The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-01-10
THE POPULAR CAPACITY FOR
SCANDAL.

SCANDAL.
One of the most saddening and
humiliating exhibitions which hu-
man nature ever makes OF itself, is
III. it's greed! credulity touching all
reports OF the miSdemeanoRsOf E0Odj
men. Ii man stand high as a
moral force in a community /; If he
stand as a rebuker and denouncer
of social and political sin if he be
looked up to by q considerable num-
Der of people as an example of vir-
tue il the whole trend and power
OF his 1ife be in high and pure di-
recrion; If his personality and in
fiuence render any allegation against
his character most improbable, then
does any SUCH allegation find eager
believers. Ii mattSrs not from what
source the Islander may come. Null
IiIutles will be influenced by re-
port against II good mans character
from one who would not be believ-
ed under. oath in any matter involv
ing the pecuniary interest of fifty
cents The slanderer may be noto-
riuusly base-may be panderer to
the worst passions and lowest vices
may be u shameless sinner against
social virtue-may be q thief, = no.
tor Gus liar, - drunkard, 9 !ibertine,
or q harlot-sil this matters nothing.
The engine that throws mud is not
regarded. The white object At
" hich The foul discharges are aimed
IL only seen; aud the delight of
the by-standers and Iookers-on is
measured by the success of the stain
sought to be inflicted.
A. between the wording and the
mah who processes to be guided and
controlled by Christian motives, all
This is natural enough. The man
bJund up in his selfish and sensual
d. light, who sees n Christian fall
at h. ars The report that he has fall
leu, Is naturally comfOrted In the
belief that, after all, men are alike
that no one of hem however
much he may profess, IL better than
another. II 10 quite essential TO his
comfort that he cherish and fortify
him self in this conviction. So.
when any great scandal arises in
quarters where he has found himself
aud his course of life condemned,
he listens with ready ears and 10 |
unmist0kablv glad. We say this is
natural, however base and ndsiig-.i
Hant it NAV be; but when people
reputed good-nay, people profess
ing to be Christian-shrug their vir-
tueus shoulders and shake their fee |
DE heads. while foul scandal |
touches vitality one of their own
number, and menaces the eXtin- |
gnishment OF an influence, higher |
or humber, by which the world Ia |
made br tter,we hang our heads with |
shame, or raise them with indigna-
ZION. II such. thing as. this is
natural, II proves just one thing.
viz, that these men are hypocfftes.
There is no, man, Christian or Pa.
gan, who can rejoice in the faintest
degree oyer The :reputed fall of |
any other nsn from rectitude,
without being at heart scamp. |
All this readiness to believe evil |
of others, especially of those |
who have been reputed to be
eminI NIL, gOod, is an evidence OF
conscious weakness under tempta- |
liUn, 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 iucapacity to believe an
evil report about good men except
HpOn the most trustworthy testi-
mOny, Alas, that this large and
lovely charity is 80 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 e. iIne. Every man
brought To trial Tor crime is pre-
sumed To be innocent until he is
proved To be guiiI' bat, with the
world at large, every man SANDER
ed is presumed 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 in scandal there
by advertises the fact of his own
unITusi worthiness /; and every man
" ho Is panied by it, and refuses to +.
be impressed hy II, uncOnsciously
reveals his own purity. He cannot
believe a bad thing done by one
whom he regards as good man,
simply because ne knows he would
not do it himself. He gives credit
to others Tor the virtue that is con-
sciously In bis own possession,
v lille the base men around him,
whether Chr .sIiau in name or not,
withhold that credit because they
cannot believe III the existence of q
virtue OF which they are conscious
~ empty. When the Master utter
I'd the words, ''Lct him that is with
out sin among yOu first cast stone
= h.. - = 4,
lciOus delinquents would have the
dep 3sition TO do so; and when. G
lnder this rebuke every fierce ac-
suser retired overwhelmed, He, the
IiuieGa, wrote the wOmsn's crime in L
.fdcR. II he could do this in . case
" guilt not disputed, 1t certainly
becomes his followers to stand tor
Ieiher around every one of their :
number whom malice or revenge
Issails with SANDERS to which his d
'r her whole lite g.S es the lie. r
In q world full of influences and g
to evil, where every good
orce Is needed, and needs to be
eslously cherished and guarded,
here IL no choicer treasure and no =
more benificent power than q sound
uoE3CtOIs 40IS - nut OHIy L0c n
highest result OF all the best forces
f our civilization, but it is The i,
'uildsr OF those forces in society o
nd the State. Society cannot At
ord to have Il waeted or destroyed 81 4
nd its instinct of self-preservation Y
emsHds that it shaII not be suffer q
d. There H. nothing so sensitive r,
nd nothing so sacred as character; 10
nd every tender charity, and loyal
and chivilrous affection,
nd manly sentiment and impulse, -
ught to eofrench themselves
round every true character IN the he
Immunity so thoroughly that q OF
realh OF c4lumny shall be as harm 20
~ q an idle wind. 1t they can
OF DO fhis then no man Is safe whoI
sfuses to make terms with the =
cyl. and he is at liberty to pick his
lcttms where he will.-J. g. Hol-
nd. Scribner's for January. tic