Sharp County record., 1880-10-28
WORD TO YOU, YOUNG MAN.

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First: BE- honestly which we
I do not mean, simply, not to steal
That goes without saying. The
vounc man who, before his beard is
grown, thinks it clever to cheat his
tailor, or to sneak out Of his little
debts at colIcgr, ha- already iald Il
SIRE foundation of Ill fortune. No
thing /, known 50 quickly or sticks
to u man 50 long rs the reputation
of dishonesty. 1t is the heck OF NH
/ dew which eats and grows bfack"r,
and spreads continually. Boys are
arpousIy Blind to the lcngIhcning
SHADOW which these faults Of sharp
. dealing and lying in their earliest
years throw down their whole tu,
ture. Jnaycar or two they will be
asking for patronage from the pub
lie, or Il chance in the business
word, and they will fud that in
damaging their character they have
already ,quanIcrcd their only capi-
tai. n, merchant wouId tako "a boy,
even rs porter, into his employ who
was not kuovn to be honest. We
take it for granted our boys are
honest, in The COarscr meaning Of
the term; but there Is q finer honesty
lhat enters into u mans nature and
lifts him above his fellows. lie is
no sneak nor slam, neither to his
companions, his God, nor even to
himself. He does not sham a virtue
which he has not; he does not i'm
itate any other mans character, but
he tries to go to the bottom OF his
own, to clear it and lit it up.
AS the boy begins, so the man
will end. The lad who speaks with
affcctation and minceS foreign
tongues which he docs not under
stand, at school, will be a weak
chrome in character all his lite.
The boy who cheats bis teacher into
thinking him dcvout at chapel, will
be the man who will make religion
a trade, and bring Christianity into
contempt; and the boy who wins
the highest average by stealing his
examination papers, will figure some
day as a tricky politician. The lad
who, whether rich or poor dull or
clever, looks you straight in the eye
and keeps his answer inside Of the
truth, already counts friends who
will last all his life, and holds a
capital which will bring him in a
suror interest than money.
Then get to the bottom Of things.
You see how it is already as to that.
1t was the student who was ground
ed in the grammar that took the
Latin prize; it vas that slow, steady
drudge who practicod Efring every
day last winter that bagged the
most game in the mountains; it is
the clerk who studies the specially
of the house in off hours who is to
be promoted. Your brilliant, happy
ge-lucky, hit-or-mss fellow usually
turns out the dead weight Of the
family by the time be is forty-fvc.
Don't take anything for granted;
get to the bottom Of things. Nei-
ther be sham yourself, nor be |
fooled by shams. In early manhood |
there are. plenty Of pleasures wait
ing for you to conquer--applausc, .
money, society, this and that kind .
Of philosophy or faith. Take no
thing on trust; weigh it, see what
it is worth, You will have rough .
disappointments, but you will come
to the granite underneath at last.
We have said nothing about your
religion. Your creed matters little
Baptist, Presbyterian, Churehman;
for fyou are the sincere, earnest
man we mean, you will come out at
last, down through all professions,
all experiences, to the Almighty
good and order which underlies
them all. You will discover for
yourself that every sincere and
earnest man.must build on that or
on the shifting sand. There is no
other choice in Iite.--Ex.
TILT D0TT0RH 0IITl