Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-07-06
THE SIN OF GOSSIP.
REV. OR. TALMAGE DeNoUNCeS THE
WHISPERING OF EVIL.
II Is Chased Among the Worlds
Great villainies - More Harmful
Than Open SANDER - Destroying
Good Names the worst of Grimes.


Good Names the Worst of Crimes.
Copyright Louis Klopsch, 1890
WASHINGTON, July I'm this discourse
Or. Taimage vigorously arraigns one of
the great evils that have cursed the
world and nrgcs generous Interpretation
of the characters Of Others text, Ro.
mans /, %, Full of envy, murder, de.
bate. deceit. acknowledgements
Paul vas here calling the loug roll of
the worlds viliainy, sod he pats In the
midst of this roll thosN persons known
in all cities and communities and places
as wbisperers. They ara so called be-
cause they generally speak undervoice
and in a confidential way. their hand to
the side Of their mouth actins as n fun
mel to keep the precious information
from wandering into the wrong ear. They
speak softly not because they have lack
Of luag force or because they are over
powered with the spirit Of gsntleness,
but because they want TO escape the con
sequences Of defamau'n. tf no one hears
but the person whispered unto md the
offeoder be a.rhigned no San deny the
whole thing, for whispeters are always
first class liars,
Some people whisper because they are
honrsc from a cold or because they wish
to convey some useful information with
ont disturbing others, but the creatures
photographed by the apostle in my text
give mueicd uttcrance from sinister and
depraved motive, and sometimes you can
only hear the sibi.nnt sounG as the letter
IS" drops from the tongue into the lis
Al. -. ~ ala
as it projects its venom.
Whispercrs are masculine and femi-
nine, with tendency to ma Gritty on the
side of those who are called "the lords
Of creation" Whispsrers are heard at
every window of bank cashier and are
heard IN all counting rooms as well as in
sewing societies and at meetings Of asy-
lum directors and managers. They are
the worst foes of society, responsible for
miseries unumcrnblc they are the scav-
engcrs Of the world. driving their cart
through every community, and today
hold up for your holy anathema and ex-
ecration 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 pres
snce was very defective, and that made
hin: perhaps the target of their ridiculc
and besides that he was a bachelor, per-
sisting in his cclibRcy down into the six
ties-ipdeed. all the way through-and,
some having failed in their connubia de-
signs upon him, the little missionary was
put under the raking fire of these whis-
perers. He was no doubt a 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 n very hard setting down
In my text among the scoundrelly and the
murdcrols. Envy, murder, debate, de-
ceit, acknowledgements"
More Harmful Than SANDER.
The law of libel makes quick and stout
grip of op4s slaeder. II / should in a
plair way, calling you by name, charge
you with fraud or theft or murder or
uncleanness. tomorrow morning l might
have peremptory documents served on
me, and l would have to pay in dollars
and cents for the damage had done
your character. But these creatures spo-
ken of in my text are so small that they
escape the fine tooth comb of the law.
They so on, and they go on, escaping the
judges and the juries and the penitentia-
ries. The district attorney cannot find
them, the sheriff cannot find them, the
yrsrd jury cannot find them. Shut them
off from enc route OF perhdy, and they
star. on arother. You cannot by the
fore, o. moral sentiment persuade them
to desist You nigh as well read the Ten
Commandments TO a flock of crows OK
pecting them to retreat under the force
of moral sentiment They are to be found
everywhere, these whispercrs. ] think
their paradise is country village of
about ] 900 or 1000 people where every
body 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 the
tables of their neighbors 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
Indeed. the world to them is whisper,
ing gallery. They always put the wors,
construction on everything,
Some morning wife descends into the
street, her eyes damp with tears, and tina,
is a stimulus 10 the tattler and is enough
to set up business for three or foul
weeks II guess that husband and wife
don't live happily together. l wonder il
he hasn't been abusing her? It's ont
rageous. He ought to be disciplined. He
ought to be brought up before the church
III go right over to my neighbors, and
III let them know about this matter
She PUSHES in all out of breath to a neigh
boris house and says: "Oh, Mrs. Allear
have you heard the dreadful news? Why