Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-05-17
WHAT is LYINGi

Dir. EDIrnR: Among a hos. Of evils which
at the present day prevails, none appears to me
more conspicuous than the palpabls disregard Of
truth.
This is exemplfed in great variety Of ways
loo tedious to enuInerate, but some Of the most
prominent and common methods Of mendacitT
may he mentioned. There are mrltudeS Of per-
sons who, perhaps. believe themselves incapa-
BILE Of uttering direct untruth, yet their daily
acts and words form long tissuc OF unequiVoca
falsehood. In the code Of morals by which the
Christian world profess TO be governed, or in the
Old an | veW Tea.aments, what is not true 10
designated as lie or lies. Not fbs, prevarics-
ton, untruth, equivocat,n, or 'wmte lies, but
lies, and the one wholutters them liIr.
Our lexicon tells us that a lie is an attemp!
to deceive, or to create false impression. This If,
then, extends to very many Of tho lhasos and
conditions Of humln life. For II is to b. feared
that we all seek, at times, to create false impress
sipns.
Multitulinous indeed are the instances, md
widely diversified the means in and by which
this is accomplished. If sells IN, piece
of cloth. and he is asked II it is an imported ar
ticle, and he makes an alternative nod, it is an
equivalent for yes. ami is so understood by me,
Now, il no knows the cloth was not imported, he
Intentionally d,ceives me, and therefore lies, al
though the lie was not uttered. II ask per-
son which of two roads leads to Detroit, and
that person points to one which he is aware does
not lead to that city, is il not lie though only
actedt The moral turpitude consists ia the de-
sign to deceive and msieAd and can be Of little
moment whether it is accomplished by gesture
or vocal sound. II matters but little by what
appOllntion faisehood is known, its name does
not change its character or mitigate its alrocity
The term lie is unpopular and CRATES harshly on
ears polite, hence its substitutes or synonyms.
think there was custom among some of the
ancients Of cutting out the tongue Of person
when detected in ultering a deliberate falls ehOOd
What II such a law were enforced In our dav
II an attempt TO deceive, or create false inn
preston constitutes a lie, then II follows that he
who appears before the world in false chArac.
ter protesting 0r pretending to be what he knows
he is not, with a sinister design n deceive man
kind is n living embodiment Of hlsehoOd. Mis-
representation in any form when wilfully uttered
or written, makes falseh0Od-R lie.
Time would fail 10 recount, il Il be possible a
millionth part Of the disasters and calamities
which have befallen the human race through the
prevalence Of this deestable habit.
Its history Is commensurate with tina Of man
kind. II is of universal prevalence, and taints
with its venomnus breath, all classes and rank
Of society Even the QuAkers are not immacu
late. Perhaps no form Of deception is more po-
tent than in emitting to state the most important
part Of a narrative or account, and in this they
arc proficient
Mend lcilv or living may be summed mp in
few worls II is dastarlly and essentially mean
II is dishonest and worse than thieving. II Ia
the subterfuge Of cow"rdly and grovelng spir-
il. And II is begolten and born of the Devil for
10 is aud was from the beginning the father Of
Les. NEEIrLT.