Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-24
LYING AS A HABIT.
The Career of Ananias and How IL
is Regarded.


whole Objectionable, and not to be prac-
ticed by any except politicians, travellers
and newspaper people. Skilled witnesses,
OF course; do not belong to any continent
or climate. In the United States, on the
contrary, lying is considered a great set
of to conversation; without it no one can
aspire TO be considered better than a mere
fossil; it is the huuting-xround OF the
humorist, and the journalist occasionally
makes great bit by telling plain, I'M
varnished tale. In Asia none but rude
uneducated boor would ever think OF tell
ing the truth, Lying Is sign of culture
and polite breeding. In Africa the natives
are not yet sufficiently civilized to have
any definite notion on the subject. They
are on the lowest possible level. they lie
or not, accordingly as they think it is to
their advantage or the reverse. Rum and
religion, Bibles and bayonets, have yet to
do great work before the poor African
can rise to the dignity OF forming defin-
tie policy on the matter. the Austria
lians lean to the American side. 10
Europe Ananias is branded as a bad man;
in Asia, where he is known, he would be
canonized as the polished man; while in
Africa he is no better nor worse than any
man-ne ts the mere average martal, he
drifts with the tide of events, and is not
worth making an occasional fetish of. On
the whole, the career OF Ananias must be
considered a failure. Where he is known
he is not respected, and where he might
be respected be is not known. In Sunday
schools and in the pages of tracts he
points moral. but the position is in
adequate to the desires of a true ambi-
ton, or the requirements Of Il discrim-
mating philosophy. To sporting journals
and to the entire American press he is
as,xr al,r, ~ 49,, - IL 4.
less ground. He merely represents a
record which no one is DESTROYS to break.
Not man of those who cite him regards
him with gratitude, not to speak OF honest
esteem. II An&nias had his rights, he
would occupy an important place among
the HindOOs' million Gods. In China he
would figure prominently among Confu-
clan worthless. He ought certainly to be
considered the particular deceased ances-
tor of the Chinese and indO- Chinese
races. In cold countries lying is charjta-
bly, supposed to be the result at super
abundance Of imagination, OF a mis-
directed energy of eXaggeration, or of
careful and judicous spirit OF economy,
as in the case of the gentleman who had
lar too much regard for the truth to be
using it on every paltry occasion.
In the East, however, whatever other
eXubeTance there may be, it IL not that OF
ing a leading characteristic. The pro-
fusion is, nevertheless, certainly not the
truth. That commodity is economical
down to the vanishing point. The Eastern
statesman or diplomatIst considers 1t be-
meath him, whether from professional
or an aesthetic point of view. Any man
can tell the truth. AS an assertion of his
superiority to the supposed average man,
it is therefore imperative that he should
10 ia nnIu w a nrInF tu1
leader has reached the level OF absolute
genius that he ventures to state things as
they really are. 1t Is then extremely
good policy, for no one believes him, and
he atJaIns his OBJECT much more easily
and rapidly than he possibly could by an
elaboration OF misstatement. This
measure is. however, only open to the
most eminent, and therefore to the most
practiced in the other thing, for q politi-
| clan would very rapidly lose his reputa-
ton for good manners If be were COM
| monty, or even on an appreciable per-
centage of occasions, to tell the truth. II
| it cannot be done without, il must be
doled out in the most chary fashion, for
the sake OF good name and breeding.
They all do 1T, down to the very lowest,
with the utmost unanimity and Zest, and
they do it simply because they are incapa-
bic of doing anything else. When the
| Hindoo durzi, the household tailor, comes
to the memsahiD with request for leave
on account OF the sudden an unexpected
death of his mother, the tenth time that
that relative has expired within the year,
| it is not so much the lack of inventive
faculty that is present in him as the con-
seriousness that it would be indicate,
not to say impairment, TO blurt out the
real truth. Moreover, he knows that a
refusal will give him an opening for loud
demonstrations of woe which are likely
| to be effectual, and at any rate would not
be justified by any other plea for leave OF
absence. But II is tar more often the de-
sire TO please that leads to lying among
the lower classes in the East, more
especially in India. The anxiety Of the
native to avoid in any way annoying any
one often leads him to the most reckless
statements. You are tagged after long
days shooting. You ask MIN how far it
IS to the nearest railway station or to the
| village where your tents are. He answers
with the utmost alacritv and sympathy
that it is bahul naZkid, quite close, and
indicates the shortest way. When you
have walked four or five miles. and still
| have not arrived, you begin 10 realize the
beauty of exactitude. You rail at the
mild HindoO and think that missionary
| labor Is not so successful as it ought to be-.
The fiction of the dark bungal butler
are too familiar to need more than allu-
sion. The everything have got" which
| tllips your appetite after a long stage
fades away through visions of beef and
mutton to the inevitable murghi. Still, the
butler reloices in the fact that he pleased
| you with anticipations and kept up your
| hopes to the last moment. He is invaria-
BILE with his ''everything have got' as the
household servant is with the death OF his
mother.
Any other statement would be a
deficiency i'll good breeding, which no
well regulated Oriental could permit him
self to be guilty of. In craft and mem
dacity the Chinaman probably exceeds
the Indian, though the consistency of
both in falsehood 10 unimpeachable. The
higher class OF Chinese have attained the
most distinguished proficiency in the
/ science; but the common rabble, as BELTS
ceremoniOuS race, are not far bthind
! them in the skill with which they lead the
guileless stranger astray. The Chinaman
is always prepared to give the fullest in
formation about matter on which he is
| profoundly ignorant. 1t would be rude
10 turn away the inquirer with profess
sion Of want of information on the sub
iect. lie would not believe Ia the lack u
knowledge, and would ascriDe the answer
| TO mere absence OF manners. Therefore,
| explanations and descriptions are always
forthcoming. Nevertheless, IL Is rot
! iudiciOus TO teach your Chinese servants
To be too exact as TAR as the truth ~ con-
/ Al Eu luA. sui hnc or fpf