The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-08-07
KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT.
Advice USeful to Young Mau la Any
station OF Life.

Harper's Round Table: II is an old
saying among schoolboys and college
men that the fellow who Keeps his mouth
shut is always the big man-that he
who deliberately says little quickly wins
for himself the name for wisdom, Such
statements are quite as true In the outer
world to u certain degree as they are lr
college and school. The plth Of the mat.
Ter Ia that II In any way you arrive at a
position Of any importance, the less you
;alk to every one the more credit You re.
serve for care, thoughtfuiness, for sound
well-consldered opinions. Here is moth.
Ing which urges a boy to have no opln-
Ions or to never express them, and In
fact, this wise silence" at school ant
college as often, perhaps, covers up All
empty mind as 1t does the wisdom OF
Solomon. There Is, however. q good rule
TO follow, which may be given briefly. tc
the effect that 1t is well to say little until
You have thoroughly made up your mind
and then not to hesitate In your state
ments, The temptation OF the average
man is TO express some opinion at once
but II that is changed later the full force
OF the final opinion Is lost
Let Others do the wrangllng. Your
opinion will have all the more influence
II you come out strong with 1t at tn,
close OF the discussion, when not only are
the others considerably In doubt as to
what they do want. but you have also
the advantage Of hearing many sides o!
the case.
That is to say, that in your daily be.
havlor toward the others In school II 1
well to keep your talk" In reserve, II
Is habit easily acquired, and one thai
In the end works both ways 1t adds
both to the value Of your advice, because
the advice Is better considered, and Il
gives the advice an added value 10 IA,
as others are concerned. because whei
you only say little, that little has the
more consideration,
In the course of athletic games there
are two ways OF treating friends and OPP
ponents. One way is as easy as another
for both are merely habits. Many a good
chap at base ball or football Is constant
~ grumbling whenever the umpire or
referee gives decision. He objects tc
the decision on principle: he goes back
TO his place on the field. crltlclsing the
partlsanshlp OF the official. and makes
himself uncomfortable as well as dlsa'
greeable to the umpires and the other
teams II this young man should be
asked some day-off the field. of course
whether It were sportsmanllke to crltl
else in the midst of a game an umpire
properly chosen. he would, no doubt
maintain In strong terms that such crltl-
cism was the most unsportsmanllke
thing possible and then he would
promptly deny that he ever made such
critIciems. Yet there are many such,
and It Is unfortunately one of the most
common sights on school athletic field
to-day to find the two teams wrangllng
with the umpire over decision he has
made. and this, too, after he had been
asked ten minutes before TO decide all
ouch questions for them. II Is only an
other form OF the same lack Of habit In
courteous behavior, and It causes much
of the hard feeling between schools and
colleges to-day.
So one might go on by the hour speak
ing Of the different questions in school
and college life which are examples OF
lack OF behavior Of the most ordinary
kind, but the root OF the matter is that
each boy should say TO himself that he
win be constantly reserved and that he
will walt for the proper moment to speal
and act. and that be win then act vlgor-
ously IL he is convinced the time has
come