Candor 



I am told that those are most successful so- 

 cially who are most cunning at deception ; that 

 they only have troops of friends and always 

 keep them. They are welcome to the posses- 

 sion. It is too great a tax upon time and 

 temper to be forever struggling to conceal the 

 truth. I prefer the owl that I met the other 

 night to the man who owns the woodland tract 

 wherein I met it. Candor is far older than hu- 

 manity, and the race has not gained by persis- 

 tently ignoring its existence. If we are per- 

 mitted to be candid with ourselves, it should not 

 be amiss to be equally so with others. 



Akin to the lack of candor is that misuse of 

 language which carries us away by ringing in 

 our ears high-sounding phrases, and, because 

 the ear is seduced, allowing our sober second- 

 thought to be equally wronged. This effect of 

 words upon our sense of hearing is one worthy 

 of close attention. Music is not confined to the 

 melody that wells up from tuneful throats or 

 responds to the skill of those who have gained 

 mastery over sound-producing instruments. 

 Words may be so spoken, if arranged in cunning 

 order, that the ear is charmed. We are made 

 captive by rhythm and accent — ^by accurately- 



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