Arizona republican., 1918-06-06
The Dauahter of Silence

We have hitherto and frequently animadverted on the subject of the futiy of oratory and the fatal gift of eloquence There lately appeared in Paris satire "Je Sais Tout by Clement Vautel. descrb- ing the eleventh Egyptian plague which ought to be given wide circulation in this land of Chautauquas and practically everything except what is tical is disposed of by oraory We excel in few things business and industry, but do not use ora tory in them otherwise would not excel.
 The satire describes ten plaques punishment of the Egyptians for rebellion against the ancient sods None of them seemed effectual Says the satire.
 But the Egyptians seemed to accommodate them selves to these plaques: they preserved their good humor, amused themselves usual at the perform of their buffoons and uggers followed with the attentive and fascinated regard the prestesses of Heios and of Isis who, clad in short skirts their faces rouged and their eyes enlarged by penciing clicked their high heels of leather and wood on the fagstones of the city promenades.
 The plaques consisted of putting the price of wine at figures that it accessible only to the rich but the Egyptians drank wine than and went on their needless way. Then the senior arch- angels ordered that heat should be made prohibtive but the people remained stiff-necked and warmed themselves by blowing their fingers. The Ancient Thrones next decreed that Egypt should be plunged into perpetual twilight. The city of light became a city of shadow but the people lost nothing of their gayety or their optimism.
 The next punishment may be compared to what we call the closing of the cabarets by order of the Ancient Dominion:
 Cause it that this obstinate people no longer eat, day. pastes sugared and perfumed that the halls in which they gather applaud the buffoons and the dancers longer open every night; that journeys made slow and difficult; the Egyptians to be deprived not only of all necessaries, but of all lux uries."
 This intellectual invasion of bar barians who spread over tho land burning and slsy- Ing Egypt remained unrepentant
 Then came the eleventh plague,
 Summoned finally. Lucifer appeared in his red cloak.
 "The eleventh plague" grnned the denoted arch angel 70 Eternal if you will take my word for it, that ought to be Eloquence"
 And it ordained.
 Eoquence, like a subtle poison which dissolves, ruins and ravages the organism infraed itself into all that constituted Egypt-letters arts, admnisra tion commerce. agriculture and politics It became a malady with which all stricken and of which Egypt seemed about to die. The Egyptians made of Eloquence their supreme goddess.
 The murderous barbarians had dug themselves into the sacred soil of the country of the Pharaohs in order to make their stay assured
 The orators imagined that these hordes. which had offered resistance to armed force, would avow themselves vanqushed by Eloquence.
 And they talked and talked and talked
 And so it with the rest. Eloquence did in- stead of everything Did port need improvement? An orator dedicated to it beautiful speech Did ployers workingmen ask aid in order to realize projects of public interest? An orator lavished on them artsticslly cadenced phrases
 But it so happened that the Egyptians finally got tired of the music of high sounding phrases. At the same time they forming in all Egypt kind of sect composed of fighters, merchants, navigators 'arners' even of simple felahs. whose whole program consisted of these words engraved the pedestal of Inc great Sphinx:
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