The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1894-07-12
SLANDER'S WORK.
ITS THREE FOLD DANGER.
Where Will it Stop?

A great many persons are guilty OF
bearing false witness against their
neighbor who do not know it. The
principle wrapped up in this command
ment is this "ThOu shalt in no respect
injure thy neighbor's reputation" All
false testimony, whether in court OF
justice or elswhere, is forbidden by this
law
The law of man says that SANDER
consists in originating Or circulating a
report that is false, to the injury of the
character of another, but the law of
God goes further, and prohibits the
originating or circulation of report to
the injury of another, whether true or
false, unless silence on our part mi ght
damage the interests OF individuals or
society. If it be objected that the
words of the commandment forbid ONLY
the circulation Of false reports, / reply
that if you circulate any report to the
detriment of your ne;ghbor's character,
you are in great danger of bearing false
witness against him, and this for three
reasons
First, there is about us all moral
obliquity which makes us ready to
believe evi! of our neighbor rather than
good. Mean and ignoble and even in
famous as this is, it is nevertheless true
of poor human nature It is this un-
fortunate trait in man, doubtless, which
originated the adage, "a lie will travel
from Maine to Georgia while Truth is
putting on his boots" And if a lie is
once started, who is to stop it? Sup
pose, for instance, it should be published
in some Charlotte paper that I, Thorn
as III. Pritchard, Baptist minister, was
drunk at such time and place. The
next paper might bear a statement,
signed by hundred OF the best men
~ rh,r1Okfo fl,of 7
drunk at the time and place named.
Do you suppose that that denial would
correct all the harm done to my repu-
tation? Not bit of it, Some people
would believe it who might see the
correction, but many who would see or
hear of the damaging report would
never hear of the denial, and ten or
twenty wears after, that infamous lie
would pop up somewhere, it might be
after l was in my grave, to defame my
good name. 1t is dangerous thing to
circulate stories which reflect on per-
sonal character.
In the second place, every one knows
that great proportion of rumors, pref
judicial to the character OF individuals,
are false, either wholly or in part, and
that we are too ready to accept any
such report as true, without ascertainlng
whether it be true or not. The story
of the man who was reported, upon
good authority, too, to have thrown up
three black crows, when he had only
vomited up something black as crow
is fine illustration of how a story
grows as it travels.
And in the third place, substantially
true statement is IN great danger Of
making Il false impression. If 1t does
make false impression, then, in re-
peating it. we are guilty of slandering
our neighbor This is very serious
matter and l beg every one who reads
this article to weigh we'll these words
of DR.. f. NJ Goulburn, distinguished
,,ipiCtor of EDUland
The bare fact alleged may be true
enough, but if none of the extenuating
be alleged, side by side
with the fact, we violate truth In the
general effect of our words upon the
hearer, though the particular details of
them may be correct. If we exhibit
mans vices only and conceal the pro-
portion which those vices bear to his
virtues, we calumniate him as effect |
ually as if we ascribe to him vice he
does not possess. A man may have a
defective feature or features, and vet |
the general proportion of his person
NAV be so good and the general cast of
his countenance so pleasing that the