The Power of Truth THE POWER·OF·TRUTH INDIVIDUAL·PROBLEMS AND·POSSIBILITIES BY WILLIAM·GEORGE·JORDAN NEW YORK BRENTANO'S _Copyright, 1902, by Brentano's_ _Published August, 1902_ _Second Edition, April, 1904_ _Third Edition, February, 1908_ _Fourth Edition, November, 1908_ _Fifth Edition, August, 1911_ _Sixth Edition, February, 1913_ _Seventh Edition, February, 1916_ THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, MASS., U. S. A. Contents _The Power of Truth_ 1 _The Courage to Face Ingratitude_ 23 _People who Live in Air Castles_ 41 _Swords and Scabbards_ 59 _The Conquest of the Preventable_ 75 _The Companionship of Tolerance_ 95 _The Things that Come too Late_ 115 _The Way of the Reformer_ 133 The Power of Truth WILLIAM GEORGE JORDAN The Power of Truth Truth is the rock foundation of every great character. It is loyalty to the right as we see it; it is courageous living of our lives in harmony with our ideals; it is always—power. Truth ever defies full definition. Like electricity it can only be explained by noting its manifestation. It is the compass of the soul, the guardian of conscience, the final touchstone of right. Truth is the revelation of the ideal; but it is also an inspiration to realize that ideal, a constant impulse to live it. Lying is one of the oldest vices in the world—it made its début in the first recorded conversation in history, in a famous interview in the garden of Eden. Lying is the sacrifice of honor to create a wrong impression. It is masquerading in misfit virtues. Truth can stand alone, for it needs no chaperone or escort. Lies are cowardly, fearsome things that must travel in battalions. They are like a lot of drunken men, one vainly seeking to support another. Lying is the partner and accomplice of all the other vices. It is the cancer of moral degeneracy in an individual life.