The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-05-09
Five Gents

Inc naDlt or nnQlnS out the rest or a
story when one has received only part is
to cast aside all the bonds of honor and
secrecy. Horace says. Strive not to find
out thy friends secrets. and keep what he
mtruSts to thee, though tried by wine and
passion: Sir Philip Sidney said on one
occasion, "What is mine, even to life itself,
is hers love. but the secret of my friend
is not mine" You cannot help acknOwl-
edgng the underlying truth of these quota
tiOnS; but you may feel also that what has
not been cOntided to You, but has come
through the channels of gossip or rumOr, is
not secret, and SO you are not bound
to secrecy. Now there exists. but in what
infntesimal quantity. delicate sense of
real honor, not honor bound by legal or
other obligation. but sense of real honor
of soul. which makes the owner of it absO-
lutely dumb about what has tlOated to him
by gatherings and gossip, just as if the
knowledge had been given in confidence.
Were there more of this nice, feeling and
deicacy, there would be less gossiping
SANDER, and fewer mischief-makers in the
the world. Men and women would feel
themselves bound by this higher moral code
to refrain from telling damaging stories for
the mere purpose of ldling time or 'eXerciS
ing some petty spite. Besides this habit is
inhumanly cruel. We all know that a
tale Of scandal is as fatal to the credit Of
prudent lady as fever is to a strong cOnsti-
tutiOn,' and Ito relate all the i'll that is true
of the best man in the world would render
him an object of suspicion and distrust."
Destruction is extremely easy, but repara-
ton is extremely difficult. A reputation is
not thing of brick and mortar which can
be pulled down and set up again on the
same or stronger bases than before. Young
of Iod hy ifI- fO al atC
with which they have been intrusted; and
for the matter of that old folks. too. If a
fool knows secret. he tells it because he
is fool: if knave knows one he tells it SO
that he may profit by it. Do not make a
cOntidant of a drunkard. Trust none of
those whenever you can help it, for as Mon
taigue says wine in those who have
drunk wine beyond their measure. vents
the most inward secrets-their own and
their friends" 1t makes no difference
whether the confidence is half or whole;
there are others who hold the other half in
all probability and who just lie in wait to
complete their knowledge. 1t is a common
saying. ''do not put all your eggs in one
basket" that may be true in speculation,
but is not true as regards the deposit of
secrets. If one must have cOntidant.
choose one and stick to that one; but be
sure he is faithful. reticent and the posses
sOr of tact and Quickness of apprehension,
SO that he may not be surprised in a care
less moment into giving the public his
knowledge. When found trust him or her,
As the case may be, unreservedly. TO have
half dozen semi -confdants is destruction.
There are lots of braying men in the
world besides braying asses, and which of
us is always sure of ourselves? And if
Fame
'Sees, hears and tells, untold before,
ALI that she knows and ten times more,''
so does the cOnfdant become from friend an
enemy. 1t is well to remember. Speech
is sivern. but silence is golden" K.