The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-03-16

orphans there are with nothing between
them and starvation but a sewing ma
chine, or held up out of the vortex of de-
simply by the thread of a needle,
red with their own hearts blood, who a
little while ago had, by father and hus-
band, left them u competency. What is
the matter? The administrators or the
executors have sacrificed drumming
risks with it that they would not have
dared to encounter in their own private
How often is it that a man will
earn a livelihood by the sweat of his brow
and then die, and within a few months all
the estate goes into the stock gambling
rapids of Wall street. How often is it
that you have known men to whom trust
funds were committed taking them out of
the savings bank and from trust COM
panies, and administrators turning old
h omesteads into hard cash, and then put
ting the entire estate into the vortex of
speculation. EmbeZzlement is an easy
word to pronounce, but it has ten thousand
qualifications of horror.
There is not a city that has not suffered
from the abuse of trust funds. Where is
the court house, or the city hall, or the
Jail, or the post-office, or the hospital, that
in the building of it has not had a political
job?
Long before the new court house in New
York City was completed it cost over ST.
900, 900. Five million six hundred and six
ty-three thousand dollars for furniturel
For plastering aud repairs, $3.50, 900. For
plumbing and gas works, 81, 23l ST.. For
awnings, $23, 553. The bills for three
months coming to the nice little sum of
S13 151, 1885 There was not an honest
l,iolr ~ otnna ar laIh nr mil or foot of
plumbing, or inch of plastering, or nix
stand, or doorknob in the whole establish
ment.
That bad example was followed in many
of the cities, which did not steal quite so
much because there was not so much to
steal. There ought to be IA closer inspec-
ton and there ought to be less opportun-
ity for embezzlement-
Another remark needs to be made, and
that is that people ought not to go into
places, into business, or into positions,
where the temptation is mightier than
their character. If there be large sums of
money to be handled and the man is not
sure of his own integrity you have no right
to run an unseaworthy craft into an euro
clydon. A man can tell by the sense of
weakness or strength in the presence of a
bad opportunity whether he is in a safe
PldCCs AAO" many a ~ u uh o"iui
mistake when they put their boys in bank
ing houses a nd stores and shops and fact
cries and places of solemn trusts, without
once discussing whether they can endure
the temptation. You give the boy plenty
of money and have no account of it, aud
make the way down become very easy,
and you may put upon hinSa pressure that
he can not stand There are men who go
into positions full OF temp tation, consider
ing only the one fac that they are lucrat-
i've positions. 1 say to the young peopls
here this morning, dishonesty will not pay
in this world or in the world to come.
An abbot wanted to buy a piece OF
ground and the owner would not sell it,
hut the owner finally consented to let it 10
him until he could raise one crop, and the
abbot kowed acorns, a crop of two hum
dred years! And 1 tell you. young man,
that the dishonesties which you plant in
your heart and life will seem to be very
insignificant, but they will grow up until
they will overshadow you with horrible
darkness, o~vershadow all time and al
eternity. 1t will not be a crop for two
hundred years, but a crop for everlasting
ages.
l stand this morning before many whC
have trust funds. 1t Is a compliment Il
you that you have been so intru sted, but
l charge you. in the presence of God and
the world, be careful of the property Of
others as you are careful of your own
Above all, keep your own private account
at the bank eparate from your own &c.
count as trustee of an estate or trustee o.
an institution. That is the point ut which
thou sands of people make shipwreck
They get the property OF others mixed VI
with their own property, they put it int
Investment and away 1t all goes and they
can not return hat which they borrowed
Then comes the explosion and the money
market is shaken and the press %denounces
and the Church thunders expulsion
You have no right to use the property o.
others except for their advantage MOI
without consent unless they are minors
II with their consent you invest theil
property as we'll as you can and it is al
lost you are not to blame, you did the b Isl
you could; but do not come into the de-
fusion which has ruined so many men, OF
thinking because a thing is in their posses
sion therefore it is theirs. You have q
solemn trust that Col has given you. In
this vast assemblage there may be some
who have misappropriated trust funds
Put them back, or, if you have so hope.
iessly involved them that you can not put
them back, confess the whole thing tc
those whom o have wronged and you
will sleep better nights, and you will have
n better chance for your o What q
sad thing it would be if, after you are
dead. your administra .or should find out
from the account books, or from the lacb
Of vouchers, that you were not only bank
rupt in estate, but that you lost your soul.
II all the trust funds that have been mis-.
appropriated should suddenly fly to theiI
owners, n all the property that has beef
purloined should suddenly go back to it.
owners, it YOU crash into ruin every city
in America.
A clustering young man arrive at
hotel in the West and he saw a man on tn,
sidewalk and. in a rough way, as no MAJ
has a right to address a laborer. said tt
him: Garry this trunk upstairs" Tn
man carried the trunk upstairs and cam
down, and then the young man gave hir
a quarter of a dollar which was marked
and instead of being twenty-five cents l
was only twenty cents. Then the younI
man gave his card to the laborer and said
''You take this up to Governor Grimes;
want to see him !" "Ah," said the laboreI
az I'M Governor Grimes" 90" said tn
young man, ''you-l-excuse me-" The
the Governor said: 81 was much impresse
py Uuo loUJeT YOU "TOUo Tx aohih6 "
certain office in my gift, and l had mad
up my mind you hould have it; but
young man who would cheat a laborer o
five cents would swindle the Government
of the State II he got his hands on it.
don want you. Good morning, SIR"
: never pays. Neither in this world nor /
the world to come will it pay.
? l do not suppose there ever was a bett'
specimen of honesty thar was found
the Duke of Wellington. He marched wit
, his army over the French frontier and tt
: army was suffering and he hardly kne
! how to get along. Plenty Of plumber
about, but he commanded nom of Il
plumber to be taken. He writes hon
, these remarkable words: "We are owe
; whelmed with debts and l can scarce
stir out of my house on account of pub
creditors, waiting to demand what Is d.
to them" Yet at that very time d
! French peasantry were bringing their va
= uables to him to keep. A celebrated writ
SAYS of the transaction: Nothing can
= grander or more nobly original than Il
admission. This old soldier, after thir
:. years. service, this iron man and victoI
GUS General, established in an enem,
a country, at the head of an immense arm
: Is afraid of his creditors. This is a XII
of fear that has seldom troubled conqut
ors and invaders and l doubt if the ann
. of wal present any thing COM arabic
! its sublime simplicity"
!. Oh is it not high time that we preach
the morals of the gospel? Mr.. Froues
= celebrated English historian, has writ "A
his own country these remarkable wore
!, ''From the great house in the city on iC
don To yiliape grocer. the commercial /