The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-08-08
Abating . Nuisance.

less unexpectedly of ones acquaint-
ances-is great evil. Many cures
have been suggested, but there is one
remedy seldom touched upon. and per-
haps because it comes too near home.
1t is, for each person to abandon the
practice of saying anything uncom-
pllmentary about neighbor when no
special good is to be accomplished by it.
As "a first step to promote this reform,
it ought TO be impressed on children
that the ''news' they pick up at their
neighbors' houses, or at one house
/ about the occupants of another, is not
to be repeated at home or elsewhere I'M
less for some better purpose than to
.make talk" Children sent on err
rands will sometimes come home with
their heads and mouths full of what
they have heard and seen of domestic
troubles-the father in bad temper
toward his wife because Of a late break
fast or spoiled dinner; the wife scold-
ing the husband for some sort of neg
lect; the children quarreling and then
subjected to discipline. Sometimes the
information brought will be scandal
about third party, which the child
hears discussed, and takes in with
avidity because all the parties are
known personally. and the mere telling
J of the news at home makes the news car
rier an object of temporary interest. All
this should be prohibited; it does no
good even if true, being, beside, dam
gerous and low sort Of entertainment.
What we see in neighbours house that
is unpleasant, we have no right to re-
peat outside, any more than We have to
put it into q newspaper; outsiders are
not admitted to the family circle for
that purpose. The fact is that it is
rather a common and an unrebuked
practice blinds thousands to its enor-
nifty and danger. but that is about the
only excuse for it. When it is brought
home to ourselves, and we are made
the victims of this sort of gossip, then
we comprehend it better!
speak from some experience on this
point, having enforced the rule in the
case of a gossippy girl who lived some
years in my family. She had often to
go to neighbours for milk, and some
times had to wait five or ten minutes.
Then she would take in everything
said and done, come back well loaded,
and begin to unload as soon as she
opened the door. but she was told,
much to her surprise, that we didn't
wish to hear her news about our neigh
Dor. and the reasons were kindly ex-
planned. 1t was hard for her to hold
in, but it taught her little self-re-
straint at any rate, And so it would
to others, and in addition would lead to
something like true criticism. Instruct
them not to repeat anything that shows
the neighbors or their anairs in q bad
light, and though they half burst to tell
something, the question will come up,
'.ls this case where good will be done
by telling" Generally it is not.
The falling is almost universal, and
can not be eradicated unless re .ecting
people discipline them elves as we'll as
all under their influence. The practice
is bad from beginning to end, and has
no redeeming feature, except that it is
almost the only entertainment OF a
social nature open to the very illiterate.
SUI III can not read, and thousands of
those who do read can not talk about
what they read. Che temptation, too,
which is constantly assailing people of
some culture, and who desire to be
above the practice, is the inability to
entertain others of lower grade with
out talking about the neignbors. That
is the one subject on which they are at
home. The weather soon becomes
threadbare, work and crops don't last
long, book topics awaken no response,
and often the only resource seems to be,
where both parties know something of
the neishborhood, to bring up the
neighbor in detail. their faults and
foibles more particularly.
The value of an education lies large
ly in the intellectual entertainment it
affords, and the tendency for rational
sociability which rises above scandal.
This is also the value OF taste for
reading, even when there is not
much real scholarship involved.
Novel-reading may be bad, COM
paratively, but it is better than no
reading, and a head that tnds its chief
entertainment in gossip. Many novels
give distoit d views, but there are so
many good ones standard works, and
new ones which can be known through
newspaper criticisms), that there is
little excuse to read without discrimina-
ton. Parents, even if illiterate them
selves, can easily find out what stories
are suitable for their children, But
there are histories and biographies also
in abundance, which are more useful,
as they store the mind with facts and
useful thoughts in addition to furnish
ing topics for conversation. Some
novels, too, expose many popular
habits, tastes or customs to odlum, in a
way that tends to their overthrow.
Even good love story makes one re-
spect a noble passion which is often
fippantly treated in consideration.
while such novels as "Uncle Toms
Cabin" and .'The Scottish Chiefs"
warm even dull soul into hatred of
tyranny and slavery. As tout of the
abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh. so mind full of enthusiasm
for heroic cha acters will find some
thing better to discuss in the house
and the social circle than little neigh
borhood scandals. Only remember
that to get something good out of a
head, something good must first be put
into it to draw upon when needed, as
people do with their bank accounts
Cor. Country Gentleman.
Understanding Ones Business.