Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1885-10-17

perhaps our isolation-the fact that we
hear from the outside world only once
in two weeks, and that we exhaust the
news In forty-eight hours, and then for
the next thirteen days have only the
doings, and havings, and eccentricities
of ourselves and our neighbors to talk
about--makes us seem worse than we
really are | doubt if Honoluluans are
any worse at heart than Chicagoans, or
Londoners, in this matter. But the
difference is that the Chicagoan, or
Londoner, with his morning coffee,
looks through the telegraphic columns
Of his daily paper around the world.
He learns what China, and Japan,
what the world did yesterday, and he
has Mat to talk about. BY looking
into the columns of our daily papers, we
look only into oG near neighbor's
backyard. And this is no fault of our
newspapers The marvel to me is that
our daily newspapers are SO "newsy,"
and yet so high of tone and impersonal.
May there not be some little excuse
if the Honoluluan, with his view so
limited by his isolation, becomes un-
duly interested in what transpires in
his neighbor's backyard ? May there
not be some excuse for him If he does
think more and talk oftener about his
neighbor than he otherwise would II
he could every day look around the
world An ocean telegraph bringing
us in daily contact with the heartbeat
Of the world, would help us wonderfully
in this matter OF caring so much, and
talking SO much about what our neigh.
bors are doing
But as we must wait many years foi
that, if it ever comes, perhaps few
plain words on Gossip, or SANDER, tina,
"easily besetting sin" of some Honolu
ans, may be timely. 1t may be helpful
10 call attention to some ofMe eansss O
gossip Why do tongues, as the text
puts it, becomes restless and full o
deadly b0is0n. OF course like every
other sin this one has its origin in the
depravity of the human heart. But il
can be traced to many special causes
l mention few Of the most promi
nent.
I. Much of the harmful GOSSIP
which distils its deadly poison, arises
from mere impertinence. People keeI
thinking and talking about that which
is, at the best, none Of their business
Some people are SO constituted tina
they must know all about their neigh
bors they can't enjoy their own Dime
unless they know just what thei
neighbor has for dinner, and whethe
I he can afford it or not; they can't sleel
soundly unless they know just whel
their neighbor goes to bed or if h
remains up beyond his usual hour O
retiring, aOAy he does SO; they can
enjoy their own callers without know
ing who calls next door, and how lon
he stayed, and whether the call wa
pleasant; not content with knowing tn
contents of their own wardrobes, the
mustk now all about their neighbors
, Ifthey stopped with these things, ther
would be annoyance it is true, but tha
would amount to little. But they d
not stop there. They pry open tn
door of every closet where skeleto
is kept : their impertinence attempts t
force its way into the inner life of tn
, home, and then upon small founds
ton of fact they proceed to build
fabric of guesses and surmises, an
give it to the public-this ceases to b
an annoyance 1t is an unbearabl
f outrage 1t becomes as "deadl
poison" to human being with a min
to trouble, reputation to ruin, heal
to break
2. Again: Another fruitful cause {
? gossip is revenge. Thereare personsbor
into the world like Cain-their han
against every man. 1t is their nature
their delight to make other people ur
comfortable They edge themrelve
l across peoples tempers, and wherevc
S they touch they cut. They prick 20
like the point of a stilleto. They ras
, you like the surface of a file. The
grind you. There is nothing but fri'
ton, and evil friction in them whereve
y you touch them. You may as we
' handle burr as touch their hands |
friendship, for they are bound to thor
you.
+; There are men who will hate yo
/. because they are hateful then
, selves. The man who is vulger wi
i always hate the woman who is refine,
= The man who is cheat, and who h:
practiced cheating all his life hates ii
: honorable merchant. This is nece
/ sity The nearer he is brought besic
= the honorable merchant, the more tn
a public comprehend the difference b
!. tween them, the more will that ba
r man hate the good one. The rattl
! snake in dog days lies coiled in Ii
. overhanging grass, and blindly strike
with its poisoned fangs at everythir
e which comes within its reach. II do
r n because this is its snaky nature.
! on every hand, in every communit,
e are these biped reptiles. Every clea
e manly, honorable man, every virtuol
, woman is their enemy. From the
ambush they will strike at you, seekir
j to cover you with gaping moral wound
# 3. Pride, ambition, selflove
J; the cause of much of the e,