Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-04-16
THE PLAGUE OF LIES
Or. TALMAGE SAYS 1T Is ONE OF
THE EVILS OF THE TIMES.

Whether Known as Fiction, Fabri.
cation, Subterfuxe. Disguise, Ro-
nance, Evasion, Pretence, Fable,
FalsehOod or Misrepresentat alton,
White Lies or Black Lies, Untruth
is Always Despicable and to be
Avoided.
Plague Of Lies" was selected by DR.. Tai
mage for the subject Of the fifth Of his dis
courses on Tho Plaques Of These Three
Cities" which he preached today. His
text was Genesis 3. 4: "Ye shall not
surely die"
That was Point blank lie. Satan told
It to Eve to induce her to put her semi
circle Of white, beautiful teeth into for
hidden apricot, or plum, or peach, or
apple. He practically said to her, "Oh.
Eve! Just take bite Of this and you will
be omnipotent and omniscient You shall
be as gods.' Just opposite was the result.
1t was the first lie that was ever told in
our world. 1t opened the gate for all the
falsehoods that have ever alighted ON this
planet. 1t introduced plague that covers
worse than the plaques of Egypt, for they
were on the banks Of the Nile, but this is
on the banks OF the Hudson, on the banks
Of the East River, on the banks OF the
Ohio. and the Mississippi, and the
Thames, and the Rhine, and the Tiber,
Ind on both sides of all rivers. The
Egyptian plaques lasted only q few weeks,
but for six thousand years has ragged this
Plague Of Lies.
There are hundred ways of telling q lie.
mans entire life may DO falsehood,
while with his lips he may not once direct
ly falsify. There are those who state what
is positively untrue, but afterwards say
may be-" softly. These departures from
the truth are called ''white lies," but there
Is no such thing as q white lie. The white
est lie that was ever told was as black as
perdition. No inventory of public crimes
will be sufficient that omits this gigantic
evil. There are men, high in church and
state, actually useful, seif-denying and
| honest in many things, who, upon certain
subjects, and in certain spheres, arc not at
all to be depended upon for veracity. In
| deed, there are many men and women who
have their notions Of truthfulness so
| thoroughly perverted that they do not
know when they arc lying. With many it
| 40 AVCd oAls VIII IL S6culS u
natural intirmity. l have known people
who seemed to have been born liars. The
falsehoods Of their lives extended from the
cradle to the grave. Presentations, mis-.
representation, and dishonesty of speech,
appeared in their first utterances and were
as natural to them as any Of their infantile
diseases, and were a sort of moral Group
OF spiritual scarletina. But many have
been placed in circumstances where this
tendency has, day by day, and hour by
hour, been called to larger development.
They have gone from attainment to attain
ment and from class to class, until they
have become regularly graduated liars.
The air Of the city is filled with false
hoods. They hang pendant from the
chandeliers of our finest residences; they
crowd the shelves Of some of our mer-
chant princes; they fill the sidewalk from
curbstone to brown stone facing. They
cluster around the mechanics hammer,
ind blossom from the end Of the mer.
chants yard stick, and sit in the doors OF
churches. Some call them "Rction. y
Some style them fabrication" YOU
might say that they were subterfuge, dis.
guise, delusion, romance, evasion, pre-.
tence, fable, deception, Misrepresentation
but, as am ignorant Of anything to be
gained by the hiding Of God-defying out
rage under q photographers blanket
shall chiefly call them what my fathe,
taught me to call them-lies.
l shall divide them into agricultural
mercantile, mechanical, ecclesiastical ant
social lies.
FIRST, then, will speak Of those that ore
more particularly agricultural. There il
something in the perpetual presence O,
| aQfllrn1 NnincfQ n vnaro a mn v,,,,so
trees never issue ''false stock" Whea
fields are always honest. Rye and oat
never move out in the night, not paying
for the place they have occupied. Corr
shocks never make false assignments
Mountain brooks are always ''current.
The gold ON the grain is never counter
felt. The sunrise never faunts In falls
colors. The dew sports only genuine
diamonds. Taking farmers as . class,
believe they are truthful and fair In deal
Ing, and kind hearted. But the region
| surrounding our cities do not always sen,
this sort Of men to our markets. Day b.
day there creak through our streets, an
about tho market houses, farm wagon
that have not an honest spoke In thei
wheels, or o truthful rivet from tongue t
tail board During the last few year
there have been times when domesti
! economy has f0undered on the farmer
6rkin. Neither high taxes. nor the hig
{ price Of dry goods, nor the exorbitancy q
, labor, could excuse muchs that the city ha
; witnessed in the behavior Of the yeomanry
BY the quiet nresides in Westchester an
Orange counties, l hope there may b
seasons Of deep reflection and hearty N
, pentance. Rural districts are accustome
] to rail at great cities e given up to frau
and every form Of unrighte business; br
our cities do not absorb all the abomins
tons. Our citizens have learned the in
portancc Of not always trusting to the six
and style Of apples in the top of farmer
2 barrel Is an indication Of what may b
: found farther down. Many Of our %,
pie are accustomed to watch and zee no
: correctly bushel Of beets 10 measured
. and there are not many honest milk can
Deceptions do not al cluster around eli
Q halls. When our cities sit down and WEI
! over their sins, all the surrounding coul
Q tries ought to como In and weep with theu
4 There IL often hostility ON the part Of u
a producers against traders, - though Il
\ MAN who raises the corn was neCessari
more honorable than tina Grain dnol>p -