Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-08-16

congregations Dld you ever KNOW Oh
wife who became a better wife be-
cause her husband talked against her
to his neighbors? Do you know of one
human being who was brought closer
to your heart and to God by being
demeaned in the eyes of his fellow
men through bitter denunciations that
you hurled against him? No! No!
Slander and vllification and traduce-
ment and disparagement and evil ru-
NOR, repeated by your lips, never soft
ened or purified a sinful heart. They
only drove the sinner farther away
from you and farther from God.
Guard Carefully the Tongue.
Most people are Influenced in life by
sharp words and fault findings great
deal as was the little boy who was left
I'm the care of an elder brother by the
death Of his parents. The older broth
er wanted to bring his younger brother
up to be good man, so he was very
sharp and strict with him. Whenever
the Younger son would do wrong the
older brother would scold or punish
him. The result was that the younger
instead of growing better seemed to
become worse. One day the elder
brother was going down street utterly
discouraged, when lie met the village
minister "What is the matter, JohnF
said the pastor "You look very blue"
"Well." answered the young man, Il
am blue You know father died some
months ago and left Charley in my
care. 1t seems as though | can do
nothing with the boy. He becomes
more and more perverse every day.
whip and scold him. | punish him in
every way. 1t seems to do no good.'
Then the old minister, with a>twlnkle
in his eye. placed his hand upon the
Young mans shoulder as he said: My
boy. have you ever tried the power of
love? Have you ever praised Charley
when he did we'll? Have you ever
kindly sat down by his side when he
did wrong? Instead Of scolding him,
have YOU ever tried to be gentle with
him? Go home, my boy, and try the
power of praise and love. Perhaps
YOU have been too severe with your
tongue upon your younger brother"
So John went home and made up his
mind that he would try the power OF
praise and love- Instead Of scoding
Charley he tried to help him by kind
ness. lie played with him in his
games: he helped him in his lessons;
| ,x.not, "a did Wpll lll
result was that Charley became a diff
ferent boy. One day the little fellow
looked up into the face Of his big
brother and said, with happy smile,
"Why. Jack. | never knew until lately
that YOU loved me-" SO by our harsh
words and censoriOus criticisms we
drive men farther and farther away
from God. but by loving. kind and gen.
tie words we can save men instead or
destroying them; we can lift men up
instead of casting them down; we can
inspire men with hope instead Of rem
h ING thcm hclplCss with despair; we
ean bind the humaN race together by
ties of holy affection Instead Of an
tagoniZing them as mortal foes
1t is possible tp citicise even the
best OF mon. Tlie story Is told that
Zeuxis. the famous Greek artist.
painted wonderful picture Of boy
holding Il dish CT :.rapcs. The pc
ture was SO wonl;ir.l that the BIRDS
flew through tie open window and
with their bills peckcd AT the grapes
which the artist had drawn But
though there were thousands ready to
praise. there were still many censo-
rious critics who condemned the pic
ture For" said the evil minded
critics, "if the boy had been painted
as perfectly as the dish of fruit the
birds would have been afraid to ap-
proach tie dish which the lad is sup
posed to hold in his hand" 1t is pos
sible to harshly judge the actions OF
even the best of men. Therefore IL
Is very easy by bitter criticism to
destroy thousands who might be saved
bv the gentlencSs of loving. forgiying,
Christlike tongue.
Beware Of Unjust Criticism.
No man should condemn his neigh
bor. becaUsc when he destroys his
brother by evil criticism he also equal
" DESTROYS himself Some p' ople sup
, pose that my text. Judge not, that
We be not judged" is only to be ap-
piled in a temporal way; that it only
alludes to th!ags of this world; that II
is to be interpreted in the sense that
II we are unjust to others in our cen
, serious criticism others will be unjust
, to us. The injustice which we &c
, 10 others with the tongue will always
as a boomerang come back and strike
, ourselves. As DR.. Guillotin in his ole
+ age is said to have been executed upon
the fatal instrument which he had in
> vented in his younger days; as the
! prime minister of one of the Frencf
. | monarchs was confined in the very
, cage of torture he had builded for his
. enemies. a cage so short that the pris
{ | oner in it could not lie down and Sc
! low that he could not stand uprigh
in it; as Regent Morton was hugget
. to death by the spikes of the fata
!, image Of torture known as th'
: maiden" which he himself had intro
s duced into Scotland, and as HamaI
e was hanged upon the gallows he ha'
n erected for the desplsod Mordecai, 81
o the unjust criticisms which we mete on
:, to others are often the very condemna
l. tions with which we ourselves shal
e be condemned by our fellow men.
v But the text has a deeper and wide
s meaning than merely the Interpretation
I which implies that if we utter condem
V nation against our brothers our Dreth
d rem will in turn speak similar condem
II nations against us. 1t means that IL w
T. condemn our brethren Christ will con
J. denim us. 1t means that if we do no
IN speak kindly of those who have gon
d wrong Christ will not become our dl
=" vine advocate and plead for our toI
n giveness. What does the Bible say L
IT order to impress this truth upon ou