The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-05
SILENCE OR SPEECH.
A London View of n Question Dis
cussed by Many of Our Corre-
spOndents.


cussed by Many of Our Corre-
spOndents.
From the London Spectator.
The notion that the habit of silence
| is a virtuous habit is passing away. 1t
is part of the ascetic ideal in which we
| recollect how assiduously this invented
virtue was pressed upon the world by
, religious men of all shades of opinion.
Abstinence from talk was one of the
abstinences which lay at the root Of
monasticism. That words might be
any and yet wholesome seems to
have been "a conception outside the i'm
agination of monks.
But the belief that silence Is to
speech as gold is to silver by no means
melted away in England, at the time
OF the dissolution of the monasteries.
The early evangelicals regarded much
silence as a counsel of perfection. and
Law in his Serious CALI relates how
the worldly Flavia was always talk
ing" and relates il as one of the diff
oulties In the way of her extremely
problematical salvation: while with
Miranda-the model Miranda--it was
cutie otherwise. Her conversation, we
are told, was always calculated TO
make any companion wiser who
should chance to be in company when
she thought fit to speak"
Not so very long ago children were
directed to talk little, and this not only
with the reasonable intention of CIV
ing their elders time to speak, but also
to impress upon their young minds the
intrinsic value of silence. Before they
spoke they were told to ask themselves
if what they were about to say was
not only true and kind" but also IL 1t
vas necessary" Outside religion
many wits and moralists have upheld
silence, or at least advised great re-
serve and chariness of speech. La
RochefoucaulG sums up a CHAPTER on
conversation by a piece of general ad-
vice TO speak little. adding the perfect
ly futile rider--"and nothing that we
can ever regret" William Penn in his
Fruits of Solitude" recommends his
readers to speak little-and last" In
this case the two last words rather
take the moral flavor out of the sem
terce. Perhaps the old Quaker was
thinking less of virtuous habit than
perhaps the smaller the expenditure of
words.
Montaigne, on the other hand, is a
great advocate of talk. THE most nat
ural and fruitful exercise Of the mind
in my opinion is conversation" he de-
clares, and Il find the use of it more
sweet than any other action in life."
So strongly does he hold his opinion
that he processes himself more willing
to lose his sight than his hearing.
Conservation is not, however. an art
which can in his eyes be legitimately
practised by all "ill-bred people and
FOOLS and all who are so unhand-
some as to fight in play should be
prohibited from arguing.
But II truculent arguers destroy
conversation, they are at least less de-
pressing company than those who are
what is called very reserved" Re-
served people are usually wet blan-
kets, and might often be as well de-
scribed as empty people, only there is
a general belief that emptiness al
ways accompanies frivolity and never
solemnity. Occasionally, no doubt, ST.
lent men have much wisdom, to which
they could give utterance IL they
would, just as some cold manners are
assumed to protect unusually warm
and sensitive hearts; but such instanc-
es are uncommon. Men whose exterior
entirely bellies their character ara like
rough diamonds metaphoricaliy
speaking-very rare. Those Of whom IL
is really true TO say that they are re-
served-that they have a great deal in
them which they do not care TO give
out--are for the most part unsoclaI
people, and quite without charm. II
is true that they are often liked by a
few friends, but that IN because with
those few they cease 10 be reserved,
and their confidence ~ valued not only
for is own sake, but also because II
h looked up IN the light Of a favor.
Silent people MAINTAIN q perpetual attt-
tude Of defence. They risk nothing.
ana avoid the many shrewd knocks