West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-08-09

the needle OF which points more
surely TO the right and to the true
than the needle of the mariner
points TO the pole star. IL you do
not follow it you are IN perpetual
danger OF going TO pieces on the
rocks. Your conscience is your
compass, given you when you were
launched upon life's high seas. II
is the only guide that is sure to take
You safely into the harbor Of true
success. Wha, Il the mariner
should refuse to steer by the point.
ing of his compass, saying that il
is all nonsense that the needle
should always point north, and
should pull il around so that It
would point IN some other direction
fasten it there, and then sail by It ?
lie would never reach port in safe
tY.
1t takes only a little influence
just little forcc-to pull the needle
from It's natural pointing, Your
conscience compass must not be
influenced by greed or expedicncy.
You inuSt not not ,rammel it. You
must leave IL free. The man who
tampcrs with the needle of his con
science, who pulls it away from its
natural love, and who tries to con
vince himself that there are other
standards OF right, or other stars as
reliable as the pole star OF his char
acter. and propose TO follow them
in some unquestionable business, is
a deluded fool who invites disaster.
A great many young men try to
Justify themselves and check inter
nal protests by the perpetual self
suggestion that il is better TO keep
on, tor the present, in questionable
occupations, because the great
financial reward will put them in
position TO do better later. This is
a sort OF sedative TO the conscience
to keep quiet until they can afford
20 listen 10 it. No. DO not hypno-
tie yourself by the expectation Of
making clean money in dirty bus
mess. no not deceive yourself
either Toy thinking you can elevate
bad business or make it respect
able. Many a man has thus been
dragged down 10 his ruin. Some
occupations are SO demoralizing,
brutalizipg and hardening that even
II Lincoln could not make them
respectable. If what you are doing
is wrong, stop it. Have nothing to
do with il. II you are in doubt, or
if you suspect that you are warping
your conscience give yourSelf the
benefit of the doubt Take no chan
ces with it. Leave it before it is
too late.
Long familiarity with a bad bus.
mess will make it seem right to
you. If it is very profitable, it will
at last hush your doubts and blunt
your faculties II will make you
feel that there is compensation in
pursuing it--at least until capital is
accumulated for something else.
Besides, the philosophy Of habit is
that every repetition of an act
makes it more certain that it will be
repeated again and again, quickly
making the doer a slave. In spite
OF the protests Of your weakened
will, he,trained nerves continue TO
repeat the acts even when you
abhor them. What you at first
choose, at last compels you. You
are irrevocably chained TO your
deeds as the atoms arc chained by
gravitation.
SO, my friends, when you are
thinking of engaging ia an occupa-
tion which is a little questionable
and which does not get the complete
consent Of our faculties, do not
forget this tremendous gripping
power Of habit. which, when you
change, will pull like a giant to get
you back into the old ut You
have no right 20 choose an occupa-
tion which calls into play your in.
ferior qualites-the lying, cunning
oyereaching, scheming, longhead-
ed, under handed qualiucs-those
which covet and grasp and snatch,
aud never give, while all that is
is mobiles. tn you shriveis and dies.
II you have already made wrong
choice why should you need 90
remain in an occupation which does
not have your unqualified approval
or in one Of which YOU are ashamed
aud in which you have 20 stretch
your conscience every day to make
deceitlul statements, false repre-.
sentations to influence purchasers
unduly, to induce them by a smooth
manner and lying tongue to do