relation
between the quality of the work and the quality of the character. Did
you ever notice the rapid decline in a young man's character when he
began to slight his work, to shirk, to slip in rotten hours, rotten
service?

If you should ask the inmates of our penitentiaries what had caused
their ruin, many of them could trace the first signs of deterioration
to shirking, clipping their hours, deceiving their employers--to
indifferent, dishonest work.

We were made to be honest. Honesty is our normal expression, and any
departure from it demoralizes and taints the whole character. Honesty
means integrity in everything. It not only means reliability in your
word, but also carefulness, accuracy, honesty in your work. It does
not mean that if only you will not lie with your lips you may lie and
defraud in the quality of your work. Honesty means wholeness,
completeness; it means truth in everything--in deed and in word.
Merely not to steal another's money or goods is not all there is to
honesty. You must not steal another's time, you must not steal his
goods or ruin his property by half finishing or botching your work, by
blundering through carelessness or indifference. Your contract with
your employer means that you will give him your best, and not your
second-best.

"What a fool you are," said one workman to another, "to take so much
pains with that job, when you don't get much pay for it. 'Get the most
money for the least work,' is my rule, and I get twice as much money as
you do."

"That may be," replied the other, "but I shall like myself better, I
shall think more of myself, and that is more important to me than
money."

You will like yourself better when you have the approval of your
conscience. That will be worth more to you than any amount of money
you can pocket through fraudulent, skimped, or botched work. Nothing
else can give you the glow of satisfaction, the electric thrill and
uplift which come from a superbly-done job. Perfect work harmonizes
with the very principles of our being, because we were made for
perfection. It fits our very natures.

Some one has said: "It is a race between negligence and ignorance as to
which can make the more trouble."

Many a young man is being kept down by what probably seems a small
thing to him--negligence, lack of accuracy. He never quite finishes
anything he undertakes; he can not be depended upon to do anything
quite right; his work always needs