The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-03-01
MORAL WEEDS.

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enjoyed by many persons, not a
few times, either.
How can the moral weed crop
best be checked and overcome?
The great difficulty is, "what
is everybody's business is no
body's business; and especially
is this true when it is considered
that no man has the management
of neighborhood as he has of
his own farm.
There are a great many evil
plants bearing seed-such as
tale-bearing, impure language,
profanity, passion, the use of to.
bacco, cigarette smoking, etc.
Anything is weed when it can
not be controlled, but persists in
growing where we are trying to
grow other crops.
To keep evil influences from
taking root or bearing seed in
our community, would likewise,
take a great deal of somebody's s
time, labor, and means.
OF all the moral weeds, there
is one that not only destroys our
own happiness but the happiness
of our neighbor, also; this moral
weed is gossip.
Gossip which now reigns in our
community, is like the destroying
pestilence, spreading desolation
wherever it goes. An old say
ing is, "Where there is smoke
there is fire." but, if we would
guard against tanning the smoke
the dying embers would smoul-
der away instead of developing in
to a flame; and the longer the
fire burns, the wider it spreads,
so does gossip.
Weare taughtin the Scriptures,
"He who walks in righteousness
will never his neighbor wrong
nor a slanderous tale repeat. "
The gospel does not consist in
doctrines and ceremonies, but in
love, "Thou shalt love thy neigh
Dor as thyself," said our master
on one occasion. Then came the
question, Who is my neighbor?
and the answer expressed in the
Immortal Story was, Everyone
who needs thy help"
In Dr.. Irvine's address to the
McConnellsburg High School
graduates astspring, we remem-
Der a beautiful thought 1t was,
"If we lose our money, we lose
nothing; if we lose our health, we
lose something; if we lose our
character, we lose everything" "
Would we be guilty of robbing
a man of his money? Who of us
would turn a deaf ear to the cry
of a neighbor or friend in the
time of sickness? Yethow prone
we are to destroy our neighbor's $
character. Character is the
grand part of our nature. TO
build firm and noble characters
lies within the reach of everyone
Yet, our dear boys and girls
grow up to manhood and woman
hood, and wolves in sleeps cloth
ing will rise up to drag them
down; but such is the delight of
the gossiper.
Frequently after persons have
made an effort to turn from sin,
and have come forth and identi-
fed themselves with the church
militant, the poisonous darts of
the slanderer are hurled to crush
their hopes and darken their
prospects. 0, do not turn away
from those who, in the hour of
temptation, yielded to a first
fault. Bear with them yet lit.
tie longer. Give them another
trial, While you condemn their
missteps, encourage them to
good deeds for the future. How
sweet is the remembrance of a
kind act When we are strong
enough to say to this moral weed
that Christ has set us a perfect
example, and that we can depend
upon Him, we will not have the
spirit of the gossiper.
Gossip is an evil habit and one
tosbe guarded against. If we
are better than another, it is not
to be ascribed to ourselves but to
the grace of God. We cannot
tell how long we will be able to
continue in the narrow path of
virtue. If we SOW good seeds in