Second, the man of genius is known for his force of character. Martin Luther possessed force of character when he answered the Pope of Rome, saying: "You have burned my books and I will burn yours." Said Luther, "I never speak so well, I never pray so well, I never write so well, and I never preach so well as when I am angry." A man without temper is a man without force. Men of genius, almost to a man, have been fiery of soul and swift of spirit. Third, men of genius have been original in their expression of thought. There is a world of meaning in the words of Thomas Carlyle: "If you would be original, be sincere." The man of genius is direct in his thought and unique in the expression of his ideas. He has a vocabulary of his own and speaks in the language of a noble simplicity. He is without affectation and breathes an atmosphere of sincerity. Sincerity is originality. Fourth, the man of genius is known for foresight, anticipation and most careful preparation Circumstances are not compelled to wait for him. All his thoughts are gilded with the light of dawning possibilities. He anchors in the present but lives in the future. General Grant (if we may use his words again) said, in his usual modest way: "Belmont prepared me for Fort Donelson, Fort Donelson for Shiloh, Shiloh for Vicksburg, Vicksburg for Chattanooga, Chattanooga for the Wilderness, and the Wilderness for the capture of Richmond." Fifth, the man of genius is a man of faith. To use a Scriptural expression he possesses "the patience of hope." He toils on in the darkness as though in the light. Henry Ward Beecher went home every Sunday night, during the first ten years of his ministry, with an aching head and a sinking heart, believing that to become a strong preacher was almost, in his case, an utter impossibility; but a deeper, inner voice urged him on. He possessed the “patience of hope" and measured up to the dream of Browning when he sings: "One who never turned his back, but Never doubted clouds would break, Held, we fall to rise, are baffled to Fight better, Sleep to wake." Sixth, the man of genius possesses a certain audacity of spirit. He lives in the atmosphere of that startling motto penned by Disraeli: "Here's to the man who dares!" Joseph Parker, in the moment of his grandest inspiration, flings aside his hod exclaiming: "God Almighty never intended Joseph Parker for a hod-carrier." When Bishop Lavington, in the days of Wesley and Whitefield, warned a young Anglican curate, touched by the spirit of early Methodism, that if he did not cease preaching in the open air, his "gown" would be taken away, the young curate responded: "I can preach without a gown!" The child of genius is ever audacious in spirit and daring in soul. "He either fears his fate too much, Who dares not put it to the touch, Seventh, the man of genius possesses a magnificent courage. He is the incarnation of the martyr's spirit. Cromwell-one man against the king. Luther-one man against the Church. Paul-one man against an empire. Galileo-one man against an age. Faith is courage taking hold. Hope is courage holding on. Stability is courage standing firm. Persistence is courage going on. Enthusiasm is courage burning on the altar of some noble cause. Patience is courage enduring all in hope. 66 Speak, history! who are life's victors? Unroll thy Are they those whom the world called the victors who won the success of a day? The martyrs, or Nero? The Spartans, who fell at Or the Persians and Xerxes? His judges, or Socrates? A VII THE LAW OF LANGUAGE The Fatal Force of Words MAN may be known by five things. First, by his character-what he is. Second, by his conversation-what he says. Third, by his conduct-what he does. Fourth, by his contribution-what he gives. Fifth, by his creed-what he aspires to be. In this chapter we purpose concentrating our attention on the second of these characteristics, namely: Conversation. Select your own title for the discourse-" Slips In Conversation"— "The Fatal Force of Words"-"Tongues and Ears"-"The Science of Slander "-" Dangerous Talkers "—"Women Who Gossip and Men Who Swear." Have your own title-and I like a titlebut understand me, I have a definite and distinct design in the presentation of this particular theme. I would like to write upon the walls of the Temple of Memory these words: "By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." An in A nation is known by its architecture. dividual is known by his language. Cromwell discovered that the word of a Quaker was better than the word of the average soldier. That is the best church which produces the best type of character. Character is the best expression of a man's creed. A man's words are a part, a vital part, of a man's character. The human soul seeks for expression. There are many forms of expression. Laughter is the most natural form of expression; beauty, the most acceptable; music, the most universal; architecture, the most dignified and impressive; eloquence, the most moving and convincing; literature, the most enduring; painting and sculpture, the forms which are classic; but the oldest and most comprehensive form of human expression is-Language. Language is one of God's greatest gifts to man. Every profession has its own vocabulary and every class its favourite phrases. The possibilities of linguistic development are as unlimited as human thought. The latest dictionary of the English language is said to contain four hundred thousand words. The average man uses less than four thousand words. Shakespeare used 15,000 words; Rufus Choate, 11,000 words; and John Milton, 8,000 words. All the words of your own language belong to you. Enrich your vocabulary. Every new word, coined or copied, increases your capacity for thought and improves your mode of expression. Oh, the music, the witchery, the mystery, and the majesty of words. Charles Lamb must have known something of the secret of expression and the art of a skilled phraseology when he wrote: "In every truly great poem there is reason, not only for every |