Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-12-09
".
THE SIMPLE WORD.

So &rIne SpeeCu. ~ TelOIIH Oue 5 lie
In the sense of simplicity one must
watch over word and pen. Let the
word be simple, like the thought, and
that 1t may be sincere and that 1t
may be sure, think Justly; speak
frankly.
Social relations have for their base
mutual confidence, and this conf
dence Is nourished by the sincerity of
each. AS o as sincerity diminish
es, confidence changes, af1nities suf-
fer, and insecurity is born. This Is
true both in the domain Of material
and spiritual interests. With people
whom we must ceaselessly distrust 1t
Is as difficult to carry on commerce
and industry as to seek a scientific
truth or pursue a religious under
standing or to realize justice When
each one Is obliged to control words
and intentions, and depart from the
principle that all that is written and
said has for aim to serve your illu-
sion in place of truth, life becomes
strangely complicated. 1t is SO for all
of us. There are too many malignant
ones, diplomats who play an under
hand game and apply themselves to
deceive each other, and hat Is why
each n takes so much pains to in
form himself on the things the most
simple, and yet which are of the
greatest import to himself. Probably
what l have Just said will suffice to
indicate my thought and the expert
ence Of each one can bring forth an
ample commentary with illustrations
to support 1t. But, l am no less anx-
ious to insist on this point, and to
surround myself with examples.
In other times men had but small
and insufficient mean of communica-
ton between them. 1t was legiti-
mate to suppose hat IN perfecting
and in multiplying the means of in
formation they would add to the light.
Nations learned to love each other in
knowing each other better, the citi-
Zens of the same country felt them
selves bound by a closer brotherhood,
were better enlightened on all things
touching their common life When
printed works were created they
cried: Fiat lux" and with greater
reason yet when the habit of reading
and the taste for newspapers spread.
Why did they not reason thus: two
lights give more light than one, and
several more than two? The more
newspapers and books there are the
better one will know what Is passing,
and those who would write history
after us will be fortunate-they will
heve their hands full of documents.
hTnthian nataa ~a4~N A,iJaa lac
they based their reasoning on the
tools and calculated without the hui
man element which Is everywhere the
most important factor. So it happen
ed that the sophists, the crafty, the
oalumniators, all the men with the
lo~osely-hung tongues who know how
better than n one to juggle with
words and pen profited largely by all
these can of multiplying and
suit? That our contemporaries have
all the difficulties in the world to
know the truth about their own per-
sonal affairs and their own times.
or the few newspapers that cultivate
international good feeling, by trying
TO teach their neighbors equitably and
to study them without hidden
thoughts, how many there are that
SOW distrust and calumny! How
many fictitious and unhealthy cur
rents are created In public opinion,
with false stories. malevolent inter
pretations of facts or words! We are
not much better instructed on our
internal affairs than on foreign coun-
tries; nor on the interests Of COM
merce, industry or agriculture, nor on
the political parties, nor the social
tendencies, nor Of persons occupied
In public affairs, is it easy to obtain
dis'nterested information The more
one reads the newspapers the less
clearly one sees. There are days
when after having read them and ad-
hitting that one believes their word,
the reader will see himself obliged
to draw this conclusion. Decidedly
there are o but furnished men ev-
erywhere." There are no men Of in
tegrity but the chroniclers. But that
last part of the conclusion will fall in
Its turn. The chroniclers, in fact, eat
each other. The reader would have
before his eyes a spectacle analogous
to that represented in the caricature
called the combat of the %serpents.
After having devoured everything
around them the two reptiles attack
bach other and begin to swallow each
other 80 that there remain on the bat
tlefield but two tails.
And, 1t is not the man Of the people
alone who is thus embarrassed; there
are the cultivated people, there are al
most everybody. In politics. In A.
nance, In business. oven IN science.
the arts, literature and religion, there
is everywhere undsrhand work, plots
and wire-pulling. Here 10 n truth for
expectation and another for the in
itiated. 1t follows that all are do
ceivsd, for though n may be of one
kitchen he is never Of them all. and
the very ones who deceive others with
the greatest address are deceived in