The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-11-27
The Gossip.

Thou shalt not raise a false re-
port."-Exodus.
False report is as poisonous as
the viper that fastened on the hand
Of st. Paul. and how widespread 1t
is. None are so lowly as to escape
it,. and it follows the mighty like a
blight. They may, like another Imo-
gene, cry, 'No. it's scandal" but all
10 no avail, often the last moments
of the great are made unhappy by
poisoned words, covert inuendoes and
yelled insinuations.
A woman. in confession, admitted
that she sometimes INDUCED in Cos
sip against her neighbors. but added
that she did not think any great
harm was done. Her confessor told
her to go to the market place, pur-
chase a chicken and return to the
church, picking the fowl and tossing
the feathers away as she did so.
Greatly wondering at the strange
command, the woman did so, and.
later, presented herself TO the cure
with the clean plucked fowl. Now"
said the priest. return and gather
all the feathers you have cast aside
and bring them to me. Do not omit
a single one"
But father" exclaimed the as
tonished woman. that is impossible!
They are scattered far and wide"
Yes" agreed the priest. TT is i'm
possible, and it is just as impossible
to recall all the cruel gossip you
have scattered to the four corners
Of the earth, to your neighbors'
hurt"
The woman was cured.
There are so many ways in which
one may soread false report outside
Of the spoken word. There is the
scornful shrug. the disparaging look
and the leering wink. Like the doc
tor in THE Hoosier Schoolmaster,"
we can blast a man without open
ing our lips.
Another fruitful way of spreading
evil report is by taking what we have
heard and simplifying it. Instead
OF killing 1t az once we send 1t on
its evil way stronger than lever. A
good illustration of this Is the old
English tale OF the farmer and his
turnips.
He was told that John Hodges had
stolen every thrnip in the big patch
he had planted. Leaving the barber
shop where he had heard the news,
he went to the chemists shop drug
stores are called chemists shops in
England). The chemist told him that
they were not all gone, but would be
soon, as Hodges was carrying them
away by the wagonload. and he had
it on the authority of the tailor. The
farmer hurried to the tailor, who de-
MED that Hodges was carrying them
off by the wagonload, but that he
had taken a CARLOAD one evening.
II must be true, for he had it on the
authority of the grocer. The grocer,
when accosted. said that it was not
true that he had taken a CARLOAD of
turnips. but that he had carried off
a wheelbarrow full. He had the in
formation from the blacksmith. The
blacksmith. in turn, said that Hodges
had not taken a wheelbarrow of
turnips, but that he had picked an
armload as he crossed the field one
evening. The tavern keeper had told
him about it. Determined now to
get down to the bottom Of the mys-
terry, the farmer went to the tavern
keeper, who said that Hodges did not
take an armful of turnips but that he
did pick one turnip and eat 1t on his
way home The woman who kept the
candy store at the end of the lane
told him about it. When questioned
the old woman said, no, Hodges
had not taken any turnips; that she
merely remarked to the tavern keep
er's wife what a splendid chance
Hodges had to take turnips as he
crossed the patch every day.
That is a good illustration of how
stories grow. False reports spread
far and wide, and like the deadly
upas tree, poison all that come in
contact with them. We need some
thing more of the spirit Of dear old
Mrs. Elizabeth McAffee, of Glasgow,
Scotland. who would never speak i'll
OF anyone. once gossiping neigh
Dor. losing patience with her. burst
out: Mrs, McAffee, / believe you
would snc.i good of the very devil"
"Aweel, Janet was the response,
he is very 'r.ustrious person"
Vnnn,rev, T.o IL