The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-03-02
MORALS And MANHOOD.
THE INTEGRITY OF CITIZEN
SHIP.


THE INTEGRITY OF CITIZEN
SHIP.
" A Mans Life Consists Not in
the Things Which He Possess
eth," But in the Things Which
He Doeth---So Sayeth a Writer
in the Burlington News.
Equal in importance with integrity
in business in building up harmo-
nious s and prosperous community,
stands integrity of citizenship. No
man is qualified for true citizenship
untikhe understands the laws which
should govern him in his intercourse
with his tellowman, and consents to
govern himself accordingly. A man
who lives solely to get all he can from
others without giving anything, or at
most but little, in return has no claims
to worthy citizenship. A worthy
citizenship is essential to the develop
ment of the finer and nobler attributes
of mans moral and social nature
through which he finds enjoyment in
society, and mutually helps others
into the possession of the satisfaction
which he enjoys. As already intimated,
true citizenship implies intelligence.
Without the ability to comprehend the
law of mutual rights a man will be
likely to trespass upon the rights of
his neighbor, and cause unpleasant
feeling and damaging suspicion to
arise. Fortunes may be accumulated,
business may boom, enterprises may
flourish, and population increase with
out the blessings to be realized from
true citizenship. CA mans life con-
sisteth not in the things which he
possesseth." A town may be noisy
with factories, it may have scores of
merchants doing thriving business,
it may have palatial residences in
every part of the city, it may number
its population by thousands and yet
lack integrity of citizenship. One of
the essentials to integrity OF citizen
ship is an abiding interest in the WEI
fare of the community. This interest
cannot be fully realized without
home that the citizen can call his own.
Then there is something to work for;
and no man is a true citizen who fails
to contribute his quota of effort in
building up the community. The
man who gets more from the COM
munity than the community gets from
him is rather an expense than a bene-
fit to the community, and his depart
ure would be hailed as relief. This
resident is acquainted with town in
North Carolina with several hundred
population in which seven eights of
the residences and nearly all business
houses are under mortgage or abso-
lutely owned by others than those oc-
cupying them. This town with good
railroad advantages and a fine back
country does not seem to grow, but
barrooms, bad society, and little satis-
faction seem to betray the false citizen
ship which must necessarily exist there.
True citizenship implies honesty as
fundamental principle. Honesty not
as &c the best policy" but as the only
true principle. Honesty to be taught
in the home as inviolable under all
circumstances. Honesty that will
make the citizen pay his just debts
and thereby give to his neighbor his
rights. Honesty that will make a man
pay his house rent if he happens to be
a renter. Honesty that will make a
man pay his store accounts, his coal
or wood bill, his tuition bill, his
church assessment, his butcher bill,
his servant hire, his doctor bill, his
tax bill, &C., and do it from an appre-
citation of its being right to do it. The
man who owes any such debts and
goes lodging behind corner or into
a door or back alley to keep from
meeting the man who has befriended
him and to keep from paying him as
long as possible, when by reasonable
effort he could make payment, can
hardly be said to have integrity Of
citizenship. The man who pays his
debts only when compelled by law to
do so, has no just conception of such
citizenship.
A man remarked TO me not long
since that there was due him from the
people of his community nine or ten
thousand dollars, none Of which could
he collect. Suppose everyone were
to act upon such principles as that
mans neighbors, what would become
ofsocial or business confidence? To
avoid such unpleasant conditions the
practice of economy is necessary to
integrity of citizenship. Out of small
wages or a meager salary we must meet
expenses and pay debts. Reliable
citizenship always lives within its in
come and thus avoids living without
it. Extravaganza will knock relia-
bility out of citizenship as quick as it
will out of business integrity. We
must live within our incomes. Self
denial comes in here as a character
istic Of true citizenship. The citizen
belongs to the community rather than
the community to the citizen. "Love
thy neighbor as thyself," gives the
divine conception of true citizenship
This suggests sobriety and virtue as
essential attributes of true citizenship.
The drunkard and adulterer lack in
tegrity of citizenship, and are SO re-
garded by all good citizens. Their
presence in any community is blight
ing to that peace and happiness which
is above price. Truthfulness is not to
be overlooked. "Lie not one to an
other" refers to the relation of citizen
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