The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1917-11-24
EVIL OF A CURSE :
Why Jesus Delivered the Solemn
Warning Against Profanity
of "Thou Fool"

The excuse OF "mere words" does
not meet the case. There are plenty
of idle words, vapid and thoughtless
rambling speech that starts from
nothing and reaches no terminal. Yet
1t is fair question whether even such
words are altogether so idle and mere
as they seem. Wise men have never
undervalued speech. Jesus attached
great Importance to words. He warns
us against Over-fuency and would have
us think before we speak. He tells
us that our words either condemn us
or honor us. We are making records
Of ourselves. In our prayers we use
the name of God to lift us upward.
Out in the street we may see the same
name to curse another man. Words
bind us to God. Words cut us away
from God. Words weave our hearts
together, and words ravel us apart.
and words fill life with hate and sor-
row. What do you read, my lord?"
asked PoloniVs, and Hamlet answered,
words, words, words" But Hamlet
found the one thing he could not en-
dure was to hear people trifie with
words. He could not come to peace
because he found life poisoned with
false words, and Macbeth came at last
to this sorry travesty Of life, "a tale
told by an idiot, full of sound and
fury, signifying nothing"
Hard to Forget.
vrhnro orn M a,para u,nrfJC
where all our words are woven into
this thing that we are, making it eth
err poor or rich, giving 1t substance
and strength or frailty and poverty.
1t Is almost easier to forget a blow
than it Is to forget curse. The blow
Is somehow physical, brutal, thing
Of the body. The curse Is in some
mysterious way thing of the mind,
the spirit. Boys have told me that
they have never been able to forget
their employers curse, spoken In sud-
den wrath. They would almost rather
have been struck. The same thing Is
true of all angry speech and accusa-
ton. Someone has offended you, and
you flash forth your bitter words. The
passion of your speech carries you,
and because you have called him by
some OpprObriOus, hateful name you
have all In moment created death
less memory. Friendships are severed,
homes are ruined, husbands and wives
are alienated, love is killed and trust
destroyed and the heart Of life brok-
en- more often, think, by angry words
than by wicked deeds. Jesus says
that the doing of this sort Of thing
puts man In danger Of hell fire. He'll
fire Is not a physical flame but an I'M
dying regret, sense Of shame and
loss that will not leave us. One Of the
gravest evils Of hasty speech Is that
1t has the very opposite result from
that which those who use 1t think to
secure. 1t builds up walls of dislike
and separation. It arouses anger in
stead Of correcting errors. It Is de-
structive instead Of helpful and up
building. Men and women who use
II defeat their own purposes and low
er the dignity Of their own characters.
Ask Forgiveness. :
Jesus speaks this word Of warning
because he knows what language
means. If you are bringing your gift
to the altar, and remember that
you have done someone an In
jury, spoken unkindly, or cruelty or
slightingly Of them, 60 and make
amends. Ask forgiveness for your
faulty speech, your unkind criticism.
your rash and headlong condemnation
of your false innuendo, and, having
done your best to repair your wrong,
come then and offer your gift. If your
child, or your wife, or your husband
arouses your Impotence Is it for you
to fly into a passion or indulge In bit
ter, sarcastic speech2 If you have a
dislike for someone, and you let drop
an ungenerous word that arouses sus-
picion and feeds the fame Of slow,
deep burning distrust, have you not
really done the towards deed and
struck below the belt?
Jesus Is giving us here the standard
Of fine courtesy, the gentleman's
creed. The fact Is we live in world
where words have an almost infinite
power to bless or curse. And rest
assured Of this also, that the word OF
blessing blesses both the speaker and
the one Of whom he speaks, and the
word of cursing curses, often, even
more bitterly, the one who speaks the
curse The old proverb still holds
true, "A soft word turreth away
wrath, but grievous words stir up
anger" Rev. Pascal Narrower
Church Of the Ascension, West Brigh-
ton, 8. ].