River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-11-04

Whole ueetS OF merchant vessels en-
ter the harbor of New York every week
and attract no attention, but if a singh
ship. either throags bad steering, or
fog, or tempest should be wrecked OIL
Sandy Hook, it would be telegraphed
All over the country; So whenever a
single conspicuous church member be
comes a defaultoI. the fact flies widely
over the wires and through Tic press.
Genuine Christianity is not harmed
by the occasional fall Of individuals,
who while protesting it, yvt violate its
plaiDCst pTccept-
Two or three defalc2t.uEs have &C
cured recently which tc.CS q most
/ instructive lesson. One az tsem-thaI
Of the distinguished banker in Portland
Me. was OF the most painful, character.
To those Of rs who knew ani loved
,hc man, il was almost incredible He
as eminent rs iinancirr, ;,S . citizen.
d, generous phiianthroniet. AID rs a
( leader in Sabbath school. missionary
and evaugelisuc enterprises. The
Young men Of Portland loved him;
every BODY trusted HIM. On the sab
bath he often otliciated as ga eloquent
Law preacher in some church. SO com.
Diete was the confidence of his business
/ associates ia his integrity that the Di-
I rectors of MS bank lett 10 him the con
/ troll OF its finances almost without eX
animation. Tho shocking discovery
came ~ last that for three or four ears
he had been cmbeZzliug the funds Of
/ tho bank, and using them fer his own
purposes III stock spcculati0ls. Two
months ago be was one # thc most
/ h0nored ami beloved men iu Portland:
+ to-day he Is IN the prni,cnljary. His
/ heart broken family are crushed under
a blow which brings to them the ten
derest aud deepest sympathy Of the
+ whole community.
Did MIR. G--intcud TO steal the
money Of that bank when he began TO
use il without authority? No; probabS
not. lie intended to return it after he
had proiiled by the use of il. 50 have
scores Of other defaulters whose names
I will readily occur TO our readers. But
+ the very first unauthorized touch of a
dollar of trnst funds, under any cir
cumstances, is deadly poison. 1t is
I like the prick of tie dissecting- needle
+ TO the doctor who is conducting q
I post norton" One drop entering
+ the veins sends death through the sys-
/ tenn. The whole moral sense becomes
poisoned. From that moment onward
f the tampcrer with the public trust be-
comes rs completely euslayed as the
4 man is who hampers with the brandy
j bottle.
/ An officer in one OF our banks many
/ years ago purloincd a sum of money
rot very large-to enable him To pay
{ for his small and modest house. Like
/ the Portland banker, he was man Of
most exemplary private life lie told
me that he had not a thought of Keep
/ ing the money, but fully expected and
intended to return every dime. But
everything went against him from the
moment that he touched that fatal
money. Having been detained from
his tellcr's desk for just one day. the
discovery came, and with it the wreck
of bis character The touch of trust
fund. even with no intention of theft,
had been deadly poison.
We can imagine the distress of man
who is conscious of the deception he is
practcing Of the danger that yawns
E btfitFdlu NM 11tti AsAf lC hblito W
make q fortune in his spcculat ons and
be able to replace the purloiucd money.
But the rope swings farther and farther
of from him every day as he stands
with outstretchcd hands on his dizzy
ledge of rocks. Providence. which
never deserts a true and loyal Chris
tian. deserts bin. lie dies a thousand
deaths i'm the dread of detection, yet
excuses himself 10 himself constantly
by the ariful plea, when | can / 1ciU
return the money.
This whole terrible business of tam
perng with trust funds has been q sub
iec: of close and careful observation
with M for many years. have made
some study into indiv dual cases. They
are all alike; they all prove that any
man who, with even the most sincere
intention to replace it, ever lays his
finger on one dollar of trust funds.
commits moral suicide. With the
teuderest Pity do ! write these sad lines
in regard to my ruined friend in Port
land; but the lesson ought TO be solemn
" studied and needed by every Chris
;ian in the land, rs well rs by every
man OF business:
Revile him not, the Teinpter hath
A snare fer all;
And pityiug tears, not sc0rn and wrath,
Beit his fall.
-RcU. Theodore L. CUYler ia NeW
York Independent.