Smyrna times., 1871-05-31
Living with Windows Open.

gard their homes as Sacredy private. Every
family knows its neighbOr affairs and moth
lng tranSplreS concerning the most private re-
latinnS that is not Immediately nOised abroad,
di>cu 'sed and judged by med Hing and goS-
siping communities. Homes that should be
guarded with the most jealous care are OF easy
access to strangers, who come with the tlmSi-
est credentials, or with none at all aud every
year produces its crop OF personal aud social
disasters which this unwlse exposure Of the
'Ull gives TO reckless or villainous sowing. II
III IN ShOuld wish to see how Americans differ
IA this thing from other nations, let him try to
get into German or an English family, or
even into a French family, abroad. He will at
once discover that he has undertaken to do a
very diticIIt thing. No man can obtain an
inside view OF the economies aud habits of
foreign home, and share in its communion,
who does not enter it with "a record or an in
PRODUCTION aud Endorsement which place him
above suspicion. Students who go to CONT
mental Europe to study language, with the
natural expectation to accomplish their pur-
pose by entering French or German family,
ind to their surprise, that nothing but neces
sltY will induce any family to open its sancti
ties tO them.
1t will naturally be said that old or mature
communities are conservative in this, as III
other matters but We do not see that, as
America grows older, it nends 10 this respect
Indeed, it is certainly and swiftly growing
worse. The greed for perSonalitieS-the taste
for everything relating to the life of individuals
and the base desire to be talked about, were
never more prevalent than now. We have
only to take up fashionable paper to learn
who has had parties, who attend the parties.
who were the bellies of the parties, and how
they were dressed and We know while we read
that the ladies who gave the parties gave also
the information concerning them, and were
glad to see the reports in print. Weddings,
which should be sacred to kindred and closest
friends, are turned into public shows and
trOusseaus are lnventOrled by daily prints and
spread before the country. 1t is not enough
that ones marriage be published vixen it takes
place, but the engagement must be bruited in
. .JenEthS s .J0urHGt, jenkins having previously
been assured that the announcement would
not be offensive, and subsequently repaid by
an order tor extra papers. The inSanitles Of
the COUrt journal, over which Americans
were in the habit Of laughing a dozen years
ago, are more than matched by the daily re-
port OF the movements of every man of title, or
place, or nOtoriety When u woman lectures,
the repnrterS understand that the first thine
people wish to learn about her relates to her
face, figure, and dress; and that is tie first
thing they write about. The women Of the
platfOrm-belng all very sensible women, and
tO0 wise to be vain-are of course offended by
this treatment; but it somehow happens that
the reports are generally of tlatterlng charac-
ter.
1t would be possible to get along with all
this. A man may become used to SnOthering
his sense OF humiliation aud disgust when
> reading the public record of private liis SO
long as that record is made with the consent
or ut the wish, of those TO whom it relates
y but It happens that we have in America now
prowllng, prylng, far seeing, vivaciOuS, lOQua
cl0uS vOracIOuS being known as the Local Edi
> tor, who must get a living, and who lives only
upon items. Ii a man sneeze twice in hi,
presence. the local column of the morning pa
per will contain the announcement that Oul
esteemed tellow-citizen' is suffering from ,
severe cold Ii man lose lis hat in a higl
wind, it excites the mrth of the local editor t
the extent of dozen lines. He ampli6es az
accident that kills, or a scandal that ruins. will
D marvellous mlnuteness of detail. His eye IS a
every man back door, to see and report VIII,
and what go and come There is nothing sat
from his pen. All the private affairs of tn
h community for which he writes are publiShe,
to that community every day. If man shoot
dog, or catches string of trout, or rides ou
for his health, or is seen mysteriously leavn
r. town on an evening train, or sells horse, o
buys a COW, or gives a dinner. party, or look
sallOw, or grows fat, or smiles upon a widow
or renews the wall paper OF his house, he give
u the local editor an item. The local edito
i. turns the houses OF the community inside GU
"a every day, and keeps the windows open b.
k which the secrets and sanctities of every HON
rs are exposed to public view. {
s - The local editoris, we regret to say, NJ
fe without excuse. Occasionally some indignan
ng victim OF his prying and publishing propensi
ne ne ties scourges or scolds him; but it must
~ confessed, with sorrow and shame, that hi
re-, local column finds greedy market. Instca
of frowning upon the liberty he takes wit
20. persons and homes, and the details of indivit