Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-09-08
TAIN AGE'S SERMON.
THE SOFT TONGUE" LAST SUM-
DAYS SUBJECT.
From the Text. a Soft Tongue Break
eth the Bone"--Proyerbs, Chapter 25.


Of course, will 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 a tremendous power In
kind word. Although it may seem to
be very insignificant, it's force is m
describable and illimitable. Pungent
and all-conQuering utterance: A SOFT
tongue breaketh the bone"
If / had time, / would show you kind
ness as means of defense, as means
Of usefulness, kindness as means OF
domestic harmony, kindness as pest
employed by governments for the TAM
ing and curing of criminals, and Kind
ness as best adapted for the settling
and adjusting of international quarrel;
but l shall call your attention only to
two Of these thoughts.
And first, speak to you OF kindness
. as 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 nat
ural heart says: Strike back. Give as
much AS he sent. Trip him into the
ditch which he dug for your feet. Cash
him with as severe a 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 con-
slider that matter" You look up into
the face of Christ and say: ''My Mas
ter, how ought to act under these eff
ficult circumstances? And Christ IN
stantly answers: "Bless them that curse
you, and pray for them which despite
fully use you" Then the old nature
rises up again and says: you had oct
ter not forgive him until first you nave
chastised him. You will never get him
in so tight a corner again. Yon will
never have such an opportunity of in
fiicting the right kind Of punishment
upon him again. First chastise him,
and then let him CO." mo" 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 dis
pute to settle quarrel? Did they not
always make matters worse and worse
and worse? About fifty-five years ago
there was great quarrel in the Pres
byterian family. Ministers of Christ
were thought orthodox in proportion as
they had measured lances with other
clergymen of the same denomination
| The most outrageous personalities were
abroad. AS, in the autumn, a hunter
comes home with string of game,
cartridges and wild ducks, slung over
his shoulder, so there were many min
listers who came back from ecclesiasti-
cal courts with long strings of doctors
of divinity whom they had shot with
their own rifle. The division became
wider, the animosity greater, until af-
ter awhile some good men resolved up
on another tack. They began to OK
plain away the difficulties; they began
to forgive each others faults; and 10,
the great church quarrel was settled;
and the new school Presbyterian
church and the old school Presbyterian
church became one. The different
parts of the Presbyterian order, weld
ed by a hammer, little hammer
Christian hammer that the Scripture
calls "a soft tongue"
You have dispute with Your neigh
Dor. You say to him. Il despise YOU"
He replies, Il can't bear The sight of
YOU" You say to him, Never enter
my house again." He says, IF you
come on my door sill I'll kick you off,"
You say to him, TN put you down"
He says to you, "You are mistaken:
I'll put you down." And so the contest
RACES; and year after year you act the
unchristian part, and he acts the un-
christian part. After awhile the better
spirit seizes you, and one day you go
over to the neigbbor, and say, Give
me your hand. We have fought long
enough. Time is so short, and eternity
is so near, that We cannot afford any
longer to quarrel. l feel you lave
wronged nue. very much; but let us set
tie all now in one great Misunderstanding.
and be good friends for all the rest OF
our lives" You have risen to higher
platform than that on which before
you stood. You win his admiration.
and you get his apology. But if You
have not conquered him in that way.
at any rate you have won the applause
OF your own conscience. the high eEti-
nation OF good men, and the honor OF
your Lord who died for his acmed enc
mics.
But" you say, what are we to do
when SANDER assaults us. and IA ere
rome acrimonious sayings all around
about US, and we are abused and spit
upon?" Ny reply is: Do not go and
attempt to chase down the SANDERS.
Lies are prolific, and while you are
killing one, fifty are born All your
demonstrations of indignation only ex-
haust yourself You might as we'll en-
some summer night when the swarms
OF insects are coming up from the
meadows and disturbing you and u.s.
turbing your family, bring up some
great swamp angel" like that which
Numbered over Charleston. and try to
shoot them down. The game is too
small for the gun. But what, then, ere
you to do with the abuses that come
imam yon an, 1ifao Won 70 m live IN au