The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-10
We TAIN roo .NCCH.
80 Dr. savage Tells His 4 congregation u Also
We Misuse Fine Words

The Rev. DR.. Minot j. Savage preache,
on Talking AT the Church of the Messiah
| Yesterday, taking as one of his texts Ec
clesia stes, v. 2: e BE not rash with thy mouth
and let not thine heart be hasty to utter
anything before God. for God is In HEAVIER
and thou upon earth; therefore. let tn,
words be few"
Dr. Savage declared that we talk too
much. He also had some remarks TO max,
about slang. In part he taid:
| Slang IN sometimes justihabl now and then
| there is a slang word that hits an idea. that
| tts a case as nothing else can. and II was
born OF the need 10 hit That particular case
In such conditions slang IL Just Tia Bile. But
| the person who uses slang merely because
| 1t is slang; who loves slang because II outre
who misuses the dictionary because he likes
Is making It difficult for others to speak
accurately and be- understood
Then there is the careless use of language
particularly on the part of young people
perhaps II IL bubbling over and N"rvasconN
OF life. but II make, for something evil il it Is
sS Sf 700 and it !. not ot uhc % WbS
Just thought should die" What had hap
pcned' They had heard "A funny story, or
street As a matter OF fact they d idn't think
they were going to die at all. and when thcy
cone cone to lace death ior IhsnseiIIes' or any,
adequate utterHnCe to the emotions of such
an hour If they have wasted them ali on some
thing frivolous and mcaningessP
IL comes to b. "a very evil thing in one de-
partinent of our life. this misuse OF words.
this eAgggerated uttrrance. J. refer now TO
Whit word to-day Mil man have left II he
y hes to score villain, All the epithets,
bitter and venomou. and outrageous. that
the Ian guaGe affords have been Wasted within
the last NIFTY wears on good people. There
l. no word OF nfamy that was not flung at
Lincoln. at Grant. at some OF the noblost
WAN hat hu nHM "A
during any political campaign Tia" opposi
ton candidate is blackened by the use Of
every word that the writer can conceive of
or use so that the real sCoundrel does not
fear the lash. II YOU call him sCpundre.
II YOU call him d thief. villain, a br-takcr
or bride giver: II you ctu him anything
whatever he says. Il am III perfectly good
company: all the best men In the country
have been called, these names" So that he
doesn't care. and 10 produces no impression
on the popular mind.
Let ~ Keep our words Tor their true uses
hen v" say man IS villain, let uS mean
that he ia 4 villain, not merely that he belongs
70 the Other party, If W. say a man Is a scoun-
drel. Jet II mean that he is u Scoundrel. nor
merely that he dsaCrecs with rs on the tarln
thai he j. thief. NOT merely TINT he differs
with w. IN regard to some practical question
OF governing the city OF New York At.
Hrandly with noble anger, against the
evil, b-Caus" We have broken and blunted
all our weapons against the armor OF the good
carried TO such an extent as this
We talk too much. all OF us talk TOO much
| remember some humorous man said OF dn-
other that he knew that man was liar and
when somebody asked him how he knew IL
he s1id. Il know IL for this reason. There
isn't truth enough in the whole world 20 Keep
a man talking as much ss he does" We talk
40 much tNat We are pretty sure to say things
that are not true. And then. how careful
ar" We 90 know that they are true? You
cypress an opinion in regard TO politics. art :,
literature, science, in regard TO the character
of some one who IL running Tor Office. no
matter what u may Toe. Have YOU taken
pains 10 have real opinion on that subject
beior, you have uttered ~ II not, would II
not be a good deal better TO keep sim and
spend the time that YOU give TO talking to
looking the matter up7
] er" are sci uti1c men who toll US a very
womb rfui Ing II seems TO mo past the
poss !1iI'v OF belief. and YET q ey tell " ttut
II j. 10, t. lily and incontrovertibly true:
If ! stan y my foot here & Is morning II l.
felt, not only the OF or side of tnc world
II l. fef IN . sun, an impui-" l. started that
may never end The scientific men tell ~
that q l. world l. 80 perfect a W ispaTing
gallery tat every word tnat has ever been
spoken since tHc morning stars sang to-
get or Is &c, ding somewhere to-day. and
might be taken Up aud com prehe nded by
an adequate intelligeuCe
80 tore needs no angel TO write record
OF our lives and be ready for tie last DAY.
I universe IL the record book Of every
: Ing "" say as well AZ OF eyeryt inc We do.
Since. then. these words We speak must
enter into the life OF ~. world and make
IT worse or better, let US I Ink before We
speak. and n We err on cit er side err In gentle
ness and tenderness and love.