The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-10
SYKES FAREWELL
Eloquent Pastor breaches Last
Sermon at Grace Cathedral.
Pertinent Remarks on the Lii
cense of the Tongue.
WORDS WENT HOME.
Auditors Felt They We're Sub
ject Of Discourse.
Good Advice Abouf Evil Sneak
Good Advice About Evil Speak
ing and SANDER.

Dean Sykes preached a sermon at
Grace cathedral Sunday morning on the
subject of License Of Tongue and the
Evil Effects Thereof"
The sermon was evidently aimed at
some Of the members Of the church here
who have been making charges against
Mr.. Sykes 1t produced quite a sensa-
ton in the congregation. Mr.. Sykes
remarks were couched in such smooth
and eloquent language that the church
members had TO sit and take it, though
they felt that they were the ones who
were being made the subject of the dis
course.
Mr.. sykes said in part:
st. James was the apostle of a prac-
teal Christianity. It was his Office to
speak strongly against a class Of people
who made loud professions but whose
whole lives gave the lie to their cry.
.. Be We doors of the word and not
hearers What doth It profit if a man
say have faith, and have not works.
These were some of his utterances to
the religious world Of his day. But his
strongest denunciations were reserved
for those who gave unbridled liberty to
their tongue
Let me speak to you this morning
about the unbridled tongue and its Ell
fects.
First, let US talk about SANDER I do
not refer to that form for which the law
fully provides, but to that which is too
subtitle for human law. This form of
evil speaking is declared by an inspired
apostle to be- poison. The deadliest
poisons are those for which no test IS
known There are polsonS so powerful
that one drop injected into the veins
produces death in three seconds, and yet
1t is SO insidious that no chemical science
can detect its presence.
Now there are persons in this city
and in all cities. who pass from man to
man and from woman to woman, repeat
ing evil words which are deadly in their
results and yet you can not eyaporate
the truth from the falsehOOd and point
out the SANDER that turks therin.
Perhaps words were not used. Tor
words are not necessary to the destruc-
ton of some brother or sister. A drop
Of the lip, an arched eyebrow, the shrug
Of the shoulder, even an emphatic silence
may do the deadly work
You congratulate yourselves. my
friends. that the days of persec -rles
are over; and so they are as to crucifix-
ions of the flesh You never burned
human being alive, you never reJOiced
over the death shrek of some one who
was suffering the quick or slow process
of physical death No but did you
never rob some man or woman of
/ friends, or take from them their good
name, or gleefuliy repeat some miser-
able gossip, or purpOsely misinterpreL
their acts and words
I'VE live by that on which we feed If
we feed on gossip we become SANDER
erS. If we feed on evil speaking. we
become vicious. The man who speaks
an Unkind work against his brother is
taking the first step toward the pit OF
destruction which has no bottom a
Christian can not speak evil or repeat
evil of any soul without renouncing his
birthright. The thing is against nature.
1t is against the spirit of Christ, and to
do it renders one a monster. The Office
of the tongue is b1est. How dare we use
it to curse2 How dare you assume the
part of the devil whose very name
means traducer or evil accuser2
IF the angel Gabriel We're to come to
me in that confidential and whispered
manner which you know so well. and
utter words of SANDER about my fellow
man, would say Gabriel. you are suf-
fering with fncipient paranoia; you are
no longer an angel OF light, you are an
angel of darkness
Sometimes when I hear men and
women indulge in evil speaking, SANDER
and the repetition of false reports
which I know must leave a scar upon
the soul, can almost put into prayer
the wonderful lines Of Tennyson:
Arise me God, and strike. for we hold
the just:
Strike dead the whole weak race of
VenOmous worms,
That sting each other here IN the
dust -