El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-10-19
Fibbing a Common Failing
Not Enough FranSneSs Among PeO-
pie and Too Great n Ten
dency to PreVnricate.
By Virginia Terbune Van de Water

ANY Of US remember the an
MI swer of the small boy who
when his Sunday school teacher
asked him. What is a He?"replied;
a lie is an abomination in the eyes
of the Lord and very present help
in trouble
The fact that it IS supposed to pc
an abOminatiOn in the eyes OF lne
Lord deters few people from using. II
as a present help in trouble Lying
is fashionable failing.
thing we do lying" That is too ugly
n word for us to use comfortably. We
give the habit various titles when are
more or less euphonious, such as
harmless prevaricauon, IiDplh$'
white lie evasion" whipping the
devil around a stump" etc. Call II
what you may, it is the same old habit
in differing guise- We do not ap-
preciate how common 1t Is until we
analyze or watch our conversation ana
see how often we make remarks that
are not entirely truthful.
Intelligent F'rankness.
Would one lose the respect IN the
eyes of the questiOner if one said
frankly, NO, have not read the book.
although I have seen many reviews OF
it," or Thank you for asking me, but
really, while I appreciate your KIND
ness, am not keenly interested IN
desirable friend who would care less
for one because of such frank declar-
alton of facts Consider a moment
whether you would dislike or be dis
pleased with the man or woman who
spoke thus frankly to you instead OF
insulting your intelligence by telling
you a lie.
One of the great disadvantages
about lying is that it makes one doubt
others Higher than himself can no
man think" and when one is in the
habit of dIStOrunE the truth, or max
ing false statements, one IS pretty
sure to suspect that those with whom
he associates have the same propensity
The remark, I have another engage
ment," will be construed into I do
not want to accept your invitation
So, after all, what has a lie gotten
One2 One might as well tell the truth
and be done with it.
The Elaborated Story.
Perhaps one of the most insld1Ous
temptations along the line of falSehOOd
IS to elaborate an account of some
ing. One has an annoying little eX-
perience. and, by adding a bit to It,
the story of it will produce upon
the persons who hear 1t much more
impression than would the cOmman-
place facts. Then why say that one
waited twenty minutes at one cOun-
ter for her change when one really
waited but ten2 It seemed like twenty.
Wei, it ought to have happened the
way I told it. anyhow" exclaimed a
racOnteur who had been called to ac-
count for eXaggerating a certain incl
dent. My theory is to make a good
story better. if possible. Why let a
little matter like the truth stand In
the way of a good stOry?"
The listeners laughed, but it is to
be doubted If any one of them will I
hereafter quite believe what this per
son says
Love OF a Sensation.
Last winter ] listened with genuine /
interest to 4 man who was telling
some of us how he had gone into an
insane asylum TO study conditions
there Nobody knew. he said. that he !
was not committed because of Unsound |
mind He told US of things that made |
our blood run cold, of the sights and
sounds that were like the horrors one |
sees and hears in a delirum. None OF
us doubted one of his assertions Yet
a week later. when I told two of his
friends of the keen interest his de-
scrlption had aroused in me and nv
guests, the pair laughed uproariously
Why" they said, that was only
one of Bills yarnsI No. there was /
not word of truth in the whole /
thing He just made the story up as (
he went along. He is a born sensa- !
tlonallst and he dearly loves to pro-
duce a sensation at all times"
He had produced upon me various
kinds Of sensations. One was the con-
vlct1on that he had abused my hospi- |
tallty, and the other was that I would !
not trust such a, man under oath.