p. 138 | A Feast of Fat Things by H. W. Beecher

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 18, 1871

A Feast of Fat Things.

By H. W. Beecher

What a feast of fat things is spread out in society to all who enjoy talking about their neighbors! All men are ridiculous in spots, and some men are ridiculous all over. If one enjoys the sight of moral weakness, and has an eye for deformity, and a tongue sharp as a dissector’s knife, he need not lack for happiness. Every household is full of material malicious fun. Every neighbor, every friend (and the more intimate the better), has a world of amusement in him, if one only knows how to squeeze him.

Men are always saying things which, if laid up, may be used upon them as whips. It needs only a sharp watch, and every man will be found doing things inconsistent with his former conduct, and for that matter, with his own avowed principles.

If a man be good-natured, and unwilling to see or report upon these thousand weaknesses, he loses a great deal of satisfaction—such as it is! Oh, it is so refreshing to “take off” a man behind his back; to lower him in the sight of all his friends by bringing sharply into light the faults and foibles of which he is guilty! The only pity is that men should ever be restrained in the luxury of such amiable work!

Unfortunately, one meets with prejudices. Society seems to have fallen into straight-laced notions about the liberty of criticising faults.

It is held to be wrong to make private matters public. If this notion is to rule, some of the richest sports of life will be untouched and unused. What, not allowed to repeat what one hears in a private family? not use what we chance to overhear? not allowed to repeat confidential conversation? not permitted to publish private letters? By such rigid notions of honor and right, one’s liberty of enjoyment is greatly restrained.

Then, also, it is deemed dishonorable for a man to assail a friend. Why not? Friendship promotes intimate acquaintance, and accurate knowledge of human nature. Where else can one find such minute studies of the human heart, as in the hours of confidence when a friend opens his most sacred thoughts? Goethe used his dearest friends and friendships as material for his drama. Why should not men copy his example?

It is still further forbidden us to injure men by exposing their faults and errors—when they are on our side. The world seems to have been superstitious on this subject. There have been ungainly proverbs, such as “It’s an ill bird that fouls its own nest,” and such like sayings, all founded upon this notion of honor toward one’s party.

But, as if all this interference with the liberty and malicious wit were not enough, men thrust the Bible in our faces, and declare that, upon its testimony, it is wrong to have a good time over men’s sins, and enjoy their iniquities. There is to be found somewhere or other in that book—so it is said—that charity “rejoiceth not in iniquity,” “and thinketh no evil.” Indeed, away back in the Old Testament, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, it is said, “Love covereth all sins,” and there is an echo of the same in the New Testament, “Charity covereth a multitude of sins.”

Even more embarrassing to the natural ability of the tongue is the sentence, “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.” If these notions are to rule, pray how are we to enjoy ourselves over a dish of tea, discussing our neighbors’ faults.

And still further, it has been laid down by learned and good men, and by many it is still believed to be true, that we have no right to speak evil of any man, or to report any harm of him, no matter how true it may be, unless we have a just and benevolent end in view. It is taught that we cannot justify ourselves for talking evil of neighbors by showing that we “only speak the truth!” We have no right to make any man uncomfortable, or make him appear ridiculous in another man’s eyes, or diminish his influence, or impair the respect of the community toward him, or in any manner to harm his good name by reporting true things even about him. In short, it is held by many that Christianity requires us to do good to men, to make them happy, to conceal their faults, to publish their excellencies, to rejoice in their prosperity, and sympathize in their troubles, and in all things to treat them as we should, in like circumstances, desire ourselves to be treated.

If this is the right doctrine, two things are to be said:

That there are very few men who have become Christians in their tongues; and,
That there never was a time when the gospel of an honorable and Christian tongue more needed to be preached.—H. W. Beecher.