That the moral sense of the race is against the admissibility of the rightfulness of lying, is shown by the estimate of this sin as a sin in the ethnic conceptions of it, even among peoples who indulge freely in its practice, as well as in the teachings of the sacred books of the ages.  And, moreover, it is not the fact, as is often claimed, that lying is generally admitted to be allowable between enemies in war time, or by a physician to his patient, or by a sane man to one who is insane, or in order to the prevention of crime, or for the purpose of securing some real or supposed advantage in any case.

The right to conceal from the enemy one’s weakness, or one’s plans, by any exhibit of “quaker guns,” or of mock fortifications, or of movements and counter-movements, or of feints of attack, or of surplus watchfires, in time of warfare, is recognized on all sides.  But the right to lie to or to deceive the enemy by sending out a flag of truce, as if in desire for a peaceful conference, and following it up with an attack on his lines in an unsuspecting moment, is not admitted in any theory of “civilized warfare.”  And while a scout may creep within the enemy’s lines, and make observations of the enemy’s weakness and strength of position, without being open to any charge of dishonorable conduct,—­if he comes disguised as a soldier of the other side than his own, or if he claims to be a mere civilian or non-combatant, he is held to be a “spy,” and as such he is denied a soldier’s death, and must yield his life on the gallows as a deceiver and a liar.

The distinction between justifiable concealment for the mere purpose of concealment, and concealment for the express purpose of deceiving, is recognized as clearly in warfare as in peaceful civil life; and the writer on Christian ethics who appeals to the approved practices of warfare in support of the “lie of necessity” can have only the plea of ignorance as an excuse for his baseless argument.

An enemy in warfare has no right to know the details of his opponent’s plans for his overcoming; but his opponent has no right to lie to him, by word or action, as a means of concealment; for a lie is never justifiable, and therefore is never a necessity.  And this is admitted in the customs of honorable warfare.  Illustrations of this distinction are abundant.  A Federal officer, taken prisoner in battle, was brought before a Confederate officer for examination.  He was asked his name, his rank, his regiment, his brigade, his division, and his corps.  To all these questions he gave truthful answers promptly; for the enemy had a right to information at these points concerning a prisoner of war.  But when the question came, “What is the present strength of your corps?” he replied, “Two and a half millions.”  “That cannot be true,” said the Confederate officer.  “Do you expect me to tell you the truth, Colonel, in such a matter?” he responded, in reminder of the fact that it was proper for him to conceal facts which the other had no right to know; and his method of concealment was by an answer that was intended to conceal, but not to deceive.