Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-09-11
" WORDS NEVER KILL"

- i''''t1'AAAis- u ANA tAAG -Nili-
eral benefit of gossiping slanderers, or
whatever name, character or persuasion.
If the article should have the effect of
causing those who have, without intend
ing wrong to their neighbors, contracting
the miserable habit of gossiping about
them without cause or provocation, to
desist from SO mean practice and to
give the habitual and constitutional slam
der the go-by as a loathsome pesiilence
as disease mongers in the social sys-
TEN, it will have the most desired effect.
The Chief communicates its lessons as
follows:
Talking about a man never kills him,
young man p
Our old friend was seated in his arm
chair, his pipe just taken from his mouth.
and the last Whit of smoke slowly curl
ing up. Taking another Whit he con-
tinued, No, sir, hard words never hill. If
man behaves himself they will never
hurt him. Boys as we were, we never
forgot the old mans reply. A young man
had been Indignantly detailing to the old
gentleman what some one had said about
him:
We often think of our friends words,
and practice his philosophy. 1t is ad-
mirable. Like a life-boat, it lifts over
the angry waters and without an effort
breaks every biIlow into spray. 1t lifts
the head proudly above the wave Of
baser elements into the clear, open cloud
less sky, where we can smile at the pitt
ful tempests which rage beneath, and at
the folly of those who invoke them and
imagine that they fill all space, and that
some victim aimed at trembles at the
bursting Of every bolt.
Man is talking animal. We all talk
about one another. A creature of faults
himself, he is ever eagerly hunting for
faults in others. One error committed
"a slide from the line of rights a
perfect godsend, it is pounced upon as
eagerly as the putrid carcass Of of, - -
HStfu. n UrUtio' VI "rrr5ry peaks are
gathered at the welcome feast, and rend
each Igament and muscle with keenest
relish. They fatten on the carrion of
scandal.
A neighbor passes the door, and he
is forthwith torn from limb TO limb. He
passes a crowd in the street, and while the
cowardly are dumb, the treacherous wing
after him barbs as poison with venom as
their smiles are treacherous. Each
rendezvous is a slaughter house. There
is a stake in the centre of every tea-party
where the whole platoons of those absent
are tied and tortured with a refined bar
barity peculiar to the characters and til,
occasion. If we 90 to church, we rur
the gauntlet of remorseless critichism, anC
there are post mortem examination
around the Sabt ath tea-tables, which reacl
every fault of manner or taste.
But words never kill, or else the worlt
: would have depopulated long since. Non
escape the ordeal. And though all tn
hunting after each others faults we ar
more ready to harbor the ignominious re
e ports, than 70 meet it with coldness an
doubt. There must be something t
make it of, we dogmatically remark, fol
0 getting, perhaps, that in our own histor
y we have known the most devlish fals'
hoods manufactured out of whole clot
and then their Shafts sped far ahead
the sober and unsuspicious truth.
, The writer may pc pardoned for sa.
ing that he can speak as one havir
knowledge Of these matters. For OF
, moving in a humble sphere, he has had
varied experience. II hard words la
been fatal he would have been under Il
> sod long years since. He came honest
by host of bitter enemies. In stree
. huddle, and in saloon, and den, he b
been honored with hatred as malignal
as sleepless, and a never-varying food
i. vituperation, garnished with charges
! the commission of nearly every crir
a known in human depravity. And yet
Il this outlay ofhard words has been vast
ct on the hour. The victim, generally I
r. conscious Of this constant killing, y
st he lives, is in tolerable health and slec
y as soundly as though nothing bad be
said. Indeed, he is utterly hardened a
On insensible to this kind Of warfare, a
all thinks none the less Of him for it.
has fully made up his mind that ha
= words never kill
- 1t is true that there are words Il
nj. wound. Friendships are not always
Is liable. Those whom We have entrusi
We implicitly, often betray. Aud the I'd
4. Of such, Iscariot-like, turn to hunt do
+, a.. -. .E..., L.,.ss .st.,aI fTb. C.ras.