_THE SLANDERER._
"Whose edge is sharper than the sword: whose tongue
Outvenoms all the worms of Nile; whose breath
Rides on the posting winds, and doth belie
All corners of the world; kings, queens, and states,
Maids, matrons, nay, the secrets of the grave
This viperous slander enters."
SHAKESPEARE.
He has a mischievous temper and a gossiping humour. He deals
unmercifully with his neighbour, and speaks of him without regard to
truth or honour. The holy command given him by his Maker, to love his
neighbour as himself, is violated with impunity. Like those busy tongues
spoken of by Jeremiah, that would feign find out some employment, though
it was mischief, he says, "Report, and we will report." He catches up
any evil rumour, and hands it on to others, until, like the river Nile,
it spreads over the whole land, and yet the head of it remains in
uncertainty. He hides himself from discovery, like those fish which
immerse themselves in mud of their own stirring.
He tells malicious stories of others, and ascribes odious names to them,
without any just foundation for either. He defames and calumniates in
company persons of whom no one present knows anything evil, or, if he
does, prefers keeping it in his own mind. It seems his pleasure to cast
filth into the face of purity; and bespatter innocence with foul
imputations. No eminency in rank, or sacredness in office; no integrity
in principle, or wisdom in administration; no circumspection in life, or
benevolence in deed; no good-naturedness of temper, or benignity of
disposition, escape the venom of his petulant tongue. Devoid of feeling
himself, he speaks of other people as though they were devoid of it
likewise. He can thrust at the tenderest heart, as though it was
adamant, and deal with human excellencies as so many shuttlecocks to be
played with by his slanderous words. The Christian religion does not
escape his leprous speech. The Holy Scriptures and the Church of Christ
come within the subjects of his viperous utterances. Even Jehovah
Himself, in His names, attributes, and ways, is sometimes the topic of
his unhallowed and blasphemous sayings.
The mental and moral attributes of the slanderer are of the most
depraved and unhappy character. He is envious, selfish, jealous, vain,
malignant, unbelieving, uncharitable, thoughtless, atheistical. St.
James says that "his tongue is set on fire of hell."
As, however, there is in every other class of character a variety of
manifestations, so in that of the slanderer.
The highest manifestation of this talker in regard to men consists in
bearing false witness against a neighbour; charging him with things of
which he is not guilty: as in the case of those who said, "Naboth did
blaspheme God and the king," when he had not done so. Thus did the
slanderer speak against David: "False witnesses are risen up against me,
and such as breathe out cruelty;" "They laid things to my charge that I
knew not." A second manifestation of slander is the application to
persons of epithets and phrases which they do not deserve. Thus Korah
and his company denounced Moses as unjust and tyrannical. Thus the Jews
spoke of Christ as an impostor, a blasphemer, a sorcerer, a wine-bibber,
a glutton, possessed of the devil, an instigator of the people to
anarchy and rebellion. A third manifestation is, aspersing a man's
actions with mean censures, intimating that they proceed from wrong
motives and principles. Another is, the perversion of a man's words or
deeds so as to give them a contrary appearance and signification to what
was intended. Another is, the insinuation of suggestions, which,
although they do not directly assert falsehood, engender wrong opinions
towards those of whom they are made. Another is, the utterance of
oblique and covert reflections, which, while they do not expressly
amount to an accusation of evil, convey the impression that something is
seriously defective. Another is, the imputation to a man's practice,
judgment, profession, or words, consequences which have no connection
with them, so as to deteriorate him in the estimation of others.
Another is, the repetition of any rumour or story concerning a man
likely to injure his character in society. Another is, being accessory
to or encouraging slander in any sense or degree.
The Apostle James speaks of slander as "poison." "The deadliest
poisons," says the Rev. F. W. Robertson, in a sermon on this passage,
"are those for which no test is known; there are poisons so destructive
that a single drop insinuated into the veins produces death in three
seconds, and yet no chemical science can separate that virus from the
contaminated blood and show the metallic particles of poison glittering
palpably, and say, 'Behold, it is here.'
"In the drop of venom which distils from the sting of the smallest
insect, or the spike of the nettle leaf, there is concentrated the
quintessence of a poison so subtle that the microscope cannot
distinguish it, and yet so virulent that it can inflame the blood,
irritate the whole constitution, and convert day and night into restless
misery.
"Thus it is with some forms of slander. It drops from tongue to tongue;
goes from house to house, in such ways and degrees, that it would
sometimes be difficult to take it up and detect the falsehood. You could
not evaporate the truth in the slow process of the crucible, and then
show the residuum of falsehood glittering and visible. You could not
fasten upon any word or sentence, and say that it was calumny; for in
order to constitute slander, it is not necessary that the words spoken
should be false--half truths are often more calumnious than whole
falsehoods. It is not even necessary that a word should be distinctly
uttered; a dropped lip, an arched eyebrow, a shrugged shoulder, a
significant look, an incredulous expression of countenance, nay, even an
emphatic silence, may do the work; and when the light and trifling thing
which has done the mischief has fluttered off, the venom is left behind
to work and rankle, to fever human existence, and to poison human
society at the fountain springs of life."
Glance at the _evil effects_ of slander. Beauty is defaced, goodness is
abused, innocence is corrupted, justice is dethroned, truth is denied
and violated. Motives are impugned, and purposes misinterpreted. Sacred
principles are treated with scorn, and honourable actions are slimed
over with disgrace. The minister is falsely represented to his people,
and the people to their minister. Church persecutes Church, and
Christian maligns Christian. Ill feelings are created between master and
servant. Friend is separated from friend. Neighbour is set against
neighbour. Business men are thrown into mutual antagonism. Whole
families are excited to animosities and strifes. Churches are raised
into ferment and divisions. Political parties are brought into rivalry
and contention. The passions are kindled into fury, and blood for blood,
tooth for tooth, eye for eye, are the precepts of mutual action. Fame is
arrested in its course and turned backwards. Honour is thrown into the
dust. Worth is cast into the streets; usefulness is perverted into
mischievousness. Noble aspiration is said to be selfishness. Whatever
slander touches, it leaves upon it the slimy trail of the old serpent,
and infuses its poisonous venom; and were it not for the angel of truth
which destroys both, irretrievable ruin would be the consequence.
"The tongue of the slanderer," says Massillon, "is a devouring fire,
which tarnishes whatever it touches; which exercises its fury on the
good grain equally as on the chaff, on the profane as on the sacred;
which, wherever it passes, leaves only desolation and ruin; digs even
into the bowels of the earth, and fixes itself on things the most
hidden; turns into vile ashes what only a moment before had appeared to
us so precious and brilliant; acts with more violence and danger than
ever, in the time when it was apparently smothered up and almost
extinct; which blackens what it cannot consume, and sometimes sparkles
and delights before it destroys."
"He that uttereth slander is a fool," says the Wise Man. "He is a fool,"
remarks Dr. Barrow, "because he maketh wrong judgments and valuations of
things, and accordingly driveth on silly bargains for himself, in result
whereof he proveth a great loser." His "whole body is defiled" by it,
says the Apostle. As a Christian he is enfeebled in his spiritual
strength. As a moralist he is weakened in his influence and character.
As a neighbour he loses respect and confidence. As a talker in company
he is shunned by the sincere and charitable. "A fool's mouth," observes
Solomon, "is his destruction: his lips are the snare of his soul." "Thy
tongue," says the Psalmist, "deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor,
working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good, and lying rather
than to speak righteousness. Thou lovest all-devouring words, O thou
deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever; He shall
take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling-place, and root thee
out of the land of the living" (Ps. lii. 2-5).
"You cannot stop the consequences of slander," says the Rev. F. W.
Robertson; "you may publicly prove its falsehood, you may sift every
atom, explain and annihilate it, and yet, years after you had thought
that all had been disposed of for ever, the mention of a name wakes up
associations in the mind of some one who heard it, but never heard or
never attended to the refutation, or who has only a vague and confused
recollection of the whole, and he asks the question doubtfully, 'But
were there not some suspicious circumstances connected with him?' It is
like the Greek fire used in ancient warfare, which burnt unquenched
beneath the water; or like the weeds, which, when you have extirpated
them in one place, are sprouting forth vigorously in another spot, at
the distance of many hundred yards; or, to use the metaphor of St. James
himself, it is like the wheel which catches fire as it goes, and burns
with a fiercer conflagration as its own speed increases; 'it sets on
fire the whole course of nature' (literally the wheel of nature). You
may tame the wild beast; the conflagration of the American forest will
cease when all the timber and the dry underwood is consumed; but you
cannot arrest the progress of that cruel word which you uttered
carelessly yesterday or this morning,--which you will utter, perhaps,
before you have passed from this church one hundred yards: that will go
on slaying, poisoning, burning beyond your own control, now and for
ever."
In conclusion, a few suggestions may be given, which, if taken, may
assist in the cure or prevention of this evil disease of the tongue.
1. _Consider well the ninth commandment of the Decalogue_, which
requires you not to bear false witness against your neighbour.
2. _Abstain from the company of slanderers._ "Thou shalt not follow a
multitude to do evil." Slandering is contagious. Slanderers help one
another. Prefer being alone, or seek that company in which the slanderer
is not admitted.
3. _Do not interfere in the affairs of other people, when they do not
concern you._ "Study to be quiet, and to mind _your own_ business." This
will occupy all your time and attention, and leave you no opportunity of
picking up and spreading abroad slanderous tales about your neighbours.
The slanderer is very often an idler, and a busy-body in other men's
matters, while his own lie in confusion and tend to ruin. Look at home.
Set thy own house in order. Make up thy own accounts. Pay thy own bills.
Rectify the disorder of thy own affairs. In doing these things you may
find enough to do, without working in the field of slander.
4. _Remember that you have your own weak points_ and failings, as well
as he of whom you may utter slanderous things. Were you to use the
mirror of reflection, and look into your own life honestly, you would
probably see faults which would make you think, "Well, I have plenty of
failings of my own, without saying anything about those of others. I
have a beam in my own eye to take out, before I attempt to take the mote
out of my brother's. I see that I live in a glass house myself, and must
be careful at whom I throw stones. I must wash my own hands in innocency
before I complain of others being unclean."
5. _Consider that, as you value your character_, other people value
their character. As you do not like to be slandered, neither do they.
Do, therefore, unto them as you would have them do unto you.
6. _Think of the consequences of slander_, and if you have a spark of
beneficence in your nature, you will avoid the practice of it.
7. It will be as well for you _not to imagine yourself of so great
importance in the world, and others of such insignificance_. Be not
high-minded, but fear. It is generally from an eminence of
self-importance that the slanderer speaks of those who occupy a position
of real and given eminence. If he would step down from that cloudy
pedestal, and occupy his own place, he would probably think less of
himself and more of others.
8. _Give no countenance to the slanderer._ Keep your patronage for some
one of nobler worth: some one more generous and charitable, more
philanthropic and Christian. Give him no entrance into your house.
Prefer his room to his company. Write over the doorway of your
residence, "No admission for slanderers." And in case he should find an
entrance, inscribe upon the walls of your rooms what St. Augustine
inscribed upon his,--
"He that doth love on absent friends to jeer
May hence depart, no room is for him here."
Close your ears to his slanders whenever and wherever you meet him.
"Lend not your ears," says an old writer, "to those who go about with
tales and whispers; whose idle business it is to tell news of this man
and the other: for if these kind of flies can but blow in your ears, the
worms will certainly creep out at your mouth. For all discourse is kept
up by exchange; and if he bring thee one story, thou wilt think it
incivility not to repay him with another for it; and so they chat over
the whole neighbourhood; accuse this man, and condemn another, and
suspect a third, and speak evil of all."