Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-02-24
SILENT FAMOUS MEN
CELEBRITIES THAT HAVE eEeNNorep
As MiSERS or WORDS.
some of the worlds Greatest Char
acters Have Been a. SpnrinE OF
Language a. T~ey Have been Prod
fgai OF Deeds OF EeBown.

some of the Worlds Greatest Char
acters Have Been a. Spnrinx OF
Language a. T~ey Have been Prod
fgni of Deeds OF ReBown.
IL Is curious and interesting fact
that many Of the worlds greatest men
have been as sparing of words as they
have been prodigai OF deeds.
IL ~ doubtful II there ever lived =
more tacitUrn man than wallensfein.
the famous commander of the Aus rim n
army during the thirty years war II
Is said of Wallenstein that he lived in
an atmosphere Of silence" and never Mt.
tered word that was not absolutely
necessary. nor would he permit others
to speak i'm lis presence more than was
essential. Cne Of his chamberlains was
hanged for waking Wallenstcin with
needless noise. His servants were 30
many mutes. not daring TO open their
lips in his presence. and he was sur
rounded by patrols. ana the approaches
To his house were barricaded by chains
to preserve him from the least disturb
ance. In comparison with Wallenstein.
have been a chatterbox and William
the Silent a brawler
But silence is a characteristic Of many
Ct the worlds most famous soldiers
Napoleon boosted that i'm his dealings
with men he never wasted n word and
made monosyllables answer most pur-
poses But nothing escaped his eyes
eand be could compress more within 4
sentence than most men could convey
In a quarter Of an hour.
The great Duke OF Marlborough whom
receiving reports from his generals
would produce his watch and say. Il
VIII give YOU n minute" And il was
likely 10 20 hard with the officer who
did not observe the Limitation. To his
staff the Duke OF Wellington was nj
ways more or less a sphinx. 4 nod or
a shake OF the head was often the only
response they could get from him. and
when once he was asked what he con
sidered the best equipment Of com
mander lac answered. "A long head nd
silent tongue"
Won MOltke almost rivaled Wallen-
stein i'm taciturnity. He never opened
his mouth il a gesture would suffice
and when the news was brought 10
him that tie French had declared war
he simply said 90 the aid-de-camp. sec
ond pigconholc on the right. first tier
and turned round To sleep again. But
he had said All chat was necessary. for
I'm the piseonhole indicated were com
plete plans for the campaign which
closed i'm brilliant victory Won Moltke
used 20 say that one verb i'm the Ger
man language was worth all the 9th
ers put together. and that was "th,ln"
Ito DO"
The worst thing his enemies could
say OF President Grant was. He won't
talk because he has 50 much 10 CON
ceal," and yet il was precisely i'm this
silence that Grants real strength lay.
His orders and dispatches were the
briefest ever penncd. and when once Il
charming young lady playfuliy asked
him why lie would not talk 10 her he
answered. My dear. don't you know
that silence is one OF the greatest arts
of conversational
But it has been the same in all ages.
Charlcmagnc was a perfect miser OF
words. holding. with Confucius. that
silence is friend that Will never be-
tray Hannibal was a imam Of mono
SyllahleS." and Julius Cesar was nick
named 10y his soldiers The Oracle"
Even great statesmen and writer's
who cannot suffer from any lack OF
words have often been among the most
reserved Of men. OF Addison. John
son says. or his external manners
nothing is So often mentioned as that
timorouS or sullen tacimrnity which
his friends called modesty 10y too mild
q name According Ia Chesterfield.
he was tile most timorouS and awk-
ward man / ever saw" and even Ad-
Olson himself. speaking Of his own
deficiency i'm conversation. used TO say.
Il can draw bills for thousand
pounds. though l haven't a guinea in
my pocket"
Dryden was unutterably dreary rs a
companion. My conversation is slow"
he once wrote. my humor Saturnine
and reserved. ana l ann none of those
who cndeavor TO break jests in COM
pany and make rcparteeS" And Shad-
well tells how he once dined with Dry
den. and from the beginning TO the end
Of the meal the poet never opened
his lips except 10 eat"
Thomas Carlyle was a "hoarder OF
the gold Of silence" and would sit for
hours. putting away NJ his pipe, with
out uttering more than grunt or 4
gruif monoSyllable. Leigh Hunt. his
neiShbUr and intimate, once wrote 10
a friend: Have just spent pleasant
hour with Carlyle. When l went in he
grOwled. 'Halloa: here again" and at
parting he snapped out. Good day"
and that is the sum Of the converSatio
he honorcd me with. But how clio
Quent his silence Is, l just sat and
looked nj him and came away strength
ened for fresh struggle