The farmer and mechanic., 1912-05-14
Religious World
THE. TONGUE TEST.
The International Sunday Scnool - :,
son for May 26 is 'lFuthIuiiies. =.
Matt 5:33-3.; James 3:1-I-' o.
fRY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.p

IRI W Lillian J. A~A-'@AN'I
The advertising men or the couii
rrv have been meeting IN OallsNo
month prosecuting their great Wofh
~ raforming the advertising buS
ness, and flying high the stanoaIo
that all goods shall be as represented.
Now that this calling, when naS
Droyerbially been associated WIN
over-statement has come 70 seaiu
for sincere and substantial speeCn'
we may even expect na,;e-
calling of the eVangel1stS ana lehe
ions promoters who have counted e1-
aggeration pardonable in their Work.
Many currents Of reform are
sweeping through our time, and no.
a few of them within the conhnes OF
the churches. It would pc lar
rea ching achievement II all over
statement and distortion ana one
sidednass could be eliminated from
the speech OF those who officially
represent Christianity. There is no
denying that secretaries and promot-
ers generally are prone to make e1-
aggerated statements concerning
their causes and their successes. 1t
would be we'll for them to bear IN
mind the incident related by Mr.
Moody A woman once came to him
| and said, Mr.. Moody, how can L
cure myself Of my habit Of exaggera-
tion?" Call it lying, madam; call
it lying" replied the blunt prophet.
Untruthfulness should be more repre-
hensible on the part of the advance
agents Of revival OF religious con-
vention than on the part OF circus
or theatrical performance.
The Fighting Word.
Civilization has always laid par
upon the Nervousness of falsehood.
| To call a man liar is to challenge
him to fight; because everybody per-
ceiyes, even though dim1y, that the
character OF a man is bound up in
the integrity OF his word The Bible
but expresses the sense OF civiliza-
ton when it pours out contempt up
on untruthfulne5
This Sunday School Lesson. TAX
en- from the words Of Jesus and OF
James, applies the tongue test to
| character.
Words are proof Of life, and
an evidence Of ones religion or ir-
religion. For every spoken wore
man must give account. It has been
common to scott at clip religion
but there is a form Of lip religion
pel-the religion that expresses it
self in true, tender, patient, loving
sympath etlc speech.
"If you are tempted to reveal
A tale sons one to you has told
About another, make it pass
Before you speak. three gates ol
gold.
Three narrow gates-frst, Is i
true?'
Then. Is it needful?' In your mine
, Give truthful answer, and the next
{ Is last and narrowest. is it kind?'
) An American Sin.
A profitable diversion Is to liste,
, to the scraps Of conversation that on
oVerhears on the highways. Frank
/ ly, the experience does not give on
any very deep sense Of the restrain
s or wisdom Of the words that mel
n and women are speaking. Superla
, tive adjecuves are sprinkled through
common speech like raisins in a minc
pie, Simply awful and "perfectl
/. lovely are not commonly reserves
tor the great and stimulating sub
: Jects; they are likelier to refer to
hat or a dish Of ice cream. The in
i dlscrlmlnateness OF the common us
e OF adjectves disheartens one VIII
! loves ms mother tongue in its purit,
o AS Ian Maclaren pointed out in on
; Of his stories, men leave no adjective
0 Tor the TWenty-first Chapter Of tn
l. heVelauon. We have gone a lon
way from the plain speech" of tn
It Society Of Friends Our talk ia nc
l. turesque. but it is often as meanins
is less as the chatter Of the monkeys
The tongue troubles Of our tim
include the witless use of slang an
the tendency OF coarseness and vu
gar innuendo. The youth of TODAY
II unrestrained and extravagant
speech. and also inclined to disr,
spect and irreverence. Simple. sobe
IS. strong speech seems out Of fashio,
10 rho value OF few words and weigh,
I'd Is not perceived by the new gener.
o. ton. This Sunday School lesson
ne timely. if it causes a few milue
at young people to put a question ma,
oeiore tneir own manner Of speec
The Orient's Reviline.
The East is forever swearing "b,
n SOmethlnS. The usage which IaS