Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-01-14

where kin word or commentator
viii be like new wine TO faintina
souls But it is ct the fashion now. q,
days TO say word of praise to 6
neighbor. /" / thank you,b / never
hatter," | hear some SAY, Well, bu;
have you the same uncOnquerabIe
repugnance TO ecognizing and
speaking OF their faults that you have
20 making mention of their virtues
The majority of men will bear a
great deal more of praise than they
get.-bear it we'll and thrive upon it
Praise is wonderfully efficient in
warming the heart. There are thou
sands in this cold world who never,
a the way from The cradle to the
| g., receive one word of approval,
ai they live like poor stunted ferns
rs arctic caverns, never kissed by
the sun light. No wonder that they
d" not grow up into better men and
women. Praise trains the heart TO
strive after what is praiseworLhy i.
Cold silence is enough to ouench any
fugitive spark Of desire TOR something
better and higher.
And what Is better still. This habit
Of praising others serves 10 correct
our own fau Is /. is tho great cor
receive Of envy, that common inflrm.
ny OF active minds engaged in the
various competitions Of the time.
Who is there that has not been con-
sciou5 of u DISPOSE ton to disparage q
rival Now envy is one Of the
meanest pa sions that can possess
the heart, and one of the bost ways
Of di-ciplining it out of ones nature
is by conscientiously prasing the
works of others. Not by fattering
others, - true praise never will 60
beyOnd the truth.
Another TO IN of this negative sell
f,hness is shown In keeping silent
when bAckebiting tongues are busy
Have you not noticed it? Can you
not recall how sOme one met you one
day and with venomous tongue pour.
I'd into y. ur ear wicked story about
some friend of yours And you lis
toned, merely through curiosity
without particle of faith in the tale
aud then went away without saying
word Why did you do 80 2 why,
| didn't believe word that was saidl
1t went in at one ear and out at the
other" Y u say that as if it were a
creditable thing on your part But
why if you dot it in at one ear" did
Y u not put il back with burning
eye aud tongue, so that that person
might see that you felt it to be ma.
lioious he I? We all sin Just here;and
.he reason is, we do not like to get
toto wordy scrimmage with tale
be&rer. We all feel a little afraid Of
one. We would rather say nothing
in defence Of fried, if only we can
keep free from all comDlications with
"a slanderous tongue. Now this is sell
fish and cowardIy. We ought to re-
member that whenever a person has
ustered slander0us word TO Us, be
has thereby placed himself Temporal
rily in our power. And if we can
only put the''truth to him in love, "as
Paul requires, we may make toe
truth red-h if we please We owe
it % a duty to him, still more to the
friend whose character has been as-
sailed. Your silence is construed in
to a partial admission. Il told the
thing to A b and he hadn't word
to say Would that we could al!
get into the habit of saying the best
thing we can Of every body, especial.
" when the dark side Of a character
is shown up. Turn it right over and
show the bright side il it has auy
Then we should never let u sIaGcer-
sus word go uDrebuked.
There are other forms Of this neg
alive selti-hness which are not rec
ognized as selfshn,s SO by us. I see
strangers come into church and sit
during the exercises no one passes
them hymn book f.; they rise and go
away AZ the close Of tho exercises
aud 10 one speaks ord of welcome
to them, / SEQ ladies come aud tim.
Idly take seat in some pew IS if
they feared they might be intruding,
aud no lady says a word Of welcome
Now this may sometimes arise from
timidily but | am convinced that
when true love urges one to speak,
all limidily will disappear at once
Chrisusn love is essentially agrees
sive. Il puts itself forward. II is
not afraid Of being called imperti-
nent. II always goes out more than
bali way or il would never win any,
And Christian love is always recog-
mzsd and thankfully admitted. |
jeiI you that people come TO church
expecting TO be welcomed and won
der that they are Bot. People cross
our path every day OF our lives. who
wonder that we do not speak to
them Of the better life and the heav
emily things we hold by faith. l. is
our selfshness; our dread Of the
trouble it would involve.
In such manifold ways does this
vice Of negative selfshness manifest
itself 1t is q "sin Of thoughtlesss
ness" admit. Bat Christian love
ls thoughtful, not careless it antic-
pates wants, not waits til it is asked
Careless love is not Christian love.
True love is wonderfully sensitive as
any barometer. II feels the coming
storm before it lifts its caps above
the horizon.
True love is wonderfully wise; su.
peruaturally quick to read the mean
ing of look to see when loved
eye has grown dull, when the ex-
preston has faded from 3 loved face.
True love is quick to remember
omitted duties.
True love has no false pride that
stand npon its dignity. Its digni-
ty Why do not the angels of God
take some lessons of US in this mat
ter of dignityl Ia the kingdom of
God he is greatest Of all who is most