“He Put It in the Paper”

That is what one appreciative girl from Canada said in a letter of thanks to the Watch Tower Society. She had participated in a public speaking contest at school, and her presentation so delighted one of the judges on the panel that he asked for permission to print it in the local newspaper.

How did the girl choose her subject? “My class, especially the girls, had a problem with gossip,” she explained. So she based her presentation on information she read in Awake! Parts of her speech were published in The Review, a local newspaper of Niagara Falls, Ontario, under the title “Gossip Can Be Hurtful; How Would You Feel?”

What was it that so impressed the judge on the panel? Note some excerpts from the girl’s speech: “Today in society gossip is very common. It can cause a lot of headaches, sleepless nights and most of all hurt feelings. . . .

“Stopping gossip is impossible because it is human nature to talk. One thing we can do is to keep it under control. A few pointers in going about this are: 1. Do not add fuel to the fire. 2. Do not listen to the gossip. . . . By listening to gossip, it may seem like you agree with what is being said. 3. Damaging gossip can also make a liar out of you. 4. The most important advice of all is think before you speak! Ask yourself ‘How would I feel if this was said about me?’”

“Put the four steps into practise,” the girl concluded, “and you will most likely become a better person.”

What practical advice for everyone, not only youths in school! Awake! endeavors to present timely and current information on a wide variety of subjects. If you would like to receive this journal regularly, ask one of Jehovah’s Witnesses the next time they call, or write to the appropriate address listed on page 5.