The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-09-02
The Bee Buzz,
''THOU SHALT NOT STEAL -

Every form Of dishonesty is really a
violation Of this commandment. Steal
ing has been defined as the "1aking
or keeping anything without the will of
the owner" We have no right to the
possession or use of that which is not
ours; and if it does not belong to US we
may be sure that it belongs to another.
One Of the most dangerous forms of
temptation TO children is the finding and
the claiming of things by right of dis
coverY. They should be made to under
stand to start with that things found do
not belong to the finder unless the finder
lost them.
1t is very safe to say that everything
belongs to somebody, and that it Is a
first duty to find the owner.
Again, the young should be carefully
taught that some things belong to the
general public, and not to any one per-
son in particular. The public highway
for instance, is for the use of all, and
therefore should not be abused by any.
Streams of water, the sea, and the air
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no one has any exclusive right to them
and no right whatever to polute or mis-
use them.
Another form of dishonesty is cheat
ing. It is only another way-of stealing.
False weights and short measures come
under this head. The law of Moses was
very strict about these things: "Thou
shalt not have in thy house divers meas
ures, great and a small. A perfect
and just weight shalt thou have, that
thy days may be long upon the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
For all that do such things, even all that
do unrighteously, are an abomination
unto the Lord thy Cod
The Almighty would have US know
that cheating dos not pay in the nature
of things, for in the end it shall be meas.
ured to him as he has measured to 9TH
ers. There is natural law of retribu-
ton. Every man is bound by his own
self interest and self respect TO protect
himself against any one who will steal
or rob another.
A thief is always distrusted and de-
spsed of men, and there is no amount of
gain that can make up for the loss of
confidence which cheating forfeits. Ev-
en- the beasts and the birds of the for
est chow upmistakable contempt and
hatred Of sneakiDg, pr0wling creatures
that have not the courage to work and
hunt and fight for their living but pre-
fer to subsist by thieving, and robbing
others. The jackal and hyena, the cat
bird and the cucko are not esteemed as
respectable members of society even in
the wilds Of the wilderness, much less
in Christian lands.
Another kind OF dishonesty, which is
very common in these days OF CONNER
cial enterprise, is the adulteration of
goods for sale, by mixing cheap materi-
ais with those more costly and then ad-
vertising and selling them as the best.
So common has this sin and crime be-
come that large sums of money are spent
each year by the State and National gov
ernments in detecting and exposing the
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pecially with reference to the more inn
portant articles of food. Almost every
thing is adulterated in some way, even
the bread and butter we eat and the milk
which ia necessary to the life and health
of the infant. We are pois oned and
cheated in body and soul for the sake OF
filthy lucre, though many times we dc
not know it.
| It is a fundamental law Of society that
everyone has right to his own, an6
that no one has any right to take tina
which belongs to another without hi
| knowledge and consent, and that every
one is bound to give just and accepta
BILE equivalent tor that which he receives
except as it may be gift.-IO. .
Wright.