Arkansas intelligencer., 1858-04-30
while he will quit the faro-box aud shs gro

"hhS he VIII quit tHe fdfo-upA aru sue gro
cery, but he Is unconsciously twining about
himself the most calling chains. These
chains may appear at first bound in the roses
Of pleasure, but at last they will burn like
living fire, the roses will fade and their beauty
be lost, but the fetters they adorned will
remain and drag him to temporal and eternal
death. Another formidable opponent OF so
clal virtue and morality is the detestable
practice OF tale bearing, fashionabiy denom;na-
ted ''gossippng." 1t is usual for us to charge
this practice exclusively to the ladies, the
justice of which is very questionable; that the
ladies love to talk is undeniable. but there
/ can be little doubt but their chat would be
quite harmless if it were not stimulated and
invoked by the 'I2rdS Of creation Should
the descendants male OF father Adam deter
mine to discountenance the practice of gos-
slipping each in his own family or circle of
acquaintance, there can be little doubt but
the evil would, in great measure, be obvia-
ted. The practice is likewise less reprehensi
ble in the ladies than in the gentlemen, be-
cause woman is a creature of the affections
of the heart, man Pretends to a superiority in
mind. Judgment has no seat in the heart
its temple is erected in cooler atmosphere
it resides in the brain, hence we find, as a
general rule, the Judgment of men is more
correct and impartial than that of woman, for
the reason that in The former the heart plays
a subordinate par. in the latter, it is predomi
rant. The Judgment mast coademn the
practice of tattling, because Of the ill-fee!ing
and strife that unavodably originates in it
1t cook the ardor of religion, violates the ties
of affection and chils the heart of charity
1t makes bitter enemies Of warm friends,
arousing the spirit Of malignant hatred that
has 10 reverence for family or religious asso-
ciation. 1t is the bane of society, the enemy
Of godl!ness and the school Of vice and crime
The bitter hostility to all excellence in Others
which it engenders spares not the family
altar or the social bond. 1t follows its vic
tim with unmerciful revenge to his grave, vi
olates the tomb and scatters his ashes to the
winds. This train Of evils is no fiction, and
AS it passes before the mind Of virtuous man
he must bestow upon the origin Of it, his un-
qualified condemnation. Gossippng is its
mother and sound judgment must pass sent
ence Of conviction upon her. Men being (as
before remarked) possessed generally of a
racre just Judgment than women, are of course
h, e. ! \
practice when they SOC SO plainly how it con-
fiicts with reason and judgment. The ladies',
however, are by no means uncensurable-
They too, may DO their par: in the suppres
sion Of this species Of immortality. They are
the con5ervators Of youthful morality; if the
child hears its mother gossippng shall we
wonder at or censure it for following in her
footsteps Religion is chiefly feeling and
conviction Ct the heart; women, therefore, are
the main-stays OF morality and christianity.
By improving woman, whether in heart or
condition, We advance the cause of religion
and civilization. 1t is her duty to eradicate
error, not to plant and nourish L. 1t is her
duty to curb the dangerous spirit OF gossip
ping which peryades this community; fail
ure in the performance ofduty is Arrays CEN
surabIe. Further, it cannot with safety be
said that the ladies are not accountable for a
great portion Of those crimes which disgrace
humanity, They permit the child to act ac-
cording 10 his own will and pleasure to grow
up in ignorance, both morally and intellectu-
ally; childhood of mental and moral dark
ness always merges into manhood of crime
In those numerous and unfortunate cases
where the mother is called away from her
children it deyoiyes upon man to provide foT
their instruction and maintainence; il they fail
IN this they are accountable. BY the mag
unanimous laws of our country the criminal
whose childhood was neglected, is punished,
whilst the ''good citizen" who grossly neglect
el his duty raises. his pious eyes to heaven
and pours out . long effusion on the wicked
ness Of the present age" 1.-The deprsvitv of
/ man" and many other evils that he causes
with impunHy and might prevent by little
trouble aud expense. The establishment of
Sunday and charity schools has done, and
where properly conducted, are still doing
much for the improvement of the children of
America. The end for which they were es-
/ tabiished can never be attained unless the
community go into the work with heart and
hand. presume no one can accuse this com
mGnlty of too much zeal in its behalf, or in
fact IN behalf of anything, else that will pro-
duce any real good. We listen with much
sympathy to description of the heathenism
Of India but forget the heathenism of Van
Buren,, CASTOR.
"A Speech IN Old Iinies.-They were not