The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1902-11-08
A QUESTION
OF ETHICS
BY Barry Pain.

meT
'It does" said the interviewer.
"MuchY
81 forget the precise amount. That
is all arranged by my agent. try to
get away from the merely commercial
side, and''-
"Walkerl As 1t happens, asked a
friend of yours the other day what
you were paid, and he said he didn't
know, but you weren't worth 1t. Do
you ever ask yourself If you're worth
itT
Really" said the interviewer, "this
Is a purely personal matter and does
not concern you in the least, James
Robinson. What / wanted today was
to elicit your views"-
Don't run away from it. You want.
ed to elicit my views, cork them down
on sheet Of paper, sell them and then
keep the money yourself. And you
say that doesn't concern me in the
least. oh. ratsr
Il assure you am merely following
the usual custom in my profession"
'Plucky fine custom, too-for the pro-
fession."
"And it is always open to you to re-
fuse an interview"
II don't want to be hard on anybody.
Fair play is all want. Now, what ex-
actly do they pay you forr
Because by many years. experience
and very hard work have acquired
a considerable knowledge of technique.
a bright and engaging style and az
ooh, my aunt! You don't think any
body would pay money for all that
skittles. What they pay for in these
interviews is the real stuff, and the
real stuff amt you; it's me-"
You forget that l also record my
own remarks and observations"
''You do! | dare say you do bit too
much of that But you wouldn't get
along without me. If 1 wasn't there,
you couldn't do an interview with me.
And IL you did-well, 1 believe the
law comes down pretty sharp on that
kind of thing. 1t wouldn't be worth
while to risk II. Now, suppose I've
got lot OF apple trees and you've got
q shop, ought you to take my apples
and sell them In your shop and keep
all the money yourself? That's how /
put 1t. That's common sense"
Suppose, also, that the apples are of
unable to sell them yourself. I've no
objection to the argument from anal
ogy, supposing that the analogy is
complete"
"I'm not going to be scared off by
your talking like Euclid. You're max
ing so much money that you don't
even know how much 1t is. You own
ed up to that, you know, and I'm in
pretty bad way. First / put up dol
lar on a rattle for a revolver. Then !
put up my watch in the swimming
bath, and the man at the shop says
Hold on" said the interviewer.
why did you put your watch in the
swimming bathY
That's pretty simple. ! wanted
something to dive for, and another
chap said he'd put his watch in If
put in mine. His Is going as well as
ever, which doesn't seem fair, since he
proposed it. Things don't happen In
fair way as a general rule. and
like fairness when can get it. That's
what led me on to speak about these
interviews. Now. suppose you tell me
what you think my share ought TO be-"
Il don't think" the interviewer said.
'that it's good thing for small boy
| like you TO have a lot of money to
waste. Your father wouldn't like 1t.
| But think you would be ethically jus
| tified"-
Keep it longr' murmured James
| Robinson sarcastically.
-"ethically justified in suggesting
| that | should start a small bank ac-
count for you, which in after life
Don't you worry about that. don't
What worries me is not having any
money in my clothes now"
| After some further discussion an ar
rangement was made which was re-
garded as satisfactory by James Rob
| inson and relieved the immediate finan-
cial pressure.
| "And look here" he said. IF there's
4
any time and want to elicit views
about, Just come along to me. and II
can help you will. I've read political
bits in the papers before now, and
never mind saying what ! think. I've
got into more rows than most boys
through that j just through saying
what / thought. Hypocrites get on In
this world. There's housemaster'
wife that will ask any boy to tea II he
says he's keen on daffodils. l have to
sit outside. and l don't care. Well,
don't say anything to the governor
about the money"
'I've tried to make an arrangement
to which your father would not great
ly object"
Eyes. know all that. It's not OBJ
jections I'm thinking about. But, don't
you see, If he knew what was getting
from you he might take that into con-