Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-10-15

| the story.
| OF Allan nothing more was ever seen,
and 30 the old family Of MacQuill came to
an end, and the house passed to strangers.
Exaggeration.
The habit of exaggerating is SO common
! that it is generally looked upon as very
! light fault, scarcely subject to condemna-
| tion. Yet exaggeration is form of un-
truth, and therefore to be censured, and it
may have all the mischievous effect of a
| lie The essential element of lie is the
intent to deceive, and exsggeration is very
often used to give false impressions. When
SO used it is a vice to be condemned as
much as any other form of lying. One Of
| the commonest forms Of exaggeration is
that Of personal boasting, which, besides
being offensive, is likely to lead to bad
habit of lying in other matters. Thus the
boastful young man, having somewhat i'm
pulsively, perhaps, claimed the possession
of certain accomplishments of which be is
devoid, is urged by his companions to
! make display of his powers. As he is
! unable to do SO he is forced to all kinds of
subterfuges to evade the test. To enforce
his original claims he invents seeming
proofs thereof, and sometimes under the
quaintances, who do not believe him, he is
driven further and further into the mire of
untruth. If not at last forced to humilia-
ting confession, he may begin life of de-
ceit, trying to acquire in secret the ac-
complishment be claimed to possess in
order to still further deceive his friends by
an apparent demonstration of the truth of
his original claim. Such course tends to
undermine his character and destroy his
moral sense. Thus from boastful or ex-
aggerated statement which most people
regard as harmless, train of evils may
come destructive of both reputation and
character. Exaggerations of another kind
relate to descriptions of events, persons or
things. They may be unintentional, aris-
ing from strong imagination and an in
ability to give exact account of things, but
they are liable to do much mischief by mis-
leading others, besides the injurious reflex
influence they may have upon those who
give them utterance. 1t is fact that the
habit of exaggeration grows with practice,
and it's victim after a time sees things as
through magnifying glass and becomes
ingensible of his fault. But bis friends are
not so blind. They know his tendency,
more or less accurate for his recognized dis
degree their respect, and is always liable to
be misunderstood b; his hearers. 1t is not
vice to be compared to the lying hlbit,
where such exaggeration is not intended to
deceive, but it is grave fault that one
should strive to correct. Nor is the in
ability to give accurate descriptions to be
counted as vice. That, too, is fault
frequently due to imperfect development
of the powers of observation or of memory.
1t should be recognized as such, and meas
ures taken to correct it by the cultivation
of such powers as will enable those who
possess them to accurately report to others
what they have seen or what they have
heard. Most people respect truth and de-
sire to be truthful, but very few worship
truth, as they should, by efforts to reach it
in their intercourse with their fellow-men.
AS much mischie may be done in So
ciaty by merely careless talker with o
poor memory who does not intend to do
any harm as by malignant liar who
spreads false stories with the intent to de-
ceive. Indeed, the majority of misunder-
standings and animosities that arise in the
| intercourse of men may be traced to ex-
aggerated or misleading reports of what
one has said about the ether. 1t is not SO
much what is said as the manner and spirit
of the remark that should be conveyed, and
one who is incapable of correctly reporting
the spirit of conversation should refrain
| from attempting to convey it to another
The exact words may be reported iH such a
way as to convey false impression, or the
spirit Of the remark may be correctly given
without the use of the exact words. This
fact is clearly recognized by sharp lawyers,
who, when the testimony is Injurious to
them, will not allow witness to give the
substance of conversation SO as to convey
a true conception OF it's spirit, but insist
upon the exact words spoken, knowing
that in the effort to give them the witness
will be very likely to obscure or distort
their meaning. To be able to truthfully
describe things or to accurately report
what has been said one must have clear
mental conception of that which has been
seen or heard free from distortion or en-
| largement. With such conception and the
desire to tell the exact truth exaggeration
can be avoided, and with it the temptation
TO further receptions undermining charac-
| ter But both qualities are required-love
of truth and the ability to make reliable
observations or to commit to memory the
spirit as we'll as the words of what is to be
reported.-BaH. Sun.