The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1900-03-24
TALMACx SERMON.
1 sRtEF SYNOPSIS or TIE nIvikE'S SUN
DAY DISCOURSE

Subier The Affairs OF Others-The Basy-
body Has q Mission to Perform When
His Motive is Good-Search Out the
Miserable and Offer Them Consolation
copyright. ouis Klopsch, 1901
WASHINGTON, D. C.-In this discourse DR.. |
Talmage shows how we should interest |
ourselves in the affairs OF others for theft |
benefit, but never for their damage; text, |
1 Peter, w., Is, "a busybody In other mems |
matters"
Human nature Is the same In all ages. |
In the second century OF the WORLDS ex-
istence people had the same characteristics
as people In the nineteenth century; tue
only difference being that thoy had the
characteristics for longer time. 1t was
500 years of goodness or 500 years OF mean
ness instead OF goodness or meanness 1or
forty or fifty years. Well, Simon Peter,
who was a keen observer OF what was going
on around him, one day caught sight OF
man whose characteristics were severe
inspection and blatant criticism OF the al.
fairs belonging to people for whom ne had
no responsibility, and with the hand once
Drowned and hardened by fishing tackle
drew this portrait for all subsequent ages
"a busybody in other mems matters.
That kind OF person has been trouble
maker in every country since the worid
stood. Appointing himself to the work OF
exploration and detection. he goes forth
mischief making. He generally begins oy
reporting the infelcity discovered. he Is
the advertising agent of inf1rmitle5 and
domestic inharmony and occurrences that
but for him would never have c me to the
public eye or ear. He feels that the secret
ought to be hauled out into light ana ner-
aided. II he can get one line OF 1t into
the newspapers, that he feels to be noble
achievement to start with. But he must
not let it stop. He whispers 1t to bis
neightors, aud they in turn whisper IL 10
their neghbors, until the whole town Is
abuzz and agog. You can no moro eaten
1t or put 1t down than you can malaria.
1t Is In the air and on the wing and ahoat.
Taken by itself, 1t seems OF little impor-
lance. but after hundred people have ham
died it and each has given 1t an additional
twist 1t becomes story In size ana shape
marvellous. II 1t can be kept going, after
awhile 1t will be large enough to call tue
attention Of the courts or the presbyteries
| or conferences or associations. Inc most
| OF the scandals abroad are the work OF the
| one whom Peter in the text styles "a busy
| BODY In other mems matters"
| First. notice that such mission is most
| undesirable because We all require all tue
| time we can get to take care OF our own
| affairs. To carry ourselves through the
treacherous straits Of this life demands
| that We all the time keep our hand on the
wheel of our own craft. While, as shall
show you before get through, we all have
| q mission OF kindness to others, we have
no time to waste in doing that which Il
| damaging to others.
There Is our worldly calling. which must
be looked after or it will become failure
Who succeeds In anything without concen
trating all his energies upon that ont
thing? All those who try to do many thing:
20 to pieces either rs to their health Oh
| their fortune. They 60 on until they pay
| ten cents on the dollar or pay their bod.
iato the grave. We cannot manage TIL
affairs of others and keep our own Affairs
prosperous. While We are inqulrinl
how precarlous Is the business OF an
other merchant and finding out how man!
notes he has unpaid and how soon he vii
| probably be wound up or make an assign
ment or hear the sheriff's hammer smit
his counter our own affairs are gettini
mixed up and endangered. While we ar
criticising our neighbor for his poor crop
we are neglectins the fertilization OF GU
owns fields or allowing the weeds to chok
our own corn. While We are trying to ex
tract the mote from our neighbours eye "
fall under the weight Of the beam In GU
own eye. Those men disturbed by the fault
Of others are themselves the depot at whtc
whole trains of faults arrive and from whic
whole trains of faults start. The men VIII
have succeeded in secular things or relig
1 -
| time for hunting out the deficits OF other;
On the way to their counting room the
NAV have heard that q firm in the sam
line OF business was in trouble, and the
said, "Sorry, very sorry" But they Wei
In and sat down at their table and opene
the book containing full statement
their affairs to see IL they were In peril
being caught in II similar cyclone.
Gadders about town, with hands
rockets and hats set far back on the hea'
waiting to hear baleful news, are failure
now or will be failures. Christian me
and women who so round with mout
and looks full Of Interrogation points
find how some other church member
given to exaggeration or drinks too niue
or neglects his home for greater outsfd
- attractions have themselves so little graz
I'm their hearts that no one suspects TIT
have any. In proportion as people a
n consecrated and holy end useful they a
IS lenient with others and disposed 20 ga
"Wait until we hear the other side OF tn
matter, Icannot believe that charge mat
against that man or woman until we ma
- some better testimony than that Civ
by these scandal mongers. guess 1t Is
.r iis."
Furtherm ore, we are incapacitated I
:, tie supervisal Of others because we cam
see all sides OF the affair reprehende
,r People are generally not so much to biar
l. as we SUPPOSE. 1t Is never right TO
a. wrong, but there may be alienation
!. There may have arisen a conjunction
= circumstances which would have flung q
le one OF u. The world gives only one 81
to of the transaction, and that Is always t
:. worst side That defaulter at the ba
:. vino loaned money he ought not to ha
~ loaned did 1t for the advantage OF anoth
at not for his own. That young man W
IN puroined from his employer did so
!. cause his mother was dying for the lack
. medicine. That young woman who We
IN wrong did not get enough wages to ke
er her from starving to death. Most peol
"a who make moral shipwreck would do rig
In some exigency. but they have not
NC courage 70 say mo"
b. Furthermore, We make ourselves d
i'll gushing spectacle when we become bu
- bodies. What diabolical enterprise thu
" undertake who are ever looking for
ae moral lapse or downfall OF others! As
&C. human race is . most imperfect racs,
at such hunters find plenty OF game. TIL
have been sewing societies In churc
which tore to pieces more regulations q
as they made garments for the poor.
Vs. their sarcasms and sly hints and depret
ha lion of motives they punctured more q
names than they had needles. With II
PIT scissors they cut character bias and b
mt stitched every evil report they got hold
Meetings OF boards OF directors have sol
times ruined good business men by insi
atoms against them. The bad work 4
not have been done so much by words,
Oh they would be- lIbelous, but by twinkl
% the eye or shrug OF the shoulder