Graham guardian., 1912-04-26
ye? Thou bypocrite, first east out the

Thus only can thou see clearly. 1t is
not to be inferred that the critic must
attain perfection before entering upon
this difficult task, for in that case no
one could enter upon this task or dis.
charge the functions of this office.
But before man rebukes another for q
fault it is necessary that he examine
himself closely and see that the fault is
not alive in him. But it is note
worthy fact that the fault-fnder, or
critic, as a rule, discerns only those sins
to which he or she are most liable to
practice or fall into. He supposes that
making great noise against his neigh
boris sins, will conceal the beam that is
in his own eye. The very fact of an
uncharitable judgment, is an evidence
of guilty practice, and is beam that
is in the eye, that obscures possible
mote in your neighbor's eye.
A mote in your brothers eye may be
no more than splinter compared to
the beam in your own eye. The critic
usually has enough lumber in his own
eye to start a saw mill.
Wherefore thou art inexcusable, 0
man, whoever thou art that judgest, for
wherein thou judgest another, thou
L
the same thing"
o, critic be consistent. Do not ad-
yocate honesty and fail to pay your
just debts. Do not advocate temper
ance with the smell of liquor on your
breath. Do not espouse the true
cause of morality and purity while your
lips are blistered with the telling of
salicious stories. Do not advocate truth
while you are a living falsehood. Do
not proclaim yourself as political re-
former, if you remain away from the
polls on election day, when a great
moral question is before the people for
settlement. Do not advocate patriotism
if you are patriot for revenue only.
Many man will SANDER his neighbor
by the hour, and then call himself a
Christian. Here is a self-righteous
man, who condemns every creature over
taken in fault. He is heartless and
has no sympathy for the erring. The
man takes glass too much, looses his
balance, and is seen reeling. That
circumstance to the slanderous one, he
instantly calls for his expulsion from
the church, not knowing that he is
drunk himself though not with wine,
but with a hostile spirit, drunk with
uncharitableness, drunk with exultation
over the downfall of his brother. o
thou hypocrite! Pluck the beam from
thine own eye, then shalt thou see more
clearly how to remove the splinter from
thy brothers eye.
Come into the open. Leave your am
bush. An ambuscade may be legitimate
military strategy, but in dealing with
xnI,r yotnh hnrbc fo,,lfc sc
indefensible, and contemplate.
fault, We which are spiritual, restore
such as one in the spirit of meekness. !"
If thy brother shall trespass against
thee, go and tell him his fault between
him and thee alone.."
Do not throw javelins from behind a
cover. Do not engage in hints. Do
not become whisperer, gossip, a
slanderer, back-biter, an assassin of
character. The besetting sin of any COM
munity is gossip. Some evil-minded
censor starts rumor. Virgil aptly de-
scribes it thus: "Rumor, that which
no evil is swifter, thrives by movement,
increases her strength by going. Small
at first and timid, soon she raises her.
self into the air, and strides over the
ground, and buries her head in the
clouds. Swift of foot and untiring
wing, she is frightful, huge monster,
who has many watchful eyes, as many
tongues, as many mouths and as many
ears as she has feathers on her body.
By night she flies between heaven and
earth, rustling through the darkness,
and never closes her eyes in peaceful
slumber; by day she sits as a watcher
upon the highest roof, or upon lofty
towers, and alarms great cities, for she
is fond OF announcing that which is
false"
One man or woman, on fire with this
hellborn spirit, will keep whole neigh
borhood in an uproar. Satan does not
have to watch a community of that
kind with any degree of uneasiness.
The gossip will get husbands and wives
into quarrels, brothers and sisters into
antagonism. Makes neighbors that are
kindly disposed, suspicious, critical, and
hostile. have more respect for the
poorest outcast of the street, who takes
pretentions, than i have for this men,
Der of respectable society who covers |
the hell of the heart with fine clothes;
the venomous tongue with fiattering
speech. Beware of the slanderer, the |
person with a 'serpent's tongue. I'm
told harm is done by too easily be-
lieved evil rumor.
"Said Mrs. A. to Mrs. j. in quite a
confidential way,
1t seems to me that Mrs. B. takes too
much something in her tea,
And Mrs. j. to Mrs. K. that night was
overheard to say:
She grieved upon it much, but Mrs. B.
took-such and such.
Then Mrs. X. wentstraight away and
told friend the self-same day,
Twas sad to think, here came wink,
that Mrs. b. was fond of drink.
The friends disgust, was such she
must, inform the lady whom she
nursed
That Mrs. B. at half past three, was
that far gone she could not see.
This lady, we have mentioned she, gave
needlework to Mrs. B.,
And at such news, could scarcely, choose
but futher needlework refuse,
Then Mrs. B., as you'll agree, quite
properly, she said, said she,
That she track the scandal back, to
those who made her look so
black.
Through Mrs. X. and Mrs. j. she got
at last to Mrs. A.,
And asks her why, with cruel lie, she
painted her so deep dye?
Said Mrs. A. in sore dismay, ] no such