Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-02-08

A second character against whom the
| Bible warns us Is the slanderer. Solo.
mon says proverbs X. 1sl, "He that ut.
tcreth SANDER Is fool" What does
that mean? Why. simply this: II you
hear an evil report about your neigh.
Dor and you repeat this evil report be.
| fore you have investigated II. and you
| go Oh repeating this evil report when
1t Is unsubstantlnted by one scintlla
Of proof. and you run around spread.
ing that report from house to house.
| you are IN Gods sight a fool. Now
all such scandal mongers you aud
should shun or else with their viper.
Gus tongues they Will destroy our splr.
| itual lives. even as an adders fang
with one puncture can inject Its poison
and still the throbbings of our pulses
and stop the steady action OF our beat.
Ing hearts And yet. alas. how much
Of the conversation OF our associates
IL devoted to trying TO analyzc the sup.
posed Imperfections OF our neighbors!
And when our friends begin TO talk
slanderously about our neighbors how
easy 1t is for us to Join forces with
them and become a slanderer among
slanderers.
We are ready to grant that the first
part Of the verse of my text. lie that
walketh with wise men shall be wise. .
is true We know that the influence
OF good men lifts us up and helps us
| TO he good. Why should we not he
willing TO admit that the evil CONVEX
sation OF slanderers and OF bad men
Will drag us down? Can we grant the
first fact and deny the second? There
Is story told by noted speaker that
one day father was walking through
the country with his two boys The
wind was blowing over fine field of
corn and making the sllken. golden
ears bend like the waves OF the sea.
us 1t not surprising" said one Of the
children. that the wind does not break
the slender stalksT My son" an.
swered the father. that would be true
| II one of those stalks was to stand
alone. But you must remember that
each OF those slender stalks stands In
the midst of many other stalks, and
they all help to support each other. Sc
with our companions I'm life. They
make us what we are. They help Us
TO bear up against the strong winds
Of adversely and temptation. There.
fore. my boy you must be careful that
you have good friends by your side
who will help you to bear the strug.
gle of life bravely" That is good ad.
vice "Ile that walketh with wise men
shall be wise" But as | stand upon
the hillside and watch great field OF
| wheat bending and swaying under the
pushing. driving winds ! see that here
and there is a stalk bending before the
blast and. after giving way itself, bear
| Ing another stalk down. Therefore II
we 20 with slanderers they will de.
stroy us us surely as wise men will
lift us up and make us wise.
Grimes as Classified.
Now In Gods sight this stu OF Sian.
| der Is an awful sin AS | take NJ the
| penal code OF our state or national gov
eminent | find the different crimes
| classified IN the order OF their heinous.
ness For instance. II steal loaf OF
bread | could not be hanged FOR the
crime If | should 90 down the street
tonight and get drunk. | could not be
sent TO the penitentiary for life. In
! all probability | should be sent ont on
the chain gang 10 eXplaie my INSIDE
meanor by working on the roads for
| twenty or thirty or sixty days. But II
you should shoot man or poison your
| companion or de railroad train
| for plumber or II, as an incendiary. you
should burn up hotel, then you could
! be hanged by the neck until you are
dead or you could be sent TO the pen
| itentiary TO serve out all the days God
has given you TO live upon earth.
| Crimes in the criminal code of the
| United States are classified In refer
| ence 10 their culpabillty. AS they are
also classified in the divine code Now.
where do we find this crime of SIAN
| der in Gods codel Is II u petty mis-
| demeanor? Is II little sin that God
| will In time overlook? Nay. Among
| the worst of all spiritual criminals In
Gods sight is the slanderer. David tells
us In his Hundred and First Psalm
the awful doom which is 10 be metef
out TO the slanderer, "Whoso privil
slandereth his neIghbor, him will cut
of" Beware, . man, how you allow
your friends to SANDER their neighbors
In your presence! Beware how you
poison your own life by recounting the
evil reports OF your friends. The
companion OF fools shall be destroyed
The slanderer is fool.
But we are not to find the compan.
ions whom we are to shun entirely
among the atheists and the scandal
mongers. We are not TO find them only
in the quiet corners. where friend talks
10 friend. but we can also find these
evil companions at the banquet table,
and in the ballroom. and at the card
parties. and In the billiard halls. and at
the baseball games. and on the fishing
/ oD1 hoaffuU trims and NJ tho race