Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1912-06-22
THE uHTAMnD ANIMAL.

L ~ hos poou WOh ouo truly bhiu tus
"ths pen is mightisr than the sword"
And the saying applies even more forci
bly, to the human tongue, which wal
very much in evidence and had wrought
a world Of good and syil--of blessing
and cursing-many cycles ere pen and
ink were known.
1t Is the tongue Of the eloquent orator
and enthusiast that has, in all ages, in.
cited men to deeds of wondrous daring
and heroism; and it 10 the tongue, too,
Of fiery marplots and demagogues, that
has led to the most disastrous upheavals
in the worlds history. But we need not
betake ourselves to the chronicles Of old
to form an idea of its power for veal or
woe, or to find traces Of the ruin it has
caused. We have ali the evidence We
want at ourxery doors.
Who, among rs, with even very lim-
tied experienes, can be ignorant of the
havoc wrousW by the yileeongus of the
slanderer-of the fair regulations 1t has
blighted, the promising careers it has
blasted, the brilliant prospects it has
ruined? How many are the happy
homes it has wrecked, and the loving
hearts it has torn apart and crushed
beneath its merciless iron heel.
The simple lie, which hurts only the
liar himself, is bad enough, for "lying
lips are an abomination, not only Ito
the Lord" but TO every decent man and
woman as we'll. The charge of unfaith-
fulness is one which even the child re-
sents with all its might. He may stand
a great deal Of bantering, but il he has
spark of self respect in his makeup
this is one taunt which his young spirit
will not brook. Call him liar and he
il up in arms at once. There Is some
thing 80 indescribably mean about lying
that the veriest stripping seems to feel
it instinctiveIy from the moment he be-
gins to reason.
But if simple lying is bad, the two
edged sword of slander, which wounds
both accuser and accused, is immeasur-
ably worse-worse, in some respects,
than theft and murder. For it is the
theft and murder of that which people
of honor and spirit prize more highly
than money, or even life itself. In the
category of crime there are few acts to
compare, in baseness and malice with
deliberate, cold-blooded calumny.
The Founder of Christianity was ex-
ceptionally lenient with most classes of
sinners, but the slanderer formed an
exception to the general rule. In fact,
almost the only instance of His indul-
gence in bitter inyective, is His refer
ences to the libelous Pharisees, who
were constantly misrepresenting Him
self and His work. Perhaps one of the
strongest chapters in all literature is St..
James indictment of the unbridled
tongue. The writer evidently felt deeply
on the subject and knew from expe-
rience the truth of the words he penned
"Behold how small fire kindleth a
great wood" "And the tongue is fire
"A world of iniguity-beiug set on fire
by hell"
Man has succeeded in tanning all sorts
of beasts and birds, but there is one
little force which still remains untamed
and unsubdued-the venomous tongue,
a restless evil, full of deadly poison. In
the matter of libel, as in most other
things, destruction is easier than con-
struction. It is far easier to pull down
and destroy reputation, than it is tc
build it up again-and yet, build it up
again the destroyer must, if he would
square himself with justice. There is
no alternative. No amount of money
will compensate for the loss Of ones
good name. Nothing short of complete
vindication will suffice to right the
wrong, and clear the defamer in the
High Court of Justice.
Rev. JAS. A. MOONEY.