The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1900-01-27
EVIL REPORT.
A word Concerning Careless Aliega~
lions Affecting the Charpcter
Of Another. "a

No one doubts that wrongdoing 10
wrong. That point Is not In dispute.
Particularly young people land vast
crowd, also, Of hasty people who are
not so young) do well always to dis
tinguish between the value and binding
force OF correct moral law, and a ru-
NOR that given individual has violated
that law Allegations are not proofs
That statement is so primary that II
seems a waste of time TO utter IL, yet
IL is the besetting s.n OF hasty people
| to brand an accused, but unconvicted
person, i'm perfect forgetfnlness That he
who is accused Is entitled TO confidence
until he has been clearly proven guilty.
| He who condemns human being with
out evidence robs justice and is Access
sorry TO the murder OF priceless reputa-
ton. They who have been shamefully
accused are quite sure thereafter TO be
exceedingly careful when cruel tongues
accuse human being. II would be well
should every man, woman and child
commit TO memory the lines of Shakes
peare wherein the immortal poet and
dramatist declares that he who steals
| a mans purse steals comparative trash,
but he who filches a mans good name
| steals that which does not enrich the
thief, but leaves the despoiled victim
very poor, indeed. He who visits
courtroom wherein n human being is
being tried for alleged murder soon
perceives how valuable and vital is the
sitting of evidence. A witness is not
| allowed 10 testify TO what he himself
| does not know. He is checked IL he
| tries to tell what he thought or
thinks He is not permitted 10
repeat what someone has told him. Tie
must confne himself to what he saw.
or perhaps heard the prisoner say. The
accused is presumed TO be as innocent
as the Judge or any man on the jury.
until sound evidence clearly convicts
| the defendant.
A wise man once said in our presence
| that no person should edit daily news
paper until after he had sat at least
once on a jury, during the trial of n
man accused of murder, and in state
where the penalty is hanging. Large
volumes concerning law are devoted to
the subject OF circumstantial evidence,
and some of the illustrations taken
from actual trials are among the most
startling variations possible. Another
poet speaks "of trifes light as air"
which are to 'the jealous, true asproofs
Of holy writ" lie who accuses fell
low human being should never escape
the burden Of proving his charge, or
| the humiliation of retracting his SLAM
| der. We once were in the home OF q
friend, in a distant state, whose tallka-
tive wife had filed the town with a
| harmful scandal which the lady had
launched by an idle sentence, and at
| the grave expense of another lady
whose husband was justly angered by
the story which was really as ruinous
as IL was idle. Quite a company was as
sembled, into which the angered man
came. lie did not ask TO speak TO the
host in private, for he declared that,
since all doubtless had heard of the
injurious attack upon his own wife,
he did not perceive the need of pri-
vate interview Proceeding quietly but
| firmly, he informed the husband that
II he were not given n written retrac-
ton and apology, attested and under
oath, before noon of the following day.
he would begin suit at law for defama-
ton, and before evening. While all
che company was embarrassed and was
sorry for the embarrassed lady, all the
company felt that the offender richly
deserved her painful humiliation and
punishment. The apology was forth
coming, and the really most curious
element in the affair was the lady's
surprise that her idle word could work
SO much harm. Having no malice. she
underestimate the malignant power
OF an injurious statement when char
acter is concerned. We promise pro-
found impression TO him or for her who
will employ a concordance TO the Scrip
lures and read every passage in the
Bible that relates TO the human tongue.
"A word in season" is exceedingly good,
but the evil word in season, or out OF
season, may prove sharper and as fatal
ms venomous serpent's fang.-N. w.
| Chrtetiap AJvocoto