The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-03-10
CurlosltIes of Conscience.

Truly, conscience is queer thing.
Existent in some shape, in every human
soul, its operations are as uncertain rs
the wind itself, md, seemingly, far less
subject to law. Ii II IN innate faculty,
or is it merely n product OF education
asks the metaphysician, and straightway
tho whole body Of abstract thinkers is
by the ears, in hopeless effort to solve
the unsolvablc problem. On this ques-
tion hangs good deal of truth doubt
less but it is not with abstraction that
We care to deal. The human conscience
in its actual workings furnishes mys.
terry enough, without going beyond its
outward manifestations. History is
full Of strange doings, resulting solely
from incomprehensible cranks OF mons
consciences. Caesar faltered when
about to invade his country, aghast at
the enormity Of the technical crime lie
was about to commit in merely crossing
the stream which merely bounded his
right. But for his real crimes after he
had crossed, We find no sign OF contri-
ton in any act or word of his. Henry
VIII sought the Pope's pardon in ad-
vance, when ho wished to contract n
marriage forbidden by the canon, but
he had no Qualms Of conscience at
spuining thepapacy when ho wanted to
dissolve the marriage in question. Our
own Puritan forefathers dared many
dangers, and endured many hardships,
for the sake Of freedom ofconscience,
and straightway proceeded to persecute
Quakers and B6ptists who claimed o
like freedom.
WO have outgrown many OF these old
errors, but our conscicnces are queer
things still. Straining Mt gnOt and
swallowing camel, is as true story
now as it was eighteen centuries ago.
Almost every profession has ten
dency to work pattern Of its own into
its followers consciences md so We
find men everywhere disposed to coh-
done certain sins in people of their own
cloth, which arc quito rs bad rs other
lApses from morality for which they
have no liberation. We once heard M
eminent lawyer say, that in his pro-
fession there is especial pcril-that the
necessity under which every attorney
constantly labors Of drawing nice dis
tinctions between his own and his
clients's responsibility for questionable
proceedings, and that, too, with the
weight Of his own pecuniary interest
constantly upon tho wrong side, de-
velops, in many cases, what is termed
tho +" legal conscience" with which
everybody is familiar. Tleologians tell
us that they find it necessary to guard
themselves constantly against the for
nation Of ecclesiastical consciences,"
which shall mike n juggling with words
stand for right thinking, to the dotri-
ment OF tho moral sense. So subtle
is casuistry in morals, and so strong is
the instinct Of self-preservation in all
organizations, that the clergyman's dam
ger in this respect in peculiarly great,
and tho only wonder is that so few
ministers succumb to it.
But most tempted OF nil, perhaps, is
the merchant and while there aro I'm.
doubtedly sound consciences in many
counting-rooms, 1t can not be denied
that mercantile morals are often at ebb.
tide. The apparent difficulty OF COM
peting, by strictly fair means, with mon
who arc not very scrlpulous, and the
extreme ease with which unfair ndvan.
tagcs may be taken in commercial mat
tiers, makes the merchants conscience q
perpetually besieged castle, unless, in
deed, it surrenders at discretion, and
adopts the code Of its conquerors.
We once knew n merchant, plain,
blunt man, who would say Of mn article
which n customer was about to buy,
at is not worth the money, sir. 1t
looks pretty well on the outside, but it
has several concealed defects. I can't
sell it for less, and liave nothing bet
ter to offer you, but my advice Is not
to buy 1t. Mr.. Y, on tho next block,
has something very much better ut the
same price" Now, all this was simply
what honesty dictated, and yet, SO rare
is this sort Of honesty, this old NOR
chant was known far and wide ms
"queer old s." aud there was not q
few people who thought him crazy.