Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-11-20
On Gossip.

What an invaluable ally to the gOssipeI
is the scandalizer. | remember an event
which happened in Littleton when | was
a child. and which made a deep impress
sion on my mind One evening | was
sent to drink tea with my godmother, a
widow Of seventy years. Shortly after tea
we were joined by a maiden lady of fifty,
and as the two began to talk on subjects
Of no interest to me, | retired with book
into the bow window, and being neither
seen nor heard was soon forgotten; and
so after a time was, by me, my book; the
conversation had become such that | was
listening with all my might. Miss n.
must have made every ones business her
own or she could not have recOunted the
wonderful stories she did about several
Litteton families All the intricacies of
their private histories seemed to be known
to her, and We're unscrupulously laid bare
to her auditor. Story led on to story, I'M
til at last there came one which touched
the character of lady who was dead.
One great sin of her life had Just come to
light-at least Miss n had Just heard of
it from person who had kept the knowl-
edge OF it a secret for some years. All,
that was a juicy morsel for the two. and
it seemed to me that the fact of the poor
creatures being beyond the pale of rcpen-
lance and forgiveness added ii Zest. They
said how shocking it was, how awful
how impossible it was to trust any one .
and so on. But there was no horror
shown at the sin, and no SORROW expressed
for the sinner.
Now, had Miss n in the first place,
and she and my godmother in the sec
ond, known that it was impossible TO han
die dirt without being somewhat defiled
by it, and had also appreciated the
fact that as they did think evil,
and rejoiced in iniquity, they did
not possess that Christian attribute with
out which time might come when re-
pentancc and forgiveness would be as far
beyond their reach as they imagined them
TO be beyond the reach of an erring sister,
vast amount of suffering might have
been spared. In d few days it was widely
circulated, and had come to the ears of
the dead lady's relatives, Her mother
was IN very delicate state Of health, and
the shock was SO great that she never
overcame it. Soon after her death the
true facts of the case became known, and
the accused was proved innocent by the
discovery of the real perpetrator. Scandal
had primarily set the story at10at, and
gossip had kept its head above water
Had there been no gossipers the scandal
izer would have been powerlcss.
One class of people suffer terribly from
gOssip-viZ., marrlageable young men
and women. Ii marrying and giving in
marriage were to come to an end, some
gossip houses might be closed for want of
adequate funds. The happiness Of the
country in general, and Of individuals in
particular, depends greatly on the sort of
marriages contracted; and yet this, one Of
the gravest subjects of life, is treated
with the utmost levity, and made the han
die for no end Of ridicule. How few
couples have the chance of finding out
the temper and disposition Of each other
until after the engagement! And why?
Because the least indication of the slight
est friendship springing up between q
man and woman is the instantaneous sig
nal for mods and winks and strict sur
veillance, to be quickly followed by inu-
endoes and whispers. Thus the two par
ties-made more sensitive than they ought
to be by the knowledge that this is sure
to be the case-find they are laying them
selves open to be talked about Ii man
be little bit in earnest there is nothing
he objects to more than feeling he is
watched and his actions Quizzed. If he
has made up his mind to be quite in
earnest he can brave it: and if there be
nothing at all serious in the matter, it
may amuse him.
When men and women are allowed to
take a little friendly mutual interest in,
and to become really acquainted with
each other, there may be some chance of
''incompatibility of temper being dis
covered before the happiness of the pair
has been shipwrecked on that rock. 1t
would have another effect, too-there
would not be that silly consciousness
which many q woman betrays when re-
ceiving attentions from man, and she
would be less likely to begin Immediately
wondering what his intentions might be
On the other hand, there are instances
where woman would never suspect in
tentiOns at all if tattlers did not put the
idea into her head-Golden Hours.
BIG Blow.