Will-o'-the-wisp, a Jack-o'-lantern, whose personal appearance cannot be described.

'A few words more, and I have done with the subject. He is distinguished for a vile, slanderous disposition, being likewise deceitful; a liar, a peace-breaker: in short, he is everything that is bad, filling the world with suspicion.

Reader, is "They-Say," a visitor in your family? If so, drive him forth; don't even allow his name to be mentioned, much less let any one under your roof listen to his vile insinuations; he will cause mischief without end, he has ruined many a happy household. He has set husband and wife at discord, children against their parents, and parents against their children. "They-Say" has his own way of telling a tale; the story runs like wildfire. This is just what he wishes; for his profession is that of a mischief-maker. Listen not, therefore, to his whispers, and allow not your lips to repeat them. Rather pray, "Set a watch, O Lord, on the door of my lips, lest I offend with my tongue.""

It may be useful to add the following recipe for the cure of a terrible disease of the mouth called 'Scandal:'-Take of Good-nature, one ounce; of the herb, commonly called by the Indians, 'Mind-yourown-business,' one ounce; mix this with a little 'Charity-for-others, and two or three sprigs of Keep-your-tongue-within-your-teeth;' simmer them together in a vessel called 'Circumspection' for a time, and it will be fit for use. Application: the symptoms are a violent itching in the tongue and roof of the mouth, which is most strongly felt when you are with a kind of being called 'a gossip.' When you feel an attack of it coming on, take a teaspoonful of the above; hold it in your mouth, which you will keep closely shut until you get home, and you will find this to be a complete cure.

Short Sermon.

BY W. R. CLARK, M.A., PREBENDARY OF WELLS AND VICAR OF TAUNnton. THE SIN OF EVIL-SPEAKING.

1 St. Peter, iii, 10.- Let him refrain his tongue from evil.' HEN we consider the prominent place assigned in Holy Scripture to sins of the tongue, it is perhaps to be wondered at that we hear so little of them from the pulpit. When the Psalmist asks, Who shall dwell in God's tabernacle?' he places in his answer this character: He that hath used no deceit in his tongue, nor done evil to his neighbour, and hath not slandered his neighbour.' When St. Paul describes the awful depravity of the heathen, he speaks of them as being 'full of envy

deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters. . . despiteful, boasters, inventors of evil things:' a very complete account of an evil, and particularly of a slanderous tongue.

When the same Apostle entreats his fellow-Christians not to

grieve the Holy Spirit of God,' he says, 'Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.' Whether we who are here have need of such warnings and exhortations I cannot tell; but it is quite clear that, when such words are written in the Bible, it is the duty of those who teach to draw attention to them, and explain them, and enforce them.

If

The importance of speech, as it is represented in the Scriptures, is twofold: it is the truest expression and representative of a man's life, and it is, at least, one of the greatest powers in a man's life. we could know what men speak-on every subject and in all circumstances we should almost be sure as to what they were. 'Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.' By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.' This is one side of the matter: a man's truth or falsehood; a man's kindliness or unkindliness; a man's wisdom or folly; a man's thoughtfulness or inconsiderateness; these and many other qualities are shown by our words.

6

And the other side is equally true. If speech reveals the man, no less truly does it make the man. St. James compares that 'little member, the tongue, to the helm of a ship, which, although itself very small,' turns about ships, though they be so great,' whithersoever the governor listeth.' Hence St. Paul, in telling Titus how he is to instruct his people in the true way of Christian life, bids him 'put them in mind... to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.'

You will see how constantly the sacred writers connect the sin of slander with hatred, malice, envy, and the like; and this is quite natural, for such is its ordinary source; and, I may add, this is the worst form of slander: to speak evil of another, from envy or malice, from a desire to do him an injury, and especially when the speaker knows that what he says is false. But this is, perhaps, a very uncommon form of evil-speaking at any rate, it is a form of it to which very few would plead guilty. Who would acknowledge, even to his own heart, that he had spoken from envy or malice? Yet many do undoubtedly so speak. Who would acknowledge that he circulated a report which he knew to be false? Yet many do cirulate such reports. They will probably tell you that they believed that what they said was true, and they had a perfect right to say it!

And so we are forced to notice another form of evil-speaking, closely allied to the one just mentioned: I mean, the taking up lightly and without investigation the flying rumours of the day, and repeating them, and, alas! sometimes with exaggeration. This is a sin which is second only to that of deliberate falsehood and malice. A man who does this kind of thing-let us say it plainly, although it may condemn many-must have a very imperfect sense and love of truth, and must be very wanting in the cardinal grace of Charity; and he must have a very low sense of duty to his fellow-men.

And this leads me to remark that I must place among the sins which are certainly akin to slander the repeating of evil reports, even when they are true—the taking pleasure in dwelling upon the faults and offences of others. My brethren, it seems almost incredible that

here should be people in the world who seem to take no pleasure whatever in speaking of their neighbours' virtues and good qualities, but who seem to take great pleasure in dwelling upon their vices and failings. And yet there are such people. Speak evil of a man, and they have nothing to say in extenuation; nothing to interpose that will show that the man has his good as well as his evil side. Speak well of a man, and they will not let you conclude without making some deduction from what they regard as your too favourable estimate of him.

And then there is the form of slander, which, when it cannot fasten upon any tangible evil, finds out that the good proceeded from a selfish motive. A man labours for the public good: in the eye of your slanderer he is animated by vain-glory. A man is genial and kindly in his intercourse with his fellow-men: of course he is only hunting for popularity. A man is liberal and munificent in his gifts: the evil eye discerns that he is doing it to be seen of men. It is an obvious remark that these men see in others what they feel in themselves. And it is a true remark. Depend upon it the man who sees nothing but evil, or chiefly evil, in the good of other men, has something wrong and bad in himself.

It would be impossible even to allude to all the many forms which slander may assume. Sometimes it is conveyed by a nod, a shrug of the shoulders, a shake of the head, or even by simple silence. It has a language of its own which all understand.

And this leads to another remark. I do not think we should be anxious to know of what is said against ourselves. There are cases in which, I admit, it is necessary to warn others of such things for their own protection, that they may be on their guard against false friends, and the like; but these cases are very rare. The best remedy against calumny and detraction is to do good, to speak the truth, and to be kind to others; and then it will not long be believed. Very little mud will stick to a wall which has nothing to catch it, and the little will soon drop off. A man who is sincere and without offence—or even fairly so-will easily bear in silence the reproaches of evil tongues.

To resume. If I am asked, Are we never to speak against others, even when we are sure that what we say is true? I answer, Never, unless we are doing so in the discharge of an evident and imperative duty. I do not say that great excuse may not sometimes be found for the transgression of this rule; but I am quite sure that the rule itself is one which every good man will deliberately approve, and the violation of which must usually be set down to malice or some other evil motive.

Do we, any of us, consider what a fearful sin this of evil-speaking is in the eye of Almighty God? As a general rule, we have said, it proceeds from envy, jealousy, or revenge-most commonly, perhaps, from envy. Many of us are like the Athenian citizen, who voted for the banishment of Aristides because he could not bear to hear everyone calling him the righteous man.' So it is now-people cannot bear to think that some one is better or wiser than themselves, and they must blacken him that he may seem as bad as themselves, or, if possible, worse.

Was St. Chrysostom using language that was too strong when he told the slanderers of his day that their tongues were crimsoned with the blood of their brother? If he was erring, it was in company with St. John, who says, 'He that hateth his brother is a murderer.' And Almighty God not only thus by His Apostle indicates the true nature of the sin, but He also pronounces the same sentence upon it. He that sheddeth man's blood,' He had said, 'by man shall his blood be shed;' and of the slanderer He says very nearly the same: Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I destroy.' I believe that these words, terrible as they are, must not be regarded as a mere figurative expression, but as the enunciation of a solemn truth. There is no doubt that evil-speaking is far oftener the destruction of the slanderer than of the slandered. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother, thou slanderest thine own mother's son,' says Almighty God; and He adds: 'Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.' Are these words spoken in vain? Assuredly not. If we could read the heart of the slanderer we should see that God's sentence against this evil work was speedily executed.

We know that such an one is generally abhorred by his fellow-men. Yes: his companions may smile or laugh, or even applaud, when they hear the slanderous word, or listen to the base insinuation; but they will reflect that their own turn will come that he who has not spared others will not spare them; and they will distrust him, avoid him, be wary of their speech in his presence. This we know; but this is not the worst of his punishment. The heart of the slanderer consumes itself is full of doubt, and fear, and anxiety, as it is full of hatred and malice. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked;' or there is peace only when there is hardness and death; when God has executed His terrible sentence, Him will I destroy.'

My brethren, there are some remarks on this subject which are so obvious that you will almost anticipate them. I do not waste more words to show how hateful is this sin before God; but we may well remind ourselves that it is a sin which grows with appalling rapidity when it is once indulged; and it is a sin which ought to be repented of and confessed before God, with earnest prayer for pardon; and it is a sin against which men should strive with watchfulness and prayer-especially with prayer for the grace of Divine love and charity.

Let us check the word of censure when it rises to our lips. Even when we are sure that it is true, let us in this matter, as in all others, do to our neighbour as we would that he should do to us. And above all, let us not readily believe that there is anything to reproach our neighbour with. Let us think the best of others, as we wish that they should think the best possible of ourselves. Surely this is not too much to ask of Christians-not too much to ask of the disciples of Him who said, 'A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.' 'Judge not, that ye be not judged; for with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again.' Or rather pray for grace to remember words which are even better and nobler, and more like Him who spake them: 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.'