New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-01
THE PROPAGATION OF scandal.

the philosophy of scandal propagation and the
growth of gossip. There was at first con-
siderable mystery in the matter as to now IL
bappened that all over the country there
sprang I'D little knots of people who, before
ever any testimony had been taken or any
thing more definite been printed than the
vile Woodruff publication, which fell of It's
own weight into contempt believed MIR. Ill
ton to be a wronged and patient person, ana
Mr. Beecher to be all that has been charged
against him. There were men and women
who adopted the Tilton- MOulton- Carpenter
theory before it was promulgated; VINO
wagged their heads knowingly when
the subject was alluded TO, and whom
no discrepancies of statement on the part
OF the three witnesses, no manifest con-
tradictions or absurdties in their sworn state
ments OF carefully reported interviews could
move or any explanation or denial OF the
person accused affect in the slightest degree.
In the universal discussion OF it everybody
who has taken part in it-and who has not !
has remarked that there were some whose
position was fixed and unaterable to whom
any denial or question of Mr.. Beecher's guilt
was almost personal alfront, and who looked
upon that gentleman's defenders as personal
enemies.
For this there may be several explanations
resting upon previously conceived hostility to
Mr.. Beecher on account of his political or re-
ligious views, or perhaps upon the mean quail
ity in human nature which hates success IN
anybody, and delights in whatever can destroy
lhe character or reputation of anybody who Is
conspicuous or popular. There is, however,
one quality in human nature upon which TINS
feature of the case rests more fully than any
other, and which we conceive to be reason
able explanation of it. TO be the repository
of secret, TO be trusted with condolences of
grave and startling character, always en-
hances ones self-cOnceit and fatters ones
vanity. Nothing so bulges out the average
man as TO know or think he knows things
about others that would make a sensation and
stir if he should only unfold himself. The
consciousness of possessing key to great
secret; of holding an unlighted match
over train leading to magazine;
of having in ones breath the power
of infinite mischief is very initiating;
aud whenever man gets pufcd up with the
notion that he stands in such relations to
prominent persons or to the community, who
ever pricks HIM with the suggestion that his
secret is of no consequence or his magazine -
full of black sand instead of powder, makes
an enemy at once. great many people were
intrusted with Mr.. Tllton's gushing con-
iidences. Each one of them believed he knew
something that was known to very few besides.
They felt hOnored by such trust, and OF
course sympathlzed in greater or less degree
with the person who had so singled them out
for his confidence. One of the most difficult
things in the world to understand and COM
prehend is a liar. 1t requires with ordinary
men something OF an effort to believe that the
man who tells them consecutive, coherent
story is lying, even though the story is i'm
probable and the man notorious liar. Mr.
Tlton was not notorious in this role at the
time he began to take the human family into
his confidence by sections and platoons, and
his story, though improbable, was not impOs-
sibe.
Each person 80 intrusted with Mr.. Tilton's
secret nursed it. 1t was a great thing to know
this sort of stuff about person of the prOmi-
nence of Henry Ward Beecher, and to have
had it from so important person as Theo-
dore 1ilton was supposed to be. Would any
one of them question It'll Why should hef
If it should happen not to be true, what thenf
Why this: the holder of the secret, who had
puffed himself up with the idea that what he
knew was of exceeding great importance,
would collapse and be of no more consequence
than any other man to whom MIR. TiltOn had
not unbosomed himself. 1t was for his inter-
est to believe it, all his vanity and conceit
were invested in the truth of the story. If it
were true, he could wag his head aud look
wise and talk mysteriously about it, and
be looked up to by smaller gossips and
stray FOOLS if untrue, he was no better
than his neighbors and his Importance in the
community as a fountain of information was
gone. And each one of the great crowd On
whose breasts Mr.. Tilton had gushed and
sobbed and narrated his shame impressed one,
two, or half dozen others in the same way
he had impressed them, by limited and half
told contidipgs of the tremendous secret. A
great many of these people wanted the scken-
ing mush of scandal and falsehOOd to be true
simply because it lent them the importance
for which the gossip is always hungry.
Never was scandal more ingeniousy prOpa
gated land never did cOnspirat6rs exercise
more cunning in the formation and Organiza-
ton of party and the enlistment of passion,
prejudice and partisanship on their side. Their
plans were aided by Mr.. Beecber himself, who
maintained silence all the time these men
were maliguing him in secret, and allowed
them to form party against him, while he held
his tongue and took no one into his confidence
1t is case of cunning and industrious whis-
pering. Had it not been for that hardly
would an investigation have been needed
This is shown by the fact that in all the mass
of testimony brought out by the consprators,
there is hardly anything but what has grown
out of the communications in one way and