The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1881-06-23
THE COMMON BROTHER
'..s-s.--:, :. HOOD OF MAN. 1922. ,,%a

'Ee that steals my purse steals trash,
but lie that filches from me my good
name, takes that which does not enrich
him and makes me poor indeed. - Aye,
poor, indeed, is the man deprived Of that
most priceless Of all blessings: his s,
GOOD NAME.
It takes years to build it up; but only
a faint breath of SANDER to destroy it.
Unlike tangible property, which rests
on stable title and is protected by the
laws of the country, reputation floats
on the slight and airy foundation Of
public opinion and popular favor. Frail
in its foundation, slight in its structure.
delicate in its materials, it is peculiar
~ exposed to he injured Ivy the malice
Of the disingenuous and vindlctive.
The want Of a due regard for the repu-
tation of others is one of the most fla
grant of all offenses; and, rightfully we
state it, one Of the most common-be-
ing committed in some of its modified
forms by many truly excellent people
without the slightest evil intent.
A SANDER is seldom the result Of
violation of duty on the part of single
individual. Some one insinuates some
thing derogatory to the character Of an
other. Some one else repeats it and so
it goes OH ad in6nitmn. the calumny be-
coming more malignant with each rep
et,tion, until finally some slight indis-
cretion is magnified into an atrocious
crime, and good name is injured be-
yond repair.
Human nature is ever moro ready to
believe evil than good of a man, and
Islander is rolled under the tongue as
a morsel so sweet that truth itself can
not prevail against it. We find this
state of affairs in every grade Of society
from the highest to the lowest; in the
church as we'll as the saloons, and we
take this opportunity to suggest to our
preachers that if they would devote less
time to intoxicating their pet creeds and
dogmas, and more to the denunciation
of this and kindred evils, they would be
doing a far more acceptable work for
the master and certainly more servicea-
bic to the world.
If we were asked to name the most
| despicable specimen of humanity the
world has ever produced, we should
have no hesltancy in proaouncing linn
| TIE SILENT SLANDEKER.
| He is an ungallant soul; u poltroon
and coward, he has a cringing heart in
his bosom; there is nothing noble and
magnanimous about him; he is deficient
in all truly great qualities; he is not of
the human brotherhood. Rather than
provoke the frown Of some one whose
favor might he of service to him, he will
stand quietly by and hear his best friend
traduced, and by shake of the head
or a shrug of the shoulders acquiesce
in defamation that he knows to be un-
just and untrue.
He who fails to defend the character
of brother against an unjust attack,
sins against God and humanity, and
should be held up to the execratlon of
the world. Shun him as you would the
shades of the deadly Upas tree.
A WOMAN's REPUTATION
is her all, and he who has Il spark of
manhood in his bosom will hold it sa-
cred. There is, however, class of men
making claims to responsibility, who
asperse the character Of the women of
chalance as they smoke their cigars
But it matters not how neat mans
clothes may be, how faultless his neck
tie, how we'll polished his boots, wheth-
er his hair be parted in the middle OF
on the side, if lie does not reverence the
namc Of woman, if he speaks lightly of
her virtue, it is safe to set him down as
/. rake and at heart villain.
| To their shame be it said, there is q
class Of young ladies who tactly EN-
courage this species of infamy. So long
as they make good clothes, instead of d
pure heart and sterling integrity the
condition OF their favor, so long will
| the class OF men to whom we have re-
| ferred, increase.
| Prudence, reason, religion and the
principles OF a common brotherhood, a.
like warn US to be slow 10 give cretrnce
to all stories derogatory to character,
and never repsat them until fully salts
| fed Of their truth; and not even then un-
less some GOOD end will lie thereby &C.
con,plished.
Not knowing how soon the shafts of
a malicious enemy may he hurled a.
gainst US, we should at all times prac-
tice the same caution and forbearance
that we may at any time be called upon
to ask at the hands OF others.
| 10 needlessly give pain to another,
! evinccs not only a naturally depraved
| heart, but also 4 lack Of culture and re-
finement. Thank God there are but few
! such libels on humanity, as Dickens
Quilp, who delighted in
HUMAN SUFFERING,
and laughed in demoniac glee at the
contortions Of little children whom lie
| tortured; but there are those in every
community. who show little less deic;t-
| cy Of feeling. We can all call such char
| ing desire to he considered witty or
| smart, and in order to do so have no
| more regard for the feelings of others
than the Shiny serpent that fastens its
| fangs in the human flesh. It they know
| OF subject on which Il person Is pecu-
liarly sensitive they lose no opportunity
of recurring to it; if they meet on, the
street q person in any way deformed,
instead of kindly speaking and passing
on, they stand and gaze at the poor
creature, or perhaps make some testing
remark calculated to increase his mis-.
cry.
Dead indeed to every noble instinct
is he who does not sympathiZe with hu-
man suffering. And he who will thus
add to it cannot be too severely ana
thematiZed. Far us is this vice from
woman, as we delight to lot upon her,
she is by no means free from it. There
is no place where woman appears more
womanly than in ,ninistering to human
suffering, and assuredly no place where
she appears more unwomanly than III
int1icting it.
FELIX.
CARS kUN BY ELECIItIC7TY.