The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1872-02-29
HONOR.

~ HONOR
The demand for this article grows less and
less every day. 1t seems to have persisted
for want of proper nourishment to have with
cred with inactivity and have been laid away
on the shelf of the past covered with the dust
Of perjury, crime and all the train that wait
upon the demon Greed. The fact is, it isn't
advertised enough; it isn't fashionable go it
has been superannuated; the resolution Of the
world has carried it from the sight of the pres
ent generation; the progress of Civilization
aud the vast strides of Intellect have thrown
it in their shadows, to be numbered with the
things that are past. 1t might have done
years ago, but is wholly inconsistent with the
present advanced stage of the worlds histo-
ry.
Among the old Scotch Highlanders an
obligation, it mattered not of how great mag
nitude, was recognized only by the verbal
contract of the parties concerned. IF the
vendee died without disclosing the terms Of
the agreement to his family, the simple as
sertion of the vendor was sufficient evideece
Of the debt. The obligation descended to
the inherItors of the dead man and by them
was held sacred trust until discharged
Everything was trusted to honor and nothing
was ever lost. 1t may be claimed by some
that they made a virtue of necessity as
most Of them were ignorant of letters, and
consequently unable to make other than mere
oral contracts Perhaps it is so. God knows
whether the intelligence we boast of is not.
after all, greater evil than good The
same Cadmus that invented letters is said TO
have sown Dragon teeth and reaped an iron
harvest, and the same advancement that holds
US as model to the world brushes out the
the higher and nobler principals that should
govern mankind.
Suppose man wishes to purchase home
for his family, how far do you imagine the bar
gain would progress if the seller knew that the
purchaser was only prepared to give his word of
honor for the payment Of that property Do
you think that sale would be effected? No.
lie must give his note with his signature in
white and black annexed thereto. He must
give uuquestionabIe personal security, and
have the title of his home retained in the
hands Of another man as further guarantee
Tor the payments. Not one cents worth is
trusted to homer. Men would not give the
snap Of their fingers for your word of honor,
an.ess you were prepared to substantiate it by
your sign manual You are not entrusted
even with the possession Of your own bond
You must take it to a lawyer, who is heavily
feed, that he may scrutinize it and cor.
rect any imperfections by which either one
OR the other of the parties can gain an adyau.
tage.
We ask. in all sincerity that if we could
barter our modern enlightenment for the prin
ciplcs Of olden times, would we not be happier
for the exchange? If we could trade our
present corruption for the uuspotted simple.
aty Of the SANITY days of yo.e," would We
got be better off? Yet in spite of this we are
cold that ours is tbs best government the SUI
ever shone upon that we are approaching
nearer and nearer to grand millennium, and
as an evidence OF that progress we are point
ed to the number and magn;Gcence of cur
ehurches,t the eoquence ofour ministers and the
mutitudes Of missionaries that are annually
sent forth to proclaim the christian truths te
TO the benighted heather. They 60 to brush
the dust of idolatry from the minds Of the in
habitants of Africa, and leave the Augean sta
bies of American corruption to take care O
themselves. Such is the advancement We ar,
making to moral crisis. Such is the cours
We are pursuing to the pinnacle of perfection
There are more murders, suicides, forger
les, perurcs, &C., to-day than ever before
and ere long We may expect to see this mora
vineyard Of oars so evergrown with the weed
of vice that the few remaining seeds o
honesty viii! be uprooted and cast aside t,
.wither and perish.
Honor is now considered thing of past
and future generations will look upon the sto
Of its reign as We are wont to read the mrac
ulous exploits of the NEUROLOGICAL Gods, will
admiration and incrediblity.
The Baltimore American says 'san inves
tigation into the conduct of Rev L. D. Hus
ton, late pastor of Trinity Methodist Episco