Year: 1879

genuine social sympathy. A man NAV


not say. out of some selfish motive ~


some motive of personal policy, aGo


tol will become a good talker.s He


must enjoy society, and have q genuine


uesire TO serve and please. We have


I'LL seen the talker who talks for his


own purpose, or talks to please himself.


he is the well-known character-the


talking bore. The talker who gets him


sell up for show, who plans his CONVEX


sations for an evening, and Grams for


Them, becomes intolerable. He lect-


ures; he does not converse; for there ia


no power of q talker so delightful as


that OF exciting others to talk, and list


ening to what his own inspiring and


suggestive utterances have called forth.


Genuine social sympathy and a hearty


desire to please others are necessary to


produce such q talker as this. and no


other is tolerable. Social sympathy is a


natural gift, and there is q combination


OF other gifts which constitute what


may be called esprit, that are very es-


sential to good talker. This combina-


ton includes individuality, tact and


wit-the talents, aptitudes and peculiar


characteristic charm which enable a


man to use the materials of conyersa-


tIon in an engaging way, entiraly his


own; for every talker has his own way


OF saying good things, as well of
managing conversation based on his


esprit.


Yet it is true that there are no good
takers who depend upon their natural
gifts and such material as they get in
the usual interchanges of society. For
the materials of conversation we must
draw upon knowledge. No man can be
a thoroughly good talker who does not
know a great deal. Social sympathy
and the gift of gab" go but short way
toward producing good conversation,
though we hear a great deal of this kind
OF talk among the young. Sound and
exact knowledge is the very basis of
good conversation. To know a great
many things well is to have in hand the
best and most reliable materials of good
conversation. There is nothing. like
abundance and exactness of knowledge
with which to furnish q talker. Next
to this, perhaps, is familiarity with po-
lite literature. The faculty of quoting
from the best authors is very desira-
bic one. Facts are valuable, and
thoughts, perhaps, are quite as valuable,
as they are more stimulating
to the conversation of group. The
talker who deals alone in facts is quite
likely to have the talk all to himself.
while the man who is familiar with
thoughts and ideas, as he has found
Them embodied in literature, becomes a
'timulator of thought and conversation
IN those around them. Familiarity
with knowledge and with the products
If the literary art connot be too much
insisted on as the furniture of good



Beyond this, the good talker must
,e familiar with the current thought
md events of his time. There should
20 no movement in politics, religion
nd society that the good talker is not
amiliar with. Indeed, the man who
undertakes to talk at all must know
What is uppermost in mems minds, and
,e able to add to the general fund of
hought and knowledge, and respond to
he popular inquiry and the popular
disposition for discussion. The man
rho undertakes to be a good talker
hould never be caught mapping con-
erning any current topic of immediate
ublic interest. "


How to carry and convey superiority
+ knowledge and culture without ap-
earring to be pedantic, how to talk out
+ abundant stores of information and
amiliarity with opinion, without SEEM
ng to preach, as Coleridge was accused
+ doing, belongs, with the ability to
ak we'd, to "the art Of conversation"
t has seemed to us that, if young peo-
lie could only see how shallow and silly
cry much of their talk is, and must
ecessarily be, SO long as they lack the
Materials of conversation, they would
Ike more pains with their study, would
evote themselves more to the best
ooks, and that, at least, they would 40
uire and maintain more familiarity
18th important current events. To
Low something is the best cure for
gossip, for talk about
ress, and for 10000 frivolities and silli-
esses Of society. Besides, a good
,lker needs an audience to understand
nd respond to him, and where is he to
nd one, if there is not abundant
ulture around him ?-Dr. Holland, IN
cribner's Monthly.