Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1871-04-29
Evils of Gossip.

have known country society which
withercd away all to nothing under the
dry rot of gossip only. Friendship once
As firm as granite, dissolved to jelly, and
then ran away to water, only because of
of this. Love that promised a future as
endearing rs heaven, and rs stable rs
truth. eyapora;cd into 4 morning mist
that turned to DAYS long tears, only
because of this father and son were
set foot to foot with the fiery breath OF
anger, that would never cool again be
tween them. only because of this and a
husband and his young wite,cach strain
inc at the hated leash. which in the be
ginning had been the golden bondage
of a God blesscdlo sat mourntully by
the grave where all their love and JOY
lay buried, and only because of this. |
have seen faith transformed into mean
doubt, hope give place to grim despair,
and charity take on itself the features of
black malevolcncc, all because Of the
words of scandal and the magic mutter-
ings of gossip.
Great crimes work great wrongs, and
the deeper tragedies ofhuman life spring
from its larger passions but wotul and
most melancholy are the mcatalogued
tragedies that issue from gossip and de
traction: most mourniully the ship
wreck often made of noble natures and
lovely lives by the bitter winds and dead
saltwaterS of slandcr SO easy to say,
vet so hard to di,proye-throwing on
the innocent, and furnishing them as
guilty or unable to pluck out the strings
they never see, and silence the words
they never hear Gossip pand slanderare
the dcaGliest and the cruclcst weapons
man has for his brothers hurt.
FAREWELL TO us LADY FRIENDS
Emotional insanity having been so often
pleaded successfully by husbands in Cal
ilornia in defence of shooting or kniling
suspected gallants, the editor of the San
Francisco News LeHrr says:
All mems wives who have hitherto en-
ioyed the advantage of our acquaintance
are hereby notified that this ceases to-
day, never to bc renewed. 1t is with
deep grief that we disrupt the social re
lations which promises SO much, but we
feel impcllcd thereto by the first law of
nature. Our lady friends who have the
misfortune to be married to other and
inferior men will please stick like lecch
to their legal protectors, and not rccog-
nize Ms on the street. We have taken
considerable pleasure in their society
n pleasure which we tlattcr ourselves
has been mutual-but this thing can no
longer be permitted to 90 on. We
trust that our motivc-which is pure
cowardice-will not be misconstrucd.
Somebody perishes ingloriously every
dav for being upon speaking terms with
married women, and we do not care TO
have our turn come round Deeply
grateful for the past forbcaranco of az
gricycd husbands, we make our bow
and retire. Hereafter our mods and
smiles Will be layishcd upon girls and
widows exclusively; no others need ap-
plv. Whosocycr shall attempt 10 intro
duce rs to his own wife, or that Of ano-
thor man, will be regarded As 4 conspir-
ator against oar prccious life and sub
iect to abuse in the columns ofthis Jour
nal. Nature Is strong in US, and we do
not wish to die. Whenever we shall
feel desire that way We shall treat
somebody's wife with common courtesy,
get shot and 90 quietly to our reward.
True HERoIsM.-The man who walks
the street with unrutlled brow and peace
ful heart, though bis business is ruined
his prospects beclouded, and his family
reduced to want, who maintains his in
tegrity amid the periIous temptations Of
the hour. and brayely, hopefully strug
I gles against these stern adversities, up
borne by an unyielding faith in Proyi
d9nce, is hero. And in yonder room
where that poor, pale faced girl, through
long weary days and dreary nights. with
aching eyes and wasting frame, bravely
battles off gaunt starvation, or Haunting
infamy, with no other weapons than a
trusting heart and little needle-there
is one of Gods great heroines.
Rev. Alexander Fair, Of Christ
/ CL,r.L No,- Orleans - +otall,- dcaf