American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-08
Lying.

Confucius said that the world could not
get on without truthfulness. 1t was the
most unfortunate error into which he was
ever betrayed. Viewed in the light of
to-day, it stamps him as a Predetermined
old fogy. Could he take out his naturall-
cation papers, as citizen of this great
republic, to-day, he would see that the
world not only does get on without truth
fulness, but would apparently come to
dead halt with it. He would see state
of society in which lying is the fixed
habit of men, their normal mode of utter
ance, their first thought, and in which
truth-telling is a dissipation reserved for
rare moments, involving an exercise OF
the will and the reversal of the ordinary
machinery of morals. The old express
i've insult, g you lie.'' has lost its force
and passed out of use. 1t would be the
mere expression of a truism. OF course
you lie. Everybody lies. GU speak
the truth ~ wOCld be a remark much
more calculated to attract invidious atten-
ton and disagreeable notice. Why Is this
so. md how long since?
Lying was originally regarded as
children's vice, and has now come to be
the adults virtue. We expect children to
lie, and teach them to speak
the truth by logging. 1t is wo-
mans vice, too. 1t is necessary to the
easy movement of society. The house
the unwelcOme guest is at the door. This
kind of lying is called tibbing, and is a
necessary ingredient of politeness. 1t Is
when tibbing is engrafted from politeness
into politics and business that it becomes
we will not say wicked, but disturb
ing element. 1t is no worse than some
other national sins we have had.
Men no longer cane each others brain
out on the floor of Congress. Under the
poets philosophy, we suppose it is better
for them to have lived and lied than never
! to have lived at all. The North and South
now lie in harmony. The lion and the
lamb lie together. AS hate went out, ly-
ing came in. 1t was a war staple. Like
emancipation, it was military necessity.
The unparalleled activity of internal and
external diplomacy, which is lying polite
ly expressed, and of corruption, which is
the profit of lying, fixed upon us this sin
as a habit, growing like intemperance
with its hold upon the system, a disease,
thorough going epiuemic. Men who
once told men fbs now swear falsely. Men
who were once expected to tell the truth,
now tell fibs, half-truths, indulge in I'M
necessary denials Of truth, fair to the ear
but frail under crOss-examination, fabri-
cate diplomatic letters of nicely jOinted
falsities in the hope they will pass for
truth, and, rather than see their work fail
boldly utter perjuries of the gravest char
acter. We see business firms of the h gh-
est character swearing to false invoices
public officers, local, state and federal,
placing their signatures to vouchers they
themselves have falsitied; newspapers
Boosting of false circulations to cheat adj.
vertisers; judges and lawyers exerting
their high functions and abilities to bolster
the cause of untruth; respectable attor
neys lying to committees of Congress with
the utmost freedom and without the slight
est call thereto.
1t is ii live issue. '.God is the constitu.
ton" or among the people is a vain
achievement, till we secure true recogni
ton of the decalogue. Thou shalt moi
lie'' is the first plank to be laid down in
the platform of our political parties. We
doubt if it would secure show of hands
What section of the country would be in.
terested to put it in or what statesman
to have his name linked with its adoption;
How long shall we ''get on without
truthfulness !;'-SwingtieM (Moss.) Re
publican.