The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-11-30
TELLING THE TRUTH.

1t is not as easy always to tell the
truth as may sometimes appears. The
average man does not tell an untruth
deliberately or maliciously, but he is
quite prone to tel untruths out of his
good nature. his fear of giving offense
or his vanity. 1t takes man of moral
courage to say II d. not know"
Nine men out of ten Gall of them being
accounted honest rs the world gocs)
will pretend to know rather than con-
fess their ignorance. Some of them
will do it with effrontery; others will
shirk the confession and by their silence
pretend to have knowledge they do
not possess.
During the political campaign like
that in which we have been engaged a
vast amount of this kind of untruth-
fulness is developed. In the discus
sion of the issues of the day questions
arise respecting constitutional provi-
sions, the laws of the country, the his
tory of parties, and but few of the dis
putants will have the honesty to say"I
do not know" when cornered in de-
bate. They will either evade the qucs-
tion or invent reply to carry them
over the awkward place. They do
not lie maliciously, but they are insin-
cere.
So also in social life men and women
act a part and deceive or try to deceive
sometimes out of vanity, sometimes
out of good nature-because they did
not wish to give otfensc.
1t is quite common to meet other
wise honest men and women who pre-
tend to have family connections or
means of technical skill that they do
not really possess. They are seeking
to give themselves degree of impor-
tance to which they are not entitled,
and while they may not either tell
or act an untruth they suggest a false
impression and are absolutely insin-
cere.
A more common form of insincerity,
because it is prescribed by the rules of
ordinary politeness, is that which leads
us to treat with respect AMI apparent
interest one who is really despised.
There is insincerity in this, no doubt.
but it is to some extent excusable, be-
cause the opposite course is more inof-
fensive. The man is boorish who, be-
ing introduced to oae whom he does
not like, says 80 in words or manner.
Such insincerity as may be involved in
polite behavior is in such case excus-
able, but it should not be extended be-
po1d necessary conventionalties. The
social falsehoods that are so reprobated
are the elusive uttcrances tlrat have
no basis of true feeling. Politencss
does not require that one shall sey
pleasant things to man for whom one
has no regard, and the insincerity is
absolute when one uses such express
sions for purposes Of deception and a
few minutes afterward recants them to
a mutual friend.
To be sincere and truthful it is not
necessary that one should disclose to
the world his utmost thoughts. But
he should not conceal then by false
hoods. He may remain silent if he
chooses in coses which do not require
an expression of opinion; he may con-
ceal his thoughts or feelings under
conventional observance of the rules of
society without being justly accused of
insincerity, provided he is careful not
to give positive expression to the
false sentiments with an intention to
deceive.
1t is we'll however to keep a close
watchout on ones self to see that there
is no unconscious drifting away from
the habit of telling the truth. The
test is ones own conscience, or feeling
of self respect. What the world may
say is matter of small Importance
compared with what conscience says.
Have we dealt fairly and sincerely by
our fellow-men, saying agreeable things
only when we believe them and disag-
reeable things only when duty re-
quired us to do SO? If so we have been
sincere even though we may not have
told the world everything we have
thought Or gone out of our way to tell
the truth when justified in remaining
silent.-Bdhimore Sun.