The Yale expositor., 1898-08-12

are very often insulted, need to under
stand that there is something In their
carriage to invite insult There are
men at Albany, and at Harrisburg, and
at Washington, who would no more be
approached by a bribe than a pirate
boat with a few cutlasses would dare
to attack British man-of-war with
two banks of guns on each side loaded
to the touch-hole. They are incorrupti-
bic men, and they are the few men who
are to save the city and save the land.
Meanwhile, my advice is, keep out of
politics unless you are invulnerable to
this style OF temptation. Indeed, II
even you are naturally strong, you need
religious buttressing. Nothing but the
grace of God can sustain our public
men and make them what we wish.
wish there might come an old-fash-
Toned revival of religion, that it might
break out in congress and the legis-
latures and bring many of the leading
Republicans and Democrats down on
the anxious seat of repentance. That
day will come, or something better, for
the Bible declares that kings and
queens shall become nursing fathers
and mothers to the church, and II the
greater in authority, then certainly the
less.
My charge also to parents is, re-
member that this evil of bribery often
begins in the home circle, and in the
nursery. Do not bride your children.
Teach them to do that which is right,
and not because of the ten cents or the
orange which you will give them.
There is great difference between re-
warding virtue and making the prof
Its thereof the impelling motive. That
man who is honest merely because
honesty is the best policy" is already
moral bankrupt.
My charge is to you, in all depart
ments of life, steer clear of bribery all
of you. Every man and woman at
some time will be tempted to do wrong
for compensation. The bride may not
be offered in money. 1t may be offered
in social position. Let us remember
that there is day coming when the
most secret transaction OF private life,
and OF public life, will come up for
apprehension.
In any community there may be some
who have Incorporated trust funds.
Put them back, or, IL you have so hope
lessly involved them that you can
not put them back, confess the whole
thing to those whom you have
wronged, and you will sleep better
nights, and you will have the better
chance for your soul. What a SAD
thing 1t would be If, afte: you are dead,
your administrator should find out
from the account-books. or from the
lack of vouchers, that you were not
only bankrupt in estate, but that you
lost your soul!
A clustering young man arrived at
hotel in the West, and he saw man on
the sidewalk whom he supposed to be
a laborer, and in a rough way, as no
man has a right to address laborer,
said to him, Garry this trunk up
stairs" The man carried the trunk
upstairs and came down, and then the
young man gave him quarter or a
dollar which was clipped, and instead
of being twenty-five cents it was worth
only twenty cents. Then the young
man gave his card to the laborer and
said, "You take this up to Governor
Grimes; l want to see him. "Ah,"
said the laborer, Il am Governor
Crimes" "Oh," said the young man,
"you-I-excuse me-" Then the gov
ernor said 81 was much impressed BY
the letter you wrote me asking for a
certain office in my gift, and had |
made up my mind you should have it: |
but a young man who will cheat a la |
borer out of five cents would swin1le |
the government of the state If he got |
his hands on it. l don't want you.
Good morning, sir"
/ do not suppose there was ever a
better specimen of honesty than was
found "a the Duke of Wellington. He |
marched with his army over the
French frontier, and the army was suf- |
fering, and he scarcely knew how to
get along. Plenty of plumber all |
about, but he commanded none of the
plunOeF 10 DC ldheH. ne writes nome |
these remarkable words: I'VE are
overwhelmed with debts, and | can
scarcely stir out of my house on ac-
count of public creditors, waiting to
demand what is due to them" Yet
at the very time the French peasantry
were bringing their valuables to him
to keep A celebrated writer says of
the transaction: Nothing can be
grander or more nobly original than
this admission. This old soldier, after
thirty years service, this iron man
and victorious general, established in
an enemy's country at the head of an
immense army, is afraid of his cred
itors! This is a kind of fear that has
seldom troubled conquerors and in
vaders, and l doubt IL the annals of
war present anything comparable 20
its sublime simplicity"
Oh! is it not high time that we
nreach tho morals of the GOenaI ripl,t |