The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-06-15
LEARN TO KEEP THINGS TO
YOURSELF.


who is eager to be a contidant. She
wants you to tell her all your trou-
bles and she will hint around and
ask yelled questions until she usually
gets some materials from which to-
construct a sensational story.
The only thing to do when woman
like that lives in your neighborhood
is to shun her like poison, and when
you meet her, talk of nothing more
serious than the weather or a good
recipe for lemon pie, or how fond you
are of Thackeray. But keep as far
away from personal topics as you can.
1t will be good mental discipline.
Of course, it isn't always easy to
hold ones tongue when in difficulties,
but it is the best thing not to say
word. For, however real your sorrow
or trouble is to you, if you confide it
to friend, you may be shocked to,
find that she is less interested in it as
a chance to prove her friendship and
sympathy than she is to pass it about
as a choice morsel of gossip.
Two-thirds of cruel gossip starts
from confidence betrayed. The other
third is caused by people with horrid
natures spying on others and drawing
wrong conclusions which they rejoice
in giving tongue to. You all know the
story of the barber of King Midas,
who was warned on pain of death that
he must never betray the fact that the
kings ears were shaped like those of
a donkey The barber stood it as long
as he could and finally went out into
a field of sedge and whispered the
secret to the grass. And the rustling
sedges took up the whisper and bore
the story far and wide.
There are lot of people just like
the barber of ancient times. A secret,
be it their own or some ones else, is
too big for their capacity. They just
simply have to tell it-they cannot
stand the strain of controlling their
tongues a moment longer.
You will always find the free be-
trayer of confidence to have a shallow
and rather mean temperament. They
are incapable of any great fineness of
nature or any nobility of deed or
thought.
You would be careful with other
peoples money, because to be other
be careful of other peoples words, yet
to betray them is to be as dishonest
as to embezzle their money. There is
nothing to be gained by such dishon-
esty At the most a moment or two
of interest in your newsstand often
receive unknowingly with this interest
the scorn of the one to whom we are
speaking.
Rest assured you will be quickly
marked as an untrustworthy person if
you are a constant purveyor of the
small bits of condolences that may
come your way.
There is an old Russian proverb
which says: "a secret is only Sc
cret when one person knows it." This
proverb is we'll worth remembering
Shun the man or woman who wants
to confide in you. 1t is apt to be a
pretty meaningless performance re-
peated as often as they can find a lis
tener. But when you are given con-
fidence keep silent and try to forget
it. 1t is one sure way to cause your
self no regrets that you were not more
trustworthy.
-Marp Eleanor O ,DonneH, in Catholic Citizen
Edgar Allen Poe was not Catholic,
but that fact did not prevent his writ
ing excellent Catholic poetry. Here is
sample:
At morn-at noon-at twilight dim
Maria, thou hast heard my hymn;
In joy, in woe, in good and ill,
Mother of God, be with me STILL
When the hours flew brightly by,
And not cloud obscured the sky,
My soul, lest it should truant be,
Thy grace did guide to thine and thee;
Now, when storms of fate o'ercast