The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-06-22
THE VALUE OF HONESTY.

Statesman, yet friend to truth Of soul sin
cpre,
In action faithful and in honor clear:
Who broke no promise, served no private
end,
Who gained no title. and who lost no
THESE LINES from Alexander Pope
4 epistle to Addison describe an hon
orable man. The politician who lives
up TO their spirit, the business man. the
professional man, the laborer, of whom
such words can truthfully be spoken,
has not lived i'm vain. There is a say
ing which is often used to describe the
individual who lives up 70 his prom
ises. 1t runs: His word is as good as
his bond" Another familiar line is,
Honesty is the best policy"
Lives OF the worlds greatest men
remind US Of the truth Of these sayings.
Honesty Is the best capital I'm the
world. Not so very long ago a Salt
Lake man lost every dollar he pos
sessed. The future held scant promise
for him. the past was Uttered with
shattered hopes. One day he saw an
opportunity by which, with a little
money, he could make a fresh start.
He visited a banker who had known
him in the days Of his prosperity and
requested a loan with no security other
than his own name at the bottom Of
the note.
The money was counted out without
a moments hesitation. Il know you TO
be an honest man." said the banker
Stories like this could be multiplied
many times without going outside the
borders Of Utah. The man with clean
record can always get help when he
needs it sorely. The man who has lied.
who has broken his promises, who has
evaded his covenants is turned away
empty-handed in the day Of retribution.
Grover Cleveland is one of this coun-
try's greatest phrase makers, but he
never made a finer or a truer one than
when he said: Party honesty is party
expediencx."
The honest course is the expedient
course for parties or for men. The
most successful politicians are the pol
iticians who never lie to their con-
stituents For a time the liars may
succeed They may be elected to posi-
tons Of responsibility and trust. but.
sooner or later. they topple to earth in
irretrievable ruin. Solomon said. "A
good name is rather to be chosen than
great riches" He had both. and was
never called upon to choose between
them, but his saying holds good to this
day.
No sleep is so refreshing as the sleep
that comes with a healthy conscience.
No man is so thoroughly at peace with
the world as the man who can say with
truth as ne retires to rest: To-day I
have done no harm to my neighbor."
Often it is hard to keep a covenant;
often it is easy to evade one; but. as
surely as that the evil men do lives
after them, so surely Will the remem-
brance Of the wrong find permanent
and distressing Judgment.
Success, measured in the worldly
sense, does not always come to honest
men. Their path is oftentimes beset
with difficulties and their rewards are
small, out of all proportion to their ex-
eruons, but they never know when they
are inspiring some one else to walk
uprightly and to deal Justly with all
men. There is a victory greater than
the acquisition of wealth or power or
fame; it is the power to guide others
Alright to shape ones course so that it
may DC a broad and easy way for those
behind to follow into perfect life.