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ARTICLE VII.

REGARD TO TRUTH AS AN ELEMENT OF CHARACTER, AND

OF REFORM.

IT is among the many inconsistencies of our fallen. nature, that moral truths of the highest importance may be familiarly known and readily admitted, and yet be wholly discarded as rules of conduct. Nothing is more common than to hear individuals expressing their cordial assent to the truths bearing directly upon their duty and destiny, while they furnish not a particle of evidence that this assent has any practical power upon their hearts. Coleridge profoundly and justly observes, that "Truths, of all others the most awful and interesting, are too often considered as so true that they lose all the power of truth, and lie bed-ridden in the dormitory of the soul, side by side with the most despised and exploded errors." It may not, therefore, be an unuseful service to call the attention of the community occasionally to the commonest truths; and, waiving all argumentation adapted to convince the understanding as uncalled for and supererogatory, to aim to arouse the sensibilities and engage the heart. It is well to keep in mind that triteness abstracts nothing from the essential value of a truth; and that, like the common blessings of Providence, common truths are generally of all others the most important, and the most intimately connected with our personal happiness and destiny. A deep conviction that the practical influence of some important truths, which are so readily and universally admitted as even to come in the view of some under the designation of truisms, is less than it should be, induces us to throw out the suggestions contained in the following article. Some one has said that truth is the only thing of essential value in the universe. While we would abstain from all such extravagant expressions, as both unnecessary and irreverent, we are free to declare that truth alone gives value to every thing else-in other words, whatever

is destitute of this element is nothing worth. The eternal God has revealed himself as a "God of truth, and without iniquity;" and all his works are declared to be "done in truth." Man's apostacy from God, and his consequent moral and physical ruin, was wrought by means of a great lie. "Thou shalt not surely die," said the "father of lies" and the arch-enemy of God and man. And he who came to restore apostate man to the favor of God, declared himself, by way of eminence, to be "the truth and the life." The parallel is seen through the whole of the inspired record, between God and his truth on the one side, and the devil and his lies on the other. We are saved by believing the truth. We are lost by believing a lie. It is truth alone that gives value to all science and to all philosophy. Indeed, there is no knowledge of any intrinsic worth, but what relates to important truth of some kind. We may assert the same in regard to character. Truth stamps its value. When the apostle gives that beautiful summary of gospel morality in the last chapter of Philippians, he puts a regard to truth first among the practical virtues. "Brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (or honorable), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report,-whatsoever things are virtuous and praiseworthy, have regard to these things." Regard to truth, then, is the fundamental principle of all moral excellence. This declaration accords with our ordinary estimate of character. We cannot retain our respect for an individual, after we have discovered his deficiency in this particular. It matters not what other qualities he may possess. Intellectually, he may be brilliant and even powerful; morally, he may be amiable and benevolent; socially, he may be courteous and winning; yet the conviction in our minds that he has no special regard to truth, or is capable, under any circumstances, of deliberate falsehood, is utterly incompatible with the sentiment of true respect. We may admire certain intellectual and social traits, when we can feel no esteem for the character to which they belong. The want of truth stamps the whole character as counterfeit, as much as the want of gold does the guinea. In respect to the false guinea, its outward appearance may

be as attractive, (and even more so,) as that of the true. Indeed it may possess every quality in common, except that its material is not the "genuine stuff." So soon as we ascertain this, it loses all its value in our estimation, though it may shine as brightly and ring as clearly as before. So truth in character is its substantial material-its substratum, which sustains and gives worth to every other quality. Not that other qualities are not truly valuable, and even indispensable to the completeness and beauty of the whole; but they bear much the same relation to this fundamental support, as the branches and foliage and flowers do to the noble trunk which bears them up. If they were removed, the trunk would still stand, and throw out new branches, and restore its former glory; but take away the trunk, and what becomes of the dependent branches? Hence, in the education of youth, nothing is so important as instilling into the forming mind, a love of and sacred regard to truth. Our readers may recollect a remark of Dr. Johnson on this point. The great moralist declared that so vitally important did he deem strict attention to this matter, that he would not overlook a child's misstatement of the smallest incidental circumstance in narrating an occurrence. He would correct a mistake even in regard to the points of the compass. If an incident was seen from a south window, and a child in relating it should say the north, he would have the mistake noticed and corrected. This might be thought unnecessary strictness; but it is hardly possible to be too strict, in a matter of such incalculable importance to the future character and destiny of the child; and how infinitely wiser is such strictness, than the loose way which too generally prevails. Parents often set the example of deception to their own children; and so venial a fault in a child do many regard it, that a little shrewdness in its practice, indicating quickness of intellect, will not only amply atone for it, but be made a subject of complacent remark to others. Sad and deep is the injury often in this way inflicted upon the forming character of the child. We would infinitely prefer to have a child of ours so instructed as to endure every thing before he would tell a falsehood, to his being the greatest intellectual prodigy in the land. We could hope all good things" of him, if a regard to truth was incorporated with the very substance

of his character. If this were wanting, though he might possess every thing else, a dark and ominous cloud would shroud in impenetrable night his future destiny. The venerable President of one of our principal colleges, distinguished for his consummate knowledge of human nature and his great experience and success in the discipline of youth, once remarked, that his experience had taught him that there was always solid ground to hope for the reformation of a young man, no matter how widely he had wandered from the path of rectitude, and how deeply he had sunk in the filth of vicious indulgence, if he still retained a regard for truth, and would ingenuously communicate the real state of facts in his case. He found that here was a fulcrum, on which he could rest with confidence his moral lever for the raising and restoring of the fallen and ruined character. On the other hand, when he discovered a total deficiency in this capital point, hope died within him; he felt that all moral support was gone,-all moral life was dead. The great central column of character was wanting, and the whole fabric hence in a state of irretrievable disorder and ruin.

This subject strongly commends itself to the most serious consideration of parents and teachers of youth. A parent can render no higher service to his child, than so to educate his moral conscience that it shall be exquisitely sensitive to the turpitude and meanness of falsehood, and instinctively eschew all resort to deception to gain a point. There can rarely be found on earth a more interesting a lovelier or more hopeful object, than a truth-loving, candid and ingenuous youth. It is truly nothing but a high and sacred reverence for truth, that can give true dignity to an individual. A man capable of hypocrisy, prevarication, or any form of deliberate deception, cannot assume that serene air, and that noble and manly port, which conscious truth and rectitude impart to the human countenance. And surely there can be no inward serenity and genuine peace of soul, except in the consciousness of honestly and sincerely loving the truth for its own sake, and of a habitual predominant desire to exemplify it in every thought and in every action.

We may then safely sum up as general conclusions from the remarks we have made, that the great staple quality which gives substantial value to every article of science,

morals and religion, is truth;-that it is by virtue of this quality alone, that any thing has power to bless and essentially benefit man; so that it is after all upon the men of truth, i. e. men who sincerely prefer the interests of truth above all other interests, on whom we must rest our confidence for the present and our hope for the future. They are the great pillars of society, which furnish the real support to all the enterprises involving the mighty interests and destinies of the race. The number and efficiency of such men at any period are the true basis of any just anticipations of safe and healthy progress. We would here dwell with some particularity upon our idea, or conception of the man of truth. Our conception includes much more than is ordinarily conveyed by the popular use of the phrase. It is not merely that of a man who pays a strict regard to veracity in his communications and dealings with his fellow men. We have reference to a style or cast of character, the distinguishing trait of which is the love of truth, and whose practical aim is consequently to know what is truth, and to be guided by it. This clement we suppose so to enter into, pervade, and animate the character as to constitute its peculiar distinction. In other words, he is the man of truth, according to our conception, whose great object in the business of investigation is to ascertain the simple truth, whether the investigation relates to science, morals or religion, and whose great object in practical life and in intercourse with men, is to make known, and honor the truth.

This is a general view; but as general views make dim impressions, we shall proceed to mention some particulars in order to individualize our subject. The man of truth, then, as an investigator will strive to divest himself of all partisan views and preconceived notions; and, holding in abeyance all predilections and passions which might disturb the steadiness of his mental vision, will keep his mind open to the light, come from what quarter it may, and will carefully and candidly weigh and impartially allow its due weight to every fact and suggestion clearly bearing upon the subject in hand; and, on reaching his conclusion, will rejoice in the confidence that he has found the truth (and not merely something that will advance his interest or his fame), and thus secured an accession of