The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-02-04
THE WORLDS CHAMPION LIAR.
Feb. Z. '09-(Acts 4:32:5:1D.


and hypocrisy, reality and counter
felt In this world exist side by side.
and 1t is sometimes difficult to dis
tingush the genuine from the spuri-
GUS Fraud and adulteration every
whore abounds, and even religion Is
n exception to the rule.
Founder of Ananias Club.
The founder of the Ananias class
posed as a great hearted philanthro-
mist. He gave ostentatiously to the
cause. He expected to be held up
rs a model by the church and re-
eeive credit for self-sacrlflcing de-
yotion. But the Almighty upset his
well-laid plans. smote him with
heavens lightning at the very foot
of the altar, and hung him up In
the plllory of the worlds execration
as the champion liar Of the ages.
lie saw others putting their prop
erty into a common fund for the re-
lief of the poor and the support of
the church, and he recognized
chance to make himself conspicuous,
and at the same time keep an anchor
to windward for an emergency
Auanias and Sapphira, his wife. en-
tered into a secret agreement to
pretend to give up all their posses
sions,! while in reality sailing down
a good share of 1t, to fall back upon
IL anything unforeseen turned up.
The apostles suspected for some
cause that Ananias was crooked. so
when he laid down the money for
his real estate at their feet, Peter
said, Did you sell the land for so
much?" Yes" said Ananias. Dead.
IS quick as that. Sapphira came in,
not knowing what had happened.
The same question. the same reply,
the same result. Drastic treatment,
hut it stopped the hypocrisy right
then and there. The early church
had other troubles but there never
was another Ananias and Sapphira.
Nobody ever attempted after that to
lie to the Holy Ghost. People inside
and outside the church began to deal
with 1t circumspectly. They might
not agree with 1t but they began to
have very real respect for 1t; some
thing like the respect of the man
who does not understand electricity
but who knows enough not to pick
up a live wire.
Prevaricators Numerous.
Liars!-They are not all dead yet.
Now that they seldom If ever, drop
dead while falsifying, prevaricators
are numerous brood. They have
even improved upon the decalogue
and have manufactured lies which
are not lies, and falsehoods that de-
eeive the very elect. So now we
have white lies instead of black
lies, and lies of all the colors of the
rainbow. The consequence is we
have a vast amount of the Devils
coin in circulation that can hardly
be distinguished from the genuine
coin Of the realm. At any rate II
passes currency in modern society
and we all drink at It, pass 1t along
TO somebody else, and have not the
courage to hold it up to investiga-
tion, denounce it, and relegate 1t to
the junk shop of the counterfeit and
the vile.
No Lie insignificant.
1t is the universal verdict that
Ananias was the champion liar be-
cause he lied about such great
thing and in such public
manner. But no lie is insignificant.
You may con-. der it so, because 1t
relates to such an Insignificant thing.
You would despise a statesman who
would lie about some question of in
ternational importance, or an execu-
tor who would lie about the value Of
an estate, or a historian who would
lie about an occurrence of world
wide Importance. But when a thing
is insignificant in itself, of such
small concern that a man could put
the article in his vest pocket, why
should he take his place in the
Ananias class? For the very rea-
son that there are no shades and
gradations of moral character. If
man lies he is liar no matter how
Insignificant the thing he lies about.
The thing may be small, but the lie
is bigger than the Pyramids, and as
PohucIdDlc mere 10 no SuCH lHlHB
as sharp trade" known in the
throne room of eternal justice.
There, truth Is truth, and a lie Is a
lie, and right is right, and wrong
Is wrong. We need not waste any
time discussing whether, under GER
tain imaginable conditions, a lie
would be justifiable. not once in u
thousand years are such conditions
met. We shall have ali we can at
tend to to keep our record straight
In the real experiences of life, with
out bothering our heads about what
we might do II we should ever hap
pen to be placed In such circum-
stances as we can imagine. Let 1t
be settled once for all that no man
is obliged to be dishonest. Men can
be truthful under all circumstances,
children can be truthful. Merchants