The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-11-16
BILL ARP DEFINES HONESTY.
SOME NiFGN ARE AS BAD AS AN
ANIAS.
Hypocrisy, Deceit and Exaggcration
Are Not Confined to Horse Swap

Hypocrisy, Deceit and ExaGgcration
Are Not Confined to Horse Swap
pers.
Honesty Is the best policy" said
Ben Franklin, and Richard Whatlcy,
tho great theologian, added, But he
who acts on that principle is not an
honest man."
The truth Is, that real, genuine hon.
esty is not q policy at all, for policy
requires thought, plan and generally
some dissimulatiOn. 1t comes from the
head, the brain; whereas honesty is a
moral principle that comes from the
heart, and takes no time for thought.
Policy is a cold, hard word honesty a
warm, genial, neighhorly one. The
poets like it next best to lOvc--Hcmrps
says, It's guid to he honest and true,
and Pope says " An honest mans the
noblcst work of Cod" The best dctini-
tion of the word is, " free from deceit,
just in speech and action, fair in deal
ing and worthy to be trusted"
was Illuminating about this because
a clever country boy from W HON buy
my lightwood brought me load today
and the top layers and all that was in
sight were rich In rOsin and clean and
attractive He wanted dollar and q
half, and told him it was too much :;
but he pleaded like lawyer, and said
he had hauled it ten miles, and that
kind Of pine was getting awful scarce {;
that he could have sold 1t down town,
but he knew that l liked rich, clean
split pine, and so he brought it to me-
He Is a good-looking, hard working
boy, aud so I bought it and stood by
while he threw it of. The top was oil
right, but that out OF sight was black
knots or half-rotten pieces, and dis
|, "9o you know of a boy who would
put his best pine In the bottom of the
wagon, or who would even mix it about
half and half ?" "No, sir, DON'T"
said he "wo haven't got any Of that
sort in the piney woods" Don't you
know" said l, "that l wouldent have
given you your price If l had seen into
the bottom of your wagon ?" He smiled
complacently and replied "That's
just the reason we put the best on top !;
we couldent get more'n half price If we
dident, and you know, major, we get
mighty little for a hard days work, any
how" But, Fe}ton, that way OF doing
Is cheating, and they say that cheat
ing never tbrives. | should think you
would feel ashamed to throw your load
major, to tell you the truth, was in
hopes you would 60 in the house before
| throwed it of but everybody has to
put the best on top" and he smiled all
over his face. What kind OF a boy is
that? Well, he is a little better than
the average OF boys, or Of men either,
as to that, for he smiles at you while
he deceives you. Heard blind phre-
nolOgist tell a man once that his bump
Of covetousness was so large he would
stea. If he had a fair charce-thnt IS,
if he found a man asleep with his pock
etbook under his pillow he would take
it, bu at the same time he had SYM
pathy 80 largely developed that he
would kiss his sleeping victim before
he left him. | like that boy for his
cheat me than q boy who wouldcnt own
up to anything, and 60 Off and brag how
he got mo. Yes, everybody puts the
best on top, and every body tries to get
the advantage in trade not every
body, but the exceptions are very few
A man can tell y lie by concealing the
truth-when | was u lad | heard old
DR.. Nathan Hoyt, of Athens, preach a
sermon in our town, and have not for
gotten how he looked straight at me
and said Little boy you can tell Il
lie by winking your eye"
My wife says she was in o store one
day when a country woman came in
and asked the merchant If he could
match that scrap OF gingham which
ohe showed him. He said no, but he
had something very like it, and pref
tier, and he finally sold 1t to her. After
she left, my wife remarked that she
might have matched it at tho next
door, for she noticed tho identical goods
| in the window as she passed. Yes,
knew it," said the merchant, "but it
wasent my business to tell her must
sell my own goods If can" That WAS
the kind OF honesty that was policy, but
it wascnt fair or neighborly-it wasent
doing as you would be done by. The
trading world is very busy concealing
the truth. | bought fine SOW from d
neighbor once, and she eat up q dozen
chickens the day got her. When |
asked him why he dident tell me that
she was q chicken eater, he smiled and
said he thought would find it out soon
enough. a merchant may know that
q certain piece Of prints will fadc when
washed, but he does not tell it. You
can hardly find u real linen bosom shirt
nowadays, but they arc all sold fol
linen. These are not frauds OF mucl
ICoESCIuCuSOS OoO GlCJ llluSGtaV UIll
scripture, which saith A lie sticketl
close in the joints between buyer ant
and soller," and "It Is naught---it /
naught-saith the buyer, but he goetl
his way and reioiceth." That was in
horse trade, reckon.
Hypocrisy. deceit, exaggcration ar
not confined to traders professional
men and politicians use all these t.
gain their ends. Yes, and even som
preachers will mako up q patheti
story to move their hearers to tears
or to give a sensational effect to tn
sermon. Then, there are the white lie
that the women have to tell every day
oh, am 80 glad to 500 you you ar
looking SO well ; your little girl Is
dear little thing, and as pretty as
pink; do sit longer won't you tax
dinner with us :" Sometimes she
not glad, nor is the little girl pretty
nor does she want the visitor to 81
longer or stay to dinner. But these ar
social dcccptions and keep up goo
will. What an awful thing it would b
} for q lady to tell her visitor that sh
had stayed about long enough, and ha
better 20. Not long ago lady OF ou
| town told two bOvs who came tO 40