MY BROTHER'S KEEPER
Letters from James Alexander (1804-1859)
to his younger brother, on the virtues and
vices, the duties and dangers of youth.
Truth and Falsehood
My dear brother,
Few names are considered more disgraceful than that of a liar. This is
justly so; for the vice is odious, injurious to society, and offensive to
God. Truth is the chief bond between man and man in society. If everyone
spoke without regard to truth—our reputation, property, and lives would be
in jeopardy every moment. We should never know when to believe a neighbor;
or by believing a falsehood, we might be led into the greatest danger.
You will commonly take notice that boys who lie, very
soon show that they are ready for other vices. He, who can so violate his
conscience as to tell a willful lie, will soon find it equally easy to
violate his conscience by cursing, swearing, or stealing. Indeed, lying and
stealing are nearly related. Lying is dishonesty in words; theft is
dishonesty in deeds. I know a young man at school who was noted for his
disregard of truth. He became a physician, and very soon after was convicted
of a very atrocious act of dishonesty. Another was for a long time suspected
of no crime but falsehood; it was not long, however, before he was caught
stealing from his friends. Both these were young men of liberal education.
The great reason why we should maintain the truth is,
that God requires it of us. "Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth
each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another." Falsehood is
hateful to God. We seem to offer him a direct insult whenever we speak what
is untrue, because he is always present, and nothing can escape his
omniscience.
Whenever we willfully deceive, we are guilty of
falsehood, whatever be the words uttered. Indeed, we may lie without
uttering any words at all—by mere body language. We may deceive by being
altogether silent; and this is wrong in all cases where others have a right
to any information from us. From this you will perceive that all
equivocations, or expressions with two meanings, are falsehoods—when the
person hearing them understands them so as to be deceived by them. I would
earnestly recommend to you to avoid even the very appearance of evil in this
thing, and never, even in jest, to sport with truth. It is so awful a thing
to offend God by a lie, that it is the part of wisdom never to speak what is
untrue, even for the purposes of amusement.
I am afraid that young people at our public schools are
too little impressed with the importance of this subject. It is often
thought quite a feat when a boy, by a clever falsehood, can escape
punishment for a fault. And thus by treating a great sin in a very trifling
manner, the conscience becomes seared as with a hot iron. It is alarming to
see how readily children learn to depart from the truth, and how hard it is
to eradicate the habit. I know people whom I consider pious—but who have
never entirely overcome the propensity to stretch their expressions beyond
the actual fact. This is what is called exaggeration or hyperbole, both
which words mean about the same; that is, heaping up expressions beyond the
simple matter described, or letting our language shoot over the plain truth.
Avoid this. It is here, if anywhere, that you are in danger.
I cannot believe that you would tell a willful falsehood;
but most young people are apt to exaggerate. Thus, if a servant neglects
your horse two or three times, you will perhaps say in anger, "Thomas has
forgotten to feed my horse every day," or, "he never thinks of feeding my
horse." Thus, also, in describing a thunder storm, some people always
describe it as the loudest and most alarming they ever heard in their lives.
This sort of exaggeration is most common among those who have been
accustomed to the use of hyperbolical or extravagant phrases in common
discourse. Thus some people cannot speak of a hearty laugh without saying,
"He almost killed himself with laughing." Every warm day is the hottest they
ever felt; and every clumsy man is the ugliest man they ever saw. Beware of
all such unmeaning exaggerations, for you may be assured they lead to the
evil habit against which I am warning you.
It is commonly said, and with truth, that great
talkers are apt to exaggerate. I hope you will never become noted as a
great talker; although I have met with people who seemed to take a vulgar
pride in their very loquacity. "In the multitude of words, there lacks not
sin," and you will be upon the safe side by repressing your desire to talk.
Very loquacious people commonly talk much nonsense, and, in order to excite
attention, sometimes set their imagination to work, and give a high color to
all they describe. Let me enjoin it upon you, to fix in your mind a sacred
reverence for truth; and whenever you describe any incident, take care to
describe it precisely as it occurred. Even let your description be flat or
cold, rather than run the risk of exaggeration.
Let your soul be impressed with the solemn majesty of
God, as being the witness of every word you utter—and you will lose all
temptation to violate the truth.
Your affectionate brother,
James