Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-12-23
THE TONGUE.
ITS IMMORAL DISEASES DIS
CussEp..
Hints to Pedants. PrattIsrs, FIatterer,
Gossipers and Slanderers on
Diseases of the Tongue,
by. REV. j. ID. q. Hanna.
THE TONGUE,

THE TONGUE.
"Tfo boneles' tongue. so small and
Can crush and kill" declared the Greek.
THE tongue destrt ysaersate horde.n
Ihc Turk asserts, "tnan Go IS the sword. ;"
The Persian prov,rb wisely saith,
"A lengthy tongue-an carly DEATH"
Or sometimes takes this form instead.
Don't let yonr tongue, cut OF your
The tongue can speak y word whose
Says the Chinese, "outstrips the steed.n
While Arab sages this i'm nrt.
The tongues great stoIe-house is the
heart"
From From Hebrew wit the maxim sprung,
"Ihopgh feet should sliI, ne'sr let the
tongue"
Tie sacred writer crowns the whole,
who keeps his tongue doth keep his
soul"
PHILIP BURROWS STRONG.
At Asbury, last evening, Rev. John
U. Y. Hanna, pastor, drsw this theme
from Psalm xxxiy:l3: "Keep thy tongue
guile"
The preacher explained bow this theme
came to be one of series of sermops on
the extensive subject OF the human
tongue. There really seems to be q need
Tor some pathological treatise Oh the
Therapeutics of the tongue.
1t has perplexing and uucorquerable
disease'. Some are hereditary, others
the growth of later years. Some that
were acute become chronic. Some are
so exceedingly serious as 10 endanger the
posseesor Of christian character;
others ara more unpleasant than sinful,
more foolish than criminal. The mum.
Der and variety Of these diseases pre-
cludes mention of more than few at
length. The preacher gave descriptions,
with interesting illustrations, OF several
OF what may be called mental diseases of
the tongue, such ss pedantry, which
brings the ridicule OF the thoughtful and
wise, and loquscity, which consumes the
time when the speaker could be a learner
by listening, and exposes human weak
ness.
He then treated of such moral diseases
as untruthfulness and thought nothing
could be more properly called q disease.
A lie may be told by q gesture or sign.
He spoke against fiattery. "a nattering
mouth ,worketh ruin." He preached
forcibly against lying for financial profit
aud solemnly against lying for fun. He
advised parents to always be truthful
and sincere with children. It appeared
from what he said that gossipfng is
both mental and moral disease. Any
community that IL entirelv exempt from
gossipers by occupation fortunate.
TO sLANDERERS.
Greater heights of iudi snation against
lower depths OF iniqulty are experienced
when we look at that most despcable OF
all gossips, the slandercr--he who puts
In circulation q false report to ip] ure
an others good name.
This worst disease of the human tongue
originates by the Introduction into the
human heart Of q virus formed In hell.
st. James calls the tongue an "unruly
evil full of deadly poison set on fire OF
hell" When we consider It's destructive
power In the character OF the slanderer
we are prepared to understand this scrip
ture. Who has not looked upon some
terrible fire? At the distance the refec-
tion is seen In the eky. The heavens are
crimson with T.. Magnificent buildings
aie threatened by the destroyer. Skilled
tremen risk their lives in their heroic
struggle to save them. The water from
many engines is licked up by the flames
"hiSh haNo uuJll OuiJ
ruins and ashes remain. Yet that fire
had no larger beginning than the burn.
\ ing of luciier match.
The vast prairie is seen swept by the
roaring torrent OF fame propelled by the
maddening wind, striking terror TO the
heart OF man and beast and laying square
miles OF vegetation In the ruin of ashes
and desolate waste. Yet its beginning
was but a spark from the flint and steel
Of wandering savage.
Oh, what terrible power has the little
tongue when armed with slauder and
ab tied by envy and jealousy. The SIAN
derer is feared because he DESTROYS a
mans good name and parIlyzes his
influence for good. He 10 open to the
wrath of Cod. There are not words In
all languages to express the utter detesta-
ton In which the wilful destroyer of au-
others good name should be held and to
describe the Indignation we should mani
fest against such.
Envy, anger, jealousy have been
the fruitful cause of many ISLANDERS, but
others have been born OF no greater reason
than to want0nly tamper with the repu-
tation OF others.
TIE speaker enlarged this topic elo-
quently and forclbly, ard quoted poem.
The slanderer Is without exception a
coward, and many arc the make-shiits
he iavents TO throw the responsibility on
another. Not uufrequently when an evil
story has been circulated by them they
attempt to hide behind the irresponsible
"they say" In order 10 relieve them
selves.
THEY SAY
''ThcY sny'-Ahl wen, suppose they DO;
| But can they prove tho stOry true?
! Suspicion may arise from nnught
! But malice, envy, want OF thought.
why count yourself among the they
| Who whisper what they dare not say?"
"'They saS-But why the tale rehcarse
And help to make the matter worse?
No good can possibly accrue
From telling what may be untrue.
And is 10 not Il nublcr plan
To speak of all the best you can?t'
| "'rhcy sny'-Well, If it should be so,
Why need you tell the t;llr OF woe2
W i'll it the bitter wrong redress,
Or make one pnng OF sol sow less?
| viii it the crring one restore,
| llenceforth to go and sin no more"
"'They say'-Oh, puusc nd look within
See how your heart Incl res TO sin.
Watch lest in dark tenn atoms hour
| You, too. should siuk b.. .cnth its power.
| Pity the frail, weep o'sr their fail,
But speak of good, OF nc at ALL
Some of us may be tflicted with one
or more of these diseases. Shall we not
i a .ls.r Ia nf ha