The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1882-05-17
Perjury and HTpOcrIsy.

In the History of Civilization,
Buckle tells how the State may encour'
age the people to commit perjury and to
become hypocrites. He says:
'HThus, during many centuries, every
government thought it was its bounden
duty to encourage religious truth and
discourage religious error. The mischief
this has produced is incalculable. Put
ting aside all other considerations, it Is
enough to mention its two leading con-
seduences, which are, the increase OF
hypocrisy and the increase of perjury.
The increase of hypocrisy is the inev1ta-
BILE result of connecting any description
of penalty with the profession of particu-
lar opinions. Whatever may be the case
with individuals, it is certain that the
majority of men find an extreme diff
Guilty in long resisting constant tempta-
ton. And when the temptation comes
to them in the shape of honor and
emolument, they are too often ready to
profess the dominant opinions, and
abandon, not indeed their belief, but
the external marks by which that belief
is made public. Every man who takes
this step is hypocrite; and every gov
eminent which encourages this step to
be taken is an abettor of hypocrisy and
O creator of hypocrites. Well, therefore,
may we say that when a government
holds out as bait, that those who pro-
fess certain opinions shall enjoy certain
privileges, it plays the parts of the
tenpter of old, and, life the evil one,
basely offers the good things of this
world to him who will change his wor-
ship and deny his faith. At the same
time, and as part of this system, the in
crease of perjury has accompanied
heincrease of hypocrisy. For legislators,
plainly seeing that proselytes thus OBJ
tanned could not be relied upon, have
met the danger by the most extraordi-
nary precautions; and compelling men
to confirm their belief by repeated oaths,
have thus sought to protect the old creed
against the new converts. 1t is this sus-
picion as to. the motives of others which
has given rise to oaths of every kind and
in every direction. In England even the
boy at college is forced to swear about
matters which he cannot understand,
and which far ripper minds are unable to
master. If he afterwards goes into par
lament, he must again swear about his
religion; and at nearly every stage Of
political life he must take fresh oaths;
the solemnity of which is often strangely
contrasted with the trivial functions to
which they are the prelude. A solemn
adjuration of the Diety being thus made
at every turn, it has happened, as might
have been expected, that oaths, enjoined
as matter of course, have at length de-
generated into a matter of form. What
is lightly taken is easily broken. And
the best observers of English society
observers, too, whose characters are very
different, and who hold the most opposite
opinions-are all agreed on this, that
perjury habitually practiced in England,
and of which government is the immedi-
ate creator, is so general that it has be-
come source of national corruption,
has diminished the value of human testi-
mony, and shaken the confidence which
men naturally place in the word of their
fellow creatures.