The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-11-12

ping up, and one that has never vet
receiver wholly satisfactory answer.
n engaged the attention Of st. Angus
tive, the greatest Of all the Fathers
OF the Christian Church, I'm the fourth
century OF our era. The problem pre-
scented itself TO Montaigne, who I'm
lis Essays wakes eloquent ON the
subject; to Shakespeare TO Sir Walter
Scott, and even to the immortal
George Washington, the legend Of
whose memorable encounter with his
father on the subject of the historic
cherry tree is destined to endure to
the end Of all time.
A few years ago President Hadley
made II The subject Of his Baccalau-
reate sermon at Yale. Henry Labou-
chere, when I'm the House of Com
mons, on one memorable occasion
asked that a royal commission should
be appointed by the Crown to con-
slider the question of permissible lies
and, more recently still, the contro-
yersy was brought once more upon the
tapis through the assertion made by
Lord Gutherie, the most eminent
iIrist Of Scotland, a member of the
Supreme Court of the northern king
dom and its representative on the
Royal Divorce Commission to the eff
feet that a lie was Internationally
Teprehensible."
This statement was made at a meet
ing of the commission in question, or
ganized for the purpose of revising
the antiquated divorce laws of the
United Kingdom, and was at once
vigorously contested by the Rev. DR..
James Alexander Patterson, one of
the most eminent divines and learned
theologians of the Presbyterian
Church of Scotland
When some one present, reading
from treatise on the Sermon on the
Mount, quoted this passage. ut can
hardly be denied that there are cases
when Lntruthfulness in word becomes
a duty, owing to the evil that verbal
truthfulness would think it right to lie
to would be murderers in order to
save life" Prof. Patterson expressed
his approval of the plea therein set
forth, while it was denounced by Lord
Guthrie.
Though we may hesitate to admit
it openly, there are far many more
of us who in our heart of hearts will
be tempted to side with Prof. Patter-
son than with Lord Guthrie, and so
difficult is the task of drawing the
line between the permissible lie and
the one that is wholly black, so great
the divergence of views on the sub
iect, that Prof. Hadley in his sermon
on Truth" which he delivered at
Yale declined to discuss what he de-
scribed as ''the unselfish considera-
tions which may in extreme cases
Justify a man in departing from truth
fulness."
The advice about this matter by
mentor enjoying such worldwide eX-
rerience and so much universal re-
spect as the eminent President OF
Yale would have been extremely in
structive, and not without consider
able use to young men starting out
in the world on the completion OF
their course OF SJuuleS'
The fact of the matter is that few
mon of distinction among their fell
low-citizens, and enjoying the respect
of the latter, care to place themselves
on record as the champion of any form
of untruthfulness, no matter how ex-
cusable the lie.
Equally few, however, are the men
who ore so Incorporating in their
views en- the subject of untruthfulness
as Lord Guthrie.
One of the most notable that l have
known was Gen. Chinese" Gordon,
the hero of Khartoum, and it was his
scruples on this score that led the va
rious Governments which employed
linn to regard him as so utterly i'm
practicable. He was more lifted for
tie ancient times of the Crusader and
of Christian martyrdom than for the
life of the present, and gave curious
illustration thereof on the occasion Of
his odd quarrel with the late Marquis
of Ripon, when Viceroy of India.
Lord Ripon, who was a most deeply
religious man, of the highest honor
and integrity, on being appointed Gov
ernor General in 1880, had induced
Gordon to accompany him to the ORR
ont as his private secretary.
The private secretary of a Viceroy
of India is a far more important per-
sonage that his title would indicate
He is the alter ego of his chief, his
principal lieutenant, and the power
indeed behind the vice-regal throne.
AS such he draws large pay and al
lCwances.
On landing at Bombay to assume
the reins of government Lord Ripon
received a voluminous pamphlet, writ
ten by some local magnate whom it
was necessary to conciliate and to
keep in good humor. Lord Ripon
turned it over to Gen. Gordon, with