The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-12
Bill Arp'S Letter,
Takes Honesty as His Subject Some Men as Bad as Ana
Mas, Says Bill.

Honesty is the best policy said Ben
Franklin, and Richard Whatley, the
great theologian, added, but he who
acts ON that principle lis NOT AN honest
man.
The truth is, that real, genuine homes
ty lis not policy at all, for policy re-
quires Thought plan and generally some
discrimination. lit 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 Il
cold, hard word; honesty a waInl, gem
ial, neighborly one. The poets like it
next best to love-Hearns says, Its
guild to be honest and TRUE" and Pope
says "An honest mans the nobleSt work
of God The best definition of the word
is, 'ifree from deceit, just in speech and
action, fair in dealing and worthy to
be trusted"
was Illuminating about this because a
clever country boy from whom | buy my
lightwood brought me a load today and
the top layers and all that was in sight
were rich i'm rosin and clean and attrac-
tive. He wanted a dollar and half, and
] told him it was too much; but he plead
ed like a lawyer, and said he had hauled
it ten miles, and that kind of pine Was
getting awful scarce; dat lie could have
sold lit down town, hut knew that l liked
rich, clean split pine. and sc he brought
, it ito me. He ds a guod-.ooking, hard
working boy, and SO bought it and
stood by while he thraw j eff. The top
was all right, but thar out CT sight was
black knots or half-rotten pieces, and
fol Oa1y E'nlto,, - i'll
/, s.do You know of n boy
who would put his best pine
in the bottom of the wagon, or
who word e. en- mix Il etcUt half and
half?" mo, sir, l DON'T said he; 1--WE
haven't got amy of that sort in the piney,
woods Don't you KNOW, said l,
''that | wouldn't have given you your
price If / had seen into the bottom of
your wagon?' He smiled complacently,
and replied: That's just the reason we
putt the best ON top; we couldn't get
more'n half price if we didn't, and you
know, major, we get mighty little for
hard days work, anyhow" but, Eel
ton, that way of doing is cheating, and
they say that cheating never thrives L
should think you would feel ashamed to
throw your load off right here before
me- well, now, major, to tell you
the truth. / was i'm hopes you would go
in the house before 1-throwed it off; but
everybody has to put the best on top"
and he smiled all over his face. What
kind Of boy is that? Well,
he is 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
phrenologist tell a MAN once that his
bump of covetousness was so large he
would steal if he had fair chance
that is, if he found man asleep with
his pocketbool under his pillow he would
take it, but ait the same time he had
sympathy so largely developed that he
would kiss his sleeping victim before
he left him. j like that boy for has
good mature, and had rather he would
cheat me than a boy who wouldn't own
up to anything, and go off and brag how
he got me. Yes, everybody puts the
best ON top, and everybody tries to get
the advantage in a trade-not everybody
but the exceptions are very few. A man
cam tell a lie by concealing the truth
when was lad heard old Dr. Nathan
Hoyt, of Athens, preach a SERMON in
our town, and have not forgotten how he
looked straight ait me ana sand: Little
W.
eye." My wife says she was in a store
one day when a country woman came in
and asked the merchant if he could /
match that scrap of gingham which she I
showed him. He said no, but he lad +
something very like it, and prettier, and .
he finally sold it to her After she left. T
my wife remarked that she might have
matched it at the next door, for she I
noticed the identical goods in the window
as she passeu. Yes, | knew it," said
the merchant shut it wasn't my bust 1
mess to tell her; / must sell my own s
goods if i cam" That was the kind Of
honesty that was policy, but it wasn't Z
fair or neighboriy-it wasn't doing as !
you would be done by. The trading .
world is very busy concealiIg the truth. [
/ bought a fine sow from a neighb0r
once. and she ate up.a dozen chickens the T
day 7 got her. When / asked him why
he didn't tell me that She was chicken
eater, he smiled and said he Thought |
would find it out soon enough, A mer-
chant may know that a certain piece of
prints will fade when washed. but ne
does not tell it, You can hardly ind a
real linen bosom shirt nowadays, out
they are all sold for linen. These are not
frauds of much consequence, but they IL
lustIatp the scripture, which saith "A lie
sticketh close i'm the Joints between buyer
and seller" and 1T is naught-it lis
naught-saith the buyer, but he goefh his
way and rejoiceth' That was in horse
TRADE, / reckon. Hypocrisy, deceit. ex-
aggeration are not confined to traders
professional men and politicians use all
these to gain their ends Yes. and even
some preachers will make mp a pathetic
story to move their hearers to tears. or
TO give sensational effect to the SER
mons Then, there are the white lies that
the women have to tell every day. ooh,
/ am so glad to see. you; You are looking
so well; your little girl is a dear little
thing, and as pretty as pink; do sit
longer: won't you take dinner with usT'
Sometimes she is not glad,nor is the little
girl pretty, nor does she want the visi-
tor to sit longer or stay to dinner. But
these are social receptions, and keep mp
good will. What an awful thing it would
be for lady to tell her visitor that she
had stayed about long enough, and had
better go. Not long ago a lady of our
town told two boys who came 70 see her