Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1900-05-09

doubt 1t is better to avoid even the ap-
pearance of evil than TO expose ourselves
to the dangers of being misled into the
reality.
We cannot set too high a value upon
trutbfuipess. We must be able to trust
each other. The necessities of business,
the peace OF society, the security OF our
homes demand that we speak truth to
each other. Everything that we hold
dear, everything but our own consciences,
10 at the mercy Of another's word. A
SANDER may do you more harm than the
loss OF all your fortune. 1t may blast
your reputation and you may spend your
fortune to defend 1t and, In spite OF all,
die an outcast and . beggar. A liar
carries weapon more dangerous than a
burglar or an assassin, inasmuch a. q
good name among men 10 dearer than
money and more precious than life.
But I am speaking OF the grossest and
most vulgar form OF evil, speaking as IL 1t
were the only form. Unfortunately, It Ia
neither the only form Of the abuse nor
the most common,
| The vice which we call gossip, and
which the Bible called tale bearing, is a
form of evil speaking much more COM
mon and, sad to say, by familiarity made
partly respectable. We would not be
| mean enough to invent and set. afioat
! story to the prejudice OF our worst
| enemy. But We do not hesitate to pass 1t
| on after 1t is once in motion. We are
| careful to say ~ don't know how true 1t
Isl, or II have heard this, that and the
| otber," or "this 10 what they say, and
then we feel quite sure that we have done
nothing to be ashamed OF or OF which
| anyone ought to complain.
But what have We done! We have done
just what was wanted by the great
enemy OF souls. To be sure, he no
doubt would have been glad to have
US start the story. which we would not
do. Every weli," says he, "I'il get a
meaner man to start it and then you keep
it going" This we do. The meaner
| man brings 1t to our back door and we
pass Ii through the front door into good
society, and the great adversary looks on
well pleased. He sees that but for our
assistance in giving the story currency
and making II respectable, the whole
thing would have miscarried and come to
| nothing. But II he can depend upon all
tue best people IN the community for
| tale bearers, one or two tale-teilers to
start with are sufficient.
DANGER LIES IN REPETITION
Is it not clear that II no one would re-
peat scandal till he knew what he was
telling, the father of lies" would beget
this misersb bic offspring to little purpose?
A tic which nobody repeats but the one
that invented 1t will have All easy and
early death. So long as the liar himself
Is obliged to circulate his lie, IL will harm
nobody. X is only when respecta bic peo-
pie take up the tale that il begins to be
dangerous. When 1t begins to be said II
heard IL at the DOCTORS, the squire's or
the deaeonis,n il begins TO be dangerous.
We ought, therefore, to lay it down as a
priuctpe from which there shall be no
violation or shadow Of turning never to
speak any evil OF another unless we know
1t TO be true.
Ought we to, even then? Not often.
Never In an Idle way. Never for the mere
sake OF talk. Nsver TOR the empty salts
faction OF freeing our minds. II we are
sure OF our own motives, and that we are
aiming to do some good and II we are
moderately sure that by this means We are
likely to do good and not harm, then let
us, In a Christian spirit, speak the truth
we know.
But there is kind OF evil-speaking OF
the truth. There il always Il certain
amount OF truth that IL not To anyoue'-
credit. None Of us are perfect. Oar
houses are all Ok glass and anyoae can
throw stones at u+ who viii.
Suppose a stranger were to come here
and fall in with some one who could tie
him all your faults and had no miud To
tell him OF your yirtues There are such
people: people who would like nothing
better than an opportunity TO take US to
pieces limb by limb and show US up in
quivering fragments to anybody who
could be induced to witness the exhibit
ton.
A person with taste for Whatever il
vile or tainted can pick up in the course
of lifetime enough about any OF his
neig b bors to make himself quite II re-
sre.hing meal. lie need not add an iota.
He may just state facts, provided he state
only orc sort OF facts-the unfortunate
facts, the bad facts. This is not exactly
angels food. 1t is DEVILS food; but some
people seem to like 1t.
There are people who will serve you up
such repast OF the faults OF other peo-
Pile, neighbors, church members and
public men, that you will come to feel
there are no decent people in the world.
They may not say word they could not
make oath to. Indeed such people are
apt TO be great sticklers for the truth.
They seem to think themselves its especial
guardian.