The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-08-09
Howe About:
Honesty
A Firm Foundation
Soldiers of Fortune
BY ED HOWE

elt1on OF any KIND 1 nave hiWdyS
been an humble follower. forgotten ex-
cept when leaders are considering an
additional tax schedule, new drive,
or other foray.
But II appointed chief of police |
should have fewer street parades.
seldom 60 downtown without finding
4 street roped off for another parade,
and thus suffer annoyance and delay.
The president of a big New York
bonding company writes me:
1.-THE following Is a quotation from
your last issue: I do not believe the
people can be cured of their natural
dishonesty. but still have hope they
can be taught honesty is the best pol
Icy. II we teach 1t as industrIously as
we have long been teaching some of
our untrue doctrines The ex-
perlence of this company In paying dis
honesty losses forty years convinces
me that what Is needed In this world
Is the teaching Of honesty rather than
preaching OF 1t. Our preaching has
resulted In honesty being regarded as
goody-goody' doctrine, to be eulog-
lied by Sunday school teachers and
the public schools up to the. fourth
reader. No real effort Is made to Inn
press young people with the practical
benefit to be derived from honesty AZ
an asset. Anyone can acquire 1t, and
1t will prove an inexhaustible resource
throughout life Dishonesty starts
when the Individual determines upon
course he knows Ia wrong. but the
impression Is not deep enough to hold
hIm--he has not been sufficiently
taught. II children were sufficiently
taught honesty from the beginning,
and continuously. 1t would not DO 30
easy for men and women to depart
from honest ways, and get Into the
trouble dishonesty always brings I
hope you will elaborate on this theme
In subsequent issues"
l am regarded ~ 4 tiresome scold
BY I good many because | have al
ready elaborated on the theme In many
previous issues. / believe Ne should
teach honesty II the best policy rs per-
sistently and continuously a. we teach
the Christian religion.
Honesty il not 'goody-Roody" or
Sunday school doctrine; It Is the
soundest article In the philosophy of
experience. Good conduct II the sur
est and safest method Of insuring sue
cess and comfort In life. Good con-
duct pays; and 1t is easier In the long
run than bad conduct.
/ have taught this all my life, and
shall teach 1t hereafter.
A country or man may progress
too rapidly. 1t was overprogress that
caused Ivar Kreuger. head OF the
Swedish match trust, to commit sui
eide, and leave behind the record OF
4 scoundrei.
1t was overprogress on tn part OF the
United States that brought us to the
present great difficulties. Progress IL
one Of the best principles, but the de-
tails must be attended to with the old
details OF caution and common sense.
II the foundation Is not built on solid
rock, there will be toppllng.
Somewhere In the hymn book or
Bible there Ia line about the sure
Ia r.
everything. IL he hopes to get along
as comfortably and safely as In pos
Eible.
The stories of Soldiers of Fortune,
- they appear In the newspapers and
magazines exaggerated by other sol
dlers Of fortune, make good reading:
In my vagrant hours sometimes read
them myself,
A notable Soldier OF Fortune has
just died, missing the average goal
of three score and ten by thirty years.
He was In college when the war broke
out, and made high grades In the foot
ball squad. Also. he sang In the Elee
club, and played In the band, bat hts
grades In legitimate studies were low.
OF course, he promptly enlisted, and
/ marvel that 4 man wounded 10 fro
quently and seriouslr, was able, after
the armIstice. to perform such feats
of exploration ~ he displayed Ia climb
ing mountains, following rare speci-
mems of animals In Tibet and Africa,
and engaging In revolutions In South
America He hoped to ny across the
Atlantic and thus appear In the mo-
vies, but at thirty eight he was found
dead; whether by his own hand, or at
the hand Of one of his fellow adven-
turers, Is not known.
Still. | prefer the story OF Thos. A.
Edison, and humber men, who have
striyen In the more useful. II less ex.
sitting, fields Vt endeavor.
do not love life as ardently as
some say they do. but possibly few
have become more accustomed to II
than ! am at seventy-nine
The things shall dislike to give up
are becoming fewer every year; still,
suppose shall finally hate to 20.
The story told during the war that
German soldier ran his bayonet
through a Belgian baby, and carried