The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1883.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4625, 31 October 1883, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1883.

The good name of a place consists in the people inhabiting it having irreproachable characters. The moral character of a community is borne on account of the blamelessness of its constituent parts. Hence, when we find the social atmosphere of a district filled with all sorts of scandalous rumors and reports, vague and fouridationiess .though they may be; we must come to the conclusion —it is. impossible to come to any other — that something is radically Wrong in the state of affairs existent in it,. whether those reports and rumors are true or not. It is an unpleasant reflection, yet it contains a grain of comfort to think, in fact to feel satisfied that there is no truth in the greater part of the well circulated scandals which take such prominence in the social gossip of the place. It is an unpleasant reflection that they are uutrue, becaus* it ie

sad to think that we have, living in our midst, persons capable of inventing and spreading calumnies of their neighbors— peoplewbose venemous tongues not only blacken the fair name of the community! but destroy the character of individual members of it. Yet the solace attached to the falsifications we refer to, arises from the knowledge that the reports are untrue. It shows a truly bad heart to attack the fair fame of a fellow creature from motives of vindictiveness and malice, and to attempt j to take away that which once removed can never be replaced, viz., a good name, and no punishment is too severe for those guilty of such actions. The dire consequences of untruthful reports which have .the effect of destroying good character are irremediable, and unless the hellish spirit of vindictiveness burns rery fiercely in the breasta of those despicable creatures who are responsible for the creation of slanderous and damaging rumors, it is difficult—in fact, almost impossible—to, account for the actuating motive in such cases. Even though our neighbor should err, it is not necessary to proclaim his error from the housetops, but if he does not commit sin, how dreadful it must be to knowingly'accuse him of that which he is innocent of. An ancient poet has it—.

" And there's a lust in man no charm can tame

Of loudly publishing out neighbour's shanie, On eagles' wings immortal scandals fly, While virtuous actions are but born to die.

Surely our population do not require to be supplied with such filthy mental food as are the emanations of slanderous gossips, some of whom, it unfortunately appears, live amongst us. ;.'''.;