第 37 节
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withal keep his mind to himself; cannot practise any considerable
thing whatsoever。〃 It was said of William the Silent; by one of
his greatest enemies; that an arrogant or indiscreet word was
never known to fall from his lips。 Like him; Washington was
discretion itself in the use of speech; never taking advantage of
an opponent; or seeking a shortlived triumph in a debate。 And it
is said that in the long run; the world comes round to and
supports the wise man who knows when and how to be silent。
We have heard men of great experience say that they have often
regretted having spoken; but never once regretted holding their
tongue。 〃Be silent;〃 says Pythagoras; 〃or say something better
than silence。〃 〃Speak fitly;〃 says George Herbert; 〃or be silent
wisely。〃 St。 Francis de Sales; whom Leigh Hunt styled 〃the
Gentleman Saint;〃 has said: 〃It is better to remain silent than to
speak the truth ill…humouredly; and so spoil an excellent dish by
covering it with bad sauce。〃 Another Frenchman; Lacordaire;
characteristically puts speech first; and silence next。 〃After
speech;〃 he says; 〃silence is the greatest power in the world。〃
Yet a word spoken in season; how powerful it may be! As the
old Welsh proverb has it; 〃A golden tongue is in the mouth
of the blessed。〃
It is related; as a remarkable instance of self…control on the
part of De Leon; a distinguished Spanish poet of the sixteenth
century; who lay for years in the dungeons of the Inquisition
without light or society; because of his having translated a part
of the Scriptures into his native tongue; that on being liberated
and restored to his professorship; an immense crowd attended his
first lecture; expecting some account of his long imprisonment;
but Do Leon was too wise and too gentle to indulge in
recrimination。 He merely resumed the lecture which; five years
before; had been so sadly interrupted; with the accustomed formula
〃HERI DICEBAMUS;〃 and went directly into his subject。
There are; of course; times and occasions when the expression of
indignation is not only justifiable but necessary。 We are bound
to be indignant at falsehood; selfishness; and cruelty。 A man of
true feeling fires up naturally at baseness or meanness of any
sort; even in cases where he may be under no obligation to speak
out。 〃I would have nothing to do;〃 said Perthes; 〃with the man
who cannot be moved to indignation。 There are more good people
than bad in the world; and the bad get the upper hand merely
because they are bolder。 We cannot help being pleased with a man
who uses his powers with decision; and we often take his side for
no other reason than because he does so use them。 No doubt; I
have often repented speaking; but not less often have I repented
keeping silence。〃 (8)
One who loves right cannot be indifferent to wrong; or wrongdoing。
If he feels warmly; he will speak warmly; out of the fulness of
his heart。 As a noble lady (9) has written:
〃A noble heart doth teach a virtuous scorn
To scorn to owe a duty overlong;
To scorn to be for benefits forborne;
To scorn to lie; to scorn to do a wrong;
To scorn to bear an injury in mind;
To scorn a freeborn heart slave…like to bind。〃
We have; however; to be on our guard against impatient scorn。 The
best people are apt to have their impatient side; and often; the
very temper which makes men earnest; makes them also intolerant。
(10) 〃Of all mental gifts;〃 says Miss Julia Wedgwood; 〃the rarest
is intellectual patience; and the last lesson of culture is to
believe in difficulties which are invisible to ourselves。〃
The best corrective of intolerance in disposition; is increase of
wisdom and enlarged experience of life。 Cultivated good sense
will usually save men from the entanglements in which moral
impatience is apt to involve them; good sense consisting chiefly
in that temper of mind which enables its possessor to deal with
the practical affairs of life with justice; judgment; discretion;
and charity。 Hence men of culture and experience are invariably;
found the most forbearant and tolerant; as ignorant and
narrowminded persons are found the most unforgiving and
intolerant。 Men of large and generous natures; in proportion to
their practical wisdom; are disposed to make allowance for the
defects and disadvantages of othersallowance for the
controlling power of circumstances in the formation of character;
and the limited power of resistance of weak and fallible natures
to temptation and error。 〃I see no fault committed;〃 said Goethe;
〃which I also might not have committed。〃 So a wise and good man
exclaimed; when he saw a criminal drawn on his hurdle to Tyburn:
〃There goes Jonathan Bradfordbut for the grace of God!〃
Life will always be; to a great extent; what we ourselves make it。
The cheerful man makes a cheerful world; the gloomy man a gloomy
one。 We usually find but our own temperament reflected in the
dispositions of those about us。 If we are ourselves querulous; we
will find them so; if we are unforgiving and uncharitable to them;
they will be the same to us。 A person returning from an evening
party not long ago; complained to a policeman on his beat that an
ill…looking fellow was following him: it turned out to be only his
own shadow! And such usually is human life to each of us; it is;
for the most part; but the reflection of ourselves。
If we would be at peace with others; and ensure their respect; we
must have regard for their personality。 Every man has his
peculiarities of manner and character; as he has peculiarities of
form and feature; and we must have forbearance in dealing with
them; as we expect them to have forbearance in dealing with us。
We may not be conscious of our own peculiarities; yet they exist
nevertheless。 There is a village in South America where gotos or
goitres are so common that to be without one is regarded as a
deformity。 One day a party of Englishmen passed through the
place; when quite a crowd collected to jeer them; shouting: 〃See;
see these peoplethey have got NO GOTOS!〃
Many persons give themselves a great deal of fidget concerning
what other people think of them and their peculiarities。 Some are
too much disposed to take the illnatured side; and; judging by
themselves; infer the worst。 But it is very often the case that
the uncharitableness of others; where it really exists; is but the
reflection of our own want of charity and want of temper。 It
still oftener happens; that the worry we subject ourselves to; has
its source in our own imagination。 And even though those about us
may think of us uncharitably; we shall not mend matters by
exasperating ourselves against them。 We may thereby only expose
ourselves unnecessarily to their illnature or caprice。 〃The ill
that comes out of our mouth;〃 says Herbert; 〃ofttimes falls
into our bosom。〃
The great and good philosopher Faraday communicated the following
piece of admirable advice; full of practical wisdom; the result of
a rich experience of life; in a letter to his friend Professor
Tyndall:… 〃Let me; as an old man; who ought by this time to have
profited by experience; say that when I was younger I found I
often misrepresented the intentions of people; and that they did
not mean what at the time I supposed they meant; and further;
that; as a general rule; it was better to be a little dull of
apprehension where phrases seemed to imply pique; and quick in
perception when; on the contrary; they seemed to imply kindly
feeling。 The real truth never fails ultimately to appear; and
opposing parties; if wrong; are sooner convinced when replied to
forbearingly; than when overwhelmed。 All I mean to say is; that
it is better to be blind to the results of partisanship; and quick
to see goodwill。 One has more happiness in one's self in
endeavouring to follow the things that make for peace。 You can
hardly imagine how often I have been heated in private when
opposed; as I have thought unjustly and superciliously; and yet I
have striven; and succeeded; I hope; in keeping down replies of
the like kind。 And I know I have never lost by it。〃 (11)
While the painter Barry was at Rome; he involved himself; as was
his wont; in furious quarrels with the artists and dilettanti;
about picture…painting and picture…dealing; upon which his friend
and countryman; Edmund Burkealways the generous friend of
struggling meritwrote to him kindly and sensibly: 〃Believe me;
dear Barry; that the arms with which the ill…dispositions of the
world are to be combated; and the qualities by which it is to be
reconciled to us; and we reconciled to it; are moderation;
gentleness; a little indulgence to others; and a great deal of
distrust of ourselves; which are not qualities of a mean spirit;
as some may possibly think them; but virtues of a great and noble
kind; and such as dignify our nature