Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-06-19
Lying.Truths
The Reporter Got Some New
ltghts on an Old Art


ever dared ask me that question be-
fore
What pretty hands" murmured the
reporter soto vOce. as he took his cup
Of tea from one OF them.
/ But. as | was saying, though no
! body has dared ask the question !
don't mind telling you that put
Ananias up to fbbing because I want
ed the money for n spring hat. Now.
don't 30 and put that in the paper.
, will you? I'm not talking for puhlica'
, ton. but simply to be Obliging.'
What do you think about the ethics
Of fibbing?" asked the reporter. "inu
| see automatically. I've been told
that you are the worlds greatest au-
thority on this subject. and make
1t rule Of life to go straight to head
quarters for information
Mrs. Sapphira shook manicured
| finger at him. II was trick with her
You fatterer." she bubblea. "rher"s
no getting ahead of you reporters
| What do you mean by ethics? Its
such stern word. You mean do
think it's wrong TO tell fib or do
circumstances ever justify 1t? Why
OF course. l think it's wrong TO tell a
| perfectly useless fib. one that dOrSn
! do anything for anybody. Now. the
! one | was so severely reprimandrd for
+ had a raison d'etre-you understand
French, Of course-if ever a fib had
but | should never have told 1t.
| assure you. II l hadn't been awsully
/ hard UP for n spring hat. or course.
you can't always stop to think wheth-
er there is q raison detre for hb
before II slips out OF your mouth. but
| II you have a moment to consider.
| why. think you ought to consider.
A ring at the bell startled her.
Say am not at home, Jane" sh"
| beckoned to the maid who went to
| the door.
so sorry to miss her. was the re-
| ply that was waited in as the obcdicnt
servant delivered the message.
"A case in point" smiled Mrs. Sap
| phira She has the whiteSt teeth.
II hold that 1t Is no fib for Il woman
! to decline to be at home If she doesn't
choose to be at home. Besides, 1t is
SO much kinder than to say she begS
! to be excused. There Always seems
to be something personal in begging
to be excused. To me 1t implies.
saw you from the window"
But this 'sosorry. tomiss,you' bust
ness, what do you think of that" de-
manded the reporter. determined to
get to the bottom of things.
oh. social regrets don't amount to
a brass farthing. They are expected.
1T seems to me. then" began the
reporter. .thoughtfully. that in society
there's a code of lying that's perfectly
well understood"
Precisely" asserted the authority
on the subject. Its a sort OF appen-
dix to the code of good manners.
Everybody expects it and everybody
knows that a fib under the circum-
stances doesn't mean anything at all"
Let's eliminate the social fib. then"
the reporter began again. and come
to lies"
oh. but not SO suddenly" muir
INJURED Mrs. Sapphira, warming up a
little to the subject. There are
eradations. The social fib. the tara
diddle ian embroidered tale). the idle
story, the whopper this belongs TO
childhoOd), the lie indirect. the lie di,
rect, and the malicious lie. You
see. an authority must be tech
meal else she Is no authority. and
even now I am only giving you the
various heads. OF course. under each
there are many side branches of fib-
hing which heed not 60 into. OF
them all the tarradiddle Is the most
interesting. To this class belong
ntchkey wit-told as ones original
story: other peoples stories adopted
nv the teller as his own. tales that one
improves on each time one tells them,
etc. Only those OF some imaginative
movers can tell successful taTradid' |
die. The idle story. on the other hand, !
lust slips out before you know II. You
didn't mean to tell II. You wonder
vhy on earth you ever told II. and
then YOU dismiss It from your mind
a. being not worth worrying over ,
The yhopper is the kind that small
how tells to escape punishment IL is
usually detected. or he is told on BY
. truthful brother or sister who are
mo, syerse TO seeing him get his just
dues.
Then there's the lie direct. Wen.
TO be personal. this is not for pub
Wc,,Scn. you know that Is the kind
7 ,old. and Il didn't harm anybody but
mvsef SO what was the use-bu: We
needn't go into that now The ma
uc,ous lie Is the only one that's abs"
,u,.,v inexcusable. You tell u with
intent to hurt. to injure. and yoI leave
!, IN work its own deadly poison
There. I believe that's all.
The reporter drew long breath.
% cav he said slowly. they ough;