the foundations of personality-第70章

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g　to　do　this；　especially　if　the　things　taken　have　a　souvenir　value。　Farmers　whose　fruit　trees　adjoin　a　public　thoroughfare　will　also　state　that　the　average　automobilist　has　quite　a　different　code　of　morals　for　apples　and　pears　than　for　money　and　gasoline。　〃Caveat　emptor〃let　the　buyer　beware！　This　has　been　the　motto　of　the　seller　of　merchandise　since　the　beginning　of　trade。　It　has　made　for　a　lot　of　cheating　of　various　kinds；　some　of　which　has　persisted　as　part　of　the　practice　of　at　least　many　merchants　up　to　this　day。　Cheating　in　weight　or　quantity　led　to　laws；　and　there　cannot　be　any　relaxation　in　these　laws；　or　false　scales　and　measures　immediately　appear。　Cheating　in　quality　led　to　adulterations　in　food　stuffs　which　were　veritably　poisonous；　so　that　it　became　necessary　for　each　great　nation　to　pass　stringent　laws　to　prevent　very　respectable　and　very　rich　men　from　poisoning　their　customers。　Cheating　in　fabrics　still　flourishes　and　in　unsuspected　quarters；　not　always　those　of　the　small　dealer。　And；　misrepresentation　flourished　in　advertising　openly　and　blatantly　until　very　recently。　It　is　true　that　advertising　has　changed　its　tastes　and　uses　dignified　and　high…flown　language；　protesting　the　abnormally　virtuous　ideal　of　service　of　the　article　advertised；　but　can　it　be　true　that　the　makers　of　every　car　believe　it　to　be　so　remarkable　in　performance　and　appearance？　To　the　credit　of　American　merchants　let　it　be　stated　that　a　widespread　improvement　has　taken　place　in　these　matters；　and　that　on　the　whole　there　never　was　a　more　unanimous　determination　to　render　service　as　at　present。　Yet　while　the　goal　of　business　is　profit；　and　the　goal　of　the　buyer　is　the　bargain；　so　long　will　there　be　a　mutual　over…reaching　that　does　not　fall　far　short　of　dishonesty。　There　are　types　that　are　scrupulously　honest　in　that　they　will　not　take　a　penny　of　value　not　obtained　in　the　orthodox　way　of　buying；　trading　or　earning；　who　will　take　advantage　of　necessity；　whose　moral　code　does　not　include　that　fine　sense　of　honor　that　spurns　taking　advantage　of　adversity。　These　are　the　real　profiteers；　and　in　the　last　analysis　they　add　to　their　dishonesty　an　essential　cruelty；　though　often　they　are　pillars　of　the　church。　I　have　dwelt　on　the　dishonest；　the　types　of　honest　men　and　women　who　give　full　value　in　work　and　goods　to　all　whom　they　deal　with　are　of　course　more　numerous。　The　industrial　world　revolves　around　those　who　resist　temptation；　who　work　faithfully；　who　give　honest　measure　and　seek　no　unfair　advantage。　But　that　business　is　no　brotherhood　is　an　old　story；　and　poor　human　nature　finds　itself　forced　by　necessity　and　competition　into　ways　that　are　devious　and　not　strictly　honest。　It's　the　system　that　is　at　fault；　for　men　have　formed　a　scheme　of　creating　and　distributing　values　that　severely　tries　and　often　weakens　their　ideals。　Truth　in　the　sense　of　saying　what　is　true　and　truth　in　the　sense　of　getting　at　ultimate　relations　are　two　different　matters。　The　first　kind　of　truth　is　the　basis　of　social　intercourse；　the　second　kind　the　goal　of　philosophic　efforts。　Speaking　the　truth　invariably　is　not　an　easy　matter　and　in　the　strictest　sense　is　quite　questionable　as　to　value。　The　white　lie；　so…called；　the　pleasant；　assumed　interest；　the　untruth　intended　to　smooth　social　relations　are　shock　absorbers　and　are　part　of　the　courtesy　technique。　In　a　more　technical　sense；　the　untruth　told　to　obtain　some　advantage　or　to　escape　the　disagreeable　in　one　form　or　another　is　held　to　be　dishonorable；　but　is　very　widely　practiced。　People　are　enraged　at　being　deceived　if　the　deception　is　the　work　of　an　outsider　or　one　not　liked；　they　are　shocked　if　deceived；　lied　to；　by　one　they　love。　The　lie　stands　as　the　symbol　of　weakness；　but　to　be　〃taken　in〃　has　more　than　the　material　hurt　the　lie　inflicts；　it　wounds　vanity　and　brings　doubt　and　suspicion　into　social　relations；　all　of　which　are　very　disagreeable。　It　is　held　by　ethical　teachers　to　be　worse　to　lie　about　faults　than　to　have　committed　the　faults；　though　this　may　be　modified　to　mean　only　the　minor　faults。　All　judges　and　lawyers　will　testify　that　〃the　truth；　the　whole　truth　and　nothing　but　the　truth〃　is　very　seldom　told　in　court。　Controversy　is　the　enemy　of　truth；　and　when　the　fighting　spirit　is　aroused；　candor　disappears。　Where　any　great　interest　is　involved；　where　the　opponent　is　seeking　to　dispossess　or　to　evade　payment；　or　where　legal　punishment　may　be　felt；　the　truth　must　be　forced　from　most　people。　Moreover；　passion　blinds；　and　the　natural　and　astonishing　inaccuracy　in　observation　and　reporting＇1＇　that　every　psychologist　knows　is　multiplied　wherever　great　emotions　are　at　work。　If　perjury　were　really　punished；　the　business　of　the　courts　would　be　remarkably　increased。　＇1＇　Not　only　is　this　true　in　law　but　in　all　controversy；　whether　theological；　scientific；　social　or　personal；　the　ego…feeling　enters　in　its　narrowest　and　blindest　aspects　to　defeat　honor；　justice　and　truth。

All　this　is　normal　lying；not　habitual　but　occurring　under　certain　circumstances。　As　clearly　motivated　is　the　lying　of　the　braggart；　the　one　who　invents　stories　that　emphasize　his　exceptional　qualities。　The　braggart　however　is　a　mere　novice　as　compared　with　the　〃pathological　liar；〃　who　does　not　seem　able　to　tell　the　truth；　who　invents　continually　and　who　will　often　deceive　a　whole　group　before　he　is　found　out。　The　motive　here　is　that　curious　type　of　superiority　seeking　which　is　the　desire　to　be　piteously　interesting；　to　hold　the　center　of　the　stage　by　virtue　of　adverse　adventures　or　misfortunes。　Hence　the　wild　white…slave　yarns　and　the　〃orphan　child〃　who　has　been　abused。　Every　police　department　knows　these　girls　and　boys；　as　does　every　social　service　agency。　I　am　afraid　we　all　yield　to　the　desire　to　be　interesting　or　to　make　artistic　our　adventures。　To　tell　of　what　happens　to　us；　of　what　we　have　seen　or　said　or　done　exactly　as　it　was；　is　difficult；　not　only　because　of　faulty　memory；　but　because　we　like　to　make　the　tale　more　like　a　story；　because；　let　us　say；　of　the　artist　in　us。　Life　is　so　incomplete　and　unfinished！　We　so　rarely　retort　as　we　should　have！　And　a　bald　recital　of　most　events　is　not　interesting　and　so；the　proportions　are　altered；　humor　is　introduced；　the　conversation　becomes　more　witty；　especially　our　share；　and　the　adventure　is　made　a　little　more　thrilling。　And　each　who　tells　of　it　adds　little　or　much；　and　in　the　end　what　is　told　never　happened。　〃The　Devil　is　the　father　of　lies；〃　runs　the　old　proverb。　If　so；　we　have　all　given　birth　to　some　of　his　children。　Though　direct　lying　is　held　to　be　harmful　and　socially　disastrous；　and　evidence　of　either　fear　and　cowardice　or　malevolence；　the　essential　honesty　of　people　is　usually　summed　up　in　the　term　sincerity。　The　advance　of　civilization　is　marked　by　the　appearance　of　toleration；　the　recognition　that　belief　is　a　private　right；　especially　as　concerns　religion；　and　that　sincerity　in　belief　is　more　important　than　the　nature　of　belief。　What　is　really　implied　by　sincerity　is　the　absence　of　camouflage　or　disguise；　so　that　it　becomes　possible　to　know　what　a　man　believes　and　thinks　by　his　words　and　his　acts。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　that　ideal　is　neither　realized　nor　desirable；　and　it　is　as　wise　and　natural　to　inhibit　th