The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1904-03-05


war 1t is said of Wallenstein that he
"livcd in an atmosphere of silence" and
never uttered word that was not absolute
" necessary, nor would he permit others to
speak in his presence more than was essen
tial One of his chamberains was banged
for waking Wallenstein with needless noise
His servants were so many mutes, not dar-
ing to open their lips in his presence. and
he was surrounded by patrols, and the APP
proaches to his house were harricaded by
chains to preserve him from the least dis
turharre. In comparison with Wa'lenstein,
it has been recorded, Diogenes would have
been a thatterboX, and william the Silent, Il
brawler.
But silence Is n characteristic of many of
the worlds famous soldiers. Napoleon
boosted that in his dealings with men he
never wasted n word and made monosylla
blps answer most purposes. But nothing
escaped bis eyes. and he could compress
more within a sentence than most men could
convey in quarter of an hour
The great Duke of Marlborough, when
receiving reports from his generals, would
pr duce his watch and say. 81 will give you
a minute" And it was likely to 90 hard
with the officer who did not observe the
limitation. To his staff the Duke of Well
ington was always more or less a sphinx.
A nod or shake of the head was often the
only response they could get from him, and
when once he was asked what he considered
the best equipment he replied, "a long head
and silent tongue"
Won Moltke almost rivaled Wallenstein in
taciturnity. He never opened his mouth if
GESTURE would suffice and when the news
was brought to him that the French had de-
elarpd war he simply said to the ade-de-
camp, "Second pigeonhoe on the right first
tier and turned round to sleep again.
But he had said all that was necessary. for
in the pigeonhOle indicated were complete
plans for the campaign which closed in bril-
liant victory. Won Moltke used to say that
one verb in the German language was worth
all the others put together, and that was
"thun"-'tto do"
The worst thing his enemies could say of
President Grant was, "Hc won't talk be-
cause he has so much to conceal and yet
it was precisely in this silence that Grant
real strength lay. His orders and dispatches
were the bricfcst ever pennad, and when
orce a charming young lady payfuIy asked
him why he would not talk to her he answer
ed, 'My dear, don't you know that silence is
one Of the greatest arts Of converSalion!'
But it has been the same in all ages.
CharIemange was a perfect miser of words,
holding. with Confucus that 'silence is
friend that will never betray.' Hannibal was
a imam OF monosy llables, "and julius Caesar
was nicknamed by his soldiers "The Oracle ="
Even great statesmen and writers who
cannot suffer from any lack of words have
often been among the most reserved of M n.
Of Addison, johnson says, "Of his external
manners nothing s so often mentioned as
that timorous or sullen taciturnity which his
friends called modesty by too mild "A name
According to Chesterfield, he was was "the
most timorous and awk ward man ever saw
and even Addison himself speaking of his
own deficiency in conversation. used to lay,
II can draw bills for a thousand pounds,
though haven't guinea iu my pocket"
paniou. my conversation is slow he once
wrote, my humor saturnine and reserved,
and am none of those who endeavor to
break iests in company and make repariees
And Shadwel tells how he once dinei with
Dryden, and from the beginning to the end
of the meal the poet never opened his lips
except to eat
Thomas Carlyle was "hoarder oft gold
OF silence" and would sit for hours, pufling
away at his pipe, without uttering more than
a grunt or gruir monosyllablc. Leisa
Hunt, his neighbor and intimate, once wrote
to friend: "Have just spent a pleasant
hour with Carlyle. When l went in he
growled, 'Hulloa here aeain!' and at parting
he snapped out, Coed day : and that is the
sum of the conversation he honored me with.
But how eloquent his silence is! Just sat
and looked at him and came away strenS'
thened for fresh struggle