The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-07-07
THE TONGUE AND THE TEMPER.

THE TONGUE AND The TEMPER.
Every man who has studied hu-
man nature has marveled over its
proneness to offend with the tongue.
Every kind of foolishness expresses
itself by foolish speech. The great
literature of the world is filled with
warnings against this evil. The
gentle Juliet begs her lover over the
balcony to "swear not at all.
Homer in the immortal Had repre-
sents Thersites as disturbing the
camp with his uncomfortable temper
and his exasperating speech. Kip
ling voices the same sentiment in
modern phrase when he says that a
man may hold any sort of job if he
will only hold his tongue. The
ancient prophets and teachers of wis
dom found it necessary to frequently
warn the hot-headed and oath-swear-
ing Jews to abstain from incorporate
utterance. "The tongue no man
can tame; it is an unruly member of
deadly poison" Again: "He that
keepeth his lips keepeth his life, but
he that openeth wide his mouth shall
have damnation." The weary old
psalmist, conscious of the many ills
of life, prays especially that the Lord
would set watch before his mouth
and keep the door of his lips. When
the greatest of all the teachers came
and found how prevalent was the
evil of idle oaths, hot temper and
tongue lashing," he issued warm
ing in notable passage Of the Ser
mon on the Mount, 81 say unto you,
swear not at all, but let your COM
munication be, yea, yea, nay, nay
for whatsoever is more than these
cometh of evil.
The greatest characters of history,
the men who achieved the mightiest
results, were those who had complet-
est control over their tempers and
their tongues. The speech of Peri
cles, the most eloquent ever addressed
to the ancient Greeks, was always
measured and we'll considered. He
kept control over fiery and acri-
monious people by constant exhibit
tion of self-restraint and reserved
power which belongs to men who
never lose their heads. The self-con-
troll OF Hampden and the unrufied
temper that was proof against the
worst fate, could send, was Of more
value to the patriots than even the
armies of Cromwell or the pixies of
the Puritans. The great leaders,
who rose to the highest station at the
crucial periods of the American
union, were all men who we'll under
stood the truth that before they could
control others they must first learn to
control themselves. Washington
kept his naturally high temper in
subiection, and never lost his admira-
BILE poise at the most critical juno
lures. Great as general, great as
a statesman, he was still greater In
the complete mastery of his own
passions. 1t was Grant the Silent
who rose to supreme command over
all the armies during the nations
death struggle, and his celebrated
antagonist on the other side was
notable for the same personal char
acteristics. No one ever heard eth
er of these great men utter an oath !;
no one ever saw them do hasty things
as the result of irritation no one
ever heard from them harsh criticisms
of others, however great the provo
cation, or witnessed the unbalancing
of mind that results from lack of self
control.
Farm life is especially provocative
of the high temper and the tart
tongue. Many things are constantly
occurring which are sorely trying to
the patience. Machinery breaks
when most needed; the help fails to
come at harvest time; the stock gets
into wrong fields and devastates the
crops. The hired man is stupid, the
hired boy is careless, the feeding and
mending are neglected, the gates are
left open. the fences are not promptly
repaired. Add to this uncertainties
of the weather, the occasional cpl
denies, the failures of crops and the
general blasting of hopes and it will
be readily understood how necessary
are the Mark Tapleys who can be
"jolly" under all sorts of adverse
circumstances. In the long run we
should say that it was the eventem-
pered farmer who succeeded. This
is especially true when he has a help
mate in the house with similar dis
position. The scoiding wife seldom
gets things done we'll. After fussine
all day she goes to bed at night with
a headache, the only thing kept on
the move all the time being hei
tongue. It is a popularity OF this
concealed weapon that it grows sharp
er with constant use, and it is equal
" true that tart temper never mel
lows with age. The other passion:
die out as we grow older, but the ir-
rascible man and the quarrelsome wo
men become greater and greater
nuisances as they advance in years
Aside from the merely personal ane
social view, however, evenness o.
temper and complete control of th'
tongue have distinctive business ant
financial value on the farm. Stock
as is we'll keown, contract the bat
habits of those set over them, aut
patrons are often driven away by SOU
curmudgeons who know not how t
speak softly. Such people are mis-
fits in the dairy, the stock yards, th'
poultry pens and in all the operation
of agriculture. e.-Ame,:can F0,met.
SUFFERER-Do you extract teetl
without pain?
naV,fief-Nof o1uovc S0raif1es