The Wisconsin weekly blade. [volume] (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925, 1917-02-08
MEMS FORUM.
CHARACTER VS.. REPUTATION
w. B. Truhe.

ple III the reading room or our
and, by the way, you fellows who
haven't "Y" of your own to enjoy
haven't begun to live. Those were
the hours to which every man of us
locked forward during the rush of the
day in office, lecture room or shop for
then we could lounge and read at will.
Say 'Chet' are you going to hear
Prof. Willis tomorrow evening""
asked one of the fellows.
Not for me, thanks, / have no
time for old Willis, you know, Bud,
that's my way, anytime / lose conf
dence in a fellow once, take note,
don't pretend to have any use for him
and Willis has got my goat
1t was the first time that this sub
ject had been preached at the "Y."
Some of the fellows were still in high
school and Prof. Willis was principal
up there so we didn't discuss the mat
ter before them. We had all heard
the unpleasant rumors that were
afioat and they were so contrary to
the estimation in which we all held the
man that it was rather hard to be-
lieve-but now that the subject was
before us everybody was going to have
his say.
Poor policy, Chet," said Chuck
Fisher laying his Popular Mechan-
les on the table and stretching, you
know we are always told Don't do as |
do, but as | tell you to do old Prof.
Willis being of the Man-Adam is due
one fall at least-but somehow hate
to see fellows rep shot to pieces
boys" and he tapped the table with his
pencil-"if you can't be good be care
full or they'll be playin golf with your
character"
The altruist rose from his seat near
the CRATE fire. He turned a look of
disgust at Chuck and l could see that
he was peeved right. Whats the
matter AL, inquired, hope our con-
versation is not offensive" mo it's
not offensive-sounds rather defensive
to me" was the curt rejoinder.
"Oh l say, Chuck protested" sorry
| bored you but you needn't slam like
that-it's easy to see you got raise
at the office today-come on stay a
while and chat, we'll change the sub
/ ject if that's what peeved you" We all
had sneaking regard and respect for
| 1 and our concern was genuine.
I 8rhe AIgruEA softened "Oh it's all
right fellows, I guess but it just hap
pens that your general remarks grated
ON me, YOU see Willis is friend of
mine, | know the man and know that
all this chat about his being implicated
in the Drake mix-up is absurd. A
man like this doesn't need a nobody
like me to champion his cause but I'm
going to tell you fellows a few facts
Just because it might make differ
ence to you.
| | don't know who it was that start
ed this ugly lie or why and of course
it doesn't make bit Of difference to
me or anybody else who ever knew
the man. He's as cleans as the doc
trine he breaches, as big as the posi-
ton he holds; and will live down this
thing as many a man and every man
who was right has done-but the
point is this:-you fellows ought to
be able to see the distinction between
character and rep. Character is the
wood beneath, any man who has once
tested the wood knows that there is
no chance of change there. Fire may
scorch and burn but it cannot make
pine of good clean maple CAP work
ed in the office of lumber company)-
and no change ever occurs that alters
the value of the stocI'.
Reputation is the finish that public
opinion puts on one and public opin-
ion takes pleasure in scratching off
its veneer in an endeavor to spoil tire
finish. It scratches and scrapes and
in many cases where its object is not
attained at that it applies an acid
that smokes and fumes and eats OF
the veneer but let me tell you. the
old wood is the same; that's charac-
ter. Willis is just man-as you
say and, when he, for the sake Of the
young ones whom he labors with, at
tempted to set things right and vim
dictate himself-the gaping, yawning,
omniverous public with its blood
thirsty jaws set, snapped and called
his remarks-confession By Jove it
makes my blood boil. But Chuck,
what mean, the character was there.
| was the first one to tell Prof. of
the gossip. He was hurt-but SIM
ply expressed hope that his friends
would consider the matter-this weird
inconsistent charge would kill itself
by the incongruity on the face of it
but he thought of his girls and boys.
His lecture tomorrow is on The ethics
of the Profession it is darinR-it is
| chaIlo,ua opd Il cboxryc that tho char