The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-13

Editorial Opinions Of the Leading Journals
upon Current Topies-CompiIed Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph. (
MUZZLEs NEEDED.

MUZZLES NEEDED.
From the ~ Y. TTfbunG
The respectable Mayor Of Davenport, Iowa,
is Just now paying in sackcloth and ashes in
his old age the penalty of never having put a
bit in his mouth in his youth, that unruly
member his tongue, having run away with
him to his own undoing. 1t appears that q
story was lately circulated respecting the
chastity of certain Miss Fejervary, awealthy
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, a 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 il had appeared he had repeated the
slander 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 a verdict has been given for
or against me either at this court or a higher
one, and an example set, not only to my, but
to all slanderers; for in bringing this suit 1
was not unmindful of the many innocent
girls whom / have seen injured as 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 genuine, hearty vigor
in her onslaught which is wholesome, if not
prudent. We hold to the creed, long out of
fashion, that q woman's good name should be
as unsullied as "the famed snow, that's
bolted by the northern blasts twice o'er;"
and that neither money nor blood is rich
enough to pay her for its once soiled white
ness. But after all we confess some sympa-
thy goes with the unhappy Mayor. A fellow
feeling makes us kind. Why should this re-
spectacle citizen be chosen by unmerciful
disaster in the shape of Miss Fejervary from
out country teeming with gossips, to be
lashed naked through the world2 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 re-
proach of it was the rod perpetually in pickle
wherewith they were lashed and stung
and properly kept under by their lords
and governors. The popular manly idea of
woman past sweet sixteen was tea table, a
wagging head, and cackling tongue. But
we have changed all that Since petticoats
have come rustling 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 Africa? If Othello's occupations gone,
is he not to essay Mrs. Othello's? To be
sure, we enlarge and iberalize the business.
Instead of whispering 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 morn
ing's journal instead of at the tea table, that
half million of readers may partake of it,
and run to spread their own version in coun-
try newspapers, at restaurants or clubs. In
stead of two women, their chins together, ac-
cusing Mrs. Jones over the way of cheating
her grocer, or Mr.. Jones of flirting with the
chambermaid, we have a nation of men on
tiptoe with eagerness to hear how Mr..
Cooke ran away with one of his parishioners;
greedy too for the minutest details
when the young ladys mother was born, and
what is the political opinion of her brothers;
or we stand open -mouthed with expectation
from Maine to California to hear how much
gin another reverend gentleman mixes with
his milk. The mode of conversation is diff
ferent, but that there is a similarity in the
subjects cannot be denied. We have endea-
vored to keep this masculine propensity out
of sight of women. We would fain convince
them and ourselves that our minds dwelt
apart in lofty solitudes of reason, philosophy,
and abstruse science, to them unknown.
But the dear creatures are not deceived
They will not long shut their eyes to the fact
that the Traupmann murder was of more
absorbing interest than the Gcumenical
Council; that the nation will wait breathless
TO hear the flthiest ISLANDERS of murder
trial, and remain quite Indifferent as to
whether the Indians are exterminated or not;
that men reach a certain position and power
simply through their skill in virulent scandal
mongering
The hag who personifed slander SO long
had but feeble breath; but the young Jour-
nalist who has taken her place, who makes
his daily chop and cigars by lodging at back
doors to report specialities, has ''tongue
that outvenoms all the worms O. the Nile, and
doth belle all corners of the world" What is
to be done about it? Are we to go on ex.
hibiting ourselves tricked out in the cast-ofi
vice of the women Is scandal become the
manly art of self-defense? Will the Mayor
of Davenport, Iowa, make vicarious atone
ment for all of us Or is he only provi
dental warning to consider our ways, lest 9
Nemesis in the shape of Fejervary or a late
sense of decency and manliness among the
people oyertake us at the last?
FORNEY AND FREAS.