The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1855-09-28
SCANDAL AND sCANDAl-MoNGERs.

ioChNDhb AMI DChNDAlg-NiNNGE
There are some people who seem born TO
talk scandal. II is as impossible for them
not to gossip about the affairs of theirneiyh-
bors as il is for water to run up hill, or moth.
ers not to boast of their babies. If new
conner moves into the Block they cannot
rest satisfied till they have picked up some
tatte about his antecedents, his wife, the
amount of his income, how he brings I'D his
children, and other affairs that are none of
their business. fla party is given In the vi.
cinity, they are uneasy ill they wheedIe from
some guest an account of all The sayings and
doings Of the entertainment. This habit of
intermeddling with the tongue is not confin-
ed to females. Men chatter almost as much
aoont the fast horses of their acquaintsacp,
the money they spend, or the manner in wirich
they conduct their busiyess, as women do
about the new bonnctS1e servants, OF the
extravaganza of their "dg-.,r f-iand-.n There
are old women out of pctticoats as well as in
that busy themselves about matters TINT are
no concern of theirs All the scandal is far
from being talked by the ladies'. There ia
often as much gossip over n cigar us over a
bit of crotch,t work.
Yet it is cruel and cowardly thing to
whisper away regulations in such manner.
Many merchants credit has been undermin.
ed by sly inuendoes, which, exaggerated on
repetition, have grown at last to be serious
charges, though they have never assumed,
until too late, Il shape sufficiently tangible to
give him the opportunity of refutng them
Many an innocent woman has been secretly
maIigncd by the das!ardIy destinations of
some one who was sighted, till dear friends
have been aIienated, and sometimes her fair
fame injured irreparaby. For scandal.mon.
gers, like mocs under ground, work out Of
sight. They do not dare breathe their foul
hints where there is danger of the victim
hearing OF the SANDER They rehearsc their
vile abuse under solemn injunctions of secre.
cy. They sometimes even shrink from II
direct accusation, but deal in hints, in guesses
in suppositions. They do not even always
pretend TO be certain of what they tell, but
say that though they have heard so, they
hope tits not true; yet the tone in which they
speak, and the look which accompanies il,
contradicts their hypocrtical charity. like
treacherous assassins, they strike in the
dark. Like cravens, they stab from be.
hind
The scandal-mongcrs does not always dea
In serious charges Hundreds of persons
otherwise estimablc, talk carclassy about
their ncghbors, censurng them in littl,
things, and prejudicing strangers against
them. In such cases, the oiituders forge
how small their chance is Of knowing Ii,
iull truth, and therefore how much circum
stances may have paia.ei, if not justifeC
what they blame. The gossip of servants O
of children, and this frequently magniied, i.
thoughllessly rohearsed, aud the very respcc
liability of those who now endorse it give,
currency TO the tale. In this way idle tattl,
swells into slnndcr. Often the whole stor,
originates in some prejudice of which tn,
tale bearer himself is scarcely aware. a ga,
man of the world is too apt to think churci
goer mere Pharisce, MS the latter is too read,
to suppose the formera protligate. The pru
dent house keeper is tempted to think mor
+ generous liver spendthrift, as the latter il
tempted in turn TO sneer at the former rs
miscr. All! if we could all Judge justly
But since the ntirmity of human nature for
, bids this, the wscst thing we can do is t.
, mind what we think and say-BaH. Sun.