St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-03-10
THE FEMININE EVIL.
The Harm Done by GOssiping Discussed
b., Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

! The Harm Done by GOssiping Discussed
b., Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
The great feminine social evil of the
day is gossip.
The small country town is supposed
to be the hot-bed of gossip. But have
observed that the larger the congrega.
ton of human beings the greater the
amount of gossip in circulation.
In small towns people criticise in
small matters, which pass unnoticed in
the large cities. But in the cities Cos
sip is quite as prevalent, and is usually
of more virulent type.
remember once leaving the house
of kind friends who entertained me
charmingly, and meeting another
friend on the street, | spoke with de
light and gratitude of the pleasant
time had enjoyed. The lady looked
grave, sighed, and then said she felt it
her painful duty to inform me that the
friends who had been so kind to me
were dangerous people to know, as
their past history bore shadow upon
joined by another friend-a widow-a
few blocks down the street. The lady
mentioned having seen me in CONVEX
sation with the person whom | had just
left
Il hope you are not on intimate
terms with her." she said. "You
know there are many people who be-
lieve her first marriage was-well, no
matter, but old residents here told me
the story and do not care to know the
lady myself"
| babe the widow good afternoon
and dropped in to call on an acquaint-
ance.
''How came you to be walking with
that woman?t W my hostess as soon
as was seated. Il saw you from the
window, and eoGld hardly believe my
eyes," she Aid. Don't you know
that she rs ny zeal widow, but di-
vorcee, and 'ae scandal was in all the
papers when@She got her divorce? l
never met h$~ but from all hear she
is no friend fer YOU
l related my experience to a gentle
man friend later in the day. Don't
mind what that last named woman
says he replied. "She is the most
cruel-tongued person in the world.
was in her house once, and l vowed l
would never go again, as she spoke
so unkindly of every one knew
This is an absolutely truthful expert
ence which have related. and is sad
commentary on the prevailing evil of
the day.
l think men are quite as much given
to gossip, perhaps, as women, but they
are more fearless in their methods.
A man came to a lady once in a
crowded room and warned her against
meeting any advances from a woman
present. He told her his reasons, and
showed her his proofs in black and
white. "She could and would only in
jure you," he said, "and therefore
avoid her. | am willing to face her
with my own words if need be-
She took pains to investigate the
mans statements, and proved them
true. This was as foreign to gossip
as the scarlet fever sign hung over a
door is different from midnight at
tack by a highwayman. One warns,
the other assaults.
The most wholesale gossip l ever
heard dealt out to q suffering commune
ity was in the house of a clergyman,
and his wife was the dispenser. l
could not but wonder whether by the
earnest labor of life time he could |
scatter enough seeds of charity from
his pulpit to choke out the crop of |
thistles she was sowing from the !
hearthstone. 1t seems to me it is al !;
ways easier to speak good than evil. /
If your friends fault annoys you,
tell him SO; but for Heavens sake keep
silent about them in the presence of
other people. You will never reform
aim by calling the attention of the
world to his errors. Ella Wheeler VII
,oE, tn Philadelphia Press.