New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-23

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almost impossible to undo the wrong i
does Thousands hear or read the slan
derous imputatioh; tens learn its false.
hood; and Of these very few feel sufficient
| interest in the matter to take any steps
toward fighting the wrong done.
SANDER naturally divides itself into
four classes, each numerously subdi'
vided-social SANDER, business SANDER,
malicious Islander and political SANDER,
each, as we have shown above, disguised
III the garments of some seeming virtue.
Thus social SANDER assumes the form Of
severe morality. It does not wish to in
jure anybody, but it can not endure to
see persons of loose morals spreading their
pernicious influence abroad, aud SO makes
public every weakness which may or may
not mar the character of its victims.
Business SANDER is aggravated beyond
endurance at the tricks and shifts by
which its rivals obtain success and Gus
tom, and feels bound to expose them, I'M
influenced, of course, by the fuct that. at
the same time, it benefits itself.
Sentimental. Islander is the weapon
Of jeslousy.e 1t makes known the
secret history Of those it fears, and
therefore hates, if that secret history is at
all open to objection, if not it does not
hesitate to invent. But perhaps the most
virulent form of this insidious poison is
that assumed when politics ore concerned.
Here no scruples are entertained. There
is no quarter for political enemies. The
adage that all is fair in love, war and
politics is stretched further in regard to
the latter than in either of the other two.
To blacken the character of political
opponent is deemed o venial fault or
rather no fault at all-but simply an over.
reaching, the emitting of which would be
culpable blunder: Nor is this wrong
confined to political opponents proper,
but extends to fachonal members of the
same party. Of many damaging story,
springing nobody knows whence, circu-
hting. nobody knows how, it will be
found on examination that ''some eternal
william, some busy and insinuating rogue,
some cogging, cozening slave, to get
some Office, hath devised it.
Of all the sources of Islander, envy is
certainly the most prolific and the most
venomous. Pining away at sight of Others
god, it longs to interfere with that, al
though itself gains thereby no advantage.
But it is not deep passion only that gives
birth to SANDER; for, so light thing as
vanity has struck this barbed arrow and
left wound which earnest refutation
scarce could heal; vanity, as seen in Shake
speares play of Cymbeline, where the
false .Italian,'to justify his boast of all
conqueror with the fair, scruples not to
Willy the reputation of pure and noble
wife.
It seems strange that this vice. so fruit
full of evil.and yet so common, should be
at the same time SO completely overlooked
by the pulpit as it is, while minor vices,
not half SO injurious to society. are scath-
ipgly rebuked. Why is this? Why is it,
also, that whereas we frequently hear of
the return of money wrongfully taken, We
so seldom hear of regulations repaired by
conscience-stricken sinners? And yet the
pecuniary wrong is utterly Insignificant
beside the other.
Who steals my purse, steals trash;
IT'S something. nothing;
Twas mine tits his, and has been slave to thou.
sands;
But he that flches from me my good name,
R6bs me Of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed
Why this sensitiveness to the lesser sin,
this deafness to the greater? Is it be-
cause the slanderer is so hardened in vice
as to be incapable of true repentance; or
is it that his wickedness is not brought
home to him? If the latter, whence is
The reformation to come?