Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-04-18
RUTH is the rock foundation Of
every great character. 1t is
loyalty to the right as we see

ideals. It is always-power.
Truth ever defies full definition. Like
electricity, it can only be explained by
noting it's manifestation. 1t is the
compass Of the soul. the guardian Of
conscience, the final touchstone Of
right. Truth is the revelation of the
ideal; but it is also an inspiration to
realize that ideal, constant impulse
to live it.
Lying is one of the oldest vices in
the world. 1t made it's debut in the
first recorded conversation in history
In famous interview in the garden of
Eden. Lying is the sacrifice Of honor
to create a wrong impression. 1t is
masquerading in misft virtues. Truth
can stand alone, for it needs no chap
eron or escort. Lies are cowardly, fear
some things that must travel in bat
taliOns. They are like a lot of drunken
men-one vainly seeking to support an
other. Lying is the partner and ac-
complice of all the other vices. 1t is
the cancer of moral degeneracy in an
individual life.
Truth is the oldest of all the virtues.
was man to perceive it or to accept it.
1t is the unchangeable the constant.
Law is the eternal truth of nature-the
unity that always produces identical
results under identical conditions.
When a man discovers great truth in
nature he has the key to the under
standing of million phenomena. When
he grasps a great truth in morals he
has in it the key to his spiritual re-
creation. For the individual there is
no such thing as theoretic truth-a
great truth that is not absorbed by our
whole mind and life and has not be-
come an inseparable part Of our living
is not real truth to us. If we know
the truth and do not live it, our life is
"a lie
In speech, the man who makes truth
his watchword is careful in his words;
he seeks to be accurate, neither under
stating nor overcoloring. He never
states as fact that Of which he is not
sure. What he says has the ring Of
sincerity, the hall mark Of pure gold.
If he praises you, you accept his state
ment as net" you do not have to
work out a problem in mental arith-
metic on the side to see what discount
you ought to make before you accept
his judgment. His promise counts for
something. You accept it as being as
good as his bond. You know that no
matter how much it may cost him to
verify and fulfill his word by his deed
he will do it. His honesty is not pol
icy.
The man who is honest merely be-
cause it is 1.-The best policy" is not
really honest; he is only polite. Usu-
ally such a man would forsake his
seeming loyalty to truth and would
work overtime for the devil-if he
could get better terms.
Truth means that which one trow-
eth or believes" 1t is living simply
and squarely by our belief; it is the
externaliZing Of faith in series of
actions. Truth is ever strong, coura-
geous, virile, though kindly, gentle,
calm and restful. There is vital differ
ence between error and untruthfulness.
"A man may be in error and yet live
bravely by it. He who is untruthful
I'm his life knows the truth, but denies
it. The one is loyal to what he be-
lieves; the other is traitor to what he
knows.
The man who makes the acquisition
of wealth the goal and ultimatum of
his life, seeing it as an end rather
than a means to an end, is not true.
why does the world usually make
wealth the criterion Of success and
riches the synonym Of attainment?
Real success in life means the indi-
viduaps conquest of himself; it means
chow he has bettered himself" not
''How has he bettered his fortune"
The great question of life is not What
have II" but what am I?'
Man is usually loyal to what he most
desires. The man who lies to save a
nickel merely proc]aims that he es-
teens nickel more than he does his
honor. He who sacrifices his ideals,
truth and character for mere money or
position is weighing his conscience in
one pan of a scale against bag Of
gold in the other. he Is loyal to what
be finds the heavier, that which he de-
s1res the more-the money. But this
ls not truth. Truth is the hearts 10y
atty to abstract right made manifest
In concrete instances.
The tradesman who lies, cheats, mis-
leads and overcharges and then seeks
to square himself with his an@mic
conscience by saying Lying is abso-
ilutely necessary in business is as
untrue in his statement as he is in his
acts. He justif1es himself with the
petty defense as the thief who says 1t
Is necessary to steal in order to live.
The permanent business prosperity Of
m Individual city or nation rests
finally on commercial integrity alone.
bespite all that the eynies may eay q