The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1880-09-03
THE MAIkrEEANcE OF HoNoua'

We admire the conception; there is sub
limity in it. All for honour, like all for
love, makes good heading for play. But
just below there is a single step, aud if you
take it the sublime will pass into the ridi-
culous. The following is an example:
In the records of Chivalry there is a Gu
rlous narrative Of a company of knights and
ladies "who bound themselves for love Of
each other to follow a particular code of
usagcs, of which part consisted of wearing
thick clothes in summer. and thin in win
ter, to show that the wcr of their love
rendered them inscnsiblc to the difference
OF Seasons, vow which was maintained
with such perseverance that the greater
part of tue devoted company actually died
of cuid. '------------ -
10 ridculc Honour is 30 part Of reason.
L am far enough from ridiculing it when |
bring forward such piece of extravagaut
folly as that Of the knights and ladies who
dressed by code. 1t is in advocacy aud
admiration Of honour that this little chapter
and some others yet to follow will be writ.
ten. The Code of honour itself contains
some things to be admired. Only, in view
of some modern cases of men rendered in.
sensible to moral differences, as the Knights
above mentioned were to the difference of
seasons, it appears to be worth while to
inquire, What is Honour? And I shall
try to answer the question from my favorte
position-t that of an Independent moraist
There is "honour among thieves" So
we arc assured by that form of common
sense, shaken down and settled, which mcu
call the proverb Speaking then, not from
personal knowledge, in this case it would
be hazardous. but speaking in the wisdom
of mankind, let it be repeated, for it is
proverbially true "There is honour among
thieves" Is that Honour Bright?" Man
ifeslly not, and yet it is honour How can
that be?
Dickens lets us into some of the secrets
of thieves in London; and his readers will
remember that one of the greatest crimes
in their estimation was "to blab," which
means to betray one anothar to the police
or public. Faithfulness to one another,
then, must be one form by which honour
among thieves expresses itself But this is
Fidelity, and is closely related to Truth and
Honour. Then, besides, there is slang
word i'll our language-we know not whether
it comes from the thieves in London or not.
bnt it probably does-and that word is "to
crib" The "cribbing" Of something is
understood to mean the dishonest conceal
ing of it. Now, strange it IS, but true, that
another. great crime ainane .ihisxss-; ;a.-.l.a.
concealing OF ill.gotten gains from one
another. The commonwealth is the only
wealth of their community; plunder kept
back from the general hoard is robbery. If
thief should steal from thief in the same
gang, he sins against honour. IF he should
steal only from an outsider, he is a man of
honour that is, as honour goes among
thieves. Once more, insubordnation is q
great crime among such people, because
they make laws and respect laws, even while
they break laws. This curious fact was
remarked upon years ago by one of the
wiscst men thac ever lived. He says ut
is pleasant thing to consider that thore
are certain people in the world who, having
renounced all laws Of God aud Nature, have
yet made some for themselves, which they
strictly obey, as for example, robbers, &c."
The code which thieves make for them
selves is of the nature of compact. To
disol ey, for instance, the orders Of the prin-
cipal, or to act contrary to one of their own
regulations, is to violate the compact and
it is a compact Of much greater realistic
value than that other of the old fashioned
Socialists. To violate this compact is dis.
graceful, criminal, fatal; to observe it faith
fully, is honorable conduct among thieves
And all this is Honour. It's presence
and influence, such as it is, cannot be denied
Where, then, lies the difficulty? Ianswcr:
Everything depends upon who are the
judges of Honour. Such honour as thieves
make for themselves and such standards of
right and wrong as they raise and follow
will not do for honest people. Honour is
not always "IIonour Bright"
1t may exist it may be even promi,
ncnt feature in the constitution of society;
but if that society be not true to human
society at large, if it be not true to human
nature, to morality in its entire round Of du.
tics and virtues, then neither will its hon,
our be true it will be imperfect, dcfaced,
smirchcd, it will not be "Honour Bright"
would say thcn that the only honour
worthy Of the name is to be looked for among
honest people. And why not? Any school
boy will tell us that honour and honesty
come from the same root in the Latin Onus,
honor, honos, honeStas)
Oome rcauef perchancc, Will thinE this is
departing altogether from the subject, and
may even be tempted to put down this
paper with a shrug, or an ahem of compass
sion, as much as to say, honesty, as We un.
derstand it now, is quite another thing a
thing Of a certain socially distinct kind and
description. Let honesty be looked for
among good, average, honest people. We
shall always look for honour among gontl }.
men.