epended, and said to his young lieutenant:

"Success in this fight is important to me, but it is not so important
as the impairing of your character which I see going on. You are
becoming permanently distrustful, suspicious. You think one friend
will fail us here, that that friend is untrue, that the other one may
be influenced improperly. Very soon you will begin to suspect me, then
you will suspect yourself, and then--then, you are utterly lost. Stop
it. I would rather lose the fight than see your character become
negative."

That man was right, and the attitude he took in his advice to the
young man was right. Let the world quit encouraging young men to think
that guile succeeds. Let it encourage the faith that nothing but the
noble and the good really succeed in the end. Let every one point out
to the young man confronting the world that it is not so great a thing
after all to be "smart," not so great a thing after all to be capable
with the little tricks of life, but that it is everything to be good
and trustful and fearless and constructive.

It will not do for the world to reply that it does, in words,
encourage these fine qualities of youth. It does not, except in formal
and meaningless utterances--preachments that have not the vitality of
individuality in them. Words are very little, almost less than
nothing; but attitude and action are everything. The young man would
not feel that he had to be "slick," or crafty, or cunning, if the
world's attitude did not invite him to such a conclusion. It is the
nature of young men the world over, and particularly of young
Americans, to be open in life, direct in method, lofty in purpose, and
fearless in action.

A very successful lawyer once told me the following--it illustrates my
point: "I remember," said he, "that when I was a law student one of
the most brilliant young men I ever met--one of the most brilliant
young or old men I ever met--one day received a client of the firm
with a luxury of attention and a sumptuousness of courtesy that deeply
aroused my ignorant and rural admiration.

"When the consultation had been finished and the rich client had left
the office, this young lawyer, who had bowed him out with a deft
compliment which made the client feel that he was the point about
which the universe was revolving, turned and said, as he went to his
desk, 'There goes the shallowest fool and most stupid rascal in the
state.'

"When asked how he could say such