"News" is no respecter of persons. Bad news travels faster than good news. News, either good or bad, like a snowball grows and becomes exaggerated with peddling. When news is good, if given wings, it cannot do positive harm to any one— but bad news may bring sorrow and shame and even ruin upon people who certainly are not deserving of a punishment beyond the penalty of their mistake. Good news is constructive; bad news is destructive! Just before you are about to tell a bit of bad news, suppose that you just "stop, look and listen" for a moment, and more than likely you can think of something good to say instead. "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phil. 4:8.

A great poet said: "He who steals my purse steals trash:

‘Tis something—nothing, ‘twas mine; ‘tis his, and has been slave to thousands.

But he that filches from me my good name, robs me of that

Which enriches him not and makes me poor indeed."

"Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother and judges his brother, speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law." Jas. 4:11.

"Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: So where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth." Prov. 26:20. And then the wise man says:

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Prov. 25:11.

Brethren, why not let our words be "fitly spoken."