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BEING HONEST

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 12, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 24.

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BEING HONEST.

“PAPA! please give me my money,” said a little fellow, as he stood, cap in hand, ready for Sunday-school.
The father drew a handful of coins from his pocket, and selecting one handed it to the boy.
“Why, papa!” he exclaimed in delight, “did you mean it? It’s a dime.”
“Yes,” replied the father with a laugh, “it’s a punched one; but nobody will know the difference in a collection.”
The boy stood for a moment in thought, and then said slowly,—
“Don’t it make any difference unless folks know?”
“Of course not, you little goose,” answered the father; and the boy went to Sunday-school.
A few days later the father said with an air of satisfaction, “It didn’t cost me anything to come up on the train to-night.”
“How was that?” asked his wife.
“O, the train was full; and before the conductor got to me, we came to a station, and he went to see if any one got on, and I slipped ahead into the smoker. Nobody got on there, so he didn’t come into the smoker again, and I saved my ticket—great scheme wasn’t it?” Father and mother laughed heartily; but a sober face looked up, and the boy asked,—
“Don’t you have to pay unless the conductor asks you?” And again the father answered,—
“Of course not, you little goose.”
Another day the father came home and told with a chuckle how in paying a small account the man had by accident handed him back the bill he gave in addition to the change required. And our little inquisitor asked, “Did you keep it, papa?”
And was answered by,—
“Sure; it isn’t my business to keep accounts for other people; I look out for number one.”
With training like this, is it a wonder that the child grew up into young manhood with an ingrained conviction that a falsehood undetected was not a sin? But the words of God never fail; and “Be sure your sin will find you out,” proved true.
The boy, now a young man, finds that friends and employers alike say, “He’s a nice fellow, but he’ll bear watching; he doesn’t see straight unless somebody’s eyes are on him.”
This father is a professing Christian, attends church regularly, and would be amazed if any one should call him dishonest.
Who is to blame? Do you say, “He is old enough to see for himself and do right?” True; but habits of deceit weaken the will power, as well as darken the moral vision, and our young man, who, often mortified by detection, only tosses his head and says, “What a fuss about little things!” and the parents wonder why the boy can’t be trusted.
Is it surprising that with training like this in thousands of homes our young men are so often spoken of as “schemers” and “slippery fellows”? “Honesty is the best policy” may be true enough; but the sentiment is poor foundation for character-building. Absolute honesty is the only true principle.
Be honest with God and yourself, and you can not fail to be honest with the world.—Selected.