The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-27
TALkERS,
To the Editor Of the Ea.le.

| To the Editor Of the Ea.le-
| have observed that most people talk
too much. Not willing to accept it as a
part of creative design, it is a matter of
mystery TO my Understanding that the
habit should affiict SO many. Nature is
| said to harmonic throughout, but here is
a universal discord. People talk without
reason or purpose; they talk habitually
aud perpetually; they talk when talk is
| particularly out of place aud when silence
would he golden; they talk early and late,
/ in season and out of season, Till we wonder
what kind of an automatic machine they
! possess or whether it may be simply spas
modic action Of the mouth, tongue and
thoraX, superinduced by the action of the
heart.
To classify takers would be hopeless
| task. There is an individuality OF per-
son and popularity of habit
| to each offender There is the
| loud talker and the low talker, the OUT
spoken talker. and the secretlve talker
who pins your ear to the lapel Of his coat
and pour 1t into you til you wish you was
calf with its head in the fence. There is
the Joker, the punster, the wilmer, the
kicker. the buffer, tie braggart. the
schemer, the promoter and the book agent.
!
OF If you could, and the woman whom you
could't if you would. know man whom
L always leave In the midst of his dis
course and woman whom, | aver, could
have given four years course to Xantippe.
The only universal rule which seems TO
apply to all takers is that the deartht of
ideas IS IN exact proportion to the voll-
billy of words have prayed;O %. how | have
prayed, sometimes that friendly stroke Of
lightning might descend OF the orator or
some hidden volcano might suddenly
open, to strike down or swoliow me with
my offender. With pleading eyes and
smotherd wrath / have run the full scale
of mental explosives, only TO incite my
prosecutor to fresh attacks. POUNDS |
never was SO bethumped with words since
first l called my brothers fail her dad
has been at my tongues end, and so
leglbly written In my countenance that,
in calmer moments | have plead, O, We
shades OF Shakespeare, forgive my plagi-
arism.
Mind yon. speak of talkers-not con-
versers. The talker referred to is the one
who consumes ninty-nine per cent of the |
time in his wordy fusillade. and the re-
mlnder in subduing my spasmOdic efforts !
to calculate hypocritical approval. If
there is a talker more fiends1 and willful |
than all others it is the one continually |
pirates about himself Neither !
vert him from his idol-the perpendicular |
personal pronoun |. He talks of his |
habits, tastes, desires, regrets, hopes aims |
and aspirations He talks OF his birth as |
though he was master of ceremonies when !;
it occurred, his training and education as |
though he was susceptible of taking it, |
and of his accomplishments as If they were |
something real. A popularity OF this |
talker is that his loquacity feeds upon his
self cOnceit, and it Is never short of susie
nance. He is the nero of every story, the
champion of truth, virtue and suffering
innocence. He Is so admirably equipped |
for his great responsibilities that cIvillZa-
ton would have been q Wondering ruin
and society in state of innocuous dessue-
tude without him. Pity the man, woman
or child whose business, marital or
filial relation brings them in daily
contact with this iDsufferable bore Tbere
is ample sufficiency of retributive punish
ment for ones own acts, without the III
Fiction of this animated aggregation Of
conceited egntism.
| am in doubt to whether this habit
should be held rs an infirmity or a crime.
Offenses of tar less magnitude are pro-
hibited by law. Ii the welfare of society
IS taken into account, there is no doubt
about the necessity for legal prohibition,
but If responsibility depends upon the eX-
ercise of reason the law IS impotenJ.
Luuacy is not a crime. ARGUS.