Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-02-16
SPIRES OF THE SPIRIT
A Badge Of Honor
Honor Is one Of the strong-
BY DIR. FREDERICK BROWN HARRIS
Chaplain Of the United states Senate

est words of the language.
On it one strikes the bedrock
Of character. To merit the
title of honorable" in pub
lie service or in any calling
is the acme Of moral attain
ment. To have any rela-
tionship end in dishonorable
discharge Is the epitaph OF
respect.
Honor is such q shining
virtue that. II q shred Of de-
cency is glimpsed even in the
fraternity Of robbers. an old
adage suggests. There is
honor even among thieves,
To be ON the "honor list"
is not only a coveted
academic distinction. It is
the GROWING achievement in
the university called life. To
accept q creed is important
Ito keep the faith is the
supreme test. A great pub
Usher, whose blue pencil
every year decides whether
or not submitted manuscripts
are launched on the sea of
books, recently remarked to
the writer-as he despair
ingly spoke Of those who in
this day are ready to sell
their souls for expediency's
sake - Il wish somebody
would write q scathing
searching book on honor
bright What a glory
flashes when one sees it ex-
emplif1ed. There was David
Livingstone with everything
within him yearning for the
homeland, to which a ship
about to sail offered to take
him. Instead. he turned back
into the trackless jungle with
the black men he had given
his word to q native chief
to bring back. Honor bright
took him back to die as the
hills Of home were calling In
vain.
That FURNISHED phrase
honor bright" has the
sanctity of an oath. It points
to a personal moral standard
which to betray is to commit
ethical suicide. It once meant
that resisting all pressure
from outside one vowed to.
be loyal to the royal in him.
self. But, alas, so often now.
instead Of Honor Bright 1t
is Honor Blight.
In his devastating exposure
Of the inner rottenness Of
Communism, The New
Class" Milovan Djilas-now
for his treason to that falla-
cious system in a Yugoslav-
ian jail-warns that its un-
forgivable sin is in robbing
the individual Of his honor.
AS Djilas puts it. in all lines
OF endeavor. including art.
there is "the loss of internai
powers and integrity because
men are forced to lie to
themselves and others-this
is the most frequent phe-
nomenon in the Communist
system among those who &C
tually wish to and could
create" This crucifixion of
personal honor. declares this
brave voice who knows the
heinous facts from the in
side. will nail Communists
to a cross Of shame in his
tory"
Even in America the Sec
ond half Of the goth century
has come in with a veritable
barrage of charges and
countercharges Of corruption.
bribery, double-dealing.
crooked schemes and ugly,
undercover practices reveal
ing a lack Of personal honor
which is positively appalling.
With many. to be clever is
rated as a higher attainment
than to be clean: to sell
shoddy goods or shady prop
ositions. more important than
to tell the truth: to stay
strictly within moral confines
is only a silly inhibition from
the old days Of honor
bright" The prime consid-
Grafton is Can ! get away
with this?" rather than as
it right?" Personal corrup-
ton in individuals has seeped
into public life, into sports
life and into commercial life.
1t Is true Of our world, as
Edmund Burke said it was Of
the sad and mad days which
followed the French Revolu-
ton: Gone is that SENSIBLE
ity Of principle. that chastity