Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-12-11
Wrong Home Influences.

Congregationalist: .'Why, the stamp
on this letter has not been cancelled,
SAID MIR. Martin Moore, taking up an
envelope which had been postmarked
with pen from a country p~ostofice.
you can remove the stamp carefully
TO use again as well as not
But | shall do no such thing" re-
piled the person thus addressed, to
whom the letter had been sent.
..Oh, well, then | can do it for you,
and when you get out of stamps III
lend you one" was Mr.. Moore's laugh
ing reply. You don't suppose Uncle
Sam will ever miss a two-cent stamp,
do you?"
ut is the principle of the thing"
said the other speaker; land we have
no more right 10 steal two cents from
the government than Il larger amount,
and / will never touch hat stamp
again"
This conversation occurred in the
home circle, where the children listened
to the fathers plausible reasoning, and
how could they help being Influenced
by itp And if, in after years, the
father, whose opinion the bright-eyed
boy respects, finds him practicing lar
ger frauds. will the parent call to mind
this and similar lessons taught, indi-
rectly it may be, in the home circleP
Here is another case in which both
deceit and dishonesty are instilled into
the young mind. Little Robbie writes
IA letter to Uncle Robert, and in ii, boy
like. states that he has saved a dollar,
and is going to put it into the savings
bank. Now Robbie made figures to
represent the money, and Uncle Robcrt
read it ten dollars instead of me.
well, well" he remarks, "the boy il
doing well 10 save 50 much. y
Now the uncle is of a thrifty
disposition and approves OF
boys saving their pennies and dimes.
| So he writes to Robble's mother that il
her little son has ten dollars to put in
TO the bank, he will send ten soon TO
add to the sum for n snug nest egg.
but | didn't write ten dollars, said
Robbie when he read the letter. I'm
Gle made a mistake in my figures
well, never mind row" replied the
mother. Uncle Robert can spare ten
dollars rs well as not, SO we need not
say anything about the mistake when
we write
Thus the child's better and more
honorable impulse is checked, and u
lesson is early learned in greed and ac-
.ual dishonesty. Does this mother. "a
protesting Christian, anxious for the
moral and religious welfare of her
children, consider what tares she her
self is sowing into the young mind?
Said lady to Der guest: 1--WE will
take the first train after dinner, and 90
to call on Cousin Alice AL the sta
ton. when the visitor speaks of getting
her ticket, the hostess replies, mo
matter about it now" So the matter
is left to be arranged later. But. rs
no fare is paid on the car. the subject
is referred to again by the guest after
returning home. .'Oh! the conductor
does not call for our tickets half the
time on these short trips replied the
lady: "when he does we pass him the
change, and when not we a V our
fare"
But would much rather pay my
fare than to save it in this way" said
the visitor. .'Oh, well, if conductors
do not have time 10 take up the tickets,
that is their LOOKOUT, not ours is the
rejoindcr; ''hosides. we 90 SO often we
ought to have some free rides"
And this is said before the children,
who, doubtless, are accustomed to get
ting free rides when they can and are
thus learning dishonest practices in
little things which can not fail to blunt
the moral sensibilities in reference t.
larger dealings with mankind.
Thus, in a thousand trifing ways,
are petty deceits and p~eccadillocs prac-
ticod by people who would scorn to b,
thought dishonest, and who never seem
to think what their influence may be in
the family and among those with whom
they have business relations. lis it q
wonder that from such lessons learned
III the home circle large defalcations
ccme, that the love Of greed is mad,
subservient to bitter endsP Strict in
tegrity is "a principle which needs &c
be i~nculcated, both by precept and ex
ample, in the home, the counting
house, the workshop, and in all the af'
fairs of life.