Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-03-11
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The Slandererno sooner sees his neighber
begin to prosper, and to BALD up for himself
a character in the world. than he sets about
to eounteract his efforts, and to pull down the
rising fabric, (which he fears will eclipse his
own-for there are some slanderers, ave,
many, who consider themselves the men of
the neighborhood in which they reside, and
he is not generally very scrupuleus as to the
means to be employed in carrying out his
designs if one plan will not do he. adopts
another. If his neighbor be a tradesman, a
merchant or a mechanic, whose success de-
ponds upon his credit, he will in ambiguous
terms insinuate that he is conversant with
his affairs and that if his debts were paid
he would be as poor as some other folks, &C.
or something of this sort, and oftimes thus
succeeds in running his credit, and with it,
! perhaps his prospects of Independence for
e life if a young man, about to marry, The
t takes, it appears, an especial delight in med
: ding in cases of this kind, OF one whose
n rising greatness renders him an object of
envy, be will try various schemes by indi
= rect inuendoest to cast a shade upon his moral
character, and thus succeed in breaking off
e a match, or in bringing his rival down to a
d level with himself: if a young lady, he will
d throw out willy ~insinuations that she is no
better than she should be, and perhaps thus
= ouSNCC4o III NOoLApylhS hOL HOpOo u hoFbh7
ness forever; no matter how innocent she
! may prove herself to be for,
BE thou as ehaste as ice, as pure as snow
Thou shalt not escape calumny's spark"
Give me for a ~neighbor, the murderer
drunkard, felon, or whatever you will Blu
20 let me not cnnle near the slaaderer. neve
I'D feel safe in his company: while he is fawn
%, ing on me fear that he is laying a snare t
he entangle my feet, or digging a pit into whic
IA he intends / shall fall. He is a terror an
!. q scourge' to the ~neighborhood in which h
: resides. He goeth about like a roaring Ito
L seeking whom he may devour. Men liste
Fas to his ''viperous tongue" and hearken to til
ice vile aspersions of his lips. partly because the
en- are afraid of him, and partly because the
of do not like to hear their neighbur spoke
we well Of ,-gossipping women give him hear
olo cheer because he rupplies their budget {
news, and feeds their unnatural propensit
70 for detraction.
md Thus it is that the slanderer becomes
the privileged eharacter-with a full charter
for say whatever he p~leaseth, and to go whit
-oei ersoeyer he listeth. Under this acknowledg
i'm right-this double coat Of mail, he ente
a. with "winning look, and artful guise,"
~ peaceful abode of domestic life; and tbs
cue Iago.iike, instils into the bosom of the &c
" ttt oOG IND I { BbtoOhs anu "
Illus q heart as black as helrs ebon sh lde and
and devoid of feeling as the neither millstol
his breathes upon spotiess innocence his with
he'd ing calumny-changing that home of NUT
"a love-that Eden of domestic felicity-tl
o c~onnubial paradise on earth" into a {
ears corddnt hell. None can feel secure in
RAJ. company, but the more pure and %virtuous
that his favorite victims;
lie to For the ignoble mind
many Loves ever co assail with secret blow
they The %loftier, purer beings of their kin
st / Instead of giving the slanderer the :
from and comfort" which he receives at our hal
ms a we should shun him-shun him as we W.
80 a deadly viper,-Ee should turn oat Of
way when we see him approaching an
him hare the road to hinself,-we sh,
81 of kick him out at our doors, and. if possi
"Put a whip in ev'ry honest mans hand
outh- To lash the rascal naked ~throughths wo,
ALPHEU