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55
wau&ix.
T mm
NO. 8.
TUBLTO OriNION.
iCO
oil to such n pitch as to overwhelm him
with sound alone. Hut we may ho sure
that the sound was not devoid of sense
and reason.
We now ask what Is requisite to become
a tine talker; one must not. only be wide
ly read, but must have besides originality,
wit, and genius. Travel develops and
cultivates the descriptive powers; gives
ease and lluency, and furnishes plenty of
material. All people like to laugh, and
they will listen more good Inunorcdly to
any thing weighty you may have to say if
you first tickle their comical side, there
fore, let us have plenty of good, whole
some fun. Sarcasm is to be indulged in
sparingly; it is like playing with edged
tools. A sarcastic person will sacrillce
any ones feeling for the sake of appearing
sharp. Wit, too, should be of such a na
ture as never to carry a heart stain away
on its blade. Conversation should be
adapted to the people with whom we con
verse. What interests one man, another
cares nothing about. As Selden puts it,
"words must be lilted to a man's mouth."
Conversation is an art, and, although
one who is naturally endowed with fine
conversational powers ma' acquire it
with less difficulty, still by study and at
tention, a high degree of excellence may
be acquired by almost any one. E.
PUBLIC OPINION.
The fallibility of mankind has passed
into proverb and by-word. And being
weak and vacillating, there is perhaps no
motive which can inlluencc us as much
as the approval or disapproval, the smiles
or frowns of our fellow creatures. That this
is one of the most potent iulluences that
move us, few will question. For there
are but few who do not fall under its sway,
and indeed we would at once feel some
hesitation in receiving the young man or
woman into our friendship, or entrusting
them with our worldly allalrs; if, avow
edly or openly, they disregard tho opin
ion and judgments of the world. The
person who can say, unhesitatingly and
without blushing, "I care not what tho
world may say of me," is indeed far down
the path of moral degradation, and it will
require sharp and efficient means to
arouse the soul from tho lethargy into
which it has fallen. And of such a per
son we must be prepared to hear an ac
count of prolligacy and debauchery.
Among such we must expect the frcquen.
tors of tho card-table. From this class
come those, who fill ourjails and prisons.
Hut aside from this dark view of tho case,
there arc other extremes in which it is
equally fatal to indulge. Whilst a lack of
due regard for this monitor inn' lead one
into all the by-paths which have been
mentioned; on the other hand, an uiidi.c
reaped for the opinion of others, or au
overweening desire for public. applause,
will as surely lead one astray, and bring
on n hasty downfall as in the other ex.
trcme. Tho one who depends upon the
approval of others in a course of action
is no more stable than the wind, which
to day blows from the north, and to-morrow
from the south ; than tho waters which
come and go upon tho seashore. His
mind cannot ho held in ballast by the
weighty dictates of conscience and reason,
nor his course be governed by tho laws of
justice. Neither can our opinions and
judgments be received with respect and
deference, if wo show to tho world that
we are unstable and fickle; for the very
ones whom wo are striving to please, be
ing tho ones who are watching us tho
most closely, are the first to discover and
condemn our motives.
Neither does a fickle mind deserve tho
support and confidence of a conservative,
steady people ; since to-day the fiery sup
porter of economy and refonn,niay to-morrow
be its bitter opponent. In the long
line of worthies of tho past, we find scarce
lv a bpuefactor of the human race, who
was not odious because of his radical ideas
and opinions. Galileo, when endeavoring
to teach his discovery, was cast into pris
on. Cicero, giving us a model of oratory
