Good, old-fashioned common sense iz one ov the hardest things in the world to out-wit, out-argy, or beat in enny way, it iz az honest az a loaf ov good domestik bread, alwus in tune, either hot from the oven or 8 days old. Common sense kan be improved upon by edukashun--genius kan be too, sum, but not much. Edukashun gauls genius like a bad setting harness. Common sense iz like biled vittles, it is good right from the pot, and it is good nex day warmed up. If every man waz a genius, mankind would be az bad oph az the heavens would be, with every star a comet, things would git hurt badly, and noboddy tew blame. Common sense iz instinkt, and instinkt don’t make enny blunders mutch, no more than a rat duz, in coming out, or going intew a hole, he hits the hole the fust time, and just fills it. Genius iz always in advance ov the times, and makes sum magnificent hits, but the world owes most ov its tributes to good hoss sense. SILENCE. Silence is a still noise. One ov the hardest things for a man to do, iz tew keep still. Everyboddy wants tew be heard fust, and this iz jist what fills the world with nonsense. Everyboddy wants tew talk, few want to think, and noboddy wants tew listen. The greatest talkers amung the feathered folks, are the magpie and ginny hen, and neither ov them are ov mutch account. If a man ain’t sure he iz right the best kard he kan play iz a blank one. I have known menny a man tew beat in an argument by just nodding his hed once in a while and simply say, “_jess so, jess so_.” It takes a grate menny blows tew drive in a nail, but one will clinch it. Sum men talk just az a French pony trots, all day long, in a haff bushel meazzure. Silence never makes enny blunders, and alwus gits az mutch credit az iz due it, and oftimes more. When i see a man listening to me cluss i alwus say to mi self, “_look out, Josh_, that fellow iz taking your meazzure.” I hav herd men argy a pint two hours and a haff and not git enny further from whare they started than a mule in a bark mill, they did a good deal ov going round and round. I hav sot on jurys and had a lawyer talk the law, fakts and evidence ov the kase all out ov me, besides starting the taps on mi boots. I hav bin tew church hungry for sum gospel, and cum hum so phull ov it that i couldn’t draw a long breth without starting a button. Brevity and silence are the two grate kards, and next to saying nothing, saying a little, iz the strength ov the game. One thing iz certain, it iz only the grate thinkers who kan afford tew be brief, and thare haz bin but phew volumes yet published which could not be cut down two-thirds, and menny ov them could be cut klean back tew the title page without hurting them. Iz hard tew find a man ov good sense who kan look back upon enny occason and wish he had sed sum more, but it iz eazy tew find menny who wish they had said less. A thing sed iz hard tew recall, but unsed it kan be spoken any time.