The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-04-21
SCANDAL MONGERS.
Oakland Has Them as Well as all Other
Towns.-Their Mission.


late stories which tend to injure the
character of others, and the more so
when the one who is the victirl of
these character murderers has stood
high in the esteem of his fellow cit
liens. This fondness, manifested
even by good people, to pull another
down beneath their own level is to
be deprecated, because no one if safe
from the tongue of the scandal mon
ger. How delighted even Christians
are when something is told them that
furnishes the fair name of one with
whom they have walked to the house
of prayer and in whose religious sin
cerity they have seemingly reposed
the fullest confidence. How eagerly
they repeat the foul story to everyone
they meet, taking care to omit moth
ing that will improve the flavor of the
unsavory dish. AS buzzards hunt for
carrion, disdainiug wholesome meat,
some people go nOsing around for a
story, some filthy mOrsel of gossip,
something impure, immoral, and not
fit to be talked about by men of pure
hearts and clean tongues; leave their
business to be the first to tell it, then
in hypocritical way express sorrow
that such thing happened, that SO
good man has fallen or yielded to
temptation, when their every action
shows they rejoice at the downfall
and disgrace of neighbor whose life
has always been blameless.
The pulpit is not true to its high
mission when it fails to rebuke these
scandal mongers. People should be
taught that it is maliciously wicked
to circulate anything derogatory of
another on mere hearsay evidence.
Many character has been ruined by
this conduct while the victim is all
unconscious that anything is being
said about his good name. No man
has either a moral or legal right to
engage in defaming another, or in
rehearsing unsavory stories about
anyone until information is made be-
fore the proper judicial officer and
the evidence to support the charge is
produced. There can be no meaner
or more Inaccessible crime than the
is no worse or more despicable crimi-
nal than he who, on insufficient evil
dence, blackens the good name of an
honorable and upright citizen. This
meanness eminates from very narrow
souls and causes much unhappiness.
There are people who cannot endure to
have another thought well of and so
they listen to ISLANDERS with a feeling
of satisfaction that is refreshing to
behold when one remembers the pro-
fession they make. If one traduces
and another encourages by listening
is either worthy of the sacred name
of friend? These people may not al
ways lie III so many words, but false
insinuations often cut deeper than
any other weapon and they are the
worst kind of lies. An individual can
seem so good, so just, so unwilling to
injure another and at the same time
drop the venom by repeating the
slanderous story, which does its work
effectually. These people would not
for the world say anything against
anyone, but they heard something
about a mutual acquaintance, which
they did not believe, but which they
will gives as they got. If theydonotbe-
lieve it why do they tell it? Because Of
a longing desire topull some one.down
into the mire of immortality that they
may the more successfully pose as
paragons of virtue and purity. The
gossip monger and SANDER monger
would find their occupation gone
were it not that good people eagerly
listen to every tale of improper con-
duct that is passed around, and by
listening encourage these human buzz
yards to continue their search after
more carriou. We do wrong to de-
mand proof of guilt, especially when
the life of the accused has been free
from faint of any wrong doing. But
that is what the community demands.
A life of purity and uprightness
counts for but very little when some
scandal monger who has no standing
in society sees proper to start story
rejecting on the character of an in
dividual who has never been charged
with even an improperly or indiscre-
ton. What good these people derive
from injuring Others is difficult to see
unless it is the qualification that
comes from dragging the pure, the
good, the noble down into the cess
pool of sin and placing them on a
level with the most depraved.