The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-16
BE TRUTHFUL"
Text of Rev. Moses
Ell. Harris Sermon
Sunday.
EFFECT ON THE COMMUNITY.
Well Being of Society De-
ponds on Universal
Honesty.
EFFECT ON THE COMMUNITY.

Rev Moses H. Harris spoke yester-
day morning on Let your lives De
frank and truthful" taking his text
from Romans xiii:1S: Let us walk
honestly as in the day, not in riotins
and drunkenness, not in chamberlnS
and wantonness, not in strife and en-
vying," and said in part:
There is nothing more necessary to
human veal than that men should love
and live the truth. When they cease
to care for that the bottom has sub
stantially dropped out Of society and
civilization will disappear in a gener-
al leakage. Carlyle says, Man is ev-
erywhere a born enemy of lies, for the
reason that he knows falsehood to be
the forerunner and the attendant OF
a whole train of evils If men are de-
ceitful we do not know what to expect
of them and the uncertainty which in
terferes with our calculations of con-
duct effectually PARALLELS activity. 1t
would make a good deal of difference
with everybody's life if we lived in a
world whose operations We're Irregular
uncertain or freaky. What would be-
come of our enterprises, our calcula-
tons, the ventures whose success de-
ponds on the fact that we can look on
nature to do her work in an orderly
way? Chaos would reign if ever the
material world were to go crazy, and
so it would if we could not trust mans
conduct, believe that they will do what
they promise, that they tell the truth
when they speak, and that their words
express what is in their hearts EV-
cry time of moral degeneracy viii be
found to be a period in which men
speak lies. Whenever liars abound, So
ciety begins to move backward. We
can never live comfortably with each
other in this world unless we can de-
pend on our neighbOrs to be what they
seem to be. We are obliged to Judge
by appearances for our senses allow us
to get no nearer to the reality of things
than their outside
The we'll being of society depends on
universal honesty. That people will
always be the most prosperous which
sticks closest to the truth in all its
dealings with the world, and if any
man would bear his part in the labors
of keeping life moving unto it's end, he
cannot do better than to let his whole
life be frank and truthful.
about the hardest thing to do in
this life is to be ourselves. 1t takes
a remarkable man to be perfectly
frank Honesty involves so many 9TH
er virtues and is opposed to so many
vices that only a pretty good man is
perfectly open; yet this is the ideal of
life. You cannot keep your faults from
men without more or less deceit. We
find it hard to be ourselves because
ourselves are not what we want to be
and we would gladly borrow even the
seeming Of virtue and take certain SUI
perficial merit from what we seem to
be. To be frank and truthful involves
much more than mere truth feelings.
1t has roots deeper than the tongue; it
takes hold upon the inmost parts. Ex-
cept we be right throughout in our
very souls as we'll as in our outward
appearance, we shall fail of entire
frankness for frankness means the
correspondence between the outward
sign and inward substance. A lie is
a Misrepresentation Of realities. 1t is
writing on the label what does not ap-
pear in the package. 1t is pretending
to own the silver which is borrowed
from your neighbours 1t is CLOSING ov-
Ell vile performances with fine words,
it is covering hatred with smile; it
is asserting to a creed which the rea-
son rejects; it is wearing heavens liv-
cry and doing the DEVILS dirty work
at is true there are many men who
are perfectly frank with themselves
and admit that they are knaves who
deceive their fellow-men. You never
saw man who played fast and loose
with his conscience who was honest
with his fellows. If your neighbor
cheats himself he will cheat you. Why
not? You do not expect him to use YOU
better than he uses himself. If 1 see
my friend winding himself in a tangle
of sophistries in order that he may be
bound to belief which it would be in
convenient for him to give up, I suspect
him at once and keep out Of his power
if l can. Friends, be frank with your
cwn soul and your own God if you fail
everywhere else Do not make believe
that you believe what you do not be-
lieve. Do not pretend to like what you
despise. Do not tack other peoples no
tons to your hearts and try to believe
they are your own. Scorn to affect
what is popular and imagine that you
like 1t because your neighbors do.
stand on your convictions ALWAYS
Stand on them though all the world
forsake you. An honest man promises
what he means to do, and then does
what he has promised. He is distin-
guished by his fidelity. l think we are
hot as strict as we should be in our
views of what a promise implies. nor
have we a keen sense of the perrna-
nence Of pledges. Many people think
that it is no serious matter to fail to
keep our pledges and that any man
may dodge his obligations on slight
pretext. But such a disposition is
wholly inconsistent with frankness. We
cannot believe that our little defaults
have anything to do with these great
social commissions, but you may depend
upon 1t that they do. We are resp0nsi-
Bile for the laxness Of the sense of honor
IN our own community just so far as
we help to create it by a violation If
our engagements. There are more neo-
pie honest in heart than dare
to be honest in utterance Co
ciety does not encourage hon
esty. There is only a small minoritv
in this world who dare differ with tbai.
fellow men. 1t is said that more mo-,
IN this world have been spoiled by fat
terry than were crushed by discourage
ment Tell the truth, even if friends a.
vince. The candor of a friend saves
man from the sneers of his ene,nv
Truth may be spoken In love and NJ
harm done. Stand firm in volr integ1
rlty by every word and act of vonr
lives. Speak the truth and live ~
truth and men will learn to lean ,,Sns
your good faith as upon a strong nilio1
Then, friends, in all our work In al
our play, in all we do, in all we cav iat
our lives be frank and Truthful - ~