The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-02-27
CRIMES Of THE TONGUE,
tio! Shot for Scandal Mongers
From tho Pulpit OF St.
Paul's Church.
-----~-----s
Next Sunday tho Legislature Will
Be Put Under tho Search
Light.
The Church Was Filled to over n1T Ing
Inst Night to Hear the ltev. H..
Wesley mn.

Last night st. Paul'a church was filed TO
overlooking. The orchestra gave n mag
~nificent musical recital. Tho new choir is
making n record which will place it at TIC
head of the highest musical ability. Next
Sunday afternoon the subject will be "1he
Legislature Reviewed Under the Search
Light. Charges of Bribery, etc" In tho
evening the Knights Of pythias will attend
in q body. Last evening Rev. Wesley Hill
took for the subject of Ms sermon "Ihe
Triple Crimes o. tho Ionguc-Lying, Bias
phemy and SANDER" The text was Even
30 the tongue is n little member and boast
9th great thinG," James iii:J. He snid in
part: "Ihe tongue ia the key that uniock's
the heart. 1t is the indicator on the face OF
mans moral nature, pointing with unerring
accuracy to his real character. 1t IS not
only tho health register Of tho body but OF
the soul as vol. A mans lanpuageiis him.
self. Words nre the aound OF tho henrt,'
says tho Chinese rfoverb. Ben Johnson
Speak that l may see thee THY speech
bettayeth thee can be said of every man
"a we'll as Potter. The seat of most of the
trouble in this world is in that little mem-
ber which the inspired writer declares is
set on fire Of hell David draws this
VA 4S "iIhD IA l5 -
ton: Their feet are swift to shed innocent
blood; their throat is rs IN open sepulcher;
the poison Of aspa is under their tongue
'Thers is no variety OF brute nature that
has not yielded in the past, and that does
not yield to the sovereignty of man. Tho
horse, the dog, the elephant, the lion. the
leopard. the tiger, tho falcon, the eagle, tho
asp, the cobra, the boa CONSTRUCTOR, the
| crocodile. nll theae are obedient to his
power. But there is one little creature
which human nature Is powerless to hold
in subjection-to domeaticate, and that is,
the tongue! 1t hisses like the bnsalisk and
~injects its deadly poison wherever it sinks
| its fearful fang. 1t reveals the appalling
depths of human corruption. 1t is Il resiat.
/ less evil. unsuitable, tickle, versatile, ever
twisting about from one form of unrigh-
teousness to another. assuming protean
shapes and chameleon hues; its words filthy,
slanderous, blasphemous, %profane, cruel,
malicious, revengefnl, nurderous. idle and
dishonest. Is it not the source OF deadly
poison?
"We discard and despise a watch that
never tells the truo time, q ruler that will
never enable you to draw a straight line,
a photograph that is not q faithful! like
ness. a thermometer that does not correctly
register tho Temperature. And SO the liar
ia held IN derision by God. He lacks the
first principles of manhood and his lying
tongue has filled the world with villanies
uIAu ilIu6GlCSs VIZ q bGIul0 "
tone down, modify and whitewash the
black character of falsehood, but to the
! honest man. a lie is n lie and can nevor be
olothe:ed in the vesture of resp%ectubility.
In fact the little fb or white lie. is the
most despicable of all for it savors most of
satanic ways. The devil rarely tries to do
mischief by a pure unvarnisLed palpable
lie. for fallen as humanity is, a lie mani
testify SO is not palatable. An alloy needs
to be amnlgamated with some gold. The
Rrsnt lie requires a s%prinklinR Of the great
truth. Satan's brass must have upon it the
stamp or superscription Of God before it
can have currency of circulation. The
tongue a ire when it breaks out in BIAS
phemy, profanity and oaths. The man
addicted to swearing splits the fires Of pet
dition into the very face Of God. This
strong tendency among men to profanity is
one of the greatest evidences Of the de-
pravity OF human nature.
The rofane man is burning out his own
soul; the fires of profanity consume his
hope of eternal life. He who swears by
bell in jest, may we'll tsemble lest he go
there in earnest. God will not suffer him
to escape his righteous judgment. But
finally the tongue Is q fire, when ID burns
with malice, envy, SANDER. yindictiveness
or revenge. The largest school in tho world
is that of scandal. The freshman, sopho-
more, Junior and senior classes are all
crowded and many thousands have already
graduated, and the world hears from them
every time they open their volcanic mouths.
Scandal mongers are to be found every
where. even in this city. Their long noses
are in everything and they sniff every
breeze for something rotten. And the reason
they enjoy it SO well is that their own lives
are like sepulchers painted white on the
outside, but within full of putridity. They
are snoops, tattlers. Gossipe!s. peddiers of
poison. nssassinators OF character and gut
ter inspecto 3. They think they belong to
the nj er crust, but the fact is they live in
| Sewers.
''They steal on the slumbers of sweet in
nocence and drink deep the crimson cur
rents of the heart. They are like a worm
that crawls on the check of beauty, or a
| vile wipe: rioting in a vale of flowers. Mar
tin Luther was loaded with calumny. John
Wesley WAS charged with every sin by his
enemies except drunkenness and his wife
accuses him OF thnt. Christ himself was
not permitted to escape, for his foes called
him a gluttonous man and n wine blbber,
n friend Of publicans and sinne!e.' Many
a good man has been stabbed to his death
by n long tongue and many n pure woman
has been tattled into the grave. If there be
no hell for the despoiles OF character, for
these Rhoul-!ike wreckers who haunt the
consts of humanity. only to rob and pilla0e
and muti!ate those who fail within their
clutch, then enter u motion hero and now
that one DO constructed, the question OF
fuel need not be considered. for the black,
murlerous procession of scandal mongers
will carry enough birthstone in their
hsarta and fl @ under their tongues to illu-
inmate forever the blacklist cavern that
ever followed out the centor of Il blasted,
shattered. God-cursed planet!
"How are We to fight this evil of scandal?
First of all let us refuse to listen to the tale
of the tattler. The only person who oan be
az bad or even Torso than the ~tatt!er IS the
ono who converts himself into II ca, bage
barrel for the reception of foul filth. When
You hear IL report about your neig.bor,
don't drop You work and CAD and gallon
all over the community to ascertain its
truth.
when Il man falls. VIC break ont with in
dignation and say. Just ms | expected, |
told You 80! When II woman falls, her sis
ter draws her wrap over her heart, fastens
1t with n diamond pin. ana starts out TO
gossip her poor unfortunate sister into the
tomb. If God treated US us We treat the
fallen and unfortunate. we would all hnve
been III leGdition long ngo. O, may God
Q0ench the tongue nilnmo with iulsehood
and alander and fill our months with love
md hope and cheer, Hear the Psnlmist,
| What man il he that Icsiteth lito AID
loyoth many days? Keep thy tongue from
evil and thy lips ttom speaking guile
Amen"
\ n y e.