The morning call., 1891-10-24
AN ERROR OF FACT.

In an article published few months agoin
the OrerIand Monthly under the title THE
Decadence of Truthfulness," the late John
lie Conte took occasion to deplore what he
termed the tendency of the age to Subordi-
nate truthfulness to expediency. The whole
article was predicated on the assumption
that as society becomes more civilized it
grows more Indifferent to truth, and more
prone TO the uttsrance of falsehood 1t IS
based upon the strange notion that the more
highly mankind is cultured and educated
the more strongly is it inclined to men
dacity
tenet of this nature could only be
cherished by one whose vocation disabled
him from forming close acquaintance with
the world. Those who mingle with all
classes, and whose business relations bring
them into close contact with many kinds and
conditions of men. arrive at precisely oppo-
site conclusions. They find that the normal
effect of high civilization is to promote
trutn-telling, and that the prevalence OF
false speaking is in exact proportion to the
lack of material and intellectual develop
ment. They explain this by showing that
the course of development depends in large
measure upon the confidence which men re-
pose in each other.
"A li6 IS the weapon Vi Tue SUNHSes AiltuS
the Indians in this country, as among the
Darbarous tribes of Africa, not much re-
gard is paid to truth as a duty, and little
shame attaches to the utterance of talse-
hood. TO this day, Judges and iuries find
that it is unsafe to place the confidence In
the testimony of Il negro ex-slsve they
do in that of white man, because, though
many white men do lie, and many negroes
a l,,I, t,11 n nj
of trulh-te!ling is ingrained in the former
and not in the latter. The instinct of the
savage prompts him to say the thing that
will be to his interest, and he is not re-
strained from uttering that which is false
by conscientious scrupies. All travellers in
barbarous countries concur in imputing
habitual fa'sehood to the races they meet,
whether they be of Aryan, or Mongol, or
Malay, or African stock.
h-telling is product of civilization.
When society reaches a stage OF develop
ment in which art, letters, industry and
commerce flourish, it becomes absolutely
necessary for obvious reasons that men
should be able to trust each other, and
false speaking is discredited. A man who
habitualy states that which is false de-
ceives those who believe him, and hampers
their usefulness. People gradually grow to
know him and distrust him. They will have
nothing to do with him. Hence he learns
from experience that he must mend his
ways or play the outcaSt.
In past ages lawglvers tried with VigOr, If
not with judgment, to crush out false speak
ing by law. Thus a witness was required
to swear to his testimony, 80 help me
Godl" which implied that without FORM
ula which consigned his soul to perdition he
would not tell the truth. Perjury was made
a crime punishable by law. Under the old
common law a verbal bargain involving
over certain sum was not binding; IL had
to be put in writing The idea was that un-
less the terms were set down in black and
white one of the parties would lie about
them. The whole tenor of the old law pro-
cedure was based on the assumption that
men could not be trusted TO tell the truth
when it was against thsirsinterest
Meanwhile commerce was teaching the
lesson that in decent communities mans
word can be trusted. All the transactions
on the bourses of the world, involving hun
dreds of millions of dollars, are conducted
by word of mouth. without a particle of
writing. Most of the transactions in ordi-
nary commerce are effected in the same way.
Much of the law business is done verbally.
Many of the most important bargains in
other branches are conducted without
written agreements.
Lying viii never be eradicated until hu-
man nature reaches perfection. But prog
Tess has been made toward suppressing it,
even since the days when Caesar scornfully
asked, Shall Caesar send lie? ," The prog
ress indeed serves as a measure of civiliza-
tion. In communities in which men of
standing think it no shame to say the
thing which is untrue it will always be
found that the whole moral tone is low. the
social development rudimentary and the re-
gard ior principle faint The best test Of
high culture is a general loathing for those
who pay their own honor so little respect
that lthey are willing to be detected in
falsnhnnd