The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1904-04-29
SPEAKING AND LISTENING,

by Rev. ~ Everett Johnson.
Though speak with the tongues OF
men and OF angels, and have not char
ity, am become as sounding brass, o,
tinkling 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 q
brush; musician, perhaps, with vio-
lin; an architect with stones; a cabinet
worker with a piece Of furniture, or
any 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 sensitive ear. He must be
good listener; he must be able to hear
the thoughts, the feelings, the preju-
dices, the hopes, and the aspirations
expressed in 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 to action because Of
the lack Of trained ear.
Many persons who speak of right
eousness by correct living do it in such
manner that others are repealed and
refuse to listen for the same reason.
Ihelr ears are not trained; their lives
and tongues speak of God, but their
ears are not opened to the speech of
the 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 a
tinkling cymbal.
And what is Christ? The word made
flesh, the eloquence 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 SUBJ
lime charity to the cry of a poor wreck
OF human life. With what sweet mercy
the curtain of darkness is drawn
around the cross, that the poor, falter-
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 all things! How do the
words of the thief on the cross mag
nifty the eloquence of the Sermon on
the Mount for all generations to come?
st. Paul sets forth the power of elo- |
luence in human life; the tongues of |
angels, the gift of prophecy, the posses
SION OF all knowledge, a perfect faith, |
md at last, at the climax Of eloquence.
The giving up Of everything. even to
The body for the burning. And vet all
he glory of such eloquence lost--a bit
If sounding brass-without a patient
ong suffering, loving, and merciful
'bility to listen. To pray is to speak
o God; to be reverent is to listen to
Sod; to live righteously is to speak to
'ur fellows; but to be able to lovingly
listen to every utterance Of human life.
rom saint to sinner, Jew or Gentle,
great or little one, is to possess that
'irtue which gives true purpose to the
'ther three and makes life worth the
living.
Men are not driven to unbelief by
he failure to comprehend the hand
which creates universe, but to the
ar which listens to the music of an
tom. Sin is not continued and multi
lied on the earth for the lack of
ongues to utter righteousness, but from
he lack of sanctified ears on the part
4 those who preach it, ears so keen
hat they may hear among the discord-
mt sounds Of earth every bit of har-
lony that speaks of hope for the life
hat utters 1t. "And now abideth
aith, hope, charity, these three, but
he greatest Of these is charity"
ann con