The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-12-09
The Tale Bearers

The lantern-bearers, as Stevenson pointed
out, are blessed kind; the tale bearers, on
the contrary, are miserable persuasion.
They seem to feel malign delight in the
mischief caused by their false witness.
They are like the pitiful cheeping animal in
Rudyard Kiplings jungle tale-''tull of
stories half-heard and very badly told"
And worse than the mere default of skill on
the narrator's part is the blank absence of
veracity. From an inch of fact proceeds an
ell of fiction. As Virgil's rumor first crept,
then walked, then SCARED aloft on full-swung
pinions, so in uncounted modern instances
fror1 feeble, hesitant original monstrous
prevarication has upsprung to its full stature
and given shameless battle to the truth.
The insidious tale-bearing is not that of
the plain, apparent liars that can easily be
spotted for what they are. 1t is these
pleading, softspoken, please-don' t-hurt-me
people who are incredibly hurtful. They
deal in vague hints and surmises. There
is something one might almost admire in
your blunt, bluff liar, who lies-and is
aware of your knowledge that he lies-and
yet has the nerve to bring out the best
that he can do in the way of whole souled,
mouth filling fabrication. The liar and the
lie belong in the picture together by their
parallelism in character. Even so with the
timid difhdent apologist who pretends he is
sorry to bring you the unwelcome tidings.
His crocodile tears fall as he assassinates
the fair name of your friend. He only tells
you because it is his duty. He invites you
to keep his communication in strictest con-
idence. That is because Though he does
not confess it) he does not want the falsity
exploded.
The habit of tale-bealing, like other
habits bad and good, grows fast when once
it has taken root. 1t is like the appetite for
pubicitv-when once it has had fair start,
it holds sway by a horrible fascination. 1t
is so fine to see the splash a story makes.
The perpetrator finds a diabolic, morbid
pleasure in the writhing of the victim. He
has been sufficiently plausible to fool one
hearer-and he proceeds to another, mall
violently gleeful in the prospect of success.
But let him fear some day to come across
the man who from sure knowledge sternly
challenges his course, and calls him to an
itemized accounting. He cannot substanti-
ate his flimsy tale. He shuffles and demurs
and would take refuge in sweeping general
tiles. He may try the effect of fine show
of indignation that his word is questioned.
Or-now that he is brought to the last ditch
and compelled to jump into it-he is likely
to throw himself upon your mercy by blam-
ing the whole of the fiction upon one who
told him, one whom he though the could
trust. You must, he hegs, forgive his in
nocence. He remains the stainless para
gon: the blot is on another's escutcheon.
Tba most contemplate thing about the
tale-bearer is his refusal to take his own
medicine. He has made the lives and the
minds of others miserable-but by any trick
of his wretched trade he shirks the response
bility. When he is caught and punished
he deserves all he gets, and a general feast
day ought to be proclaimed.
Public Ledger.