The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-08-17
THE "UNRULY MEMBER"

THE SUNRULf MEMBER"
Among all the sinful habits to which
men and women in all grades of society
are addicted, probably there is not one
so deep-seated and universal as that Of
evil speaking. The. tongue is called in
Scripture the ''unruly member" anC
it is no small part of self-conquest fol
man to gain and maintain perfect
control of its utterances. Rightly en-
ployed, it may be the means of untold
good, but wrongly used, it can accom-
plish vast results in unhappiness and
disaster. We do not realize how great
a proportion of the unbroken friend.
ships, scattered families, social dissen.
sions, and even the sad records of lives
that are crushed down in despair are
due to evil speaking.
1t is sad Illustration of human sim
fitness and depravity that the ear
catches more eagerly reports of i'll than
records of good, and that the tongue is
more ready to utter reproofs than to
speak words of hopefuiness and pity
when some erring one has gone astray.
BY the family hearthside. in the social
circle and in the thoroughfares of bust
ness, evil reports and slanderous tales
are greedily heard and quickly passed
from mouth to mouth. Yet often do
we see companions meet, pass pleasant
hours together, and part apparently in
the deepest, truest friendship; and yet
when once separated each may select
and discuss every fault of the other. and
display every impeTfection in the eyes
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community. This is social treason-as
unbecoming to upright manhood as is
treason against the Nation. The infiu-
ence of the slandercr is not only insid-
ious, but poisonous and powerful. and
while he seeks to blacken the fame of
Others he feeds his own evil tendencies.
and becomes more and more deStruct-
i've.
We shudder when we see this evil in
its worst forms, and behold its worst
results, and yet it can not be denied
that it is known in many Christian
homes. 1t is sad to think that one who
bears the Christian name may have ut
tered some word which has given a
pang of sorrow, or perhaps added to
the sting of remorse or the desperation
OF despair. How careful should we be
to keep the door of our lips" each
moment, that no word may pass which
shall cause US regret or others pain!
Let us recognize this evil tendency in
our nature, and cultivate the habit. in
speaking of others. to say only such
things as are lovely and of good report
concerning them.
Another, and perhaps worse, form of
evil speaking is the idle. vulgar and i'm
pure language that may be heard at al
most every place where men are wont
to meet. False and silly stories are
told in the social groups, and pass for
witty jokes; phrases of vulgar slang are
used by the otherwise cultivated and
polite; and impure words are passed
around regardless of even common pro-
pretty. These seem but little things,
yet in result they are vast beyond
measure. They poison the fountains of
thought; they narrow and demoralize
the intellect; and, falling upon the
yielding nature of childhood, they sully
its innocence and soil its beauty. Fort
innate, indeed, are they who from youth
up have been shielded from the dangers
OF evil speaking; and strong and manly
is he who has learned to resist and re-
Duke this sin, and who strives to keep
his tongue from uttering words that are
idle, low and vile. 'sFor he that will
love life and see good days. let him
refrain his tongue from evil and his lips
that they speak no guile"
But what shall be said of blasphemy?
We talk of National morality and prog
ress, but what Christian man will not
shudder when he reflects that a holy
God bows down His ear to a Christian
land to hear His name hurled about in
oaths and curses more frequently and
more loudly than it ascends in PRAYER
and praise! Strange problem of hu-
man nature, that one man can mock at
and abuse those words and names
which others breathe only with the
deepest reverence and love-that the
name of Him in whom we live and
have our being should be heard in vul-
gar mockery in the hellish dens of
drunkenness and vice. The wisdom of
earth can never solve for the profane
swearer the profound and awful mean
ing in those words: "The Lord will
not hold him guiitless," but every
Christian may refuse to listen to
blasphemous talk, and may guard his
own lips lest they utter irreverently the
holy name of God.
Finally. let us keep pure the fount-
aims of speech. Let us strive for high
and holy thoughts and aspirations. Let
us cultivate the love of beauty, in
noeence and charity. Let us seek to
scatter here and there along our path
way words that shall come with heal
ing to some faint and wounded soul,
or, in the fertile soil of some youthful
mind, spring up by and by to crown
our lives with blessing. Let us bear
ever in rnind the great responsibility
whica the very facIilty of speech puts
upon us, remembering that Christ has
said: by thy words thou shalt be
justified, and by thy words thou shalt
be condemned. "--Gokden Rule.