The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1862-03-28
Mlistellalleous.
Practical Christianity.
by HENRY WARD BEEcuER.

The man who steals penny is just rs great
tran,grcssor against the purity Of his own
conscience, us II he stole million dollars.
When man makes up his mind that he will
be Thoroughbred villain, and steal like y
cashier, he docs not do himself any more
damage. In bis moral sense, than when he
says. Il will filch a penny To steal largo
sums damages the Bank, damages the COM
mercial interest Of the community. These
things 80 by the ratio Of quantity; but 90
far as moral deterioration Is concerned, the
moment man says, Il will do wrong the
damage is done; the glass Is broken; tho
mirror is defaced; the conscience Is soilcd.
Tie cannot do more II he says, Il will do .
double wrong or triple wrong And
there is tho great mischief Of It. There Is
an impression that the culpability Of things
bears some proportion to their magnitude
To steal an apple Is not much. In stealing
it, you do not get much but you get all tho
damage that you would IL II was golden
apple. To betray asmall trust has the sams
moral effect as to betray large ono.
Do you stand at bank-;ounter and pro-
sent check for thousand dollau? and
does the man behind the counter, In his
haste, hand you eleven hundred dollanI and
do you walk away. saying. 1T 10 his business
to take care Of hm Affairs: I will take care
of u,insT You are thief. Tho law 10,
that no man shall take o thing without rem
dering an equivalent, and the law you have
violated. If that man blunden In finance,
It 10 no reason why you should steal. And
yet how many men are there that, II they
were to take thousand, hundred, or ten,
or Eve dollars too much, would think Of TO-
turning III You say that corporations have
no SOULS. You will not have any that is
worth anything long. II you pursue such .
course. It Is . question to bc settled, not On
that side Of the counter, but on this side.
How many men are there that, when look.
ing over the money thas thoy have received
during she day. zee bill that appears like .
counterfeit bill, do not like TO look at it
again, and thrust II into tho drawerf You
have taken circuitous way 70 mako your.
self scoundrsl. You saw II sufficiently to
produce the conviction on your mind that u
was counterfeit; and the moral eject OF
passing It is the same as though you knew is
to be counterfeit. Or do you take 10 up and
say. We'll, somebody has passed Il on to mo.
aud havo q right to shove It slongr Why,
you are q counterfsiter. ! tell you, my,
friend, Il only requires the opportunity to
lead you to forge biIls and put them on other
men. Do you protest and say, do you az.
pcc, that mn going to loose tho moneyr-
/. Is choice between losing the money ssd
your conscience. I do not know what per.
son would not do who Is willing to throw his
manhood away for the sake Of . littlsmonsy.
And IL yoa are going to sell yourself. do not
do Il for Q dollar.bill, or fvs dollar b,ll-
though think you would give enough for
youpelf even ct such price.
do not know Of any buyer that psys such
prices a. the devil pays when bs bays men.
Hero 10 man that sslls himsslf 'or soous
oue-sishth ofs pound Of ooSss' hs sslls
himself to every customer sh.s comes In. ne
.Su,,,,o,.. He psspars hs commodity