THE MAGIC POWER OF SILENCE

A good women in New Jersey was sadly annoyed by a termagant neighbor, who often visited her, and provoked a quarrel. She at last sought the counsel of her pastor, who added sound common sense to his other good qualities. Having heard the story of her wrongs, he advised her to seat herself  quietly in the chimney corner when next visited, take the tongs in her hand, look steadily into the fire, and whenever a hard word came from her neighbor’s lips, gently snap the tongs, without uttering a word.

A day or two afterwards, the good women came again to her pastor with a bright and laughing face, to communicate the effects of this new antidote for scolding. Her troubler had visited her, and as usual, commenced her tirade.

            Snap went the tongs.

            Another volley. Snap.

            Another still.  Snap.

            “Why don’t you speak?” said the termagant,

more enraged . Snap.

            “Speak said she. Snap.

            “Do speak; I shall split if you don’t speak!”

And away she went, cured of her malady by the magic power of silence.

June 1861 the British Workman