New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-23
RTSY.
Il SatiriSt 7cith Some Stimulating
Ideas.

nany: 1865 ''''-
Deceit is always 4 fascinating topic for after
dinner reflection: it is attractive TO those who
rush off to the smoking room as well as to the
select few who adjourn 20 the study. What
makes it such a conversational success IS its
vastncss. its vagueness and it's seriousness.
Always tcketed with the old price mark, 'hu-
manly interesting" the theme never fails upon
inspection TO justify the rating given it by the
tag: for truth telling hypocrisy and deceit gen
orally are fraught with paradoXes and OBJ
security soon as we scrutrze them at short
range II is easy to below, with Huxley. thai
the truth must be placed above country. wife
and children: but after we have caught our
breath again. an unpleasant suspicion Of having
told a terrible fb lays hold Of US. We feel dimly
that we haven't put the truth on the top
pedestal: for this beautiful sentiment to which
we have just subscribed is not quite unadulteI-
Gted with bubbles. As a matter Of practice.
often despair of worshippug abstract veracty:
have other aims in real life besides eXacd-
tude. and these aims are often dearer to us
than the latter. Consistency. though sometimes
jewel. proves on other occasions to be
rhinestone as large rs a stumbling block.
DIT Knight is the poet Of the pure white light.
With razor edge he cuts the moral universe into
two mutually alien territories, the world Of lies
and the realm Of truths He then gives as our
choice Of citizenship. In all too brief intro
ductory sketch pointing out the prevalence Of
sort of hypocrisy in patriotism, friendship, love.
poetry. philosophy and ethics. DE-. knight leads
up to his special theme, The hypocrisy Of re-
ligious practices and beliefs In well written
satire he cites the unabashed confessions Of ali
manner Of ecclesiastics and laymen disclosing
double dealings and equivocations uumberess.
Some Of these viii starte the reader. who must
at once be painfully aware that he TOO has done
likewise. For instance. Dr Knight scathiLsly
satirizes the venerable habit Of talking up opu
misn"; he proves the prophet a genial liar VINO
said. 4 have not seen the righteous forsakeu
nor his seed begging bread" The belief that
every man gets just what ne deserves is SINH
larry lampooned, and every use Of cheering but
inexact words is condemned Unsparingiy This
vale Of tears should always be painted as Il
rainy landscape.
The reader at the end Of the tale, wonders
ureasily whether the saJirist isn't hypocrite.
Has ne not committed the objectionable literary
sin Of playing fast and loose with phrases" Lit
erary hypocrisy, which consists IN using a WORD
in two senses at once. is doubly vicious because
It begete many other KINDS. And Dr. Knight has
al least exposed himself to the charge Of having
nerpetrated this crime What is hypocrisy? Tho
dictionaries Ten Us td' l''-l-'' ''' 4'N'4' i7
be what one is not. making deccitfuj show of
good character. or disingeauously concealing
ones real character or opinion In I'll this
there is the implication that misrepresentation
Is practised with the deliberate intent 10 deceive
SOMEBODY. Now. &C an cd fashioned believer in
the correct and clear use Of words the reader
must protest that, for the greater part pr-
knights satire is not hitting the hypoorites at
all The satirsts heavy artillery is all turned
against the present day practice, admittedly uni
yersal Of using long dead rituals and confess
sions of faith. meaningless hymns ana empty
forms IN religion This he calls hypocrisy. but
h., what right? His own pages record the frank
ayerments Of countless newspapers clcrgEmen
and l9y1nen al admitting openly the pitful lack
Of up-to-data creeds and religious o5scryaEccs,
rut a. the same time refusing 90 make a leading
issue out Of this shortening.
10 sane man to-day supposes the CEurch's first
duty 10 be the formulation Of philosophical prin-
cipes: the greater need is social service and the
crizinc may go hang. Everybody is agreed on this
nc Dr Knight eorrowfuly admits; and il is
likely that any voice cTTiE5 IL The Wilderness o.
= theological seminary VIII move thc masses OF
coinmorcense lol, 10 recant and sit again 81 the
feet Of medieval schoc!aaen. our soodly enter
to.re: has not fought fairly, though. calling
these religious practices hypocrisy. They are not
d.ne with intent to deceive anybody, they do not
deceive anybody--save Or. Knight, perhaps
and aye rothirg worse than the inevitable result
Of religious and intellectual growth, the mere
outward mark Ct a profound inward transition
from, one world view to newer and better one.
We do not yet know how much OF The old is true
and how much false Because we suspect some
cr q shall we cast II all aside? or again be-
cause we do not know just where il is weak.
shall we condemn II as whole? If Dr. knight
oF ba
would have discovered this same sort OF "hypoc
,.iey" in physics. zoology, psycholog" and nearly
ali the others Has knavery invaded the labora-
tories tco: 10, Or. Knight. you are the sinner
who has confused hypocrisy with conventionality,
and deceit with the innocuoua Journalism Of hon
est doubt. BE true 10 the facts, and many of the
horrors Of worlG.iless which now haunt you viii