Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1860-05-02
OUR LITTLE DECEITS.

as ssthe deceit of society,"" Yet those who
| pretend to such ssborror of Deceit" are they
gulltleSS; have they no sins of commission
in the little and large social falsehood to
which society is not to be the father -confessor
We may as well acknowledge the truth.
We may as we'll open our hearts secrets to
the father-confessor, and be contrite for once
in our lives. We are all compound of dust,
deceit and greed; that is to say. all of us who
claim special position or social distinction.
ssAh, ha Jones, L am really glad to see
| you!'' exclaimed Smith. Smith never told
more egregrious falsehood in his life. Smith,
| the whole entire period since he last met
Jones, has been trying to dodge him, or hasn't
| thought of him in any wise, and Jones knows
| this; and yet he accepts the deliberate lie as
| pleasant and customary portion of our social
etiquette. Jones replied ssMy dear Smith
my old boy, do you know was thinking of
| you, this morning 1 said to my wife this
| morning at breakfast, Il wonder what has be-
| come of Smith, my old friend p and 1 had
some thoughts of calling up at your house.
| How have you been?'
| Smith is nearly certain that this speech is
a return lies Jones uttered it to him as he
| had uttered it to dozen other acquantances
that day. And after social drink together,
the precious pair separate only to renew the
utterance of the same little social deceits
whenever they chance to meet.
You, reader, who just now, perhaps, was
expressing such highly refreshing bits of NOR
al anathemas in reference to knitting, de-
ceit, and lying; were you not just in
conversation with Brown? Were you not
laughing at his jokes, gravely nodding assent
to his judgment, taking him by the hand and
| in every way using your utmost endeavor to
convince those around you that of all men in
the world, Brown is foremost in your esteem
Yet when Brown leayeS-when, after he has
resisted your earnest and importunate, and
half-a-dozen times repeated demonstrations
| against his departure, and has gone beyond
| hearing, do you not in the presence of your
| friends (you think them friends, at least,)
| pronounce Brown an Internal, artful, irredeem-
! able scoundrel-a Jeremy Didler, a rogue and
| everything that is either mean contempt-
| bic !? Certainly you do; and it is no more
| than fair that you shoald. inasmuch that you
| can safely swear that Brown, in a circle of his
| supposed friends, is Amounting your fair fame
with similar quality of the concentrated
essence of defamation. You and Brown knew
that you were utterinG few of those sslittle
deceits," which are so absolutely necessary to
secure the stability of the society in which
you both live and move !; separated, you are
like wild cats; drawn together by accident,
you are doves in disposition. All the ameni-
ties (deceits) of society are extended from
one to the other; IscariotS and Arnolds en-
brace, and your falsehoods are accepted as the
| most genial truths.
Wehate with a hate that is unconquerable
due regard for the courtesies of life, eve call
our fear of what injuries he may do us and
our dread of an erpose of our own weakness
courtesies in this inStance,) we cannot find
words to express our admiration of his char
acter. We leave his presence thoroughly
convinced that he is consummate villain,
and we pronounce him so to our first acquaint-
ance we encounter.
Father Confessor Society, are we not ac-
knowledging the truth
The ladies, too, whose ruby lips are never
parted save to utter such sweet pleasantrieS,
such kindly words of comfOrt-ah they are
not guilty of these sins of commission. Oh,
certainly not What an unseemly churl is he
who dale malign their character for truth and
veracity! Yet, oh, Father Confessor, let us
have revelation of their cloistered penltence
of the confessions they, like al of us, must
make in the cloisters of the mind, with unfor-
giving conscience in waiting with the dread
full scourge of remorSe.
How amiable the fair and fashionable
daughters OF Eve to each other in public; yet,
how merciless in private s'What love of
woman =" says Mrs. Boles to Mrs. Coles in re-
ference to Mrs. Doles, $50 amiable in dispo-
stiop; really she is worthy of any ones es-
TEEN and confidence"
Whereuxon Mrs. Boles in the next breatl.
tells Mrs. Foles, who doesn't like Mrs. Doles,
ssWhat an odious, abominable creature that
Mrs. Doles is. j do detest her hypocritical
pretences. l can scarcely endure her pres
ence. Ugh don't see how the brazen thing
can dare to face me.'' AT this instant Mrs.
Doles appears, coming up smilingly to Mrs.
Boles. The twain embrance, and Mrs. Boles
exclain1s, with all the apparent sincerity of an
earthly saint, ssOh my dear Mrs. Doles! 1
was just this instant speaking of you to Mrs.
Foes. was saying how lonesome we should
be without you here. have almost made up
my mind to scold you for being so late. Take
off your furs here, Mary, take Mrs. Doles'
furs, rubbers, and, bonnet. No; no, insist
you must stay for tea.''
Ten minutes later while Mrs. Boles is absent
from the parlor, Mrs. Doles whispers to Mrs.
Coles, ssWhat smooth faced simpleton Mrs.
BoIes is. She is so vulgar in her ways, and
she does keep such mixed company. Really,
if it hadn't been that l wanted to see you,
should not have called. Oh, here she is.''
Such conversations are considered as social
amenities. They are not deceits. Oh, no
Not the vilest and at the same time the most
absurd of sins. Ladies, we are told, are like
Metamora, and sscannot ie.' They are only
deceitful in social point of view, not perso-
nally. They cannot be he Id accountable, per-
sonally, for the commissions of such sins as
form the foundation of fashionable society,
and its only maintenance-sociality only.
Now that the writer of this ssodious article'
has ventilated sufficiency of examples of the
little deceits of society, shall we abolish them
Shall we have no more deceits, no more hy-
pocrisy, no more sham Emphatically, yes
we must have them. Were we all to speak TO
each other as we think, at all times and in all
places, every man and woman of US would be
deadly hostile to every one else. There would
be no friendships, no gossip, nothing but dire
and continuous sniveling, pickering and mis-
cry. Soirees, Reunions, tete-a-tetes, Christ
mas rejoicings, New Years festivities, none
of them would we have. We would stare at