Arkansas true Democrat., 1860-02-01

adulterated article. This is a species of moral petty larcency as disreputable to the delinquent as 1t IS detrimental to society," His testimony Is not relied on. His au- thentication of 8 rumor reacts as it's con- tradiction; and he betrays his conviction of the just retaliation of the public distrust by welcoming the corroboration of any, b ,dy as better than his own; or else antici- pates the discount by which his state ments will be reduced, by an exorbitancy of assertion that leaves him balance after all. But people are not easily deceived again and again. His credit is damaged his moral bills dishonored. His extrava- gance of diction. like extravaganza of ex- pendtures, involves him in difficulties, ex- communicates him from public confidence; and thus the immediate fate of mendacity symbolizes that awful retribution which will finally exclude "all liars," all kinds of liars, from the society of the good and true. This vicious habit defeats itself, if its object be to verify and emphasize its statements. Society Is always more in- clined to credit moderate appeals to its belief than to indorse the noisy trespass of more extortionate demands upon it, just as casual charity is sooner excited by the in
 voluntary poetry of an unobtrusive sigh or look of distress than by the importunate volubility of a sturdier beggar. Shrewder hyperbolists have observed this, and con sequently modified their epithets, and even tones of voice, into quiet suppressive- ness of style, indicative of unlimited clip
 ses, like hyperbole in reduced circum- stances, or energy under restraint, that astonishes you more by the impudent com posture of the narrator, than even the strange ness of his narrations. Thus vanity imag- ines itself concealed by its obvious artifice, like lunatic pretending sanity, and grati- flying it's poor crazy brain with the conceit of its success We have heard such men volunteer in confidence the most extraor
 dinary statements, in tone that seemed disposed to give the company |" the first refusal;" though 1t was immatefal whether you received them or not-there were plenty would be glad to hear them. Of course you would be amazed; they were emselves-only their sensation had evap- orated with the novelty. They were not in- sensible, but only "at home" with it." one of the family like ''-at their ease with it and with things in general, seldom sur prised, in short, at any thing (unless it was something true, which was class of things they were not so used to:) "not to be forestalled with any kind of news, which they had heard of long ago, nor obliged by any piece of information, which was already on hand; nor any report of theirs to be questioned, for they had inquired into it themseves;" and thus the ambition of effect sacrifices truth and modesty to its bas-reief; the habit of exaggeration, like dram drinking, becomes slavish necessary, and they pass their lives in a kind of men tai telescope, through whose magnliylng medium they look upon themselves and everything around them. l have known otherwise worthy and respectable young men, who have ehectually demolished their conversational credit and usefulness by this incorporate habit of simplifying and illu- 'ninating their revelations into so large a percentage of apocrypha, that society grew weary of the toll of continual sitting of the legendary from the canonical i'll their statements, and expunged them altogether. l would say to such youth, have the humility to suppose that other people know a thing or two as we'll as yourself, all the charm of novelty may be old ac- quaintances of your hearers, at least in their unsophsticated shape" At all events, truth is never served by an alliance with misrepresentation.