The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-11-05
On the Origin OF Liars.


on Lying as a Science" His stand-p oirt
is that of the old diabolism, which taught
that the realm of Nature belongs to the
prince of powers of the air, who is also
the father of lies. He consequently lays
it down as an axiom, that "man is bornsa
liar; the child must be taught to speak the
truth"
Now, we think that, in making this
statement, the writer is availing himself
very freely of the birthright he claims,
and which has not been much damaged by
his teachers; his proposition is exactly
the reverse of the truth. For man, as a
falsifier, Nature is not responsible he is
not born liar, but becomes so by educa-
ton. Truth is natural to children; lying
is an artificial acquisition. To say that
children are natural and spontaneous liars,
and truthful only as they are taught, is to
libel the defenceless for the cowardly pur-
pose of escaping the responsibility of
their ethical miseducation.
How we are born, is undoubtedly
great and very important thing; and the
congenital factor in our nature is far
more potential and determining element
in our destiny than it has been generally
regarded But it is easily misinterpreted
and turned to mischievous ends. We I'M
questionably inherit predispositions, but,
unless the organism is warped far out of
the normal lines into morbid extremes, il
is anenable to educational control. 1t is
common to say that men are born MUS
clans, poets, or Internationally this
is loose language; they are only born
with varying aptitudes in these directions.
1t is, after all, culture and not Nature that
makes the musician, the poet, and the
mathematician. So children are undoubt-
edly born with unequal moral capacities,
but it is culture and not Nature that de-
velops these capacities.
But it not is in this limited sense that the
Temple Bar writer is to be understood. He
does not say that some men are born with
genius for lying, but that all men are
born liars, or, in other words, that the rea-
son why men lie is because Nature i'm
planted the radical propensity to it in
mans organic constitution. Let us see if
Nature cannot be vindicated from this as
persioR. and if the responsibility does not
rest elsewhere.
The child at birth is simply little bun
die of latent ssibilities-physical, In
tellectual, and moral While yet it can
neither speak nor think, it certainly can
not lie. Thus far Nature is acquitted.
There is simply no evidence that the facile
and full-blown liar of manhood is the nor
NAL outcome of prenatal determination
The hypothesis is gratuitous; and what
we have at last is simply the assertion that
lying propensities~ are the first develop
ments of childhood. -
But we. are not without, q further and
decisive clew to Natures intention Edu-
cation is FAR from being entirly an affair
of art. 1t so happens, and fortunately for
the race, that Nature is our first teacher
Far from resigning her charge when she
has ushered the little being into the world
she then commences to teach it, and car
ries the mental and moral development
much farther than people generally
imagine before art begins to interfere !;
and what is her policy? While at bir h
the power of thinking is at zero, because
there is nothing to think about, the senses
which furnish something to think about
are complete and perfect for action from
the first. The basis of mind is laid in the
intercourse of the newborn infant with
the world around it Mental unfolding
thus begins in experience, and an expert
ence which deals solely with the truth of
things. The senses give faithful represent
ations of external objects; otherwise the
NOuiu Dc u SMluuit, a
cheat, and life failure. The eye testifies
to the truth of appearances, the ear to the
truth of sounds, while touch, taste, and
smell, give truthful reports of the
objects to which they are related.
Impressions are, no doubt, at first
vague and indefinite, and, from their inn
perfection, are often erroneous. But the
error is incidental to the scheme-its shad-
.oht nd 10 ir, n nifactu,a1
in proportion to the truth, while the whole
tendency of things is toward its constant
correction. The child's mind, beginning
with blank capacities, is thus slowly built
I'D as an internal representation of outward
things; the fundamental characteristic of
that representation being faithfuiness and
eliability. The very essence and defina-
ton of truth il fidelity Of representation,
and this is the principle which is strictly
and constantly conformed to in those early
buttons of experience which determine
the first stages of mental growth.
But there is also, in these early expert
ences, a definite code of moral discipline,
which has its roots equally in the truth of
things Long before the teacher comes on
to the scene with his moral maxims, the
child has taken elaborate and effective
lessons in matters of right and wrong. 1t
has learned to link conduct to its con-
sequences. and to guide its actions accord
ingly. BY its experimental dealings with
surrounding objects, resulting in numerous
falls, bumps, cuts, lacerations, burnings
and scaldings, it is taught to direct its
movements so as to avoid the evil conse-
quences. 1t finds pain annexed to certain
actions, and that their commission entails
inevitable punishment. There is no lur-
ing or lying here, no empty threats, no
false promises. Nature not only incul
Gates moral code, but reduces it to mex
orable truth by enforcing stern, moral
discipline, And, because it is obviously