fact, each man has his own
standard of honesty. After all, it is, perhaps, not so much a question of
what a man's standards are as how well he lives up to them. We recall,
especially, the cases of two men associated together in business. One man
set his standards high. Intellectually, he knew the value of ethics in
conduct. He truly wished to make practical in his dealings the high
principles he admired. But his cupidity was strong and his will and
courage were weak, so he oftentimes argued himself, by specious casuistry,
into words and acts which were untruthful and dishonest. Oftentimes,
indeed, they came dangerously near to actual crimes against the laws of
the State. The other man had rather limited standards of honesty. His
motto was, "Let the buyer beware!" If those with whom he dealt were as
strong and intelligent as he, and he was clever enough to take advantage
of them, he regarded the spoils as rightfully his. It was all in the game.
"I don't squeal when they catch me napping," he said, "and why should I
look out for their interests?" But he never took advantage of the weak,
the ignorant, the inexperienced, or the too credulous. His word was as
good as gold. His principles were few and intensely practical, and he
would willingly lose thousands of dollars rather than violate one of
them.

Honesty is a complex virtue. It means, fundamentally, just and honorable
intentions. But it involves, also, knowledge of what is right, a keen and
discriminating sense of justice, a true sense of values, courage and
will-power to carry out honest intentions, and, finally, sufficient
earning power to meet all righteous obligations. Dishonest acts result far
more often from ignorance, warped sense of justice, inability to
appreciate values, cowardice, weak will, or incompetence, than from wrong
intent. Whether or not any individual is endowed with the necessary
honesty for success in any particular vocation is, therefore, a problem
which can be settled only by careful analysis of all its requirements. Law
and banking both require a high _degree_ of honesty, but the _kinds_ are
different.

THE HIGH QUALITY OF COURAGE

Next to honesty, perhaps, courage is most important. The individual who
lacks courage shows no initiative; he has no ability to fight his own
battles, to stand by his guns, to assert and maintain his convictions and
his rights. He is, therefore, always a misfit in any vocation where he is
required to take the in