The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-12-17
IFor The Progressive Farmer.


presumption at this lac day OF nun
dane existence for d fellow to be writ
ing about honesty, as If anything new
could be mentioned ON such a subject;
vet l will take refuge behind the old
saving that what is good can't be
too often repeated" and thus shield
myself somewhat from the reproach
which one is likely to be. subiected for
his temerity in such an attempt.
There is no term made use OF to
designate the different phases of char
acter that is more misused~than the
word honesty. La its application it is
distorted more than almost any other
term we use wherewith to express a
conviction of an admirable trait.
Pope, in his famous maxim, n hon
est man is the modest work of God"
no doubt meant it in its most compre-
hensive sense, and not according to
the popular acceptation which makes
honesty but a paltry human attribute.
The makeup of a thoroughly hon
est man comprises more virtues than
is generally ascribed to such a charac.
ter. There is no way of describing
genuine honesty without embracing in
the term all the co-relative virtues, for
it is the aggregate of all good traits.
An honest man is indeed the noblest
work of God when we interpret the
term in its widest significance, but
construed in its usual narrow sense,
such praise is rather hypothetical.
Many a man who enjoys the reputa
ton of being honest is lar from being
so, and if his character vas investi.
gated it would be found that he got
the reputation by the most dishonest
means. Not to mention numerous in
stances in which this might aoccur, it
will suffice to state simply me For
instance, a nan may get rich by cheat
ing and expressing his employees, and
yet enjoy the reputation of honesty by
a lavish display Of ostentatious hos
pitality, flor nothing gives US a better
opinion of a man than to be invited
to thrust our legs under his mahogany
table loaded down with luscious and
tempting viands) and free-hander con-
tributions to charitable objects. We
can therefore form no correct estimate
of a mans character in this respect
unless we integrate, SO to speak, with
reference to the collateral attributes
which enter into the composition of
and makes the perfectly honest man.
We usually designate a man who is
prompt and punctilious in many mat
tiers as a thoroughly honest man, and
in doing so we often shoot wide of the
mark, for he may have come by this
money with which he so promptly
liquidates his liabilities in the most
dishonest manner. How often do we
see these so-called honest men who, in
mere money matters, such as paying
their store bills, doctors bills, and the
like, whenever they become due, and
yet are dishonest in their dealings p?
Such men get the credit of being hon
est and reliable when, at the same
time, they have ground many a poor
fellow down to the last pinch to make
these shekels with which they pay
their so-called honest debts. How
often, in their bargains, has it ever
entered their heads to give a fellow
anything like a fair, living chance, but
deemed it all right, by misrepresenta-
ton and other disreputable resorts, to
screw him down to the last notch, ay,
several notches below what, in all
conscience, is fair and just2 How
often do such when they employ labor
ever offer what they know it is worth,
but, instead, the proffer is far below
anything like a fair remuneration,
and must necessarily end in bringing
the poor fellow in debt. It seems
that with the most of us it makes no
difference how low we can succeed in
screwing down the wages of labor.
If We can get it for nothing, why, all
the better; for then, having no consid-
Grafton for the laborer whatever, we
make all the more. We don't care
one whit so we can accumulate, and
yet with all this to answer for, we
stalk about in broad day, holding up
a high head and drinking in the ad-
mlration we think we get and deserve
for our honesty in promptly settling
our pecuniary liabilities. How few
of us bear in mind, or regard in the
least, the considerate, humane senti-
ment that "the IONS and daughters
of servitude part with liberty, but not
with nature in their contracts 2" We
should remember that when we make
these close listed contracts with class
who toll for US faithfully and uncease-
ingly from year in to year out, that
we have hired 365 days of their NOR.
tai existence to be devoted to our in.
dividual interests and material vel.
fare. Twelve months of their lives
they bargain away, and yet there are
those who, without a scruple of con.