Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-21

O8p6 maze.
The Penalty Of Shame
Prom the New York Journal Of Commerce.
A description Of the attempt of the Berlin
bankers to commit suicide ID printed in . num-
Der Of papers with the heading in large capitals
Of death Before Disgrace" To avoid the
dishonor, or shame, or discredit (whatever
may be understood BY the word 'disgrsee'D,
Herr Sommerheld and his son, Felix. according
to the reports, took revolvers and each shot
himself in the head. As the shots were not inn
medistsly successful they followed the shoot
ing. according to the story. With further blood
thought to be fatal, and thus, according to the
theory of the report they escaped the dreaded
consequences Of their crime. They had will
fully violated the confidence reposed in them
no longer possible they preferred to 60 out of
the world rather than face the anger Of their
victims.
We often hear this expression, death before
disgrace" but it applies. where it has any
meaning or force, to a case wholly different
from the one presented at Berlin Its usual
form is death before dishonor," and it de-
scribes a situation where the death thus DELHI
erately chosen prevents the dishonor. sol
der is in the line Of battle, and at the first
assault his recreant comrades turn to fee. He
will n ot be thus faithless to his duty. and he
ferrlng death to dishonor. If fall he must it
shall be with his face to the foe There is no
cowardly blood in him and if he dies there is
no brand on his forehead TO stain on his name.
And many virtuous woman when she has been
assaulted has faced what seemed to her the lesser
peril and lost her life to save her honor. reath
In such cases can prevent disgrace, and thou
sands of heroes and heroines whose mortal re-
mains sleep under costly marble or in nameless
graves chose the tomb in preference to dis
honored name.
But where the disgrace has come a self
inflicted death but deepens the shameful
brand. A man who has betrayed his trust can
not hide his reproach in the grave. The clods
may cover his decaying flesh. but the shame
cllnSs to the spirit which can find no refuge in
the deepest vault. nor drown in any Lethean
wave the remembrance OF its crime. The judg-
ment of men until the story fades from human
records and the great assiZe where no act of
man will be forgotten are still awaiting the
wrongdoer. The disgrace does not attach to
the slumbering dust Many would be so thank
full If 1t did. andthus by shutting off the clay
tenement they could escape the penalty.
When one commits a deliberate wrong the stain
is on the immortal being. and no human art
can cleanse the blot efface the inscription.
1t Otter happens that the wrongdoer covers
his sins from the eyes of his fellows, and does
not suffer seriously for a while from any i'm
posed penalty for his transgressons. With
many the only thing to be dreaded is dis
in an evil way, because they can hide it from
prying eyes. 1t ought to be written inefface-
ably In every memory that the guilt is i'm the
act and not in the discovery. A case once came
before us where a broker was intrusted by the
owner, who was to spend three years in Europe
with $4,000 to DO deposited in a trust COM
pany and to be kept intact, abiding a given
event. In which case alone it was TO be used.
just at the end of the three years the event
occurred ana the money was properly with
drawn and expended. But it came to our
knowledge that many time in the interval
when the trustee of the fund was cornered he
had in the face of his pledge checked out the
deposit and used il for his own needs.
We characterized these acts many de-
falcations. There was no difference in our
Judgment on the score of honesty between the
unwarranted taking out of its proper place the
fund OF another and paying it back after the
need was over and the many exposed cases
where the defaulter had used such fund that
did not belong to him and was not able to
turn 1t. The crime is in the breach of trust
and not in the inability to restore the money
1t is probable that in almost every case
where money is thus appropriated the trus-
tee has no intention of ultimate robbery.
He Is in sore need, and he only proposes to
make present use of anothers funds
for his immediate necessities. and to return
the same when the crisis is past. He may do
this several times restoring in each case all
that he abstracteG. At last he is caught and
cannot make the restoration. Then he hangs
his head in shame and goes YEARLY to prison to
suffer the penalty Of his crime. To himself and
to many others the great offense is often reck-
oned as the inability to make the final restora-
ton. There was really no wrong in that and
no blame should attach to it. man is not to
blame for that which he cannot do. The crime
was in the taking of the money that was not his
to use and that was just as real in the first case
as in the last.
If this was more thoroughly understood there
would be fewer breaches of trust Those who
are guilty of the crime persuad. themselves that
If they intend to make full restoration of the
fund thus appropriated and have reasonable
prospect of carrying out this intention there is
no dishonesty in the act. This is a great mis-
take. 1t is stealing to take the property of an
other without his knowledge or consent and the
crime is committed when the property is taken.
The intention to return it when able does not
alter the character of the offense; the crime is
the taking and not the failure to restore Bank
presidents, cashiers and :ellers. confidential
clerks and trusted statesmen and all the long
line of defaulters who illustrate the infrmities
OF human nature, do not rule intend to steal
the funds they take for their personal use. 1t is
only when they give up the hope of making
restitution that they go on SHINING recklessly
with n full appreciation of their crime and
constant dread of discovery. Ii they could be
made to feel the brand that is on their brow
when the first dollar is taken they would often
oS ShSShcu ou tuc tuTSsuOlu Oh n VICIOUS career,
And more ought to be said by all who treat
OF this theme Of the penalty that is visited upon
the transgressor. 1t is not an exposure in the
newspapers. 1t is not loss of his good name
In the community. 1t is not the falling away
of his friends. Il does not begin nor end with
bis arrest, trial. conviction and sentence All
that publicity can do and the law can effect is
but the shadow of that retribution from which
there is no escape This is in the criminals
own knowledge of his wrongdoing and of all
that must follow it. 1t often sits lightly ON
him at first, and when he is caught, if he i, a
little hardened in guilt, he puts on an air of
bravado, and some times will glory in his wick
edness. But the hot iron is on him and il will
leave its mark Heartfelt penitence may bring
him sens. of the divine forgiveness and he
may find some portion of the peace for which
he is longing, but no man ever forgiyes him
sell. He cannot if he would, and if be does not
sink under the burden of remorse he must
carry always with him the bitter memory no
lapse OF time can soften or extinguish This is
the lesson OF the hour. and if it cannot be
spoken from every tongue it ought to be deeply
engraved on every heart.
Patsy's Bolivar.
From Puck.