The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-10-23
Gossip and Gossip Mongers.

When God created the vipers that
sting, and the creeping, Shiny serpents
that wrilhe and twist ere they bite.
He had then created nothing so vile, so
villainous, so loathsome as the gossip
monger. Now, don't curl you lip and
throw this paper aside and console
yourself with "this don't mean me !"
for. my good reader, 1t means exactly
you. No matter whether you be male
.or female. it means you just the same.
We want to read you a lesson on Cos
-mongers, and you must hear it..
Listen:
webster defines gossip-monger as
'one who runs from house to house
tattling and telling groundess news,
but Webster does not cover one inch of
the ground in this definition. If he
could have gone into homes that have
been broken. looked into the hearts
that bled, visited all the penitentiaries.
Intercepted all who have died on the
scaffold. yea. could he have gone down
into the haunts that make up the cess
pools of human rottenness and investi-
gated the misery, distress. debauchery,
blunder, suicides and ruin that have
been brought about by foul mouthed
gossip mongers, it occurs to us that
bis definition would have been 'one
who sends more souls to hell than all
other evils combined
Every town has its gossipers, every
neIghborhood on the face of the earth
is infested with them. They gather
some insinuatiDg remark, probably
about some honest man or woman. and
go with it from house to house, paint
ing it with their imagination larger
and larger till scandal is fastened,
possibly on an innocent person.
"WIth many, gossiping becomes a
habit or disease, and cot till the well
come clods roll upon their coffin will
they cease 10 cause misery. wreck and
ruin. In the course of our existence
we have witnessed the funeral of a
gossiper. While in life she was always
visiting. Not day passed that she
did not hear some slanderous report
and hasten to tell everybody she could
before nightfall. Often in her rounds
she would meet little children and
CLEAN from them if possible the secrets
of their homes and repeat their stories
portrayed in slandrous words, and
when God IN his goodness called her
to account for the deeds done in the
body everybody who knew her deep
down in their hearts were glad she was
dead.
.Satan doubtless has in his region
murders thieves, robbers, ingrates.
blasphemers, drunkards and all kinds
of writhing souls of this sin-cursed
world, but we imagine his satanic
majesty keeps the souls of gossip-mon-
gers where the Goals Of fire are the
thickest and hottest, and in this un-
comfortably warm place wrthes In
just punishment the foul-mouthed
street loafer that always has some in
decent remark to make about every
lady that passed, or some insinuating
impression to convey about some poor
unfortunate man, who, struggle how
he would. could not make a living for
his family, because of the ban placed
upon him by the street loafer or Cos
sip-monger. Here will also be found
the contemplate street-walking misses,
from 16 to 20 years of age, who. while
here on earth, clothed in the hablli-
ments of responsibility, went from
store to shop casting reflections upon
this young man or insulating upon
this young lady to satisfy personal
grievances. The old bag who rolled
the Shiny scandal and foul gossip over
her tongue as sweet morsel while
here is doubtless on top of the whole
pile clustering, screaming and wri.hing
as the devil grinningly heaps red hot
embers of punishment upon her sim
stained soul.
..Such picture is not overdrawn if
we could look into the homes of honor
able, respectable people and see the
misery and woe caused by the handI-
work of these devils in human form.
avoid the gossipers as You would a
viper. Drive them from your pres
ence and talk not after them. As soon
as they open their mouths you know
them, though you never saw them be-
fore. Tell them their presence is un-
welcome and that your home is your
sanctuary. Keep them from crossing
your threshold, for they 'biteth like a
serpent and stingeth like an adder"
Now, then, look away down into The
recesses of your own heart and see if
you havn't been just little bit guilty
of some of this gossipping. If you
have. stop it now. Turn to holding
up trains, robbing churches, or stealing
sheep. but for Heavens sake let your
neighbours character and business
severely alone.-Eye. Needle, Cal.
The other day at Mayfield, KY, a