Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1863-07-21
DOn't Steal.

DuS tnoIo 10 psIuclpI0 WDlc0 every
man should bind upon his conduct and
| overwhelmingly, that he will not know
ingly seek aDOther's wealth without giving
or ProHering, real equitable equivalent
for it.
Let US take instances.
Simple and innocent parties are sre-
queDtly taken in with regard to properties
of which they do not and cannot know the
value. They are irequentlyand 6eliber-.
| ately taken in by persons who profess to
be under tine general control of Christian
principles; these persons knowing that the
innocent parties are acting to their dam>
| age. Imagine the case of o woman that
has Inherited from some distant relation a
property comprising a mansion, with a
library OF old books, and quantity of rare
pictures. There is in the library a copy
OF book that antiquarisns have sought
Tor IN vain, and that, it properly advertz-
ed for sale, would bring twenty-five or
thirty doilars-a little old, musty bouk
that does cot look tit for anything except
to light the fire with; and yet, a book SO
rare aud so much desired by certain
class in the community, that for fifty
years it will bring increasing and fabulous
sums. But collector of books knows its
value; and having wormed himself into
the confidence of the woman, he taxes it
up, al says
Here's a small, worn out book that |
suppose will be Of no use to you; if YOU
would like to get it off your hands, will
give q shilling tor it,
She, knowing nothing of its value, in
her simplicity. says, Certainly, take
it
lie gives his shilling, and walks off with
that which Is worth thousand shillings to
him, and would be to her If she was in
possession of knowledge of the market
Has rot that man coveted? He is guilty
of COVetousness that comes so near to
stealing, that If it is not stealing, it has
rubbed against it, and taken some If its
color
There hangs. also, in that mansion, an
Old, smoked picture, and the woman looks
upon it and sees only a dark. iDdstinct
head. 1t IS worth one or two thousand
dollars, but to her it seems to DC worth
| nothing. a cOnnoisseur comes in. He is
! an elder in the church. He is a prosper
Gus man. lie has Travelled. He under
stands thing OF two about art. The mo-
ment he sees the picture, be says, That
something Stealing up TO it uno5served,
the paint is laid on, and takes a general
view OF it, and says to himself I'm pretty
sure that that's an original But be
keeps his own counsel. and says to the wO-
man, What is this picture
Il do not know she says; it is an
old painting; very likely it is some old por-
trait
1t is Of no great value to you, 1 pre-
sume?
oh, no.
1T looks very much like picture of my
| grandfather; | should be pleased to own it;
would be willing to give five dollars for
| it,
Five dollars to one like this woman
seems great deal for piece of old good
| for nothing canvas, and she accepts the
| offer. Sn he gives her five dulars-per
haps, in fit of generosity, ten dollars
and takes the picture away. And be feels
| so pleased that be can scarcely touch the
! ground as be walks. A two Thousand dol
lar picture for only ten dollars! lie can
never get over the exquisite favor of hav-
ing made such a bargain. He will repeat
the story of it as long as he lives.
Well, now, he etole that picture. /
should respect a thief that got in through
the window at night, and fumbled around
Bnd discovered picture and carried it of,
| and sold it to give bread to his starving
children, over q man that, knowing what
the picture was, figured to obtain it at a
| fraction Of its value, and took advantage
of the ignorance and ineperience of the
owner to put paltry price upon it. And
| yet, how many pertOns there are in society
that exVnisitely feel the zest of getting a
thing below what it is worth because the
person having it is ignorant and inexperi-
eDced. How many Of us experience that
feeling in some of it's forms?