The Scheme of Things By M.H.C.

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 67, 20 March 1937, Page 19

The Scheme of Things By M.H.C.

An interesting dissertation on the 'noison pen" comes from a well-known ivriter in an equally well-known English paper. The writer refers to the fact that hardly a day passes without some Judge or Coroner referring to idle gossip that causes infinite distress. Not long ago a well-known airwoman spoke of "rumours that ruin happiness," and it has to be remembered by those who speak idly and unkindly about others that it is not | given to. all to rise above this unkindness, but, for temperamental or environmental causes, they are deeply wounded and take very sad means at times to get away from their sorrows. Some little time ago a young woman was in intense distress because of unfortunate circumstances that surrounded her life. She found that these were increased by the caustic comments about her affairs, and by the stories that were circulated concerning them, which alienated friends, whom she valued and prevented her from amending the troubles. She tried unsuccessfully to take her own life, and later, when she recovered from the brainstorm that supervened, a friend sug- ) gested to her that it was possible, if I she had been unfortunately successful, that her troubles might follow her in some form or other into another life. She was asked was it not better to stay and cope with her troubles here and now when she could do something tangible to help herself? Her reply was that she "would if people would leave her alone." She was encouraged to try, and in the end all was well. The English writer finds that it- is a disagreeable truth that many people take a gruesome pleasure in the misfortunes of others. "We are too civilised," he says, "if civilised is a word that can be applied in this connection, to express pleasure when some one we kno\v goes bankrupt or breaks a leg. We are not so blatant about it as that. But we make little effort to resist the temptation to gloat over and propagate rumours of scandal and unhappiness, love affairs, and wrecked marriages. Rumours of all the things,, in fact, do more to damage a life than the great majority of physical and financial disasters." How very true this is in a far more important aspect of the world in such disasters as that of war! •• How many times in the news is it not found that there is a deliberate "sooling on" of one nation and another. Most mischievous assertions, are spread abroad—to be contradicted in a brief time very often; but the statements are made, many read'them who never see the contradictions, and an infinite amount of bad feeling is engendered in the people of one nation against those of another. All this because some idle rumours, set about by either evil or irresponsible persons, get round to such an extent that they are taken ns truth—till found out later. This is gossip and mischief of the widest and most deadly kind. •The writer finds that the public are less censorious than formerly, but while professing to be broader-minded about affairs that used to cause scandal people have become infinitely less ashamed Of scandal-mongering and do j

it Tnore freely. Fifty years ago, he thinks, scandal was spread evilly but discreetly, and where years ago people told their unkind tales after a promise had been received that the luscious morsel would not be handed on, now they burst in on a party with "I've just heard the most gorgeous tale

about So-and-So." Therefore, he states, we are less hypocritical, but do more damage. Country gossip is brought under the lash as "often the most dangerous of all." Amusements are not so many, distractions less, and it is found that some fall back on the

time-honoured task of picking holes in their neighbours. It is astonishing, when a person begins to recall the number of cases of whole books written round a scandal, of whole newspaper stories going on, at times, for weeks, which really resolve themselves into scandal pure and simple. It has been found many times that people have disappeared, either out of life altogether, or from the ken of all who ever knew them on account of these tragic whisperings. It is stated that gossip and scandal are not confined to any particular kind of society, or to either sex. There are 1 offenders in all ranks and conditions of life. The writer deals with the difficulty of sheeting things home, or of getting any redress for damage done by idle or downright mischievous tongues. "The love of gossip is one of the least pretty things about human | nature," states the experienced man. "It is at best rather like the curate's egg, and nothing to boast about. I clo not know cither, what is to be done about it, except, perhaps, to revive something of the old-fashioned attitude of contempt towards the talebearer; an attitude that had its element of hypocrisy, without doubt, but which was preferable to the modern [avid desire to be in the know. Psychologists say'that the instinct to gossip is evidence of the sadist in all of us, and I daresay they are right. It is also a desire to stress one's own virtues by recounting the real or imagined fallings-off of others." It seems certain that a love of recounting either the misfortunes, or putative wrong-doings of others is the product of a mean mind. These people are among those who can never bear to find others either successful or popular. Happy adventures and real successes on the part of others make them both angry and unhappy, and to the mean mind there is nothing so gratifying as to; find some definite cause of complaint against the fortunate and well-placed. "Sadism" is a somewhat late coined word, but is a most expressive one—like HumptyDumpty's "portmanteau word." In it a number of qualities are shown —all undesirable, and all those which should be guarded against by sensible people. Sometimes that sadist attitude is the result of a great deal of undeserved misfortune, of wrong environment, of bad up-bringing, but nothing makes it a good or useful property in a nature, and it should be rooted out. either by people themselves or by older ones, if the quality shows itself in the young. A great deal of cruelty used to be allowed in schools on the mistaken principle that it "hardened" the victims —while no thought was given to the young sadists, who were growing up in cruelty, in lack of selfcontrol, and in evil characteristics which would colour their lives deeply in time to come. These ideas have been mightily modified of late years, to the good of humanity, but, as Tennyson the wise said in one of his poems. "The tongue is a fire," and many a time this fire has caused conflagrations that are not in the power of the mischief-maker to put out. The English writer philosophises a good deal in his article, but in the end deals out a very real and certain condemnation, showing the damage done to the character of the persons who give way to gossip and sadism as well as to those whom they attack. It is a very interesting dissertation.