The Morning herald., 1876-12-14
x.x.fc.l., 7.

i. II. u H y
The following able essay, delivered, n
Mr. B. Johnson, At the meeting Of th'
Y. NJ. c. A., on Tuesday evening, was nm.
avoidably crowded out Of yestsrday's 10
sue
There are but few expressions that hsv.
found a more frequent response In ths
hsarts Of mankind than 'stop ThisfW l,
pervades every atmosphere, it enters and
defiles the sacreduess OF the household, Il
hnus place on the lips Of all classes, and
1t holds carnage In almost every human
heart. II is AL exprt ssiOn that implies dis
trust When distrust occupies the throne,
confidence seeks 10 fnd hiding place. she
aons the garments OF mourning and waits
III patience Till her turn shall come again.
l. IL 10 Ire credit of our race that sooner or
later confidence does regain the throne and
aistrust 10 cast to where it holds a rightful
ownership-Ihe lowest position In our ma
lures. From infancy 10 second childhood
| he expression stop Thief !' finds ready
utterance, II not on the lips, in the heart
The child that can but teebly lisp the name
OF the dear oDes OF its memory, whose mind
has not been developed to comprehend the
mysteries of the alpha bet, those heart has
never been drilled in the sorrows and tribu-
!stlons OF HE, or experienced the more ele-
Vated types OF love and regard, and whose
spiritual being has failed to grasp the i'm
meusity and awfulness of eternity, that
Guild ands room and to spare for distrust,
and in its ganbols with some playfellow,
the feeling will assert itself, and CRY out
with this lips or heart, "Stop Thief v' As
be child grows into manhood, dissrust does
not diminish, but rather to the opposite
the man finds himself tossed about by
suspicion, doubts and incredulity. The man
ot business, II he would maintain credit and
standing must eye with suspicion his col
leagues and instead of the spirit of the
law being executed which says "Believe
every man innocent till he be proven gull
IT," The lines are reversed and every man
Is believed guilty till he be proven innocent.
The bankers, the merchants, the manufac.
turers, all enter into this race a. to who
shall have the smallest amount of bad
debts and suspicion continually haunts the
mind. Some of the brightest stars of our
mercantile world driven by the force of cir
cumstances or mistaken calculations into
oankrup cy and ruin has been pursued re-
Ientlessy and wrongfully with this foul.
mouthed cry Of "stop thief" and this rep
utation which it had taken decades of years
to build Is wrecked by the suspicious of
those around 1t. The whisper of irrepu-
lartty 10 heard and hordes OF less honest peo-
pie than the victim, take up the cry and
trample on the fallen. Distrust pervades
the religious world. It is no reflection
on religion or it's attributes when saw that
scandal and suspicion holds here its greatest
feast. Fair names and blameless lives are
held up to the mirror of fashion, avarice,
envy, suspicion and doubt. Confidence is
dlsenthroned and society revels in the
slighteet flaw of character. Distrust seeks
to occupy the chair In our Halls of Legis
lation. During this very year we have been
witnesses TO this cry Of "stop thief pur-
suing with relentless fury the objects of its
desire, but thanks to The genius, the mind
and the purity OF c1aracter Of the men.
Michael c. Kerr, Of Indiana, James G,
Blaine, of Maine still live In the
hearts of their countrymen with an
undiminiehed love. With all the machinery
and power Of the opposing party, and the
aposlacy Of those within their own party
hurled against them; one has died with
the laurel wreath of honor round his brow
and the other lives as the Henry Clay OF
America. Suspicion, doubt. distrust, and
entire lack of confidence has held possession
of bodies like those which assembled in the
days of the French Revolution, but never
has it held such carnival among sober
minded men as i did In the Forty. fourth
Congress of the United States of America
The infancy, the youth, the middle
age, the professional, the CONNER
cial and religious life of every man was
searched with inquisitorial eyes, and the
cry of stop thief, resounded through its
halls almost necessarily for eight months.
1t is not necessary even to refer to
the past. To-day, we find the two great
political parties Of our country in loud
and angry tones, crying to its opponents,
:" Stop thief" Fra1d, intimidation, mur.
ders, violation of law. and every con-
ceivable misdemeanors are charged upon
each other, and we find distrust occupying
the seat OF government. The rule NAV
one day cease. Men may some day search
their own records before they charge
crime on others; women may some time
have charity for others who have the
same faults as themselves. Society NAV
turn It's efforts to nobler ends than to in
fict wounds on Ito rival, and the veno
nous tongue of scandal may one day be-.
come eilenced. Till then, the cry of "Stop
thief will resound on all sides, and con
hdence will be deprived of its rightful
throne.