Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-13

whether, or not there was more inner |
emit honor among men, It was necessary
to leave a great deal to the honor Of in |
dividuals. An exercise of anything
keeps 1t alive. When 1t is dormant it
Is liable to retrograde. 1t was not till
1860 or thereabouts that the punch
system for fare collectors on railroads
and street car lines was introduced.
and the companies made the public
their agents, informing them of the
conductors duties. 1t was one Of these
notices posted in a street car that
gave rise to Mark Twain's celebrated
| doggerel:
A pink trip slip for an eight cent fare.
! A blue trip slip for six cent fare.
| A bun trip slip for ave cent fare.
| Punched In the presence OF the passengers.
| Punch, brothers. punch: punch with care;
| Punch IN the presence OF the passengers!
Then, too, the merchant Of the early
part Of the nineteenth century consid-
cred 1t a disgrace to fail in business.
| He had inherited from his ancestors
the tradition that in monetary trans
actions he could only maintain a re-
spected position among his fellow men
by paying dollar for dollar. Many a
man of that time died of a broken
heart not entirely because of the loss
Of his wealth, but the loss of his honor.
These illustrations could be added ad
libitum, but the two mentioned will
suffice to give the younger members Of
the community today an idea Of those
times when there were no patent de-
vices for insuring honesty.
| h. I.afrry kha sta faa
broke out Ned Carleton, a boy of if
teen, enlisted, though be was three
years under the required age, and
marched south with his regiment. Aft
er the battle of Shiloh he was reported
missing and was dropped from the reg
mental roster. His family mourned
him as dead.
In the year 1900 a man giving his
name as Judson MacIntyre called
upon an oculist to save the sight Of one
of his eyes. The oculist after num-
Der of visits on the part of the patient
discovered that he was suffering from
a depression at a certain point in his
skull, causing a pressure on the optic
nerve, and recommended trepanning
the part MacIntyre was operated
on by a surgeon and the moment he
became conscious after the passing of
the effect of the anaesthetic cried out,
rising to a sitting posture:
stand fast, boys! We're drivin' EN-"
Don't excite yourself" said the sur
geon gently forcing the patient down
on his back.
ooh, 1 see," said MacIntyre, look
ing about him, "Ive been hit I'm in
hospital, suppose"
1.-THE operation has been successful
You'll be all right very soon"
"Did we lick emf"
click whomT'
"The Confederates."
Those about the patient looked at
one another as much as to say, Hes
j out of his head"
"You must keep quiet, Mr.. MacIn-
tyre" said the surgeon.
"MacIntyre! Who are you talking
: to? Ny names not MacIntyre; I'm
Ned Carleton of the Indiana volun-
teers-"
And so he was. For forty years q
pressure on his brain, occasioned by a
wound in the head, had made him OBJ
livious to his existence for the first
fifteen years of his life. How he had
come to assume another name he
didn't quite remember, but during four
decades he had lived under that name.
But he had not lived in America. His
earliest remembrance was of Australia,
though how he got there he didn't
5 know. He had been sailor part of
he he
existence, while the rest had been spent
as a sheep herder.
And now Carleton, fifty-five years old
having recovered from the operation
was obliged to go out into the world
and earn living. He had been well
educated for boy of fifteen and wrote
an excellent hand. He went about ap
plying for a clerkship. Everywhere
he applied he was received with sur.
prise.
I'VE don't hire any one Of your age
for clerk" he was told. I'VE pre-
II fer very young men,"
"a I'm a good penman. Can't you give
me some copying to dor
''T'ypewriting?
"A "Typewritingi What's that?"
IN ''That young lady will explain it Il
you" pointing to a girl clicking ma
chine
Is The poor fellow, taking up as he die
in the thread of life from the age of six
teen, did not apply for mans work.
One day Carleton, being kindly re
t. ceived by a benevolent looking gentle
man, told the man his story, elicitini
a great deal of interest
tie 81 will do what / can for you" SAT-
the gentleman. I'VE need a collector
How would you like that positions"
he "Glad to get anything" said Garlic
of ton, land I'm sure you will find m
honest. I'll not pocket my collections.
The gentleman did not seem impress:
ny ed with that phase of the case. but
So gave Carleton the position. namin
MS salary at SO a week. CarIeto
was surprised
IT do you mean. Mr.. Gregory"
M asked. that am TO be trusted I
on collect funds for you and be paid onl
$40 a WRak2 II seems tn me- that va