The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1886-12-20
sCANpAL-MoNaERs. ETC.

Editor IiGari
Bon vivants 20 into spasms Of ecstaoy
over this triumph Of culinary art and the
flavor OF this old wine Of memorable
vintage and educated epioures who have
forgotten more than Lucullus,or Apicius
ever knew about what was pleasant to
the palate, may boast Of the toothsome-
ness Of such dish, but the scandal mon
ger extracts far greater enjoyment from
a delicate bit OF scandal than Bon Vi
wants or Epicures ever derived from the
most savOry dish, or the Oldest wine.
The scandal mOnger not only has the
keenest sort OF relish for tales Of scam
dial. but has a very keen scent for them
and is thereby enabled to track them
through all manner Of obstacles. And
they eclipse the best dress maker In
dressing up these tales of scandal, in the
most captivating style, covering them
with the gorgeous adornments Of the
richest invention, and converting hint
into gigantic scandal. The true scan
dial mOnger is OF no particular sex, age,
or nation. though evil-dispOsed persons
with n super-abundance of gall and Gym
icsm In their composition, are wont to
assert that women are the only scandal
mongers. There are men able to give
women two In the game and beat them
all to pieces. These male scandal mon
gers are endowed with wondrOus
faculty of nosing out bits OF scandal, and
the ranker they are, the greater appetite
they evinoe for them. Any tale deroga-
tory to female chastity is greedily
snapped up by the male scandal monger
and forth with put afioat. with all posi-
BILE embellishments and suggestions,
calculated to invest 1t with such an air
of truth and seasoning as to render 1t
current coin in conversation. He fairly
glOats over report that n woman has
fallen from virtue and forever forfeited
her title to responsibility, though 1t
would puzzle him to explain why 1t af-
fOrds him such intense delight as he
manifests. 1t is an awful thing for a
woman to slide into unchasteness. Ii
can be compared to nothing except the
falling from precipice into u bottom
less abyss from which there is no hope
of escape, whatsoever. She becomes
more and more shameless, more and
more debased. The bloom OF health and
the freshness of beauty are speedily
blighted By dissipation the sense of
modesty and decorum is totally lost re-
finement of manners disappears, and 10
succeeded by GOarseness, slang and pro-
family. Whisky or opium are freely
used TO drown recollection of the days
Of purity and to silence the reproaches
OF conscience, and ere long drunkenness
grows to be habitual. What n horrible
life! IL makes one shudder to think Of
it's agony OF misery and Its blackness Of
despair. God pity the man who dashes
woman into the bOttOmless abyss OF
prostitution, and dooms her to lifelong
misery and debasementi God pity the
man whose heart thrills with Joy at
h.,, har hoa hna
shipwrecked All. when woman sac
ritices her virtue. the consequences are
horrible enough to wiring tears Of pity
from the devils In hell, yet the author
| of her ruin walks the streets proudly
| erect, and basks In the sunniest smiles OF
the world. Nobody censures his base
betrayal Of cOnhding woman, wholly
| inexperienced In the ways OF the world.
Even the women make haste to apprlze
him that they have generously cond0ned
his Ofiense, which was a venial one at
its worst. The victim of his arts is alone
blamed, ostracised and desplsed and
bounded with a hue and cry into a
brothel. She Is alone blamed and pun
ished. while her seducer IL cUurted and
| Carressed by society. Women are per.
fectly right In holding HloOf, socially,
from such members OF their sex-they
could not do otherwise. but there is NO
excuse for their continuing to lavish
smiles upon the men that have undone
these poor women and blasted theiI
lives. The man 10 the real wrong .doer
the really guilty party, and the female
sex, at least, should punish him by treat.
ing him as a social pariah and excluding
him from society. Did you ever hear
automatically, Of seducer that wal
frOwned upon. repudiated and ostra
cised by women? or course not. The
verdict OF society has condemned the
victim Of peridy and deception, but II
has exOnerated the heartless author o.
her ruin from oil censure and guilt
Such is human justice! The rsnknesI
OF this injustice cries aloud to heaven.
My pen has rambled somewhat fr0u
the subject, but 1t has not been digres.
sion.
The scandal mOnger, or gossip
whether male or female, 10 = stirrer uI
of strife and contention In the oommu.
nifty and richly deserves to be held In ut
ter detestation. Mrs. Grundy, Mrs
Gossip and Mrs. Blsb keep the oommu
nifty In a condition Of embroilmen
and antagOnism. Scarcely the mos
trivial affair can occur In you
household that does not reaol
the wide-opened ears OF one o
these ladies, who hRstens to put IL II
circulation. OF course. the thing grow
as 1t travels. The scandal m0nger, o.
gossip Ia a social spy, wearing the dis
Ruise Of a nelghbOr and friend. Not I
word uttered In conversation escape
through the meshes Of her memory, Blu
10 carefully packed away, and repeatet
on the first occasion. with additions ant
embellishments, flattering to the fer
tility Of her invention, but damaging t,
her reputation tor truthfulness.
1t was my misfortune last year, Il
live just across the street from Mrs