The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-19
STAINING THE DEVIL.
The Majority Do Not Always Tell the ruin
1t is not Fashionable to DO so-.haS
the Old Fashion of Speaking the
Truth Return.
1Sunday News. !

small. at does not ny any
come up to majority of any grace oi
society," says one Of our contenpofa-
ries and although the statement at
first sounds rather startling, upon re-
Election we are forced to admit 'ha' 1t
IS true. Good breeding, and some
other considerations, forbid US 10 Cali
any man a liar, but if we CONSIDER no"
,osnv there are among our acqualnIah-
ces upou whose word we can conii-
IDENTIFY rely, we will find, to our su'-
nrise that their number by no means
comes up to majority. Most OF 'heSe,
however, are men who would la'nel
die than swear to an untruth' ana WHO
would resent any doubt OF their veracl-
tv in such way as to silence Il no'
convince. the doubter. They are sllii-
nlv unconscious of how many untru'hS
thew tell, because they ailo" .nenl
seIves to speak without due consloera-
tion. thinking that little exagseEa'i0n
is allowable if it heighsen the enec' Oh
3 good story or piece of news ana nave
fallen into the error Of believing Iha'
thew need not be careful of their utter.
arcss in ordinary conversation as II
thew were upon the witness stand.
The old fable of the three black crows
&c =. trite example of the inability OF
neonle to repeat anything exactly as IL
;s told to them; and every lawyer IS
aware how difficult it is for two VIII
nesses to agree in describing an event
thew have seen, although they may
ho4h he anxious to be very accurate
and impartial in their testimony NO
mind is perfectly impartial ano' Jus'
IS raw of sunlight will assume Une
,ori,ns hues in shining through
stained glass window, so each mlno
will impart it's peculiar tint to whaC-
over truth passes through it. Ihese
variations cannot rightly be called
falsehoods, since they are involuntary
and unavoidable even when we endeaV-
or TO be most candid, and a lie Is al
wavs an intentional effort to deceive.
Then any number of people preVarl-
cate about their local affairs, family
matters, business concerns and Things
of like nersonal nature, reconclhng II
to their conscience by thinking that no
one has right to question them upon
such matters. This is quite true' ana
hence there is SOC al law, observed oy
all well-bred people, that forolos tue
asking of any questions that 1t may oe
embarrassing to answer, but if we are
so unfortunate as to know any OF those
social pests, who, under color OF trend
" interest, are always pryi"T into tnelr
neighbors' business, it is better elther
to ignore their impenitent questions
or to quietly decline to answer theih,
than TO allow ourselves to be toImenteo
into telling an untruth to avoid reveal
ing some secret We do not wish to dls-
close. We are afraid, however, that
this mode of procedure would not avail
us much in dealing with that most etn-
barrassing person, the tax assessor IL
is really distressing to reflect upon the
number of prevarications, to use no
stronger term, which he evokes by his
impertinent curiosity about personal
property and the like.
Another fruitful source of ta.sehooo
is the present custom OF eXtravaSan'
advertisements of every description,
deliberately framed with the intention
of attracting attention at no matter
what sacrifice Of truth. The very
worst of these are those offering sltua'
tions or employment at home to people
in needy circumstances, many OF whom
can ill spare the small sum demanded
for further information, which IS gene
rally worthless when obtained. Iher
there are patent medicines that vii
cure every disease that flesh is heir tt
as by magic; or town lots in some 10
calitv that is just about to become The
metropolis of the State in which 1t l:
situated; or the announcements o
merchants and dealers who declare
that they are selling off at cost or IA
below it "a magnificent line' OF this o.
that to make room for new stock. A:
everybody, particularly every woman
Loves bargain, this is sure to draw Gus
TONERS, who find to their disappolnt
ment that the "line' is composed TO
the most part of shop worn articles
that would be dear at any price, with
few of better description "to make /
go,n while the employees of the shol
are expected to tell you that they ar
lust out of the especial article you ma.
desire. The object Of this is not s.
much the sale Of those special goods a
to attract customers, who, disappolnte'
in getting at low price what they de
sire, may purchase it at the reguia
price, or else see something IN other oe
partments of the shop that they VII
farcv. And yet good many OF thes
advertisers are men who in their pr
yate life would not tell an untruth
but who have somehow become pos
sessed of the idea that such things ar
allowable in business.
The falseness of obituaries has be
come so proverbialit would scarce
be worth enumerating them among tn
examples of chow this world is give
to lying' were it not for the eimpressio
that exists generally that the old IL
junction, "Say nothing but good Of til
dead" should be interpreted into
command to praise the dead regardles