Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-08-02
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LII anu UlSNCItUs l'lON-
cribs XIV. o, Discover not secret to
another"
II appears that In Solomon's time, as
in all subsequent periods of the world.
there We're people too much disposed
10 tell all they knew. 1t was blab.
blab, blab; physicians revealing the
case of their patients. lawyers expos
ing the private affairs OF their clients.
neighbors advertising the faults of the
next door resident. pretended friends
betraying condolences.
One-half OF the trouble of every COM
munity comes from the fact that so
many people have not capacity TO keep
their mouths shut. When | hear some
thing disparaging Of you. my FIRST duty
Is not 10 tell you. but il tell you what
somebody has said against you and
then go out and tell everybody else
what l told you, and they go out and
tell others what tcld them that told
you, and we all so out. some to hunt
up the originator of the story and 9TH
crs TO hunt It down. we shall get the
whole community talking about what
YOU did do and what you did not do.
and there Will be as many scalDs taken
as though band OF Modocs had swept
upon a helpless village. We have two
ears. but only one tongue. Il physio.
logical suggestion that we ought to
hear good deal more than we tell.
Let us join a conspiracy that we will
tell each other all the good and nothing
or the i'll. and then there will not be
such awful need OF sermons on Solo
mons words, Discover not a secret TO
another"
Solomon had n very large domestic
circle. In his earlier days lie had very
confused notions about monogamy and
polygamy. and his multitudinous asso-
ciates in the matrimonial state kept
him too well Informed as to what was
Eoing on in Jerusalem. They gathered
up all the privacies and poured them
Into his car. and bis family became n
sorosis or female debating society OF
700. discussing day after day all the
difficulties between husbands and
wives, between employers and en-
ployees, between rulers and subjects.
until Solomon, i'm my text. deplorcs
volubility about affairs that do not be-
long to us and extols the virtue of Sc
cretiyeness.
The Power of n secret
BY the power Of secret divulged
families. churches. neighborhoods. ma
tons. fly apart. BY the power of n Sc
cret kept great charities. socialities. re-
formatory movements and Christian
enterprises may be advanced. Men are
gregarious-cattle In herds. fish I'm
schools. birds I'm flocks. men I'm social
circles. You may by the discharge of
n gun scatter flock OF Quails or by the
plunge or an anchor send apart the
uenizens or the sen, but they will gath
er themselves together again. III you
Dy some new power could break the
associations I'm which men now stand
they would again adhere. God meant
IL so. lie has gathered all the flowers
and shrubs into associations. You mnv
plant one forgetmcnot or heartsease
alone away OF upon the hillside, but il
VIII soon hunt up some ether forget
mcnot or hcartsease. Plants love com.
pany. You will find them talking 10
each other In the dew.
You sometimes see n man with no ont
branchings OF sympathy. His nature
Is cold and hard. like a shlp's mast ice
glazed, which the most agile sailor
could never climb. Others have n tbou.
sand roots and n thousand branches.
lnnumerable tendrils climb their hearts
and blossom all the way up. aud the
fowls of heaven sing In the branches.
IN consequence OF this tendency we
md men coming together in tribes. In
communities, in churches, In societies.
Some gather together To cultivate the
arts, some-to plan for the welfare OF
the state, some TO discuss religious
themes. some TO kindle their mirth.
some TO advance their craft. So every
active community is divided into asso-
cations or artists. OF merchants. OF
bookbincers. or carpenters. OF masons,
or plasterers. of shipwrights. OF plumb
ers. DO you cry out against il? Then
you cry out against n tendency divine
ly Implanted. Your TRADES would ac-
complish no more than II you should
preach TO n busy ant hill a long sermon
against secret societies.
Here we end the oft discussed cues
ton whether associations that do their
work with closed doors and admit their
members by passwords and greet each
other with a secret grip are right or
wrong. i answer that IL depends en-
tirely on the nature OF the object for
which they meet Is IL to pass the
hours In revelry. wassan. blasphsmy
and obscene talk or TO plot trouble TO
the state or to debauch the innocent,
then l say with an emphasis that no
man can mistake. "No"' But is the
object the defense OF the rights or any
class against oppression, the improve
ment OF the mind. the enlargement OF
the he2rt. the advancement of art the
defense Of the government. the extir- |
patton OF crime or the kindllng Of q !
pure hearted sociality. then ! say with |
Just as riuch emphasis. "Yesi'
Siirrre Sometimes Best. Il
There is 10 need that we who plan |
for The conquest OF right over wrong |
should publish 10 all the world our In |
tentions. The general OF an army new |
or sends to the opposing troops infor-
nation Of the coming attack. Shall we |
who have enlisted in the cause OF God |
and humanity expose our plaps To Tho
cheniy- NO. we Will In secret plot the
fnin OF all the enterprises of satan and
his cohorts. When they expect us by
cay we VIII fail upon them by night.
While they are Strengthening their left
wing we will fall on their right. BY a
PLAY OF battle formed in secret conclave
we will come suddenly upon them, cry
Ing, "The sword OF the Lord and of
'ldeou! Secrecy of plot and execu-
lion Is wrong only when the object
ana ends are nefarious. Every family
Is secret society. every business firm
ana every banking and insurance in.
stltntion. Those men who have no ca.
pacity to Keep a secret are unfit for DO
sitions OF trust anywhere. There are
thousands of men whose vital need is
cuituring capacity to keep a secret.
Men talk too much and women too.
There Is time TO keep silence as well
as time to speak.
Although not belonging TO any of the