--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Frank L. West collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 23 number: 12 published: 1920-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Frank L. West, "The Tongue an Unruly Member," *Improvement Era* 23, no. 12 (October 1920): 1108–1109.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2312unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2312unse start_page: 1108 end_page: 1109 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1920-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2312unse publication_year: 1920 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1920, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Tongue an Unruly Member The Tongue an Unruly Member By Dr. Frank L. West, Director School of General Science, Agricultural College of Utah "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. * * * "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. "For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind; "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. * * * My brethren, these things ought not so to be." (James 3:2, 6-11.) When a very disconcerting and trying situation has arisen and nearly everything has gone wrong, then, of all times, all the faculties should be at their very best. Perfect poise and a clear mind are required to meet the emergency. Should anger and cursing result, just the opposite condition is produced and the individual completely disarms himself. A definite poison is produced by the system and is discharged into the blood. He cannot see or think clearly. His faculties are thrown into anarchy and confusion. He is overcome by a condition of temporary insanity. An uncontrolled vicious tongue usually results. It is thought by some that to be forceful in speech, one must profane. Vulgar people of limited vocabulary attempt to be forceful by using profanity, but succeed only in disgusting decent people. Truly forceful speakers are clear thinkers, zealous and sincere, and they have enough words at their command to express accurately all of the nice shades of feeling that they want to convey. Their words and expressions are forceful and also elegant. Because people are so interesting and significant they are usually the main subject of conversation. Detectives, money lenders, and employers of men need the power of discernment, because their business depends on a cold, unfeeling accuracy in judging human beings from an impartial consideration of their weakness and their strength. In general conversation, however, harsh, destructive criticism is quite unnecessary. In fact, the THE TONGUE AN UNRULY MEMBER 1109 kind word and speaking of all the best we can is very much to be preferred. Slanderous gossip is not fair to the one being talked about. Courts provide that a man may know exactly of what he is accused. They give him a chance to defend himself, take note of his motives and weigh heavily the extenuating circumstances. The object of slanderous gossip is unjustly denied this selfdefense. Furthermore, it is very likely that what is being related is badly distorted, inaccurate, and in many cases largely false. It takes well-trained scientific minds to observe accurately and record events truthfully. Newspaper reports, made by men whose profession it is to get the truth to the public, are nevertheless frequently badly garbled. Gossip that has passed through a half dozen or more idle, frivolous brains can therefore -hardly be expected to be reliable. Slanderous gossip weakens the ties of friendship of all the parties because thjose present may expect the same vilification when they are not present, and harsh feelings are usually engendered in the one abused. In addition to being largely false, unjust, and unkind to the one libeled or maligned, slanderous gossip has a bad influence on the parties to the conversation. This is particularly so if it is spicy and salacious. The recital is a dramatic rehearsal of the event by the soul of the speaker, and has a lasting effect indelibly stamped on the souls of those who think it through. This type of conversation, as well as the smutty story, cannot be defended on the score of haste or anger, or strife or even hate. "For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together." It is largely a matter of taste. The scriptures say, "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." The same thought was expressed by Buddha thus: "A wicked man who reproaches a virtuous one is like one who looks up and spits at heaven; the spittle soils not the heaven, but comes back and defiles his own person. The slanderer is like one who flings dust at another when the wind is contrary; the dust does but return on him who threw it." Men of refinement who through the cultivation of an even disposition are slow to anger and quick to forgive, and who are generous in their opinions of others, and take delight in the success and prosperity of their associates because they love them, do not have unruly tongues and are seldom guilty of slanderous gossip.