The Dickinson press., 1888-10-20
Ur THE GLEN.
Up the glen there Is sylvan laughter,
Tinkle of water and trill OF song;
There III the hush that follows after.
Dcwdrops glisten ard moonbeam throns;
Oh, there is weird. wild beauty then
Up the glen. Avis GRAY
AGE EMBELLISHMENTS INCREASING:

Society Largely to Blame for the Down.
fall of IL Weak Man.
The New York Herald mas compiled a list
ot the cnhcZZlcmcnts during the past year
and from This list it reaches the conclusion
that Declarations are on tho increase and
that the confidence of the employer is bcin.
abused more and more. Its ground for this
difference Is that the embellishments and the
number OF cmbezzlcrs of lSSS arc so much
greater tha.i those of 1878 This may be true,
and yet it Dies not follow that dishonesty
among employees is increasing. The ratio of
this class of crimes may be no larger in 1883
than in ISIS. although the number of en-.
bezzlcnent> in the later year may exceed
those in the earlier. Because We have more
capital employed in business, more business
institutions, moro positions of trust to be
filled. The monetary transactions have
largely increased and also the number of en-.
ploycs. With this growth in business comes
growth in crime, because the field of opera
tions for dishonest employees has been so
greatly extended
a good deal Of this augmented crime can
be traced, first, to tho employers themselves,
and second, to the false standards of life.
Society is largely to blame for the downfall
Of a weak man. 1t has erected mcrctrcuus
standards of quality, and those who seek and
obtain admission into that society must live
up to these merctricious standards or else
they will be ignored a weak dependent
man, one that seeks for any kind of social
distinction, 10 matter how pucrilc it may
be, is utterly crushed if society ignores
him. He must be recognized And this
feeling of despair is the first step toward
his personal destruction. Ii lie should have
also have the craze for social recogui-
tion. lie is compelled to get it. If lie cannot
earn enough money to maintain the show, ho
begins to appropriate small sums from his
employer in the hope that by specializing or
gambling he can make good deal more. He
may not mean to steal in the beginning. But
he generally loses and then tho descent in the
down grade commences. After tho first pee
ulation the remainder come easy, and before
he knows it he is an c,nbczzler to the extent
OF thousands of dollars. There aro sonlo
clerks who steal merely because they like to
steal, hut these are in the minority They
should not be considered in analyxing the
causes that unlerlic the desire to embezzlc
Employers are to blame in this class OF
cases, not primarily. perhaps, for the embez-
zlers generally belong to tho trusted class of
are to blame for failure to prosecute because
friends or relatives make up the deficit
When this is done the matter is dropped and
the embczzler, having felt no disgrace, does
not appreciate the full extent of his crime
Tho employer who does this does himself no
benefit but does n positive harm to society,"
Every dishonest clerk or official should be
punished not only because lie has done that
which merits some kind of penalty, but be-
cause he has violated statute. People who
violate laws with impunity, by and by begin
to lose their respect for the law.
There is yet another consideration. Every
time that clerk is discovered in dishonest
action he should be punished as warming to
others who may contemplate wrong doing.
Employers err again by putting young men
in places of responsibility and then paying
them meager salaries. 1t is human nature to
err. And the man who holds position of
some Importance will in time consider him
self also to be of some Importance. When
this mental condition is reached, h. must live
better, dress better, and enjoy life in all its
phases more completely This takes money.
If his employer docs not give it to him for
services rendered, the clerk finally appropri-
ates in little sums the money Of his en-
ploycr. There is one peculiar fact about this
pcculating, and that is that none of the en-
hczzlcrs seem to realize that in the end their
deeds will be discuvered-Detroit Free
Press.