The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-04
Simplicity of Speech.

thought. so the speech. To bet
ter ones life in the way of
simplicity. one must set Il watch ON his
lips and his pen. Let the word be as
genuine as the thought. as artIess. as
valid: think Justly speak frankly.
All social relations have their roots
81 mutual trust and this trust is main
tanned by each mans sincerity. once
sincerity diminishes. confidence is
weakened. society suffers apprehension
f. born. This is true i'm the province Of
both natural and spiritual interests.
With people whom we diStrust ID is no
difficult 10 do business as to search for
scientific truth, arrive at religious har-
mony or attain TO justice. When one
must first question words and inten-
tions. and start from the premise that
everything said and written is meant to
offer Us illusion in Elace of truth life
becomes strangely complicated This is
the case today. There is so much craft.
50 much diplomacy. so much subtle le-
gerdemaiD that we all have no end Of
trouble TO inform ourselves on the sim
piest subject and the one that most
concerns us. Probably what / have
Just said would suffice 10 show my
thought and each ones experience
might bring 10 its support an ample
commentary with Illustrations But l
Am none the less moved TO insist on this
point and TO strengthen my position
with examples.
Formerly the means OF communica-
ton between men were considerabl re-
stricted. it was natural to suppose that
IN porfecting and multiplying avenues
of tnformo ton. a better understanding
would be brought about Nations 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 lux! and with better cause
when the habit of reading and the
taste for newspapers increased. Why
should not men have reasoned thus:
Two lights iHumine better than one.
and many better than two: the more pc
,iodicals and books there are the better
we shall know what happens. and those
who wish 10 write history after us will
be right fortunate. their hands Will be
1ull Of documents? Nothing could
nave seemed more evident. Alas, this
reasoning was based upon the nature
and capacity OF the Instruments. with
out taking into account the human ele-
ment, always the most important fac
tor. and what has really come about is
crooks-all gentlemen glib of tongue.
who know better than any one else how
10 turn voice and pen to aCCOunt-hGpe
taken the utmost advantage 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 feel
ing and good understanding between
nations. by trying TO rightly inform its
ueighbOrs and 10 study them without
reservations, how many spread defa-
mation and distrusti What unnatural
end dangerous currents of opinion set
in notion what false alarms and ma
Dctous interpretations of words and
facts, And in domestic affairs we are
not much better informed than i'm for
S1gn- As Ia commercial, Industrial and
agricultural interests. political parties
and social tendencies. or the personal
ity Of public men. it is alike difficult TO
obtain a disinteTested opinion. The
more newspapers one reads. the less
clearly he secs in these matters. There
are days when after having read them
all. and admitting that he takes them
at their word, the reader finds himself
obliged 10 draw this conclusion: Tn
Cuesuonably nothing but corruption can
NE found any lOnSeU-nO men of integ-
1lly except few journalists. But the
last part Of the conclusion falls in its
turn IL appears that the chroniclers
dcVOur each other. The reader has I'M
Ger his eyes a spectacle somewhat like
the cartoon entitled "The Combat of
the Serpents." After having gorged
themselves with everything around
them. the reptiles fan upon each other.
q -,
tie two tails
And not the common people alone feel
this embarrassment. but the cultivated
also-almOst everybody shares it, IN
politics. finance. businessmen i'm sci
ence. art. literature and religion. there
IS everywhere disgust. trickery. wire
pulling. one truth for the public: an
other for the iniatcd. The result is
that everybody is deceived. IL is vain
10 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 i'm turn de-
ceived when they need 10 count upon
The sincerity Of their neighborS
The result of such practices is the
degradation OF human speech. IL is
degraded first in the eyes of those who
manipulate il as "a base instrument No
NbiN - fNitittN ON SpllnlNlS. rGdSulSlS
and quibbicTs-men who are moved
only by a rage Tor gaining their point
or who assume that their interests are
alone worth considering. Their penalty
is 10 be forced TO judge others by the
rule they follow themselves. Say what
profits and not what is true. They can
no longer take anyone seriously sad
state of mind for those who write or
teach, How lightly must one hold his
readers and hearers TO approach them
IN such an attitudei TO him who has
preserved enough honesty, nothing is
more repugnant than the careless irony
Of an acrobat OF the tongue or pen, who
tries 10 dupe honest and ingenious
men, On one side Openness sincerity
the desire TO be enlightened. on the
other chicanery making game of the
pubiici But he knows not the liar.
how far he is misleading himself The
capital on which he lives is confidence.
and nothing equals the confidence of
the people, unless IL be their distrust
when once they find themselves be-
trayed- They may follow for a time the
eNploiters Of their artlessness. but then
their friendly humOr turns to hate.
Doors which stood wide open offer an
impossible front of wood. and ears
once attentive are deaf. And the pity
Is that they have closed not TO the evil
alone, but 10 the good. This is the
crime of those who distoTt and degrade
speech; they shake confidence gener-
ally. We consider as a calamity the
dehasement Of the currency. the low
Cring Of interest. the abolition of credit
there is d misfortune greater than
these: the loss Of confidence. of that
moral credit which honest people give
one another, and which makes speech
circulate like an authentic currency
Away with counterfeiters. spectators.
rotten financiers for they bring under