Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-08-26


the soprano. A future son-in-law was
the tenor. The music was an utter
failure. What were you 10 do? You
could no more run u successful church
without good music than you could run
II without the right kind Of preaching.
One day. in state Of desperation. you
called your church officers together
and demanded compete change In
your musical leaders. You got II. but
you got IL ut the cost OF that elders
unrelcnting hate. lie never ceased TO
prosecute you. lie did everything he
could TO undermine your ministry. lie
pursued you even after you left his
church. lie wrote letters TO distant
cities against you. As the vendetta Is
carried on for generation after genera
tion in certain families In southern
Europe. SO the children Of that old
elder are still pursuing you. Their
hatred has never let up. although their
father has now been dead for years.
The same poisonous tongue of hate
may have been following you as u law
yer or doctor or merchant or musician.
You entered the town and put out
your shingle or opened your store.
You said to yourself. Now ! will be
honest and square and work hard and
build up good practice or trade and
make my name honored In this little
community" Work hard you did.
Clients or patients or customers began
en Et,aN
mics began TO collect. aha" they
said to each other. I'VE must stop this
young upstart lie is taking away
our money. We must prepare for him
some lions den Then they began
10 attack your moral character. They
began to vilify your family. They de-
nounccd you ms guilty OF every crime
in the criminal calendar. and the pc
culiarity of their enmity IN thls-it has
gone on for years and years. The
longer lived that hatred the more bit
ter Ii Is. Yes" you answer. that Is
true. Why. have my enemies all
over town. II does seem that the
more | try 10 he good and the more
my friends learn 10 respect me the
more these enemies hate me and try
to do me harm"
The venom0us Cobra.
My friend. sympathize with you in
that persecution. You say you do not
bear your prosecutors any Ill will. for
you have triumphcd over their attacks.
But rs you We're once prosecuted AS q
young man. now ms well established
merchant or lawyer or doctor or min
lister or wife or mother he careful that
you are not yourself using one of those
poisonous and vindictive tongues. l
once read of II vcnomous cobra Of In
dia having been decaptated. AS the
people were standing around looking
ut the hcadlcss snake native reached
forth his bare foot and struck the head.
No sooner did his foot touch the opened
mouth of the snake than. by mus
pierced the bare foot. and in one hour
the man was dead. Has not the poison
Gus fang Of hate of that Old enemy OF
yours. many years 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 slur that
young mans character who In trying
so hard to earn livelihood for his
widowed mother or younger brother?
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 you
and your success: Men. beware how
you try To destroy your supposed ri
walls, Women, beware how you attack
that young woman. Her good name
IL her life. Hate not. Dcspise not.
Others have wronged you with vim
dictive tongue. DO not retallate. do
not use the same weapons.
But as | begin to analyze the poison
OF the evil tongue find that II is COM
posed Of many different sinful basic
elements. Water. for instance. IL com
posed Of gas called hydrogen. and
another gas called oxygen. Chemical
", the definition OF water IL ll2O.
Sodium sulphate Is composed OF three
different basic elements. Its compo-
nent parts are sodium. sulphur and
oxygen. Chemically. II Is written
MAJ, SOI. Now. as l analyze In Gods
great laboratory the poison Of the
"evil tongue" find il. first. composed
OF the element OF hate. and. secondly.
OF the element OF falschood. All
through the Bible. the deceitful tongue
Is condemned by God. The lying
tongue Of man should be condemned
by man. Yet today there are many
professional men ana many merchants
building up their practices or busl-
nesscs upon tissue Of lies.
A Professional Falsehood.
A professional falsehood came direct
" under my observation. when. many
years ago. was preaching In an east
ern city. One of my church officers
was taken down with lung trouble and
had 10 go 20 Arizona TO live. While
there. his little daughter became very
sick with heart trouble. The mother
brought her back home. The father
photographed me to look after them.
at once went TO my family physician.
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