The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-10-28

hatred and discord, so much so that
a sacred writer has said that ''he who
sinneth not by his tongue is perfect"
There is a vice almost universal
among the human family, says a
writer in the Intermountain Catholic,
and one which is most dangerous, be-
cause its enormitys is not realized,
though its fruits are terrible; vice
that feeds on a corrupted heart and
spreads it's poison through the
tongue, and bears the odious name Of
SANDER.
The tongue of the slanderer is what
the inspired writer terms it, "a raging
fire which scorches all within it's
reach" 1t feeds with delight on what
is most sacred and secret, destroys
what is most solid, and blackens what
lit cannot consume. The slanderer
takes secret pride in revealing the
mote in a brothers eye and cannot
see the beam in his own. Full of base
envy he takes offense at the superior
lily or success of others, and lives only
by impairing their character. In the
breast of the slanderer there is a
disguised hatred, which distills in
words the poisonous fermentation OF
the heart; there is a contemplate
hypocrisy which praises openly and
reviles secretly.
| The gravity of sin may be meas
ured by its contradiction of the per-
lection of God, to which it is opposed.
God is all goodness, beauty, justice
and sanctity Sin is denial of the
projections. The perfection which
God has revealed as dearest to him is
love. Walk in love as Christ hath
also loved u.s. Love prompted mans
redemption, which was accomplished
through the blood of the Savior. For
that love He exacts a reciprocal love
from his followers. My little chill
dren, want you to love one another"
Be like your forefathers, who forced
the pagans to exclaim in admiration.
See how they love one another"
This brotherly love gives strength to
society, and brings peace and warmth
to the fireside. But this ideal happi-
ness, designed by Him whom all in
common call Father, is sadly destroyed
by the vice of SANDER.
Mankind, whom God has given as
associates through life, whom He en-
joins us to respect as His creatures,
and to love like brothers, may be di-
vided into three classes in their atti-
tude toward us. They may be friends,
indifferent or enemies. All three are
jealousy guarded by charity. If the
slanderer attacks him, whom he con-
siders an enemy, he is prompted by
hatred, envy or revenge. But these
motives are hateful in the eyes Of
God and man. If he deals his deadly
poison to an Indifferent person, by
what right does he do harm to one
from whom he has received no in
jury? What name does he deserve, IL,
under the sacred name of friendship,
he cloaks his shameful wickedness?
What could be said of the hand that
feigns to sooth, in order to inf1ict o
deeper wound, of the Judas who gives
the kiss of treason to his so-called
friend, of the coward who will borrow
a smile that he may, with impunity,
backbite friend? Where is charity?
Where is humanity? There is no
trace of the ideal man, made to the
likeness of his Creator when he pol
lutes the sacred word, friendship. The
Holy Ghost compares the slanderer to
a viper crawling in search Of its
victim, and says he must be summed
like serpent, for they have sharp
ened their tongues like serpents, and
the venom of asps is under their lips.
The injuries inflicted by the assassin
of ones character are sometimes
worse than death. In the Book of
Truth we read: "The stroke of a
stroke of the tongue will break the
bones" Again: ''the death thereof is
a most evil death; and hell is pre-
ferable to it. The whispered and the
double tongued is acursed; for he
hath troubled many that were at
peace"
i BY criminal speculation one may
ruin a family financially. To satisfy
Gods justice, the loss must be made
good, the damage repaired. But when
ones reputation is wounded, and his
character, or standing in society lost
through the unbridled tongue of the
slanderer, what adequate compensa-
ton can be made? There is nothing
dearer to an honest man than his
Reputation and honor, and no worldly
goods can compare with the treasure
of a good name.
i This is the expression of a truth
which is Unborn in humanity. To
lcounterbalance this robbery, the
slanderer must make compensation
He must retract, and his retraction
will convey the opinion that he is I'm.
lust, envious and lying, How painful
and humiliating this would be to one
possessed of any spark Of honor; yet
the justice of God demands it. Until
the last farthing is paid back one can
not enter the Kingdom Of heaven.