Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1857-12-01
jFroinitLo IN. o. donrlnerclal DjiilIiiM
THE I.iSSH1, -u,I4ING!a n

e.o' THE ItICSBT e1'I1ING!i 81"
\ To do the right. thiHg or not ton 1t,
that is the question with many. and upon
its decisiom what ;weighty, results to him
who entertains the question, hangi
We believe il is Caleb Gushing, who in
one Of His Clever volumes of travels in
Spain, observest tia no thing has been more
|Idiscussed, than the questi3uJ "What are
the duties of a good cisizen2i, though at
first blush nothing would seem to be more
easily ans wered. But however perplexed
~ good citizen, sincerely de sirous of doing
right, may occasionally feel; when placed
in peculiar circumstances ,'and acting in
public capacity, there can scarcely ever
raise a doubt III the mind Of an honest man
IwIiat'course hd oughtEo pursue in every
Ipriyate trapsactiomn Ifhe possess stamina
enough to ignore. every cqpsil Iteration iex
cept the single and simple one of right,
how easy ogknow exactly what he ought
to do in every given case! To the ques-
ton, els this right?'' the monitor within.
iffuliy permitted to answer, returns no
Delphic response. True as the needle to
the pole, unless it's powers have been
crushed and its voice s.ided, it gives the
unerring, the truthful reply. But what
an effort is sometimes Necessary in order
togive conscience free play, fultliberty to
speak candidly, boldly, to tell the exact,
the whole truth! When subjected 20
strong temptation, when interest, pride,
fashion, public opinion, passion, the influ-
ence Of great names or Of friends, singly
or in battafiohs, bear down upon the mind
ihatn soitude is revolving lhe question
whether to stand upon the high and soli-
tary rock Of right, or, when ithas the pow
er, to sink into'the deep abyss of wrong,
how severe and desperate is the struggle!
1t is then that the MIN is tested, it is then
shown ofwhat stuff he is made. One who
can conquer the host of moral vampires
that beset him upon such an occasion is a
true hero; and the world however bad it
may be, involun;arily rises up to do him
Honor. "' s-
Fortunately for. the welfare OF society in
general, and commercial communities in
particular, the right thing is in the end the
best thing for the individual in any case,
and in every case; though it must be con
ttssed that mdTtitude8 in the world are
slow to find it ont, or to give it the full
theoretical and practical ;assentao of their
Judgments; and this, notwiths landing the
nnumerable illustrations the truth has re-
ceired under all conceivable circumstances
and by every description of character. 1t
has been literally burnt into the flesho Of the
Thief and the robber j has PRESSED itself
around the limbs of .convints in the peni-
tertiary, 1t has with awful and tremulous
emphasis, spoken from the gallows. 1t
has penetrated the brain of many vic. i'm,
self-immolatedi upon the al ar of reinorse,
regret, shame and despair. - 1t has been
felt in wasted and diseased bodies, shatter-
I,J ,,I IL
laugh and the maniac's shrek, have alike
proclaimed it. Yet with this truth, that
the right thing iS,iu the end the bcst. hing,
thus enforced byall the powers of nature,
which seem ever to unite to affirm it; thus
written as with pens of fire upon the ever
lasting adalnant, men appear not TO be
convinced oft. In their individual cases,
they think the result wlvbe different
They can tarnisa their honor, they can do
violence to the voice within, and IN their
case-especialIy since no one will know
I.itlLthe pe,ialty viii not follow! Strange
intatuatioil just as though, for, their
especal benefit, the inexorable laws of
. ed! AS though miracle were going to
be performed to shield them from the con
! sequences of their own acts: .' f#
ni' Let us give case nrpont--renarkable
case it may perhaps be teimed-which has
occurred IN Philadelphia. The Baltimore
Patriot some weeks sluee informed us that
; a man who has for 81 years passed for a
gentlemen of undoubted character, who
has been highly esteemed for his Business
talent and correct department and princi-
Plies, has just been detected or charged
) with using the money and credit of the in
cfii in, NO IL al ! lar
control for that long period, to the amount
of eighty eight thousand dollars. So pro-
loundly secret were his methods of en-
bezzlement that he doubtless felt perfectly,
absolutely certain that his WRONG doing
: would aerer find him out, would never be
q u made public. The inevitable fate, though
d unusually long delayed, has at last come
i with crushing power. We believe that in
$ everg instance where u man fails to do the
: right thing he thinks that he shall never
) be detected, because il is almost absolutely
} certain that if he felt sure that he would be
exposed, even at a late day, he would shrinl
from the performance of the wrong act. l
; is his conviction Of safety through secresl
y that is the turning point wjihr hlm. 81 ~
II we think it beyond; all doubt that ther
e never WAS dishonorable ,act-by whicl
y we mean a wrong one-which has not ii
y some form at some day recoiled upon tn
= perpetrator. n" -"' "' ''i.. '.. i
- frIn times Of excitement, when oppoFtuni
= ties may occur to. tempt men To swerv
> from the path of true reetitude, we thin
it not inappropriate TO recur to CONSIDERS
tions like the foregoing. Ore wrong at
a land the man, who moment before stoo
s. proudly erect, looking tlie world, no matte
K 9@Fat misfortunes may have come upon {
a be in store for him, boldly in the face. j
rs hpn,bled in the dust and a shrinkim
ne coward in his own estimation, even if Il
st other human being in the widewori
knows his guilt. He may continue to a,