The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-03-01

| O'ons "oNe themselves SO little grace
III their hearts that no one suspects
they have any. In proportion as people
are consecrateG and holy and useful
they are lerient with others and dis
posed to say: "Wait until we hear the
other side tf that matter. I cannot
believe that charge made against that
man or woman until we have some
better testimony than that given by
these scandii mongers. guess it is
a lie."
How is it that you can always find
two opinions about anyone and those
two opinions exactly opposite? I will
tell you the reason. 1t is because there
are two sides to every characteristic
best side and the worst side. A we'll
disposed man chiefly seeks the best
side; the badly-disposed seeks chiefly
the worst side. Be ours the desire to
see the best side, for it is healthier for
us to do SO and stirs admiration, which
is an elevated state, while the desire
to find the worst side keeps one in q
spirit of disquietude and disgust and
mean suspicion, and that is a pulling
down of our own nature, disfgure-
ment OF our own character. I am
afraid the imperfections of others wall
kill us yet.
The habit 1 deplore is apt to show
itself in the visage. A kindly man
who wishes everybody well soon DEM
onstrates his disposition in his looks.
His features may fracture all the laws
of handsome physiognomy, but Gcd
puts into that mans eyes and in the
curve of his nostril and in the upper
and lower lip the signature of Divine
approval. And you see it at glance,
as plainly as though it had been writ
ten all over his face in rose color:
"This is one of my princes. He is on
the way to the coronation. bless him
now with all the benedictions that in
finity can afford. Look at him. Ad-
mire him. Congratulate him."
On the other hand, if one be cynical
about the character of others and
chiefly observant of defects and glad
to find something wrong in character,
the fact is apt to be demonstrated in
his looks. However regular his fea-
lures, and though constructed accord
ing to the laws of Kaspar Layater, his
visage is sour. He may smile, but it
is a sour smile. There is a sneer in
the imitation of the nostril. There is a
mean curvature to the lip. There is a
bad look in the eye. The devil of
sarcasm and malevolence and suspi-
cion has taken possession of him, and
you see it as plainly as though from
the hair line of the forehead to the
lowest point in the round of his chin
it were written: "Mine! Mine! +,
the demon of the pit, have soured his
visage with my curse. Look at him!
He chose diet of carrion. He gloated
over the misdeeds of others. 1t took
all my internal engineery to make him
what he is-'a busybody in other mems
matters"
The slanderer almost always at
tempts to escape the scandal he is re-
sponsible for. When in 1741 John Wes-
ley was preaching at Bristol and show
ing what reason he had to trust in the
Captain of His Salvation hearer cried
OuIs WIZ was yOuA captain WHICH,
you hanged yourself? know the man
who saw you when you were cut
down." John Wesley asked the audi
ence to make room and let the SLAM
6erer come to the front, but when the
way was open the slanderer, instead
of coming forward, fed the room. The
author or distributor of ISLANDERS never
| wants to face his work.
| On the day of Pentecost there were
people endowed with what was called
the gift of tongues" and they spake
for God in many languages. But there
are people in our time who seem to
have the gift of evil tongues, and
there is no end to their iniquitous gab-
BILE. Every city, village and neighbor-
hood of the earth has had driven
through it these scavenger carts.
When anything is said to you defam-
atory of the character of others, imi-
tate Joseph John Gurney, of England,
who. when a bad report was brought
to hin, concerning anybody, asked:
"Dost thou know any good thing to
tell us concerning her? Since there is
no good to relate, would it not be
kinder to be silent on the evil? Char
| ity rejoiceth not in iniquity."
4 There is a public man who has made
political mistake from which he will
4 never recover. At the next elections
! he will be put back and put down in
to place of disapproval from which
he will never rise. Just go to that
man and unroll the scroll of 100 splen-
Cid Americans who, after occupying
| high places of promotion, were rele-
gated to private life and public scorn.
Show him in what glorious company
he has been placed by the anathema
of the ballot box.
i If you are rightly interested in 9TH
er mems matters, go to those who are
just starting in their occupations or
professions and give them boost
These old physicians do not want your
hep, for they are surrounded with
mere ratients than they can attend 10.