The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-27
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.


 DE WITT TALMAoE. D. ..
 merchant or lawyer or doctor or min. ister or wife or mother be careful that you are not yourself using one of those poisonous and Vtndictive tongues. I once read of venemous cobra of India hay ing been decapitated. As the people were standing around looking at the headless snake native reached forth his bare foot and struck the head No sooner did his foot touch the open mouth of the snake than. by muscular contrac- ton, the poisonous fangs pierced the bare foot. and in one hour the man was dead. Has not the poisonous fang of hate of that old enemy of yours, many Ycafs dead, entered into your life? Why did you make that mean remark about that young doctor or lawyer or minister or merchant the other day? Why did you Sur that young mans character who is frying so hard to earn a livelihood for his widowed mother or younger brother 9 As others in the past have buried their poisonous fangs of hateful jealousy in your heart are you trying to destroy others who seem to come between vol, and your success? Men, beware how you try to destroy your supposed rivals, Women, beware how you attack that young womanl Her good name Is her life. Hate not Despise not Others have wronged you with a vindictive tongue. Do not retaliate, do not use the same weapons
 But as I begin to analyze the poison of the evil tongue I find that it is con- posed of many different sinful basic el- ements. Water, for instance, Is composed of a gas called hydrogen, and another gas called oxygen. Chemically. the defi- hilton of water Is TI2o Sodium sulphatc is composed of three different basic ele- ments. Its component parts are sodium, sulphur and oxygen Chemically. it Is written Nag. SO4. Now, as I analyze in Gods great laboratory the poison of the "evil tongue" I find It. first com posed of the element of hate. and. snc- oudlv of the element of falsehood All through the Bible the deceitful tongue is condemned by God Tho lying tongue of man should be condemned by man. Yet today there are many professional men and many merchants building up their nro etices or businesses upon tis- sue of lies.
 Professional FaIsehood.
 A professional falsehood came directly under my observation, when, many years ago. I was preaching in an eastern city. One of my church officers was taken
 
 to Arizona to live. While there his little daughter became very sick with heart trouble The mother brought her back home. The father telegraphed me to look after them. I at once went to my family physician. one of the most emi- nen- in the state, and had him examine the child. He looked the little girl care fully over. and this was his diagnosis; She has valvnlar trouble of the heart I.. f.A ctt.. 1T. year. but in all probability she will die in about six months Within a few weeks dropsy will set in. then she will have to be tapped. The best thing you can do Is to make her as comfortable as possible. for she cannot get well" I ~rote to the father the result. At once ue came home and sent for another doc tor.
 This other physician came in and said. 'T can cure her if you will give me full charge of the case" That physician knew he could not cure her Death had written its fatal mark all over that child. but because that other physician said he could cure the child the new doctor be- came the attending physician He called twice day for six months. The child grew worse and worse. just as my fam fly physician said she would. Then she died, as he had predicted But on &C., count of that false hope which the other physician held out he was able to get the patient and secure the fee.
 In business as well as in professional life men are guilty of "the lying tongue" They lie about land they want to sell; they lie about houses they want to rent: : they lie about their stock: they lie bout their furniture stores they lie about their horses; they lie about everything they desire to get rid of They keep on lying in a business way. lust as though King Solomon had never hurled his con- demnatIon against business lies when he wrote these terrible words: "The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is vanity tossed to and fro of them that sock death. The rohblnR of the wicked shall destroy them because they refuse to do judgment" o God. deliver us today from being merchants who are perjurers or lawyers who are deceivers or physi- clans who are falsifiers or men trying to sell their goods by deceiving their fel- low men. O God deliver us from the falsifer's doom. For without are dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh lie."
 But the evil tongue of man Is also vile tongue. Vile in the sense that 1t is filled with all uncleanness. Vile because the lewd the corrupt. the filthy, the de- filed. the debased the impure, the coarse, is often the type of the lan- guage in which 1t glories. Vile in the sense that the stories and the commit nications It speaks are often unfit for re- spectable ears Yet its corrupt conver- sa tions are not only heard in the street and in so-called respectab1e homes and among so-caled ladies as well as so- called gentlemen.
 wropo Kind of Story
 walk down the street. There I see a lot of school boys gathered together. Suddenly a great guffaw of laughter is raised "What are you laughing at. hoys2" "Oh. at a story" What is the story?" ''We cannot tell you. You arc minister and would not be willing to hear It." I 20 to the mems club. and there I find that the risque joke is often the one most appreciated. I 20 to the theatre. and there I find that tho filthy insinuation is the ono most uproariously encored I go into tho home. and there at many flresdes the suggestive story Is the one that finds tho most attentive listeners. This should not be; this must not be The same words which Paul wrote to the Fphesians he Is now speak ing to us: 'Let m corrupt communica- ton proceed out of vour mouth'' That means. as Albert Barnes once said, Alb stain from corrupt and polluting conver- sation." As young woman or young man, as middle aged woman or mid dle aged man. or an old woman or an old man. do not say anything you would not be willing for the ears of your pure Christian mother to hear.
 But the vindictive tongue and the lying tongue and the vile tonsue Is also the