The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1907-11-14
TRUTHFULNESS.

Although some moralists are indispOsed
to recognize grades in truthfulness, men of
the world know that grades exist and go
so far as to justify some forms of false
hood. There is, for example, the passive
lie as we'll as the active one. The man
who will not allow himself to make false
impression of any kind is described as
being frank. He is distinguished from
other men who tell no untruths and yet
by concealments of some kind convey
false impressions or allow mistaken ideas
to live. Frankness is a real virtue, and
yet, like many other virtues, it may be
carried to such an extreme as to become
obnoxious. Although we cannot justify
ourselves for practicing deceit, we are not
bound by any rule of morality to proclaim
to everybody all that we know or think.
A certain amount of reserve is allowable,
and this reserve reduces our degree of
frankness. Moreover, there are some items
of knowledge which belong to other people
rather than to ourselves, and we have no
right to reveal such secrets, even though
in Withholding them we cease to be entirely
frank. The general rule respecting truth
fulness and frankness appears to be that
We should not malciously deceive others
by word or action or silence; we should
not maliciously permit Misunderstanding
to arise; nor should we maliciously tell the
secrets of other people under the pretense
of being frank. The motive enters largely
into the rational classification of false
hoods, but even good motives cannot
excuse deliberate falsehoods told with the
purpose of deceiving. Such falsehoods
are sometimes called white lies, but they
are almost as dangerous as those which are
universally condemned. The chief trouble
with lie of this kind is that it cannot
stand alone; it has to be backed up, and
no one can forsee what the result may be.
Innumerable comedies have been based
upon the humorous results of falsehoods
lightly uttered to shield friend or to con-
ceal an unpleasant truth. But in real life
the results of that form of untruthfulness
are seldom as humorous as they appear to
be when pictured upon the stage. Some
times they are quite tragic, for the lie
uttered on behalf of one person generally
Injuries another. The man who utters it
may be thinking only of the service he is
rendering to friend; his mistake is in
ignoringthe injury he may be doingto some
one unknown. The safest plan is to avoid
falsehood in every form-spoken or acted,
expressed or implied-and to use wise
discretion as to the time and place for
speaking the truth when the truth is likely
to give trouble. 1t is an abuse of frank
ness to expose other peoples secrets or to
carry injurious tales from one to another.
The truth itself when thus abused may
become as injurious as falsehood. But
truthfulness as generally understood is a
primary virtue. One cannot conceive of |
good man who is untruthful, and no one
should permit himself to believe that he
can safely indulge in receptions, no mat
ter how innocent they may appear to be.
Their influence upon character is evil, and
they may give rise to a great brood of
other receptions much less excusable than
themselves.