Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-12-09

80 1GC
The result Of this kind of practice
is the degradation of human speech.
It is degraded first in the eyes of those
who use it as a vile instrument. There
is no speech respected for the debat-
ers, the fault-finders, the %sophists,
and all those who are animated but
by the rage of appearing to be in the
right, or the pretention that their
interests alone are respectable. Their
chastisement is to be obliged to Judge
others by the rule they follow them
selves, which is: To say that which
profits and not that which is true.
They can no longer take any one
seriously. A sad state of mind for
such as write, speak and teach. How
they must despise their hearers and
their readers to go before them in
such a state of mind! For one who
has kept a foundation of honesty, no
thing is more revolving than the irony
fallen from one of these %acrobats of
the pen or of speech, who tries to
add to the number a few more good
but too confiding people. On one
hand resignation, sincerity, the desire
for enlightenment, and on the other
the p~rofigacy hat mooks the public.
But he does not know, the liar, how
far he deceives himself. The capital
on which he lives is confidence, and
nothing can equal the confidence OF
the people unless 1t Is it's distrust as
these e~xploiters of simplicity. But
soon as 1t feels that it is betrayed.
MI x-l1.z f11~r, Co. %i~ao
after that its receptive humor changes
to aversion; the doors that swung
wide open now offer impenetrable
wooden visages, and ears once open
are now closed. Alas! they close not
only to the evil but to the good also.
And 1t is there the crime of those who
twist and degrade speech. They
shake the general confidence. We
consider the degradation of money
as a calamity, the fall in stocks the
ruin Of credit, but a greater misfor-
tune than that Is the loss of conf
dencs, Of this moral credit which
houest people accord each other, and
which makes a word circulate like
authentic money. Down with the
oounterfeiters, the spectators, the
wormy flnanoiers, for they make us
suspect even the money of the realm!
Down with the oounterfeiters of the
pen and speech, for they do what
has destroyed confidence until no one
believes anything OF any n any
more, and until the value of what they
say or write resembles those bank
notes of Saint Farce.
1t can be seen how very urgent it is
that each one should watch over him
self, guard his tongue, chastise his
pen and aspire toward simplicity. No
moro changed meanings, fewer cir
cumlocutions, not SO many reticences
and conversations! They serve but
to embroil us. Be men; hGve one
word. One hour of sincerity does
more for the welfare of the world
than years of profigacy.
A word now of a national breadth
and which Is addressed TO those who
have the superstition of speech and
the demonstrations of style. Certain
ly we must not blame those persons
who enjoy an elegant word or a deli
SaIO dlulO. L Gill VI lAS Ill
that we can never say what we have
to say too well. But it does not fol
low that the best said and best writ
ten things are prepared. Words
should serve the fact, and not substi-
tute, and not cause n to lose sight
of it In ornamentation. The greatest
things are those which gain most in
being told with simplicity, because
they show themselves just as they
are. You do not throw over them
even the transparent veil of fine
words, not hat shadow so fatal to
truth which is called the vanity of the
author or orator. Nothing is strong
er, nothing more persuasive than sim
plicity. There are sacred emotions,
cruel pains, great devotions, passion
ate enthusiasms that one look. n
gesture, or one cry would show plain
er than the most beautifully turned
phrases. The most precious posses
sion in the heart of humanity shows
itself the most simply. To persuade
one must be true, and certain truths
are best understood If they come
from simple lips, infrm ones even, az
II they fell from mouths weary with
talking, or proclaimed with the full
force of the lungs. These rules are
good for avery one In the daily life.
No one can imagine what profit he
can gain for his moral life by the
constant observation of this princi-
pie. to be true, sober, simple in ex-
preston of his sentiments and his
convictions, in private as in public
never to exceed the measure, to faith
fully translate that which is in us,
and above all to remember. That is
the principal thing.
For, the danger of fine words is
that they live a clean life. They are
the distinguished servitors who have
guarded their titles and do not fulfil
their functions, as royal courts offer
us examples. You have spoken well
you have written we'll, is well and suf-
fees"
How many men there have been