p. 22 | Honesty | AdventAI

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jan 11, 1877

Honesty.

Honesty is the outspoken truth, revealing the real character. The term honesty signifies justice and uprightness. A man is honest because it is his policy to deal honorably with all with whom he may have intercourse. When he sells you an article he demands an equivalent. The sharper covets more; he fills his purse at others' expense and generally gets the best side of a bargain.

Honesty in all things is a virtue few attain. Many conceal their true character under a cloak of deception. We are dishonest in a great many ways—in language, deed and action. Our lives are made up of little things; it is in these little things that we are the most dishonorable—more so, perhaps, than in larger deeds.

Honesty is the best business qualification any young man can possess. Starting in life with the determination to lead an honorable career, you have a foundation at once secure, like a cornerstone upon which your future prosperity rests. Honesty believes in quick sales and small profits; in the one-price system. Honesty is not lavish in his statements, but represents his goods as they are, their merits and defects; uses no trap-like devices to swindle the unwary.

The most notable example of true honesty was George Washington. Always methodical and equal to his promises, he gained a world-wide reputation as a trustworthy man. The adage,—“A wrong confessed is half redressed,” is a splendid one. Dishonesty may prosper for awhile, but honesty is the most successful in the long run. Men most prosperous in all the thoroughfares of enterprise owe their good fortune to judicious dealing and uprightness in business.

The great need of the day is more honest men. We see at the present time crime, extensive defalcation and bartering for gold. Honesty insures a clear conscience; it insures peace of mind; it promotes confidence in each other; and above all it is the noblest of virtues.