The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1858-11-20
The Policy Of Honesty.

We sometime hear individuals complain
ithc apparent Successor DISHONESTY. They
point. ont the case of some bold or polished
william. some one who, by tricR. fraud. hy-
pOcriSy. and management. has amassed a
fortune. and Getied the world; and they
murmur at the ways Of Providence. But
this is a mistaken. an unjust. and a short
sighted view. We have no confidence in
the ultimate triumph of roguery or guilt Of
any description. Sooner or later the hour
Of trial and the day of TetTibution Will
.come. II Is not in the nature Ofthings. it
loes not harmonic with the doctrine of
cause and effect and il would he in viola
ton Of our faith in accountabllities, to sup
pose that the fraudulent the base. and the
criminal could. by any possibility escape
an adequate PENALTY. Ii Is true. v some
times happens that an Individual Of this
| class goes on from year to year with appar-
| cnt success. and although he Is known to
| be cheat and a Ewindler. yet he so con
| trirez his plans and his schemes a. to avoid
the direct responsibility. In the end.
| however. rely upon it, he will deceive and
! bctrav even himself The very success OF
his first efforts viii intoNicate and dclude
and thus more and more emboidcnCd. he
| will at last attempt some daring game. be
detected. exposed. and fall never to rise
again. It iSan easy thing for those who
! have lived long. AM have watched the
/ chances and changes of commercial and
! social life TO single out illustrations. The
men whoobtain either position or atfluenco
! by false or fraudulent steps, who deceive
| friends. defraud creditors. disregard truth
and violate honesty. may fluttcr and strut
| for a brief hour. reckless. heartleSs, andre
gardless of the suiicrings they have caused
| to Others: but we repeat. their day OF
! downfall and disgrace must come. Such
a result is inevitable. Honesty, accord
! ing to the old adacc. Is the best policy, and
the truth of this aphorism has again and
| again been fcOnccdcd when the bitter
! fruits of a contrary course have been reali
I zed.
Some years since, a young man Of d
| neighboring city, startcdin business un
! derive favorable auspices, and with q
/ prospect every way desirable. 1t so hap
pened, however. that he was tempted in
| to an enterprise of a character that wa,
not strictly honorable, and he realized il
the course of a few months, a largo sum q
| money. This success bcwildcrcd nav. il
| that he possessed peculiar faculties for spec
! ulation. and without being at all scrupu
| lous. he neglected his regular pursuits, ven
! tucd on Change, and INDUCED largely
and wildly in all the bubbles Of the day
For a few years his gains were immense
But inasmuch as he had forgotten or disrc-
garded the policy Of honesty. and would
! only pavilion he deemed it expedient, hi,
| character soon suffered. and when at last q
reverse came, asitdid come. he found that
he was bankrupt in a double sense, and
| that the would-be millionaire, one who in
his day ofpower, atiluencc, and success, wa,
surrounded by sycophants and fatterers
was i'm his hour Of adversely, not only hope
| lesslv ruined, but utterly despised. He
! then stood before the world. not a. an I'M
| fortunate who had struggled on from day
/ TO day. endeavoring to hc right and to act
| honestly. but as a bold, INSCRIPTIONS. and
Observation-Disclosures who having play
! ed and lost his last stake. was now pointed
| at a. little better than a thief and a swim
| der. And such. we verify believe. is the
! result Of trick. fraud and dishonesty, II
/ the great majority of cases. 1t is. howev
er, no easy thing no triling task, to pursue
the manly. the upright, and the straight
forward course, in every emergency anc
| under aFfT-oumstances. We are all NOR,
or less surrounded by temptations, anC
| thus at times and seasons, in certain mo
ments of trial. and at particular periods, j
requires no little courage to be honest
| The difficulty ofsayingHo has been realize,
| at some period of life byalmost every indi
vidual. Plausible schemes are presented
tempting phns are held up to view for
tunes are promised, dazzling speculation
are painted in vivid colors, and then tn,
credulous. the sanguine, the eager and tn,
excited, are invited to participate. How
many rush in thoughtlessly, and find to,
late. that they have made a fearful mis-
take! How many forget the lessons o
prudence. Of discretion, Of integrity an,
honesty, and take some fatal step which
they never can retrace? How many wan
der from the narrow path into deviou
and untrodden ways, and with too mucl
self-reliance and too little dependence W
on Providence. get lost in some tangle,
labyrinth or intricate maze. from which
they in vain endeavor 10 struggle theirwa
back again! But thedaily and hourly les
sons of life teach US that the TRUE POLICY o
THIS woRIb Is HONESTY. 1t IS the best I
live by and the best to die by. 1t elevate
and adoras the human character Will
here, and L wings the soul with confidenc
and faith, when parting from the body,
enters upon its flight to a better and
brighter world.