Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1913-03-12
A GOOD NAME.
Valuation Placed Upon Reputation
by Venerable Geo. ID. Perkins of
Sioux City Journal.

SEOUA WY
All that is valuable in life is in
honest reputation. There is no cour-
age worth while that is apart from
the spirit. 1t was the sublime cour-
age of Jesus that enabled him to say
in the desolation of Gethsemane: 20,
my Father, if this cup may not pass
away from me, except ! drink it, thy
will be done" Fer the most part,
men live in doubt; they are never
sure they are understood, and they
are never certain that they have deal
ing. They are very much in the dark.
They Judge from what they hear and
they hear many things. They think
much of how they may gain advant-
age and of how they may guard them
selves against loss; and while they
are thus engaged they do not open
the door to the light of the spirit
He is a very dull man, hardly to be
credited with self responsibility, who
is ignorant of the commercial value
of a good name. Reputation is either
an asset or a liability, and methods
for estimating it are about reduced
to a science by those whose business
II 10 " llhu Ohl II lhCi oA - bStW Va
| ty. The investigators want to know
about mems habits, want to know if
| they have ever done anything bad
want to know, if they pay their debts
they want to know, in short, whether
certain men who have applied for
something or other are TO be accepted
as a good risk. No man can make
himself good risk in one day. 1t is
life job.
There has been and still is very
much mistake as to religion. Relig-
ion is something to live by, and any
thing else that is called religion is
fraudulent. Man cannot put on re-
| ligion as a cloak on Sunday and lay
| it off on Monday morning to fix the
furnace fire. 1t is doubtful if relig-
ion now is any help in making horse
trade; possibly it is rather detri-
ment, for the wicked have increase
of wisdom. 1t is something possibly
to rejoice over that no one is partic-
ularly helped or benefited any more
! by telling how good he is. Goodness
! is more and more recognized as a
matter of growth.
1t is slow process to outgrow a
Ddu hdulC. 4hCn Cdu lOCotdOAioh thOLh
selves to an extent in the confidence
of few by the supporting power of
affection, but it is hard to get far,
with the best intentions, without
meeting the old name and the grim
ace of the careless. The only way
left is to work around the base of the
ladder that other feet may climb with
an assurance of safety. Under such
circumstances it is hard to resist dis
couragement. 1t is easy to say men
who have been unfortunate are not
given a chance, and that to struggle
in behalf of a good name, that one
may be honorable to himself and to
his family and to the community in
which he lives is hardly worth while,
land so to let go and to go down and
down. If distinction could be made
| between honest effort and mere act
| ing it would be easier to render help
where help is needed. 1t is a very
| large fact, therefore, that no one can
afford to ,trifie with his good name.
Through compelled to part with every
thing else, it is the part of wisdom
| to hold that
Sometimes men look out for their
reputation at the banks and are scru-
pulous in the payment of their debts.
They do what they can to justify the
saying that their word is as good as
their bond And it may be all this
they do as a matter of business. In
other respects they may be careless.
But what they do offers recognition OF
the truth as it is in God.
| There is nothing men can afford to
accept in exchange for their good
name. 1t is the one thing in which
they may have profit, which they may
hold beyond the reach of enemies,
and which may serve to keep green
their memory when they are gone
The hopeful thing lies in the increase
of recognition that good name is an
essential in all prosperity; and 1t is
of large consequence to know that
the demand for it is beyond the sup
ply. The fact is under revelation that
good name is to be preferred to
great riches, and that adjustment OF
the ambitions of men is going for
ward to this order.
Give unto the Lord the glory due
unto his name: and bring an Offering.
and come before him; worship the
Lord in the beauty of holiness