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Page 35
"Certainly."
"And I am, to use plain words, a thief. Well, now take this easily
to be understood case. I have a lot of goods to sell, and you wish to
purchase them. In the trade I manage to get from you, through direct
misrepresentation, or in a tacit advantage of your ignorance, more
than the goods are really worth. Do I not cheat you?"
"Undoubtedly."
"And having purposely deprived you of a portion of your money, am I
not a thief?"
"In all that goes to make up the morality of the case, you are."
"The truth, unquestionably. Need I proceed further? By your own
admission, every businessman who takes undue advantage of another in
dealing, steals."
"Pretty close cutting, that, friend Claire. It wouldn't do to talk
that right out at all times and in all places."
"Why not?"
"I rather think it would make some people feel bad; and others regard
themselves as insulted."
"I can believe so. But we are only talking this between ourselves.
And now I come back to my rather abrupt question--Do you approve of
stealing? No, you say, as a matter of course. And yet, you but just
now were inclined to justify sharp dealing, on the ground that all
were sharpers--quoting the saying of some, that no honest man could
trade successfully in the present time. For the direct stealing of
a few articles of trifling value, you hand a poor, ignorant domestic
over to the police, yet feel no righteous indignation against the
better-taught man of business, who daily robs his customers in some
one form or another."
"You are too serious by far, Edward," returned his companion, forcing
a laugh. "Your mind has fallen into a morbid state. But you will get
over this one of these times. Good evening! Our ways part here. Good
evening!"
And the young man turned off abruptly.
"A morbid state," mused Claire to himself, as he continued on alone.
"So thousands would say. But is it so? Is honesty or dishonesty the
morbid state? How direct a question! How plain the answer! Honesty is
health--dishonesty the soul's sickness. To be honest, is to live in
obedience to social and divine laws; dishonesty is the violation of
these. Is it possible for a diseased body to give physical enjoyment?
No! Nor can a diseased mind give true mental enjoyment. To seek
happiness in the possession of wealth obtained through wrong to
the neighbour, is as fruitless as to seek bodily pleasure in those
practices which inevitably destroy the health. To me, this is
self-evident, and may God give me strength to live according to my
clear convictions!"
The very earnestness with which Claire mentally confirmed himself in
his honest convictions, and especially his upward looking for strength
in conscious weakness, showed that his mind was in temptation. He
had felt somewhat depressed during the day, in view of his external
relation to the world; and this feeling was increased by his
observation of the fact that Parker had been advanced to the position
of a partner to his old employer. It seemed like a reward for unfair
dealing, while honesty was suffered to remain poor. The young man's
enlightened reason--enlightened during five years' earnest search
after and practice of higher truths than govern in the world's
practice--strongly combated all the false arguments that were
presented to his mind, during this season of his overshadowing. The
combat was severe, and still continued on his arrival at home--causing
his mind to be in a measure depressed.
CHAPTER X.
The increase of Claire's family had caused him, some time before, to
remove from the two comfortable rooms in which were passed the first
pleasant years of his married life. He now occupied a small house in
a retired street, the rent of which, though moderate, drew pretty
heavily on his income. But he had managed, through the prudent
co-operation of his wife, not only to keep even with the world, but to
lay by a small sum of money.
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