Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-10-07

take only what Is exactly just, and Il
seems to me. this, like poison virus,
runs through all the operations of the
time; it can not be but corrupting to
every one whose hands are dabbling
In it. Of course it turns on what one
may consider honesty. but it seems to
me that it can not be hard to see that
1t you take more than an exact recon-
pense for your trouble of buying and
bringing the merchandise to him who
buys again, you take what does not be-
long to you; when you add indirec-
ton, in however slight degree, in
order that you may take this hlegiti-
mate protitit only intensifies the wrong.
1t seems to me you can not but see it. y
g think see one thing clearly, and
| that is that you ought to be preach
err said JOEL with dry kind of
smile.
mo, sir,' said the youth, earnestly,
81 can not see that this question has
such tendency as you imply by that
This matter is question of doing
right for rights sake, and the man who
not do wholly right, for the motive is
orable, manly and just; why, il seems
| ~ iiAO Ihoe SfOiy ilisbl "ho cieehtto
squarely on the earth in the image of
God should feel too proud, too
honorable, too respectful of HIM
| self, to injure any one; to do a mean
ness like beast; to prey upon his fell
lows, and take what belongs to them
to feed himself upon"
The book-keeper, who had been
sitting motionless upon his stool with
| his head bent down and his pen poised
/ above figure, took out his handker-
chief and wiped his forehead. Joel sat
still with his face flushing as he looked
at the fob between his thumb and
| finger, and John EARRING walked up
and down, speaking in kind of sor-
rowful, passionate way. Joel looked
up as he finished. Under your doc
trine how would you expect any body
to get rich?" he asked.
'.Men should get rich honestly or not
at all. o that is the curse! the curse!
the curse! The world is polluted by
i it! The world is full of starvation,
distress and misery from it. This IN
sanity, this greed, this hunger, this
worse than foolish desire to have more
| than one can ever use! What can there
be in it? Emptiness! Vapor! or hard
| ships for those beneath you with a
moral rot within your He stopped
before Joel, breathing hard. II know
| l am but a boy, SIR" he said, land
perhaps / am immoderate and unwise,
| but it hurts me, sir; it stirs me to see
the few rolling in finery and comforts,
| nay, with mountains of plenty heaped
up behind them that they can not
use, while the many toll on in
penury and want, stunted. pressed
| down, with cruel narrow limits for
| their lives. 1t can not be right, it can
not be right; no amount of pleading
the rich mans privilege can make it
so. 1t can not but bring trouble in the
end; for we are not bound down as the
poor and miserable are in Europe by
the iron military rule of Kings; here all
is loose and free, and as the rich and
| comforting fabric of our wealth is
gradually unraveled and wound in
great balls before which the rich set
down leaving the masses bare, what
| think you is to come of it at last?''
Il don't know as / ever considered
the natter said Joel, little huskily.
What is your remedy for this state of
tbings?"
Honesty; nothing else can compass
| it." said John Earring. Honesty
if universal. it seems to me, would
| allay, well-nigh all the troubles of the
world"
If it was practical it mightr'
at is practical! The perfectly incon-
ceivable wisdom of that which has dis
| played itself in the making of the ma
| chinery of worlds, and all the beauti-
| full and unutterable things that fill
| them, never made the m ost reasonable,
| the most beautiful, the most natural
principle that operates upon them an
| impractical thing. 1t is dishonesty,
| sir, that is impractical and unwise,
for it never brought any man aught
| but trouble in the end, and hardship
| for those who are the victims of it. l
do not wish to be rude, sir; L do not
wish to say that l had not ought to say.
for you have been kind to me, and in
my heart of hearts l am grateful to
you. but l can not willingly be an in
strument to injure others with, for it
seems to me that out of self-reverence.
if for no other nobler cause, every man
should keep his motives and his prac-
tice pure"
Il suppose so," said Joel, taking out
his knife and beginning to pare his
broad finger-nails. Have you got any
idea what you are going to do?'
Il have gone to work in the office of
Bower q Woodman. have thought
for long time l should ultimately
enter the law if could bring it about"
Joel colored a little. WELL" he
said, pulling himself straight in his
chair, You certainly have the gift of
CAB, and l guess that is what a law
yer wants; but when you get there
with your Atwood, superfne honesty,
you will get left. You mind what l
tell you, you will get left! 1 don't be-
lieve any man can be as honest as
you represent and ever amount to a
bawbee!'
''Thatdependsa altogether bywhat proc
ess You estimate aman. If he amounts
to much or little, just in proportion as
he req resents dollars and acres, which
is villainous, ignoble measurement,
why, then, your assertion might have
some force; but mans worth lies in
him not in what he has. There are
human beings-I will not grace them
with the name of men-with hearts as
cruel and unfeeling as tigers. and
as dry and void of the sweet dew of
pity as summer dust, yet who own
their millions. Do they amount to
muchp Yes, as human beasts of prey!
Thousands have been honest in every
business, in every line OF life, and have
been happy, prosperous and useful.
why should not I?'
well" said JOEL restlessly, "rn
be bound you'll have your own way in
spite of any thing could say. What
Il k.,1 -. fob