Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-04-12
Thinketh no Evil.

Charity thinketh no evil" bears no mall
ice, does not impute wrong, stores not up
the injuries received. Such are some of
the renderings given by our latest and best
Interpreters of the Apostles words. They
all imply that too keen quick sightedness
to detect flaws in brothers character and
conduct, a too great readiness to impute
the bad motive rather than the good, too
great willingness to credit and circulate
the injurious tale, is alien from the spirit
and temper of christian love. The name
of an acquaintance is mentioned, and the
question is raised what kind of person
he is? which side of the character is it that
springs up first before our eye?-that of
his imperfections and defects, Or that of
his virtues and excellences? that wherein
he excels, or that wherein he falls short of
others? Or single action of his becomes
the topic of conversation and COMMENT
Two ways for accounting for that action lie
at hand, the one attributing it to disin-
terested and generous, the other to a world
ly and selfish motive. Which of the two
are we the hastiest to adopt? Take the
whole bulk of mems thoughts and iudg-
ments of one another; does the favorable
or unfavorable predominant? And listen
to the entire speech of men about one an
other; of which is there most-the speak
ing good, or the speaking evil? Open two
columns in a memorandum book, in one of
which you put down everything heard in
praise, and III the other everything heard
in blame of others-at years end which
of the two columns will be the longer? Or
take two stories about a man, one of which
is as much against him as the other is in
his favor, and set the two afoat, which of
them will show the quicker and larger
growth? The slanderer does not need to
breach a fair faced, full blown falsehoOd
All that he has to do to gain his end is to
utter dim suspicion that there is some
thing wrong, accompanying it, perhaps,
with an expression of doubt, or regret, or
incredulity on his own part. The hint
grows as it passes from hand to hand, takes
shape and form, expands in bulk and fea-
ture, till at no great interval you can scarce
| identify the infant and the full grown tale
Is there anything answering to this ac-
| knowledged feature in the history of tale
Of scandal in the history of tale of praise
Does it propagate with equal rapidity-
show equal growth? Answer such ques-
tons as we may, there is enough surely in
any ones observations Of the world and ex-
perience of his own heart to tell him that
to large, to a lamentable extent we think
evil one of another, Judge hastily, harshly,
ungenerOusly one Of another, suspecting i'll
intentions towards US where none such ex-
ist; suspecting malicious motives when
none such operate. In many of our quar-
rels and controversies, public and private,
half of the materials of the strife consists
ofgroundless assumptions and imaginations
as to each others intents and designs
Surely one of the first duties we owe to one
another is to purge our minds of such evil
thoughts by cultivating that charity which
believeth all things the best il
can-will suffer nothing but absolute DEM
onstration to overcome the good opinion il
has formed-would rather suffer the impu-
tation Of credulity in forming .he favora-
BILE than win the credit of sagacity in form
ing the unfavorable belief-which hopeth
all things hopes against hope-would give
none up in despair-sees in the very worst
something upon which hope can build and
clings toit with the fond tenacity of love
DR.. Hanaa IN Sunday Hagasjae