The daily gazette., 1876-12-11
The Art of Deception.

One of the most singular inconsistencies
to be observed in everyday life is found in
The different manner in which the habit of
deception is regarded, according to the
age and position of those who practice it
Childien, as soon as they become capable
OF distinguishing right and wrong are
taught to look upon deceit as one of the
worst sins that can be committed. Boys
at school are not only taught the beauty
OF truth by their masters. but, in IL GER
tain rough fashion, reverence it among
themselves. A boy, for instance, who
parades ostentatiously to his master an
assumed steadiness of principle and sub
missiveness of demeanor is very soon
branded with the odicous title of sneak.
On the other hand; occasions arise in
schoolboy ife,when, sticking to deliber-
ate falsehood, boy may gain for himself
the reputation of hero among his fel-
lows. This, however, is detail of the
curious system of schoolboy morality, the
unwritten laws of which might afford an
Interesting matter for study. Girls, it
would seem; are by nature more inclined
to untruthfulness than boys; but this
inclination is really very often the result
of moral cowardice, defect which it may
to girls and women. But in this one case
there are different influences, absent in
the other, which often add to the attempt
at overcoming, or at any rate, concealing
this fault. A boy who has invented Il
story to save himself from scrape, and
is found out, is generally made to feel in
some tangible way that he has been guilty
of a gross-blunder, if not of crime. lie
hat I, ,tc
gained him nothing but a punishment and
the scOIn of the community. With the
girls the matter is somewhat different:
some form of punishment may be iniict-
ed, but the sense of having done shame
full thing is less frequently and less
strongly inculcated.
A girl who has been detected in false
hood may be teased on the subject by her
companions, but she will not be Stunned
anddespised. Thus she isverylikelyto learn
early in life the great maxim that it is
not crime but detection that one ought to
avoid. Among certain class of grown
up women there is little more disgrace at
tached TO untruthfulness than among
girls; and this, it must be said, is, TO a
great extent, the fault of men, who so dill
gently assure women that they are by
nature untruthful that it is small wonder
if thev end by believing the assertion and
acting upon it. 1t also occurs that cer-
tain women who have cultivated love
for truth become disguised at the general
weakness of their sex in this respect, and
fiyin consequence to the opposite extreme
They judge it necessary to employ some
striking means for convincing the worlt
that they are not as other women are
and that whatever they say is Trustworthy
and they, therefore, affect an irritating
sharpness of manner and an uncomfort
able habit of saying the most disagreeabl'
| things they can. In order to avoid fiat
terry, they overwhelm one with bitter crit
cism. Perhaps they are, however, more
| tolcrable, inasmuch as they at least ac
from principle, than the women of the
world who are accomplished in the art OF
deception, and employ all its resources t,
I wound any one against whom they may
have grudge. Their words are to those
of the woman who tlaunts her truthful
ness in ones face as the bite Of snake
to the chance blow of a bludgeon.
Both, however may be said to be re
suits, in opposite directions, of the sam'
| system. The most dangerous woman
| probably, in the matter of untruth, is sh,
| who, with a frank manner pleasan
| smile, and the honest appearance of Idgo
! will look you full in the face and tell yol
| what she knows to be n deliberate lie
| And such people are commoner thar
! may be generally supposed, inasmuch a
I n fallacy that a person skilled in the ar
of deception cannot look others in tn,
face is still very generally entertained
| although 1t has been often enough eX-
posed. Among men the practice of false
| hood Is perhaps not more rare thar
among women, but it is apt to take a les
harmful form. There are many womeI
| who are known to devote themselves tt
| the propagation of untruths, or, what art
more dangerous, half truths and who sut
fer very little in social estimation or posi-
ton, But a man, and there are of course
many such, who spends his time in cir
culating malicious reports, in collecting
the raw gossip of clubs, decking ant
adorning it after his own fashion and
lSending it out again in n complete and
finished form, is likely to get little by his
pains but contempt, except indeed
among a circle of scandalous old women
| who are always ready to welcome him
The men who lie without suscess, if sc
hard name as lying OF ght to be giventC
their practices, are those who have some
resemblance to Corneille's Md,,teur, who
are led away by force of Imagination ,and
also by certain feeling for artistic effect
! men are most usually found among Irish
men, and their method was pretty accu
rately hit off by a late judge, who observ
ed that Irish witnesses could never be
trusted, "But my lord" said one of tn,
counsel, "your lordship's father wasIrish.
Yes" was the answer; 81 meant tha
| they had a pi icturesque round about way
of putting things They are all very elo
quent. Tile Saturday Rerieic.