The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-09
PUT SALT IN YOUR CONVERSATION, SAYS. |DR. GEO. R. STUART. Large Congregation Hears Sermon on Conservation
 at First Methodist !UNPATRIOTIC TALK IS RAPED BY PREACHER Hobby Riders, Knockers and Character Slanderers Are Characterised by
 Dr. Stuart in His Inimi-
 table Manner

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you will know how to answer every man." was the text from which Dr. George R. Stuart, pastor of the First Methodist church, last night preached to an audience that filled every seat in the house and held many standing throughout his dis course,
 Dr. Stuart also used a companion text: Let no corrupt conversation proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for the use of edifying," and out of the two texts he made a masterly and the kind that destroys.
 T am going to preach on the mouth, because it is a great instrument" said pr. Stuart. Tt is an instrument for do- ing good. It makes music. speeches and converses. It is about this conversa- tion that I want to speak. You touch someone every day with your influence in conversation. Oh, the influence that | is in conversation! The pens are going
 every day, and there are brilliant writers, and through ink they are pushing their thoughts into books and magazines, and they are making themselves felt, but the impulse for good or bad must be watched.
 GOING TO RAGTIME | This is also an age for music, and | the songs that we hear in practically ! every drawing room are so silly. SC 1 nonsensical so senseless and foolish.
 until I ask, are we going to trash in our songs and music? Are there no soul-strring songs sung in the libraries ] or the homes today? Are we going tc ragtime? We should lift the people by our singing.
 | "Picture making is great thing
 now men who can make pictures are l siamming themselves into the world oi l today. But conversation is the great
 power Of today. How many opportuni-
 ties we have every day to say something l What marvellous thing to converse witt people. Of all of the great writers oi literature. Burke was the only one whc
 stood in conversation equal to his pen KINDS OF CONVERSATIO 1 Everyone can talk little and some
 don't talk enough, while seme of us talk too much, and often we leave an ach, ing heart where we don't aim to, and would not have done it if we had only
 thought of what we were saying X good
 deal of the conversation we hear is dis agreeable. There are about five kinds l of conversations First, we have the man who rides a hobby He Is disagree able, for a hobby rider is just like :, hand organ, you know every tune before 1 he starts to play, and you are tired ot It, and don't want to hear it. You find out what mans hobby is and then
 stop it. They are just argufiers. l Then, there is the man who is a
 constant knocker-'old Brother and Sister
 knocker.' They are like horsefly-they will fly all over a pretty dapple gray horse and then light on sore spot
 That's the knocker-he always hits you | in a sore spot. How I wish I could get | the people to see the roses and get the good out of them--like the honey-bee--
 no matter how bitter things are.
 SAY SOMETHING GOOD
 "These people always find something wrong. They never see anything right or course. you never saw anything per 1 fect-n0 man, woman or thing-there Is l always a defect but don't jump on the wrong spot; find something good abou; 1 them. Then there is another one you 1 have to look after-the monopolizers- for. while you have only one mouth, you l nave TWO eaTs, ana tlldl IS the DlBBeS' part of notwithstanding, making ] good listener. Let the other fellow have 1 a little say Everybody wants to say something, and the best way to make yourself popular is to listen.
 l Then we have the know-everything | been- -everywhere' people, who take the l floor, and they are certainly very dis agreeable. Next we come to the silly 1 little tee -hee, ha, ha crowd. All of these are in the dsagreeable class, but ths most vital is the dangerous converse l tionalist. I don't mind butcher knifi to look at but do hate to see a mar slashing around and stabbing at his fel- low man with one.
 GOSSIPPERS DANGEROUS
 "Gossipers are dangerous. And men gossip about as much as women-nearls
 as much. Be careful; for it is mighty hard thing to do to pick up a mans name and lay it right back where vol took 1t from. Every time you do this you either put it right back where yot got it from, add something to 1t ol a uxxyax