Scandal

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 21, 1874

The story is told of a woman who freely used her tongue to the scandal of others, and made confession to the priest of what she had done. He gave her a ripe thistle top, and told her to go out in various directions to scatter the seeds one by one. Wondering at the penance, she obeyed, and then returned and told her confessor. To her amazement, he bade her go back and gather the scattered seeds; and when she objected that it would be impossible, he replied that it would be still more difficult to gather up and destroy all evil reports which she circulated about others. Any thoughtless, careless child can scatter a handful of thistle seeds before the wind in a moment, but the strongest, wisest man cannot gather them again.