The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-04-09
War on Gossip
New York Wom.n Band Together 10 Wipe
Out deadly Poison" amongst Sex.

teresting fact. II is true. It 10 the
most startling thing l know about
Mrs. Jones. and 1t Ia bound to focus
your attention quicker than anything
else could say about her. Yet, that's
gossip which, rs you say. seems
harmless enough. It Is repeated with
no desire to injure. But OF best tits
a waste Of time. At worst, It may. do
serious damage to tho person dis
cussed. @ ,h54,et .Ntef+,
How the Story Grows.
you see, the person whom you
tell about Mrs. Jones's fourth husband
isn't going to take them in the light.
tolerent way that you do. She may
tell II spitcfully. She may even give
Mrs. Jones an extra husband or two.
and everybody who hears the story
adds to II. There are some, people
finely. who say they don't believe
Mrs. Jones ever had any husband,
and there you are poor Mrs. Jones
is ruined for life. IA
Gossip Ia the worst ow all SINS"
Miss Hope asserted earnestly. when
women gossip II is because Of idieness.
The scandalous shatter Of women
takes place perhaps at q church sew-
ing circle or q bridge party. for a
charity. Both those gatherings have
worthy purposes--most human pro-
Jects are good In ptrpose-but their
beautiful object is spoiled BY the
scandal that Il circulated there. Wb-
men forget all about the high pur-
pose for which they have met and
tall ,aAtky anoodat anA .n~& ,,.~.ut~<~
call each other by telephone Ill tho
whole neighborhood has heard tho
story about how Mr.. Brown and Mrs.
Smith are seeing far too much Of each
other.
Must Band Together.
Il don't care whether gossip 10 true
or not. The person who repeats It
commits far greater sin than tho
person who 10 gossiped about, All
my life have loved my fellow woman.
] was almost grown before I knew
how much women can be injured by
scandal. Ever since I, have known
! have taken any woman / knew OF
who had been deserted by man who
my own home, have advised, sympa-
thized with her and have fought her
detractors, telling them the sin of
gossip was worse than. anything she
did. And that Ia what all woman
ought TODD for each other. Only those
who are without sin are entitled to
criticise others. He that Is without
sin. let him cast the first stone refers
to all kinds Of sin. II Is the greatest
argument against gossip. Lives have
been wrecked by gossip, families sep
arated forever by II. Women must
band together and put an end 10 It.
Uniyersal Human Trait.
II hold no brief for tho gossip" I
replied. II admit all the harm she
does or he does. The point ID that
gossiping seems to be a universal Shu-
man trait. All literature II eossip.
The greatest literature Is the iltera-
ture Of sin. The great poems, the
great books, the great operas, the
great pictures. all tell stories Of for
hidden loves. They are all really the
product. OF gossip and celebrate tho
persons who were gossiped about"
Every word you say ID true" Miss
Hoppe answered with her patient.
persistent smile. but should gossip
be the foundation Of any Of these
things? Let all women unite, any
how. to put an end to the petty scan-
dial mongering that will probably never
make literature and n almost certain
to break hearts.s