St. Paul daily globe., 1895-09-09
GlFoULEsT wHELP OF sIN.v
Rev. Addison MOOre7s Sharp Crit
icisIn of the SIandcrer.

Rev. Addison Moore, pastor of the
Woodland Park Baptist church,
preached a sermon on ISLANDER last
evening. He spoke from the text:
ga word 1itly spoken is like apples of
gold in pitchers of silver" Proverbs,
XIV, 2. MIR. Moore spoke substan-
TALLY as follows:
A beautiful medium enhances
the value of truth, or if not
it's value, at least it's attract
iveness. Solomon has said that
it is wise to find out acceptable words,
words fifty spoken, and in order that
words may deserve this character it
is necessary that they shall be words
of truth, for falsehOod and error are
on no occasion fifty spoken. Isaac Bar
rows biographer quantity wishes he
could find an enemy of his hero, that
he might have the honor of defend
ing the great man. All men are not
so fortunate; the faultless have some
fault with them and the faulty have
their faults exaggerated. Let the
most blameless man in the city offer
himself as a, candidate for public Office
and the organ Of the rival political
party will furnish a picture of him as
founding TO the friends of the good
man. They will slander him without
reason, and, indeed, slander is usual
ly reasonless. 1t is spread by the
common report. It is commonly re-
ported that Mr., Jones is about to fail.
Who originated the report? is the
question that takes its place among
such conundrums as who was the
man in the iron mask? Who executed
Charles the First? We have to give
it up. Where all the flies came from
that. used to fill the window panes
was a puzzle to our childhood. Where
all the lies come from that buzz about
our neighborhood is a puzzle to later
life. For our part let us beware of
giving our jealousies and suspicious
wings; let them die in embryo, for
''slander is the foulest whelp of SIM"
Let us keep the door of our lips and
guard the door of cur ears, especially
when listening to suggestions that
may be born of envy and malice. The
demand for gossip creates the sup
ply of slander; therefore let US send
away the hawkeTs of mischief who
Convey a libel in a frown
And wink a reputation down."
1t is usually a difficult matter to
find the authority for a slanderous
statement. Tracing a SANDER is like
hunting a grasshopper. Try to find
it and it eludes you. 1t chirps here
and there and everywhere except in
the bunch of grass where you lay
your hand; but sometimes the SLAM
derer is easily recognized and you
need not be told from whence the
slander came. The slanderer Ibis
mark is on the forehead of the SLAM
der. He sits in his window blowing
peas at all passers-by. There are
human crea lures who delight in thus
cowardly damaging other mems rep
utatiCns. For wise end they must
have been created; all things are.
The nettle, the hornet, the snake, and
the slanderer; upon their tombstones
you might place as epitaph. Here
rests one who never let any one else
rest" 1t is a tragic thing, this bus
mess of slander. Those addicted to
the habit seem to forget that the
Good name of man or woman,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls
He who hlcheS from me my good name,
Robs, me of that which not enriches
him,
And makes me poor, indeed"
The cure for slander is, first. to give
it no foundation in yourself. Avoid
the appearance of evil and be above
suspicion Then take no notice of it:
do not believe it; make no reply to it.
Then counteract the evil of a mali
cious report by the good of a word
fifty spoken, remembering that
"A little word in kindness spoken,
A motion or a tear
Hath often healed the hearts that are
broken,
And made a friend sincere
''Then deem it not an idle thing,
A pleasant word to speak;
The face you wear, the thought Won
bring,
A heart may heal or break"