The Habit of “Answering Back”
THE habit of “answering back” is as reprehensible in grown people as in children, and should be suppressed by every person anxious to lead a peaceable and harmonious life. The “scrappy” household, in which each member strives for the last word in the argument, is most anxious to maintain an independent course of action, is afraid lest he shall be imposed upon, is not a happy household, nor can it ever become such a one. It is an odious place to visit, and the separate individuals who compose it can always have a pleasanter atmosphere and time somewhere else; yet it is seldom that any one will give up the habit, or a whole family reform and institute a new order of things. There is but one way to produce a lasting result, and that is to “withhold your tongue” on each and every occasion when bitter or sharp words arise to the surface. The old adage, “It takes two to make a quarrel,” is invariably true; and while silence is an aggravating response to an irritating remark, its effect is inevitable. The temptation to repudiate an unjust accusation is strong, but if it is unjust, it will be regretted more than if a quarrel results in which both parties lose their temper. She who will inwardly determine to “withhold her tongue” from ill-natured remarks, from unkind suggestion, from bitter retort, from nagging, will begin a revolution in her own home. Do not wait for some one else to start the movement; have the joy in your own soul that you have planted the seeds of happiness yourself. Do not be discouraged if your efforts are not met halfway. Go all the way if need be. “Seek peace, and pursue it!”—Philadelphia Ledger.