The Ely miner., 1943-09-02

"But we CAN help to build a more
honest America, in our boys and
girls-in ourselves. We CAN face,
each one in her own heart, her own
household and kitchen and garden,
this question of being honest. So
that someday, when our children
take over the world, there will be
among them not just a few who
are conspicuous for their integrity,
but hundreds of trustworthy states
men and stateswomen ready to car
ry on. Dishonesty in school is
preparation for older and more re-
sponsible opportunities to cheat"
Keep your own life as honest as
you can. It is hard not to tell lies
in these days-social lies, telephone
lies. It is hard to market honestly,
for if a tradesman says unexpected
ly fDo you want five-rib roast?"
or 81 can leave you two extra pounds
Of coffee,'' it takes real courage to
stiffen ones back and say ''Thank
you, no, we're in this national effort
to stabilize food distribution, and I'd
rather not" For the maddening
thing is that the next customer is apt
to grab the extra supplies and no
questions asked!
Difficult to Admit Dishonesty.
But remember, it was just as hard
for you, at five, to keep your small
hand out of that box of candy. "It
is not yours, it's Georges" your
mother said firmly, "and I don't let
George take your things, you know"
It was just as hard to say, II did,"
when the question of who broke into
the cakebox was raised. 1t was
just as hard not to look when
the unknown girl next to you sur
reptitiously held out a printed pa
per, in the dreadful hour of blue
books and finals. It was just as
hard not to mail back to its rightful
owner the ring that was lying on
the public washstand.
But it is because you resisted, all
those times and a thousand more,
resisted the easy dishonesty, that
you have built up character that
won't let you forge and steal and
lie today. And it is upon that basis
that the safety of all your life is
rooted, and upon such basis alone
that the safety of the world depends
today. We must be honest. With
other nations and with ourselves.
And if we impress nothing else upon
our children's minds and characters,
we must impress that.
Some 20 years ago a woman al
ways somewhat careless with mon
ey was standing on the open porch of
an observation car while it was in
full motion. She had four $40 bills
rolled in her hand. When she
reached her drawing-room the mon
ey was gone.
The woman felt ashamed, for in
other years she had bitter reason to
know the value of money, and she
blamed herself for carelessness, and
gave up the bills for lost. But pres
emily the colored porter put his head
in the door; he was going through
the cars, asking everywhere, 'Did
you-au lose some money!"
Circumstances in which it would
be easier to steal could hardly be
imagined. But the point was that
this man didn't imagine along that
line. He found something that didn't
belong to him and tried to find the
owner. May there be some like him
at the peace table.
Our only hope of world peace lies
in the honesty of the men who make
the peace. If they are dishonest, if
they are ignorant of the ratsnest of
national hates and jealousies that
has been southern Europe for five
hundred years, then we'll be in worse
trouble than ever.