The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-09-01

about those things which Will last aft
er all bills OF exchange AID consicn-
ments and inroices and rent rolls shall
have crumpled up AM bcca consumed
in the firsS OF the last great day? Can
Ii he that q man will be wise for u
time and Il COOL for eternity?
remark, also. that business life is n
school for integrity. No man knows
what he VIII do until lie is tempted.
There are thousands OF men who have
kept their integrity merely because
they never have been tested. y man
was elected treasurer OF the state CT
Maine some years ago. lie waS dlStin-
guishcd for his honesty. usefulness aud
upriGhtness, but before one year bud
passed he had taken of the pubic
funds for his own private use auL WAS
hurled out OF Office in disgrace. DIS
tinguished for virtue before. Dist!u-
guishcd for crime after. You can call
over the aGmcS Of men just ll:c that,
IL whose honesty you had complete
confidence, but placed IL certain crises
OF temptation they went overheard.
Never so many temptations to scoun-
drelism us now. Not law Oil the
statute book but has some back door
through which Il m;Scrcint c"a escape.
All, how many dcccpt!cns il TIE fabric
OF goods: so l3Gch p.UnGcring in cCm-
mcrc:al life tat if = man talk about
living Il l!fe o. complete commercial
integrity there are these who aScrihe il
to Greeuuess and lack OF tact. Mere
reed of honesty now than ever before.
tried honesty. complete honesty, wore
than in those times when business WAS
plain affair, and woolens were
woolens. and silks were silks, and men
were men.
How many men 60 YOU suppose there
are in commercial Ete who could say
truth;uliy, In all the sales have ever
made have never oYcrStatrd the vH!Hc
OF gcols. in al the sales have ever
made | have never covered up an im-
perfection in the fabric. Of al the thou
sands of dollars l have ever made |
have not taken one dishonest firth-
ipg?' There arc men. however. who
can say il. huudrcds Who can say il.
thousands who can say it. They arc
more honest than wEon they sold their
first ticrcc o. rice or thSir first iirliin OF
butter, because !hci.''honcsty and i'll
tegrity have been tested. tried and
come out triumphant. But they re-
member Il tiMc when they could have
robbed 4 partner, or lave aOScCndcd
with the funds OF 4 bank, or sprung q
snap Judgment, or made Il false as
SiGnmcnt, or borrowed iliimitably with
out any efforts 1t payment. or got
man into Il sharp corner and nccc2d
him. But they never took one step on
that pathway OF nell fire. They can
say their prayers without hearing the
chink of dishonest dc!l2rs. They can
read their Bible withowv thinking OF
the time when with 4 lie on their soul
in the custom house they kissed the
book. They can think OF death and
the judgment that comes after 1t with
out any ninchinc-tl:at day when al
charlatans aml cheats anG jockeys and
frauds shall he tloubiy damned. 1t
CsSCS not make their knees knock to-
aSAH, aRS n Does not make their
teeth chatter to read las the partridge
si.teth on eggs and hatcheth them NOT;
so Ike that Gettcth riches and not by
right shall leave them in the midst OF
his days and at his end shall be n
fool"
Only Once.
What Il school of integrity business
life is. If you have ever been tempted
to let your integrity cr.ngc before pres
cnt advantage. If you have ever wax
encd up il some embarrassment and
said: Now, l Will step little aside
from the right path, and no one will
know It. and l viii! come all right
n DVoin is nn1v That only
once has ruined tens 5f thousands Of
men for this life and blasted their
souls for eternity.
a merchant in Liverpool got 70
Bank OF England note. and. holding il
up toward the light, he SAW some in
| tcrlincations in what seemed red ink.
He finally dcciphcrcd tie letters and
found out that the writing had been
made by n slave in Algiers. saying in
substance, "WhCevcr gets this hank
note will please to Inform my brother.
! John Dean, living near Carlisle. that
| am slave of the bey OF Al%icrs." The
merchant sent word, employed govern
! mrnt officers and found who this man
was spoken OF in this bank note. Aft
! or awhile the man was rescued, who
for IL years had been a slave Of the
! bcy Of AlGicrs. He was Immediately
| cmancipatcd, but was so worn ont by
; hardship and exposure he soon after
died. oh, If soufe of the bank bills
that come through your hands could
! tell all the scenes through which they
! have passed it would be n tragedy
! eclipsing any drama Of Shakespeare,
mighticr than King Lear or Macbeth.
AS | so on in this subject | aa inn
pressed with the Importance OF our
! having more sympathy with business
men. Is it not Il shame that we ~ our
pulpitS do not oftcncr preach about