Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-03-30
SPEAKING AND LISTENING.


SPEAKING AND LISTENING.
BY Rev. w. Everett Johnson.
Though l speak with the tongues of
meD and OF angels, md have not char
ity, l am become as so,.ading brass, or
a tinkl.ng cymbal.--I Cor. xiii, /.
Every action of life is either one of
speaking or one Of listening. Speaking
is the act Of making known a thought
or idea. We call any one a great speak
er who is able to express his thoughts
with such clearness and force as to
make US listen with interest.
But speaking may be done not only
with. the tongue or the pen. An artist
is one who is able to speak with
brush; musician, perhaps. with Yio-
lin; an architect with stones; a cabinet
worker with piece of furniture, 0r
airy worker with the tools of his trade
We are speaking all our lives in all
our work. and our success in a worldly
sense is dependent on our ability to
speak well just what the world desires
to hear The better we can satisfy
that desire the greater will be our
wage.
The noblest and most divine form OF
speaking requires the ability to get the
world to listen to that for which it
has no desire. The great leaders for
Righteousness, therefore. must create
desire. The act of living righteously
is the most eloquent of all speech for
this purpose, and we all have this
power. which may be exercised every
day of our lives A great orator re-
quires not only an eloquent tongue but
a most sensitir ear He must be
good listener; lie must be able to hear
the thoughts, the feelings. the preju-
dices. the hopes, and the aspirations
expressed i'll the daily speech of those
to whom he speaks. We have all heard
speakers who possessed every device
OF oratory in high degree. but who
aroused no hearts 70 ""tion because of
the lack of traineu e..4.
Many persons who speak OF right
eousness by correct living do it In such
a manner that others are repealed aud
refuse to listen for the same reason.
Their ears are not trained: their lives
and tongues speak of God, but their
ears are not opened to the speech of
rhe children OF men. Such may have
the tongues of men, and even of an
gels, without the power to listen to the
imperfect, struggling lives around
them. and are as sounding brass or
tinkling cymbal.
And what is Christ? The word made
flesh, the eloqueHce of the father. the
sublime utterance of the divine wis
dom in human speech And how more
eloquent was Calvary than Sinai! For
there was the ear of God open in sub
lime charity to the cry of poor wreck
of human life. With what sweet mercy
the curtain of darkness is drawn
around the cross. that the poor, faiter-
ing lips may not be shamed by sight
and the quickening power of darkness
may make more Keen the ear of him
by whom are ali things, How do the
words of the tf;ief on the cross mag
Nifty the eloquenee of the Sermon on
the Mount Cor all generations to come?
St Paul sets forth the power of elo-
quence in human life: the tongues of
angels, the gift of prophecy, the posses
sion OF all knowledge. a perfect faith,
and at last. at the climax of eloquence
the giving up of everything, even to
the body for the burning. And yet all
the glory of such eloquence lost---a bit
of sounding brass-without a patient,
long suffering loving, and merciful
ability to listen. To pray is to speak
to God; to be reverent is to listen to
God; to live righteously is to speak to
our fellows: but to be able to lovingly
listen to every utterance of human life.
from saint to sinner. lew or Gentle.
great or little one, Is TO possess that
virtue which gives true purpose to the
other three and makes life worth the
living.
Men are rot driven to unbelief by
the failure to comprehend the hand
which creates q universe, but to the
car which listens TO the music of an
atom. Sin is not continued and mnlti-
piled on the earth for the lack Of
tongues to utter righteousness, but from
the lack of sanctified ears on the part
of those who preach it, ears so keen
that they may hear among the discard
ant sounds of earth every bit OF har.
mony that speaks OF hope for the life
that utters it, And now abiheth
faith hope. charity, these three. but
fha ,rrertpst of these is charity