Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-08-30
rHr oRrMEs on rHr ToNGuE

THE CRIMES OF THE TONGUE
Dear Househoders: Our sabbath school les
son for May 26 was truthfulness. I wonder
II there we're many OF US that thought of
the crimes OF the tongue. Even 30 the tongue
Is little member and boasteth great things,
behold how great a matter a little fire kin
dlethi And the tongue is fire--a world OF
iniquity. So Is the tongue among our members.
that il defileth the whole body and setteth on
fire the course Of nature, AMI ii is set on fire
of hell flames III so.
As ! strelied this ! thought Of the MISCHIEF
dOHe by the tongue. The consequences do not
stop with the word spoken The tongue stirs
up the whole life and sets IL fire.
Let us compare the crimes Of the tongue with
the crimes Of the gun. the second most deadly
instrument OF destruction, the first being the
human tongue. The gun merely Kills the body
the tongue kills reputation and Oftmes ruins
character. The havoc Of the gun Is visible
at once; the evil OF the tongue lives through
all the years. TO come. The crimes Of the
tongue are words of. unkndness, OF anger, OF
malice. Of envy. OF bitterness, of harsh crtti-
eism, gossip, lying and scandal. Theft and
murder are awful crimes, yet In any single
year thu sorrow pain and suffering they cause
IN 9 nation Is microscopic when compared with
the sOrrows that come from the crimes OF the
tongue.
Al the hand of thief or murder few OF us
suffer even indirectly, but from the. careless
tongue OF friend. the cruel tongue Of enemy.
who Is free! No human being can live a lie
50 true. 50 fair, pure. as 10 be beyond the
reach Of malice immune from the poisonous
carnations Of envy. The insidious attack
against ones reputation, the slurs, half-lies
BY which jealous mediocrity seeks 10 ruin It's
superior, are like those insect parasites that
Kill the heart Of a mighty oak so cOwardly Is
the Aethod, 50 stealthy, the shooting OF the
poisoned thorns: 50 Insignificant the separate
acts in their seeming that one is not on guard
against them.
crohe. Scandal Is one OF the crimes Of the
tongue, but IL is only one. Every individual
who breaths a word of scandal is an active
stockholder in a society for the spread Of moral
contaEion.
There are pillows wet with tears; there are
noble hearts broken in silence whence comes
natures scared and warped; there are old time
friends separated and walking their lonely ways
with hope dead and memory but a pang; there
are cruel Observation-Disclosures that make all lite
look dark-these are but few OF the sorrows
that come from the crimes OF the tongue.
A man NAV lead life OF honesty and puri-
t. battling bravely for all he holds dear, 50
firm and sure OF the rightness OF his Ire
thar he never thinks for an instant OF the
dfaholic ingenuity that makes evil and eVi
report where naught but good really exists. A
few words lightly spoken by the tongue OF
Islander. 4 significant expression Of the eyes,
a cruel shrug Of the shoulders, with pursuing
OF the Iips and then friendly hands grow
cold the accustomed smile Is displaced oy
A sneer and one stands alone and aloof with
dazed feeling Of wonder at the vague intan'
ulnd something that has caused II all.
To sustain ourselves In our own hasty ludg
ment we sometimes say as we listen ana ac-
cent without Investigation the words OF these
modern people. well. where there Is so mucn
smoke. there must be some firet' Yes, ou'
the fire may oe only fire OF malice the Inos ~
diary firing OF the reputation OF another oy
the lighted torch Of envy. thrown INTO the IN
canon Ca. r. 3. LULA PAYNE.