The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-08-31
Suspicion.

FDuopiClVus
There is scarcely more deadly foe to
human welfare than the suspicion which
creeps so insidiously into the mind, infu:
sing slow poison into every relation Of
life. 1t cuts at the root of business trans,
action, saps faith in commercial integri-.
ty, and divorces interests chat can only.
thrive by union, sows seed of discord in
families, destroys friendship and kills af-
fection. 1t is the great disintegrator of
society, sundering all the cords which
bind men together, and driving them in
tdsforlorn and wretched: isolation. Yet
TT comes to'us in nc Arepulsive garb, but
rather hides its real character under q
show of dignity and truth, bidding us
beware how we become dupes and VIC
tins, warning US against soft incredulity
and an unreasoning confidence that, must
sooner or later suffer shipwreck. Every
error has its germ of truth, and in at
ltacking suspicion, we must be careful not
to crush ont that wise discrimination and
prudent caution which are needful guides
in the affairs Of life. These, however,
are quite different from, the malicious or
wreckless disparagement of others which
scatters doubt and, distrust on every side.
/ A certain shrewd sagacity may charac-
terize the. suspicious mind, but is, after
all shallow, and will overreach itself.
There is so much more good than evil in
human nature that he who trusts every
body will, in the long run, make fewer
mistakes than he who suspects everybody.
The former may lay himself open to oc-
casional thrusts from a foe, but the lat
ter, with the shield of suspicion, bars out
from himselfthe embrace Of many friends.
When we hear of the lamentable cases of
public and private corruption, of broken,
ruined characters and desofate homes, we
are apt to lose faith in human integrity,
and bury our distrustfulness in an un-
timely grave. But surely this is all error
of,the judgment, if not of the heart. We
/ smile at those who are afraid to trust
! themselves in the car or steamer, because
there have been collisions and explo-
| siioIs but We are not guilty of at least
equal folly If we deem all men rogues be-
cause some men Have cheated? Is it not
sound dgnaent, or asuperior knowledge
of mankind THAT produces the sneering
siur .npon human virtues or the carping
suspicion aofi motives and purposes, but
rather ashail and }conceited assump-
ton that has its root inignorance?
Nothing saps The principle of virtue
more efectually than suspicion. The
child who is always watched, and never
trusted, will surely learn TO- be deceitful;
the workman who is always blamed and
deprecated will neverdo his best; the
affection that is continually doubted will
inevitably COOL Encouragement, faith
and confidence are inspirers of excel
Ience; they keep up the courage, give
to effortsandpower to overcome
obstacles; but theSdark and unwhole-
some atmosphere Of suspicion and dis
trust choke all the goodness and dry up
the springs Of well-doing. Much of the
waylin which men and awomen develop
depsnds.upon the opinion held of them
by9others.s Itsis easier and more natural
to strive to fulfil hopeful expectations
than to overcome detraction and live.
down criticism. The cheering word, the
cordial grasp, the hearty assurance of
respect and confidence, and promise Of
help, have rescued many wavering soul
trembling mortals on the verge of a NOR:
;atsprecipices ceswhen the gpointedfnger of
suspicion ands incrednlity would have
sufaced:to push themsoyer. !,
TssBeside its direct infue ncesupon char:
Sacter, suspicion IS samost contagious dis
5order.s Itis swond derfuf with what rapid.
Sitysas bad report will spread, gathering
SON eshing new from every tongue that
carries Il. It reputation once soiled BY
the:breath Of calumny, quickly becomes
defaced and ruined by a hundred stains.
Suspicion, however feeble al, first, grows
bold and strong by being cherished, and
soon develops into scandal aud gossip,
(which, in ?resistlesss torrent. desolates
many ahappy hearthstone, and quenches
many spark Of love and goodness. He
whosis constantly imagining and,predict-
ing evil, becomes closely connected with
it. Our thoughts are ever forming char
acters, and whatever they are most alb
sorbed in will tinge our lives. He who
meditates on the feelings of others, who
dwells upon their follies, and contem-
plates their worst side, rather than their
best, cannot fail to retrograde himself
Besides this he has. not conjectured and
foretold evil, but he is, somewhat, COM
mitted to it, and can hardly avoid feeling
pleasure when his surmise proves correct,
and disappointed when they are mista-
ken. Thus he puts himself on the side
of evil, as it,were, forming sort of COM
pact with it, and intensely absorbing it
in his very nature. i t}
On the other hand, the frank, candid,
unsuspectihg man, whose thoughts love
to dwell in the pure air of virtue, who
marks with pleasure the good points of
his fellow men, and prefers rather to
cherish their excellencies than to deplore
their faults, is constantly improving and
blessing others. He separatee himself
from the evil and. allies himself with the
good; he fans every spark Of virtue into
a fame, and quenches sin and wrong, by
booming them to silence and darkness.
He loves his friends without doubling
them, or demanding continual proofs Of
their affection he educates the young by
exhibiting the beauty of goodness rather
than the deformity of evil he encour-
ages the, feeble and Responding by, his
hearty confidence; The infuses courage
and hope by his very presence. Who
would not rather breathe such an inf1u-
ence through life and leave such mem
ory- behind, .eyen though he besometimes
deceived.and disappointed, than to pur-
chase fancied security against all man
kind, by building up around him wall
of suspicion and distrust. Philadelphia
Ledger.
! - - =.
HOUSE FLIEs.-It has been manifested