Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1841-06-02
M l S C E L L A N Y .
From the N. Y. Observer.
HONESTY IN SMALL THINGS.
A Chapter on stealing thoughts.


A few months ago, ventured some re-
marks on the immortality of neglecting, in
certain cases, to pay postage. | observe
that many of the religious papers have
copied the article, and if it has affected
other peoples correspondents, as it has
mine, it has done good. There is anoth-
er species of dishonesty, so common and
so wicked, that am strongly tempted to
make it theme for some structures. If
my remarks should End a place in a
newspaper, they will reach the guilty,
and perhaps lead to reform.
Is it not general impression that man
may have property in every thing but his
thoughts? If he buys farm, his neigh
bors are willing to let him alone in its un-
disturbed possession; and wien "by the
sweat of his brow he has, under Proyi-
dence, brought the fruits Of the earth to
perfection, no honest man thinks of de-
spelling him of their enjoyment None
but :. thieves and robbers" would convert
his fruit to their use, without his full and
free consent. But let man, by harder
sweat and more wear and tear ofsoul and
body, bring to perfection the fruits Of years
of mental labor; let him make book, all
his own. and how many good men have
no scruples that restrain them from Law
ing piratical hands upon it forthwith. The
better the book is, 1.-THE more original and
therefore sacred, the greater the avidity
with which literary harpies seize upon it.
have often been surprised at the want
of principle which otherwise exemplary
men discover on this subject Not many
years ago, was sitting in pulpit from
which ain ardent reUiU1list" was preach.
ing with tremendous power. The bril-
liancy of his thoughts, the beauty of his
figures, the chastened yet glowing style oil
his discourse, struck me as unusual in an
ertempore speaker. My admiration grew
apace; and | could not forbear penciling
on an old letter in my pocket, some ofthe
finest passages, as they giowed in rich
luxuriance along his path of light. The
next day, one of my elders, an unlettered
but observant man, whispered 10 my cal
| that Mr.. -- was preaching Dr. Paw
sons sermons! procured the volume
containing some of the select discourses O
that distinguished man, and true enough
there was the sermon, "sins seen in The
light of Gods countenance," word fol
word, as | herd it from the pulpit. sa,
lit was the same. but have no other evi
dence than the identity of the passages
wrote down at the time, and clear recol
lection of every thought and form of ex
preston, when read the one and recall
ca the other. Perhaps this would no
satisfy others of the mans thiecery, but
nave not shadow of doubt that he rob
oea the dead inthe house of God.
such unblushing plagiarism is, in thi.
country, extremely rare. Ii is not so rare
however. for ministers to make nse tor
free for their own healer's good If Is,
skeletons or plans and leading thouob,s :
dead men; hoping to invest them will
new life when their own embeIlishmen,
are added. But as DIR. B. remarked =
his class, "a man who will steal bones. vii
steal meat" and so It ofen happens, tina
having borrowed a plan (who ever expects
to return borrowed skeleton ~ theythinl
i just as well to take little more !; OF