The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1896-02-25
Veraoitv

ana comes from the Latin veras
true Of speech. 1t does not meat
trutiitstif, but is applied 10 tn
conduct. The Individual who de
sircs to speak the truth is verac
ious, and his opinion or thai Of an.
number like him, is a verdict
sorntthing truly said Thus vcr
acity is sincerity Of speech, !
quality necessary and commend
able In man or woman, and Of sucl
Importance, that without II, spciet,
would either perish, or progres,
become impossible. 1t Is the mari
OF the brave, he noble, the fearless
and Is difficult Of attainment hy
mean or cunning natures. In th,
age Of chivalry every Sly-mad,
knight vowed never to tell Il lie
ana he who fell was II recrpant tt
his order--a moral craven who
might be stripped of his spurs. A.
was said by Srenser:
De thou wherever thou do 90 orr ridc,
Loathed ofindcsaliund Qfallkugb;s dcfcd;'
Knightliood was scrvi %; IA knight
meant n servant Wiclil's GoSpc
calls the "hrnvenly hosp thai
appeared AT Chris,'s birth "heavcn.
Is knightho0d." And what are We
but servants TO one another, bound
by the fealty Of truth to be honest
and sincere towards each other
doing unto all and saying TO each
as we would be done and said unto ?
In our complicated state of civilian
tion, with all its gradations of rank
and humbleness, riches and pOv-
erty, knowledge and ignorance, NJ
one stands alone, but all are In
some way dependent on others.
All are in some sense servants to
Others, and "Cash never yet paid
one man fully his deserts to an.
other" Vcracity, then, Is not
merely a virtue to be attempted by
few, but is duty incumbent upon
everyone.
In Locke's great work on "IIu.
man UNDERSTANDING" there is Il
very pregnant chapter concerning
"the qualification Of words" which
shOuldibo read by all who wish to
think accurately. Following up
his iIdl, we would observe that
words are only the symbols OF
things. an can do nothing but re-
present The particular notions o.
those who use them. These may
be correct or incorrect, and SO
word may convey one iIea to one
mind, and modification OF this to
another. For rs the poet Butler
wrOtc:-
"Words arc but pictur' s,true or false designed
To draw the lines and features of { he mind"
Turning to the derivation of the
word truth-the Anglo. Saxon anal
ogue Of the Latin veritas, we find
1T Is anything that one troweth,
and is the third person singular of
tie oil verb to trow (to think, to
believe firmly, to be convinced of),
and was formerly written trowe,h,
trowth, trouth, and troth.
Thus Piers Plouhman spoke of
"many a false TRUTH" and there are
still innumerable fallacies called
truths which are conscientiously
believed and accounted for. Yer
acity, therefore, may be an intelli
gent verscity or nm ignorant, the
belief Of one who thinks he knows
and does not, or the unallerable
of another who knows
that he knows.
To know the truth and to utter
1t fearlessly Is the grandest ppsi
ton the universe affords. THIS IL |
the unique glory Of The elect of the
world, its liberating champions.
For the eye seen in all things
what 1t brought with it the means
Of seeing" and what nobler vision |
was ever revealed to it than
whole and perfect truth, truth
whose rays are brighter flashing
and farther-reaching than Il noun
tain of Koh.i-noors. Bit by biz
only istruth unveiled to us. here
little and there II little. Much
abour and bitter thought are
needed for its discovery. And
when il has been dug forth from the
everlasting darkness, Is it for him
who grasps the precious prize to
forewear its possession and to deny
IS beauty? No, though he stand
alone with all the world against
lin, though he be in minority of
one, he hugs this Jewel to hi, soul
md risks his all to IN iintain Il.
0f such a gifted one, Carlyle wrote
80 much enslaved world-.tiu
man Is not slave with thee!
None of thy promotions are nccess.
iry for him. lis place is with the
stars or Heaven, -. He wants