The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-09-09

houses and laying open all their secrets: thei
Keen scent detects every skeleton, and the,
wrench the lock from the closet door and give
free exhibition of their u ighbors' misery. The
pander for all degrees of vicious tastes; the
gorge with coined hes the most voracious maE
lmpute 70 every man the coarsest and yiles
motives; touch the character OF every woman
tho pure as the Virgin Mother herself. with the
eanker of suspicion; they scare away from tn,
stabbed and PROSTATE body of every poor un.
fortunate the good Samaritans, and then chat,
and aggrava;e the putrid sores and sit them
down ana chant over the poor victim a song OF
hendish glee: with yell and whistle, and clap
ping Of hands-ike bloodhounds as thew are
they hunt TO the death every poor prodigal OF
Magdalen IN community-and all this they do
from the mere love of gossip-from constitu-
tional weakness for scandal. Does this sin lie
at your door? No. thank God But did YOU
crush that last scandal, that last tit-bit of
gossip, that came floating into your ears? Did
the dealer find in you an eager buyer? Did you
forthwith haste to pass it on its way TO do its
RELISH work? Let me speak plainly. | do not
believe that there is q score of men and women
in this house tonight who are entirely innocent
IN this matter. This is a hard saying" but
it's a true one. Perhaps there are but few tale
bearers| hope there are none-but we are all
accomplices. We keep a fence - for the re-
ception, for the buying of these stolen goods.
Men and women who would scorn to retail and
peddle a scandal, stand with their great ears
constantly erect and open ready to catch the
falntest breath from every foul mouth. Good
MSu anu BOOu NO44eH 90 tllS, Christian men
and women do II. Why, men will strain ct a
gnat when "a tale of trustfullness and confidence
however fairly won and deserved comes to our
ears. We will swallow a whole caravan of camels
If they came laden with unworthy doubts and
mean suspicious.
Do you know these constitutional scandal
mongers -? Do they dwell among US ? Day bv
day their hands are red with the blood of their
nelghbor's reputation. But l fear were we to
drag one of these into the Masters presence.
demanding blood for blood he Uoul1 raturD No
the old answer: He that is without sin among
you, let him hrst cast a stone at her." / fear
hat we, too, would "go ont one by one"
3. Last of all is the malignant slanderer.
Here Is the picture of his prototype, drawn by
Pollock
SANDER at last crawls forth from hell's dire
throng,
OF all the direfullest; her black locks hung long,
Attired with curling serpents: her pale skin
Was almost dropped from her slack bones within
And at her breast stuck yipers which did prey
Sucking black blood from thence, which to repair
Both night and day they left fresh poisons there.
Her garments were deep-stained in human gore.
And torn by her own, hands in which she bore
A knotted whip and bowl, which to the brim
Did with green gall and ju ce of Ormwood swim,
With which when she was drunk she furious grew
And dashed Lecself, and sped her forth intent on
murder
And she and all her kith and kin are muir
derers, for whatsoever hateth his brother with
out cause is a murderer" They are lineal de-
scendants of Cain. Their tongues-not their
hands-are against every man-and every mans
hands ought to be against them. Scripture tells
of some men whose Threats are open sepulchres.
They are the dastardly, cowardly, mean, stink
ing slanderers, that infest nearly every COM
munlty. In every community almost you will
find men and Women, who like the unfortunates
of Christ's time seem possessed of devils. They
hate purity and goodness and truth. And with
envy, and hate, and venom in their hearts, they
crawl through life sticking their fangs into mis-
representations. Society is at their mercy and
vet slnaC moi PaIcn a n nnar RI 1NnA4naf Ia--zlf NJ
man or woman is safe from their venom. They
may strike the dagger to the heart of your re-
putation or mine tr-morrow, and who will shield
us? God only:
Whom may not scandal hit? her shafts are shot at
q venture;
Who standeth not in danger of suspicion? that
net hath caught the noblest.
The Christ himself could not escape them.
'Seei he eats with sinnersi He mingles with
lewd women and vile men! He is no better than
the slanderers of His day! And
many believed the vile stuff! I tell you we are
at the mercy of these miscreants.
And the most terrible thought is: no matter
how pure your life: no matter how false the
SANDER: no matter how completely you crush it
you cannot kill it. You cannot arrest it.
You may trace home a SANDER. You may
cram it down the throat of the viper who gave
being. You may show its utter falsity so clearly
that every child in the community will see it,
and despise its author What them? Is it dead?
No. Like the thistle which the Seotchman
planted round his camp fire in England-the
Sindsshave caught it up and bofne it into every
nook and corner, there to perpetuate and repro
produce itself, tho generation after generation
If sturdy farmers with hoe and pillow, and fire
nave sought to kill it. 30 the scandal, once
started, lives after you are dead. You may tame
he wild beast; the fire will cease when all the
material within its reach is consumed; but you
,annot arrest the progress of a SANDER that
will go on staying, poisoning, burning, muir
lering.
7 ono hera I lnva -, r,.l - -1ao1 i'll
Tou to guard your words. All over the world
re men and women with regulations blackened;
With hearts broken; with aching heads and tear
limmed eyes these plead with you. / need
lot plead with you to close your ears against
lander. You have seen fathers and mothers
eparated; friends changed to enemies; brothers
sisters in deadly feud-these plead with
ou. l need not plead with you to crush the
foul Islander which come to you and force
down the false throat which utters it. Love
God, to man, for truth, for right for justice,
hese all plead for this. What power is able to
onquer this sin ? Only one. This old Bible
avs that the 9 tongue is a wild beast which no
ian can tame, - and that Ethe heart is a foun-
o the spirit of God can. He can not only tame
ut kill the 60 wild beast of sin-not only this
in but all sin. He can cleanse the the fouIest
cart so that it shall send forth only pure, sweet
mpid waters.
But for myself, L make this plea of God-for
on also go, God. make m to remember
ways that speech was given to me not to rem
er myself and others miserable but happy not
curse men, but bless them, May it be my
I'M always to speak of my fellow men kindly,
tenderly, as the Christ did. May
avoid all burtful words. When 1 cannot do
pod by speaking may | be silent when 1 can
0 good may l be bold 10 speak. May my heart
e a pure fountain, sending forth only pure
aters. May | ever remember that I am as
to thee for my words as for my |
,tions. Set thou a watch upon my lips