Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-11-14
coNcERNINa GOSSIP.


Il was a doctrine OF Lambroso's
that women are constitutlonally adj
dicted TO lying Lambroso was a
man. We have known many estima-
be women who professed to believe
that men are constitutionally addicted
to lying.
Without asserting that either sex
has the better OF the other. It may
be said that vicious or careless lying
about other people and their affairs
is a more shocking trait In woman
than in man. She looks to he purer,
her voice is a more spiritual music
and her countenanee Is more suggest
i've Of kindness and the virtues OF
charity. A fierce expression may not
mar the beauty of man; with such
an expression, no woman could be
called beautiful. Evil issuing from
dainty lips, like coarseness or profan-
ity, seems the more repulsiye because
OF IFS contrast to her facial lines and
the tones of her voice. Who do the
more gossipping. men or women, is
a question .oft-debated, but the fact is
that women have an immunity from
punishment or the fear Of it that men
do not A writer in The Philadelphia
Bulletin-a woman eyidently--says:
Il have a rooted distaste for small J
townsville great amount Of gossip |
and malice for which the feminine
element is responsible. It does not
seem as II life anywhere can be so
narrow that a woman cannot find
enough to occupy. her time, and
thoughts and must needs poke her
nose into the affairs Of others. but
there can be no other reason for the
lively curiosity and the real malice
women In small towns display.
There Is no kindness in repeating
ill-natured remarks to the victims.
What we do not know cannot hurt US,
you understand, but we have TO be
pretty hard natured to toss OF without
| prick Of pain the ill.natured re-
marks repeated to us by some we'll
meaning, perhaps, but tactless friend.
do not want TO know that anybody
'ears me malice, and / am not CRATE
ul to the blunderer who conveys me
uch knowledge 4
There are times when almost APP
'roye the Indifference OF ones near. :
'st neighbors in large cities, the fam /
lies that ignore ones very existence. {
II least, they give the impression Of
% doing and that is something for
which to be grateful They are not I
comfortable neighbors to have in time 2
4 need, but after few experiences
With the other kind am not sure
hat II counts for much against the
discomfort OF backblting and gossip.
the truth was adhered to the adllc. q
ion would not be less, but where did /
on ever see a scandal.monger with 1
he least BIT OF veneration for FUN g
acts? Il
"A great many women enjoy BIT q
Il gossip better than the latest books :
II the newspapers, and few can keep
my such news to themselves. once q
racked a piece OF scandal to its source G
nd found that to be q most harmless I
Incident related by an old woman who
happened to be an eyewitness. The
tory passed into the possession Of AZ.
cen persons and not only gained a
rife from each, but was 50 twisted
Il the time II was nailed that the old
ady denied having anything TO do
With a..
"The suspicious person can find !
,lenty upon which to feed the imagi. |
iation. She may not always be as
as one woman I know, who
sharply censured the conduct OF
another woman she saw at a place OF
with a man whom she did
not recognize as the husband, Be
tore the story had time TO spread she
discovered the man to be n brother
from the West and was fair enough
to say so 70 those who knew OF the
incident That and another episode
In which she figured as principal en-
tirely cured her OF gOssiplng. she
had married brother whose wife