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Show KIND WORDS. Kind words are the music of the world. They have a power which seems to be beyond natural causes. There is hardly a power on earth equal to them. It seems as if they could almost do what in reality God alone can do, namely, soften the hard an-"! angry hearts of men. Even quarrels give way ti -'ad words, for an unforgiving heart is a rare monster. Words have a power of their own for good or evil. Hence it is that an unkind word rankles longer in the heart than an angry gesture, nay, oftener than a blow. Kind word.s are like icv-elations icv-elations from heaven unraveling complicated misunderstandings mis-understandings and softening the hardened convictions convic-tions of years. Why, then, are we ever else but, kind? Kind in words? There are some difficulties. It is hard for a clever man to be kind in his words. He has a temptation a temptation bordering on the irresistible to say clever things, and, somehow, clever things are hardly ever kind things. There is a drop of acid or biter in them. And on ihe whole, to say clever things of others is hardly ever without sin. There is something in genius which is analogous anal-ogous to a string. -A man who lays himself out to amuse is never a safe man to have for a friend or even an acquaintance. He is not a man whom any 'one really loves or respects. Xo one was ever drawn nearer to God by a sarcasm. Our Lord's words in the gospel should be our model. |