The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-21
CULPEPPER MORALIZES ON SILENCE,
 LOOUACITY AND OTHER THINGS

Editor The Advertiser:
 I've been taking a vacation of mipd. It is very restful. Sometimes, I think there are lots of people whose minds are never quite at home; that is, there's a kind of pernianent vacancy without a degree of restlessness. I don't mean to say there is no rattle in the supposed mental vessel for it very of ten happens, like in an unloaded wag- on, that the very absence of mind is indicated by the unusual noise. And yet we must not jump to the conclu- sion that holding ones tongue is an infallible sign of extra sense or wis., dom.
 old man Henry Turner was so cir cumspect in his conversation that his whole talk was in those expressive monosyllables uttered in a nod or shake of the head. and the neighbors all said he didn't have a bit more sense than our school Trustee who knew ev- erything except what he was talking about and could talk indesfnitely without saying anything.
 I rather like fellow who has orig final notions and Independent, fearless expression. If his ideas are good ne needn't be ashamed of them, and ne really owes 1t to the world to give them out. Some fellows. though. are so suspicious of their own righteous sentiments that they have to consult flesh and blood" before they dare to speak out. Perhaps, there is such thing as ante-natal murder of ideas and, maybe so, the crime comes of fear of personal or party harm. There are certain great interests (not the public good) that like to be the ac- coucheurs of new ideas and they are more likely to be called in the case of dull, ,ilent men. The noisy fellow will let fly, hit or miss, before enduring long the pains of a new idea. These aforesaid SZeat interests look upon such a fellow as inimical to the public injury in their benefit and try to be in at his death. These positive. asser- tive, noisy fellows have their part to play in the world and are a real con- servative force in keeping things from going 70 the dogs They may be wrong. sometimes. and are, but as they have nothing to hide and are outspok- en, open and abovepoard, the wrong will soon be apparent and can be rem edied. I may be thinking of Presiden- tial candidates. fUu may prefer the felicw who must endure the labor pains till after a full consultation of all the distinguished Sairey Camps of the party. That's the difference be- tween us.
 Now when you get out of the politi- cal into the religious realm, the matter changes. The real. solid. profound deep thing Divine is nowhere along side of the dapper rattler. You know, these solid old fellows are vastly pro- life of new ideas and divide 'em into Firstly, secondly, thirdly" and so on and deliver them in such a dull, learn ed way that the condition of the con- gregation corresponds to that of the poor fellow of whom it Is said "He lift cd up his eyes being in torment" And yet. such have their admirers. would rather have the seven years itch than be compelled Sunday after Sunday to sit under the dropipngs of the sanctu- ary" when one of these dull Divines is learnedly delivering himself by piecemeals in a way to raise the devil in the defenseless congregation. I knew one of 'em once. He's dead now He was said to be the most earnest profound thinker in all the land, and l reckon he was. He was generally in such a swoon of thought that 1t took