Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-03-07
The Marietta Daily Leader.
THURSDAY. MARCH Z, 1901.
Gosslpl Gosslpl GOsslp,

heard so much of it that 1 am so full.
| feel unable to contain myself any
longer, and will attempt to express my
private opinion publicly. | saw lit
tie piece in the Leader some time since
in which some one with sound sense
had raised their voice against the alb
omible being, Mother Gossip" 1t
makes no difference what you do, or
which way you turn, she ever has
"her" eyes and ears open to detect
something if possible to keep "her
everlasting tongue wagging. Some
who have suffered from the tongue of
8 Mother Gossip will try to console
themselves with the thought that it is
only ignorance and pay no attention to
it. have done so myself. But after
all it is very poor consolation. God
teaches us that ignorance Is no excuse
for doing wrong. His word is so plain
that even little child can UNDER
stand it. In Christ's sermon on the
Mount He says, blessed are the peace
makers, for they shall be called the
children of God. Then | might say,
Cursed are the mischief makers, for
they are the servants of the Devil"
No; it is not ignorance, for we find
it among people highly educated, and
saddest of all among our church mem
bers, people who hold themselves up
as Christians. They are like house
plants kept in an east window. The
foliage all turns toward the sun be-
cause it is the shining mark for them,
the light draws them that way. So it
is with gossipers. They turn their
time and attention to their neighbors'
business, which seems to be a shining
mark for them and cultivate their
minds in that direction until finally
they are so one-sided in their conver-
sation that one with higher and nobler
ideas would fail to see they had ever
been anything else, than an ignoramus.
Some one goes into his neighbors and
begins: Say, did you notice how Mr..
So-andSo runs into Mrs. So-and-So's
house every day? Well, l have my
opinion. How does it look? l just
tell you, | don't intend to have any
thing to do with her. 1t will cause
trouble yet, just see if it don't, etc.,
etc" And that is the way their tongues
will run for an hour or more, and then
they'll fly back and forth with black
look at the poor innocent neighbor,
and an indignant toss of the head as
though they had been highly insulted
because she had seen fit to entertain a
gentleman. A wife told her husband
that certain neighbors were very much
distressed for fear a certain young man
was going to cause trouble between she
and her husband. and he replied that
if they did not worry themselves any
more about his wife's business than
he did. that they would not lose any
sleep oyer it. And that it was those
who sat around peeping out of the
windows watching everything and
gossiping that were apt to cause trou-
BILE. And when they can't possibly
find something to say about ones char
acter, they are bound to attack them
from some other point. Their cooking
or housekeeping or washing, or the
the kind of clothes worn, something,
something it must be something, in
fact, "any old thing" just so it is food
for Mother Gossip's" endless tongue,
for it is hung in the middle and runs
at both ends. And when you move in
to new place be sure "she" is the first
one to call and by the time "she"
leaves, you have complete history OF
every man. woman and child in the
neighborhood. But, beware, A dog
that brings bone will ltake one" And
how often some friend will say, "peo
pie will talk if YOU do so and So" or
course they will Some people would
die, actually die, the death of tad
pole if they could not slander some
one. How seldom do we hear anyonc
say, Don't do so and so; it will dis
please Cod" Oh, no. God is never
thought of, He seems to be in the
back ground. It's all people, people
people. But, never mind, God is in tn ;
background in one sense, and He will
step out some day and then you will
see Mother Gossip sink out of sight
Thank God, we have righteous Judge
to decide our case. He searcheth the
veins of the heart, and He knows every
thought and action. If the people"
had to be our judge, the Devil would
have more than he cou,d handle for
everybody would go to hell And he
could not expect any of his close fol-
lowers here to help him out, because 1t
would keep them busy kicking them
selves because they had been roped ill.,
Gods word tells everyone the evils
of backbiting, tale-bearing, deceit,
etc. And for the benefit of those who
may chance to read this. but never
read their Bible. | will quote several
passages of Scripture Lord, who