The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-10-12
A MEAN AND Contemplate WAY
OF sQUANDERING TIME.

A young woman coming from a
small city to great literary center
was induced to join women's club
that was supposed to furnish literary
minds with banquet of uplifting
thought at every meeting. She was
duly proposed and accepted for men,
bership. All, that first meeting! 1t
burned itself into the memory. A tall,
proud-looking woman was being pill
loried by the officers for some alleged
comment on their efficiency. The
president, gavel in hand, summed up
the offenders iniquities and called for
a vote on her expulsion. The vote
was taken, and the accused declared
expelled. She made one or two eff
forts to speak, but was given no OPP
portunity With stately measured
step she walked to the door; turning
on the threshold she swept the assem-
bly, with look of contempt and re-
pressed fury, and then gathering her
silken train, as if to free it from the
contamination of carpet trodden by
the enemy's feet, she passed from
view. The white set face was never
forgotten by the new member, who,
sick at heart, slipped away from the
place as if it were unholy. Her feel
ing of disgust and repulsion was in
tensif1ed by hearing within the year
that the expelled member had died,
and that after her death the whole
miserable story was unravelled to the
starting point-the malicious gossip
of jealous officer. The vindication
came too late.
The purposeless gossip is bad
enough but there is worse type,
the gossip who has a mission, who
thinks it her duty to do harm. Such
a gossip as this happened into a
church-of all places to ply her art!
and a pure, sweet voice in the choir
held her attention. She thought she
recognized it. A former schoolmate
had just such voice. But if it were
the schoolmate, she should not be
singing in a choir After the inno-
cent school life had come another
when the young singer had taken the
wrong road; but she turned back, and
leaving the home of her girlhood she
went to a big city to begin anew.
She worked hard for an honest living,
and attended church regularly. Her
voice brought her an invitation to
join the choir She was as happy as
anyone could be under the circum-
stances-until the gossip found her
out. Repulsed by the virtuous, her
efforts to lead good life set at naught
by worldly judgment, the poor girl
turned her steps once more into the
downward path that was so easy to
follow. And she never again turned
back!
There is mistaken idea that only
women gossip. The fact is there are
men who can out-class any woman in
length of tongue and willingness to
use it. Any political campaign proves
this assertion. Some party leaders
run the whole range from gossip to
vituperation and SANDER, and if they
do not succeed in establishing any
thing else they certainly do establish
a reputation for being characteristic
ers. In less arduous times many men
spend their leisure in trivial discus
sion of social follies or of the failings
of their fellow-members of various
organizations. Debates on subjects
worth while are rare in stores and
offices and clubrooms. Even current
issues that ought to be of interest are
neglected, while intellect dwindles on
a diet of gossip.