Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-15
The Country Home
BY MRS. w. Ell, FELTON,
Madam Rumor and Gossip

Madam Rumor and Gossip
Madam Rumor Is a much talked
about parsonage. We might declare
| that she is a famous character and
not miss it very far. Some writer
says, 1.-The old dame is one of the
most insidiouh and invidious wretcSes
! that is known to the country. She
makes herself at home in the man
sions of the rich. She attends all
their parties and dances and new
on the back step of sorry tenement
house-where the out-goings and in
comings of poverty stricken men and
women are very interesting to her.
She is busy when birth occurs. She
will follow one, all through school
through all the youthful scraps and
difficulties. She takes delight in your
| love affairs. She prizes into the en-
gagements. She circles around, as
| busy as q bee, during the exciting
days that precede matrimony. She is
| always a guest at the time of the
wedding.
No matter where you go after
wards she has an opening-and al
ways invites your confidence.
When the Grim Reaper, Death, ap-
pears-she is more than ever active.
| She witnesses the last gasp and then
| departs on wings of speed to tell 1t
! all to the world.
Thousands of happy homes have
been spoiled by her glib old tongue:
Millions Of people have been worried
and made miserable by her goings to
and fro-where she sets kinfolks in
rage-and poisons the minds OF
church members and it's societies.
Just see what she can do in poll
! tics! She has almost run out the
decent people who would run for Of
flee and get elected, If this cid Ma
dam Rumor could be curbed or shut
up in a place of detention. She is
like blue bottle fly on election days.
She can start with wink-and fol-
low up the wink by looking very wise,
she will begin, Did you ever hear
that he beat his wife?'' or Hope he
will pay his honest debts while he
draws a salary" of so and so
| told another so and SO, that he is
mean enough to steal the silver on
Madam Rumor start and time
enough to get lie circulated in the
community and the candidate can be
beat. and lose the respect of his
neighbors-when there is not sin
gle word of truth or honest purpose
in what Madam Rumor set going
with no foundation.
| The lives of pure-minded men and
women have been scandallzed by her
| scandalous words.
| Crimes without number have had
| their inception in her persistent urg-
| ings.
There seems to be no place that
can be searched from her officious
attentions. She can take an innocent
| remark and twist it and turn it, en-
| large it and repeat it, until 1t can
set a big church membership into
rage, and divide it into two factions,
that are bitter enough and brazen
| enough to put murder in the hearts
of otherwise peaceable men and
Just one single whisper in a dark
corner has been sufficient to divorce
a welded couple. A seed sown in
malignant effort to, drag down the
created wreckage that streWed a
whole lifetime with doubt and mis-
| While Dame Rumor is the worlds
greatest curse, she is hale and hearty
and is famous for the evil she sets
a-going.
She is the mother Of scandal.
She is the sister of treason.
| She is dreadful to live with.
! She will pursue you to the GENE"
| terry.
| If she has a single virtue it lies
in the fact that good deeds and clear
| living have a chance to survive in
| public remembrance after one is dead
and the good deeds and clean living
are famously advertised by the null
titude.
! But as fireside companion she
| is a menace to peace and happiness.
| In a neighborhood or business settle
ment she can stir up row without
| half trying. She is a miserable fail
is a very 'she devil'' in politics.
I