The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-14
HGaTt-t0- Heart Talks
BY THE cYNIC.

Ia BY HE CYNlC.
~~~~-o-~~~-~-~~-~-~-~-o-~-
Did you ever meet human hyenas-a
social scavengerbeings that lived and
tnrove upon the indfscretions of their
fellow men and fellow women? Oh, yes
they are very respectable, they often
| belong to the church and take
an active part in redeem.ng
the fallen, to whose fall they
nave largely contributed. Sometimes
they are honest, these conservators Of
public morals. Nature has dealt gin
gerly with them. The blood that flows
through their veins is thin and cold. To
the impulses Of the great throbbing life
of the world they cannot respond They
draw their skirts about them and thank
God that they are not as others are.
They are in love with themsslves and
have not rival in the wide world.
''But theirs the cold heart and the muir
derous tongue,
The wintry soul that hates to hear
S0EG,
The ciese-shut fist, the mean and meas
uring eye,
And all the little poisoned ways of
wrong"
They were bright, intelligent young Ia
dies-no better and no worse than the
average girl of twenty summers and win
ters too. The young men were in good
social standing, as young men usually a e
who do not attend Sunday school too
regularly. They went one night these
four, and had a jolly time; supper
with wine and-wine. They came home
very early in the morning and We're seen.
The female scavengers of the social pur-
ity society held Up their hands in self
approaching horror None realized the
gravity of the indiscretien mere keenly
than the young ladies concerned. 1t was
their first offense and they had done no
worse than many a spotless lamb, but
they had been discovered The doors
of good society were shut in TIER
faces How about the young men,
Were they too banished? Banished! Wen
not on Your life! The virtuous matrons
who turned up their righteous noses at
the young ladies and who crossed the
street to avoid contamination, received
with open arms Qiterany) the young
gallants who were the head and front
of the offending, and who with man
hood often exhibited in such cases, placed
the blame upon the modern Ewes TIE
world looked on and approved. This
system is necessary, you know, to pre-
serve the purity of society.
let him who is without sin cast the
ctr
the occasion on which Christ uttered
the foregoing it is evident that human
nature is the same yesterday, today and
forever. The experience of the individual
human souls differ only by reason Of
environment and the slight tendencies Of
heredity. A searching of ones own soul
makes for charity. Self-ignorance is
often the cause of intolerance. To know
ones self the entire gamut of human
experience must have been sounded. Tn 9
may be done and the soul remain IN
furnished. What will the world say?
1t matters not what the world will say.
To him who has the courage of his cen
victions the world bows. 1t is the moral
coward who is pursued and stoned ''The
world is a nettle; disturb it, it strings
Grasp it firmly, it stings not. On one of
two things 1t behooves you to settle;
avoid 1t or crush it."
He was an average man. A first-class
fellow. True, he had not observed with
an eastern devotion ALL the Ten Com
mandments. Some of them he had
broken-deliberately, with malice afore-
thought. One he had broken, 1 will not
give it's number, but he was not alone
in his sin. A sin-yes, such is the ac-
cepted verdict of society as a whole but
if this fact were left to a determination
by a secret vote, society would hardly
condemn itself. If those who are with
cut that sin were to cast the first stone
this man would nave gone UNPUBLISHED.
He had been indiscreet to begin with,
and then he had not the courage of his
convictions The man who looks upon
the wine when it is red is often indis-
Greet. He then takes into his confidence
those whom in his sober moments he
would avoid. In this particular case the
man who received the bit of confidence
was the publisher Of a newspaper at
least it was called by that name This
fellow went from place to place drinking
with his townsmen and giving out. bits
of supposed condolences for what they
would bring in return. 1t was during
one of these little chats in a private
room that the indiscretion was COM
mitted.
The skeleton was hung in the closet.
A few days later the newspaper" man
appeared at the Office of the man in
whose closet hung the skeleton, and
blandly remarked: Il need fifty OF
course. you want to protect the lady in
this matter. 1 must have money to
keep things going and that little bit of
news you gave me is worth just fifty
to a friend of mine. 1t is a matter of
business, you know, with me. If you
do not want to pay it my friend will
give me an additional twenty-five to
put it in print. You being a friend of
mine will take the first amount and let
it CO." Did he pay it? OF course he
did, and has paid like sums many times
since, to this human hyena. He sold his
peace to the devil and paid the price
himself. What should man do under
such circumstance Well, that depends
upon the man. If were giving advice
1 should say: First observe the Ten
commandments yon can. If you can
not-be discreet, be very discreet. A ma
jority of people, both ladies and gentle
men, are discreet and you see how nice
ly they get along-they move in good
society and Mrs CSrlIndy is silent