The Baltimore County union., 1866-12-15

/ In all these promises for those who will be
true, and in all these threatenings for those who
will not, is certainly involved the prohibition OF
| lying, and every man is therefore under the
strongest moral obligation to speak the truth, to
| speak it, not simply when men say it is good,
| worldly policy and perfectly safe to do so, but
at all times, when not to do it would be to speak
| or act a lie.
| The sophist may continue to tell us that ii is
| both impossible and undesirable to have an hon
| est heart and truthful tongue. He may con-
tinue to tell that perfect sincerity would work
| dire ruinin society," compelling men to express
every thought and feeling, to turn their hearts
inside out and satisfy the inquisitive, to yield
themselves to the scrutiny of all, to use no con-
| ceament and wear no vail of secresy, and to ex-
pose others as well as themselves to the gaze of
| the curious. But truthfulness calls us to the
practice of no such folly. 1t only requires US to
be true to ourselves and to all men, that we may
| rise, and help others rise, to the perfection of
| goodness and happiness. And what it is to be
| true to ourselves and to all men, love and SIM
| plicity will always tell US.
Let no one, then, expect great attainment or
great gain of any kind in any of the forms of de-
cet, or imagine that there is any real advantage
| to be reaped from double face or double
tongue. Deceitfulness seldom brings even a
present and temporary reward. On the contra
ry, it brings the very evils we would shun, and
the very troubles we would avoid. The expe-
rience of the evils of society has satisfied us that
the almost universal practice of thinking and
feeling one thing, and speaking and acting
another, has made the deadliest hatreds, the bit
terest animosities, and the worst alterations
Those whom we receive with gracious smiles
and complimentary words despise and hate us
when they find out, as they always do, sooner
or later, that we are not sincere and that we
have been acting lie. How they learn this it is
not difficult to tell. We are so constituted, that
what we are not willing to say to mans face
we will at some time, be betrayed into say
ing behind his back. But if we do not proclaim
our insincerity in this way, we do in another
There is almost always and indescribable some
thing in the looks and manners OF those who are
practicing deception. Their kindness, their ex-
pressons of interest their civilities fail to win
US, and we feel-we can scarcely tell why-that
they are not true friends We may never have
heard of anything they have said against us, but
we can not look at them, or listen to them, with
out the lurking suspicion that they do not feel
the friendship they are trying to manifest-in
other words they appear to us deceitful. Con-
sequently we feel uneasy in their presence, and
are glad to be rid of them.
1t may be they belong to what is thought the
better class of deceiversaOiSe, Christian deceiv-
ers. Startled by some report, carried around on
the tongues of men and women, they thought at
first Of coming directly to US, to learn the whole
truth, but finally concluded to keep SILENT
Whenever they meet us, they think of what they
have heard, but fatter themselves they are do
ing us no harm, as they neither believe dis
believe the strange stories that have been in cir
culation.
Some of US, no doubt, are on this list of liars,
and probably take pride in being liars of good
judgment, rare wisdom, and marvellous piety.-
But our unusual talent for deception and our fine
skill in lying have made numerous enemes-and
the worst of enemies-and we have had proved
to US, not only the fact that we have often. made
our position in society very uncomfortable, but
that we have done our part toward keeping the
world out of that state of perfect love and har-
mony so long predicted.
1t is indeed true that society is no better for
the false-hearted We have all, with a few ex-
ceptions, deceived and been deceived and hearts
have grown cold, and strong bands of love have
been broken, and men have been hateful, and
hating one another"
The spoken falsehoods of the tongue, the un-
spoken falsehoods of the heart. the silent false
hoods that hide away IN smiles, and the false
hoods of various kinds that spread themselves
over all the life have been worst enemies,
not our best helpers. They have led US in thorny
paths, through deserts where were no springs of
water, and up high mountains of difficulty where
were no resting-places. Promising US everything,
they have given US nothing, and who shall say we
owe them nything Truth, truth alone, is the
sure friend and the safe guide, and every man, if
he will, may see her beckoning finger and hear
her voice saying, +" This is the way walk ye in
it." Turn aside, and your way will be rough
and wearisome and you will never know the
fnll richness and sweetness of life. Turn aside,
and you will find when you have crossed the
river that leads to the other side, that you can
not enter in, with the true-hearted, through
no wise enter into nything that de6leth, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketb a
ls"-American chronological Journal