The Dawson journal. (Dawson, Ga.) 1878-18??, 1883-08-30
Professional Honor.

may 1ouoW' FIRST OF all as lawyers,
doctors, preachers and the like, we
ought to be qualified for the position
we assume before the world. We
ought to possess what we profess
be able to do what we claim. A
quack, or jack-leg, or a humbug,
cannot be an honorable man, to begin
with; and to follow a profession, for
which we are not qualified is to palm
ourselves off as a swindle upon a
community. This is the hight of
6ishonor; and no heightened gen.
tleman or christian can do so base a
thing. To be sure, it may be claimed
that if people are fools enough to
employ unqualified persons, they
ought to suffer; but people, without
painful experience, cannot be sup
posed always to be judges of profess
sional qualification. Even if they
were this would not alter professional
obligation. A man is swindle who
will undertake to do that for which
he is not qualified, especially, when
life, liberty, happiness or other i'm
portant interests are at stake. Again,
professional honor involves the high
est sense of duty, when qualification
does exist. The physician must do
his best to save his patient, the law
yer to serve his client, the preacher
to minister to his congregation
Negligence in any way is crime
before God and man; and no man
of high sense of honor, or having
due regard to his reputation and the
interests of those he serves, will
neglect his duty. He is the servant
of those who employ him and he is
supposed to be paid for his services.
To say the least OF it in any case, it
is but honorable to be faithful. To
assume a profession unqualified, is
dishonorable enough; but to neglect
duty when qualified is equally bad
Think of physician hazarding the
:.
life or health of a patient, by the
slightest inattention to the disease
entrusted to his skill! Think of a
lawyer neglecting his clients cause,
or failing to make returns of money
collected Think of minister Sleep
ing over the souls of people, or fail
ing to minister to the spiritual wants
of those who look up to him, or vio-
lating the confidence reposed in him
All this is the basest of dishonor.
Again, professional honor depends
largely upon the courtesies and rules
of practice agreed upon or understood
among professional gentlemen. No
honorable man will violate a cour-
tesy, or an agreement, established
between himself and his brethren in
the same profession. To underate
al brothers ability, or to undercut
him in price, if rates are agreed upon,
or to depreicate his ,,ractice or posi-
ton by scandal or insinuation, is
what no gentleman will ever do
Honor can seek no advantage at the
disadvantage of another. In fact
honor can never retaliate upon dis
honor by dishonor. A gentleman is
a gentleman under all circumstances
and in all things. A man cannot be
a gentleman when it suits him to be
or be a gentleman in some respect,
and not in every particular. Pro
fessional honor, especially, has nj
limits Or specialties.
Finally, professional honor censist
in the stricCest of confidence re
posed by those who entrust tbei
secrets to us. A Catholic priest neve
reveals the confessions of his parish
toner's and no true minister would
violate q similar trust. Whateve
passes between a lawyer and hi
client is held as sacred as life. Thu
| physician, likewise, would neverthinl
Of exposing the personal revelation
of his patient. To do so would b
the basest professional dishouor.-
Ordinarily, no true gentleman woGlc
violate confidence reposed in him
but, especially, in professional rela
tionships is confidence held as al
inviolable. trust. In the first place, il
such cases, the professional man hal
his employer at disadvantage. A
patient, client, or parishioner, ii
trouble, is often compelled to MAKE
revelations TO his professional advis
ers, that he would nor could make tC
any one else. Hence, to take advan
tage of him under such circumstance
is a moral crime in profession that ne
honorable man could be guilty Of