The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-02-12
THE PopULAR CApAcITY ron scANDAL,

OF Itself, is in its greedy credulity touching all
reports of the misdemeanors of good men, II
man stand high as moral force in the
community; If he stand as the febuker and
denouncer of social and political sin; if he be
looked up to by any considerable number of
people as an example of virtue if the whole
trend and power of his life be in high and
pure direction; if his personality and influence
render any allegation against his character
most improbable, then most readily does any
such allegation find eager believers. 1t
matters not from what source the Islander may
come. Mnltitudes will be influenced by a
report against good mans character from
one who would not be believed under oath in
any matter involving the pecuniary interest of
fifty cents. The slanderer may be VIGOROUSLY
base-may be panderer to the worst passions
and the lowest vices-may be shameless sinner
against social virtue may be thief, u
notorious liar, drunkard. libertine, or a
harlot-all these matter nothing The engine
that throws the mud is not regarded. The
white object at which the foul discharges are
aimed is only seen; and the delight of the
by-standers and lookers-on is measured by the
success of the stain sought to be inflicted.
As between the wording and the man who
processes to be guided and controlled by
Christian motives all this is natural enough
The man bound up in his selfish and sensual
delights, who sees a Christian fall, or hears
the report that he has fallen, is naturally
comforted in the belief that, after all, men are
alike-that no one of them, however much he
may profess, is better than another 1t is
quite essential to his comfort that he cherish
and fortify himself in this conviction. So,
when any great scandal arises in quarters
where he has found himself and his course of
life condemned, he listens with ready ears,
and is Enthusiastically glad. We say this is
natural, however base and malignant it may
be- but when people reputed good--nay,
people protesting to be Christians-shrug their
virtuous shoulders and shake their feeble heads,
while foul scandal touches vitality the
character of one of their own number, and
menaces the extnguishment of an influence,
higher or humber, by which the world is made
better, we hang our heads with shame, or raise
them with indignation. 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, without being at
heart a scamp. All this readiness to believe
evil of others, especially of those who have
been reputed to be eminently good, is an
evidence of conscious weakness under tempta-
tinu of 4f, ,,,ao L,t
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 incapacity to believe an
evil report about good men except upon the
most trustworthy 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. Every 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 himself to
be innocent, and even then it takes the liberty
of doubling the testimony. Every man who
rejoices i'll scandal thereby advertises the
fact of his own untrustworthiness and every
man who is panied by it, and refuses to be
impressed by it, unconsciously reveals his own
purity. He cannot believe bad thing done
by one whom he regards as good man,
simply because he knows he would not do it
himself. He gives credit to others for the
virtue that is consciously in his own possession,
while the base men around him, whether
Christian in name or not, withhold that credit
because they cannot beieyein the existence of
a virtue of which they are consciously empty.
When the Master uttered the words, Let
him that is without sin among you first cast a
stone at her, he knew that none but conscious
deinquents would have the disposition to do
so and when, under this rcbuke, every fierce
accuser retired overwhelmed, He, the sinless,
wrote the woman's crime in the sand for the
heavenly rains to efface. IL lie could do this
in 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.
In world full of influences and tendencies
to evil, where every good force is needed, and
needs to be jealousy cherished and guarded,
there is no choicer treasure and no more
benefcent power than a sound character.
This is not only the highest result of all the
best forces of our civilization, but it is the
builder of those forces in society and the
State. Society cannot afford to have it wasted
or destroyed and its instinct of self-preserya-
ton demands that it shall not be suffered.
There is nothing SO sensitive and nothing so
sacred as character and every tender charity,
and loyal friendship, and chivalrous affection,
and manly sentiment and impulse, ought to
intrench themselves around every true charac-
| ter in the community so thoroughly that a
4 breath of calumny shall be as harmless as an
idle wind. If they cannot do this, then no
man is safe who refuses to make terms with
the devil, and he is at liberty to pick his vic
tins where he will.--Scrt6ner's for JanUaiy.
Go to bed with warm feet and an empty
stomach, and an unexcited brain. Be sure
and keep clear conscience. Then shall your
sleep be dreamless, and your days long in the