CHARITY OF SPEECH.
Charity of speech is as divine a thing as charity of action. To judge man’s motives, believe things as they seem to be until they are proved otherwise, to temper judgment with mercy—surely this is quite as good as to build up churches, establish asylums, and found colleges. Unkind words do as much harm as unkind deeds. Many a heart has been wounded beyond cure, many a reputation has been stabbed to death by a few little words. There is charity which consists in withholding words, in keeping back harsh judgment, in abstaining from speech if to speak is to condemn. Such charity hears the tale of slander, but does not repeat it; listens in silence but forbears comment; then locks the unpleasant secret up in the very depths of the heart. Silence can still rumor ; it is speech that keeps a story alive and lends it vigor.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZT19190306.2.87.3
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New Zealand Tablet, 6 March 1919, Page 45
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151CHARITY OF SPEECH. New Zealand Tablet, 6 March 1919, Page 45
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