Daily Republican., 1882-06-23
What fa honesty ?

long as the law does not catch them II
its meshes and punish them tor crime
they are honest and their characters
are above reproach. This is a grea'
mistake. There are many who would
be guilty of the most unblushing frauds
and impositions upon their fellow men
If it were not for the law which re-
strains them. What are we to say Of
such men? Isa man strictly honest
who is only held in check from the
commission of crime by the law? We
are told by the good book that the law
is terror to evil doers. We under
stand by that that the law carries with
| il no terror or fear to the man who ls
honest and Upright. There are many
ways of being dishonest for gain with
out being a thief, and there are ways
by which money is f1lched from people
that are no more honest than If that
much money were stolen. For illustra.
tion we will suppose a case in point.
Here is lady or gentleman who accl.
dentally loses gold watch, a necklace
or some article more highly valued as a
keepsake than for its intrinsic worth.
1t may be dropped upon a corner or in
some place where they can scarcely
help, but be picked up by the first one
that comes along. OF courseif a natur.
al thief comes along and fobs it. it can
hardly be expected to be recovered
without a reward equal to the value
of the thing lost. But if somebody else
of standing, with a repute for honesty
comes along and picks it up, it would
naturally be expected that that person
would leave no means untred to dis.
cover the rightful owner. "Do as you
would be done by" would be the motto
for his guidance. If an owner is found
he returns the article with regret that
the owner has been caused so much
anxiety on account of the loss. He
never thinks of expecting or asking
a large reward for survices he had never
performed and which caused him but
little loss of time and but little trouble.
This we say would be the action of a
real open hearted generous honest man.
But how different many other men act
under the same circumstances, who are
honest Their first impulse
is to make something out of the lost ar
ticle. No attempt is made to hunt up
the owner until an advertisement is
seen in the public papers, and then II
there is no specific reward considered
large enough to pay for services not
rendered no answer is returned to the
The finder Of the arti.
Gle is on the make. He cares not
the loser is rich or poor and
able to pay large reward or not. He
cares not how much distress is caused
by the loss of valued keepsake left by |
! friend perhaps deceased. He wants
money and he intends to have it. He
wants to see large reward offered,
coupled with the suspicious intimation
hat if the article is returned the re-
ward will be paid and no questions will
% asked AT this stage Of the transac.
ion the loser feels that he is dealing |
With som ebody not strictly honest
somebody who is waiting to flch money
lnearned out of his pocket. Now
what can be thought of the man or wo.
nan, the finder of the lost article ad-
who will come forward under
hese circumstances and accept the TX
rbitant reward offered ? In such cases
he article is generally sent to the place
esignated by an unknown third party,
a order to screen the man or woman
7ho has not the honesty to come for
7ard them selves with the lost article, {
ut nevertheless accept the reward. =
here may be those who would justify
lch actions as being legitimate and
air, but out of the heart of an honest t
ublic comes an emphatic condemua- I
on, and the consignment of the person
ho would be guilty of this means of
to the category of those who y
re- only technically honest because the
w compels them to be 80. Rev. j.
. Mann, who was pastor of the Union
:. E. Church Of this city, before the
resent cumbency, was Considered by :, e
any eccentric, but more honest and :,
uthful than eccentric. 1t was an
ten used saying Of his that if it were !,
vt for the law two thirds of the people
ould be thieves. Mr.. Mann's proper
on was perhaps extravaganr, but after
there is sufficient truth in it to make
g people think. +
The NEW POLICE mill is in active II
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