West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-05-11
THOSE ATHENIANS.


we are told that they "spent their
time in nothing else but either to
tell or hear some new thing" { Acts
III: 21.) Now this was certainly a
poor way of spending their time
and we propose giving them gotod
tongue-lashing about it. In the
first place, while a little gossip
might have been excusable, to spend
their mhole time in that business was
perfect shame. The idea of any
body spending their whole time IN
the market place, Or on the street
corners, or gadding about from
house to house, gathering and ped
ding news! They certainly must
have been an idle, indolent, trifilng
set. Then, again, what business
had they to hear everything that
was going on or being said? It's
true their ears were made to hear
with, and every one ought to be
"swift to hear" but not to hear cv-
erything The mouth was made to
cat and drink with, but man has
no business swallowing every filthy
and un-wholesome thing he comes
to. But these Athenians kept their
ears open to every thing, and con
sequently there was a great deal
more talking than there would have
been; a great many more lies told
and much more hard feeling, than
there would have been; they heard
a great many things which they had
no business to hear-things that no
doubt injured them in thousand
ways. They certainly had sense
enough to know they were not
bound to listen to every thing that
was being said. When Mrs. The
mistocles undertook to tell Mrs. Her
mogones some unpleasant things
which Mrs Diogones had been say
ing about her, there are at least
three things which Mrs. H. could
have done ; she could have changed
the subject, or stopped her ears, or
left the room. Those who heard
everything that was told, were just
as bad as those who told everything
they heard, The "itching ear" is
no better than the "tattling tongue"
But these Athenians had both.
And O, what mischief they must
have wrought by telling everything
they heard They must have kept
Athens in a continual broil, Hearts
were broken, families were divided,
friends were separated, murders
were committed; and no telling
what desolation followed in the
train of those untamable tongues.
No wonder Paul didn't stay long at
Athens, and well might he shake
the dust off his feet against such
people.
However, we mustn't be too hard
on the Athenians, for something
may be said for them by way Of ex-
cuse, at least.
In the first place, they were not
Christians, and therefore could not
be expected to have the grace to
hold their tongues or guard their
ears. How thankful we should be
that our religion has lifted us above
such things.
In the second place, they were
heathens, poor things, and of course
they would do heathenish things.
What great thing it is for us that
we live in an age and in a land of so
much greater light and moral eleva-
ton.
Finally, they didn't know much.
Their knowledge was rather super
fetal. They had been an intelli-
gent people in times past, but the
mass of them had become rather
shallow, and about all they could
do, by way of entertainment, was to
hear and tell news. Pray what could
they do but talk about their neigh
bors, when they didn't know enough
to talk about anything else? Now
we live in an enlightened age, and
have other things to talk about.
We can talk about the political, in
tellectual and moral condition fthe
various parts of the world, and es-
pecially of our own country. We
can talk about the great work of
modern missions. We can talk
about the progress of science. We
can talk about the great evils that
atflict our country and the best