Coronado Eagle and Journal, Volume XVIII, Number 11, 12 March 1930 — TRANSGRESSIONS OF SPEECH [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TRANSGRESSIONS OF SPEECH

By THOMAS ARKLE CLARK Dmi of Mon, Unienrs it j of Illinois.

David may not hare been aa wise as Solomon, bat be gave expression to a great many, words of Wisdom, and laid down principles of conduct which man; of as would do well to follow. "I am purposed." be .says In one of the psalms, “that my mouth' shall not transgress.” Indiscreet speech has been the cause of man; a man's downfall Sometimes It Is he who talks thoughtlessly or Impulsively or Indiscreetly: sometimes It la one of his friends nr acquaintances. Whoever It la, the result Is too often disastrous. Someone one day. In the town in which I used to live, having been refused a loan, at the local bank for good and sufficient reason, started the rumor that the hank was.on the verge of failure, and advised his friends, If ttiey had any money deposited with the concern, to gel It out as. quickly as possible. The rumor spread like a prairie Are. and within a short time people by the hundreds rushed to the bank to draw out their savings. No assurance that the bank could give of Its stability had any effect upon the depositors. They were determined to have their money, and -only through the sheerest luck or goo<J fortune was the bank saved from Iromplete failure. Someone had let his mouth transgress. ■ Cbtyron ts one of those confiding souls who can never keep Important things to himself In spite of the fact that he Is following a profession In which silence as to Ms client's situation It a more than golden virtue. Be tells his wife everything and she is elated over knowing s great many things In which tbs public would havs unusual Interest, since they arp really none of the public’s business. Mrs. Clayton has little discretion; she talks fluently slid continuously, and aha da-

■ires the greatest satisfaction in telling what her husband knows and has said and is doing and many of the things she tells are very private and personal and Indiscreet She has never seriously followed David's practice and' porpose of not letting hla mouth transgress If it relieves Clayton to talk over bis professional affairs with his wife, well and good, but she should learn when to keep silent It Is a great asset to have learned discretion In speech. Uy father was a .rather, silent man. He seemed to be content usually to Ipt someone else talk. . I spoke to him once about it and he- said, “Son, I’ve never In my life been sorry fur having said too Mttle." One of the most successful business men In the country —rich beyond belief he Is —gave as one of the three characteristics which would lead a young man to success, the ability to keep his mouth shut I've forgotten what the other two are. A friend of mine, who handles a good deal of Important private business, was telling me not long ago that he had a most valuable secretary whom be would find it almost Impossible to replace. “Why Is she so good?" I asked. "She never talks,” was his reply. . (0. mo, Western Newspaper Union.)