The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1859-04-01
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Harmless 0ossippins. j

10 n Harmless 0ossippine.sLni
A writer discanting about gessips and
tale-bearers-those moral harpies, some
of whomcinfsst almost sxefy community
.-.-holds them up in the following truthful
colors: iinon .af2e 9ai 10 nailnaraoD
30 Whenever reputation Is to be- sacri-
feed, these birds of prey are sure To gath
er, to feast and fatten ON the yet pelpi-
tating carcase, and the savage appetite
continually grows by what IL feeds upon.
And yet, detrimental to the peace land
welfare Of society as such .cannibals may
be, their ravages are so cunningly con-
Quoted that they seldom become amen
able TO the letter of the law, whose spirit
they are continually transgrcssing.f
Many an innocent sufferer, worn out in
body and mind by the consciousness Of
being the object Of calumnies and suspi-
ciohs which ne has tnot IN his power to
meet openly. has, broken-hearted, gone
down to the grave, grateful for the ss,ifn-
mons Of, death to release him from the in
justice Of his fellow-beings, hoping to find
b refuge in the bosom OF merciftil God.
. It. is not to be supposed that all who in
dulge In gossipping or in the retailing Of
private scandal, fully understand what
they are doing or really intend to destroy
the happiness of another Thoughtlessly
they listen to the insidious insinuations,
and to pass away an idle moment, or to
awaken the light laugh, give it an addi-
tional circulation, little thinking that they
are scattering firebrafds, arrows and death
in every direction. The fire thus kindled.
moves on with fearful rapidity, until it
| r.
in whole families or neighborhoods, and
leaves black and desoiate waste, where
nothing green or beautiful can ever spring
up again. r1.
But, while making an exception in fa-
vor Of class who are SHINING thoughtless-
ly, and may be brought to see their error,
we are compelled to add that there are
those in almost every community.to whom
detraction seems the very breath OF life,
and whom nothing ever avails to turn
from their purpose. These individuals
are the more dangerous, because they
usually stab in the dark, and betray with
o kiss of friendship. They carefully avoid
an open attack, which might be met be-
fore human tribunal, but poison with
their breath, the fairest reputation, before
their unconscious victim has one suspicion
of treachery or danger. .s,
Mrs. Smoothtongue is person who is
well.skilled in the art of tender assassi-
nation. She can superintend the whole
battery of whispered insinuations and
dark illusions, SO artfully given that none
but the initiated could imagine her, COM
munications slanderous, even while they
felt their effects in the total loss of conf
dence in those they had once trusteds--
Mrs. Smoothtongue never says of an enc
my honestly "I hate him." She is far
too wise to make confession like this, as
her auditors would be likely to doubt the
yeracity of her remarks. "Mrs.------isa
very good woman; love her much; but
am sorry that such and such things are
true" And then, in sweet words, she
goes on to insinuate grevious defects in
her character, and is never more fully her
self than when aiming blow at the DO
som barred before her in the unreservea of
faithful affection.
Who would distrust that bland smile.
those soft tones, and those eyes which
seemed to love all they beheld, connect
ed as they were with pretehsions of un-
rivaled piety? None but those who had
seen, on some rare occasion, the mask
amazement hideous and inhuman shape,
With OiuNs -AdStChSo oAaho AAA
friend and foe. a. "a r1
Let it not be said that we have been
drawing caricature in this halfdefned
picture. If any there are who have never
yet met Mr.. or Mrs. Smoothtongue,
they have great cause for deep gratitude,
for they have an enviable heritage. The
spirit of SANDER, detraction, and tale-
bearing is more widely diffused through
society than is generally supposed. 1t
does not, to be sure, always wear its most
hideous aspect. or reach the, hilltop Of
malignity at a single step. There are
many degrees from the thoaghtless gossip.
whose great love of talking leads her to
reiterate all the scandals of the day, down
to the wilful slanderer whose very breath
poisons the atmosphere around her. But
the indulgence of the first leads almost al
ways to the latteri and they who begin
by repeating Al Injurious report, qualified,
perlaps. byi their own disbelief in its truth,
may end by deliberately destroying the
| Reputation Of another who is in any way
obnoxious "a them. fas