The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-03
THAT AWFUL SILENCE.

proportion to its deserts is silence. This
is particularly true as it applies to
women. There is no other fault for
which woman is blamed so much as
talking too much, and no other quail
ity for which she is so praised as tact
turnity. Your children are all dumb ~
inquiries Rip Van Wrinkle of the dwarf
in the mountains, "and all boys? My,
my, what a pity! What wives they
would make," And everybody laughs
at the thrust at woman's garrulity.
OF course we all admit that there are
times when we talk too much; occa-
sions when we tell things that we
didn't intend to tell and ought not to
have told, and when we say things far
better left unsaid. but even so. it is
doubtful if the preponderance of merit
is so largely on the side of silence as
we have been led to believe. There are
times when the most reckless talker
alive cannot do so much harm, or
wound so cruelty, as the person who
merely holds his peace. Speech is sill
Yer, but silence is golden" says the old
proVerb, but silence is not always
golden. Sometimes silence is lead that
CEuSneS everything ana everybody.
AS a matter of fact, perhaps silence
is one of the virtues that we honor
more in the breach than the observ
ance. Theoretically ii is a quality that
commands our highest admiration. We
even go so far as to attribute wisdom,
on no other ground. and with no other
proof. to those who know how to hold
their tongue, but in every day life ST
lence is a thing of which a little will
go a long way with most of us.
Who for instance, yearns for the so
ciety of the habitually silent man or
woman, who sits up in company as un-
responsive as a deaths head at
feast? Who seeks the cOmpanionship
of an individual out of whom every
remark must be cork-screwed with an
effort that makes conversation an ac-
tual physical labor. and who forces
you to ask questions until you feel like
the grand inquisitor? Who enjoys the
society of one who never makes part
of the running, and with whom any
topic can be exhausted in two min
utes, leaving you painting and breath
less, and wondering what you can say
next? Don't tell us that such a one
is admirable" or deep" We know
better. We have dipped down into the
we'll of their thoughts and experience,
and found nothing there but ossifed
silence
Women are accused of talking too
much but if conversational ability is a
fault, we love them for their vices.
Moreover. the sin of garrulity is one
forced upon them by man. With all
of his indulgence towards his woman
kind the American man does the
Grand Pacha act. He loads woman
down with fine clothes and jewels, but
he expects her to dance before him.
He expects her to talk to him, to en-
terrain and amuSe him, and that is
why American women are the most
brilliant ersationalists in the
world. They have had so much prac-
tice.
When the American man takes a
woman out he expects her to pay her
way by talking to him. He has push
ed the button and she must do the
rest. Just watch the next couple you
see out together-at dinner, or be-
tween the acts of a play, or at a par
~. The girl is always doing the talk
ing and making the effort to enter
Pain the man, and she knows that she
is playing to the biggest sort of luck
if he condescends to throw in a side
remark now and then to let her know
that she is making good, and TO help
her along. There are plenty of men
with whom conversation resolves it
self to a monologue on a woman's part,
silence is fascinating or impressive he
is making the mistake of his life. THE
woman is doing drudgery, and she
wonders if the mans attentions are
worth the price she has to pay for
them. The reason women are so often
taken with silly, rattle brain boys is
because they are so tired of the men
who sit up like knots on a log and say
nothing.
II the dead silence of the mummy
in society is a trial, the sullen silence
with which so many men punish their
families is a terror. 1t is a whip with
which many a tyrant holds the tremb-
ling wretches of his household in
order He comes home to dinner, or
down to breakfast with face as grim
and hard as a stone image. Some
thing has gone wrong. He eats and
drinks in silence refusing even to ask
for what he wants. He reads the paper
with a portentious dumbness that
strikes a cold chill to his wifes heart
Finally she musters courage to ask
what is the matter? Is he i'll? Has
any one offended him? To all ques-
lions he responds Nothing" in a
tone of voice that indicts the universe,
and convicts it for having criminally
conspired against him.
Such a man always takes credit to
himself for not saying anything when
IL
and far more agreeable, if he smashed
the furniture. and swore a blue streak.
A wife can deal with a red hot, ours
ing man. who gives her n chance to
talk back and explain, but with a
dumb one she is helpless. You can't
argue with silence. You can only grit
your teeth and endure it. The other
day a woman in Missouri was granted
a divorce from a husband like this on
the ground that he was addicted to the
silent sulks. II was time. and if
women ever get "A hand in making the
laws that awful silence will be
a universally recognized cause for
alimony.
Without doubt a certain amount OF
silence in family life would he a good
thing, and a conservator of the peace
If it went all the way around. but 81
never does. Family silence is the most
one-sided thing on earth-it harps like
a parrot on our faults. and is dunit
as an oyster about our virtues. We
all know households in which IL is con-
sidered criminal TO speak of anybody's
good qualities, and equally criminal
to refrain from mentioning their faults
and weaknesses. Poor patient Mr.
Benedict might come home with the