RUMORS
And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
—Mark 13:7
5163 Bomb Hoax Costly To Drillers
Great Yarmouth, England (AP)—The great North Sea Bomb hoax was played out leaving a bill of more than two million dollars in lost production and wages in 1975.
When anonymous telephone warnings from a caller said to have a Middle East accent warned of undersea time bombs, British navy divers were called in. They reported finding nothing but stinging jellyfish after spending hours checking three huge natural gas rigs operated by American-owned Phillips Petroleum.
The rigs are in the Hewett field, 30 miles off the Norfolk coast, and produce natural gas from under the seabed for British domestic users. The sea is 100 feet deep there.
A police officer at Great Yarmouth said the hoax cost one million pounds (2.2 million dollars). “Nearly 450 million cubic feet of gas will be lost, huge teams of men have worked around the clock for nothing and divers’ lives were endangered,” he said.
5164 Howell From Siberia?
Dave Howell, World Service Y.M.C.A. Secretary who spent a number of years in Liberia, described the following introduction he once received prior to a speech: It seems that there was sort of a three-way chairmanship at this meeting and the first who opened the meeting briefly mentioned that Howell was from Libya. Howell whispered to the man nearby who was to speak next and asked him to correct the part about Libya.
But this man when he rose to speak, after making some routine remarks referred to Howell as the man from Nigeria. Now by this time Howell said he was a little confused himself, but he nudged the man who was to introduce him officially and reminded him that to set the record straight, he was from Liberia. This gentleman nodded his head and said he would straighten out matters. He concluded his introductory remarks with these words: “And now it is my pleasure to introduce Dave Howell from Siberia.”
5165 On “They Said”
When Aaron Burr at the end of his long life, during which he had tasted the cup of honor and distinction and also drained the dregs of bitterness and humiliation, lay dying in a boardinghouse at Port Richmond, Staten Island, a friend who was waiting upon him in reporting to him some rumor commenced by saying, “They say.” At that Burr interrupted her and said, “My dear, never use that word. It has broken more hearts than any other.”
—C. E. Macartney
5166 Story Of The Four Bulls
Aesop tells us that there were four bulls which were great friends. They went everywhere together, fed together, and laid down to rest together, always keeping so close to each other that if any danger was near they could all face it at once.
Now there was a lion which had determined to have them but he could never get at them singly. He was a match for any one alone, but not for all four at once. However, he used to watch for his opportunity and, and when one lagged the least bit behind the others as they grazed, he would slink up and whisper that the other bulls had been saying unkind things about him. This he did so often that at last the four friends became uneasy. Each thought the other three were plotting against him. Finally, as there was no trust among them, they went off by themselves, their friendship broken.
This was what the lion wanted. One by one he killed them, and made four good meals.
5167 To Scatter The Feathers
Here is a story that we all would do well to lay to heart. It has been told before, but will bear repetition.
A farmer’s wife had spread a slanderous story about her pastor through the village, and soon the whole countryside had heard it. Sometime later the woman became sick and confessed the story was untrue. After her recovery she came to the pastor and craved his pardon. The old pastor said, “Of course I will gladly pardon you if you will comply with a wish of mine.” “Gladly,” replied the woman. “Go home, kill a black hen, pluck the feathers, and put them in a basket and bring them here.”
In half an hour she was back. “Now,” said the pastor, “go through the village and at each street corner scatter a few of these feathers, the remaining ones take to the top of the belltower and scatter them to the winds, then return.” She did so. “Now go through the village and gather the feathers again, and see that not one is missing.”
The woman looked at the pastor in astonishment and said, “Why that is impossible! The wind has scattered them over the fields everywhere!”
“And so,” said he, “while I forgive you gladly, do not forget that you can never undo the damage your untrue words have done.”
5168 The God And The Arrow
A legend illustrating gossip and malicious slander concerns a Hindu god who enchanted an arrow which flew around killing people. But after it had killed everyone, leaving no new victims, it came back to destroy the god. The god spent the rest of his life running from the arrow he had sent against others.
—James Hastings
5169 Amyclaean Silence
According to history, the inhabitants of Amyclae were so often alarmed by false rumours of the approach of the Spartans, that they made a decree no one should ever again mention the subject. When the Spartans actually came against the town, no one dared mention it and the town was taken.
—E. Cobham Brewer
5170 Epigram On Rumors
• Some people have as their motto: “If you can’t say anything good about a person, let’s hear it.”
—American Legion Magazine
• There are no idle rumors. Rumors are always busy.
• A scandal is one thing that has to be bad to be good.
—E. C. McKenzie
• The scum always finds its way to the side.
—Malay Proverb
• He who gives up the smallest part of a secret has the rest no longer in his power.
—Jean Paul Richter
• Tacitus describes a wise man as saying, “You are lord of your tongue, but I am also master of my ears.”
• In a vision John Bunyan saw a man throwing water on a flame, and yet the flame continued to burn. He wondered how it could burn on—until he saw that there was one behind the door pouring oil on the flame!
—C. E. Macartney
See also: Accusers ; Gossiping ; Murmuring.