It only needs that this rational spirit should ally itself with higher sentiment and deeper insight in order that it should become a source of virtue.
I will not here inquire minutely how far or in what sense honesty is the best policy， but it is safe to say that the more life is organized upon a basis of freedom and justice the more truth there is in the proverb.
When the general state of things is anarchical， as in the time of Macchiavelli， rationalism may lead to the cynical use of falsehood as the tool suited to the material； nor is it deniable that this is often the case at the present day.But modern democracy aims to organize justice， and in so far as it succeeds it creates a medium in which truth tends to survive and falsehood to perish.We all wish to live in such a medium： there is nothing more grateful than the conviction that the order of things is sincere， is founded on reality of some sort； and in a good measure the American， for instance， does have this conviction.It makes democracy a soft couch for the soul： one can let himself go and does not have to make believe； presence is no part of the system； be your real self and you will find your right place."I know how the great basement of all power Is frankness， and a true tongue to the world；And how intriguing secrecy is proof Of fear and weakness， and a hollow state." An artificial system must maintain itself by suppressing the free play of social forces and inculcating its own artificial ideas in place of those derived from experience.Free association， free speech， free thinking， in so far as they touch upon matters vital to authority， are and always have been put down under such systems， and this means that the whole mind of the people is emasculated， as the mind of Italy was by Spanish rule and religious reaction in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries."Oriental mendacity" is ascribed to the insecurity of life and property under arbitrary rule； but it is not merely life and property that are affected.The very idea of truth and reason in human affairs can hardly prevail under a system which affords no observation to corroborate it.The fact that in diplomacy， for instance， there is a growing belief that it pays to be simple and honest， I take to be a reflection of the fact that the international system， based more and more on intelligent public opinion， is gradually coming to be a medium in which truth is fit to live.
Perhaps something of this hostility to truth will linger in all establishments， however they may be humanized： they all involve a kind of vested interest in certain ideas which is not favorable to entire frankness.It sometimes appears that one who would be quite honest and stand for human nature should avoid not only religious， political and educational allegiance， but law， journalism， and all positions where one has to speak as part of an institution.
As a rule the great seers and thinkers have stood as much aside from institutions as the nature of the human mind permits.
Still another reason for the keener sense of truth in our day is the need to economize attention.In societies where life is dull， fiction， circumlocution and elaborate forms of intercourse serve as a sort of pastime；and the first arouses no resentment unless some definite injury is attempted by it.Although the Chinese are upright in keeping their pecuniary engagements， we are told that mere truth is not valued by them， and is not inculcated by their classic moralists.So in Italy the people seem to think that a courteous and encouraging lie is kinder than the bare truth， as when a man will pretend to give you information when he knows nothing about the matter.A strenuous civilization like ours makes one intolerant of all this.It is not that we are always hurried； but we are so often made to feel the limitations of our attention that we dislike to waste it.Thought is life， and we wish to get the most reality for a given outlay of it that is to be had.We wish to come at once to the Real Thing， whether it be a business proposition or the most subtle theory.
Another sentiment favored by the times is social courage and hopefulness， a disposition to push forward with confidence regarding the future both of the individual and of society at large.That this attitude is the prevalent one， in American democracy at least， nearly all observers are agreed."Let any one，" says Dr.Lyman Abbott， " stand on one of our great highways and watch the countenances of the passers-by； the language written on most of them is that of eagerness， ambition， expectation， hope." There is something ruthless about this headlong optimism， which is apt to deny and neglect failure and despair， as certain religious sects of the day deny and neglect physical injury； but it answers its purpose of sustaining the combatants.It springs from a condition in which the individual， not supported in any one place by a rigid system， is impelled from childhood to trust himself to the common current of life， to make experiments， to acquire a habit of venture and a working knowledge of social forces.The state of things instigates endeavor， and， as a rule， rewards it sufficiently to keep up one's courage， while occasional failure at least takes away that vague dread of the unknown which is often worse than the reality.
Life is natural and vivid， not the wax-works of an artificial order， and has that enlivening effect that comes from being thrown back upon human nature.A real pessimism梠ne which despairs of the general trend of things梚s rare and without much influence， even the revolutionary sects maintaining that the changes they desire are in the line of a natural evolution.Discontent is affirmative and constructive rather than stagnant：
it works out programmes and hopefully agitates for their realization.There is a kind of piety and trust in God to be seen in the confidence with which small bodies of men anticipate the success of principles they believe to be right.
Endnotes Bagehot's phrase.See his Physics and Politics.See James Bryce， The American Commonwealth， chap.87.Ephesians， iv， 25.In Shaler's United States， ii， 594.