The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-22

| the word "humbug" is repeated until II has
become as stale a topic as the weather No one
is expected to be natural and sincere in the
ordinary intercourse of society. Judging
from the tone Of conversation, our atmosphere
must be impregnated with empiricsm, our
whole lives a sham, and our very selves
myth. There Is, in short frightful disbelief
in ourselves and in one another, which, how
ever well grounded, must at all events be
removed before there can be any change in
the state of things on which it Is based.
1t was wisely remarked that the surest way
TO make o man a thief Is to suspect him Of
stealing, and so, too, general dstrust Of pub
lie virtue is a certain iorerunner of public
dishonesty. A degraded state of morals Is an
| inevitable result of a low moral standard, as
the conduct is Of course, never better than
the creed. When, therefore, men profess that
| humbug, which is but another name Tor dis
honesty and rascality, is the secret of success
when, worse still, to humbug another &. e., to
| deceive him by lies) is spoken of as good
| joke, it behooves those who think virtue
necessary to a nations welfare to consider the
matter, and make some effort to bring about a
change. The reform is needed in language
fully as much as in action. Several causes
have given this word a far more extern
sive circulation than facts would justify
To say severe things is power much
| coveted, and here is an indefinite amount bot
tied up in two syllables. To express censure
many think is sure way of showing supe-
riority; while to talk like a turnkey of the
world is thought to indicate knowledge Of
life quite extraordinary, Just as young phys-
clans display their medical learning by talk
ing of tomors and others of "the thousand ills
that flesh is heir to-" These feelings find
expression in this phrase, which, fortunately
for their brains, is as descriptive of one thing
as another, and which, to the applicability of a
general term, untes the venom and spiciness
of a particular one. at serves for method
of collective execution, somewhat like the
vessels which, in season of outrage in
France, received a promiscuous crowd of
"reputed criminals of unexamined and du-
bious similarity, and were then sunk in the
flood" 1t is, in fact, alabor-saving machine
for finding fault.
If man dislikes another for doing that
= which he is too lazy or too weak to do himself,
it affords the same satisfaction to call it "hum-
bug" that it does to stigmatize as hypocrites
those who excite envy and hatred by living a
religious life.
But its currency among the masses is, per-
, haps, not owing to any such positive traits of
, character as these. Opinions are necessary
part of every ones intellectual wardrobe, and
are usually got ready-made; and as in the
h barnyard when an old hen begins to cackle
all the neighboring poultry raise their voices
in concert, so If any one of ability expresses a
$ view Of life, thousands, without reflection
and without reason re-echo it,
). From sheer poverty of thought one-sided
u and false notions of life are passed from hand
u to hand, and from generation to generation
c Just as carelessly written passages in review
c which proclaim Judgment on great author
q and important periods Of history, are censuret
% or praised according to the dictum of pre-
r JUDGED and partial historian. From thi
is faculty of imitation, and want Of thought
Id thousands who are guiltless Of ever havin
III had an idea of their own in their lives conf
As IDENTIFY assert that "humbug" pervades ever
20 department of our society. If many Of thos
Id who use it so glibly were asked to explai
lutI ultdillllb anu w SpOSlhS Al VIZ
le charges, their bewilderment would equal thei
"a ignorance--and las has been said of the us
= of the political watchwords), eff by some sue
ne den lapse of memory they should lose tw
ep or three words they would look round wit
'a' s an idiotic vacancy, totally at a loss as
no " what was the subject of their anger or a
reu probation"
hu, From love of detraction, from ignoran,
lS'e and still more from carelessness this word b
puV come into vogue, and already done more han
than can be easily measured. That the mass
so should believe that sincerity and homes
ceS, have gone out OF fashion is no slight evil a
u'u no man who rightly understands the infuen
ing of language, and feels any sense of duty, "
Vhe foster such an impression by any unnecessa
ana cry of humbug."
the As the silly belief, founded on the faults
nS'- some few, that all who are members of I
ana Church are hypocrites, has done more hal
to religion than all the arguments o. infdei
the and as he who believes that all virtue in 9th,
emu is pretence is not likely to regard it much hi
uly self in thought or deed, so people who col
uffi- to tb;nl, that tbo;r ,ro,, mon oro oD, .,
nc cessful impostors, that their politics is a $,
uh- TEN of trckery and fraud, and that prof
HIS sions of virtue and piety are schemes to Il
ria- suspicion, are not likely to achieve a no
ana destiny.
py There is, indeed, far less 'humbug' in
'iS- world than many think. Society is not who
nan reprobate, and every one who believes
' II should act on CARLYLE's advice-let him II
. to be an honest man himself and then he v
'eh- be sure there is one rogue less in the woI
III Let us all, however, use our language thoug
'u7 fully and carefully, remembering that besi
the injustice done by an opposite course.
ara do much harm to our language and la
t'u MILTON says that whenever a language
% comes inaccurate and vicious, the degenerl
Of il win soon be followed by the downfall
p'o- the State, for a lazy and licentlous use
;, S woIds, with ignorance or carelessness Of IL
'"''- genuine meaning, is a plain mark Of an
principled and degraded people.
-. NEW PUBLICATIONS.
Our thanks are due 10 Mr.. G. W. Pitcher, de
d.. a,