Smyrna times., 1871-11-15
M see IIUW eOuS.
Woman Slanderers,

Regarded from an ethical point of view, the
most insignificant creature upon Gods plohe is
the man who traduces a woman. If he does if
10 crafty lust OF revenge, he is coward if
gratultously, he Is cOntemptible There IS no
outlet Tor escape 1t is clear and uneuuivoca
propoSluoh. Aud yet, unhappily, among men
this grave sin is looked upon as very veni,I
The effects of its exercise are accepted in mat
ter-of fact way no one ever bothers to investi
gate the cause that produce them But let us
look at lew OF them together 1t is homey
sutJect, and, II 1t please you, we shall consider
it in familiar way.
Generally, SANDERS upon women bv men
have their origin in either Of three causes or in
all three combined. Difference Of social station
where thu man Is the Inferior and where ia
mliiar acquaintance is precludcd, almost inva
rlaDly prompts base nature to an emulation of
the tex III the fable, which, you NAV remember
revlled the grapes because they hung out of
reach. The victim may be beyond the material
ken OF the reviler, but she cannot get bevond
the reach OF his venom. Another leading cause
ana 1t is entirely independent Of the other
Is Jealousy, Tor we shall not outrage a sacred
icehng by calling 1t love. Let an average girl
REJECT the advances OF an average man. and it
is ten to one that Dame Gossip reminds her
unpleaSantly of the fact however late after
ward Base natures lead to revenge as natu-
rally as Jealousy prompts it. Once rejected
your average man abandons the role of the sigh
lug swain and assumes that of the mangered dog.
10 him it is a natural metamorphosis. II he
may not drink from the stream himself he can
poison Its waters SO that others may shun it
with dread. The last cause-snce we have re
duced the subject to three separate headings
and 1t Is blacker motive for dastardlv deed
than either OF It's predeces>Ors-is baffled lust
Il the base mind, pure woman is simply an
easy victim. In the logic of such men the
purity of woman and the facility of her de-
structOn bear relation to each other in a direct
proportion. Aud proportion is disturbed when
the woman proves no victim the transition OF
lust to hate is as inevitable at the transition Of
The chrysaIi> into the gow-worm Hate, as am
abstraction, recOils upon the hater alone but it
becomes terrible entity, fatal to its victim.
when Its weapon Is a bad mans tongue.
Here We have three active varieties of tradu-
GERS and their prompting motives. But there
Is one other left, the passive tradurer and he
Is measurably as evil as any. He originates no
ISLANDERS himSelf-not he; he is merely an eager
llStener aud an eXaggeratve repeater. He
hears word uttered against woman and his
Imagination supplies details, while his tongue
gives them circulation. Albeit not responsi-
hle agent himself, he is the active vehicle of
those who are. No indignant husband flies To
him when his wife is traducrd NJ enraged
parent visits upon his head punishment for
daughters furnished name And vet he is the
gultlcst person, because he is the disSemina-
tor who gives vitality to faSehOod, and sends it
myriad-winged into the world.
Against all these classes, constantly arraved
angainSt her, constantly waylaying her foot.
steps and springing upon her from unsuspected
ambuScades, weak handed woman must strug
gle alone. Let the subtle poison OF falsehood
touch her ever SO lightly and her social damna
ton Is assured. 1t matters little that father,
or brother, or lover, deplore SANDER of which
she may be victim, even vindcate her honor
with blood, it is enough that the slander find
utterance and no power may restore her to
social grace. This may sound, perhaps, like
exaggeratOn; but let each reader ponder the
proposition as it is presented in his or her OBJ
SeiVatlonS or experiences, and its truth will at
once be fOrcibly recognized All these classes
which we have briefly indicated are integral
parts of society; they are meshes in the social
net and IN steering her course woman must
avoid the entangements which they spread
about her with inspired delicacy and strength,
Tor her fame IS as the subtle fragrance of the
rose, and as easy to destroy at a single rude
brush.
A great many men, Independent of any vo.
ltion OF their own, are slanderers of women
They accept credulOuSly the stories which ma
hgnant natures set afOat, and by incautiously
repeating, lend them color and Endorsement
Ii men only reflected twice before speaking un-
kindly once OF women, there would be less
gratuitOuS ISLANDERS in the world. 1t should be
remembered that there is no antidote against
the bane OF an evil tOngue.-ErchGnge