Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1855-01-25
CnARAcrEII.R.
FaE PESA TT oF rs lpss

5is THE PENA tTY Of rs Less
I a trial took glste some time since ID q
neighbofing cit5 III whidi an uaivid, 81 VS.
charged with ssgioes fraud 4hs testimony
! against him was stFong Int iiswks rot ebas
elusive, and the fa4t tat lie HAD IN 10 that
/ time. borne IN irFepraaebagse CHARACTER.
exercise ! 10 inueh i1aasass npeA The ai4es
ofths jury, that ! Esfdlct If seaaittsl was
rendered The DECISION, Is it seems to is,
! vas right lsnaPr the circumstances Unsul-
he'd character IN such ease should exs rdise.
dun inaaenc1 III should presect against 40
just Suspicion, audi constitute 8 palladium
/ aud safeguard in3the hour If difficulty and
danger. a few years go, and during the
existence cfa moustAry crisis. q citizen Of
New York waited upon Gus az tie Banks
and asked nssistanes The limes werestigbta,
i 10 tho language III The asy. aud Ience Lesi.
tati0nswas manifested. But the case vas
/ pressing and ii IN = - s..sle remark. the
applicant said that ne 'haE been fort5 wears
engaged IA business, hail never yet been
| charged witA asdislsonorahIs transaction, and
had never failed ID pgke his obligation good
The Bank officer paused q moment longer,
acknowledged the truth of what had been
said, and then conceded that such plea
was irresstablef The loan vas secured,
business affairs frightened soon after, and
I all went merry as a. marriage bell In this
case, as in the fornar, character was depend
cd upon as last resort. aud it did not fail
10 the hour Of emefEeucy. Doubtless there
areslnany readers who could cite similar in.
stances, and hence as a general rule the
priceless value Of character /.
On the other hand, how numerous are tie
ases IA which theE tricky the merceuafy
the plausible end the uppriaeipleh, find that
they have lived bntEto little purpose, that the
/ gniie and Hypocrisy which theyL supposed
had fully concealed their principles from the
world, were see through as hollow mask,
and ALI the defornity beneath was made lis.
tinct and appareht4 How often 10 the hour
Of diversity, do the base by nature, the sci
fish II disposition, and the niggardIy in spir.
II, discover that they are without character,
and that falsehool md evil will not serve
their purpose in The hour Of peril An i'm
stance Of this kind recently passed under
our observation An individual who had ac.
cumllated considefable property BY trick
and management, who was regarded as
smart ia business affairs, who cared batliG-
tie FIR the alazns 81 flat the End was accom-.
plished, and who thus was disfrusted US wen
al despisedr suddenly discovered that he lad
yentured too far inEthe field OF speculation,
and that unless d sisted he mustbs destroy.
led. He called FIRST upon one acquaiatabce
and thehlupon another, tried one expedient
and then Another, tesorted to every device 1
in BIS poEer, but ait in vain. The fact was,
.ha had impaired bis character, and no one
would trust him. He had been guilty. Of
dishonorahle practices, had violated his word
repeatedly before, and the penalty was doubt,
discfedit, aud ii tile end inter bankruptcy.
He, IN fact, had oYerreaehed himself His
HtIla schemes Of lIanY had suereeded. and
So shHsuecess oaRY Behpted altn on From stop
to step. until at last he found himself beyond
bis depth, and then desertsa, because no one
dould orEwopldrel5 upon hiSn:
VIE have somewhere read story Of /
young man, who was arrested and tried for
murder, and against whom the circnmstan-
tial evidence was very strong, but who was
sayed at last Blythe testimony Of his school
master He had BEEN good boy, ever
truthful, trustworthy and reliable and the
Jury could not bolievo that enc whose early
years were SD bright and unsullied could 50
soon after attaining The age Of manhood
sink into gqiltand prime .Train:up clild
in the way he,E should 60 and when be is pld
he will.not depart from it. is. an aaage fall
of practical Wisdom The importance Of
eharacterin every relation e& life, can scarce
~ be conceived by the. hasty and the incpn
siderate, Nothing should be guarded with
more care; or watched with more unsleepipg
vigilance Tie lynhng cannot heeeme too
earnestly impressed with these truths. Let>
them start in life VIII an unsallied name,
and an irreproachAble, character, ard the
prospect before them will be full Of promise
But Jet them pursue another course, and al
the beginning Fbllute theit lips with
fAsetood, and darken their fair fame with
disffonor. and they4 will thereafter toll on
with difficulty, for fhe ghosts Of their early
nlisd9ings will TRACK them step by step, and
whisper bitter and hooking memories of
theirfearly career. nthe hour Of trial, too,
there will be few To stand by them, for be
who tecklessly and wantonly sports with bis
own character, strikes at and destroys bis
best friend rs