Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-05
y SARAH y. LOWRLE,S
SATURDAY EVENING TALK
Short Sentences of Easy Words That Tell the Truth Make
{. the Best Preaching

listening, too, | walked in and gazed
inquringly at full bench after full
bench until | reached the very most
front, one directly under the preachers 5
! nose.
lie was saying rs ] sat down:
Did you ever read the life of Jesus
with the thought back in your mind Of
the places in which He chose to seek
and choose His followers? Did YOU
| ever consider that there Is no record
OF Ills finding one of them in syna-
gogie? Some of them were plying their
trades. some of them were staring at
Him among the crowd. one of them was
sitting under trees resting. one had
climbed tree 70 observe. some of them
were sick on their beds. some feast
ing IN houses, some passing on the
road ~
That sentence just continued my in
ward questioning
The rest of it was really d very in
teresting lot of thoughts and observa-
tons that he had strung together. ana
one realized at once why his church
in New York and this church in the
village were full of persons eager TO
hear him. lie was intent upon saving
what life is. not using up eloquencp in
drawing pictures Of what it ought to
be. What he thought was ~ the point,
therefore. and what he said was put
INTO short, compact sentences. His fire
made heat.
Indeed, he was SO intent upon what
was happening all about him that when
the hymn nt the close. chosen by some
one else. went very wni'ingly and un-
inspiringly. he cut it short az being
not worthy of the GOd to whom ii was
presumably sung
| hav" t"lt great curiosity about him
ever since. and at dinner | found my
self repeating some of his observations
and noting with amusement how. even
second hand, they made IL lively and
keen debate.
MEN can WELD great power in the
AVA pulpit and by sermons. even vet.
If only they will practice the art of
saying true things with few words
The phrase lin a nutshell" really
Expresses III" kind of portabl" thought
that is needed to carry truths that
eventually move others to action.
4 truth. to be truth TO us indi-
vidualS. has 10 come to us in words
that "" can remember without great
effort. that fall into little spaces all
their own somewhere in the memory, to
live thCr" until, in a sense like a seed,
they have taken root in the mind--until
we know them to be true from our own
experience. Living words" is very
good name for them. l think.
OF course. that above any other was
the characteristic of the words recorded
a. having been spoken by our Lord
He must have said much else of i'm
mensc value and interest-indeed. those
who recorded His words said aS much.
Nf ,h
the Living words. the ones that had
life in themselves after He was silent.
Other men since and men before His
earthly life have spoken "living words
sentences that have power to move hu-
man beings with their original force
even augmented. Most Of ia, however,
even those of us whose business il Is to
deal in words. can only hope to be
heard in passing. | think. however. even
though most such words 60 70 light
tomorrow fire in the CRATE. it would
be we'll to follow the example Of my
preaching friend of today's sermon. Get
Mt the truth with as few and simple
words a. possible. That's Il good recipe
for a scolding or for praise or for warn
ing or for Il suggestion. II the village
preacher had preached as directly and
a. simply as he has lived in this village
he would have found people to listen TO
him. :
Tn HIS case. as in the visiting nurses
case. actions spoke louder than words
ANYWAY. So II he had relieved his mind
from spreading out words in a sermon
and just backed his very simple. good
life by few words, he would have got
hi> congregation "going and coming
Most Of uS get paid for saying n great
deal or at least aS much as possible. in
as few words rs possible. And this
holds good from kilograms to editorials.
Rut when We are ont to convert TO a
good cause or 10 save soulS-aS the
phrase goeS-or 70 urge men 10 n way
of thinking. we forget the value of the
"nUtShell' and attempt to plant. water
and grow a tree of thought under which
our disciple. are invited to sit and TAKE
shelter. And behold. we lose the whole
opportunity by attempting the impos-
siblo' The important part Of sermon
i the text, anyway