St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-03-07
The Popular Capacity for Scandal.

onr of the most >addruing and hu-
initiating exhibitions which human ma
turr ever makes of itself. i in its greedy
rIcdullty touching all reports of the
ml>d"mcanor> of good men II Il man
stand high a. Il moral force, in the com
munity il he stand a> the rchukrr and
dcn"llnCrr of social and political sin if
he hr looked up t" 10y any considerable
number at people IT, an example of viz
tue; if TIL" whole trend and power of
his life hr III Il high and pure direction
If his personality and influence render
amy allegation against his character
most ImpIohahlc. then most readily
does any such allegation find eager he
levers. 1t matters not from what
source the SANDER may come Multi
;ddCs will hr Influenced h, 4 report
against good mans character nom
one who would not he believed under
"ath IN any matter involving the pccu-
mary interest "t fifty cents. Ihr ~iaud
crcr may he nutori0u>lN h:I~r-mIy hr
Il pandrr"r L" TIA" worst passions and
lH" lowest NIcc>-maN hr Il shameless
>Iuncr against social Nirtuc-maN ht Il
thief. - notorious liar. druni,ald. Il
ilt"Itlnc. "r Il hallot all thi> matters
nothing. The engine that throws the.
mud l. not Icgardcd. The " hitc object
al which the toni di>rli;,gr~ arr aimed
l. only seen and the delight ot the bl .
ISLANDERS and lookrrS-nn j. measured hN
the success of the stain sought t. lee IN
tilrt"d
" h'iNt'h the W"IldlIn@ and the
man "h" Processes i" II" guided and
,...Il L /. I
t"l!tloilci ny hlletian motives. all tins
l. natural enough. h" man bound up
III his selfish and >rr>uul delights. VIII"
sees Il hllNtlan tall. ~ hears the re
port that he has fallen. i naturally
cUmtnrtcd in the belief that. after nll.
men are alike that no enc of them.
however much he may profess. j. better
than another. 1t i quite essential To
his comfort that he cherish and t"lrit>
himself III tins conviction. 80. when
ANY great scandal artists in quarters
where he has found himself and his
course "f life condemned. hr listens
with ready ears. and i> tmi-takuhiN
clad. We say this i natural. however
base and malignant it may hr: but
when people rtrHicd good HAY. pco-
pie protesting tn hr Christian Shiug
th,lr virtUoIiS shoulders and shake their
feeble heads. while Il foul scandal
touches vitality the character of one nt
then own number. and m"IIar"~ Tia" "N-
tlngul>lmrnl "t an influence. higher "r
humber. 10y which the world is made
better. we hang our heads with shame.
or raise them with Indignation. If
such IL thing us this is natural. il proves
lust one thing. viz. that these. men are
hyporrites. There is no man. Christian
or Pagan. who can rejoice in the faint
est degree over the rcpntrd fall of any
other man from rcctitudr. without be
ing ut heart scamp. All this rcadi-
ness to believe evil of others. especially
of those who have been reputcd to be
eminently good, is an evidence of con
scious weakness under temptation. or
of conscious pr clivity to vice that finds
comfort in eminent companiomShip.
There is no better test of purity and
true goodness than reluctance to think
evil of ones ncighhor. 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 chari-