The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-05-12
THE GAME OF SCANDAL.
Dr ANNA CORA R1rcnIR.

friend2 Purc must the heart DO that fecls
no sudden pang Of conscience ut that
bomb-like question. But tho startling
query, in this instance. mildly refers to n
game called Scandal tho delight of
Juveniles "too joyous to DO very WISE.
Yet Is thero wisdom and warning enough
i'll the gamo itself to forco tho concIu
sion that its origin was in the brain of some
sage satirist who hid sober moral with n
sportive mask.
The players sit in row; the ono at the
head whispers to his neighbor a commune
cation concerning some absent flicnd; the
neishbor whispers tho news, Us he hears
1t, to the one next to him, who conveys
tho intelligence, still in whisper, to the
one nearest; thus it is impaired again
and again until it reaches the end or
the line. AS the sentence is transmit
ted from mouth to mouth, it il uuin:cn-
tionally, unavoldaLy altered, the words
have been incorrectly caught by the lis
tenlng car-with each repetition they un.
dergo cllangc-Ly tho timo tho SEN
tence has Travelled to its journeys close
it has passed through so many strange
mutations that it bears not the slight
est resemblance to tho original phrase
Every one is requested, beginning at the
last hearcr, to declare what information
concerning Mr.-or Mrs.-or Miss
-was confdcd to him, and lol through
these singular transitions, the harmless as
scrtion has become monstrous SANDER,
This scandal WAS obviously tho offspring
OF lnadvertent, unconscious misrcprcscnta-
ton. AS the story is traced through all back
its crooked paths, tho most hilarious mcr-
rment is excited by its odd mvtamor-
phoses.
The young play this game in jest for
the sake of the mrth it awakcns; their
seniors are playing it in sober, fatal earnest
all the world over, and like them, for the
sake Of mere amusement. Aye, playing it
daily without self rcproach-playing it
without dreaming that they arc coiners
of scandal and clippers of rcputation'-
playing ii without rejecting that their
game can produce moro dangerous con-
sequences than the sport OF tho chill
drcn.
Let us not confound these comparatively
innocent scanda!-nongers with that ven-
omous class whose adder like stings are
aimed with malicious purpose-whosc poi
sonous tongues blackcn the faircst fame for
the sheer delight Of tralucing-wlosc
Cpas breath withcrs tho freshest flowers Of
innocence with ils invisible toucll-whose
defilcd hands stir up the mud in purest
streams of life-whose jaundced eyes sec
all creation through distorted medium
splonctic natures are constantly
goadcd by envy and armed with tho deadly
weapons of hatred. Against those, tho
sagest poet that the sun evor shown upon.
tells us that there is no ngis that can pro-
tect even the immaculate.
M might, no greatness in morality
Can censurc 'scape-back woundng calumny
The whtest virtue strikes. What king so strong
Can tie the gall up in tho slanderous tonguel
Since the world has no social Persons
who can lift an invinciblc sword to slay
these gorgons, they are not our theme.
To them the players in tho worlds great
game Of scandal bear little resemblance
The latter are vivacious, courteous, ayrcea-
blc, respectable members of society. If
the whole truth must bo spoken, we
are bound to admit that these graceful
babblcrs are chiefly Of the gentler
sox.
Since the world began women must have
had an especial gift of speech, for the very
namo Of Eve, according to Buxtorts IIo.
brew Lexicon, is derived from a root which
signifies to talk - thus her temptations to
indulge in lille structures must bc great.
cr than those of her moro taciturn broth
cr.
But the amiablc newsmongors who are
playing this 6 anne of scandal with honicd
lips and smiling eyes, mean no harm.-
Theirs are random arrows shot in sport
yet the shaft scathes, be. the hand by which
1t was aimed ever so white! Some charm
ing, giddy-pated creature, with unbridled
Ievity of tongue, gives breath to good
story tnot particularly good natured) about
a certain poor dear friend Of hcrs-the
news is whispered in the ear Of tho noxt
ncighbor, kind Mrs. Clackitt,' and being
mperfectly heard or not thoroughly under
stood undergocs m unintentional change
(as in the famous game we have cited y
Mrs. Clackitt,' with eager volubility con-
fides the secret to the first person she IN Gets.
Good Mrs. Grim chances TO be of sarcas-
tic turn Of mind, and the tale assumes a
satirical countenance-it is waited onward
until it reaches Miss Balm, very humane
and tender.heartcd gossip-in her. sympa.