The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-12-27

\ fort that he cherish anu iortiiy hiinsci'
in this conviction. So, when any great
scandal arises in quarters where he has
found himself and his course OF life con,
demned, he listens with ready ears, and
is Enthusiastically glad. We say this is
natural, however base and malignant il
may be; but when people are reputed
good-nay, people processing to be
Christian-shrug their virtuous should
ers and shake their feeble heads, while
foul scandal touches vitality the char.
acter of one of their own number, and
menaces the extinguishment of an infiu-
ence, higher or humber, by which the
world is made better, we hang our heads
with shame, OF raise them with indigna-
ton. If such thing as this is natural,
it proves just one thing, viz, that these
men are hypocrites. There is no man,
Christian or Pagan, who can rejoice in
the faintest degree over the reputed fall
Of any other man from rectitude, with
out being at heart a scamp. All this
readiness to believe evil of others, espe-
cially of those who have been reputed
to be eminently good, is an evidence of
conscious weakness under temptation, or
of conscious proclivity to vice that finds
comfort in eminent companionship.
There is no better test of purity and
true goodness than reluctance to think
evil of ones neighbor, and absolute in
capacity to believe an evil report about
good men except upon the most trust.
worthy testimony Alas, that this large
and lovely charity is so rare But it is
only with those who possess this charity
that men accused OF sins against society
have an equal chance with those accused,
under the forms of law, of crime Ev-
cry man brought to trial for crime is
presumed to be innocent until he is
proved to be guilty; but, with the world
at large, every man slandered is pre-
sumed to be guilty until he proves him.
self to be innocent, and even then it
takes the liberty of doubling the testi
mony. Every man who rejoices in
scandal thereby advertises the fact of
his own untrustworthiness; and every
man who is panied by it, and refuses to
be impressed by it, unconscious y reveals
his own purity. He cannot believe a
bad thing done by one whom he regards
as a good man, simply because he knows
he would not DO it himself He gives
credit to others for the virtue that is
in bis own possession, while
the base men around him, whether
Christian in name or not, withhold that
credit because they cannot believe in the
existence Of a virtue of which they are
empty. When the Master
uttered the words, Let him that is
without sin among you first cast stone
at her, he knew that none but conscious
lelinquents would have the disposition
to do so ; and when, under this rebuke,
every fierce accuser retired overwhelmed,
lie, the Snless, wrote the woman's crime
in the sand for the heavenly rains to
aface. II lie could do this in a case of
guilt not disputed, it certainly becomes
his followers to stand together around
every one Of their number whom malice
or revenge assails with ISLANDERS to which
his or her whole life gives the lie
Ia a world full Of influences and ten
denotes to evil, where every good force
IS needed, aud needs to be iealously
cherished and guarded, there is no
choicer treasure and 10 more bcncfccnt
bower than a sound character. This Is
not Only the highest result of all the best
orces of our civilization, but it is the
builder of those forces in society and the
State Society cannot afford to have it
TASTED or destroyed; and its instinct of
demands that it shall .
DC suffered. There Is nothing so sensi-
i've and nothing so sacred rs character
md every tender charity, aud loyal /
friendship, aud chivalrous affection, and 1
manly sentiment and impulse, ought to
Themselves around every true
character N the community 50 thor 1
,ughly that d breath Of calumuy Shall |
,e as harmless as an idle wind. Ii they +
.aunot 10 tais, tueu no man Is safe who |
etuscs 10 make terms with tue devil. |
nd he j. sc liberty 10 pick his victim.
where he will q, Hoiload; Sc,5J /