LIFE’S LITTLE LIES

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1831, 10 April 1907, Page 30

LIFE’S LITTLE LIES

Bishop Welldon, Dean of Manchester, speaking on “Truth,” at St. Ann’s Church, Manchester, recently, said the word of an Englishman throughout tho world was the greatest of ail national assets; yet, although English rule of colour, but because the chief men and women set so great a store on truth in social conventions of life it was much neglected. People wrote “I am sorry that I am obliged to decline your invitation” when there was no sorrow and no obligation. Wo said “we are engaged” or “hot at home” when we were not engaged, and were perhaps looking out through the window curtains upon our friend, who retired disappointed. We began our letters with a term of affection and. signed them “Your obedient .servant” without any thought of affection or of service. Indeed, if he might speak for the clerical profession, when a clergyman signed his letters to the Bishop “yours obediently,” lie- would not obey. In the case of testimonials of character, there was hardly any limit to untruthfulness that honourable men and women would be guilty of in recommending persons whom they liked or wished to serve.

The courteous epistolary insincerities criticised and condemned by Bishop Welldon are among the things that remain to us of a host of verbal formalities onoo found, or thought to be, essentials of social life. Like the os coccyx and the vermiform appendix of human anatomy, they are now probably useless, and really unessential; but what would the worthy critic have ? Would he have those who decline invitations write “I decline your invitation,” or answer unwelcome callers by deputing a servant to say “I don’t wish to see you to-day.” Would lie have a signatory t-o an official letter “remain John Smith.” Is it not a fact that the mere letter of such forms is generally understood to commit xo nothing, and to mean nothing except that the speaker or writer knows how to observe the amenities?

In any case such devices and forms among British people are slowly but surely withering away under the heat and pressure of modern life. Let any one who feels inclined to dispute this turn up a volume of old letters, and compare the forms of fifty or a him** dred years ago with those of to-day. Or if lie is impatient over the time he lia-s to spend in penning epistolary insincerities let him console himself by recalling liis instruction in French correspondence, and rejoice that English has dropped the greater part of its oorrespondingbost of phrases “pour terminer uno lettre.” If lie feels that lie can afford to dispense with “yours faithfully,” “yours very respectfully,” and “I have the honour to'be, sir, your most obedient servant,” let him follow tho sensible rule of press correspondence, and boil them all down to “I am —.”