The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-04-28
TALK M SILENCE.

VIII Lbiht AAb ~ Will A9h Wv W az
sert that no one can keep his tongue
still There Is a vast difference be-
tween talking and saying some
thing" Some people have the gift Of
garrulity; they keep up a constant
stream Of noise. Their words flow like
a brook, and, like a brook, end in sound.
They seem to have fallen in love with
their own voice, and are only happy
when hearing its music. One Of the
ancients calls loquacity, incorporate
prating and would treat it as a vice.
There is no worse companion than a
person who feels it a duty to entertain
you with a continual Cabling. Some
people seem to talk, as the school boy
in Robert Blair's poem, The Grave, =
whistled, TO bear his courage up"
They are afraid Of silence. They "ab-
hor a vacuum" in conversation, and
have a feeling Of security only when
they keep up a noise like the students
of a certain college, whose rules per
mitted no one, not even one of the fac
ulty, to enter their rooms while they
were engaged in prayer. The preacher
in the Old Testament says, There is a
time to keep silent and a time to speak
a great many seem to have read only
the last part Of the sentence. All
should endeavor to acquire the virtue
possessed by Ino in 'Euripides, where
she declares.
/ know both when and where my tongue
to hold,
And where with safety to be freely
bold
Plutarch says, We have men to
teach us to speak, but the gods are they
that teach us silence More have been
taught by men than by the gods.
George Eliot says, in Felix Holt,
IF a man takes to tcngue-work it's an
over with him
The Apostle James had some kDoTl
edge of the mischief which the tongue
would do when not restrained and he
declared it to be AN unruIy evil full Of
deadly poison he SO highly estimated
that he exalted the man who Sofends
not in word to the pinnacle Of per
lection
1t is a rare attainment to speak Meth
CT too much nor too Gttle-to say the
right word in the right place and at the
right time, Speech easily descends into
criticism and fault finding, or runs
into idle gossip and misunderstanding
Islander
A Greek poet, two thousand years
ago, saw the evil from hasty and i'll.
digested words, and said
Our miseries do not spring
From houses wanting locks and bolts,
But from unbridlsd tongues,
Infused by prating fools and dolts.
This age has its admirers Of silence.
though there was probably never q time
when people talked more than today.
A few who have listened To nature, and
caught the inspiration Of her moods Of
stiffness, shave endeayored 10 impress
upon the hearts around them the won.
derful charm Of silence; but We Tear
that their efforts have not made q great
many converts When Carlyle, speak,
ing upon this theme with The solemnity
Of natures eloquence says BY way Of
illustration THE heavens aro silent
above ua, the earth Is dient beneath us.
eternity q silent before us, we can lm
agine q bush succeeding BIS attempt tol
bring auian On BIZ knoeB u tho universe,
and 70 ODD bis voice before die mute
majesty Of erection bit we cannot Der.
siado ourselves that any considerable
number Of hunan bsiu2 viii make loss
noise for life grand pergfation
~ ian mistake % EbIak Chat they Who
Talk most ay most and that eloqnanes
g measured by tho volume 81 sound orI
number 81 words Homer makes Ulysea
who's 6lG1neues elinfmed everyone. 10
5s the most silent u men a man 20
lay y bRfdg allowed 0 Keep sim Ill
ae are Hlssi fof o moment 40 aro
Thought VI bs sas ahd IL we preserve
laiet fm ny iaRb IF Gina va are
lassd . n g8al way III amthhR
= eye ur wiib as tIpleh silence
t# g hiuR haa BECOME
t W. paap sgafgbody and every
w psfa9ua saiiie oaeh
gf6 lbay meet hna pena
5itf alaH lhag hawai-
Ne tisda e8s ffsalloa
aHA nalhiaa o6nald
asfa 81 company flann
H WI gAsu muat
Ns sft an iestwe bol
aH thai every
b Nii III ~.
WghaB aao doss
pafssH
mH nfNstg.l /,
Ha