Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-03-31
SOME REFLECTIONS FOR BUSINESS
MEN.

MEN.
In the struggle for wealth and
power, all that should be held dear
to the heart of every honorable man
is subyerted to the one end and OBJ
ject of money-getting. Truth, virtue,
honor, and even the ties of Kindred
must be subordinated to the insatia.
BILE greed for wealth. Men high in
official position-almost at the top
rung of the latter of official prefer
ment-make their names Infamous
in their struggle for wealth. Oaths
are violated the most sacred trusts
one man can hold for others are be-
trayed; aud the purity Of political
morals dragged down to the level of
Wall street gamblers for pecuniary
gain.
In the business world we find, too,
that the standard of integrity is
sadly lowered from the honorable
position it once held. Delalcations,
embellishments, and stealing in
smaller ways are so common that
they have almost ceased to attract
attention. The confidential clerk,
book-keeper or cashier, who is en-
abled to steal enough to make it
desirable on the part of his employ
er to compromise with him for a por-
ton of the stolen money is let go
free. TIE robbed party only re-
garding the affair from a pecun-
larry standpoint, asks himself: allow
can l make the most out of this af-
fairs My clerk has betrayed me has
robbed me; but 1t is not a dollar in
my pocket to prosecute him; will,
therefore, take all he will give me
and let him have his freedom" This
reasoning is just what the thief
thought before he perpetrated the
robbery, in fact, it was this know
ledge of the lack of integrity and
love of money on the part OF his en-
ployer, that urged him on to commit
the crime.
There is another thing we would
call attention to, and that is the will
lingness on the part of men-men of
intelligence and integrlty-to over
look crime. 1t is not at all frequent
that we hear the expression, when
the act of some thieying scoundrel
is under discussion DWELL, if he did
steal, he has done no worse than
some one else would do under SINH
lar circumstances They seem to
think they are not apologizing for
crime that they are not assisting in
breaking down the barriers of iHteg-
rity that are necessary to the very
existence of our social and business
lives. We even heard a business
man a short time ago, when speak
ing of the dishonesty of an employe
who had filled a responsible position:
+" Well, if the position of clerk and
employer had been changed, his en-
ployer would have taken the same
advantage of him." Is not such a
standard of business integrity de-
plorable In making this excuse
for crime, is it not claiming that we
have no honorable men? That every
man is a thief at heart, and all that
is wanting is the opportunity to
make him one in act? We cannot
admit this, for it is not true; but if
the current is not stemmed, how
many years will it require to place
us where Rome found herself on the
advent of the Gauls ? We have our
lottery gamblers, our cotton gam
blers, our pork gamblers, and gam
blers in everything on which wa
ger can be laid. OF course their
methods are a little different from
those employed by the Romans; but
the end reached is the same-the
destruction of physical and moral
manhood.
Legitimate business of all kinds is
not what it should be because it can
not be made to yield an unreason-
able profit. In a legitimate way it
takes years of toll and prodigality
to make millionaire fortunes and in
this day and age men are not satlsfi-
ed with less. Hence resort to
gambling and illegitimate schemes.
The low standard of public morals
makes the way easy. Intelligence
and integrity are oflittle consequence
when in contrast to dollars and
cents; and young men, as a matter
of course, seek the path OF most
promise to them. We must get
back to the landmarks of our faith.
ers. We must make it more re-
spectacle to be honest than Gishon-
est. We must punish defaulters,
embezzlers and thieves, and make
the punishment conform to the enor-
nifty of the crime, and the man who
condones crime should be regarded
as an accessory, for as we have said,