The Atlanta constitution., 1896-09-28
The SOFT TONGUE
Tie Subject Of Dr.. TalmaseS Sermon at
the Metropolitan Pulpit.
POWER OF KIND WORDS
illustrated by Solomon's Phrase, "a
Soft Tongue Beoketh the Bone"
An Eloquent Discourse.

Washington, September 22.-(Sneeial)-
In these days. when satire and retort ana
bitterness ill the air. the gospel carol OF
this sermon will do good to all who read
and practice it, The text is: Proverbs XNv:
Ij-"A soft tongue breaketh the bone"
When Solomon said this he drove whole
volume into one phrase. You, of course.
viii not be so silly as to take the words OF
the text in a literal sense. They SIMPLY
mean to set forth the fact that there IS
tremendous power in a kind word. Alhough
IL may seem to be very insignificant, ITS
force is indescribabe and ilimitable. Pun
gent and all-conquering utterance: "A soft
tongue breakcth the bone"
If / had time / would show you kind
ness as Il means of defense, as a means Oh
usefulness kindness as means Of domes-
tic harmony. kindness as best employed
by governments for the tanning and curing
of criminals. and kindness as best adapted
for the settling and adjusting of interna-
tional quarrel; but L shall call your atten-
ton only TO two of these thoughts.
And first. / speak TO you of Kindness as
o. means of defense. Almost every man, III
the course of his life, is set upon and as
sauted. Your motives are misinterpretcd
or your religious or political principles are
bombarded. What to do under such circtm-
stances is the question. The first impulse
of the natural heart says: strike back.
Give as much as he sent. Trip him INTO
the ditch which he dug for your feet Cash
him with 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: You
ought TO consider that matter" You look
up into the face of Christ and say; My
Master, how ought l TO act under these
difficult circumstances And Christ in
Stantly answers: Bless them that curse
you, and pray for them which despitetuliy
use YOU" Tnen the old natures rise up
again and say: You had better not for
give him until first you have chastised
him. You viii never get him in SO tight
a corner again. You viii never have such
an opportunity of infiicung the right KIND
of punishment upon him again. First chas-
t1Se MIN ana then let hlm go No. says
the better nature, hush. thou foul heart.
Try the soft tongue that breaketh the
bone" Have you ever in all your llfe
known accrbity ana acrimouious dispute to
settle u quarrel? Did they not always make
matters worse ana worse and worse? About
ffty-iiNe years ago there was L great
quarrel in the Presbyterian family. Minis
ters of Christ were thought orthodox in
proportion as they had measured lances
with other Clergymen OF the same denOmi-
nation. The most outrageous personalities
We're abroad. As in the autumn, a hunter
comes home with string of game part
ridges and wild ducks, slung over his
shoulder so there We're many ministers
Who came back from the ecclesiastical
courts with long strings Of doctors of
divinity whom they had shot with their
own rifle. The division became wider the
an.mosity greater. until after awhile some
good men resolved upon another tack. They
began TO explain away the difficulties. they
began to forgive each others FAULTS and
lOi the great church quarrel was settled.
and the new school Presbyterian church
and the old school Presby church be-
came one. The different parts of the Pres
byterian order, welded by a hammer n
little hammer Christian hammer that
Ha Hf4a
You have a dispute with your neighbor.
You say to him: Fl despise you" lie re-
plies: II can't bear the sight OF YOU" You
say 10 him: ''Nevor enter my house again"
Ito says: If you came on my door sill,
lH kick you Off You say to him: I'm
put you down lie says to YOU: You
are mistaken; III put you down" And so
the contest RACES; and year after yeau you
act the unchristian part and he acts the
spirit seizes YOU, and one day you go over
20 the neighbor, and say: "Givc me your
hand. We have fought long enough. Time
IS SO short ana eternity IS so near. tnat
we cannot afford any longer 10 quarrel. /
feel You have Wronged me very much: but
let us settle all now in one great hand
the rest of our lives" You have risen
to higher platform than thar
ON which before you stood. You win his
@dmiration, ana YOU get his apology. But
it you have not conquered him in that
way at any rate you have won the ap-
plause of your own conscience the hign
your Lord who died for his armed enemies
But" you say, what are we to do when
ISLANDERS assault us. and there come acri-
monious sayings all around about us, and
we are abused ana spit upon?" My reply
is: DO not 80 and attempt TO chase down
the ISLANDERS. Lies are prolific, and white
yOu are killing one fifty are born. All your
demonstrations Of Indignation only exhaust
yourself. You might as well on some sum
mer night when the sWarmS of insects ara
coming up from the meadows and disturb
ing you and disturbing your family, bring
up some great swamp angel" like that
which thundered over Charleston, and try
90 shoot them down. The game is too small
for the gun. But what. then, are YOU to
do with the abuses that come upon You in
life? You are 20 live them down, [ saw "a
farmer go out to get back q swarm OF
bees that had wandered Off from the hive
Ass he moved amid them they bUxzed
around his head, and bUZZed around his
hands, and buZZcd around his feet II he
had killed one of them, they would have
stug him 10 death. But he moved in their
midst in perfect placidity until he had