Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-08-11
TO GOSSIP rs A SIN.
DR.. Talmage Denounces the Practice
of Whispering Of Evil.
Glasses IL Among the Worlds Grent-
est Ntiiainies-Aiore Harmful Than
Open Slander-A Destroyer
of Good Names.
Copyright, 1899. by Louis Klopsch)
Washington,

generous Interpretation of the charac-
tiers of others; text, Romans 1929,
Full of envy, murder, debate, deceit,
Observation-Disclosures"
Paul was here calling the long roll of
the worlds yillainy, and he puts in the
midst of this roll those persons known
in all cities and communities and places
us whisperers. They arc so called he
cause they generally speak undervoice
and in confidential way, their hand to
the side of their mouth acting as fun
mel to keep the precious information
from wandering into the wrong ear.
They speak softly not because they
have lack of lung force or because they
are overpowered with the spirit of gen
tleness,' but because they want to es-
cape the consequences of defamation.
If no one hears but the person whis-
pered unto, and the offender be ar
raigncd, he can deny the whole thing,
for whisperers are always first-class
liars.
Some people whisper because they are
to convey some useful information
without disturbing others, but the crea-
lures photographed by the apostle in
my text give muilled utterance from
sinister and depraved motive, and some
times you can only hear. the sibilant
sound as the letter IS" drops from the
tongue into the listening ear, the brief
hiss of the serpent as it projects its
venom.
Whisperers are masculine and femi-
nine, with Il tendency TO majority on
the side of those who are called 1.-THE
lords of creation" Whisperers are
heard at every window of bank cashier
and are heard in all countingrooms as
well as in sewing societies and at meet
ings of asylum directors and managers.
They are the worst foes of society, re-
sponsible for miscries innumerable;
they are the scavengers of the world,
driving their cart through every COM
munity, and to-day hold up for your
holy anathema and eXecration these
whisperers.
From the frequency with which Paul
speaks of them under different titles |
conclude that he must have suffered
somewhat from them. His personal
presence was very defective, and that
made him perhaps the target of their
ridicule, and besides that he was u
bachelor, persisting in his celibacy
a, .t. oil a
way through-and, some having failed
in their connubial designs upon him,
the little missionary was put under the
raking fire of these whisperers. He
was no doubt rare morsel for their
standardization. and he cannot keep his
patience any longer, and he lays hold
of these miscrcants of the tongue and
gives them very hard setting down in
my text among the scoundrelly and the
murdcrous. Envy, murder, debate, de-
ceit, Observation-Disclosures"
The law of libel makes quick and
stout grip of open SANDER If should
in plain way, calling you by name,
charge you with fraud or theft or MUIR
ing | might have pcremptory docu-
ments served on me, and ! would have
TO pay in dollars and cents for the dam
age ! had done your character. But
these creatures spoken of in my text
are so small that they escape the fine
tooth comb of the law. They go on, and
they 20 on, escaping the judges and the
iuries and the penitentiaries. The dis
trict attorney cannot find them, the
sheriff cannot find them, the grand jury
cannot find them. Shut them off from
one route of perfdy, and they start on
another. You cannot by the force OF
moral sentiment persuade them to de-
sist. You might as well read the Ten
Commandment TO flock of crows, ex-
pecting them to retreat under the force
of moral sentiment. They are TO be
found everywhere, these wbisperers.
think their paradise is country village
Of about 1000 or 1000 people whore
everybody knows everybody, but they
also are to be found in large quantities
in all our cities.
They have a prying disposition. They
look into the basement windows at tho
tables of their ncighbors and can tell
just what they have morning and night
TO eat. They can see as far through a
keyhole as other people can see with a
door wide open. They can hear CONVEX
sation on the opposite side of the room.
l,, To 10 ~ ian
ing gallery. They always put the worst
construction on everything.
Some morning wife descends into
the street, her eyes damp with tears,
and that is stimulus to the tattler and
is enough to set up business for three
or four weeks. 81 guess that husband
and wife don't live happily together. |
wonder If he hasn't been abusing her?
It's outrageous He ought to be dis
cplined. He ought TO be brought up
before the church. I'll go right over to
nv neighbor's and III let them know
about this matter" She rushes in all
out of breath TO neighbours house and
SAYS: "Oh, Mrs. Allear, have you heard
the dreadful news? Why, our neigh
Dor, poor thing, came down off the
steps in Il flood of tears. That brute
of husband has been abusing her.
Well, it's just as expected | saw
him the other afternoon very smiling
and very gracious TO some one who
smiles back, and thought then would
just 3 ap to him and tell him he had
better go home and look after his wife
and family, who probably at that very
time were upstairs crying their eyes
out. Oh, Mrs. Allear, do have your bus
band go over and put an end TO this