Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1893-08-18
Honesty.
No. 3
BY j. L. LODGE, d. d.

|
mark is that the inferior, or less attractive,
are made passive and involuntary contribu-
tors to excellence, even il only by opposi-
ton. Dishonesty has no wish nor desire to
glorify its opposite, but the effect is arbitra-
| ry. More, and greater, as some colors cannot
| be produced without the comminging OF
two or more, deceit would be useless or i'm
possible without truth; fraud would be
protitless without belief in honorable deal
ing policy and trickery of every kind relies
Tor success upon the conviction which ages
of deception have not been able utterly to
destroy, that men yet abide upon the earth
whose principles are true, whose motives
are pure, whose actions reach inward as
well as extend outward, and that through alb
solute sincerity they aim ever at the right
| Without in the slightest degree perceiving
1t, perhaps, the worst of men ply their varied
trades with measure Of success by virtue
of the character and standing of the best.
The fact is illustrated by familiar ex-
ample In the commercial world gold is the
standard OF all values. Paper currency OBJ
tains only on the assurance that somewhere
there is precious metal to redeem it. Tenn
porary scarcity, or distrust as to ability to
produce and pay over the standard, con
vulses monetary circles, and even demoral-
ICES confidence in governments. Paper will
not deprecate SO long as it is universally
believed that at any instant its face value
may be converted into coin, and counter
| teits pass freely till suspicion arises that they
do not actually represent solid values No
alliances, no trusts, no rings, no combina-
tons of honorable and atfluent men, can
keep atoat, or prevent wreckage of the
printed and stamped certificates, without
mistaken faith in the availability of the
medium OF redemption. Genuineness of
character, in like manner, alone sezes and
retains the loyal reverence of men. Titles
and diplomas sometimes open up the way
To positions OF trust and power; but if the
tailor, and not God, made the man, the en-
tire alphabet formed into pyramid will not
save him from the scorn, perhaps reproaches,
of the discerning Mobiles of long pedigrees
and sounding titles made progresses through
Scotland, receiving such notice as a stare at
the equlpage by the simple might amount
to, but il the single rider who stopped at the
inn were the guager whose songs did not
afford him bread, every bed was empted at
the midnight hour, and the whole village
hung upon the lips of Robert Burns. So
much, and more, any may read. The mean
ing is very plain; The learned, the simple,
the unsophisticated, the worldly wise, the
good and the impure, felt the contact of that
unfortunate but royal minded man; and
none wonders, nor shall wonder, after de.
Cades OF centuries, that the best judgment Of
critics names as the immortal trio Shakes
peare, Milton, Burns. Granted that genius |
exacted much of the honor and applause |
which preceded and followed him, the down
right sincerity and tenderness of his nature |
accounts, especially with students Of his |
life, for very much more, The man who, |
himself in the depths of poverty, shared |
what he had with his old mother; the hero |
who refused to serve his country IN the field |
for pay, but enlisted as volunteer; the |
proud spirit that would become an excise |
man to win honest bread, and who recog. |
nized man though in tatters, deserves to |
be called what he named another-"a gen
tleman that derived his patent of nobility |
direct from Almighty God" Palpabe and |
under the bitter condemnation of universal !
uprlghtness, lies the treachcry of "iriend- |
ship" which lured such worth away into the |
pitfalls of the night
Carrying the comparison farther gold does |
not lose its value because known to be al |
loyed. The finest and purest cannot be alb
solutely pure. No reasonable mind looks
for perfection in human character Admit
ration for the approximate does not cease
on that account. The ideal is ever wor-
SHIPPED; never attained. The sincere wish, |
the ingenious attempt, the consecrated pur-
cure respect and encouragement. What
rivets the gaze of all spheres, and quckens
the pulse OF the universe is the endosmose |
OF the moral; the rising, throOblng, out
gushing divine impulslon, toward life.
breathings and lfe-actings that burn as well
rs shine. The separation, the exaltatiOn,
the tribute, the love, the reverence distin.
gushing and ennobling these princes among
men, is the exosmose of the same influence,
the thrusting from without, the returning
into the bosom measure for measure, crown
ing and investing, making the man king, |
in its only good sense-the man with power,
the man who can.
Like pearls and diamonds, honesty may |
be rated at its cost, This 10 the individual |
exemplifying it will be very great FIRST |
comes the necessity for the detection and |
expurgation Of seeds hidden in the evil of |
every nature, lest, stimulated by inward cor |
ruption and external favorng circumstances,
they take fast hold, and bring their fruit in
a blasted life. The POLICEMAN will not con
Germ himself about the threats and prophe. |
ces of his conscience;
But, like the owner of foul disease,
To keep il from divuIging, let it feed
Even on the pith Of lille.
To clear the mind of rubbish heapcd upon
il by familiar address and trte quotation is
great awakening, fraught with pain and
profit. Who says honesty IS the best policy"
takes lie on trust degrades a heaven bAn
word, and weaves tolls about his soul. The
first thing 10 understand is that honesty and
policy are as incompatible as fire and water
that if a man be polite he can never be
honest Policy Implies cOncealment, sup
preston Of somewhat lawful and the sub
stituton OF somewhat acceptable, but not
worthy. Policy requires address, shrewd
ness, control OF the features, of the limbs, of
mental faculties, all DETECTED from natural,
accustomed courses, and their violent direc
ton into new forms or channels 10 suit the
instant purpose. Policy is branded with
lie In its front, if only men had eyes 10 see.
Honesty is open, candid, free IL dissem-
bles not. Men little dream how highly they
compliment one when they say OF him ale
has an open face" II ought 10 be open.
That is what God gave us faces for. TO re
fleet his image To hold the light. TO read
the soul through. To say 10 every bcholder,
Look into me, search me, you'll find moth
ing 10 me hid away, covered up; no, not
my faults.
Starting in life, it is simply impossible TO
believe that so great virtue can be so dis.
regarded, nay, opposed. What a boon to
every young man If he were only capable of
mony Of the worlds best writers and speak.
ers, uttering themselves out Of a plentiful
experience He would then free himself
from the hallucination that life is as
the more imaginative and bonyant poets
paint il, aud, If he desired 10 "be a hero in
the strife" would guide himself by counsel
like that Of Carlyle; "Prudence is the only
virtue sure OF its reward, and Cunning tri.
umphs when Honesty is worsted; and now
as then, II Is the wise mans part 10 know
this, and cheerfully look for it, and cheer
fully defy IT," II these lines should come
under the notice OF any youth aspiring TO
be grand and honored man, the writer,
who entertains for all that class the loving
est and sincerest interest, begs that he will
read this quotation from one Of the very
greatest Of great minds, Till every word be.
comes personal possession. DO not be de-
ceived 1t will cost much, Of personal feel
| ing, OF natural inclination, real sacrifice.