The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-03-08
NOT ONE HONEST NAN!
A Year Has Passed and Still No One
Gets Mrs. Irving's 1000 Prize.


The time limit TO contestants for the
Mrs. Nancy B. Irving $1,000 prize for
veracity has expired. The money was
offered a year ago as a reward 10 the
successful business or professional man
VINO could prove that he told the truth
for thirty days, without closing out
his business and barricading the doors.
Five judges were to have decided
the contest, four men and a woman.
The winning Of the money was &c
have been celebrated this month at a
public meeting to be held in Chicago,
at which the money was to have been
paid over in gold. But the wreath Of
George Washington remained IN
claimed, unrivaled, for not a single
contestant remains to take the prize.
Mrs. Irving has Just left Chicago
for Colorado, where, seven miles west
o. Grand Junction. she VIII conduct
an AngOra goat farm.
"PitfUl Ditiful!" she said as she
was throwing her last belongings into
! a dress suit case before departing.
! They are all ignorant as to what an
/ honest business life really is. just be-
cause they make it a point to tell the
/ truth as far as they know, they think
/ they are honest.
| why most of them probably live
! anu " VI n uAAFt tDAulLiOiiS 81 Money
/ cOmbed with lies and dishonesty that
/ they do not really understand il them
/ selves.
] a year ago I was serene, calm, con
fdent, hopeful" Mrs. Irving smiled
/ softly and her face frightened with
this memory.
I really expected to find an honest
man. Now I know better. There were
hundreds Of thousands of answers to
/ my offer. But nearly all Of the writer's
of the letters seemed to think that ly-
/ ing is a phenomenon confined to oral
expression Probably none of them
will ever believe that since society was
evolved there have been a hundred
fold more lies Of repression than OF
expression.
I have worked and studied over the
situation. I have summed up the fol-
lowing reasons as why the $1,000 ]
offered is unawarded:
"A thoroughly honest man would be
too modest and fearful to announce to
the world that he never lied, and be
sides, he probably could not prove him
self successful
A dishonest man could not possibly
refrain from lying for thirty days
and could not prove it if he did.
other contestants who at first be-
lieved themselves honest and entered
the cOmpeL.s.0R came to realize thefl
mistake-howeve sIight-when they
/ struggled to win the prize and haC
their attention fully called to the trutl
Of what dishonesty really consisted
OF.
with this last great innumera bI,
class of peOple-this class which f.
larger than all others-I feel that
have at least done some good. Uu
civilization is crude and raw"
Mrs. Irving shook her finger serious
ly as she made this statement, as j
p the weight of sin for the liars of tn
; world lay heavily upon her colder
crowned head.
, This modern Dioeeues closed he
dress suit case with a snap. Then sh
put on her hat and coat.
Yes, they are all alike" she said
= gamblers and thieves, deacons an
E ministers.
a minister almost won the priz
: three months ago. But he lied in al
] eagerness in order to convince me tina
s he did not lie
p a merchant right here in Chicag
e ! wrote me that all the world lied bu
2 himself He said that no merchan
e could be honest and sUccessfui-but al
. ways excepting himself. Still. his Ie;
ter was strong, and for a time l req
D " became convinced.
= "One day 7 wanted to do a lit
e trading in his line, and, unknown I
r him. I visited his shop. He himse
d served me. And he cheated me-MI
r so he, with the others, lost II
e prize"
It Mrs. Irving opened a bag and pr
l. dueed several letters. Selecting on
she read it off. It was from ElmIr
n n. Y. The writer said he was an il
s sUrance man, perfectly honest, and I
IS challenged Mrs. Irving 10 prove
= Deep down in his soul, he added, /
o knew he was man whose integrit
= could not be impeached, but he did n
e, see how it could be positively demol
e strated. He made the statement tn
D. if Mrs. Irving would send him the pTi
l. money he would give it to the buildiI
a committee of the Methodist church
l. Elmir3, OF which he was a member.
]. "Of course I could not prove VIII
l. he said. and he did not prove it hir
self" said Mrs. Irving. so he lost
l. They all lost.
II Either they were honest and cou
N not prove it, or they were dish0ne
* and tired of trying to prove lie"
ST a year ago, when Mrs. Irving ma
the 1000 offer She promised tn
he should no one win the money she Won
p donate the amount to some euterpri
TX or movement which she consider
nj / would further economic welfare.
t--s- Go