The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-10


The International Sunday School Les
son for March IL. is THE Tongue
and the Temper" Matt. $685. The
Golden Text is, Keep the door OF my
lips" Psa. 141-3-
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
he lifting power of lofty
truths keeps humanity on
the upgrade Great ideals
make a nation great Ihe
Christian church has FOR
@ twenty centuries lowered above
its environment. and raised the latter
up toward its own level, because OF the
exalted principles which are her stan
dards- The greatest claim thaI othef
religions make for themselves that they
possess teachings similar to those OF
Jesus. progress, equality or superiority
IS the entire content Of their doctrines
The power of q single noble truth 10
transform a human life is illustrated
every day. Almost every serious ana
successful man has life motto; ana
usually. IF we could have q peep into
his wallet we would ind there one or
more inspiring quotations which repre-
sent his most interpretive MOODS Je-
sus thus grips life by his teachings ana
by his life. In the Sermon on the
Mount a fragment Of which Is the days
lesson, he enunciates great and funda-
mental principles of action which are
at once laws and goals.
Truths for the Times.
The Sermon on the Mount is not the
climax of Christ's teaching; his life out
ran his words. and the doctrine e1-
pressed on Mount Calvary is on
higher plane than that set forth on the
Calileam mountain.
The ethics of Jesus as lived are su-
blimer than the ethics of Jesus as de
Iivered to his disciples on the Mount.
Therein he differs from all other phi
losophers and teachers.
Three truths fer the times have been
selected by the lesson committee from
the entire discourse for the present
study. one has to do with speech; the
second with actions toward an enemy;
and the third. the spirits attitude to-
ward life at large. The title, the
Tongue and the Temper" ls made
ouafe. A wide scope Of conduct IS en-
braced. the principles ascending to the
conception Of such Wilderness and sym
1letrv and perfection of life as reseIu-
bies that Of the Father in Heaven
Tripped by the Tongue
Prolix profanity and idle oaths were
an evil OF the Masters time, as of ours.
Swear not at all, is the point Of his
first teaching here. Every man who
has studied human nature has mar
yelled over its prOneness to offend with
the tongue. Kipling expresses his view
an modern phrase when he says that a
man may hold any sort Of job if he viii
only hold his tongue Every kind OF
foolish ness expresses itself by foolish
speech. The few was quick to swear
by his head, by heaven, by earth, by
sun. By the holy city, and by the tenn
pie, for his extravaBant speech needed,
he felt, some such substantiaEon.
Against this frivolous and futile doc
trine Jesus protested; his words were
not directed against judicial paths, but
were a strong plea for slmpleness ana
integrity of speech. For language mir
rors thought; cheap, vague, careless
and unoriginaI speech betrays the same
kind Of thinking.
If the ancient Jews, with their mean
inFiess oaths, were any more prOfane
than notwithstanding America. they
were in a bad way indeed Even the
most delicate and sheltered sensibilities
Of girlhood are obliged to undergo the
offense of hearing women Of pro
fame and lewd speech on the public
highway; and even reputable prints
are not guitless in this particular.
II don't think expresses the swear
er, when demonstrated with. OF course
he did not; no fact concerning present
DAY profanity is more patent than its
lack OF thought. Inability to use words
dfscriminatingly Is the reason why
many persons have recourse to stereO
typed oaths. The presence Of profan
1ty denotes the absence Of thought
s'strong speech" is a sign of a veal
mind
A FOur-FOld Indictment.
Four indictments may clearly b,
brought against the contemptuoul
ia bit of vile language. /. It is mean
inBless. Oaths are employed withOu
any respect to their significance; or in
Ferlaided without sense or sequence
2. Profanity is unoriginal. One doe
mot hear a new oath in year. Tn
stupidest gutter drunkard is as adep
at swearing as the college student.