ourselves in favor of absolute veracity in this respect is quite another matter.
We may now regard our subject from a different point of view, briefly considering veracity under the three partially independent forms distinguished by Mr, Lecky—the industrial, the political, and the philosophical.European Morals, third edition (New York, 1891), vol. i, pp. 137-139.
1. Industrial Veracity.—By this we may understand, with Mr. Lecky, "that accuracy of statement and fidelity to engagements which is commonly meant when we speak of a truthful man" The description of this kind of rectitude as "industrial" may, however, cause some surprise, since the idea that the industrialization of life has cultivated not candor, but mendacity, is deeply rooted in popular thought, and finds numerous expressions in literature—as, for instance, in Pope's line—"The next a tradesman, meek, and much a liar."[1] And that this common notion is apparently supported by many conspicuous facts can not be denied. We are all of us too familiar with the countless abuses of trade as they come home to us in our own experiences—with the tricks and subterfuges to which all classes of dealers resort, the adulteration of almost everything we eat and drink, the lying advertisements of our newspapers—to need to be reminded that the commercial spirit is not in these days marked by any profound respect for truth. Might it not even be urged that, in this particular respect, we have lost by the encroachments which industrialism has made upon the old chivalrous code of honor? That code—at least as we know it through romance—insisted upon a certain integrity of character, squareness of dealing, honesty even with enemies. But a moment's thought will convince us that, after all, these manifest facts give us only one side of the matter. It is equally certain that, whatever results may reveal themselves in practice, nations come more and more to recognize in theory the need and importance of veracity as their relations grow more and more industrial. Mutual confidence, like justice, is a prerequisite condition to industrial development; and mutual confidence is possible only when people as a whole fulfill their promises, keep their engagements, and to some extent stick to the truth. Even the abuses of trade are, in a certain sense, evidence of the growth of general veracity. The liar depends for the success of his lying upon a broadly accepted tradition of truthfulness; the dishonest trader is as much interested as those whom he cheats in the honesty of other people. If no one were expected to speak the truth, false statements would lose their value;
- ↑ Moral Essays, i, 152. See also Tennyson's vigorous denunciation of commercial morality in Maud.
