The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-02-02
IndIscretions Of the aossip..

Some odious cynic recommended O
wife and mother-in-law as the best me-
diums for making known the things that
all the world is interested in knowing.
OF course no man worthy the name will
subscribe altogether to such q brutality
as this. There have often been known
mothers-in-law who didn't keep the latch
key nor count the wine bottles. There
are known to be wives who do not in
woke "mamma" when the little aggrava-
lions that are bound to mai the smooth
est matrimonial excursions intervene be-
tween the kisses of breakfast and the
pouting of midnight. But, all this be-
ing admitted, why is it hat a public
place is chosen by preference for the un-
raveling of household knots or the toss
ing about of the ball of scandal? Why
is it that when she gets her marabout
feather, sealskin cloak and seven-button
kids on the Joy of the house carries the
pent-up treasures of the home on the
end of her tongue to shrill out to an
audience of strangers in the parquette,
balcony or dress circle?
During the last Empire, as well as the
first, a favorite trick of the head of the
police was the creation of public senti-
ment by an ingenious process, of which
public gossip was the main point.
Wherever crowds came together some in
| tensely respectable member of society
| would let fall a remark criticising sharply
| the government or its measures. To
this open challenge a comrade, also
| plethoric in all the outward signs of
| gentility, would make an equal pointed
| declaration of his admiration for the
Ibeled officials. The conversation
would, of course, assume the wonted
French ~vivacity and airy phantasy Of il
lu~stration hat makes even the most
ordinary talk of the Gallo person as
good as a play. Of course in the end the
imperial champion was sure to get the
better of his artrabilious adversary, and
the listeners we're of course impressed
by all they hadJheard from the well-in-
formed intellectual athletes. In the ma
jority of encounters the pebble of con.
v~ersation thrown into the pool set con.
tinually growing circles in motion, SO
that the whole company we're oon push
ing on the propaganda, other agents be-
ing conveniently stationed to give it the
proper piquancy of personality and risi
Bile scandal.
The next great original Barnum vii
find it for his gain to seize this hint
Who that has ever been in a theater o.
crowd has not marked the proneness o
women to take the world into their con
fdence? Conversation containing init
mate details of domestic history j
bowled out trippingly on the tongue, tn,
discoursive gossip casting chances on al
sides to see f there is an attentive circl
taking in her enlivening condolences
TTTI1 HI Lo1 cot hahSn1 rorcnnonoc of
hicted with this craze at a public per
Torrance that has not longed for tn
ancient Persian custom that forbad
women opening their mouths in tn
presence of strangers? But the wome
are not the worst in these public indif
cretions. The artless youth of the perio
has his condolences to make in publ
and these at the awkward moment whe
an elderly neighbor fatigued with til
inanities of actual life seeks surcease i
the mimic humors of the scene. At sue
a moment it really does not interest hiI
to know down to the utmost detail th
lurid amours of the callow youths WI
seek in the theater an audience for the
infnitesimal legs and indescribable bod,
gear generally, rather than the wit an
wisdom of the play. It is true that du
ing intermissions persons who have NJ
seen each other for some time have tt
social rights of the drawing-room; bl
during such intervals every n is SUI
posed to be bent on entertaining his
her neighbor, and the general buzz
supposed to cover any ordinary tone
voice, unless groups Of lovers or mot
ers-in-law protecting their darlings fro
"brutes" of Observation-Disclosures