ÀҾ˹éÒ˹ѧÊ×Í
PDF
ePub

2

buyer had not seen, would depreciate it rather than overpraise it—even though the seller was anxious to get rid of it—told frightful lies in their transactions with Danish traders.1 The Touareg, whilst scrupulously faithful to a promise given to one of their own people, do not regard as binding a promise given to a Christian; and their Arab neighbours say that their word, "like water fallen on the sand, is never to be found again." The Masai, according to Herr Merker, hold any kind of deceit to be allowable in their relations with persons of another race. The Hovas of Madagascar even considered it a duty for anyone speaking with foreigners on political matters to state the exact opposite to the truth, and punished him who did otherwise. 5

[ocr errors]

In point of truthfulness savages are in many cases superior to nations more advanced in culture. "A Chinese,' says Mr. Wells Williams, "requires but little motive to falsify, and he is constantly sharpening his wits to cozen his customer-wheedle him by promises and cheat him in goods or work."6 His ordinary speech is said to be so full of insincerity that it is very difficult to learn the truth in almost any case. He feels no shame at being detected in a lie, nor does he fear any punishment from his gods for it; if you call him a liar, "you arouse in him no sense of outrage, no sentiment of degradation." Yet the moral teachings of the Chinese inculcate truthfulness as a stringent duty. One of their injunctions is, "Let children always be taught to speak the simple truth." 10 Many sayings may be quoted from Confucius in which sincerity is celebrated as highly and demanded as urgently as it ever was by any

8

[blocks in formation]

Christian moralist. Faithfulness and sincerity, he said, should be held as first principles. Sincerity is the way of Heaven, the end and beginning of things, without which there would be nothing. It is as necessary to truly virtuous conduct as a boat is to a man wishing to cross a river, or as oars are to a boat. The superior man ought to feel shame when his conduct is not in accord with his words.1 But there are instances in which sincerity has to yield to family duties a father should conceal the misconduct of his son, and a son that of his father. Moreover, the great moralists themselves did not always act up to their lofty principles. Confucius and Mencius sometimes did not hesitate to tell a lie for the sake of convenience. The former could excuse himself from seeing an unwelcome visitor on the ground that he was sick, when there was nothing the matter with him; and he deliberately broke an oath which he had sworn, because it had been forced from him. In Japan, Burma, and Siam, truth is more respected than in China. "In love of truth," says Professor Rein, "the Japanese, so far as my experience goes, are not inferior to us Europeans." The Burmese, though partial to much exaggeration, are generally truthful." And "the mendacity so characteristic of Orientals is not a national defect among the Siamese. Lying, no doubt, is often resorted to as a protection against injustice and oppression, but the chances are greatly in favour of truth when evidence is sought.

4

[ocr errors]

Lying has been called the national vice of the Hindus." "It is not too much to assert that the mass of Bengalis have no notion of truth and falsehood." 10 A gentleman

[blocks in formation]

who has been brought into the closest intimacy with natives of all classes, declares "that when a question is asked, the full bearing of which on themselves or those connected with them they cannot see, you may rely upon it that the first answer you receive is false; but that, when they see that the truth cannot injure themselves or any one they care for, they will speak the truth." The testimony of a Hindu is not generally regarded as evidence. Forgery is frequently resorted to, cheating is rife. "In almost all business transactions of the smallest kind a written agreement must be made on both sides, and this must be stamped and registered, because it is believed that a man's word is not binding. "3 Nor is a lie held disreputable, especially if not found out. But in India, as elsewhere, the question whether truth or falsehood is to be spoken depends on the relationship between the speaker and the party addressed. In their relations with each other, says Sir W. H. Sleeman, members of a village community spoke as much truth as those of any other community in the world, but in their relations with the government they told as many lies; "if a man had told a lie to cheat his neighbour, he would have become an object of hatred and contempt if he had told a lie to save his neighbour's fields from an increase of rent or tax, he would have become an object of esteem and respect." 5 Of the Sûdra inhabitants of Central India Sir John Malcolm likewise observes that "they may be said, in their intercourse with strangers and with officers of government, to evade the truth, and often to assert positive falsehoods"; whereas, “in their intercourse with each other, falsehood is not common, and many (particularly some of the cultivators) are distinguished by their adherence to truth." The ancient Hindus were praised for their veracity and good faith;

1 Wilkins, Modern Hinduism, p. 399 sq.

2 Percival, Land of the Veda, p. 288. 3 Wilkins, op. cit. p. 407 sq. 4 Ibid. p. 400. Caldwell, op. cit. p. 40.

5 Sleeman, op. cit. ii. 123. Cf.

ibid. ii. 118, 129 sq.; Crooke, Tribes and Castes of the NorthWestern Provinces and Oudh, ii. 478 (Hâbûra).

6 Malcolm, Memoir of Central India, ii. 171. Cf. Hislop, op. cit.

p. 1.

4

:

in his History of India, written in the second century of the Christian era, Arrian states that no Indian was ever known to tell an untruth.1 In the sacred books of India truthfulness is highly celebrated. "If veracity and a thousand horse-sacrifices are weighed against each other, it is found that truth ranks even higher than a thousand horse-sacrifices." 2 66 Verily the gods are the truth, and man is the untruth." 8 "There is one law which the gods do keep, namely, the truth. It is through this that their conquest, their glory is unassailable: and so, forsooth, is his conquest, his glory unassailable whosoever, knowing this, speaks the truth." Attendance on, or the worship of, the sacred fire means speaking the truth :-"Whosoever speaks the truth, acts as if he sprinkled that lighted fire with ghee; for even so does he enkindle it and ever the more increases his own vital energy, and day by day does he become better. And whosoever speaks the untruth, acts as if he sprinkled that lighted fire with water; for even so does he enfeeble it: and ever the less becomes his own vital energy, and day by day does he become more wicked. Let him, therefore, speak nothing but the truth." Fearful denunciations are particularly pronounced against those who deliver false testimony in a court of justice. By giving false evidence concerning small cattle, a witness commits the sin of killing ten men; by false evidence concerning cows, horses and men, he commits the sin of killing a hundred, a thousand, and ten thousand men respectively; but by false evidence concerning land, he commits the sin of killing the whole human race. The sin of falsehood thus admits of different degrees according to the magnitude of the injury inflicted by it. Indeed, " in some cases a man who, though knowing the facts to be different, gives such false evidence from a pious motive, does not lose heaven; such evidence they call the speech of the gods."

1 Arrian, Historia Indica, xii. 5.
2 Institutes of Vishnu, viii. 36.
Satapatha-Brâhmana, i. 1. I. 4;

ii. 3. 2. 2.

Ibid. iii. 4. 2. 8. Cf. ibid. i. I. 1

5.

5 Ibid. ii. 2. 2. 19.
6 Laws of Manu, viii. 82.
7 Gautama, xiii. 14 sqq.
8 Laws of Manu, viii, 103.

"8

Moreover, "whenever the death of a Sûdra, of a Vaisya, of a Kshatriya, or of a Brâhmana would be caused by a declaration of the truth, a falsehood may be spoken; for such falsehood is preferable to the truth." According to Buddhist conceptions of lying, "the magnitude of the crime increases in proportion to the value of the article, or the importance of the matter, about which the lie is told." 2 And it is a lesser wrong to lie in self-defence than to lie with a view to procuring an advantage by injuring one's neighbour. Thus, to deny the possession of any article, in order to retain it, is not a lie of a heinous description, whereas to bear false witness in order that the proper owner may be deprived of that which he possesses, is a lie to which a greater degree of culpability is attached. The Buddhist precept of truthfulness is more restricted than that laid down by Brahmanism:-"It is said by the Brahmans that it is not a crime to tell a lie on behalf of the guru, or on account of cattle, or to save the person's own life, or to gain the victory in any contest; but this is contrary to the precept. One of the conditions that make a Buddha is, never, under the influence of desire and other passions, to utter a conscious lie, for the sake of wealth or any other advantage. From the time that Gautama became a Bodhisattva, or claimant for the Buddhaship, through all his births until the attainment of the Buddhaship, he never told a lie; and "it were easier for the sakwala [or system of worlds] to be blown away than for a supreme Buddha to utter an untruth." " His followers are not equally scrupulous. The Buddhists of Ceylon, we are told, lie without compunction, and are not ashamed to be detected in a lie. And religious Mongols "do not hesitate to tell lies even when saying their prayers.

"8

1 Laws of Manu, viii. 104.

"4

2 Hardy, Manual of Budhism, p.

486.

3 Ibid. p. 485.

4 Ibid. p. 486.

5

Jataka Tales, p. 23.

[blocks in formation]
« ¡è͹˹éÒ´Óà¹Ô¹¡ÒõèÍ
 »