New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-21
Ellen
Author o


gate error than the popular saw
that Speech is silver and silence golden.
That speech is silver | should be the last to deny
Oftentines it is of the whitest and choicest metal
hall-rnarked, a veritable picture OF silver IN
casing the golden apples of thought and imagi-
nation Sometimes-nOt 1nrequently-1t is merely
electroplate and that not of the highest order.
But it is not with the slverness of speech that we
are dealing in the present discussion but with the
godenness of silence.
That there golden silences, L am tain to admit:
sences of pure gold unduted by any alloy what
soever But what | maintain is that gold is not
the usual material out of which the article is manu-
featured.
Among the golden silences are:
First the Silence of knowledge, which does not
speak argue, because it knows; and therefore
there is no more to be said.
Second, the Silence of Ignorance, which neither
speaks nor 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 no word OF reproach
or regret but leaving the dead past to bury its
dead in 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
keeps unuttered the word which it knows would
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 w.
But what of the sienCes which not golden
at all, but made OF another and q baScr metal
the slenCes which in their separate ways are SIN!
First, there is the Silence OF Pride, the silence
which regards its thoughts as too precious to be
rninted into the silver coin of the realm. Do not
we all know it. and the look of supercilious sCorn
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 misiudgmentS to the light OF day; but
it gives nothing in return for all this confidence;
it keeps its own thoughts and opinions and
VictiOnS 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 own condolences and opinions
and experiences in exchange. There is a lack OF
true hospitality in such behavior; more, there is
lack of common honesty. Ii you will not throw
open the doors of YOUR souls dwelling place to
other people, ought not to enter the portal OF
theirs In every souls temple there IS Court
of the Gentes and if that is where you choose to
entertain your friends you expect to be enter
tanned by them in a similar style.
And what do you think would be the result if
you far unbent to change your so-called golden
silence into the silver coinage of common speech?
Would it dazzle the world with its gttering white
ness? Or would it vanish away like the fairy money
the touch of a mortal hand? Neither the
nor the other take my word for it. Your sovereign