Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1873-05-07
The Popular Capacity for Scandal.

greedy credulity touching oil reports
Of the mlsdemeanors Of good men,
If man stand high as moral force
in the community; if he stand as the
rebukcr and denouncer of social and
political sin if he be looked MP 10 by
any considerable number of people as
an example of virtue; if tho whole
power Of his life DO in a high and pure
direction II his personality and in
haenee render any allegation against
his character most improbable, then
most readily does any such allegation
lind eager believers. 1t matters not
from what source the slander may
come, Multitudes will be influenced
by report against good mans char
acter from one who would not be be-
lieved under oath in any matter in
volving the pecuniary interest of fifty
conts. The slanderer may be notori.
ously base-may be pandercr to the
worst passions and the lowest vices
may be a shameless sinner against So
cial virtue--may be q notorious liar,
adrunkard, o libertine or a harlot-
all this matters 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 the
lookers-on is measured by.t success
u. the stain sought to be inflicted.
AS between the worldlinp 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 de-
lights, who sees Christian fail, or
hears the report that he has fallen, is
naturally comfortcd that after all,
men are alike-that no one of thom,
no matter how much be may profess,
is better than another. 1t is quite es-
sential TO his comfort that he cherish
and fortify himself in this conviction.
So, when any great scandal arises in
quarters whore he has found himself
and his course of life condemned, he
listens with ready ears and is unmis.
takably glad We say this is natural,
however base and malignant it may
be; but when people reputed good
nay, people protesting to DO Chris
tans-shrug their virtuous shoulders
and shake their feeble heads, while
foul scandal touches vitally the char.
-acter of one of their own number,
and menaces the extinguishmont OF
an influence, higher or humber, by
which the world is made better, we
hang our heads with shame, or raise
thcm with indignation. Ii such
thing as this is natural, it proves Just
ono thing, viz; that these men arc
hypocrites There is no man, Chris
tian or Pagan, who can rejoice in the
faintest degree over the fall of any
other man from rectitude, without be-
ing scamp at heart. All this rcadi-
ness to believe evil Of others, especi.
ally Of those who have been reputed
20 be eminently good, is an evidence
of conscious proclivity to vice that
finds comfort in eminent companion.
ship.
There is no better test of purity
and true goodness than reluctance to
think evil of ono's neighbor, and ut.
ter incapacity to believe an evil report
against good men, except upon the
snost trustworthy testimony. Alas,
that this large and lovely charity is
so rare. But 1t is only with those
who possess this charity that men &C.
cused of sins against society have an
equal chance with those accused, un.
der the forms Of law, of crime. Esery
man brought to trial for crime is
presumed to be innocent until he is
proved guilty; but with the world at
large, every man slandercd is pre-
sumed to be guilty until he proves
himself innocent, and even then il
takes tho liberty OF doubling the tes-
timony. Every man who rejoicos in
a scandal thereby advertises the fact
of his own untrustworthinoss, and
every man who is panied by itand re-
fuses to be impressed by IL uncon.
sciously reveals his own purity. lie
cannot believe bad thing done by
ono whom he regards as good man,
simply because he knows he would
not do it himself. lie gives credit to
others for that virtue which is uncon-
sciously in his 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 virtue OF which
they are consciously empty. When
the Master uttered the words, TIet
him that is without sin among you
first cast stone at her." he knew
that mono but conscious dclinquents
would have the disposition to do so !;
and when, under this rebuke, every
fierce accuser retired overwhelmed,
He, the sinless, wrote the womap's 5
crime in the sand for heavenly rains
TO effaco. If Io could do this in case
of guilt not disputed, it certainly be.
comes his followers TO stand together
around every one Of their number
whom malice or revenge assails with
SANDER to which his or her whole life
gives tho lio,
Ina a world full OF influences aud
tendencies to evil, where every good
forco is needed and needs TO be jeal-
ously cherished and guarded, there is
no choiccr treasure and no more bene-
ficent power than sound character.
This is not only tue 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 selfpreservation
demands that this shall not be suffered.
There is nothing 40 sensitive and
nothing so sacred as character and
every tender charity, and loyal friend.
ship, and chivalrous affection, and
manly sentiment and impulse, ought
TO intrench themselves around every
true character in the community So
thoroughly that breath of calumny
shall bo us harmless as the idle wind
IL they cannot do this, then no man
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