ESSAY，FORDISCUSSION，READATAMEETINGOFTHEHISTORICAL
　　ANDANTIQUARIANCLUBOFHARTFORD，ANDOFFEREDFORTHE
　　THIRTY—DOLLARPRIZE。
　　Didnottaketheprize。
　　Observe，Idonotmeantosuggestthatthe_custom_oflyinghassufferedanydecayorinterruption—no，fortheLie，asaVirtue，APrinciple，iseternal；theLie，asarecreation，asolace，arefugeintimeofneed，thefourthGrace，thetenthMuse，man'sbestandsurestfriend，isimmortal，andcannotperishfromtheearthwhilethisclubremains。Mycomplaintsimplyconcernsthedecayofthe_art_oflying。Nohigh—mindedman，nomanofrightfeeling，cancontemplatethelumberingandslovenlylyingofthepresentdaywithoutgrievingtoseeanobleartsoprostituted。InthisveteranpresenceI
　　naturallyenteruponthisthemewithdiffidence；itislikeanoldmaidtryingtoteachnurserymatterstothemothersinIsrael。Itwouldnotbecometometocriticiseyou，gentlemen—whoarenearlyallmyelders—andmysuperiors，inthisthing—ifIshouldhereandthere_seem_todoit，Itrustitwillinmostcasesbemoreinaspiritofadmirationthanfault—finding；indeedifthisfinestofthefineartshadeverywherereceivedtheattention，theencouragement，andconscientiouspracticeanddevelopmentwhichthisclubhasdevotedtoit，Ishouldnotneedtoutterthislament，orshredasingletear。
　　Idonotsaythistoflatter：Isayitinaspiritofjustandappreciativerecognition。[Ithadbeenmyintention，atthispoint，tomentionnamesandtogiveillustrativespecimens，butindicationsobservableaboutmeadmonishedmetobewareoftheparticularsandconfinemyselftogeneralities。]
　　Nofactismorefirmlyestablishedthanthatlyingisanecessityofourcircumstances—thedeductionthatitisthenaVirtuegoeswithoutsaying。
　　Novirtuecanreachitshighestusefulnesswithoutcarefulanddiligentcultivation—therefore，itgoeswithoutsayingthatthisoneoughttobetaughtinthepublicschools—eveninthenewspapers。Whatchancehastheignorantuncultivatedliaragainsttheeducatedexpert？WhatchancehaveI
　　againstMr。Per—againstalawyer？_Judicious_lyingiswhattheworldneeds。
　　Isometimesthinkitwereevenbetterandsafernottolieatallthantolieinjudiciously。Anawkward，unscientificlieisoftenasineffectualasthetruth。
　　Nowletusseewhatthephilosopherssay。Notethatvenerableproverb：
　　Childrenandfools_always_speakthetruth。Thedeductionisplain—adultsandwisepersons_never_speakit。Parkman，thehistorian，says，"Theprincipleoftruthmayitselfbecarriedintoanabsurdity。"Inanotherplaceinthesamechaptershesays，"Thesayingisoldthattruthshouldnotbespokenatalltimes；andthosewhomasickconscienceworriesintohabitualviolationofthemaximareimbecilesandnuisances。"Itisstronglanguage，buttrue。Noneofuscould_live_withanhabitualtruth—teller；butthankgoodnessnoneofushasto。Anhabitualtruth—tellerissimplyanimpossiblecreature；hedoesnotexist；heneverhasexisted。Ofcoursetherearepeoplewho_think_theyneverlie，butitisnotso—andthisignoranceisoneoftheverythingsthatshameourso—calledcivilization。Everybodylies—everyday；everyhour；
　　awake；asleep；inhisdreams；inhisjoy；inhismourning；ifhekeepshistonguestill，hishands，hisfeet，hiseyes，hisattitude，willconveydeception—andpurposely。Eveninsermons—butthatisaplatitude。
　　InafarcountrywhereIoncelivedtheladiesusedtogoaroundpayingcalls，underthehumaneandkindlypretenceofwantingtoseeeachother；
　　andwhentheyreturnedhome，theywouldcryoutwithagladvoice，saying，"Wemadesixteencallsandfoundfourteenofthemout"—notmeaningthattheyfoundoutanythingimportantagainstthefourteen—no，thatwasonlyacolloquialphrasetosignifythattheywerenotathome—andtheirmannerofsayingitexpressedtheirlivelysatisfactioninthatfact。Nowtheirpretenceofwantingtoseethefourteen—andtheothertwowhomtheyhadbeenlessluckywith—wasthatcommonestandmildestformoflyingwhichissufficientlydescribedasadeflectionfromthetruth。Isitjustifiable？
　　Mostcertainly。Itisbeautiful，itisnoble；foritsobjectis，_not_toreapprofit，buttoconveyapleasuretothesixteen。Theiron—souledtruth—mongerwouldplainlymanifest，orevenutterthefactthathedidn'twanttoseethosepeople—andhewouldbeanass，andinflicttotallyunnecessarypain。
　　Andnext，thoseladiesinthatfarcountry—butnevermind，theyhadathousandpleasantwaysoflying，thatgrewoutofgentleimpulses，andwereacredittotheirintelligenceandanhonortotheirhearts。Lettheparticularsgo。