The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-01-24

but never for their damage; text. L.
Peter, w., 10, "A busybody in other men
matters"
Human nature is the same in all ages.
In the second century of the worlds ex-
istence Deople had the same characters
tics as people in the nineteenth century,
the only difference being that they hau
the characteristics for longer time. IL
was 500 years Of goodness or ooo years OIL
meanness instead of goodness or meah-
ness for forty or fifty years. Weii' oliioil
Peter, who was a keen observer Oh what
was going OH around him, one day caugne
sight of man whose CHARACTERISTICS
were severe inspection and blatant criti-
csm OF the affairs belonging TO people
tor whom he had no responsibility ana
with the hand once Drowned and harden
cd by fishing tackle drew this portrait for
all subsequent ages: IA busybody III 9TH
er mems matters
That kind of person has been trouble
maker i'll every country since the worlu
stood. Appointing himself to the work or
exploration and detection, he goes forth
mischief making. He generally begins
by reporting the lnfelicity discovered. lie
is the advertising agent of inhrmltles
aud domestic inharmony and occurrences
that but for him would never have come
to the public eye or ear. He feels that
the secret ought to be hauled out into
light and heraIded. II he can get one
line of it into the newspapers, that he
feels to be d noble achievement TO start
with. But he must not let it stop. He
whispers it TO his neighbors, and they, in
L. hp.,. OH
the whole town is a-buzz and agog. You
can no more catch it Or put 1T down than
you can a malaria. 1t is in the air anu
On the wing and afoat. Taken by Itself
it seems of little Importance, but after
hundred people have handled 1T and each
has given it an additional twist 1t be-
comes a story III size and shape marvel
Gus. If it can be kept going, after awhile
it will be large enough to call the atten-
ton Of the courts or the presbyteries or
conferences or associations. The most of
the scandals abroad are the work of the
one whom Peter i'll the text styles "a
busybody in other mems matters.
Winding Cur Own Business.
All those who try to do many things
go to pieces, either as to their health or
their fortune They go on until they pay
70 cents on the dollar, or pay their body
into the grave. We cannot manage the
affairs of others and keep our own at
fairs prosperous. While we are inquir
ing how precarious is the business Of an
other merchant and finding out how
many notes he has unpaid and how soon
he will probably be wound up or make
an assignment or hear the sheriff's ham,
L, ing
are getting mixed up and endangered.
While we are criticising our neighbor for
his poor crops we are neglecting the fer
tilization of our own fields or allowing
the weeds to choke our own corn. While
we are trying to extract the mote from
our neighbours eye we fall under the
weight Of the beam in our own eye. Those
men disturbed by the faults of others are
themselves the depot at which whole
trains of faults arrive and from which
whole trains Of faults start. The men
who have succeeded in secular things or
religious things will tell you that they
have no time for hunting out the deficits
of others. On the way to their counting
room they may have heard that a firm in
the same line Of business was in trouble,
and they said, Sorry, very sorry" but
they went f and sat down at their table
and opened the book containing a full
statement OF their affairs TO see if they
were in peril of being caught in q similar
cyclone.
Gaddecs about town. with hands in
pockets and hats set far back on the
head, waiting to hear baleful news, are
failures now or will be failures. Chris
mon NJ nd wit 7,
mouth and looks full of. Interrogation
points to find how some other church
member is given to exaggeration or
drinks too much or neglects his home for
greater outside attractions have them
selves so little grace in their hearts that
no one suspects they have any. In pro-
portion as people are consecrated and
holy and useful they are lenient with
others and disposed to say: wait until
we hear the other side of that matter L
cannot believe that charge made against
that man Or woman until we have some
better testimony than that given by these
scandal monsers. | guess it is le.'
No Time for Judging Other People,
If God had given us whole weeks and
months and days, with nothing to do but
gauge and measure and scrutinize the af-
fairs of others, there might be some ex-
cuse for such employment, but | do not
know anyone who has such surplus of
time and energy and qualification that he
can afford much of the time to sit as a
coroner upon the dead failures of others.
We are incapacitated for the supervisal
OF others because we cannot see all sides
of the affair reprehended. People are
generally not SO much to blame as we sup
pose. 1t is never right to do wrong, but
there may be alleyiations. There may
have arisen. conjunction Of circum-
stances which would have flung any one
of us. The world gives only one side of
the transaction. and that is always the
worst side.
Better die than do the least wrong. but
moderate your anathema against the
wrongdoer by the circumstances which
may yet develop. Be economical of your
curses when all the community is hound
ing some man or women. Wait, consider,
pause and hope that which is charged is
base fabrication. Do not be like jury
who shall render verdict against the de-
PENDANT without allowing him to present
his side Of the case.
Tho ohar or 4 \,