New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-18
deliberately incorrect i'll his Statements
''ready to promise, but slow to perform
all these and many other similar express

deliberately incorrect i'll his statements
''ready to promise, but slow to perform
| all these and many other similar express
sions are habitually used to describe what
nobody is willing to admit that he ever
docs-for nobody ever lies. Ask anybody
if he does.
1t is an interesting problem for the
student Of human nature to ascertain the
cause Of this paradoxical fact-the prone
ness to lie and the scorn OF liars. Per-
haps n, analysis may help. The subject
divides itself, naturally, into four heads,
each with numerous subdivisions. as les
Of cowarl.ce, interest, VANITY and malice,
| each having It's elphonistic synonym.
Thus the first, lies OF coVardice, may DE
able consequences. Thu, is the simplest
form of lying, and, doubtless, the most
| common; not among children, servants
| and Jncuitivatcd Persons only, but among
| mature men alid women, heads of tami-
lies, public fi.nctionulies. It is the slave
vice, and tyranny is too often Its father.
The child lies to its parent, the servant to
his master, the husband to the wife, the
wifi, 10 the husband. the Official to his
constituents. to escape expected punish
meut. whether that take the form Of per-
sonal vha,tisement, dismissal, hard word,
or loss OF political influence. The last men
toned. however, the official lie, comes
also under the next head. lies of interest,
a, do likewise all the receptions of trades
! men the chicancries of lawyers. the
promises of politicians, the Unfounded
rIunors OF stock jobbers, the mental
reservation, of religious teachers, the eX
pedients OF statesmen, the tactics OF gem
erals, the cajolements Of women, the hat
terics of candidate, for Office. Under this
head. also come the conventional false
hoods OF politenes> and the eytravagant
adulatioa of gallantIy. Hear Moore OH
this subject:
Long sou re false and he bclicyes Nou,
Lon. y0I: re- true and he dccciNcS vOl.
SO lon. tuc bii>~fu! band culUre-,
And while he lies. his Acart is Yours:
Bur. ai ! yuu'Vc " holly lost the youth
the moment that lie tells You truth.
But this, OF course, must refer to GAL
Iantry. and not to real love.
No less various are the forms assumed
by lies of vanity, which are, in reality,
the least harmful of all, if lies of any
kind can be otherwise than harmful.
These assume the form OF gross
eXaggerations of real occurrences,
as well a, that of pure in
ventions, the object being simply stlt-
glor;tication Thus. there are some peo-
pie who can not take the sh ortest trips
without meeting extraordinary people,
and encoTntering uncommon adventures.
All their friends are rich and dis tin
g,,isAed give sumptuou; rept,ts, and
live in a style of fabulous mA,niticenre.
They even make a display OF their in
ti;mities, eXaggerating their "syMptoms
to awaken Sympathy. Such people axe
never willing 70 spoil a story by adler
ence to fact Il the interest OF the
nearer begin, t? :las they resort TO inven-
ton, regardless Of the transparency of tAe
trick.
lie, OF malice are, to the honor of nv
man nature, the least common Of all, an
by many are considered the only ones
which really deserve the name. They
are the ones specially prohibited in the
Decalogle and i. is probably the datest;l-
ton they inspire which has brought
such odilm upon fal,ehood Of every
Kind SO that anybody who VIII lie At al
vii. lie a second time rather thal ac-
knowledge tle first one.
The last species of lying which now
occurs to Us is the benevolent lie, in
tended to spare pain. It does not come
properly under any of the above heads,
but isa elias, by itself
Thi, enumeration Of the various forms
assumed by this vice, If it throws DO
light upon it, cause or cure, shows at
least ths truth of the adage, the world
is terribly given to lying