The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-09-03
WHERE DOES HONESTY EXIST?
The Meaning and Derivation
of the Word.
Does 1t Form Part 0s the Church,
Trade, Politics or Society?
A p cturing of the HoiIowncss of tho
Conventional Attributes of Life
In This Part of
tho Century.

tnlnka, from Greek word, oneo, signify
ing to profit, aid or delight, and whose
primitive meaning, according to other
philologists, was to raise or exalt. Thus
so late as the reign Of James the First
our writer's used the verb ito honest"
for ITO honor" In the older authors
honesty also means honor. Chaucer
uses it, as in tho Latin, for decency or
good manners. The last verse OF oar
version of the fourteenth chapter OF
Corinthians l sRya: "Lst all things be
done decently. Wiclif's version gave:
"Be ale thingis doom honestly" In the
last century DR.. Sharpe wrote: "What
is it to live honestly? Why every body
knows the meaning of that phrase
it is to frame our lives accord
ing to the laws OF virtue and re-
liglon; it is to deny ungodliness and
worldly lusts, and to live righteously.
soberly and cody in this present world"
But Sir William Temple came nearer to
our present idea when he wrote:
Goodness ia that which makes men
prefer their duty and their promise be-
fore their passions or their interest; and
10 properly the object of trust; in our
honesty; though what we call an hon.
est man the Romans called good
man."
Amongst the ignorant an honest man
ia often merely one who does not steal
or cheat. Generally, however, by hon.
eHty We now mean integrity, Justice, vir-
tue, and above all sincerity, without
which ali the rest are las sounding brass
and tinkling cymbals." Sincerity is the
touchstone by which all actions claim
ing to be honest must be tried. For
man may be unjust and yet be honest,
if sincere in his motives. Sincerity,
then. is the handspring and soul of
honesty. Indeed it and it alone is true
honesty itself.
Viewed in this light we learn to be
charitable to our opponents. and to all
those whose ideas and actions differ
from ours. If they see things 'as through
a glass darby" it is not for US to scourge
them because OF our superior vision.
Or if we ourselves perceive imperfectly,
we should not, therefore, oppress those
whose sight mas a clearer and wider
range. It is hard to penetrate motives,
yet there are analyses by which they
may be reached. But the anathema OF
the prieet, the opprobious epithet flung
by political and religious sectaries, the
SANDER OF eociety. and the cant OF ortho-
doxy and beterodoxy, are brutal as
brickbats. Education goes for little if it
does not lead US to be tolerant and
learning is misapplied if it but teaches
us to be arrogant. The pious and
learned John Calvin entrapped and
burned Servetus on q point of theology
which could never be OF the
vslue of two straws to anybody.
We question neither the honesty
of the prosecutor or that of his victim.
But this, and all similar cases which
have disgraced, and are still degrading
humanity. prove that honesty does not
necessarily lead us Alright notwithstand-
ing that we always go wrong without it.
We may be very sincere yet very msin-
formed. II our moral and mental
fngerposts are misdirected, we cannot
follow them without being led astray.
What ia needed for all is enlightment-
more light, wider range of knowledge, @
clearer perception of facts, and above
all, habit of taking nothing upon trust
which we are able to verify or disprove
for ourselves.
Enlightened honesty leads to liberty,
to happiness and to private and public
security. Ignorant honesty leads to I'M
wise revolution. despotism, social boy.
cotting, misery, and slavery of mind
and body. The value, therefore, of
honesty in any word or deed depends
upon tho measure of its enlghtment, as
we'll as it's sincerity.
We profess to be an honest people on
the whole. We justify it by O proverb
which shows the profound utilitsrian-
ism of our national thought: Honesty
is the best policy. pa proverb which
demonstrates that we do not even under
stand what honesty means. Best policy
forsooth, as though men and women
could be sincere from policy or honesty
without conviction. Such honesty is
worth just az much as the religion OF the
man who said, 81 prefer being religious,
because If there is future world
should like to go to heaven, and If there
is not, shall be none the worse for try
ing to believe theBe things. Besides |
always like being on the safe side" If
honesty is really our characteristic in
what department does il chiefly lie? The
loudest in profession OF purity in the
church. Is it in the church? Some OF
the precepts of Him whom she claims
for her founder, were, Lay not up for
yourselves treasures on earth" Take
no thought for the morrow" "He that
exalteth himself shall be abused"
Freely give" But the extortions of
the church in times past divided Europe
into two hostile camps, and today her
voice is as the cry OF the horse-leech-
Give, Give-she breads the morrow.
She sees ACKNOWLEDGMENT, abolition
OF tithes, existence upon Gods
good providence, in the morrow.
Tithes, livings and endowmeuts are
more certain and more negotiable than
bills upon Providence. He that hum
beth himself shall be- exalted" but the
claims of the church in the opposite di-
rection have made the priesthood intol-
cradle to the free nations. The pope
claims to be the vice-gerent of God up
on earth. and all beneath him ehare his
sway. Even Methodist ministers are
talking about creating some of them
selves bishopsl Gan they not read the
signs of the times? Many of the hum.
blest ministers of doctrinal Christianity
do indeed freely give; they give their
hearts, energies and lives for the faith
that ia in them, working early and late
amongst the lowest of humanity. But
against the sincere honesty OF this small
band we place the transparent hypocri-
sy OF the majority, to whom the church
10 guild and religion merely profta-
BILE trade.
lie it in politics that honesty dwells
Then we shall find her in the voting
lohhiaa of thu hnuaa of eornn,ona for