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Show THE UNSHAKABLE FOUNDATION. In all your thoughts and words and deeds, young man. be sincere. Straightforwardness Is current coin in every age and among all peoples There Is no kind of exchange between man and man or community and community com-munity which will take the place of sincerity. Error Is to be deplored; but error loses half its evil If the man who entertains en-tertains It is sincere, for his truth will some time find Its like and error will bo discarded. There can he no failure in the life of one who clings to conviction and who In his sayings and doings with his fellow fel-low men, expresses nothing else. Sincerity Sin-cerity Is better than talent. It Is better than a fair form. It Is better than worldly prosperity In making and holding hold-ing friendship; It is bettor than any other one characteristic In attaining and holding Influence and station to the full extent of a man's capability. A philosopher has written that he would prefer to deal with a sincere man who was in error clinging to his error becauso he believed it than to deal with a hypocrite who accepted right against his own conviction, for the sincere man, when right, would be a valuable ally, while the hypocrite, when right merely for the popular advantage, ad-vantage, would be a dangerous consort, j In this age of reason, of widespread Information, there is little danger from the sincere man. So many methods and movements operate to correct his innocent inno-cent error, so many Influences surround him to lead him to the right, and his sincerity Is so certain to compel his rejection re-jection of error when discerned and his acceptance of the truth when known; that time, and brief time. Is sure to bring his service, and his enduring service, ser-vice, to the truth But lacking sincerity, sincer-ity, his pretended devotion even to truth Is valueless, being only for a price and he will forsake it for a greater great-er price. To follow conviction Is to he a hero To follow conviction Is to follow Christ. We write of the ways to success. All righteous paths merge Into one the roael of sincerity. Domestic happiness cannot exist without it. The trust of one's follow men comes with it. It Is without fear. Hope smiles upon It. Fruition has no bitterness and no danger when sincerity sincer-ity achieves it. There Is no thorn In Its rose. There is no poison In Its kiss. What the sincere man gives Is thrice blessed to him who receives. What tho sincere man receives Is thrice blessed to himself It Is the hst foundation stone for human -hnracter and human ambitions, ambi-tions, I'pon it he man can build to the extent of all his ability, knowing that thereviS no weakness at the foundation ivhlch Will crumble Ills edifice Into the dust. Contrast this safety with a life built upon hypocrisy. Every moment it is In danger, and every elay is a menace and every night a horror. The gale of adversity ad-versity cannot shake the sincere man's life, but a breath of opposition may topple the hypocrite's career Into hideous hide-ous and shapeless ruin Yes, young man, abo e all other things, be sincere. Then all thincs of good that come to you are your own Your progress may be less rapid, but It will never be Imperilled. Your friends may not be as quickly gathered, but they will be of worth Your achleve-mi achleve-mi ills lijay not be as dazzling, but they will glow with 9l?adily increasing light for longer time-All time-All that we know of good here comi B from sincerity. All that we hope for good in the future Is its Inevitable result. |
