Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-09-30
How are the Mighty Fallen!"

SLOW are the mighty fallen; and,
regardless as we are of vulgar (moral)
deaths, shall not the fall of the mighty
affect US :" William f. Gould, the
late trusted cashier of the First Ma
tional Bank of Portland, the man who
was a moral leader in society, in the
church, in every work for the elevation
of mankind, is a defaulter TO the bank
which employed and trusted him in the
sum of many thousands of dollars
Only yesterday,as it were, ''he stood
on an eminence and glory covered him ;
from that eminence he has falleu-sud
denly. forever fallen :" and his fall, by its
abrupt descent from the dizzy heights
Of fame, shocks the world. People
with bated breath cry out, when such
men as Gould fall, whom can we trust Z"
Ii would seem as il the Rev Dr. c. A.
Bartol of Boston in a recent sermon ut
tered in advance All inspired answer to
the question in the following beautiful
and truthful words:
The badness of the bad shall never pref
uGce my mind against the goodness of the
good, the purity Of the pure. the honor of
the honorable. There have been one or two
defalcsions on great scale lately in Bos-
ton. pray YOU consider how many in places
Of trust, 10000 and more in this city. there
are wha DO not default even by 4 cent.
Nay say. tho have Ased good deal more
than 20 wears, that have found 10000
honest men to one dishonest
And DR.. Bar,ol is right. In spite Of
deeds, such as Mr.. G,,uld's, shocking as
they arc, lci us not lose faith in man
kind bu; rather let US remember that
the honesty of the 10000 true men Is
scarcely ever mentioned. while the dis
honesty Of the one false man is blazon-
ed to the world.
The los Of So 900, more or less, j.,
10 It's owners no uncomfortable amount
bat this Is nothing in comparison with
some of the other bad results Of the
case. Nj Gould has stood high in the
esteem and affections Of great many
people. and though to-day he Is a shat
tered idol. he cannot be di>lodged in a
moment from the affections OF his
friends and the great fear is that such
being the case equal and exact justice
NAV no; ID me,ed ont to him
Toward the otIcnter, personally, We
1ueh, 10 have no feelings Of ill-will or
revenge, nor should we be willing TO
do him the smallest injustice but while
we seek IL avoid injustice TO the fallen
man. We ought to he exceedingly care
fiji that W. do none To the public. For
our-eli we most heartily believe in
making such an example of the often
der i'll all such cases H. viii most et
feciualIy protect society; for the pro-
lection Of society is the primary object
of al penal law~-ihe punishment Of
the condemned man himself being only
a matter of secondary importance.
Puai>hmeA, may indeed be good for the
offender. but Of NOR consequence than
al. tie rest is the effect Of certain and
condi-u punishment melted out to the
law-breaker, on the public, when it
takes co.uizancr. a ii must, Of the
penalty In this way more than any
other j. society projected against the
rayages OF -scounlrels, who witnessing
the wholesome spectacle naturally dread
10 draw down on their own heads like
punishment for like ohenses. Aud
above alI lie; it not be said that had
Gould been poor. unhouored man, his
punishment would have been more Sc
we're Let us remember too that Mercy
and Justice walk hand III hand, and
there caa be no such thing a. unjust
mercy. or unmerciful justice.