The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-12-11
WARE One WHO TELLS
Kill Him OFF and Rid Yourself of .
Man Who Is Dangerous
Foe,

If you have a brick handy, present
it without ceremony to the man who is
always telling you what other people
say about YOU says Bart Remedy in
The Washington Herald. You will in
jure MIN with the brick, and you will
doubtless be locked UP for assault;
but You will gain in the end. For you
will have rid yourself OF friend who
is more dangerous than the most danf-
erous foe.
1 am a man who adores peace with
the heartiest adoration-I revel in it,
but when / meet the man VINO tells me
in confidence of the ruff1anly thing that
some one has said Of me, feel like in
dulging in war. / feel like letting him
have one OF the best under the chin.
Know, my dear reader that every
body talks about you when you are not
present in quite different way from
what they would talk were you face to
face with them. 1t is human nature.
We are all critics of one another Even
Your dearest friend knows that you
have little faults. And when the oc-
CASTOR comes ne speaks to others of
these little faults. He does this even
though he is your best and most reli-
able friend. And you do the same by
him. We all speak of one another's
little faults We can't help it. We
were born that way. We don't really
mean anything by it. But we do it.:
And there's an end Of it.
1t is alleged. to be sure, that there
are, some perfect persons who never
say behind a mans back what they
wouldn't say before his face. l say
alleged, because must confess that, in
somewhat wide experience of life,
nave never had the fortune to meet
these persons, And 1 am driven to
the conclusion that, If they exist at all,
they are as rare among US as white
blackbirds. rr.e
MY experience OF life has shown me
that human beings find it the finest
and most stimulating fun going to
laugh at the failings and oddities of
others behind their backs In fact, I
would go so far as to assert that this
trait in, our common humanity is the
root and foundation Of our social life.
In the good old prehistoric days men
laid down their flint clubs and indulg-
ed in humorous comment concerning
the way some acquaintance escaped
from, or was gulped UP by, the sporty
animals with the long names. And
they found this comment upon the
fortunes or misfortunes of others so
delightful that they made habit of
1t, and thereby laid the foundations of
social intercourse as we know it now.
The one who tells is a spoil sport
and traitor. And, what is more, he
is that. worst liar Of all-the liar in
whose lie there is part truth. For the
fact that ne tells you Of is divorced
from its context. If you yourself had
been there and had heard what was
said before and after it, you would have
placed quite different construction
upon it, You would see that the thing
that he tells you of, and That sounds
so malicious in the telling, was said
but in Joke. that there was nothing be-
hind it. and that there was nothing
meant to be behind it. On hearing it
YOU would nave felt a bit sheepish.
perhaps: but 1t would not have
ranked as 1t rankles now. You would
not have felt as you feel now-that
you have lost friend.
The one who tells is spoil sport.
in the sense that he spoils the fun OF
gossip. He likely enough laughed as
heartily as any one else at what was
said about you, and now he comes and
gives the show away. And he Is q
traitor,in the sense that when people
are talking together there is an agree
ment. none the less binding because
it is only implied, that what is said
shall go no further. 2
Gossip in itself is not a bad thing
at all. And even scandal is shcrn In q
vast measure OF its power to injure
when the person about whom It IL
circulated knows nothing of 1t. II you
don't know what people are saying
about you, the thing largely is. in ef-
feet. not said And, even If you do
know what is said, absolutely the best
way OF dealing with It is to wear .
bold unconscious front. II YOU do this
YOU win always And people to take
your part. This is rs true OF human
nature as it is true that 1t loves gossip
and scandal
The moment you get Tending and
arguing and proving and challenging.
you are fitting the cap TO your head. |
don't deny that there are times when
1t seems necessary to meet, certain
things that are said about you. But
even then 1t is we'll to hesitate--to
hesitate long indeed, Indeed IN my
judgment. IT IL well to keep on hesitat-
ing and hesftating TIL the thing blows
over ~
For everything blows over IN time!
That lis, If you let it alone, The
irish peasants have wise saying that
fits in here. This is It Never bid
the diviI good morrow till you mee'
him"
II is the one who tells who really