Sharp County record., 1890-09-11
VALUE OF KIND WORDS
A Commodity So Cheap that None
Need Refrain From It's Use
The Best Means of Defense AMI Useiuihess
in Affairs OF Life, and the he''
Weapon to Use in Conquer
ing an Adversary.

L
visit to Cincinnati, taking for his TEX"
A soft tongue breaketh the bone-froV'
XIV; u.
When Solomon said this he drove
whole volume into one phrase. You' Oh
course, will not be so silly as to take
the words of the text in literal sense
They simply mean to set forth the iac'
that there is a tremendous power Ill d
kind word. Although it may seem u
be very insignificant, its force IS luue,
scribable and illimitable. Pungen' ana
all-conquering utterance: "A soft tongue
breaketh the bone"
II the weather was not so not, and
had time, | would show you kindneSSa as
a means of defense; kindness as
means of usefulness; kindness as
means of domestic harmony; klndneSS
as best employed by governments Tor
the tanning and curing Of criminals ana
kindness as best adapted for the SET,
Ting and adjusting of international
uuarrels, but shall call your attention
only to two of these thoughts.
And first, speak to you OF kindness
as a means of defense. Almost every
man, in the course of his life, is set
upon and assaulted. Your motives are
misinterpreted or your religious or po-
litical principles are bombarded' What
to do under such circumstances is the
question. The first impulse OF the
natural heart says: ''Strike back.
Give him as much as he sent Trip
him into the ditch which ne dug for
your feet. Cash him with as severe
wound as that which he inflicted on
your soul. Shot for shot Sarcasm for
sarcasm. An eye for an eye. A tooth
for tooth" But the better spirit in
the mans soul rises up and says: "Iou
ought to reconsider that matter"
You look up into the face of Christ
and say: "My Master, how ought
/ to act under these difficult circum"
stances?' And Christ instantly an
sweres: "Bless them that curse you,
and pray for them which despitefully
use you" Then the old nature rise up
again and says: "You had better not
forgive until you have first chastised
him. You will never get him in so
tight corner again, You will never
have such an opportunity of inficting
the right kind of punishment upon him
again. First chastise him, and then
let him 60" "No," says the better
nature, "hush, thou foul heart. Try
the soft tongue that breaketh the bone" ?"
Have you ever in all your life known
acerbitY and acrimonious dispute to
settle tpo quarrel? Did they not always
make matters worse, and worse, and
worse?
Manyl years ago there was a great
quarrel Yin the Presbyterian family.
Misa-e,a laf Christ were thought Or
thodox Yin proportion as they had
measured lances with other clergymen
Of the ame denomination. The most
outrageous personalities were abroad.
As, in the autumn, hunter comes
home with a string OF .game partridges
and wild ducks slung over his shoulder,
so there were many ministers who
came back from the ecclesiastical courts
with long strings of doctors of
divinity whom they had shot with
their own rife. The division became
wider, the animosity greater, until aft
er awhile some good men resolved upon
another tack They began to explain
away the difficulties; they began to for
give each others fault, and, lo the
great church quarrel was settled, and
the New School Presbyterian church
and the Old Presbyterian church be-
came one. The different parts of tho
Presbyterian order, welded by ham
mer, little hammer, Christian ham,
mer, that the Scripture calls "a soft
tongue"
You have dispute with your neigh.
Dor. You say to him: 81 despise you"
He replies: 81 can't bear the sight OF
you" You say to him: "Never enter
my house again" lie says: "If you
come on my door-sill, I'll kick you off,. ;
You say to him: "Pll put you down
He says to you: "You are mistaken,
I'll put you down" And so the con.
test RACES; and year after year you act
the unchristian part and he acts tho un,
christian part After awhile tho bet
ter spirit sei2os you, and one day
you 90 over to the neighbor, ant
say; "Give me your hand. We have
fought long enough, limo is so short
and eternity is so near that we can moi
afford any longer to quarrel fear yol
have wronged mo very much, but lot Us
sottlo all now In one great hand shali
ing, and be goot lriends for all tho res
Of our lives" Iou havo risen to
higher platform chan that on which be
fore you stood You win his admira
tion and you got his apology, But /
you have not conquered him In tha
way, ut any rate you havo won the ap
plouso Of your own conscience, tho higl
estimation of good men and tho homo
OF your Lord, who died for his armot
enemies,
"Aut" you say what aro wo to d,
when slOndors assault US, and thor,
como acrimonious sayings all orounC
about us, and wo arc abused and spi
upon2' My reply Isl DO not go and at
tempt to chase down tho slondcrs, Lilo
Nro urolllc, and whilo Won aro KILN,