The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-11-06
LEISURE HOUR REFLECTIONS
FROM A QUIET CORNER.

A great many people live and act as
if of the next step, being sat
ished to do and say the same thing
over a dozen times; they will do
things as well this week as they did
the other week, but no better because
they cannot seemingly appreciate the
necessity of progress. Doing the
same thing over and over, should not
suffice: it should be the ambition of
every worker to improve upon a thing
each time it is done, as each step is
taken begin to thing about another
and another. letting each success en-
courage you to attempt something
more difficult. The respect which
other people may have for your word
and promises, is largely dependent on
the regard in which you, yourself, hold
them. If you have no regard for your
promises yourself, why should others
have?
Too many times promises are given,
conditionally, so they may be easily
broken; but those who expect their
word to be honored by others cannot
/ dllOTu W uOlu II III sum b6hb w
themselves. The breaking of a single
promise in many instances may mean
the loss of thousands of lives, and
millions of dollars. The consistent
Christian, and business persons word
should be law and gospel.
Too many public speakers and schol-
ars have been and are yet confusing
the terms honesty and policy" Some
of our best scholars have been taught
and are teaching those whom they
have in their care, that honesty is the
best policy; in fact there are very few
of us who have not been taught, and
reared in the full belief that honesty
was the best policy. There is, how
ever, a wide divergence between the
two terms, and yet the great mass of
leaders and students of today have not
stopped long enough to think over the
difference. Honesty does not always
pay, from a great many corporations,
and business concerns are said to have
their policy of conducting their af-
fairs, there can evidently be no fixed
policy in any business, because policy
is dependent upon shifting circum-
stances. This being true, a corpora
ton must shape it's policy in conform.
ity with the success of its business
it is a fact, well known, that in many
cases, in the business world that from
policy's viewpoint, honesty would not
pay.
Yet there are men and women by
the thousands who go on from day to
day, knowing this to be true, but who
are too cowardly to speak for the
right, because, as they fear, their bust
ness and social position would be al
stake.
Honesty is above policy because il
is actuated solely from principles, and
asks whether it is right, while policy
must depend on popularity. Honesty
forgets self; policy thinks of nothing
else; honesty upward to God; policy
looks down to earth, as it is of the
head, while honesty is of the heart
1t is time that the people ought to be
brave enough to discriminate between
these terms; honesty is chaste, being
always ulTeCleu 10 SOOu ODJeCJS. vi
the other hand, policy is variable, "a
it may be any purse of actions, sys
TEN or plan. The great hindrance tt
movements for the elevation of the hu
man race, is due largely to thu
worlds policies, and a lack of honesty
People do not care so much for hon
esty, if they are able to carry forward
certain policies, whereby they may b.
able to make a success, in such line
| of business as they may be engaged
; The world has always placed polio
above honesty; because of this fac
the human race is making no advance
| ment along moral lines, and crime i
d on the increase each year. 1t woul
: seem that with the progress that
making along educational lines, tina
the moral scale would be raised, bu
{ as long as the people are satisfied t
4 place policy above honesty, there ca
i be little moral advancement.
DENNIS S. THOMPSON.