The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-05-04
A MAN OF HONOR.
What are His Necessary Quail
f1cationSP
More Priceless Than Gold Is Personal
Honor-It VIII stand You In Need
When all Else Fails-Cul-
tivate 1t.

Garry your honor high, this year,
my boy"
was standing at Il railway depot in
Boston, Near me was an elderly man,
in rather shabby yet carefully kept
buffalo overcoat, such at we used to
see in Vermont twenty years ago. The
old gentleman was parting hands with
his son, who evidently, was a city
dweller, probably a young and strug-
Cling business man here in our town;
and / should not be surprised if even
vet he had some Of the fathers farm
money as the nest egg of his capital.
You aint much on r'ligion yet, Tom.
Wish you were. But even r'ligion aint
of much account 'nlcss it's made feller
man of honor. Keep it up high out
O. the dust. Be mighty sensitive about
st.. BE quick as scat about your honor
wbea it's involved, 1t II pull you
through this world any how. That's
the best | can say for your new yeev.
Goodbye. God bless you"
If among the hills of Vermont,
whittier perhaps, TO cheer n winters
freside, that son sends the Ledger, that
honest, ancient yeoman of honor's guard
should chance to read these lines, do
him courtesy, and assure him that l
could not help it, His sermon should
be read by thousands. The preaching
farmers name | know not. God knows,
and will give him all the credit, when
the great harvest is brought in, for any
added good his golden homily may do
hereby.
A delicate sense of personal honor
is certainly rare, If you take men by
the thousands. Wordsworth says
"'tis the finest sense of justice known
to man." 1t contemplates both your
self and others, and one may be the
soul Of honor as regards the rights of
others, an upright agent. Il keeper of
promises to the very letter, alive to
every detail of the obligation imposed
by contract, and yet not keenly SEN
sitive as to what is due him. The
man of honor feels the loftiest self
respect ever upbearing him. He is
not conceited. but he does say to him
are silk. can not carry n disgraceful |
load. My soul is not of red earth, but |
of the texture of the light of day.
can not forget who / am-son of u good |
father grandson of u fair lineage"
He thinks on his hopes, and he had
rather die than befoul them; on his |
personal history thus far, and. it seems |
like suffocation to give it the lie now
by an i'll matching deed He says: IF |
were to do this base thing suggested |
to me, l might or might not be afraid
to confront other men, but should be
afraid OF my own mirror as dressed |
the next morning"
"a man of honor is not easy to de-
fine. Words help us, but they elude |
us; and yet we insist that we have the |
idea. We say: He is type of manly
virtue.h ''He is of strict integrity"
Such person is ''of high moral worth"
These titles are useful TO repeat any
of them often during business day is
sort of strange tonic. Try it, my
young reader. AS you leave your door
step in the morning tomorrow, take
any one of the above definitions on
your minds tongue, repeating it often
to yourself. There is charm, prac-
tical spell for good, mean, cast over
the mind by such words as probity,
good faith, principle, IL man of his
word, a sterling fellow the soul of rec
titude. Something is gained by famil-
iarzing ones self with the very tcrmin-
ology of honor. One can hardly find
sharper rebuke than some of these
descriptions made a predicate to his
own name. Am 1 a high minded man?
Am i hivalrous-spirited to resent u
mean, craven selfish or lecherous sug-
gestionP Am unbribed, always, thus
far, unbought and incorruptible? In
fact, we never get on very far in the
study of any idealism without the use
OF these old sign-boards by which man
kind have found their way in times
past A young person is to be con-
graduated who knows the names of
things A time-server, fortune-hun-
ter, mercenary sneak, back-biter,
blackguard, slippery Dick. para
DUO, an luSTuJS, a. oulNtlltF, u IdWHtF
for favors; these are like warning nc
tices posted on a country highway
Dangerous" [,
Aworld OF trash goes under the name
OF honor Men boast themselves of
honor in the face of the lie direct. yet
who are foul with lust Men tip the
hat like grandees on Beacon street, in
the afternoon sunlight, who. down in
Washington street. cry to her
coarsely as she passes. "Hullow Poor
Hamilton thought TO defend
his honor by participating in murder; !
yet the same illustrious mind might
have freely and unblushingly confessed
gallantrjes without dishonor. according ,
10 the code. A sensitive honor in
trade is far from enough. Money is no {
more sacred surely than womanhood. l
Political reputation Is no more pre-
,ious thing than ayoung working girls
purity, or that OF her who is dependent {