Two Good Illustrations

The Catholic Rcvieiv publishes some "Five Minute Serraons," by the Paulist Fathers. Last week it had one on "Let every man be swift to liear, but slow to speak." The preacher made use of these illustrations : A story is told of a erazy man who, in some very lucid interval, asked a friend if he conld teil the difference betweec himself and the people who were ercd to be of sound mind. His friend, curious to seo what he would say, said, "No, what is it?" "Well," said the crazy man, " it is that I say all that comes into my head, while you other people keep most of it to yoursclves." My frieuds, I am af raid that the crazy man was about right, but he was too coniplimentary in his judgmentof others. By this rule therc would be a great many people iu the asylums who are now at large. lïeally, it seems as if it never occurred to sonie persons, who are supposed to be in thoir right minds, whether their thoughts had botter be given to the world or not. Out they must come, no matter whether wise or foolish, good or bad. Yes, the madman, for once in his life, was pretty nearly right. One who talks without consideration, who says everything that comes into his or her head, is about as much a hmatic as thosc who are commonly called so. Fat such will have ono day to give an account for all thcir foolish and inconsiderate words, long after they themseives have forgotten them. And to carelcssly run up this account is a very crazy thing. A little instrument has lately been invented, as you no doubt have heard, which will take down everything you say. It is called the phonograph. It makes little marks on a sheet of tinfoil, and by means of these it will repeat for you all you have said, thongh it rnay have quite passed out of your own mind. Thore are a grcat many uses to which this little instrument may be put ; but I tliink that one of the best would be to make peoplo more careful of what they say. They would think befare tliey spoke, if a phonograph was around. Few people would like to have a record kept of their talk, ready to be turned off at a moment's notice. It would sound rathcr silly, if no worse, when it was a day or two old. Perhaps tho phonograph will never be used in this way, but there is a record of all your words on soinethmg more durable than a sheet of tinfoil. This record is in the book from whicli you will bo judged at the last day. Our Lord has told us at that day we shall have not only to hear, but to give an account tor all the idle words spoken in our lives. - Baptist Weekly.