The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-02-23
AN EDITORIAL CLASSIC

Lawrence Hodgson, LARRY Hoo, former ma!
St. Paul. veteran newspaper writer, Iovapie CO
anion, and brilliant columnist of the st. Paul L
,tch, recently produced an editorial classic
led Drawing Voices" The wise philosophy q
,mely truths in the article worthy of close p
val by every thinking person. The editorial
VS.:
Not long ago a senator of the United States
spoke (probably to empty seats) for several
days until his voice could no longer rise above
a whisper. He was not the first statesman
to do this It is not at all cynical to observe
that in all probability his speech added moth
ing to the wisdom, knowledge or vision of
the public. But his verbosity is nothing new
in these days when there seems to be ten
dency for men to talk much, whether other
men listen or not. The rhetorical tempera-
ment seems to appeal, for the spouters ap-
pear to win popularity. The Almighty once
addressed to Job this pregnant question:
"Who is this that darkeneth council by words
without knowledge?" And we must conclude
that counsel is more frequently darkened this
way than in any other way.
Some years ago a prominent st. Paul man
in discussing the farm situation said: How
can you and I and average citizens every
where best contribute to the farmers aid?
By refraining from discussion concerning it..
1 thought at the time it wise remark,
and I doubt not that many farmer would
count it JOY to go a day without advice
from men determined to save him by the
word of mouth.
Holmes observed: 1.-THE Towering moments
of the mind, Drop half their petals in our
speech" And we feel something of this even
when listening to 'masterful speeches" But
there are so few masterful speeches. To be
masterful speech must have back of it years
of silence a life time of thinking, and the
-
others rather than to attract any specious
attention.
President Mckinley once said in sort of
gentle despair as he discussed John G. Car
Isle: THAT never has clouded
thought" And Carlisle was silent man,
speaking only after mature thinking, and
with a distinct intellectual honesty.
Woodrow Wilson gave his praise to men
who have in them the inestimable force of
chastened eloquence." Chastened eloquence,
followed a chastened thinking how moving
it is; how it forever chides the spontaneous
haranguers, the men who darken counsel
with words without knowledge"
There is very practical side of this prob
lem also. That quaint philosopher Amos Par
IRISH recently wrote this fable: "Once upon a
time there was a squirrel Tough season.
speeches about trees winds, rain other
squirrels. He cried good deal in these
speeches. But he didn't look for nuts. And
he had tough winter"
Tom Reed once said that whenever con- Z
gresham makes his maiden speech he sub
tracts from the sum total of human know
ledge" And this is true of vast number
who forget that the Lord was not in the fire
but in the still small voice.
OF course, even SO rare virtue as silence
can be overdone. There must needs be times
when the experiences Of thinking are harvest
ed in speech. But if only we did our honor
to those who speak in such fashion and for
bade ourselves to listen to those who babble
without purpose we might elevate the quail
ity Of both thinking and acting in this weary
world
Not only does indiscriminate and wasteful
speech rob us of intellectual pleasure; but it
destroys the moments of inspiration when
deeper than mortal voices would speak to men
did they but care to listen. The most ire
mendous words ever written on the heavens
were these: BE still and know that am
God"
But individually are to blame for the
prevalence of this speaking fever. We en-
courage it on every possible occasion. We
probably do so unconsciously, feeling that un-
less we urge all other men to talk they will
not urge us to talk. And so instead of the
greatly desired conspiracy Of silence; we have
conspiracy of frivolous and elastic speech,
and tolerate each other in sort of oratorical
marathon Of idiocy.
If we could enforce rule that man
should speak an hour who has not thought
at least year on his theme we should note
a vast increase in silence, and folks would
have far more leisure time in which to give
themselves to profitable pursuits.
The still small voice is always close to use
If we but listen. Let us accept its full BEN
ediction by being silent ourselves now and
then.