Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-12-15
CHAPTER ".
SIMPLICITY OF SPEECH


life in the way of simplicity one must
set a watch on his lips and his pen
Let the word be as genuine rs the
thought as artless, as valid. Think
justly. speak frankly
All social relations have their roots
in mutual trust, and this trust is main
tanned by each mans sincerity. Once
sincerity diminishes, confidence is
weakened, society suffers, apprehen-
sion is born This is true in the PROV
ince of both natural and spiritual inter-
ests With people whom we distrust
it is as difficult to do business as to
search for scientific truth. arrive at
religious harmony or attain to justice
When one must first question words
and intentions and start from the pre-
mise that everything said and written
is meant to offer US illusion in place Of
truth, life becomes strangely complicat-
ed. This is the case today. There is
so much craft. so much diplomacy, 50
much subtle legerdemain, that we all
have no end of trouble to inform our
selves on the simplest subject and the
one that most concerns us. Probably
what | have just said would suffice to
show my thought. and each ones expe
r1ence might bring to its support an
ample commentary with Illustrations.
But | am none the less moved to in
sist ON this point and to strengthen my
position with examples
Formerly the means of communion
ton between men We're considerably
restricted. 1t was natural to suppose
that in perfecting and MULTIPLYING ave
nhes of information a better under
standing would be brought about. Ma
tons would learn to love each other as
they became acquainted; citizens Of
one country would feel themselves
bound in closer brotherhood as more
light was thrown on what concerned
their common life. When printing was
invented the cry arose, Fiat luxv' and
with better cause when the habit Of
reading and the taste for newspapers
increased. Why should not men have
reasoned thus: 1.-TWO lights illumine
better than one, and many better than
two. The more periodicals and books
there are the better we shall know
what happens, and those who wish to
write history after us will be right
fortunate Their hands will be full
of documents" Nothing could have
seemed more evident
Alas, this reasoning was based upon
the nature and capacity of the instru-
ments without taking into account the
human element, always the most i'm
portant factorl And what has really
come about is this-that cavilers, ca
lumniators and crooks, all gentlemen
glib of tongue, who know better than
any one else how to turn voice and pen
to account, have taken the utmost adj
vantage of these extended means for
circulating thought, with the result
that the men of our times have the
greatest difficulty in the world to know
the truth about their own age and their
own affairs For every newspaper that
fosters good feeling and good under
standing between nations by trying to
rightly inform its neighbors and to
study them without reservations, how
many spread defamation and distrust.
What unnatural and dangerous cur
rents of opinion set in motion! What
false alarms and malicious interpreta-
tons Of words and facts. And in do
nestle affairs we are not much better
informed than in foreign. AS to COM
mercial. Industrial and agricultural in
terests, political parties and social
tendencies or the personality of public
men, it is alike difficult to obtain dis
interested opinion. The more newspa
pers one reads the less clearly he sees
in these matters. There are days when
after having read them all, and admit
ting that he takes them at their word,
the reader finds himself obliged to draw
this conclusions: Unquestionably moth
ing but corruption can be found any
longer: no men of integrity except
few Journalists But the last part of
the conclusion falls i'll its turn 1t APP
pears that the chroniclers devour each
other. The reader has under his eyes
a spectacle somewhat like the cartoon
entitled THE Combat of the Serpents."
After having gorged themselves with
everything around them the reptiles
fall upon each other, and there remain
upon the field of battle two tails.
And not the common people alone
feel this embarrassment, but the cult
waited also; almost everybody shares it.
In politics, finance, business, even in
science, art. literature and religion,
there is everywhere disguise, trickery,
wire pulling -one truth for the public,
another for the initiated. The result is
that everybody is deceived. It is vain
to be behind the scenes on one stage.
A man cannot be there on them all,
and the very people who deceive others
with the most ability are in turn de-
ceived when they need to count upon
the sincerity of their neighbors
The result of such practices is the
degradation of human speech. 1t is de-
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