Show THE EVIL RESULTS OF GOSSIP i in a recent issue of progressive opinion there is a splendid article under the above caption written by valene lee which inspires our message for this week and from which we shall offer excerpts the article relates the story of a girl who could not withstand the pressure ure of slander directed id to her and therefore ore killed herself whether the gossip ivas was ju justified stifled or not the fact remains that those who helped to bring about her end through suicide are much to blame and will no doubt reap what they have sown at some future time we sometimes wonder why the average person prefers to speak ill rather than good of another although in these modern times we are but seeing the prophecies being fulfilled as related in the gospels wherein families are being separated because of disagreements and differences of opinion jon and also because of the evil results of gossip friend shi ships s are likewise broken because the average person seems to delight in spreading the gossip he hears which in nine cases out of ten is changed in the telling and becomes more harmful and dangerous in the final analysis we have been the victim of this f form orm of evil practice ever since we came to this our adopted state and in a recent issue of our monthly m message i we made reference to a chabi chapi chapter published in a recent book which was revolting no not only because of the manner in which the story was told but the manner in which the contents of the chapter were gathered which again proves that the average person takes for granted what he or she hears from loose tongued persons who may or may not know what they are talking about rather than to go to the source of information for the truth of a story or for more correct information in the case of the young girl who took her own life because she was unable to rise above the slander and gossip enacted against her valene lee prefaces her story with the following paragraph 1 I suppose the cause of all talk is an emotion sleeping in the heart of all people awakened by a few words looks ar or deeds of hate or love I 1 also could suppose that gossip wearing earing its robe of piety or malice might cause us to hate those who are hated and love those who are loved without recourse to our own intelligence or is man made on a nobler plan can he withstand the high win doof of gossip hold his emotions neutral and let his own intelligence guide Is there an evil greater than gossip and who is more noble than he who refrains sometimes it is greater to refrain even from telling the truth as long as the truth is unpleasant and might hurt sommone someone there is food for thought in the above lines and in the closing words I 1 public opinion is like a great beast it takes a hesitating step and then walks confidently led by lies the voice of truth from the cradle of time should set opinions too it is up to you and me to follow the truth to listen for it and to hold it high A lie will grow by leaps and bounds depending upon the fertility of the soil in which it is sown the point we would make in using these excerpts is the need to rise above what one may hear repeated about ones self KNOWING that truth will prevail in the end and that 49 works rather than a lot of words will be the means of proving ones worth as a member of society as a leader or as apart a part of any group of persons seeking to promote soine some new and different way of life we must also bear in mind that for every person who would speak well of his fel lowman there are at least a dozen who take delight in speaking ill therefore is it to be wondered that so much of evil is enacted as result of loose talk and gossip in the same issue of progressive opinion and by the same writer is another masterpiece entitled life and fate we suggest you send to the publisher C N lund david keith building salt lake city for the june 18 issue to read it in its entirety we are grateful for this exchange paper and others from which we offer bits of truth which may make favorable impression or help to stress a point we would make valene lee says it seems strange that we should take so little time for thought on the mysteries of life as we journey along this way A mountain to most of us is just a mountain it probably holds a still song in its rugged rockbound rock bound crest but we could hate bate it for its stern visage as it stands in the blistering heat of the desert sun immutable nor changed by rains or storms just grim and dumb and affected not at all by our hate we have all been launched on the sea of life and time so let us watch the crowd about ua U for a moment each filling his own place in his own way rendering a service to his country whether he knows it or not while pursuing his own goal |