Southern shield., 1850-05-11
F EXAGGER ATIOM.
T II F BEAUTY OF UTH.

C
 "Forever ia passion or prayer'' ''-Pope "What he says
 You may believe, and pawn your soul upon it. ?
 We know of none of the minor vices that IS moreto be deplored, or that is calcu- lated to lead 10 more serious consequences, than c prom qesssto eraggerate--a disposi- ton to oveI-cc<sff s'ha fsagnify facts to such an extent, that the reality is lost in the fic- ton, the truth in the falSehood. The habit too, is one that is apt to grow by indulgence, and at list to become so nveterate as to be incuraHe. We are also constrained to say that tprevals 10 fearful extent among the gentlr sex. Many young ladies-to say nothing of the more dvanced-indulge in extr.vagant expressions on ordinary topics, male use of "infated forms of speech,' whsn alluding to trihing occurrences, and so smbeIish and magnify the every day events of life, that it is extremely difficult to appreciate and rely upon their statements. They may mean nothing serious or criminal, bu they have gone on from step to step, until, unconsciousIy to themselves, they cannot narrate a simple fact in plain lan- glage-cannot utter the truth frankly and mildly, even in ordinary conversation. All their portraits are caricatures,- all their friends are described, either as the very perfection of human nature, or as the i'm personaton of all that is abominable There is nothing reasonable, or moderate with them-every thing is inflated and ex- travagant. If they visit summer retreat, they describe t as either amodern paradise, or the most dismal of earthly abodes If they form new acquaintance, language is exhausted to sketch 'the beauty" or ''the deformity." Ali public entertainments, all "sc9nes, sights and incidents" are given in the same eXtravagant vein; and thus a stranger is ether deceived or confounded.
 But this vile habit sometimes assumes a still more cupable form. A spirit of scan- dal is associated with it, an extraordinary fertility of invention. and thus the three ombined-exaggerati invention and ca lumny-the character becomes truly fearful, and is naturally summed and avoided. Cannot the leader single out from among his neighbTS or acquaintanceS, some "un- tortunate"male or female, who is a pest to society, under the circumstances we have described-who appears to delight in ex- aggeratin5, not, however, in a harmless and unSophistcated spirit, as in the first case, but with malice and mischief associated, and henc with effects trul y dep plorable and dangerous. Trifes are magnified to grave offences, ,-slight and innocent incidents are perverted into crimes-leelings are trded with, reutations are blackened nay, in some ca&s, hearts are broken. The only way whe such falsiier and mischief maker is thrown into a neighborhood, is to avoid "the evil pirit" as one would avoid pesti- lence-fr the only security is in non-inter- course.
 But thehabit of exaggeraton, even when the motive is innocent, is full ot danger. The cautious are apt to judge of character from trifbs, and thus when an observingI man discovers that he has been deceived, that the t'uth has been distorted or pervert- ed, he will ever after manifest doubt and distrust. There cannot indeed be conh- dence, friendship or affection, where there are not integrity and truth. And however, innocent an individual may be, who is inI the habit of giving exaggerated views oil ordinary topics, the effect will be, to excite suspicion, and to produce incredulity. All teaches us that an associate or| who is detected in deliber ate untruth, is ever after regarded with caution.
 And nowa word to the "gentler" portion of our readers. A friend recently men, toned to us the case of a grown up school girl, who, while associating with her com panions, secured for herself such reputa- ton for untruth and exaggeration-forI purely invented stories and dangerous slan ders-that at last she was regarded as not reliable upon any subject, and it was enough to throw suspicion upon any statement toI give her name as authority. She was ready, voluble, and quick -witteG, and thus her capacity only rendered the propensity to falsitysnore dangerous. Nay, so ingen~I ious and plausible were some of her tabr- that they deceived not a few otI those who were unacquainted with her real character, and entrapped them into repeat ing statements that were utterl y unfounded and wicked. Gradually, however, this fear fuI propensity did its work, and by the time she had passed few years of earl woman hood, she found herself avoided, not onlyI by her own sex, but by the other, and thus her happiness was sadly impaired. She had secured for herself the unenviable reputa- ton of being malignant story-teler, and her early companions were absolutely afraid to associate with her, lest she should in volve them in some tale of scandal, or min- gle their names with some extravagant and unfounded piece of gossip. The penalty thus far has been serious; nevertheless, the evil propensity appears to be incurable.
 There is another species of exaggeration which deserves to be noticed and censured. Ii is that which is founded on a disposition