The Art Of Brevity

The Spartans were distinguished for the brevity and conciseness of their speech. On one occasion during a terrible famine the inhabitants of an island in the Ægean sea sent an embassador to Sparta, who made a speech imploring its aid. He had hardly finished before the Spartans sent him back these words, "We did not understand the end of your speech and have forgotten the beginning."

The poor, starving people chose another spokesman and impressed upon him to make his request as brief as possible.

He therefore took with him a quantity of sacks, opened one before the assembly and said simply, "It is empty; fill it."

The sack was filled as well as the others, but the chief of the assembly said as he dismissed the embassador, loaded with meal: "It wasn't necessary to inform us that the sack was empty. We saw it ourselves. Neither was it necessary to request us to fill it. We should have done it on our own account. Be less long winded next time."

Christian Endeavor World.