Daily globe., 1878-02-24
The Men Uho D;scredit Character.


uations for the crimes in unexpected
quarters that have shocked the public
sentiment. The way to prevent them is
TO show possible offenders of this kind
thatno glazing or theorizing or explana-
ton will avail to conceal the fact of vul-
gar swindling. The career Of James Fisk
was an illustration Of the condition Of
the public mind that encourages frauds
and dishonesty of every kind He was
known reprobate, but he was treated
with perfect good humor. His sayings
and doings were gaily reported. He was,
as Cicero described Catiline, a corrupter
Of youth, but he was treated as a joke.
Now if people, under sore stress of temp
tation to steal, see that the mere reputa-
ton of great riches secures a kind Of
testing immunity from cen
sure, they will probably steal.
The more intelligent a man is, and
the more familiar with pure and refined
influences, the greater is his guilt when
he yields to the sophistry that ruins him.
He at least can measure not only the
gross outwar'. consequences of offence, the
un-speakable sorrow and shame of his
family, the loss and embarrassment and
disaster of his friends and those who have
trusted him, but the moral results, the
loss Of faith in honesty, and the suspicion
that almost threatens the best character,
the cynicism that sneers at all effort to-
ward cleaner ways of life, and even at all
praise of it. This is perhaps, the worst
effect of these frequent frauds among in
telligent and respectable persons, that
they sharpen a sneer at virtue itself.
Scsffers are emboldened to stigmatize all
good epdeavor as hypocrisy; and to call
a man a goody- goody, or sneer at him as
refomer, too good for for this world, and
so pure that even the heavenly pavement
would smirch his garments, is actually to
discredit him in many minds.
A late estimate Of Sir Robert Walpole
says shrewdly, in estimating his influence
over the men Of his time: He pretended
to no elevation af character; there was no
sentiment in his politics; but his conrem-
and were synically contemptuous OF senti-
ment. Except at those periods Of histo-
ry when the influence Of great ideas has
raised men for a time above the common
level of humanity, as was the case in the
Puritan period. moral tiatness is posi-
tive recommendation with the great body
Of practical men," This feeling and ten
dency are promoted by nothing more
than by the crimes and the fall Of men
OF, the highest standing. Their fate fos-
ters distrust Of the expression of ideas as
sentimentalfolly The same critic of
Walpole says, felicitously, that in his
time ian honest man meant one who hon
estiy disclaimcd elevation of purpose.
We are familiar in our day with that
standard We all know the man who
does not pretend to any better than other
men, who hopes that he is as honest as
his fellows, and who is satisfied with
something less than the millennium. His
sneer 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 be-
cause stepping up is always more diff.
cult than slipping along. The sugges-
ton of progress is always disagreeable to
those who are content to stand still,
especially if conscience re-entorces the
argument of progress. And such people
welcome eagerly sneer which implies
shat the advocate of progress is selfish
Mawworm. ssJim Fisk could have
turned the laugh Of his comrades en- John
Milton. But that was of little import
ance until John Milton should justify the
sneer. Then it would become general
calamity. And this is precisely what
the respectable criminals Of the last year
have done. They have discredited char
acter itself and made the appeal to it
feebler.-Editor's Easy Chair, in Harper's
Magazine for March.