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Boy: Father, what are white lies?
Father: There is no such thing. A lie is always black and wicked.
Boy: But, father, I have heard people talk about white lies, too.
Father: When your cousin had his friends visit last week, he told us he had a large party. It wasn't so. He said it was only a white lie.
Boy: Then what is a lie?
Father: A false statement intended to deceive.
Boy: Shall we ever lie for good?
Father: Never try to soothe your conscience with such mistaken ideas as that the magnitude or importance of a lie makes any difference in its guilt. A half lie or quarter lie is as bad as a whole one; remember that!
Boy: But, father, many people who would not tell a deliberate falsehood, will twist the truth or evade it to deceive a little bit. Isn't that okay?
Father: That is just as bad. It is cowardly.
Boy: If a boy does anything wrong intentionally or accidentally, through carelessness perhaps or because he was ignorant of the consequences of his fault...what if he then tries to shuffle out of his scrape by evasion or deceit?
Father: He is guilty of falsehood as if he made a direct denial of his guilt. He doubles the burden on his conscience by adding to his first fault the sin of lying.
Boy: But our teacher is so strict that we find a way to lie to avoid his wrath. Would he be less strict if he found he wasn't deceived and we told the truth?
Father: The penalty is greater as well as the sin!
Boy: Some of the boys look mean enough when they are caught in an untruth.
Father: Exaggerations, stories made up about people, little incidents magnified to great events, white lies?
Boy: Is there no in-between a truth and a lie?
Father: No, son. When the line is passed by even a hair's breadth that divides truth from falsehood, there is no shading of difference in the grades of that falsehood. What is not true is false, and a lie is alie, be it big or little, important or trivial.
Boy: But, father, you would not like to say that a person who simply exaggerates is a liar?
Father: Yes; such is the truth. A person who habitually indulges in exaggeration or story-telling is mean and worthless, despicable both to his fellow-men and in the eyes of his Maker.
Boy: I have noticed, too, father, when someone passes the barrier of truth, that they keep adding lie to lie, till they are so entangled that they must be detected!
Father: It is certainly much easier to speak the truth than to invent even the most plausible falsehood. Strive, son, always to guard against the least deviation from the exact truth. Nothing is more beautiful than a truthful boy, and you will find no one more respected.
Boy: I will try, father, and make you proud of me.
Father: Yes - be truthful, candid and above deceit. Never try to palliate falsehood by thinking it is not so bad as it might be. All lies are alike; and above all recollect that in the sight of God there are no white lies!
Boy: Father, one last question. Do YOU lie?
Father: {His face turned a pale white! He did not answer, but fell completely silent}.
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THE END
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