Connecticut western news., 1904-11-03
Caln,age Sermon
By Rev. Frank De Witt Talmage, D. D.

Los Angeles, Cal, Oct 30.-In this sermon the preacher-tells of the beau ties and the poteptialities of gentle ness and human kindness in the home, in business and in our everyday deal ings with friends and enemies. The text Is II Timothy il, 21, "Be gentle unto all men,"
 The great moral leaveners of the world have used but little blasting powder. They are not past masters in the High Order of Babbling Quar- relers." Like the laborers, lifting high CT and higher the walls of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, they make but little noise. They tread the pathway of life with feet, for the most part, sandaled in velvet. Their voices are not an angry growl, but dulcet whisper. Their breath Is not cyclonic, but sum. mer zephyr. Their countenances are not twisted with the demoniac pas sions of a Hogarth's caricature. Their eyes are not flashing with the light nings of Mediterranean euroclydon. They are red tipped and laughing eyed and rosy checked, with the happy smile of glorious June sunrise. They be- heve' not in the strenuous life, with it's swords and spears and battleaxes and clubs and bludgeons and confla- gratioRs. They believe not in hurling storm cloud against storm cloud until the deluge comes, and the bridges are swept away, and the harvest fields are battered down, us though two mighty fac, ho1 bn intn gigantic battlefield where the heavens were resounding with the cannonading of the clements. But they believe in the gentle life" They believe in the golden pulleys of evaporation, gath ering up the waters into the reservoirs of the clouds, to be scattered abroad in the blessed refreshment of April showers. They believe In the gentler means, which produce life, and not in the fierce, passionate methods of the iconoclast, the anarchist and the fire brand, which destroy life.
 Nature has her storms, eruptions and earthquakes, which in her angry moods carry death and destruction in their path, but the gentle ways are al- ways used by nature to accomplish her greatest good. Standing upon a ships deck some day, 1 say, Where did yon- der tall, straight mast come from?" Why" you say, hundreds of years ago a bird was flying over the Maine hills toward her nest with little seed in her mouth. The keen eye of hawk spied her. When the hawk began to soar higher and higher in the heavens that he might make one terrific plunge upon his prey, the little bird saw him. Before she fled to safety she gave one little frightened cry. When she utter ed that cry her bill opened and the seed dropped to the ground. A gentle wind blew up the valley and covered over that seed with little soil. A lit tie shower then came and moistened that soil, and the little seed began to sprout It took root It grew into a bush. It grew up into sapling. It rounded out into great big tree. One day q Maine lumberman came through hat -xalleX-,r,W With his ax he marked
 hat tree for the shipyard. The tree was cut down. It was dragged to the river and fioated down to the sawmill It was scraped and fixed for mast When this ship was launched that tree was fitted in It's present place for mans use. Nature developed that tree not in the upheavals of a day, but by the gentle ways of maturing years"
 The gentle life of the Christian must be manifested toward those with whom we come into closest contact. We first of all should be gentle to our parents ,I and brothers and sisters and home as- sociates. We should be gentle when we arise In the morning and prepare for the breakfast table, be gentle when we are fixing the children for school, be gentle when we kiss our wives good by as we start for the train, be gentle when we come home at night from the store, be very gentle when we tuck away the little ones into their beds for the night, for it is by the gentle words, the gentle deeds and the gentle mem- ories that we hold our greatest infiu- ence over our dear ones and not by the rebukes and the consciousness of our bitter tongues.
 An old Proyerb.
 The old proverb teaches, "One warm sunshiny May day can woo more buds out of the trees and bushes than five months of winter frosts can ever ac- complish." One word of gentleness can accomplish more for good in the lives of our dear ones than q thousand angry looks can ever do. You know that your mothers smile, your moth er's kiss and your mothers sweet ways were the greatest magnets which made you try to do right. They were not your fathers punishments and sharp rebukes. You know that your wife's gentle ways have far more influence for good over the lives of your little children than your sharp corrections, although your wife rarely lifts a hand to strike them u blow Why, only last week this fact wns illustrated to you in an emphatic way. You told your boy not to do q certain act. You told him not to go to a neighbours house. He went. When you came home you found 1t out. You were angry. You said to yourself, II will make that boy mind me If have to whip him for his disobedience." You took him to your room and thrashed him. Did that whipping do any goodF Not partlcle. The same angry look which flashed from your eyes flashed from his. The same set lines which drew down the corners of your mouth drew down his. He did not cry, he did not even whim- per. He took his punishment In dog ged silence, and then he sullenly went to his room.
 There Is an old saying that all the natures of the wild and the domestic beasts are edged up in every mans heart. It only depends upon which cage you open which nature will domi- nate the man. In the hearts poenag- erie are the jackal, the lion, the tiger, ! the swine and the lamb, and all other kinds of four legged beasts. That : whipping which you gave your boy only developed the mulish part of his nature He became obstinate and ugly.