u said was void of all harm, or it was not. In the one
case, why impose silence! In the other, why not begin yourself by
observing the silence you impose upon others! Your friend will do what
you did, and the ball you set rolling will not stop until there is
nothing left of your victim's character.

Of course there are times when to speak of another's faults is
derogatory neither to justice nor to charity; both may demand that the
evil be revealed. A man to defend himself may expose his accuser's
crookedness; in court his lawyer may do it for him, for here again
charity begins at home. In the interests of the delinquent, to effect
his correction, one may reveal his shortcomings to those who have
authority to correct. And it is even admitted that a person in trouble
of any kind may without sin, for the purpose of obtaining advice or
consolation, speak to a judicious friend of another's evil ways.

Zeal for the public good may not only excuse, but even require that the
true character of a bad man be shown up and publicly censured. Its
object is to prevent or undo evil, to protect the innocent; it is
intended to destroy an evil influence and to make hypocrisy fly under
his own colors. Immoral writers, living or dead, corrupt politicians
and demagogues, unconscionable wretches who prey on public ignorance,
may and should be, made known to the people, to shield them is to share
their guilt. This should not be done in a spirit of vengeance, but for
the sole purpose of guarding the unwary against vultures who know no
law, and who thrive on the simplicity of their hearers.

CHAPTER XC.
CALUMNY.

TO the malice of detraction calumny adds that of falsehood. It is a
lie, which is bad; it is a report prejudicial to the character of
another, which is worse; it is both combined, out of which combination
springs a third malice, which is abominable. All the more so, since
there can exist no excuse or reason in the light of which this sin may
appear as a human weakness. Because slander is the fruit of deliberate
criminal spite, jealousy and revenge, it has a character of diabolism.
The calumniator is not only a moral assassin, but he is the most
accomplished type of the coward known to man. If the devil loves a
cheerful liar, he has one here to satisfy his affections.

This crime is one that can never be tolerated, no matter what the
circumstances; it can never be justified on any grounds whatsoever; it
is intrinsically evil, a