The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-05-19
RANDOM THOUGHTS.
TALKING TOO MUCH is a POOR
POLICY TO INDULGE IN.

IL 10 d Wise uedu whose tongue
never says too much. Good caus.
es have been ruined by being
pleaded just a little too far.
1t it be an argument with your
fellow man, you gain nothing
and lose almost everything by
driving him into a logical corner
and pounding him until he is con.
vinced that all you were after in
the argument was a proud tri-
umph of your own personal wit.
If our argument is on religion or
on politics-or the thousand and
one things that keep our talking
faculties alive-it is only worth
while if you concede that your
opponent knows something. If
you go on the assumption that
he knows nothing and let him
feel it, you can never make him
agree with you. Every word
you say on such a line is word
too much.
If the argument is with a wife
engaged folks do not 60 much
arguing, they mostly agree-the
poor. little thing feels as though
she had been struck a blow, if
your talk is over bearing and
over ruling and loud. Simply be
as loud as you can and as scorn-
full as you can, and every word
you say is too much. If she
knows so little that she argues
foolishly, to remind her of it is
a reflection on yourself for being
so blind as to select such help
meet. If, however, she has her
share of sense and knows it, she
listens to your buster and sets
you down from the pedestal on
which her love has placed you.
Saying too much" is a bad habit
and prevails in Challis as well as
in other places. 1t is a cursed
thing in the home. 1t unbinds
hearts from ties of love and sets
them rowing.
Out in the world, trying to
make his way, the young man
who tells all he knows, forgets
that the world is a battle ground
where much has to be done to
come out victor; and his quick
ness to reveal his knowledge of
his masters business or his own
plans, puts bludgeons in the
hands of those who would be glad
to rise over them. Many a career
has stopped short because of too
much confidencein ready listners.
The teachers of Gospel truth
are great sinners in the direction
of over talking the argument.
Have you not listened to con
vincing talk from the pulpit, a
talk full of sense, and then heard
the preacher still go on after his
point had been proved ? 1t
makes the hearers fidget in their
seats to hear the wasted words.
Just one other word" stretches
out to many and undoes the good
that fewer words would have
wrought. This tendency is often
displayed at funerals where the
solemn fact of our life-end ap-
preaching is enough to point out,
without gushing over good quail
ties of the dead that were some
times very cleverly concealed
while living.
In politics the error of saying
too much often gives the victory
to the more silent side. 1t is
we'll understood that twenty
years ago the victory of Mr..
Cleveland over Mr.. Blaine was
brought about in the last few
days of the campaign because of
an orator with love for allitera-
tion labelled the democratic party
as one of Rum, Romanism and
Rebellion.
The great error in having to
much to say is the patroniz;ng,
advising, superior air which it
lends to the talker. The listner
is not convinced by superior airs;
he is convinced by the appeals
to his reason. Even if he has
no reasoning faculties he has
sense enough to resent any re-
minder of the fact. The really
superior man does not obtrude
his superiority; that will have
full chance for recognition in
the wisdom and reserve of his
words. The really superior man
cannot be hidden no matter how
carefully he listens to the words
of others.
A word unsaid may do harm,
it is true, since it may have need
ed utterance; but the said word
cannot be revoked. If we think
twice before we speak once, we
shall have less to regret in the
way of wasted or worse than
MO tod monde nol ,,,, elo11 49,