The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-04-02
THE PLAGUE OF LIES.
Or. Talmage Says That Some Peo-
pie seem to Have Been Born
Liars,
Agricultural, Mercantile, Mechanical,
Ecclesiastical, and Social
FalsehOOds.

MS dlScOurSeS on 1.-The Plaques or
These Three Cities.'
His text was Genesis iii, 1: ''Ye shall
not surely die"
That was point blank lie. Satan
told it to Eveto induce her to put her
semi-circle of white, beautiful teeth in
to a forbidden apricot, or plum, or
peach or apple. He practically said
to her, "Oh, Eve, Just take a bite Of
this and you will be omnipotent and
omnlscient. You shall be as gods. y
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 all nations, the plague Of
lies. Far worse than the plaques Of
Egypt, for they were on the banks of
t he Nile, but this 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, and on both
sides OF all the rivers. The Egyptian
plaques lasted only few weeks, but
tor 5000 years has ragged this plague
of lies.
There are hundred ways of telling
lie. A mans entire life may be q
falsehood, while with his lips he may
mot once directly falsify. There are
those who state what is positively I'M
true, but afterward say "may be-"
softly. These departures from the
truth are called "white lies;" but
there is really no such a thing as d
white lie. The whitest lie that ever
was told was as black as perdition.
No inventory of public crimes will be
sufficient that omits this giantic
abomlnation. There are men, high in
church and state, actually useful, self
denying and honest in many things,
who upon certain subjects, and in
certain spheres, are not ali to be de-
pended upon for veracity. Indeed,
there are many men and women who
nave their notion of truthfulness so
thoroughly perverted that they do
not know
WHEN THEY ARE LYING.
With many it is a cultivated SIM
with someit seems natural intirmity
| have known people who seemed to
have been born liars. The falsehoods
OF their lives extended from cradle to
grave. PRESENTATIONS, misrepresenta-
ton. and dishonesty of speech ap-
peared IN their first utterances, and
were as natural to them as any OF
their MANTLE diseases, and were a
sort OF moral Group or spiritual scar
latina. 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
attainment, and from class to class.
until they have become regularly
graduated liars.
The air of the cityis filled with false
hoods.
shall divide the lies into agriculture
al, mercantile, mechanical, ecclesias-
teal and social lies. The dew sports
ony genuine diamonds Taking farm
ers as a class
BELIEVE THEY ARE TRUTHFUL
and fair in dealing, and kind hearted.
But the regions surrounding our cities
do not always send this sort OF men
to our markets.
In the next place we notice mercan-
tile lies, those before the counter and
behind the counter. | will not at
tempt to specify the different forms of
commercial falsehood. There are
merchants who excuse themselves for
deviation from truthfulness because of
what they call commercial custom.
In other words, themultiplication and
universally of q sin turns it into a.
virtue. There have been large fortunes
gathered where there was not one
drop OF unrequited toll in the wine;
not one spark of bad temper flashing
from the bronze bracket; not one
drop of needle woman's heart blood
IN the crimson plush; while there are
other great establishments in which
there is not one doorknob, not
one brick, not one trinket, not
one thread of lace, but has upon
1t the mark OF dishonor. What
wonder if, some day, u hand of toll
that had been wrung, and worn out,
and bistered until the skin came off,
should be placed against the elegant
wall paper, leaving it's mark of blood
-four fingers and thumb; or that,
some day, walking the halls, there
should be voice accosting the occu-
pant, saying. "Six cents for making
a shirt; and flying the room, another
voice should say, twelve cents for
an army blanket: and the man
should try to sleep at night, but ever
and anon be aroused, until getting m
ON one elbow, he should shrek out
"Who's there?
One Sabbath night, in the vestibule
ofmy church after service, woman
fell in commissions The doctor said
she needed medicine not so much as
something to eat. AS she began to re-
vive in her delirium, she said gaspinp-
ly; Eight cents! Eight cents! Eight
cents! wish [ could get it done; lam
so tired! / wish l could get some
sleep, but must get it done! Eight
cents!" We found afterwards she was
makinggarments for ght cents apiece,
and that she could make but three Of
them in q day! Three times eight are
twenty four! Hear it, men and wom-
Ell who have comfortable homes!
Some OF the worst villains of thn