The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-11-18
A PREVALENT EVIL.
The Habit of Gossip and the Havoc II
Works.

WORKS.
praiseworthy work is this in which
many are engaged; namely, that of
trying to put down intemperance; but
there are other evils as bad, if not
worse, than the abuse of intoxicants
says an exchange. Gossipers and
scandal al-mongers are as great draw
backs to the welfare of communities as
even the liquor or-sellers--rather more so,
because the latter can be restricted by
law while the former can not.
Many a young man has been driven
to drink because some silly Or malic-
ious gossip, by insinuations which
We're not wholly false yet not wholly
true, first gave him a bad name; and
many a one who had been OH the road
to reform, turned back because gos-
slipping tongues would not let him
bury his past.
Many a young girl is looked at ask
ance because some girlish slip at strict
decorum was magnified into misde-
meanor by some envious or evil-mind-
ed scandal monger. And if the slip
be a really bad one, there is no mantle
of charity spread over her, there is no
allowance made for her because of ex-
listing influences; because she had, per-
haps, no one to guide her; or because
neither church, school Or state had
stretched forth hand to save her.
The downfall of many a man and
woman may be traced directly to their
first having been slandered-illustrat-
! ing the saying about what the dog did
when he was given a bad name. 1t is
for such mischiefmakers that the BIZ
bic recommends a milestone around
the neck. If they We're drowned or in
some other way suddenly squelched,
there would be but one loss instead of
the loss of so many souls which their
evil tongues might have sent to per-
dition.
flourish is because even the best peo-
pie will listen politely, if not interest
edly, to such gossip. Or at best they
treat it with what they call silent
contempt" since they know that the
! tale is an untrue one. Yet it is a
| cruel fact that the one whom the
smirched by it, however innocent he
Cor she) may be; therefore this Isl
lent contempt" is but an act of cow
ardice, and the one practicing it is an
accessory to the crime "Si,ence
gives consent" is an old saying; and
if the liar is not rebuked, he has every
right to believe that his lies are taken
as truths.
| The cruelest ISLANDERS are those
made by insinuations. The down
right, out-spoken lie can be traced,
nailed" and the liar may be made to
retract his words, but insinuations can
be wriggled out of, or thrown onto
| some other PERSONS shoulders; they
can be cloaked by the gliby spoken,
They say"
One good woman kept gossip at a
discount in her village by immediate
| ly wanting to prove any evil reports
| that were told her "If this is true"
: she would say, 'let us go and see
about it, and give our erring brother
| Cor sister, good counsel and help; but
| if we find it untrue we must trace the
story to the first one who uttered it,
and make that one rectify it, SO our
brother Cor sister) will not suffer"
There was no escaping her; the gos-
! siper had to go with her on the invcs-
tigating tour or own UP at once to hav-
ing told an untruth.
| Strange to say, many Of the worst
scandal-mongers are persons who pre-