Truth is for friends, and lies are felt
to be quite right for enemies. The young often see no wrong in lies
their friends wish told, but may collapse and confess when asked if
they would have told their mother thus. Boys best keep up complotted
lies and are surer to own up if caught than girls. It is harder to
cheat in school with a teacher who is liked. Friendships are cemented
by confidences and secrets, and when they wane, promises not to tell
weaken in their validity. Lies to the priest, and above all to God,
are the worst. All this makes special attention to friendships,
leaders, and favorites important, and suggests the high value of
science for general veracity.
The worst lies, perhaps, are those of selfishness. They ease children
over many hard places in life, and are convenient covers for weakness
and vice. These lies are, on the whole, judging from our census, most
prevalent. They are also most corrupting and hard to correct. All bad
habits particularly predispose to the lie of concealment; for those
who do wrong are almost certain to have recourse to falsehood, and the
sense of meanness thus slowly bred, which may be met by appeals to
honor, for so much of which school life is responsible, is often
mitigated by the fact that falsehoods are frequently resorted to in
moments of danger and excitement, are easily forgotten when it is
over, and rarely rankle.
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