The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-02
SINS OF THE TONGUE
REV. DIR. TALMAGE PLEADS FOR
HONEST WORDS AND DEEDS

Masquerade Ball
Association.)
DR.. Talmage in this discourse gives a
vivid classification of the vices of
speech and pleads for honesty in ali
that is said and done. His text is
Acts V, LILO, "a certain mar named An
anias, with Sapphire, his wife, sold a
possession" etc.
A well-matched pair, alike in ambi
ton and in falsehood, Ananias and Sap
phira. They wanted a reputation for
great benihcence, and they sold all
their property, pretending to put their
entire proceeds in the charity fund
while they put much Of it IN their peck
ct. There was no necessity that they
give al their property away, but they
wanted the reputation OF so doing.
Ananias first lied about it and dropped
down dead. Then Sapphire lied about
it, and she dropped down dead. The
two fatalities a warning to all ages or
the danger OF sacrificing the truth.
There are thousands OF ways OF telling
a lie. \ mans whole life may be a
falsehood, and yet never with his lips
may he falsify once. There is a way
of uttering faisehoOd by look, by man.
ner, as well as by lip. There are per-
some who are guilty Of dishonesty OF
speech and then afterWard say may
be-" calling it a white lie when no lie
is that color. The whitest lie ever told
was as black as perditiOn. There are
those SO given to dishonesty of speech
hat they DO not know when they are
lying. With some it is an acquired sin,
and with others it is a natural infirm-
ity. There are those whom you will re-
cognize as born liars. Their whole life.
from cradle to grave, is filled up with
vice OF speech. Misrepresentation n
preVarication are as natural to them as
the infantile disease and are a sort Of
moral Group or spiritual scarlatina.
Then there are those who in after life
have opportunities Of developing this
evil, and they so from deception to de-
ception and from class to GLASS;, until
they are regularly graduated liars. At
times the air in our cities is filed with
falSehOOd, ana lies cluster around the
mechanics hammer, blossom on the
merchants yardstick and sometimes
sit in the doors Of churches. They are
called by some fabrication and they are
called by some, fiction. You might call
them subterfuge, or deceit, or romance,
IA wa " "a N~AA
sion, but as l know nothing to be
gained by covering up a God defying
sin with q photographers blanket, I
shall call chem in plainest ve~rnacular,
lies. They may be divided into asri-
cultural, commercial, mechanical, So
cial and ecclesiastical.
AGRICULTURAL FALSEHOODS.
First Of all. l speak Of agricultural
falsehoods. There is something in the
presence OF natural objects that
our great cities-a farm wagon in
The trees never issue false stock. The
WhGatfcldS are always honest. Rye
and oats never move out in the night,
not paying for the place they occupy
Corn shocks never make false assign
ment. Mountain brooks are Away
current. The gold of the wheatfields
is never counterfeit. But While the
tendency of agricultural life is to make
one honest, honesty is not the charac-
~teristic OF all who come to the city
markets from the country districts,
You hear the creaking Of the dishonest
farm wagon in almost every street OF
our great cities-a farm wagon in
which there is not one honest spoke, OF
one truthful rivet, from tunG to tail
board. Again and again has domestic
economy in cur great cities foundereo
on the farmers firkin. When New York
and Washington sit down and Weel
over their sins, let Westminster county
and the neiGhbOrhOOdS around this cap
ital sit down and weep over theirs.
The tendency in all rural districts i:
to suppose that sins and transgreSsiOn
cluster in our great cities, but citizen:
and merchants long ago learned that i
is not safe to calculate from the char
acter Of the apples on the top of TIL
farmers barrel what is the charctel
of the apples all the way down TOWARD
the bottom. Many of our citizens ant
merchants AVE learned that it is al
ways safe to see the farmer measure
the barrel of beets. Milk cans are no
always honest. There are those wht
in country life seem to think they hav'
a right to overreach grain dealers ar
merchants Of all styles. They think i
is more honorable to raise corn than t.
deal in corn. The producer somestime
practically a y to the merchant, "yo'
get your money easily anyhow Doe
he get it easily? While the farmer
sleeps-and he may go to sleep con
scious of the fact that his corn and ry
are all the time progressing and addln;
to his fortune or his livelihood-th
merchant tries to sleep. while consclou
of the fact that at that ONE tn
ship may be driving on the rock or
wav sweeping over the hurricane dec
spelling his goods, or the Spectator
may be plotting a monetary revolution
or the burglars may be at that momen
at his honey safe, or the fire ma
have kindled on the very block wher
his store stands.
Easy. is it? Let those who get the
living in the quiet farm and barn tax
the place Of one Of our city merchant
and see whether it is so easy. It
hard enough to have the hands bills
tered with outdoor work, but it is hare
er with mental anxietieS to have tn
brain consumed. God help the mel
chants. And do not let those who liv
in country life come to the conclusio
that all the d~ishonesties belong to cit
life.
COMMERCIAL LIES.
I pass on to consider commercial lie