The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-08-26
A GOOD CHARACTER HOLDS ITS COLOR.

In view of the repeated failures IN business,
the gross immorallties, the violations Of ss-
cred trusts, and the constant defections in the
characters of our public servants, an impress
sion has got abroad that all society is rotton
and every man villain; that no one is wor-
thy of respect or trust, and that the whole
world is pretty much in the possession of the
Devil and with no great gain or advantageto
him at that
Is this sos Has all society been infected
and is all character undermined, decayed and
gone? Must we look far away backward and
think of our grandmothers as the only hard
working, plain, selEdenying women, and
their husbands the only honest menS
With no disrespect to anybodys grandames
or grandsires, we hold that however numer-
Gus and deplorable the moral failures in
character, especially as connected with our
public service, there were never more good
people in this world than now,-men who
stand against all temptation, quiet good Cit
liens, dong no dishonest deed, models OF in
tegrity and fidelity in every relation.
Rascality makes itself seen and felt Dis
honest knaves get a conspicuous exhibition.
Community suffers on wide field. The
dishonest may want IT to be inferred that all
are like them, and theirs is "a way they have"
everywhere and all the world over. They
only yielded to temptation. 1t was just
one instance of overpowering and yielding
of virtue. Not 50. That rascal has been
growing, moulding and taking on character
through a term of years, and this recent
fresh, astounding development, startling all
society, is simply a foreclosure OF mortgage
long ago taken and always held by his satan
ic majesty.
Our children, IN our homes IN schools
our young men and women IN places OF bus
mess, ought 10 be aware of this. Character
well formed, principles lived up TO, will give
IA different product, and these IN the end VIII
pay. There are sanity men and holy WON
en-; there are moral men, heneticent helpers
in the worlds great work; good citizens,
who are s,raightgrained, trustworthy, untal-
tering All society builds on them, trusts In
them, and, like towering superstructure,
rests secure on their integrity, their honor
and their unchanglng fidelity. 1t is pleasure
TO think of them and their quiet, noble deeds.
Their names seldom get INTO the papers.
Their work is not heralded Like dew, like
sunlight, like the fostering power of nature,
like Gods great, silent, mighty force ana
law, all around, above, beneath US, they live,
labor and bless the world without noise
They never break or bctray; they never DO an
unseemly thing; they never fall out oil sphere
All honor to them. RaScals are numerous,
indeed quite plenty-in short, too many oil
them. But all society Is not to be smirched
and b,ackhaled for their sake. These Eel
lows were good only in pretense IL was
very thin varnish and OF poor quality' Inc
character that now shows through was there
before 1t was mighty poor. IL was pow
erful weak II was decidedly naughty
Let us move on while rogues drop out, as the
river goes on while rottenness is hoated and
thrown ashore. a change of our present
rulers, lat us hope, will open the way for
higher grade of political morality, and afford
proof that even in "these degenerate days all
men in public employment are not thieves.
"
There WAS slight frost in New Hampshire
- ,r-I.. ,,;-hs anil at NIAGARA and most