The Augusta daily herald. (Augusta, Ga.) 1908-1914, September 25, 1908, Image 8

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

This Is the Idea of the Rev. Henry Mcllravy, Who Would Treat People That Cannot Bridle Their Tongues as Criminals, and Has Started a National Cru sade to Wipe Out the Evil as if it Were Smallpox or the Mosquito. i i l* the paaflme of cowarda " Hev Henry \I ■ I rart'a youthful lo t a■' *< *1 with i >im-atnea* III* rnndld gray tyt» flaahed their proteat. "It la a that In lt« early *tag>-a aliould be trrated mb auefi After that It beenmea n ert<* that Khnnld be punished. It la thr mark of a defective mind "The great trouble with the church to day la that Ita memt*era do not hrldla their longuca If thry learn to do that I ballet* thr problem of uniting the world with Uod Will Ik* ardTed I roteaalng ( lutatlana care mightily W Alaa. Perhaps That There Are no More Ducking Stool* In Operation Now. But If That Efficacious. If somewhat Ungallant. Remedy W«r© In Fashion Today Might Not That "Deadly Evil Goaalp“ be Stamped Out Like the Plague or the Moa qultof • their observance of what they eon •Idrr the hlf commandment*. the law* Tho„ flhalf Not Kill,’ Thou Shalt Not Steal, and the »erenth c>»n ms nd merit Itut the command "Hinti Shalt Not Hear PnUc Wltue- Against 'fhv \« Ighhor" they think not worthy of remembrance it le the com mandmmt meet frequently fractured hy lluMf who are in the church and who think they are It* worthy meml*er* " llev Henry M llravr la the twenty four rear-old philanthropist who. with two other ern ih< voting men eatabllahed a •*«•>,n, and built the Month Hide « hurch at Little Fall* \ Y Frankness and a •tmple r«ff|el eloquence and the com muilfr'a toiler in hi* absolute alnoerltr h *' r drawn about Mm In the little ml Ml on acroaa the river a large congregathm. made «p equally of rich and |»wr To thla con gregatlon he fa candid to the point of ee oentiicltr " hen he had boen engaged hut too week* tn the work he rvwr In hla pul pit and *atd 'lt ta cuetomary when a rlergrman ta young and unmarried to note all hla attentlona to the women member* of hla enngrerafbttv ami f« think If he takea '*» driving or another for a walk, nr treata a thtrd to a gl**a of tee cream aoda. that he la a candidate for matrimony Now. | wteh to be perfectly understood There •re several million women In New York, where I can e from There are twenty mil lto« or more tn the United state* and I have seen man* of them Since thla t« the caae it ten t likely that ! would come to Little Falla for a wife I hare no tnten tlon of marrrtng any one here or eUcwhere for a long time, and I hare thought it beet to tell yoe •<*.*’ A few weeka later the rumor spread In the tillage tn the Mohawk Valley that Mr Mrltrarr had Seen *een drtttng wtth a woman of l ittle rail** unfortunate .Una Hie rumoy reached Mr Me lira ry |m mediately he net to work to «!ft It to the tot torn The bottom or foundation wia that the rlerjrrman*a newr gray orercoat had been mistaken for • amlltar orercoat worn by the travelling o n agent of a wht*ker house who bed taken the young woman for a drive The young mtntater aent for each of the persona who had repeated the rumor There were eighteen of them -Men aa welt *• women.*' the swung clergy man satd algnlflenntlr lie *l*o rent tor the yawing woman of more ptctureeqne than pure personality The clergyman haring made his g*»e*ia comfortable In ht* handsome harheir quarters lildmeM the young tMMk “hila* Blank." he asked. “did I erer take row driving?" •’Tow werer did.'* "Who did drtrw with yew on the met ttoned f* “Tae agent of a whlekey hour* ** “Did he wear a gray 0 ci.jAl Ike mi—t* gw'd * -las vV N \\\ ‘ V\ - .jiMmkM ' v "V\ 1 - ■ ,1 •C Is *' / /fjif p/rr i !i« 'sl IB'v 11 m&m Tsr, r ' './iH-lV”*' ITJ A U */ '4! s \ * \ Then he turned to the trembling fish* tecn "You eee that yon were mlatake » Now, so far ns | aut coucerind. tills in- » dent ta cloned Hut If I erer bear of any of you gossiping again I will call the at tent ton of the tM*trlct Attorney to » -ir case The penalty ta a year In the pr »: lenttary .** "ere they angryT* “Not st ell After that I aent for Ice cream and cake and they all went away •aytng. M l!rn j Is a good fellow!* I rec«MßN»eod thla way of stamp lug >ut go* •ip. ••There are aotne charm*t.g pc I# tn Little Falla The majority then ace lo'ety people, but there are twelve per eon* who arw the greatest gossips I have erer known T Stir *tar* They are •ot all | «tn directing my attention JHKeni aud their work Of a month f Jrresi h a sermon t *n goa •lp Once I • .Wn»* my congregation 'l’ve a great tnrltr the gossip* cf tuts congregation to my rooms to give vn as ternoon to gossiping * 1 hate were'' done hut the threat la hanging over their fre >» They know that I miy res I ttvetr qrnes from my pniplt and Unit* U«*u to my gosatp party sWi ms * omt ** m * #rr ms tA them of the hoist U i toil TO STAMP OUT GOSSP Baum UNITED STATES “He met her and cut her throat from ear to ear/* “A girl dying slowly from consumption in the Adirondack* It a victim of gottip.’* I shaU point tn them from the pniplt. ad dre»* them by uaute and say. ‘You hare gossiped about a fellow being You must s l »>p I* -i von will le punished br law I am not afraid to do thla Christ wra* not afraid to say what he thought of the money chan for* lo the temple Ilia fol lower* need not he afraid to tell the truth **l hare organised a society for the Sup pression of Gossip. We Intend tn make !t a national affair are writing to the young people's societies of all the churches asking them to Join the society. and If they hear anyone gossiping to tell them s. You so. If wc Interest the voting pen pie we can train them to non g<*satp while the? *n* toing and It I* e»«r to form hah Its That w.U i*e tmuh caster than to break the flaewt ktlMl* of old and hardened g We think It I* well to work, thro -.gb aii >iher orgnntaatton, «sr the flowwr guild, so that people* reel fugs will not l*e hurt 1 spare thetr feelings aa long aa I can If tn the end It become* net*- sary to hurt them I do so “ Mr M llrary is a not«%t ronn* »r II is die poet IKvn is to hide behind ht« w.*ck In ht* library of the bacheh>r suite In the old gtay atone house ««ppoalte the park lay a doaen requeeta for newspaper inter ♦ lew* with him about hla valiant stand agatnst gossip He had declined them nit U« was eavr*aely ielav*Unl now l# u<h except from the pulpit. “Word* without works are empty things, and work 1* the only eloquence. ‘ he *ald. glancing again at the letter* “Hut these writer* did not travel from New York on their holiday for the Interview.'* he said, revealing by thla touch hi* dominant hu manity. “I'erhap* If It will do nuy good, and If It all lead other young men to lend earnest, goeslpleea lives, l ought to speak.** He took a few turn* shout the room, hla lean, athletic body a winding forward with a long stride lit* lean, boyhah face wa* Intensely vital He was perfectly grimed, admirably dreaaed. He looLed like a healthy young club man Instead of an earnest shepherd seeking lost touts Rut the earnMtaeae of hla speech betrayed the shepherd. “1 wa* alwava opposed to gossip, even before I egau mission ary »' 'rk.“ he Mid And since I entered It I have more than once been the victim of gtsvalp. The moot flagrant as* «« When I wa* called to offer spiritual advice to Chester liltlett aud gossip ask! that I believed that Grace flrpwa‘a soul had l«een loat Thla did me a grout injustice and wit the ca i#e of bit trtyr abusive eftera reaching me from ail * part* of the Called fltatea The nimur wa* one of utterly so indstloulesa gossip The [ truth U that I alluded to the s*d ease from the putptt I spoke of the an happy girt wh »*e end aid been aoerowful. and I added, 1 have bo doubt that at tbl* in<nn«mt she rest* la the hotntt of Ood ■ fherc I* an Instance of the wide difference between gowalp and truth, *1 became most deeply tatereeted tn the •tth}*' ,, *t when two and a half year* ago I helped nv conduct a mission at Jay and IV| «ii-> street* U» Uiooklyu. Ihv uue- slon wns founded to reclaim men who had lost hope In this wor d aud the next. I investigated the life stories of 166 of these men 1 found that every one had left hla home In some other town or State because a story hno been started about him, and In 142 of the case* the stories were untrue. But the men had been discouraged. They had lost hope and had drifted Into vaga bondage “1 know that this was weak. I do not Jnatlfv tha* weakness But It take* a strong nature to stand agalnat seemingly Insuperable difficulties. let me tell you of Instances I have known of men and women who have suf fered. sum# of whom have died, from gossip. “A beautiful yonng married woman united with a church and became active In It* work She gradually assumed a leadership which made other women, not »o gifted, envious. “one eveulng this young woman came to church and sat In the rear of the church. Behind her sat a stranger, a young man, at whom she looked from time to time snd to whom ahe spoke once during the service. The minister's wife saw thts. The minis ter’a w fe wagged her head and tongue. In two days the story hsd spread to every part of the t<*wn that the young woman wa* accompanied to her home by the stranger and that on the way they sat for a lerg time In the park When abe rose i to go, the story had It. the at ranger took her tn hi* arma and k!*aed her. “The young woman, knowing nothing of the story, left t«»wn the nett day on a visit. I While *h# was gone au anonymous note > was **nt to her bu»band. tolling the story. The hu*t*nd began drinking Throughout f the wr*»ek w hile *be was gone be was drunk and *u>'leti When on her return at the • cud of the week, aa she stepped off the car. i be met her aud cut her throat from ear t to ear. i ‘ Ihe Jkmug woman** brother wtat to "The girl had given up. Her soul had been slain by gossip." i "His family found his frozen body at the door In the morning.’ the ftmeqrt- « T£" tb» strnnc.-r "’ho hurt 11 n . k rhorch. wh- hn.l ut with her In hj P »nd who had kiwod hor mod-bye. He »>"« •I neror .0 nearly por.uaded t« to*** a Chrlsttnn .n on that nl = h '- • T . talked to me all evenlns about the tuauty of the Chrl.tlan life and before we parted *hc prayed for me.’ • Another oa«e oeeurred In Philadelphia. The victim wa* a young man whom 1 knew well. He wa* at work one day In th. of a manufacturing concern that emp ny him when the deacon of the c '"' rt ' l which the head of the firm waa a member called. . .. "Why have yon employed that fc.lo • he arki-d "right year, ago he waa wild and there were atoriea of his being In some trouble.*' The young man was discharged. The head of the Ann explained : “Deacon la one of the directors. 1 don’t like to let you go. but I must." The young man wa* strong at first. lie went to the deacon and said : "What you said of me was true, hut that wa* eight years ago. For eight years I have d*ne nothing with which any one could find fault. I challenge any on# t* show anything wrong 1 have done." The denenn answered “For my part, when a man has made one mistake. T never give him another chance tu bovi ne** "* "At first my friend was not d.vm*el “1 will *how them that 1 can make my way tn spite of them.** he said. But he had no recommendations from his ia«t employer The story of why lie was dis charged followed him. He found work but he had to •«*gln at the bottom of tae ladder and tie never g<*t*befond tbe second rung It** t»evame despondent. He drank. «»!;»• night !-.'* recfciH** companions i«ft him at in- family foaal in* frniet. t*>*ly there next morning In l.lttle Fall* two young men who • had baa the reputation of being wtlj Photograph of an Ancient Ducking Stool Which Wae Used to Punish Scandal Mon gers and Gossiping Women by Sousing Them In the Village Pond. hut who were both fine young fellows, and who worked with me In my church, went with me to Utica. We took a Turk -1-h bath and like most persons after rn« Lath, felt hungry. The last car to Little Falls was nearly due and we had only a few minutes to go to the lunch counter and order a club sandwich. We heard the car coming, took the sandwiches in onr bands and ran to the car Sitting on the front seat of the car we ate our sand wiches and Joked and laughed *« young men will. The next day the report cir culated through the town that the two young men had been seen desperately drunk on n car coming from TTtlca. I traced the story to Its beginning. f found the woman who had started lL *‘Ye>.'' she said. ‘‘l was on the car and I saw the two boy*. They got on the car with another young man, and all three wore terribly drunk. Naturally I nipped that slander before It reached it* full Idoom. but T could not stop It before It. I ad discouraged utterly one of the JT oun * men. lie thought. “What’s the user and took to drink again TTe left town and Is drifting about the country sinking. I have beard, from ore denth to another. “A young girl, dying slowlv from J' 01 '* sumption in a camp In the Adirondack*. I regard as a victim of gossip, killed aa surely bv it as though a knife had been plunged Into her heart. A pretty, coquet tish girl. «he had many admirers Some one saw her In another town In the com pany of a young man who looked like a married man in her own town. The girl was broken-hearted. The doctors say that had not this blow fallen *he could have re *l*fed the disease that was trying to gain a foothold In her constitution. Tier vitality Lnver**d and her hope destroyed by thla malicious gossip, she cannot live. "A friend of mine was engaged to a girl to whom he was absolutely faithful. He was making hi* plans for their marriage. There wa* probably no happier young man In the world than he. One evening he met an acquaintance who was walking with a young girl of questionable character. The acquaintance asked them to excuse him while he went Into a tobacco shop for a cigar Th** delay was only one of five minutes, but It waa fatal to my friend * hapnlnesg “Some one saw Mm talking with the girl The person made haste to tell the father of toy friends fiances The next day the girl broke the engagement My friend went to see her father, but tbe father would not listen Discouraged. *h# young man. as innocent ns a halve of the wrong nscrllved to him. left the town, after be had lost his business position thfwugh the gor-sip The news that has come from him I> not good news He should not have yielded so easily, but It is not essy to battle against such odds That young man’s fu ture was slain by gossip "When I wa* doing mission work I knew a trained nurse who was an excellent mis sion worker She became a pastor's assist ant A* such It was her duty to visit persons in the ptrl*h Ope woman re* nented thi* visit. ‘What right have yon to MnHtwr to mo?' she said. '! know your story.* “The nurse eame to me. and with wan. miserable face told her *tory. I advised h»*r t * go on with her work. Ahe did. but the heart had gone out of her The work wa* done In a perfunctory war Finally she dropped out of If. The girl had given tin her attempt to lead « righteous life. Her *oq| had been slain by gvss'.p. "I don't tuMleve In pointing one an evil without ‘'liT'e-vtlng s reme I If any one tell* you of an error made by another, say to your Informant: ‘T atn very * tv Let - go to him aud se- what wa I ■’ do tn utlp him. Let u* show kin big mistake"