Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-04-07
AN EVIL TONGUE.

AN EVIL TONGUE.
Rev. j. H. Barrows, d. D., preached
q very interesting sermon last night at
Central Music Hall to an immense audi
ence upon "Sins of the Tongue" The
test was:
If any man offend not in word, the same
also is a perfect man, and able also to bride
the whole body."-Jdmes ali. =.
The reverend gentleman said in sub
stance:
should be specified? DO l need to speak
against profanity? 1t is q vulgar vice sadly
prevalent. Those who do not realize its sin:
fulness ought not at least to forget that pro-
fame SWEARING is not the mark of a gentle,
Only to say to the young that the beginning
of this vice ought to be SO carefully avoided
that you will continue to be sensitive to any
approach to vulgarity Of language and learn
to loathe and rebuke thisa bOminatiOn.
But perhaps the chief sins of an evil tongue
are seen in untruthtulness and uncharitable-
ness OF speech. The foundat on Of good
character is truth in the inner man. If his
foundation is wanting, we may look for al
most every evil development. A young man
or woman who is getting into habits Of insin-
cerlty OF speech through petty falsehood is
undermining almost every virtue of life. If
you know that in business as a salesman, a
merchant, a manufacturer, it in the home as
a child. if in social life as a friend, and in
political life as a citizen you are getting ac-
customedt to ~falsities of utterance, devjations
from the exact truth. mlsrepresentatiOns for
others. you are surely poisoning the fount-
aims OF personal morality. A oncst mans
the noblest work of God" Would that such
manhood cut to the quick when the epithet
liar is hurled at them, but too often their
anger IS the rouslng up OF conscience and sell
against an injustice. Men ure right in being
drawn out to those rare souls the L,iinlg;22lns and
Was ha 4 abSaiiltt HasG lives ives on a"S 1.-THE i 1b,rnsso old
wisdom of sincerity"
The Greek philosopher PythagOras, being
asked when men are most like God, answered:
"When they spenk the truth"
But the tongue sins not only by untruthful-
ness but also Ivy u%nkindness Of speech. 1
scarcely need to refer to the Quarrelsomeness
of boys, the bad temper OF girls, the angry dis
putes OF married people, of which you may
querulousness which sometimes deforlns old
age. Love has no better outlet than in pleas
ant words, than in gentle and cheering speech,
and an evil heart never seems more repulsive
than when it ways q rough tongue. There are
people whose religion has never reached the
second verse of the 18th chapter of Romans:
his good unto edifcation." They 5elieve it
their duty to scold him or let him feel the chill
CT their ugliness, or. at least, to be very chary
OF commentator. One defect OF many char
acters is q slowness of tongue to speak those
pleasant words which are "sweet to the soul
a ana health to the bones" How much more
49, AA"AAAS AAS selAN IN "
attractive to each other and the outside world
our church-life would be were the gospel of
ticed kindiy T. Tongue more p1eaached and prac-
more often guilty OF untruthfulness than men,
but think it more likely that men are ottener
that solomon-who had a vast experience in
domestic %life-said: 1T is better to dwell in
the corner OF q house-top, than with a brawling
man will often Wear out a dozen ugly women.
When some men, who mistake impudence
Tor ~frankness; presume to lavish on you the
or a stab, you would greatly prefer to meet a
Rocky Mountain bear robbed of her whelps. |
sometimes think that manypeople Will be kept
have forgotten their earthly tempers. and out
grown that surliness of spirit, those hedgehog
pecullarities bequeathed. it may be, by gener-
fighting the wild beasts and the savages, de-
veloped " a somewhat morose Interpretation
81 the Old Testament Scriptures, and con
Old cider. There is every reason why we
should cultivate the SUMMER tempers Of the
christian Gospel. The ideal man IS not like
the goat which the prophet saw in his vision,
striking out in all directi ans, striving to hit
something or somebody. but he is the Chris
tian gentlemaaof the Pauline pattern, speak
OF gentle Words,and where courtesy is married
70 tluthfulness. you approach the perfection
OF human habit and character. Solomon de-
scrlbed the perfect woman, saying: .'she
opelieth her mouth with wisdom, and in her
tongue is the law OF kindness" and of Mi the
lnsc lPtlons eyer written upon a tombstone
mere is scarcely one more to be coveted than
was so pleasant
Allied to unkindness of speech with others
IS unk1ndness of speech about others. Some
men Will hardly allow q good mans name to
De mentioned without fixing upon itsome word
or detraction. Is it not strange that men who
value their own regulations SO highly should
continually contribute to the undermining of
the regulations of their nj ighbors? God knows
We are al imperfect enough, but is it the part
OF iove to expose each others imperfections
ana magnify them to the ruin of good inliu-
encc. IF any man among you seem to be re-
llglous ana bridleth not mis- tongue but de-
ce!veth his own heart. that man's religion is
wait for blood'--the blood of human rcputu-
tlon. "Ahyp.ocrite with his mouth dcstrtyeth
ms ncignbor;' "a whisperer separatetn chief
friends Let uncharitahlenesS OF mind be
joined to personal hate, and it creates that yilest
OF characters, the slanderer, the assassin of
human reputation, the thief of that good name
~hich ls an honorable mans chief treasure.
Paul said: speak evil of no man, which is
doubtless the Christians general rule to be
6eV!nted from only when bcnevolence REQUIRES
aeyla1lon TOR the sake of some higher good.
Pauline teaching and tie habit prevailing.
whether at the club-room or the tea-party. 81
retailing and gloating over every item Of
bits of precious carbon. Some people appear
to have no relish for character unless it seems
TO them rotten. It is almost an argument for
Darwinism that there remains in humun ma.
ture SO much Of the buZzard.
men XIII their neighbors sometimes by a
greediness to believe and report evil concsrn.
ing them. by circulating as p%robabl. som sto-
the news about Mr.. AY' NO; What Is kit ity "ea aso
ana So Are you surey'. Yes" but the
she had a letter from Mrs. KS aunt who said
mat she had heard a niece of hers declare