Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-06-27

Lot every man be swift 10 hear. slow
to speak, slow to wrath"
Swift to hear. Half OF our trouble
lies In the fact that our ears are not
nttuned 10 the language in which other
people naturally express themselves.
they are like wireless apparatus ar
ranged TO catch the utterances or in
struncnts that have come out OF the
same factory. but making nothing OF
other sound waves which are equally
significant. II is q large element in
practical Christianity to get n habit Of
listening for the things that other
people want to say, rather than for
things we ourselves want TO hear. saul
or IarSuS started as Il Phar!Scc--higi-
minded and conscientious. but listen
ing only to the voice OF his associates.
Paul. the apostle to the Centilcs, had
become all things TO all men ii by such
means he might save any. lie could
help more kinds of men than any other
apostle, and lay broader foundation
tor the modern church, because he was
able to understand the imperfect utter
anccs of more kinds OF mon. This is
the very crown of Christian charity:
TO have ears ana eyes and heart open
10 other peoples points of view and
forms of expression.
SHOULD PROCLAIM JUDGMENT
ONLY AFTER n Is MATt'Hi:B
So much for the first practical direc-
tion. And the second Is. that we should
he slow To speak. We should not shape
or proclaim our judgment until We have
maturcd ii. The instant that Il man
has stated his position he has made Il,
hard 10 give fair consideration TO new
evidence. If he has expressed his
li.sl ola
VIII lay him open to the charge of in
consistency. Even if he has merely
formulated il to himself. the premature
putting of Il judgment into words tends
10 prejudice the case under question
The word that has once gone FORTH"
Says the law of the Jungle changes
all trails"
IL sometimes happens that we have
TO act on incomplete evidence: that
wo are compelled TO take a position be-
fore we have found out all the facts
that we should like To know. In a
case OF this Kind il is a matter OF On
ccpttonal Importance that we should
keep our heads clear, should under
stand that our reasons for what we are
DOM may prove wrong. ANA should
mold our eyes open for new evidence.
This is n hard task. and II is one which
many OF MS fail 20 accomplish The
fact that we arc not quite sure of our
reasons With more dcnnitencss than the
situation warrants; just ms a minister
whom | knew in my boyhcod always
preached loudest when he was a little
uncertain about the logic of his dis
course. The man who acts in this
way is in perpetual danger Of iusti-
fYing himself at the expense Of Justice
70 others; of binding himself n; tho
time when he most needs to keep his
vision clear; OF letting speech talk" tho
place OF thought, until both speech and
thought go hopelessly wrong.
Again. we must be slow to wrath.
Even when we have heard all the evil
dcncc we can get. and when the case
appears sufficiently clear to state our
position. we must take pains not TO let
our judgment be cloudcd ny our emo
ton. To rcligious man who mas q
real zeal for God and for truth, and
who is impatient OF anything that APP
pears To stand in it's way. this is the
hardest lesson OF all. Virtue is more
dangerous than vice." says Il French
philosopher. because It's excuses arc
not subject to the restraints of con-
science" We arc promo TO mistake in
tcnsity OF feeling for intensity of
power: TO believe that by giving way
to our anger III II righteous cause we
promote the triumph of the cause it
self But with weak human nature
as II is. the red mist OF anger obscures
thc issues, and instead Of giving force
to our blows renders as Incapable of
giving them direction. out OF my
occur: the wrath of kings is like the
wrath of Heaven" But his undauntcd
vassal replied only when. like the
wrath Of Heaven. it is just"
The need Of Weighing our words and
controllins our feelings is particularly