The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-04-22
DISCOURSE ON SCANDAL
AND SCANDAL M0NGERS.

The discourse by Rabbi Leon Harrison
Sunday before the congregation of Temple
Israel was on Scandal and Scandal
Mongers." In part, he said:
II am to speak to you to-day about
Scandal and Scandal Mongers,' about the
abuse and abusers Of the supreme faculty
that dignifies or disgraces mankind.
1--WE are ships that pass in the night. and
speak each other in passing Our signals
are air signals. Our alphabets, codes. COM
munications are sounds. Our literature.
our history is frozen sound. Government,
society. companionship. without it. were
impossible. Hav you ever stopped TO
think tina the most astounding miracle IN
the world is this power of speech? W. open
our mouths and breathe out air. and gasps.
Kisses. c:ies, convey to others our
thoughts. emotions and desires. BY the ac-
ton of our throat. palate. tongue and lip
we express color shape, action. movement,
distractions. ideals. The whole impression
of the whole universe upon our Drains we
convey In SOUNDS.
Now. this marvellous power has made
man human; has given him pre-emlnenGe
over the brute; has enabled him 70 rise and Nj
recording his thoughts. communicating
them to his fellows. and thus making inc
wisdom of the wisest the common property
And this great gift has not only lifted
up man from animalism. but given MN nm
equal opportunities OF NJ NJ
can talk ourselves into sense or folly: INTO
nurity or beastliness; into being the mlssihs
link between man n the bruites. OF pe.
tween man and the angels. Speech may De
crystalized into truths. laws. sublimities OF
Thought. poems, magnificent and inspiring
eioouence' or speech may decay into VII
l%ainies. cruelties, impurities, ,o o sca Mords':
saws Proverbs, there wanteth not SIM Out
he that refraineth his lips Is wise;
..Self-control means first speech-controi.
| The mouth measures character. Our nero
Grant. was known as the silent man. Jul
Illus Caesar condensed his commentaries
into the terseness of military aispatchss,
| Napoleon's words were AZ strong as ms
hattalions, and as few as his defeats.
Thomas Carlyle p~aradoxically. preached the
sublimity of silence in forty fat volumes.
| are always the most loquacious. More than
one Mother Eve. had she not g~ossipped
with a snaky tempter. might rave remained
planned a Magma Charta for the race.
while Aaron, the eloquent. built them a
calf of gold.
nm persons is wholesome and sound. We
are men, and nothing human Is alien to rs.
We naturally prefer flesh and blo9a d. 70 ap-
hand knowledge Of our fellow-creatures.
There Is an innocent curiosity and a delight
in the humanity OF men that Is fuil OF
! charm and interest. But the ethical diner,
| ence is obvious between photography and
caricatures, between reporting and reviling:
| The distinction between innocent gossip and
malicious scandal is similar to that between
| humor and sarcasm. In humor we laugh
| with the humorist; in sarcasm he laughs at
"Among men. we recognize clearly the
! OK. the bear, the fox. the lion, the snake,
| the %yulture. There are those in every COM
| munity, snakelike IN their writings, sneak
| ing pryings and distribution of venom. They
| delight in guttering for the indtscretion Of a
| woman or the first financial trembling OF a
| man. Her indiscretion becomes vice. rum,
| agony: his difficulty becomes danger, disas-
| ter. downfall. They are coarsely and cor
| rected branded in our good Anglo-Saxon as
a tid-bit, If they spy an infirmity. If they
| can smell out a scandal. they roll the choice
| morsel under their tongue; they revel In the
| their cronies; they hiss it; they hint it; they
d carry it as q delicacy to their fellow.vermin