Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-07-17
A SOFT ANSWER.

Wrath is cruel and anger is outrageous,
but soft answer turneth away wrath, while
grievous words stir up anger. Wrath dis
turbs the soul and hides the beautiful face
of Truth, which is perfectly reflected only
in still waters. 1t clouds the eye of reason
and makes the light in the soul darkness
Hence he that is slow to wrath is OF great
understanding, and he that by soft answer
turneth away wrath confers upon him
whose wrath is turned away an inestimable
benefit. One would think that when so
great good could be so easily done, doers
of such good would never be wanting, but
soft answers are costly; they come from
hearts that have learned lessons of sorrow
and pain and conquest over self. 1t is easy
to "mass the elements of discomfort" ;" to raise
rebellious revolutions, strikes, wars and tu-
mults, but few are the voices that can with
authority rebuke the winds of passion, COM
mand the waves Of feeling to be still, and
turn away the wrath Of the multitude.
Such voices we need in the family, in So
ciety in the Church, in the State.
The small trials of life are hardest to bear
There is something in the grandeur of a
great tragedy that lifts the soul above the
reach Of petty trials, but a grain Of sand in
the eye, pebble in the shoe, fly, mos
quito, a teasing child, sometimes vanquish-
es the stoutest heart. Life is full of these
little frets. How does soft answer,
kindly tone, sympathizing manner,
smooth these rough places and lubricate
the creaking machinery of daily life!
The human heart is wondrOus mixture
of diverse elements. Blind instinct and
binder appetite clamor for satisfaction the
fires of passion flame up at breath, and how
often by usurping wrath and pride is Reason
driven from her throne! But a softanswer,
like oil on the troubled waters, assuages the
tumult and places again in the hands OF
Reason her scepter. Under many calm
exterior what sufferings are concealed, what
rooted sorrows dwell in the recesses of the
SOUL sorrows shared with no one. Few are
the hearts that have not some secret sor-
row it may be a congenital taint, an inher-
tied tendency, a sense Of forfeited self-re-
spect, a neglected opportunity, an irrepara-
bic loss. TO all such hearts how grateful,
how healing, are soft answers, gentle words,
kindly ministrations. We often call those
cross who are only sad and, it may be, be-
cause there are none to speak to them words
of peace and love, words of hope and cheer.
A word fifty spoken is like apples Of gold in
pictures of silver. To many hireling
words of kindness are more precious than
the wages he earns, necessary as these are
to keep soul and body together. The kind
ly words keep the soul itself from disinte-
grafton and despair.
There are times when noble words of in
dignation and rebuke are called for; there
may be times when scorn and contempt are
deserved. But when erring men and wo-
men sit in judgment on their fellows, let
them who will need mercy forget not to
show mercy. "There is forgiveness with
thee that thou mayest be feared"
Those who have drunk the deepest of the
cup of sorrow, who have had the largest ex-
perience of life, who have observed most
widely and studied most deeply the mys-
teries of human nature and human life, are
most pitiful, most long-suffering and for
bearing. They hesitate to pronounce judg-
ment, they are most ready to pardon the
erring, to give hope to the penitent, to trust
that "somehow good will be the final end
of it." Their knowledge and experience
produce in them constant disposition to
be lenient, patient, and to givea soft answer
to every suffering fellow being.-Ne0 York
Tribune.