The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-03-28
TALEBEARERS.
THE words of II talcbcarcr are as wounds. d"
Proverbs xviii 8.

1.-THE words of IL talebcarcr are us wounds"
Proverbs xviii, g.
L suppose it is scarcely possible to do
much with the habit of using ''idle words. .
No Scripture is of private Interpretation,
and so the injunction to let our communi-
cations be confined to yea and nay cannot
be absolute. Much more speech is necss-
sary than merely to answer questions 1t
might safely be taken into consideration
however, whether a very great amount Of
gable with which we entertain ourselves
and other people might not, with advan-
tage, be left unsaid. Useless talk is ex-
ceedingly likely to be hurtful talk But
yet | corrective that the teachings of the
New Testament, which is in it's spirit and
philosophy so eminentIy social, cannot
mean to insist upon anything which would
interfere with the utmost possible freedom
OF interchange of kindly and pleasant
ompanionship. The Christian is neithe"
a babbling Greek nor a sour, glum Puri-
tan But if the value of words were bet
ter apprehended there would be vastly less
of scandal, evil speaking and backbiting.
| do not mean the habit of making lies,
malicious or otherwise, out Of whole cloth,
and circulating them. Nobody does this
OF course-none of the people we know, as
any rate. Indeed, this is not very common.
IL for
more inventive talent than those who are
given to snch offenses usually possess.
There must always be resduum OF truth
in any such story, at least when ID starts
Very likely the truth is entirely evapo-
rated long before it stops, hut ID must have
q little semblancc of likelihood 10 start
with. This vice is a very old protcus for
for its changes Of form and variety OF feat
ures. There are ten thousand wava #
and awkward wrestling Of fact; sometimes
it is so dslicatcly done. when the shading
off from truth into Islander is So subtle thas
it might deceive the very elect 1t is hv
no means the vulgar vice that proflnitv i.
either, nor, alas. to say, il il confined to
one sex. This is not exclusively mar
culinc sin. Let us sec If we can find the
rationale OF it--thc source from where it
springs Some Of the MOS iLNctrratr Sca n
dalmongers Of our acquaintance are not
malicious persons by any means On the
contrary, they rather wish well to those
whom they make their victims. |, is rerv
frequently the result Of an iustirctivc love
of analysing pc pies character. In con
versation nothing is a more common theme
than the disposition and character OF our
friends BY their character do not mean
their reputation and standing among men.
but their real natures. OF a certain person
we like to he ready to say whether SO like
or dislike him, and why we like or dislike
him. There is nothing wrong about This
necessarily. We have right u ( I'M our
judgments. We canno, clip making an
effort to see the motives which influence
people. But there is one great temptation
in it-that ~. to show our krrnnrss Of in.
sight and pcrspicacity 10y pointing ou'
weaknesses and stroug pninls which NC
think have escaped the attention Of the
l'st. lC is great temptation when we hcar
any one praised, to be alr to mention
solne flaw or fault which none of them have
ever discovered. Praise itself is often 80
foolish and inliscrmiuatr tiDal it challrrnes
something on the other side Then our
own vanity is always on the wat \. Some
how, when any one Is lrIis d ii your
hearing, you at once uIicoGsaiUusly set
about drawing comparisons between him
and yourself, and the temptation is great Go
point out something which will bring him
down u little and let us compare more
favorably. Now, the evil in all these
Judgments of our acquaintanccs is not in
making them, but in speaking them out.
You say: 81 may as we'll Say it as think
ii" No, you may not us well say it az
think it, There ara thousand things YOU
think which you have no business to say.
There are many things you think which il
would not be safe either 10 your reputation
or your bones to say. You know this per-
fectly, and this is SHY you so often say
what you wish to say by saying nothing
at all You shut your lips and nod your