Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-01-26

bject: The Affairs of Others-The Busy.
body Has Missicn to Perform When
His Motive is Good-Search Out the
Miserable and Offer Them Consolation
Copyright Louis Klopsch. 1901
WASHINGTON, D. Gin this discourse Dr.
Talmage shows how we should interest
ourselves in the affairs of others for their
benefit, but never for their damage; text,
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, the
only difference being that they had the
characteristics for longer time. 1t was
500 years Of goodness or 500 years OF mean.
ness instead Of goodness or meanness for
forty or fifty years. Well, Simon Peter,
who was 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 he 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 world
stood. Appointing himself to the work OF
exploration and detection, he goes forth
mischief making. He generally begins by
reporting the infelicity discovered. He Is
the advertising agent of infirmities and
domestic inharmony and occurrences that
but for him would never have come to the
public eye or ear. He feels that the secret
ought to be hauled ont into light and her.
aided. II he can get one line OF into
Al. baf oil 70 ho noI
achievement to start with. But he must
not let 1t stop. He whispers 1t to his
neighhors, and they in turn whisper 1t to
their neighbors, until the whole town is
abuzz and agog. You can no moro catch
il or put 1t down than you can malaria.
1t is In the air and on the wing aud anoat
Taken by itself, 1t seems OF little impor.
lance, but after hundred people have han
died 1t and each has given 1t an additional
twist il becomes a story in size and shape
marvellous. II 1t can be kept going, after
awhile 1t will be large enough to call the
attention OF the courts or the presbyteries
or conferences or associations. The most
of the scandals abroad are the work OF the
ono whom Peter in the text styles "a busy
body in other men's matters"
First, notice that such mission Is most
undesirable, because we all require all the
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 tino keep our hand on the
wheel Of our own craft. While, rs l shall
show you before get through, we all have
a mission OF kindness to Others, VIC have
no time to waste In doing that which Is
damaging to others.
There is our worldly calling. which must
be looked after or it will become failure.
Who succeeds in anything without concen-
irating all his energies upon that one
thing? All those who try to do many things
go to pieces either as to their health or
their fortune. They go on until they pay
ten cents on the dollar or pay their body
into the grave. We cannot manage the
affairs of others and keep our own affairs
prosperous. While we are inquirinG
how precarious is the business OF an
other merchant and finding out how many
notes he has unpaid and how soon he will
probably be wound up or make an assign
ment or hear the sheriff's hammer smite
his counter our own affairs are getting
mixed up and endangered. While we are
criticising our neighbor for his poor crops
we are neglecting the fertilization Of our
owns fields or allowing the weeds to choke
our own corn. While we are trying to ex-
trast the mote from our neighbours eye we
fall under the weight Of the beam In our
own eye. Those men disturbed by the faults
of others are themselves the depot at which
whole trains of faults arrive and from which
whole trains OF faults start. The men who
have succeeded In secular things or relig-
ious things will tell you that they have no
time for hunting out the deficits OF others.
On the way to their counting room they
may have heard that firm in the same
line of business was in trouble, and they
said, "Sorry, very sorry" But they went
in and sat down at their table and opened
the book containing full statement OF
their affairs to see if they were In peril of
being caught in similar cyclone.
Gadders about town, with hands in
pockets and hats set far back on the head,
waiting to hear baleful news, are failures
now or will be failures. Christian men
and women who go round with mouth
and looks full OF Interrogation points to
find how some other church member is
given to exaggeration or drinks too much
or neglects his home for greater outside
attractions have themselves so little grace
in their hearts that no one suspects they
have any. In proportion as people are
consecrated and holy and useful they are
leDent with others and disposed to say:
"Wait until we hear the other side OF that
matter. cannot believe that charge made
against that man or woman until we have
some better testimony than that given
by these scandal mongers. guess 1t is a
lie."
Furthermore, we are incapacitated for
tie supervisal of others because we cannot
see all sides of the affair reprehended.
People are generally not so much to blame
as we suppose. 1t is never right to do
wrong, but there may DO allevlations.
There may have arisen conjunction OF
which would have flung any
one of us. The world gives only one side
of the transaction, and that is always the
worst side. That defaulter at the bank
who loaned money he ought not to have
loaned did it for the advantage OF another,
not for his own. That young man who
purloined from his employer did SO be-
cause his mother was dying for the lack OF
medicine. That young woman who went
wrong did not get enough wages to keep
her from starving to death. Most people
who make moral shipwreck would do right
In some exigency. but they have not the
70 say ono"
Furthermo ore, we make ourselves dis
gushing spectacle when we become busy
bodies. What diabolical enterprise those
undertake who are ever looking for the
moral lapse or downfall OF others! AS the
human race Is most imperfect race, all
such hunters find plenty OF game. There
have been sewing societies In churches
which tore to pieces more regulations than
hey made garments for the poor. With
heir sarcasms and sly hints and deprecia-
lion Of motives they punctured more good
names than they had needles. With their
scissors they cut character bias and back
stitched every evil report they got hold Of.
Meetings OF boards of directors have some.
lines ruined good business men by insinu
atoms against them. The bad work may
not have been done so much by words, fol
hey would be libelous, but by a twinkle OF
he eye or shrug OF the shoulder or
sarcastic accentuation of word. Eyes,
le Is all right when he Is SOBER" "Have
you inquired into that mans history"
dc you know what business he was In be.
ore he entered this?" 81 move that the