The Russellville Democrat., 1890-09-04
VALUE OF KIND WORDS. A Commodity So Cheap that None Need Refrain From It's Use The Best Means of Defense anu UsefnIness in Ansfrs of Lifes and fine Fest
 Weapon to Use In Cenqaer-
 ing an Adaersary FIX

ing an Adfersarys
 The following discourse was delivered by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage on reeen visit to Cincinnati, taking for his text
 A soft tongue breaketh the bono --Prov xxv., l5.
 When Solomon said this he drove ; whole volume into ono phrase. You, o course, will not be so silly as to tak' tho words of the text in literal sense They simply mean 10 set forth the fac that there is q tremendous powerin l; kind word. Although it may soen t be very Insignificant, it's force is inde scribable and illimitable. Pungent ant all-conquering utterance: "Asoft tongue breaketh the bone.p
 If the weather was not so hot, and had time, 1 would show you kindness al means of defense; kindness as { means of usefulness; kindness as means of domestic harmony kindness as best employed by governments foi the tanning and curing of criminals, anc kindness as best adapted for the set ting and adjusting of internationa quarrels, 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 se upon and assaulted. Your motives arC misinterpreted or your religious or DO litical principles are bombarded. Whai to do under such circumstances is tho question. The first impulse of the natural heart says: Strike back Give him as much as he sent TriI him into the ditch which he dug fol your feet Cash him with as severe g wound as that which he inflicted or your soul. Shot for shot Sarcasm fol sarcasm. An eye for an eye. A tooth for Q tooth.' But the better spirit. ir the mans soul rises up and says: You ought to reconsider that matter. You look up into tho 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 uso you" Then the old nature rise UT again and says: You had better not forgive until you have first chastised him. You will never get him in SC tight corner again. You will never have such an opportunity of infiictina the right kind Of punishment upon hin again. First chastise him, and ther let him go'' 'sNo,n says tho better nature, hush, thou foul heart Try the soft tongue that breaketh the bono. Have you ever in all your life known acerbity and acrimonious dispute tt settle the quarrel? Did they not always make matters worse, and worse, anC worse?
 Many years ago there was grea quarrel in the Presbyterian family Ministers of Christ were thought or thodox in proportion as they had measured lances with other clergymer of the same denomination. The most outrageous personalities were abroad As, In the autumn, a hunter comes home with . string of game partridgei and wild ducks slung over his shoulder so there were many ministers wh, came back from the ecclesiastical court with long strings of doctors o divinity whom they had shot witt their own rifle. The division hecame wider, the animosity greater, until aft CT awhile some good mon resolved upon another tack, They began to explair away the difficulties; they began to for give each others fault and, lol the great church quarrel was settled. and the New School Presbyterian church and the Old Presbyterian church be came one. The different parts of the Presby order, yielded by a ham mer, little hammer, Christian ham mer, that tho Scripture calls "a sof tongue"
 You have dispute with your neigh bor. You say to him: T despise you.' He replies: Il ca1f't bear the sight o you" You say to him: ''Never ente my house again" He says: ''If yol come on my door-sill, I'll kick you off, You say to him: m pat you down. He says to you: You are mistaken I'll put you down" And so the con test rages; and year after year you ac the unchristian part and he acts the un christian part After awhile the bet ter spirit seizes you, and one dal you go over to the neighbor, anC say: Give me your hand, We have fought long enough. Time is so short and eternity is so near that we can no afford any longer to quarrel. Hear yol have wronged me very much, but let u' settle all now in one great hand shak ing, and be good friends for all the res of our lives" You have risen to { higher platform than that on which be fore you stood. You win his admira ton and you got his apology. But i you have not conquered him in tha way, at any rate you have won tho ap plause of your own conscience, the higl estimation of good men and the homo of your Lord, who died for his armes enemies.
 But" you say, "what are we to d' when islanders assault us, and ther, como acrimonious sayings all around about us, and we are abused and spi upon?" My reply is: Do not go and at  tempt to chase down the islanders. Lie are prolific, and while you are killing one, fifty arc born All your demon strations of indignation only exhaus yourself You might as well, on som' sumner night when the swarms of in sects are coming up from the meadow and disturbing you, and disturbing you family, bring up some great swami angel" like that which thundered owe Charleston, and try toshoot them down The game is too small for the gun.
 But what then, arc you to do witl the abuses that come upon you in life You are to live them downl saw {: farmer go out to get back a swarm Q bees that had wandered of from tho hive. As be moved amid them they buzzed around his head, and buzze( around his hands, and buzzed around bis feet If he had killed one of then they would have stung him to death But he moved in their midst in perfec placidity until he had captured the swarm of wandering bees And so hays caau rrlpn m ctFfaer amid f}a efrst r,s-a rtoaa