Two little girls came home from school one day carrying on a very lively discussion. Their animation1, and their complete absorption in the subject were very inspiring to see. One could not help but thrill at the manifestation2 of buoyant, interested, and healthful youth. But when they came into the house, and their mother overheard the nature of their conversation, she was woefully disappointed. These girls were not discussing the problems raised by their lessons; neither were they rejoicing at the prospect3 of the coming girls' hike to the canyon4. In fact, the subject of their animated5 discussion was neither uplifting nor invigorating. On the contrary, it was disgusting—so thought their mother; and she was sorry to hear her girls indulge in such conversation. For the girls were gossiping; nay—they were slandering6.
The theft.
It appears that someone had lost some money that day at school. The loser declared, however, that she had not merely lost the money. It had been stolen! The principal had called the pupils together, and had stated the case plainly to them. He had said that if anyone had actually stolen the money, it would be much better for the thief to confess than to be discovered, or even successfully to conceal8 the dishonest act. Such a thing would leave a scar upon one's character for life. But no one confessed. The lost coin was not found.
{206} The suspicion.
Our two little friends, however, had observed that Mary Jones, who sat not far away, acted very suspiciously when the principal came into the room. She turned quite pale, and looked afraid. When the principal appealed to the offender9 to make a clean breast of his guilt10, Mary had hung her head. Was it not proof positive that Mary had stolen the money; or that, at least, she knew where it was? At recess11, and after school was out, the girls had talked it over. They had confided12 their suspicions to a few intimate friends; these in turn had confided in other intimate friends; soon the whole school was in possession of what was assumed to be a fact, that Mary Jones had stolen the money, but that she would not confess. The two little girls who first suspected Mary had grown firmly to believe their suspicions, and assured their mother that they knew that Mary was the thief.
The discovery.
The developments of the next few days, however, proved to these little girls how much truth there really is in the little bit of doggerel13 verse their mother had taught them.
"There is so much that is bad in the best of us,
And so much that is good in the worst of us,
That it doesn't behoove14 any of us
To talk about the rest of us."
Poor Mary Jones suffered keenly for three days. Both the boys and the girls shunned15 her as if she were a leper. The girls huddled16 together and whispered when she passed. Once a rude, unfeeling boy called after her, "Why don't you 'fess up, Mary?" But Mary had really nothing to "'fess up," and on the third day {207} the truth came to light. Out in the hallway, the janitor17 noticed something shining in a little crack between the boards of the floor. It was in the afternoon, and the light coming through the transom of the west door fell just then upon the spot. The janitor stooped to see what the shining object was. It was money! He pried18 it out with his pocket knife. It was of the same denomination19 as that which had been reported stolen. Immediately, the janitor returned it to the teacher with a full explanation.
The tables turned.
It is strange how things turn and turn about. When the money was returned to the girl who had lost it, with the janitor's story, she remembered that she had been skipping there in the hallway, and that she had thought she had heard something strike the floor; but since she had seen nothing she had forgotten it. The girls who had suspected Mary and had shunned her, now flocked about her and assured her that they had never believed her guilty. The two who had started the slander7 stood shame-facedly apart. The school turned on them, and for many days they were avoided, and were shut out of the school games, as Mary had been. They were mischief-makers, said the pupils. It was only after Mary herself had pleaded for them, that a complete reconciliation20 was effected, and the school society moved harmoniously21 forward as before.
An everyday occurrence.
You think that this is a story? Yes, it is a story; but it is a true story. And the sorrowful thing about it is that just such unkind and unfounded judgments24 as that formed by the little school girls are passed every day upon {208} innocent men and women. You yourselves pass judgment23, without any evidence on which to base that judgment. You condemn25 your playmates for this or for that. You find fault with what your parents do, not knowing the many problems they have to solve. You criticize the bishop26 of your ward22, or the president of your stake, or even the president of the Church, without knowledge of a single item of the vast amount of information which he has and which compelled him to do as he did. It may be that some of your associates have faults. Those faults stand out glaringly enlarged to you. You are offended by them. You are prompted to criticize, or to try to correct the defects. But you forget that you may have faults as glaringly apparent to your associates as theirs are to you. You do not stop to think that the little girls who suspected Mary Jones were also guilty of a grievous offense27 in judging and condemning28 without cause. You forget what the Lord Jesus taught, "Why beholdest thou the mote30 that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt31 thou say to thy brother. Let me pluck out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold29, a beam is in thine own eye. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
The mote and the beam.
Is it not simple and common sense? How can a man see clearly to correct the faults of others, when his vision is distorted by his own faults? Have you ever set a stick into a pool of clear water? Have you noticed how the stick has been distorted in size and shape? The light {209} waves passing from water to air, or from air to water, are refracted, bent32, so that you do not get a correct image of the object immersed. Just so is it when we, who are immersed in our own faults and weaknesses, attempt to pluck the mote from a brother's eye. Our vision is defective33; the image is distorted; we are ourselves in worse condition than our brother.
What Jesus said.
Jesus set Himself strongly against such unkind judgment as that passed by the two little school girls, and as that we are tempted34 every day to Jesus pass upon our neighbors. "Judge not," He taught, "that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete35, it shall be measured to you again."
Here is sound philosophy, of which few men stop to think. It is easy to pass judgment on others. It is easy to think that one is the center of the universe and that all things else revolve36 about that center. It is easy to think that one's own opinion is always right, and that the opinions of others are wrong. But one should not forget that others also hold opinions. It is almost certain that one will be judged as one judges; and that one will have measured to one as one measures to others.
Now, what Jesus points out is that the spirit of fault-finding and criticism is to be condemned37. One cannot correct the faults of others until one has corrected one's own faults. One cannot even get a good hold on one's self, and find the right estimate of one's self, until one learns to see only good in others, and to {210} struggle with one's self to overcome faults. Moreover, fault-finding and criticism, like anger, hate, and envy, destroy one's peace of mind. One who judges and condemns38 cannot possibly maintain mental and spiritual health. Harsh judgment is far more hurtful to the man who exercises it than to the man whom he judges.
"Judge not!—thou canst not tell how soon the look of
bitter scorn
May rest on thee, though pure thy heart as dewdrops
in the morn.
Thou dost not know what freak of fate may place
upon thy brow
A cloud of shame to kill the joy that rests upon it now.
Judge not!
THE REFERENCES
Matt. 7:1-5.
THE QUESTIONS
1. What was wrong in the action of the two little school girls?
2. Why is it wrong to find fault, and to criticize?
3. What did Jesus say about the mote and the beam?
4. Explain Jesus's saying, "Judge not that ye be not judged."
5. Show that it is the spirit of fault finding that is sinful, rather than the act.
6. Who is most injured: the man who criticizes or the man who is criticized?
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1
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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canyon
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| n.峡谷，溪谷 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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slandering
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| [法]口头诽谤行为 | |
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slander
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| n./v.诽谤，污蔑 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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doggerel
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| n.拙劣的诗，打油诗 | |
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behoove
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| v.理应；有益于 | |
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shunned
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| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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janitor
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| n.看门人，管门人 | |
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pried
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| v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的过去式和过去分词 )；撬开 | |
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19
denomination
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| n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位 | |
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reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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harmoniously
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| 和谐地，调和地 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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judgments
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| 判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判 | |
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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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condemning
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| v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地 | |
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29
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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mote
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| n.微粒；斑点 | |
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31
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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32
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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defective
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| adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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mete
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| v.分配；给予 | |
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36
revolve
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| vi.(使)旋转；循环出现 | |
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37
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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condemns
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| v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地 | |
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