Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-21


gate error than the popular
that Speech is silver and silence is golden"
That speech is silver l should be the last deny.
Oftentnes it is of the whitest and choicest metal,
hal-marked, a veritabe picture of silver in
casing the golden apples of thought and magi-
nation Sometimes-not infrequently-it is merely
electroplate, and that not of the highest order.
But it is not with the siverness of speech that
dealing in the present discussion, but with the
godenness of silence.
That there are golden si1ences am fain to admit:
slences of pure gold undiluted by any alloy what
soever. But what | maintain is that gold is not
the usual material out of which the article is
featured.
Among the golden sences are:
First the Silence of Knowledge which does not
speak argue, because it knows; and therefore
there is more to be said.
Second, the Silence of Ignorance, which neither
speaks argues, because it does not know; and
therefore has no right to say anything at all
Third, the Silence of Forgiveness which puts
the pardoned offense behind its back and never
refers to it again; uttering word of reproach
regret, but leaving the dead past to bury its
dead in a nameless and forgotten grave.
Fourth, the Silence of Patience which suffers
long and is kind and possess its soul until the
daybreak, be the night never so long.
Fifth, the Silence of Endurance, which never
complains nor bemoans its fate, however hardly
the stars fight against it.
Sixth, the Silence of Peace; that silence which
produce heated argument and loud discussion,
and which might separate very friends.
These are some of the silences of pure gold. And
there are many others, which we have not time
to consider
But what of the sences which are not golden
at all, but are made of another and baser metal
the slences which in their separate ways are sin?
First, there is the Silence of Pride, the silence
which regards it's thoughts as too precious to be
minted into the silver coin of the realm. Do not
with which it closes its lips and refuses to speak
in general company? 1t listens freely to all that
other people have to say; it has objection to
hearing what their ideas may be and exposing their
errors and misudgments to the light of day; but
it gives nothing in return for all this confidence;
it keeps its thoughts and opinions and con-
VlCtions to itself
And this is not fair it is not playing the game
The rule of life is the rule of give and take and
has right to listen to the condolences and the
opinions and the experiences of others, unless pre-
pared to give his condolences and opinions
and experiences in exchange. There is lack of
true hospitality in such behavior more, there is
lack of common honesty. If you will not throw
open the doors of your souls dwelling place to
other people, you ought not to enter the portal of
theirs. In every souls temple there is a Court
OF the Gentles; and if that is where you choose to
entertain your friends, you must expect to be enter
tanned by them in a similar style
And what do you think would be the result if
you so far unbent to change your socalled golden
silence into the silver coinage of common speech?
Would it dazzle the world with its gittering white
ness? Or would it vanish away like the fairy money
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