Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-01-01

fallen, is naturally comforted iR the bclief
that, after all, met are alike--thAt no
one Of them, however much he may Pre-
tess, is beitedihan another. Ii is quite
essential to his comfort that he cherish aud
fOrtify himself in this conviction. So,
when any great scandal ari,es in quarters
where he has found himself aud his course
Of life condemned, he listens with ready
ears, and is uumisiakably glad. We say
this is natural, however base aud malig-
uant it may be 4; but when people reputed
goOd-uay, protesting to bo Christian
shrug their virtuous shoulders and shake
their feeble heads, while foul scandal
touches vitaily the character of one of
their own number, and menaees the extin-
guishmcnt Of au influence, higher or hum
bier, by which the world is made better,
we hang our heads with shame, or raise
:hem with indignation. If such a thing
as this is natural, it proves just enc thing
viz, that these men aie hypOcrltes.
There Is no man, Christian or Pagan,
who can rejoice in the faintest degree Ov-
er the rcpu'e6 fall Of any ether man
from rectitude, without being at heart a
a scamp. All this readiness to believe
evil of others, especially Of those who
have been reputed to be eminsntly good,
is an evidence of conscious procivity to
vice that finds comfort in eminent com.
panionship.
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 oi
law, of crime. Every man brought tc
trial for crime is presumed to be innocent
, until he is proved to be guilty; but, with
. the world at large, every man sandered
; is presumed to be guilty until he proves
himself to be innocent, and even then i
. takes the liberty of doubling the testimo
ny. Every man who rejoices in a sean
dal thereby advertises the fact of his OWL
+. untrustworthisess and every man who il
, panied by it and refuses to be impressed
J by it, unconsciously y reveals his own puri
: ty. He cannot believe bad thing don,
. by one whom he regards as good man
3 simply because he knows he would no
t do it himself He gives credit to oth,r
! for the virtue that is consciously in hi
own possession, while the base arount
him, whether Christian in name or no
! it withhold that cred because they can no
r believe in the existence OF a virtue o
which they are consciously empty. Whel
the master uttered the words, "Let h
c that is without sin among you first cast
stone at her," he knew that none but con
scious delinquents would have disposition
to do so and when, under this rebuke
: every fierce accuser retired overwhelmed
He, the siness, wrote the woman's Grim
in the sand for heavenly rains to efface
If He could do this in case of guilt nc
disputed, it certainly becomes his follow
ers to stand around every one of the
/ number whom malice or revenge assai
9 with ISLANDERS to which his or her whol
) life gives the lie.
In world full Of influences and tel
denotes to evil, where every good fore
isnesded, and needs to be jealously che
!, ished and guarded, there is no choice
treasure and no more benefcent pDwe
than sound character. This is not OF
ly the highest result of all the best fore
!, Of our civilization, but it is the builder ,
those forces in society and the State. S,
ciety cannot afford 10 have it wasted Z
destroyed; and its instinct of selfpresel
vation demands that it shall not be suffer
ed. There is nothing so sensitive an
nothing so sacred as character; and c,
cry tender charity, and loyal friendship
and chivalrous affection, and manly sent
!. meut and impulse, ought to intresc
themselves around every true characte
in the community SO thoroughly that
breath Of calumny shall be as harmless q
an idle wind. If they cannot do thi
then no man is safe who refuses to max
terms with the devil, and he is at llbert
to pick his victims where he will.
Holland Scribner's for January.
A country lyceum in Illinois has decit
: ed the question whether murderers ougt
: to be hung, in the affirmative. That Sc
ties it. The score or more of murderer