p. 11 | EXAGGERATIONS

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 3, 1879

EXAGGERATIONS

One morning as we sat at our breakfast-table the conversation turned on strict truthfulness of statement; and as the discussion grew more and more lively, it was finally proposed by one member of the family that we should all pledge ourselves to the sternest veracity of speech for that day, and see what would come of it. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously, and as a first-fruit of the resolve we asked the one who had suggested it, “What made you so late at breakfast this morning?”

She hesitated, began with, “Because I couldn’t”—and then, true to her compact, said: “The truth is, I was lazy and didn’t hurry, or I might have been down long ago.” Presently another one remarked that she had been very cold, adding, “I never was so cold in all my life.” An inquiring look caused the last speaker to modify this statement instantly, with, “Oh, I don’t mean that, of course, I’ve been much colder many times, and I don’t think it was so cold after all.”

A third remark to the effect that “Miss So-and-so was the homeliest girl in the city,” was recalled as soon as made, the speaker being compelled to own that Miss So-and-so was only rather plain, instead of excessively homely.

So it went on throughout the day, causing much merriment, which was good-naturedly accepted by the subjects, and giving rise to constant corrections in the interest of truth. One thing became more and more surprising, however, to each one of us, and that was the amount of cutting down which our most careless statements demanded under this new rule.

More and more we realized the unconscious exaggeration of our daily speech, and the distance between it and truth, and each one acknowledged at the close of the day that the lesson had been salutary as well as startling.

Such a day may be of service in more ways than one, since it enforces good humor as well as strict truthfulness.—Intelligencer.