The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-02-06

the 0ffsnder for whom he has no merey-
Fur hernors. we make ourselves dis
gusting spectacle when we become busy
bodies. What a diahoiical enterprise those
undertake who are ever looking for the
moral lapse or downfall Of Othsrsi As the
human race Is a most imperfect race. all
such hunters find plenty OF game. There
have been sewing societies in churches
which tore 10 pieces more regulations
than they made garments for the poor.
With their sarcasms and sly hints and
Of motives. they puncturs1
more good names than they had. needles.
With their scissors they cut character
bias. and biGckstitChed every evil report
they got held OF. Meetings Of boards OF
directors have sometimes ruined good
business men by insinuations against
Them. The bad work may not have been
done so much by words. for they would
be Hbelous. but by twinkle OF the eye.
or a shrus Of the shoulder. or a sarcastic
OF a word Yes, ae is all
right when he is sober Have you in
quired into that mans history DO you
know what business he was in before he
entered thisg, L move that the app!ieI-
ton he lad on the table until some IN
mated. Ii Is easy CROUCH 70 start sus-
piciOn that will never down, but what
despicable man is the one who started ii!
slain by Insinuatioa.
There is not an honest man in Wash
ingtOn or New York or any other city
who cannot be damaged By such lnfeTnal-
ism. In a village where / once lived a
steamboat every day came to the wharf
A II
ed one day: L wonder il that steamboat
is safer The man VINO heard the qUcs-
ton soon said to his neighbo-: There is
some suspicion about the safety Of that
steamboat Ard .he next one who got
hold Of it sail: There is an impression
abroad that there viii soon he an acct
dent on that steamer soon all that COM
munity began 70 say; Thar steamer Is
very unsafe;' and as consequence we all
took the stage rather han risk our lives
on the river. The steamer was entirely
sound and safe, hut one interrogation in
regard to her started 4 suspicion that
went on until the steamboat company
was ruined. Precisely so noble Ieputa-
tons and good enterprises and useful
styles of business are slain by interroSa-
ton points. Can yoJ imagine any Great
ure so lOathsor-e as Tire one who feels
himself or herself u1lIs1 ID question a !
integrity all ability, ali honesty. all char
acter? BuZzaTds cooking for carrion.
while | believe enough in human de-
pravity to be orthodox. / tell you that the
most Of people whom I know are doing
the best they can. Faults? Oh. yes; all
people except you and I have faults.
But they are sorry about It, repentant on
account Of it. and are trying 10 do better.
About all the married peOp,e | know of
are IT. TTicd to the one person best suit
ed Nearly all the parents with whom |
am acquainted are doing the bcS- they
can for their children. All the clerks n
stores, so far a | know, are honest; and
all persons in official position, city, state,
or nation, are fulfilling their mission as
well as they can. The Ty-Jst of those WHO
Rave failed in business, So far as | know,
have failed honestly The singers are
singing their best songs. the sculptors
chiseling their best statues, the painters
Denciling their best pictures. the minis
tiers preaching their best sermons. Take
any audience that assemblies in any
church. and If there are 800 people assem-
bled, | think at least 40 are dong the
best they can. and if there be 500 as
sembled. at least 400 are doing the best
they can.
while ] was thinking upon this sub
iect / made visit to one of the national
bureaus in this Capital and found that
out of eleven hundred millions of money
that had passed through the hands of
more than 400 employees, only cents were
Unaccounted for, and the 3 cents were
afterward found What a compliment 10
common honesty,
All Make Mistakes.
"An people make mistakes--say things
- a.. e.. i
miss opportunity OF uttering the right
word and doing the right thing. But when
they say their prayers at night these de-
fects are sure to be mentioned some
where between the name Of the LORD. for
whose mercy they plead. and the amen
that closes the supplication. That has
not been my observation says some one
Well. am sorry for you, my brother, my
sister. What an awful crowd you must
have gotten intol Or. as is more prob
able you are one of the characters that
my text sketches. You have not beer
hunting for cartridges and quail, but for
vultures. You have been microscopizins
the worlds faults. You have been dowr
in the marshes when you ought to have
been on the uplands. / have caught you
at last. You are "a busybody in othe,
mems matters
How is it that you can always find tive
opinions about any one, and those tive
opinions exactly opposite? I will tell you
the reason. 1t is because there are two
sides TO every characteristic best side
and the worst side. A well-disp0sed mar
chiefly seeks the best side. The badly dis.
posed seeks chiefly the wors: side. BE
ours the desire to see the best side, for 4
is healthier for us so to do and stirs adj.
miration, which is an elevated state. while
the desire to find the worst side keeps one
In a spirit of disquietude and disgust and
mean suspicion, and that is a pulIina
down Of our own nature. a disfgurenen:
Of our own character. / am afraid the
imperfections Of others will kill Us vet.
ne habit l deplOre is apt 70 SHOW
itself in the visage. A kindly man VIII
wishes everybody well soon demonstrate,
His disposition In his looks. His feature
may fracture all the laws of handsome
physiOgnOmy, but God puts into thai
mans eyes and in the curve OF his nost ri
and in the upper and lower liz the sigma.
ture Of divine approval. And you see H ~
glance, IS plainly as though il had hear
written all over his face In rose color
This is ono Of my princes. He is on IN.
way TO coronation / bless him now witt
al the benedictions that infinity can al
ford. Look at him. Admire him Con
graduate him
>lanaerers Are towards,
"On the other hand. If one be rv,jcar
about the character Of others. and chiefly
observant Of defects and glad Ia NrJ
something wrong In character. the faot
is apt to be demonstrated in his Iooka
However regular in his features AM
though constructed according to the Law,
Of kaspar Lavater, his visage Is sour
He may smile, but IL Is a sour smile
There is a sheer IN the initiation az N,
nOstril- There Is a mean curvature 10 IN,
lip There Is bad look in the e.. TT.
devil OF sarcasm and malevolence auC
suspicion has taken possession of him
and you see Ii as plainly as though from
the hair line Of the forehead 10 the low
est point in the round OF his chin II yer,
written: 'Aine! Nine! /. the demon OF tn,
pit, have soured his visage with my curse
Look al him! He gloated over the mis-
deeds Of others. IL took al nv inferno
engineery 10 make him what he is
busybody in other mems Affairs
The slsnderer almost always attemBti
TO escape the scandal he is responsible,
for When, In i7fl, John Wesley wal