New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-06-11
MTZZLFS NEEDED,

The respectable Mayor of Davenport, Iowa,
is just now paying in sackcloth and ashes In
| his old age the penalty of never having put
bit in his mouth in his youth that unruly
member, his tongue, having run away
with him to his own undoiDg 1t appears that
q story was lately circulated respecting the
chastity of a certain Miss Fejervary, wealthy
and unprotected young lady of that city. She
determined to become her own avenger, and
traced it to the first responsible person, who
proved TO be our unfortunate Mayor, grave
and venerable citizen. She promptly sued him.
In the course of the trial her innocence was
proved, but the verdict was in the Mayors
favor as it appeared he had repeated the
SANDER with no malicious intent, but as de-
"ploring it, if true" The young lady, not
considering his lamentations any recOmpense
for her murdered good name, has avowed her
intention of pursuing her vengeance to the
bitter end "Should the best years of my life
"be spent in the endeavor" she says, 81 will
"not rest until verdict has been given for
/" or against me either at this court or higher
L" one and an example set, not only to my, but
to all slanderers; for in bringing this suit
"was not unmindful of the many innocent
" girls whom have seen injured rs shamefully
as have been, and much less able to defend
themselves"
We are not sure that Miss Fejervary has
hit upon the most effective way to silence
SANDER; but there is a genuine, hearty vigor
in her onslaught which is wholesome, if not
prudent. We hold to the creed, long out OF
fashion, that wOman's good name should be
as unsullied as "the famed snow, that g bOlted
by the northern blasts twice Oer;" and
that neither money nor blood is rich enough
to pay her for its once sOied wilderness. But
after all we confess some sympathy goes with
the unhappy Mayor. A fellow feeling makes
us kind. Why should this respectable citizen
be chosen by unmerciful Disaster in the shape
of Miss Fejervary from out a country teemlng
with gossips, to be lasbed naked through the
worldf Warnings such as this must force the
sterner sex to turn upon each other and hold
solemn inter confessional together. Have any
of us bit in our mouths In our fathers
DAYS gossip was the peculiar vice of women
the reproach of it was the rod perpetually in
pickle wherewith they were dashed and stung
and properly kept under by their lords
and governors. The popular manly idea of
woman past sweet sixteen was a tea table,
wagging head, and cackling tongue. But we
have changed all that Since petticOats have
come rusting into the jury box, the judges
bench and the rostrum, we have slipped the dear
unknown delights of scandal-monging. Why
should we not carry the war into Africaf If
Othello's occupation Is gone, is he not to essay
Mrs. Othello'sf To be sure, we enlarge and
liberalize the business. Instead of whisper
ing the story over the fence to a neighbor, or
to the sewing society, we take the whole world
into our confidence; we distribute the dainty
dish of SANDER, the more highly spiced the
better, in the mornings journal instead of at
the tea table, that half million of readers
may partake of it, and run to spread their
own version in country newspapers, at restau-
rants or clubs. Instead of two women, their
chins together, accusing Mrs. Jones over the
way of cheating her grocer or Mr. Jones of
flirting with the chambermaid, we have a ma
ton of men on tiptOe with eagerness to hear
how Mr.. Cooke ran away with one of his pa
rishioners; greedy too for the minutest details
when the young lady's mother was born, and
what is the political opinion of her brothers; or
We stand 0pen-mOuthed with expectation from
Maine to California to hear how much gin
another reverend gentlemen mixes with his
milk. The mode of conversation is different,
but that there il a similarity in the subjects
canaQt be denied. We have sndeayVSed " keep