Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-05-01
The Men Who DiScredit Character,

1t is useless to seek excuses and extenu
atiens for the crimes in unexpected guar
| ters that have shocked the public senti
ment. The way to prevent them is tC
show possible offenders of this kind tha
no glozing or lheorizing or explanation
will avail to conceal the fact of vulgar
| swindling. The career of James Fish
was an illustration Of the condition of the
public mind that encourages frauds snc
dishonesty of every kind. He was a
known reprobate, nut he was treated with
perfect good humor His sayings and
doings were gaily reported. He was. a:
Cicero described Catalne. corruptor o
youth, but he was treated as Joke. Now
| if people, under sore stress of temptation
to steal, see that the mere reputation o.
great riches secures kind OF jesting m.
munity from censure, they will probably
steal.
The more intelligent man is, and the
more familiar with pure and refined influ.
ence, the greater is his guilt when he
yields to the sophistry that ruins him. He
Al least can measure not only the gross
outward consequences of his offence, The
unspeakable sorrow and shame of hi,
family, the loss and embarrassment and
disaster Of bis friends and those who have
trusted him, but the moral results, the loss
Of faith and honesty, and the suspicion
that almost threatens the best character,
the cynicism that sneers at all effort
toward cleaner ways of life, and even at
all praise Of it. This is. perhaps, the
worst effect Of these frequent frauds
among intelligent and respectable persons.
hat they sharpen a sneer at virtue itself
Scoffers are emboldened to stigmatize ;al
good endeayor AS hypocrisy; and 10 call a
uan goody- goody, or TO sneer at him as
\ rcformcr, too good for this world, and 50
pure that even the heavenly pavement
would smirch his garments. is actually to
discredlt him in many minds.
4 late estimate of Sir Robert Wapol
says, shrewdly, in estimating his in fluence
over the men OF his time; He pretend.
ed to no elevation of character; there was
no sentiment in his politics. but his cotem.
poraries sneered at elevation OF characte-
and were cynically contemptuous of senti
ment. Except at those periods of history
when the influence of great ideas has rails
ed men for a time above the common leve
Of humanity, as was the case in the Puri
tan period, moral fttness is u positive
recommendation with the great body O
practical men," This feeling and tendency
are promoted by nothing more than BY
the crimes and fall of men of the highest
standing. Their fate fosters dstrust of the
expression Of noble ideas as cant. and o
heroic endeavor as sentimental folly. The
same critic of Walpole says, felicitously
that in his time IAN honest man meant
one who honestly disclaimed elevation o
purpose
We are familiar in our day with the
standard. We all know the mar who
does not pretend to be any letter thsn
other men. who hopes that he is AS honest
as his fellows. who is satisfied with some
thing less than the millennium. His snecI
is gratifying to the great mass of men who
accept the common standards of conduct
and the usual practices of those around
them. and who do so because stepping up
IS always more difficult than slipping
along. The suggestion Of progress is
always disagree.ble to those who are con-
tent to stand still, especially if conscience
re-enforces the argument Of progress.
And such people welcome eagerly sneer
which implies that the advocate of pro-
gress is selfish Maw-worm.
Jim Fisk could have turned the
laugh of his comrades on John Milton.
But that was Of little Importance until
John Milton should justify the sneer
Then it would become a general calamity
And this is precisely what the respectable
criminals Of the last year have done
They have discredited character itself, and
made the appeal to it feebler.-HarperS
Magazine.