The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-02-17

bloody warfare waged upon the earth
Ii was fought between an idea aud a
reality.
Christianity or truth, in the form Of
The martyrs, engaged in conflicts with
the wild and hungry beasts # the
arena and win the mighty degrada-
ton Of Rome.
After many heart-brcaking strag-
giles, the truth trlninphed. To-day
THE Coliseum. with its Wondering
walls aud crunbliug vine-wrcaihed
arches, IL but a memory. lis life is
forever past. il is .gone like the wind
that blew q thousand years ago"
Whereas the truth still lives, bright
and health-siving as the very sun-
light. But now this same truth under
The name of Candor, has entered into
another struggle.
Today her enemies are not bold,
rude lions with foaming mouths and
quivering bodies; but deceptive, APP
pareniIy harmless objects, which like
glowing flowers and luxuriaht forests,
are beautiful TO the sight, but whose
fragrance aud atmosphere are poison.
Indeed The battle Is more fearful, be-
cause it ia waged only between ideas,
which .sarc, as the air, invulnerabic,"
Il is a battle IN which we are all In
terested. therefore we will Fry to mark
its progress.
Caudor and Flattery-these are the
principles that we respectively adso-
cate.
The former is defined rs fairness,
frankness; the latter a. false praise.
In lis essence, we fluid that candor is
better than tlaitery bnt this discovery
helps us comparatively little. We do
not regard qualities alone, but as
causes. We Judge them by their
effects aud thus caudor loses much of
its beauty.
indeed the common acceptation OF
the word implies only one half of its
meaning that is frankness. A person
that is willing TO tell another all of his
faults. aud physical and mental de-
fecis is called candid aud is justly re-
gar.led with adversion.
On the other hand, honest praise is
sometimes miscalled fsiiery. How
ever, the latter trait is seIdoinly mis-
taken. Almost all persons Instructive
" feel It's presence. 1t is not out
spoken but insinuasing.
A stroke or two from a skilful
painter, aud the picture breatlies on
the canvas; word or two from an
adep, flatterer. and the image Of ones
self is charming.
Like Narcissus of the myth. we fall
in love with our own portraits.
Alas, ana often, the paintings are
exaggerated into fine salircs!
Then. when candor wounds, fiattery
makes happy by delusion. Certainly
il is better to give pleasure than un-
necessary pain.
But we will not be swift in our de-
ductions.
Some day, while he is looking at
this fancifui picture Of himself, Mar
cissus will see rough brush pass
across the canvas /; aud soon, instead
Of The soft outlines, there will be many
harsh angles in The face.
Candor has married The beauty of
.thelikeness.
Fla,iery bsfools, while caudor causes
thought.
One benumbs the intellect; the
other stimulates IT,.
Ia this respect, caneor is better than
fla,tery.
However, the chief argument people
advance for faiiery is, that ii makes
society agreeable. They say that the
whole social machine with its complex
mental and moral particles, would
cease running If i, we're not for this
oil Of fattery that the diverse an
gulariIies of character would break
each ether TO pieces If there was not
something 10 make them glide
smoothly. In fine, they say if fatter!
was removed the whole vast social
structure would fall asunder with "a
clang. aud clash and roar"
This very argument proves The dis
crepancy of the machine. lit is made
successful only by snch false measures.
il should collapse But we who wish
candor TO triumph over flattery, must
use The word in its broadest sense. To
borrow an illustration from Mscaulay,
we would say that right proportion is
necessary 10 truthfulness. For In
stance, If man paints q beautiful
fnce. giving oily the general impress