The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-03-26

|NNI 'IIIf| '... ... |II|. .|.'I .I'f ''
licy,d ono tenth OF turW ~ would /
have d,uruycd hor faith in man
Kind
This woman. up On fix months
ago, stayed prcti. much 90 herself |
wna ~ 70 disposition tu Ike her own |
homu. to ike 90 rond, Co uuiuy only |
Few intimate friends, rud indulge |
In n few Interests rom within her |
own family circle that she thought |
worth while.
But sho was porsundod that sho |
was selfish, that she should do moro /
club work moro church work, and |
tako ON nt lrDst some mragor pur- |
tlon ~ social ne. Her observations |
therefore come with tho freshness |
Of rip Van Winkle restored 10 u |
knowledge of modern social con |
diuong, after having been happily |
ignorant ~ them and their NaRarlos
for number ~ years.
Aud she finds that tho most mn
llciouA Eogsip. tho most hurtful, |
comes from tho type of woman who I
appears 10 be something OF a |
phianthfopst, the "Rwoot' woman, |
who often alludos 10 her own high |
sense ~ honor. ~ how she "boils' |
at ugly remarks some people mako, |
and how peculiar Hho is about |
certain actlonB that she doesn't du
herself "And certainly won't stand |
tor In others"
This is the typo OF woman who |
pRRses out gossip In huney-coRted |
doses, who. after shc has already
said too much, checks herself with, |
"Rut, oh, ! won't say that, for you
still think 80 and SOS all right, aud
wouldn't have you think different
w because OF me. Cor anything In
a ~ "a
finish what she had to tell before
She conversations ended, or brinEs
it IN next time, or. IN tho end,
leaves the half portion TO formcnt
in tho listeners mind until II be-
oomeH through suggestion, worse
than even tho gossip had Intended.
This obeervant woman had one
experience along tho latter line that
she handled as all such gossip
should be handled.
There was one man In public life
whom she thought highly Of. his
calling was such that In its very
nature II was essential that he be
above rcpronch or his mission be n
dailure. She never dreamed that
the finger Of scorn could be pointed
tn his direction---until In n long
drawn n-out talo over n club office
rivalry with ono Of tho honey
coated type Of gossips, another
woman was mentioned. ana hate
ful inslnuatlons were made about
her regarding this man. Finally our
friend caught on that Il was this
particular man that was mallgned,
and said:
"You don't mean you've been nl-
luding to so-and-so all this time,
do you?"
"Oh, nB gracious. didn't you
know about him7 I'm sorry ] spoke
then. but that went ON so long |
supposed everybody In town knew
about it--I forgot YOU belonged tu
the age Of innocence.
she very mngnamlously passed
over this allusiou right then, but
time and again. In the future, she
alluded 20 it, telling Just a little bit
moro--"now that sho already knew
that much" and each time leaving
Il clear that what gossip recouuted
must be the lowest OF the very low.
Finally, after ono of the seanccs
our friend said!
suppose YOU tCll me all about
that. | hchevc Il is worse for mo
Co keep hearing just so much and
no more. than TO hear it all
So the "swoct" little woman.
with many apologies of how badly
she felt over it. and how much she
hated To have to toll it, detailed the
gossip that had apparently gone on
for months. she rocountod what
this one had seen and what that
one had heard, what another had
interpreted In remarks he himself
had innoccntly let fan. ana how
everybody in town" knew how his
car lust parked" in front OF "hor'
door and how his wife had ceased
to be intimate with her when she
began 20 catch on.
II was endless, and It was horrld
stuff, when she finished our
frlcnd said:
DO YOU know, Mrs Blank, that
had | seen everything you've told
me with my own eyes, l would still
believe there was nothing wrong In
single move regarding the
matter. There Is nothing In what
you have told me but what could
have proper motive, would not
hurt Xpur Feelings II l could help
g. andHI hope you Will try 20 regard
what say as kindly as possible, but
knowing the calling that this man
has pledged his life to, ana know
ing tho ananper In which you ana
these other acquaintances are vast
ing yours, did ] not know him per-
tonhiN ana hehtNe MN NbNNN NuNH
action as YOU suggest, l would still
say it Is all false--idle gossip drawn
from acts that have been miscon-
s.rued by people who are given TO
gossip, ] don't consider that IL de-
serves a second thought"
Oh, the endless time and energy
wasted on idlo gossip, ana the suf-
ferlng entuIlcd for both innocent
ana guilty because OF g.
As a crime thoro Is nothing too
strong 10 say against &c. for once
mAhciously started, no matter how
false, the stigma lasts and follows
hne about forever, grows. cntnugles
others, ruins Influence and dis
couragcs ambition, thus affecting
IN the end. scores--in some striking
cases OF pHhlic characters, thou.
sands. And n thrown at the guilty
how cruel. how beastly It is hit,
ting another when he's alrcad,
down.
But the gossip OF widest dlmen
slcns, and. therefore, the mos
harmful. is that OF women. am
men too, who are addicted TO dis
cuss and pass on unkind and hurt
ful information about their follow,
who do t.. not from real unkindnes
-. ,vtth M tutpntiOu fn harv, IA,