The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-02-17
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-; For the Anderson IntelHgcncer.. Z'!'7,'4
For the Benefit Of sseossipers." -
There is no. class. in society who sue
ceed half SO we'll in their vocation as
sensational gossipers; and mo man or
woman has ever failed when 'oncs prop
erly embarked in the business, for it has
a cumulating capital, and needs none
other than brazen face, or brass, a lying
tongue, and, q general acquaintance, to
start I'm ordinary man or woman with ;
and, indeed, the more ordinary they are,
the more success they meet with. But
if people would give as much attention
10 the cultivation of their minds and the
right use of their words as to their look
ing-glass, and would be as far from speak
ing insinuatingly i'll of their neighbors,
as they are from appreciating it when
spoken of themselves, every community
would be blessed with quiet, peace and
happiness, scarcely to be found through.
out che whole country. Thrice happy
the man who never hears an i'll word
spoken Of anybody If there is in this
world sign of little mind, a bad heart.
and general poverty of soul, it isin the
man, woman, boy, or girl, who is tramp
ing from house to house, from nook
to corner, insinilating eanz'words of
defamation Of others. r. there be
one thing in which the devil takes pecu-
Liar delight, it is in making and circula-
ting scandal, for it is in perfect harmony
with his nature. And it is hard to say
which is the worse evil-to repeat a
scandal we do not believe to be true, or
to make it. Both are too bad;for decent
people to be guilty of; and yet how
many who claim decency for themselves
are lei guilty Of one or the other Of these
pernicious habitl. The hardest thing
for q. mean man or woman, to, remember
is a good, word spoken of, a neighbor-
the easiest; ,isan evil one. Scandal and
defimetion Of character are, byno means,
modern inventions. From the remotest
corners of antiquity they emerge in ques.
tiorable shape, and have ever been known
to keep pace with the, ,blackness of desc
lating ignorance:s Like. the, Widows
cruise of oil, alittle slandsr or mean lie
can, ,difuse itself into whole commune
ty. Nothing else is halfso easy. Cicero
had occasion once to say that nothing is
so swift as scandal, nothing is more easi-
ly sent abroad, nothing received With
more Welcome, nothing difflses itself SO
universally. Eternal shame upon man
that such is the case t. If young people
would devote more of. their time to the
cultivation of their minds and hearts
when they meet in each others society,
they could find something else to talk
about besides repeating what Mr.. smat-
ter Box had to say about Miss Little
Table, and what the, general impression
of such a thing is, when really it,does
not concern them! Of coursey young
people are'not expected to sit down and
discuss scientific questions, but On the
other hand are expected to be free and
easy in conversation about things gene
rally. Now dashing off with little fun ;
now indulging in n smart but not severe
repartee; now breaking in with just a
little nonsense; now bringing down the
house with wit, but never using the
sword of sarcasm, and never, no never,
indulging in anything like scandal or
gossip. A refined, sensible person has
no ear for such. Nothing so pointedly
betrays a weak mind as q general gos-
siper, tale-bearer,y or q scandalizer.
Each is first.class public nuisance, and
is worm forever gnawing at the vitals
of society. Conversation is an art and a
great blessing to one who has sense
enough to converse rightly.
One reflection about sensationalist.
What a nation of sensationalists are we
fast becoming Sensational America I
will be the by-word. American thieves
are sensationalists, as we'll as liars and
slanderers. The American politician is
hardly a whit behind, and that is why
we have so many of certain class in
South Carolina. The Press, with some
exceptions, is over-diligent in getting up
something sensational, and the more SEN
sational the greater the patronage. The
public has become intoxicated with SEN
sationalism. And, alas tbs sacred desk
has been de6led by sensational preachers.
sensationalism, lying, gossip and scandal
are relatives by birth so beware of ma
king their acquaintance. Shun each and
] every one of them, and learn to speak
we'll of others, or keep the mouth shut Z;
or, as one has more pertinently said,
| "Have a care of whom you talk, to whom,
! and what, and where" &
|