Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1849-06-08

prey thinks better Of itself than petty piIierer
wouldi Ii IS because by long, though baseless
prescription. the tongue has claimed 10 itself
llcenco denied 10 every other member aud fac
uly.
"But, in point Of fact. your words not only
express, but hepcreale your characters. Speech
gives defniteness and permanence to your lho'H
land feelings The unuuered thought NAV fade
from the memory-may be chased away by bet
ter thoughls--mav, indeed, hardly be a part Of
your own mind: for if suggested from without
land met without welcome and with disuppro.
val and resistance, il is not yours. But by
speech sou adopt thoughts, and the voice that
uuers them is pen which engraves them indel-
libby on the soul. Ii you can suppress unknd
thoughts, so that when they rise in your breast
aud mount to your very lips, you leave Them m.
uttered. you are not, on the whole, unkin0=-
your better nature has the supremacy. But If
these wrong feelings often find uterance, though
you call it hasly uucrance, there is reason TO
fear that they flow from a bulr fountain with
in.
"Consdor, also, how large a part speech
makes up Of the lives Of all. Ii occupies the
greater part Of tho waking hours Of many Of
US; while express acts Of moral bearing. com.
Ipared with our words are rare and few. Indeed
in many departments Of duty, words are our
only possible deeds--t is BY words alone that
we can perform or violate our duty. Many Of
the most important forms Of charity are those
of speech. Almsgjving is almost the only ex-
pression Of charity, of which the voice is not
the chief minister, and aims. conferred in silent
GOODNESS, or with chiding and dslouiul speech,
freeze the spirit though they may warm the bo-
dy. Speech, too. is the sole medium Of a count.
less host Of domestic duties and obseryanccs.--
There are, indeed, in every cummuaity, many
whose only activity seems to be in words
There are many young ladies' released from the
restraints Of school, and many other ladies, with
few or no domestic burdens, with no worldly ay-
location and no taste for reading, whose whole
waking life, either at their own homes or from
house to house, is given for exercise, for good
or evil, oG the tongue--that unruly member.-
And how blesI might they make their exercise
for how many holy ministries of love, sym.
pahy and charity might it sulIice-how many
, wounds might llprevGut or heal--dd they only
: believe and feel that they were writing out thier
own characters in their daily speech! But too
many of them forget this. So long as they do
not knowingly and absolutely lie, they feel no
responsibility for their words, They deem
themselves virtuous because they refrain from
vices to which they have not the shadow Of a
temptation; but carp, backble, and carry i'll re-
ports from house to house, with an apostle zeal
) and martyrs dcyotedness. To say nothing
of the social effect Of such Il life, is not the
tongue thus employed in working out the spirit
ual deathlor the soul, in whose service it is bu-
Isy! know of no images too vile to portray
such a character. The dissection of sander-
er's or tae.bearors heart would present the
most loathsome spectacle Of morbid anatomy
conceivable. 1t is full Of the most malignant
poson. It's life is all mean, low, scrpenllike
"A life that cannot bear the lghr but finds all
T its nourshment and growth in darkness. Were
, these foul and malignant forms of speech inca.
pable of harming others-did this class of hu-
man reptiles creep about in some outward guise
in which they could be recognized by all, and
their words taken for what they are worth and
no more-stl would beg them for their own
sakes not to degrade Gods image, in which they
were created into the likeness Of creeping rep
,ile; would entreat them not to be guilty Of
the meanest and most miserable of all forms of
, spiritual suicide; would beseech them, if they
are determined to sell their souls TO get some
better price, for them than the scorn and dread
of all those whose esteem is worth having.
: "In this connection, we ought to take into ac-
count the very large class Of literally idle words
: How many talk on unthnkingly and heedessy
D as if the swift exercise of the organs of speech
r were the great end Of life! The most trivial
!, news of the day, the concerns of the neighbor.
= hood, the floating gossip, whether good-naured
Y or malignant, dress, food, frivolous surmises.
e palry plans, vantes too light to remain an hour
Q upon the memory-these are the sole staple of
| what too many call conversations; and many are
), the young people who are training themselves
t in the use Of speech for no higher or better pur.
S pose But such persons have the threatened
!, judgement visby following their idle speech
S Their minds grow superficial andshalIow. They
= constantly lose ground if they ever had any, as
S intellectual aud moral beings. Such speech
makes person Of however gcnteel training.
, coarse and vulgar; and that not only in charac-
f ter, but even in voice and manners, and with sad
; frequency obIiterates traits of character and pro-
mise. The merely idle tongue is also very rea-
G dly betrayed into overt guilt. One cannot in.
: dulge in idle, reckless talk, without being imp-
e Gated in all the current slauder and calumny,
b and acquiring gradually the malignant traits of
= hackneyed tale.bearer. And the person who
It in youth, can attract the attention and win the
/ favor of those of little reflection, by fippant
r and volube discourse, will encounter in the ye-
t. ry same circles neglect disestoem, and dislike,
j. before the meridian of life has passed, for it
: takes all the charms that youth can furnish, to
j. make an idle tongue fascinating or even endura,
!, BILE.
: "Let me ask you now to consider for mo-
ment the influence which we exert in conversa-
e lion upon the misery or happiness of olhers.-
II 1t is not too much TO say, that most of us do
+ more good or harm in this way, than in all 9TH
n er forms beside. Look around you--take sur.
n vey of whatever there is of social or domestic
" unhappiness in the families to which you belong