On Gossips
Charles Spurgeon · John Ploughman's Talk; or, Plain Advice for Plain People
" Don't be the devil's bellows, to blow up the fire of strife." — Page 61.
IN Walton church, in our county, there
is a brank, or scold's bridle, which was
used in years gone by to keep women's
tongues from troubling their husbands and
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58 JOHN PLOUGHMAN'S TALK.
their neighbors. They did queer things
in those good old times. Was this bridle
a proof of what our parson calls the wis-
dom of our ancestors, or was it a bit of
needless cruelty ?
" It is nothing — only a woman drowning,"
is a wicked and spiteful old saying, which,
like the bridle, came out of the common
notion that women do a world of mischief
with their tongues. Is it so or not? John
Ploughman will leave somebody else to
answer, for he owns that he cannot keep a
secret himself, and likes a dish of chat as
well as anybody ; only John does not care
for cracking people's characters, and hates
the slander which is so sweet to some peo-
ple's teeth. John puts the question to
wiser men than himself: Are women much
worse than men in this business? They
say that silence is a fine jewel for a woman,
but it is very little worn. Is it so ? Is it
true that a woman only conceals what she
does not know ? Are women's tongues
like lambs' tails, always wagging ? They
say foxes are all tail, and women all tongue.
Is this false or not ? Was that old prayer
a needful one — " From big guns and
ON GOSSIPS. 59
women's tongues deliver us ? " John has
a right good and quiet wife of his own,
whose voice is so sweet that he cannot
hear it too often, and therefore he is not a
fair judge; but he is half afraid that some
other women would sooner preach than pray,
and would not require strong tea to set
their clappers going; but still what is sauce
for the goose is sauce for the gander, and
some men are quite as bad blabs as the
women.
What a pity that there is not a tax
upon words: what an income the Queen
would get from it ; but, alas ! talking pays
no toll. And if lies paid double, the gov-
ernment might pay off the National Debt ;
but who could collect the money ? Common
fame is a common liar. Hearsay is half
lies. A tale never loses in the telling. As
a snowball grows by rolling, so does a story.
They who talk much lie much. If men
only said what was true, what a peaceable
world we should see ! Silence seldom makes
mischief; but talking is a plague to the
parish. Silence is wisdom ; and, by this
rule, wise men and wise women are scarce.
Still waters are the deepest ; but the shal-
60 JOHN PLOUGHMAN'S TALK.
lowest brooks brawl the most ; this shows
how plentiful fools must be. An open
mouth shows an empty head. If the chest
had gold or silver in it, it would not al-
ways stand wide open. Talking comes by
nature, but it needs a good deal of train-
ing to learn to be quiet ; yet regard for
truth should put a bit into every honest
man's mouth, and a bridle upon every
good woman's tongue.
If we must talk, at least let us be free
from slander, but let us not blister our
tongues with backbiting. Slander may be
sport to talebearers, but it is death to those
whom they abuse. We can commit mur-
der with the tongue as well as with the hand.
The worst evil you can do a man is to in-
jure his character; as the Quaker said to
his dog, " I'll not beat thee, nor abuse thee,
but I'll give thee an ill name." All are
not thieves that dogs bark at, but they are
generally treated as if they were ; for the
world for the most part believes that where
there is smoke there is fire, and what every-
body says must be true. Let us then be
careful that we do not hurt our neighbor
in so tender a point as his character, for
ON GOSSIPS. 61
it is hard to get dirt off if it is once thrown
on ; and when a man is once in people's
bad books, he is hardly ever quite out of
them. If we would be sure not to speak
amiss, it might be as well to speak as lit-
tle as possible ; for if all men's sins were
divided into two bundles, half of them
would be sins of the tongue. " If any man
offend not in word, the same is a perfect
man, and able also to bridle the whole
body."
Gossips of both genders, give up the
shameful trade of talebearing; don't be the
devil's bellows any longer to blow up the
fire of strife. Leave off setting people by
the ears. If you do not cut a bit off your
tongues, at least season them with the salt
of grace. Praise God more and blame
neighbors less. Any goose can cackle, any
fly can find out a sore place, any empty bar-
rel can give forth sound, any brier can tear
a man's flesh. No flies will go down your
throat if you keep your mouth shut, and
no evil speaking will come up. Think
much, but say little : be quick at work and
slow at talk ; and above all, ask the great
Lord to set a watch over your lips.