Some good advice we seem to have forgotten

Samuel Johnson was telling his friend Boswell that he (Johnson) would not allow his servants to say he was not at home when he really was. While he was speaking of Servants, this applies just as much--if not moreso--to children:

"A servant's strict regard for the truth must be weakened by such a practice. A philosopher may know it is merely a form of denial; but few servants are such nice distinguishers. If I accustom a servant to tell a lie for me, have I not reason to apprehend that he will tell many lies for himself."

It bothers me to no end when I see parents ask their children to cover/excuse/fib/lie for them. Take away a person's circumstances, everything a person has, everything a person has done, and all a person has left is their word and their name. Break the one, and the other is unavoidably sullied.