Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-01-10
CHI A II A G Err.

THE P PEhALTY OF rTs LOSS.
"Good name, in man or woman, dear my lord
Is the immediate jewel of their souls"
a trial took place some time since in
neighborIng city, in which an Individual
was charged with a serious frauI. The
testimony against him was strong, but il
was not conclusive, and the fact that he
had, up to that time, borne an irreproach-
able CHARACTER, exercised so much influ-
ence upon the minds Of the jury that a YER
dict OF acQuittal was rendered. The deci
sion, as it seems to US, was right under the
circumstances. Unsulied character in
such a case should exercise due influence
1t should protect against unjust suspicion,
and constitute a palladium and Il safe
guard in the hour Of difficulty and Of dan
ger. A few years ago, and during the
monetary crisis, a citizen of New York
waited upon one OF the Banks and asked
assistance. The times were tight, in the
language Of the day, and hence hesitation
wa. manifested. But the case was press
ing. and in reply to some remark, the ap-
plIcanL sail that he had been forty years
engaged in business, had never vet been
charged with II dishonorable transaction,
and had never tu:Icd 10 make his obliga
tions good The Bank officer paused a
moment longer, acknowledged tic truth
Of what had been said, and then conceded
that such a plea was irresisIibIe.' The
loan was secured, business affairs bright
ened soon after, and all went merry as a
marriage bell. In this case, as in the for
mer, character was depended upon as Il
last resort, and it did not fail in the hour
Il, Il. a.
readers who could cite similar instances.
and hence, as general rule, the priceless
value OF character.
On the other hand, how numerous are
the cases in which the tricky, the merce
nary, the plausible and the unprincipled,
find that they have lived bat to liLtlc pur
pose; thai The guile and hypocrisy which
they supp oscI had fully concealed their
principles from the world, were seen as
through hollow mask. and Rll the Lctor
nifty beneath was made distinct and ap-
parent. How often in the hour OF adver-
sity, do the base by nature, the selfish in
disposition. and the niggard!y i'll spirit,
discover that they are without character,
and that falaehood and evil will not serve
their purpose in the hour Of peril. An
instance Of this kind recently passed un.
der our observation.
An individual who had accumulated
considerable property BY trick and man
agement, who was regarded as smart in
business atf.irs, who cared but llLlle for
the mans SO that the end WAS accomplish
ed, and who thus was disLrusted as we'll
as despised, suddenly discovered that he
had ventured too far in the field of ; pee
n1otiO0 o01 I,otV V0locC orCi.tnI En
be- destroyed, He called first upon one
acquaintance and then upon another, tried
one cxpedient and then another, resorled
to every device in his power, but all in
vain. The fact was, he had impaired his
character, and no one would trust him.
lie had bceD guilty Of dishonorabto prac
tees, had violated his word repeatedly
before, and the penalty Was doubt, dis
credit, aa1 in the end, utter bankruptcy.
He, in fact, had overreached himself. -
His little schemes of vilany had succeed
ed, and such success only tempted him on
from step to step. until at last, he found
himself beyond his depth. and then de-
serted, because no one could or would re
Jy upon him.
We have some where read q story of q
young man who was arrested and tried
for murder, and against whom the cir
oumstantial evidence was very strong, but
TTho was saved at lastby the testimony o
Ais school master. He had been rood
boy, ever truthful, trust worthy and reli
able and the jury could not believe thai
one whose early years were so bright and
hnsuled, could SO soon after attaining the
age Of manhood. sink into guilt and crime
'"fra!n up child in the way he should
go. and when he is old he will not depart
iron II" is an adngc full of practical wis
dom.
The Importance of character in every
relation OF life. can scarcely be conceived
by the hasty aad ipcoasiderate. Nothinu
should be guarded with more care. OF
Watched W. with more unsleepiug vigilance
Inc young cannot become too earnestly
Impressed with these truths. Let tboT1
start in life with an unsullied name Ind
an lrreproaehable character, and tho ,roe,
pect before them will be full of promiSo
put let them pursue another course and
AZ the beginning pollute their lips will
ialsehood, and dArkeE their fair fame VII
dishonor, and thereafter thew toll ~ r,:,1
.dithculty-for the ghost of their early MI
'doIngs Will track them step by ste6. anr
whisper bltetr and mockin~ memor;ec -
their early career. In the hour of ,r;oI
too, there will be few to stand bv ,hana
for he who recklessly and wantonly snor,
with his own character, strikes at .n5 \ -
stroys his best friend. ~