Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 June 1877 — What People Say of Us. [ARTICLE]

What People Say of Us.

A w holesome regard for public opinion is, of course, to he desired, but whenever that regard becomes servile, then It ceases to be a virtue. When we become so desirous of the favorable speech of people as to shape our course with a view to the securing of approbation, without regard to the demands of right and justice, we fall into grave error, and it would be well for us to break treo at once, and act according to the dictates of our own best, judgment, and let public opinion 44 slide.” The world is always ready to judge everybody in season, and out of season—with reason, and without reason. Tongues wiil wag, whether there is anything worth wagging for or not. To live in constant fear of what people may say of us, is like living under the threatening sword of Dam'xfles. And it is a fact that everybody is more or less influenced by this regard for 44 what will besaid.” Not long ago we heard a distinguished literary man say that the Christian religion was not so powerful a force for securing good behavior, as was public opinion. Nine-tenths of the people, he asserted, were kept within the bounds of decency not so much by their religious convictions of duty, as by the fear of what would be said of them. This is a somewhat sweeping assertion, no doubt; hut still, nobody win deny that public opinion is a mighty engine in the world for controlling individual conduct. Every day of our life we are assured of it. People buy and sell, and eat and drink, and wear clothes, and stay at home and go abroad, with reference to it. We call on Mrs. A., and Mrs. A. tells us that she is having her parlors refurnished. Not that the furniture was worn out, but it was old-fashioned, and people would think they were getting entirely behind the times, if they did not fix up a little. We call on Mrs. 8., and Mrs. B. is going to the beach. It is a dreadful bore to go, she assures us, but everybody else is going, and people would be sure to talk is she and B. do not take a little vacation. We call on Mr. C., and ask him to leave off giving wine-suppers and champagneparties ; and he tells us he doesn’t care for such entertainments, he is just as temperate as we are, but everybody has wine at parties, and people would talk if he did not. So we might go on for quires of paper, and bring up instances where people are influenced to do what their consciences condemn, from, the seas of what will be said.

There are some persons, in every community, whose life business it is to go about and tell everybody what eveiyboay else savs about them. Just as soon as one of these human vermin hears anything said derogatory to you, sne will give you a call, and, after a few preliminaries, will open something tike this: “ Oh, Mrs. Brown, I heard something yesterday which made me so indignant. I’d tell it to you, if it wasn't for hurting your feelings. Ido so hate to hurt your feelings! But, there! you needn’t care; of course it’s nothing but scandal; though, on the whole, I’d better not tell it.” And then she sighs, and speaks of the weather, and; of course, yon insist on her telling you; and, after a host of excuses, she informs you that Mrs, P. said that she heard, over to the comer, that you and Brown quarreled tike cats and dogs, ana that you thought of getting divorced from him, and going home to your mother’s. Then you become indignant, and say something hard about Mrs. P., and your disinterested (?) friend treasures it up, and tells it to Mrs. P. the first opportunity. Now, whenever anybody comes to us with the remark, “ I heard something about you,” or “ Do you know what they are saying about yon ?” we put on our dignity, and reply to them: “ We never listen to idle stories of what people say of us—and we consider no person our friend who comes to us with such tales.” It shuts the mouth of the confounded old gossip, and' after that she gives us a wide berth. In the matter of what people say of us. we would dare to do right, in spite of “ they say.” If we set according to our best judgment of what is just and proper, we can afford to leave the result - and whatever people say of us can matter but little when the final accounts are made up.— Kate Thom, in N. Y. Weekly.