New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-09-26
BEWARE OF THE RUMOR.
Easy to Start, But Hard to Stop. And
While the Ball Is Rolling Many
Are the Heartaches and Signs.
(Rockvillc ,Leader.)

(Rockvillc Leader.)
Beware of rumors. They are easy
10 start. but once started. it is an
Extremely difficult matter to stop
them. And they have been known to
10 great injustice to men and women;
hey have broken up homes and
'uined regulations; they have caused
neartaches and put people in a false
ight before the world...It would seem
Is if all some had to do in this
"-orld was to talk Of about some
body else. And this talking is always
lone behind the other persons back.
'This In itself shows that the rumor
fnonger, the professional gossiper. is
= coward at heart. The gossip and
'1mOrs are not confined to one sex.
Mon and women both thrive on them.
is pity there cannot be reform
in this direction. The only way to
,"orl a reform is to reform human
'ature. to make mon and women see
Ne great harm that idle gossip and
i']r run,ors cause. the rreparahle
Jury they do. Yet. we fear some
- these gossip moneers and rumor
bakers beyond redemption. In
= small community like Rockville,
there isn't a single day that goes by
hut that newspaper is obliged to
give the lie to EossiDer or run down
a ~umor. And there is much gossip
and many runors that do not even
get to newspaper office. What a
better world this would be, what
hapnier lot Of peonle we would have
right here in Rockville and in every
other Co-n,,unity in this and every
other state. if we all thought less Of
self and more of the other fellow.
The gossip monGers and rumor maxi
ers who are quick to injure others
would be the first to resent any at
tempt to njure them unjustly. Idle
GOSSIP is a near crime and IT
people would make it their bus
mess to taboo the gossip monger
and rumor maker, they would not
find their trade. if trade it may be
called. so profitable. The trouble is
that there are too many people ready
to think i'll instead of we'll of their
neighbor. If we cannot speak well
| of others. let us not speak at all
Surely, we should not wrong or sland-
| err a man or woman behind their
| backs Let us, at least. be brave
| enough to face them if we have any
| thing to say. A good reputation is
i the dea rest earthly possession human
| beings have. Let us beware how we
seek to iniure or ruin it by scandal.
| gossip and rumors
The small town. where oftentimes
! everybody knows everybody else's
| business, is fertile soil for the sower
of scandal. the gossip grabher the
| rumor renegade. An idle tongue is
4! nearly as bad as idle hands, and Of
tentimes it is much worse. Hands
| may strike and do harm, but the
tongue that talks SANDER, that peddles
| gossip that plays with rurnors, does
| more harm, for. invariably, when one
| tongue starts. it starts many other
tongues, and God only knows where
and what the end will be, or how
| many human beings have been
wounded many of them so lily, that
| it is a slow and tedious process to
| bind up the wounds
Instead of passing along a rumor,
| pin the rumor maker down. If he
! or she refuses to be pinned down
make up your mind then and there
that there is nothing to the rumor
When you come across the individual
who plays fast and loose with SANDER
gossip and rumors put him or he1
through the third degree instead OF
rushing out and unknowipgly put
ting the poison virus on your own
tongue, where it promptly infects
others and eventually may infest q
whole neighborhood. Character and
reputation are worth too much these
days to be injured by thoughtless and
idle words. Learn to hold your
tongue unless you can speak we'll OF
others and know beyond any doubt
that you are speaking the truth Let
every decent, respectable man and
woman in every community ostracise
the professional Islander singer. the
| gossip monger and maker of rumors
Refuse to repeat their rot and they'll
soon become sick of their job and
| seek some more genteel and useful
employment which will help other
| humans and themselves.
| Soldier Insurance.