The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-11-16
THE IDLER.
y . Q o o o o o o o o o o o Q o q

| read the following IN newspaper
the other day and l think it has a
point that the editor who undertook
to throw off on the cub reporter did
not grasp, and good point it is too
Read and tnen see if you do not agree
with me-
A news item in the Utica Press says:
1T is thought that the bullet was q
tray one, but had it struck Mrs. Ahles
It would have wounded her as badly
5 though it has been aimed at her
Sy George, the reasoning power OF
some cub reporters is absolutely mar
velous.-New Orleans States.
There are many bullets and they are
stray ones, too. that do damage just
as much as if they were aimed at the
victims. And they strike and hit and
hurt all the more sometimes because
they are not aimed at the victim. Many
stray bullet of words has done much
more damage than if it had been aimed
at some particular victim. It's the
stray bullets that we want to avoid
if we can, but the trouble is we never
know when. they are coming nor from
which direction they come. The point
I want to make is that we should not
send the stray bullets forth whether
they be leaden or the other kind.
This reminds me that some time ago
:he editor handed Ine the following
clipping and said that friend OF
nine had asked him to give it to me,
Now, why, I wonder.
Why Is 1t?
Why is it. it is often asked, That
yeop!e in small towns can find o'bet-
ter business than prying into other
peoples business, and then exaggerat-
ing the truth in regard to the same.
People who pretend to be Christians,
~ho attend church regularly, who, in
he s:ght of their neighbors are ger
erous and charitable, yet who, without
the slightest provocation, pick up some
little mistake, or more often at moth
ing, will so scandalize one as to ruin
his or her reputation for life. While
hey would not steal from them world
y goods, yet they rob him or her OF
What is more precious than gold-a
good reputation. Why can't people
practice the Christianity that they
preach and "do unto others as thev
would have them do unto them?"-Sel.
We'll, this is a case of sending some
stray bullets into space, and sometimes
they are not aimed at any particular
person, but they do the damage just
the same as if they had been aimed.
Now l am going to give you some wise
sayings-not mine, for l never pre-
tend to be wise, but some have read
and they will answer the paragraph
ouored in way, or at least make one
think before he does what this Quota
tion saws some of the amen Christians
are charged with doing. And If you
can make them think they will be more
careful of what they say and what tney
do The point is to make people think
We don't think half enough. If we
thought more many Of US would be
silent more often. If We should stop
to think how foolish many of the
things we say sound we would keep
silent. If we stopped long enough to
think and to realize that many OF the
bullets we send out in words can no;
be recalled and that they will do dead
" injury whether we aim them at any
particular object or not We would very
frequently not send them forth on
their death dealing mission Listen to
some of these:
"What you keep by you, you may
change and mend; but words once
spoken can never be recalled.
That is worth remembering. Here
is another.
ga good word is an easy obligation,
hut not to speak i'll requires only our
silence. which costs us nothing"
How about that? Don't you thing 1t
fine? Here's another
"Vituperation, abuse and villifcation
are as worthless as they are cheap,
and fortunately most harmful to those
who deal in them"
And that's true, so don't be worried
if there are people who want to attend
tn vo11r business for YOU. And people