must be
solemn, solemn as an ass. All the
great monuments OF the earth have
been built over solemn asses +"
These two ape -,,-~.s, Greek and Ameri
can, suggest some points of special
interest to ambitious persons. If a
man Is indifferent to the popular judg-
ment, If he. does not care to build up n
reputation for exceptional wisdom, he
can afford to be fluent or silent, jocose
or grave, just as his mood at the mo-
ment may be. Otherwise he must
nPy a great deal of attention to man
ner; for manner, as one sare has
tsrsely put it. is something to every-
body. and everything to some. The
grave and silent manner is certainly
impressive. 1t presents, as Mr.. Piatt
observes. q prin,a tacic case of superb
ority. The world expects its great
men to take a serious view of life and
to behave accordingly. The brilliant
humorist and habitual joker arc popu-
larly supposed to be mere triAers.
There is no doubt that even an idle
man may talk away all his influence,
and this is especially true where
legislatures, conventions and other
dellberative bodies are concerned. If
a man wishes to mako u mark in q
body he should wait until he can con-
tribute something new-a fact or an
argument-right to the point. Thcn
he is heard with respect, and all the
more because he has not been heard
too often.
But, in any case, the mask of silence
must fall sooner Or later. The great
man will find urgent occasion to ex-
press himself in words or in action;
and, sooner or later, your".solemn ass''
will be started into an unmistakable
bray. Moreover, it is not true that a
talent for conversation, and a reput;a-
tion for wit and humor, will necessar-
lily defeat tho aspirations of an able
man. The warning to be observed is,
that the gifts must be used with discre-
tion. Mr. Clay, Mr.. Calhoun, and Mr..
Webster were all famous colloquists;
but they were careful not to speak too
often in the United States senate. Mr..
Webster had o particularly keen sense
Of the Ridiculous, and has been known
to condesend even to a practical joke,
though a harmless and inotfenslve one:
But in his great orations and in debate
he was the very embodiment OF solem.
nifty and earnestness. Lord Macaulcy
and Lord Brougham were among the
greatest takers that ever lived. Sc
was Carlyle, and SO was Colcrige. In
fine, the old greek was right If you
haye something to say, you ought to
speak out. There is an old adagc
which declares that "Birds that can
sing, and won't sing, ought to be made
to sing" to which has been added an.
other to the effect than birds that can't
sing. and will sing, ought to made tc
hush.
But, to make one more plea for the
other side, we must say that silence is
always acceptable in company when i,
is not accompanied by stupidity.
Everybody likes good listener, that is
to say. an appreciativc listener. The
listener who never catches the point,
and who always laughs at the wrong
time. is welcome to his leave whenever
he may choose to take it. Sterne re-
lates, in his Sentimental Journey
that in P;,ris he was introduced to /;
lady who enjoyed a great reputation
for colloquial cloqucnce. Sne poured
such a steady stream of talk into hi:
ears that he was himself confined te
the monosyllables Eyes" and "no. .
Nevertheless, he was informed shortly
afterward, by mutual friend, that the
lady in question had pronounced him
the most gifted conversationalist whom
she had ever had the pleasure to meet
1t seems that Stcrne had the gift o
silence as we'll as of speech, and that
the exercise of the one had, in that
quarter at least. secured him a reputa.
tion for the other.-New Orleans
Picayunc.