The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1876-09-19

Like me go striving, unresisting STILL
- --Elsabett Stuart Phelps.
/ @ @ Selfrf- Story.
THE ACCUSED CLERK.
+ CO. 4t
BYsYLvANUs COBB, JR,
! spent an evening with Mr.. Lawson !;
and after tea the conversation turned
upon the subject of honesty, as applied
to business. advanced the idea that
some merchants made their stores
schools OF dishonesty. They taught the
clerks all the tricks of trade for their
own benefit; and the clerks thus educa
ted would, in after times, practice those
same. tricks for themselves. Mr. Law.
son admitted the truth Of the assertion; !;
ard then, with q smile, assured me that
he could not plead guilty to the charge
4 f"But,' said he, 81 have committed er-
rors in business; and | have committed
errors in my judgment upon my fellows
When I was young was taught to look
upon all species of dishonesty with a
feeling of horror, and / grew upato man.
hood with that same feeling in possess
ion of me- / do not believe that q real
virtue can be carried too far; but be-
lieve that any line Of conduct may be
carried so far as to cease to be virtue
| can look back now and see that, in my
extreme ideas of rigid honesty, became
self righteous and nhtorgiving, In short,
l forgot greatest of the heavenly
graces-CHAMrY.
"Let me tell you little story. 1t has
not so much to do with the moral of the
subject we have been discussing, but it
has to do with the frailty of mans judg-
ment, and is at the same time interest
ing. gTE cI
!S"Thirty years ago-mercy, how time
flies IL took George Sayers to be one
of my clerks. He was then sixteen
years old, and one Of the most actiun-
intelligent. and efficient clerks ever
emproyeu. MS mUIner was widow,
,snd he was an only son. He had one
sister, two years older than himself, who
had been brought up with him. Mrs
Sayers was an excellent woman, and ]
knew that she had iendeavored to rear
her children in the way of virtue and
strictest honor Ellen Sayers-the sis
ter-was one of the fairest maidens in
our town, and one of the best; she was
kind and gentle, and everybody loved
her. The widow was very grateful when
| took her son into my employ, giving
him at once lucrative situation without
submitting him to the apprenticeship OF
lower service. 2 b'zsaes ~" sit 6aa
"Tme passed on, and at the end of a
year ! gave George Sayers charge of my
books. During that year there had been
several small sums of money missing, of
which no account could be given
George was ina situationwhere he could
have taken them had he been so dispos-
ed j but IIdid not suspect him, Il had
then Eo partinmarreasonto to suspect him.
kb II had at that time number of agents
Indifferent parts ofthe country, who
were ID the habit Of remitting money to
me BY mall. One agent by the name of
Gibson, was travelling in Vermont. In
January, Gibson mailed letter at Mont
pelier, containing five hundred dollars
five one, hundred dollar notes. That
letter arrived safely in my counting
room; because saw It and saw the
money that was in It, My oversight Of
thai. letter happened peculiarly. I was
engaged during the day in another part
of the town, in experimenting the alte-
ration. of some machinery in my wooden
mill, In the afternoon l had occasion
Ito 60 to my store, and L entered my
countingfroom just, after the, boy had
brought in a batch OF letters from the
tpostofice. Among those letters were
two or three of q private nature, and /
! put them away when / read them. The
letter from Gibson, containing the five
hundred dollars, 1 folded up again. and
was sure that / put it, with the other bu-
fsiness letters, beneath a heavy ruler upon
the desk George was not in the store
at the time, but | supposed he would re.
turn very shortly. / turned the key in
4 the counting.room door as came out
and went back to the mill. H4ogg
: "Aboot one month after this Gibson
returned, and we sat down to look over
our accounts. There was mistake o
five hundred dollars somewhere, HI
claimed to have remitted five hundred
dollars of which l. had no account
Where was his remittance mailed 2 HI
Hooked oyer the items, and found that I.
remittance of Eve hundred dollars from
Montpelier had never been credited tt
him, Icould find no account of it any
where ;nor. was any letter accompanyin:
cit on file. called George Sayers in
and asked him-if he could explain
lit. He said he could not. Hehad neye
seen any such letter-no such remittanc
had ever come to his hand While th
answer was yet upon his lips the memor,
of that letter flashed upon me-the lei
ter which had seen month before
land Least look upon my clerk whic
made him tremble. Aye-as my gag
grew more intense, he turned pale, and
fancied that he leaned upon the desk 70
| support. dismissed him, and then fir
1ished my. business with Gibson. Th
FIVE hundred dollars was missing, but .
well knew the letter containing tha
money had been duly received at m
store, gave him credit for it.
before l again saw my clerk mad
a thorough investigation of such matter
J as bore upon the case within my ow
knowledge found by my diary that
was at work in my woolen mill on th