The Washington times., 1923-08-16
STEALING TIME
DENOUNCED
BY WRIGHT
Get Something for Nothing"
Craze Develops Dishon-
esty, Says Author.
BY WILLIAM PARKER.
!. Cosmopolitan News Service.

1 NNopyFlSnL, 1923,; Cosmopolitan NeWS
/ Service.)
| TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 16.-"Get
something for nothing, that is the
cry the. world over and it has: bred
a race of time thieves."
Harold Bell Wright had strolled
from the spacious living room into
his literary workshop, a cunringly-
hidden room where he Is isolated
even from his household. He knock
| ed the ashes from his merschaum
pipe, refilled it slowly, lighted 1t
and leaned against the wide, light
green table where in long hand he
writes his novels. He gazed
thoughtfully through q picture
frape-like window and across the
stretch of cactus-dotted plain to the
rugged Catalina" mountains cloaked
in a haze Of blue, vivid and mys'
ferrous.
Many Steal Employers Time.
THE world is filled with. time
thieves" Mr.. Wright began. THE
cashier who robs bank was
thief long before he stole money,
for the man that steals time will
steal money. But it is only when
] the cashier steals money that he
| ia punished by law. Is there any
difference between the banks time
and it's money?
| 1.-THE most deplorable element Of
the time-thief situation is that the
person who steals time is. proud
of it. But don't overlook. this.
vital point, the person who steals
time is always in dissa tisfied
state of mind. / don't suppose he
or she realizes that the one con-
dition has caused the other.
1.-THE modern boy and girl are
brought up not to give service.
Take the following as an object
raised. A boy gets on a street
car and lodges about so he won't
have to put his nickel in the box.
He tells his father when he. arrives
| home, that he beat the street car
! company out of. a nickel, What
does the father do? Does he pun
! ish the boy? Does he send him to
the company to pay the fare? No.
indeed, he tells Johnny he is a
smart boy. The father too, thinks
| it is quite a personal accomplish.
ment to defraud street car COM
pany. He thinks Johnny is s
cents nearer. an unearned fortune.
| The fact is that Johnny is cents
nearer the State prison.
Children Need Honesty.
"A great many parents are over
| whelmed with grief and amazement
when their sons and daughters
develop criminal tendencies. Let
me say this, more criminals are
made in homes than out of them.
Give your children a good, working
set of honest principles with which
to battle life and they will never
disgrace you. ss
This obsession to get something
| for nothing crops up in the most
unexpected places. Not long since
| I met noted divine, theological
instructor, on a train. He was en-
route to enjoy a hunting and fish
| ing trip. He told me he was travel
Ling on a pass, riding free, I asked
| him how he was able to get a pass
when~other people going fishing had
to pay.
HE replied bIandly, I receive
passes to travel about in doing
religious work
But 1 argued, you are not
doing religious work now, you are
going fishing
He endeavored to convince me
that he had a right to something
for nothing and he seemed quite
agitated when said / considered
him downright dishonest.
Another Dishonest Clergyman.
| Another time met a clergy
man travelling on pass made out
to a shipper Of mules.
"'Are you to buy a carload of
mules?' I asked,
"'Why, no. he replied with a
surprised expression, the pass was
given to me because 1 am clergy
man.
but what service are you rend-
ering for the pass?' I persisted.
| "'You don't seem to understand,
he protested in an aggrieved tone,
Il am a clergyman
II understood all right. under
stood that both these cfergymen
were dishonesty getting something
for nothing.
Amy person who thinks he can
violate the fundamental law of
service by getting something for
nothing is going to be. unhappy
| as long as he lives"