--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Hoggan, Lella Marler collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 19 number: 6 published: 1916-04 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Lella Marler Hoggan, "What Is a Character Worth?," *Improvement Era* 19, no. 6 (April 1916): 532–536.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1906unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1906unse start_page: 532 end_page: 536 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1916-04) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1906unse publication_year: 1916 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1916, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # What Is a Character Worth? What is a Character Worth? BY LELI.A MARLER IIOGGAN "lie would deal the same way with me, father, if he had thechance, I tell you. Besides he hasn't played fair." And Ned'sred lips were firm in defiance. "That isn't the question, my boy," said Mr. Bancroft, quietly."We are not responsible for Chester's standard of right and wrong.But we are responsible for your moral character. And I wantto tell you this, my boy, as soon as you fall below your own markof honor you have disgraced yourself in your own estimation, ifnot in the estimation of others. Just how Chester's essay hasbeen prepared, we have no right to say. The fact remains, thathe has lost it, and you have found it; and unless you return it, intime for the contest, you will not only be a dishonest boy, but youwill, also, be a coward." "I'm not afraid to compete with him, fairly. I can do betterwork than he can. But I repeat it, father, he hasn't played fair.I know for a certainty that Hal Johnson not only outlined hispaper, but he wrote more than half of it. I'm not a coward; butI'd be a fool to enter the contest, when his work was done by ahigh school graduate and I only a seventh grade student."Ned's big gray eyes were dark with anger as he pushed the brownhair back from his brow. "Very well," replied his father, "if you do not wish to enterthe contest under existing conditions, you may withhold youressay. But I cannot consent to a boy of mine dealing dishonestly,no matter what odds are at stake. I am more surprised and dis-appointed, Ned, than I can tell you, to think that you couldcheapen your character, for so paltry a thing." "It isn't the prize, father, I don't care a rap for the money.But you don't know how it makes a fellow feel to have a chumplike Chess play a double game on you. He hasn't done his workon the square for weeks. He has courted the teacher's favor inthe most underhanded way. He's a two-faced sneak, that's whathe is. And now to cap it all, he gets Hal Johnson to write hisessay, and expects us seventh grade students to stand quietly byand watch him walk off with the prize. We had more than onechance to steal his essay, but we wouldn't do it. But when hewas careless enough to lose it, and I found it in the rubbish of thewaste basket, I think it's no more than right to burn it up andgive the rest of us an honest chance to see who wins out." WHAT IS A CHARACTER WORTH? 533 There was silence for a few minutes, and then Ned's fatherspoke again, in that same quiet tone. ''Because Sam Jones stole the sheriff's brown mare, is noreason why I should take his last cow, by stealth. And becauseChester Bell prepares his essay dishonestly is no reason why youshould put a blot on your character. In doing the rash thing youpropose, you would not greatly injure either Chester or histeacher, you would not be doing any particular service to yourclass mates; but you would be stamping a falsehood on your ownsoul. The matter of the essay and the prize is but a trifle. Thereis little doubt but that the teachers and the judges will detect thefraud, if the work is very much superior to Chester's regularpreparations and the seventh grade class in general. Be that asit may, the incident will pass by and soon be forgotten. But ifyou do a dishonorable deed to offset Chester's unfairness, youwill not only double the wrong, instead of correcting it, but youwill also lower your own moral standard. Two wrongs nevermade a right, you know." He paused but Ned did not reply, andhe went on. "Do you realize that your chief business just now, my son,is the building of a man ? It takes problems and essays and factsand figures and various efforts to make up the mental part of thestructure. But it also takes morals and manners and heart throbsto complete the moral part of the structure. If a man were con-structing a fine mansion, you would think him a fool if he slippedin a handful of straw or saw dust, now and then, in place of agood solid brick, simply because some other builder was doinglikewise and claimed that the fraud would not be detected. Youknow, and any sane man knows, that sooner or later the structurewould topple and fall, and mayhap the builder would be crushedby his own craftiness. "Now my lad, this structure you are erecting is the first andlast and only one of the kind you will ever be permitted to build.Don't slip in a lot of rubbish and poor material. Make it worthits face value. Build strong and solid and square. Let everydetail be executed with infinite care. Because some cheerful idiottries to substitute sand for cement, don't follow his example.I've been working on my structure now for forty-five years, and Igive you my word of honor, son, it can't be done. Sand can neverpass for cement. Make your foundation strong and solid, boy.T?ke your time, do it right. Then when you come to the flagstaffon the turret, you will not have to lie awake at nights fearing lestthe flaws will betray you and the roof topple in." It was some minutes before Ned remarked, "Guess you'reright, after all, father. I'll take it back to him." Then, as hefolded the essay as he had found it, his face cleared and the sullenlines of anger gave way to his accustomed smile. 534 IMPROVEMENT ERA "Quite a price, wasn't it, daddy, to think of paying for apaltry scrap of paper like that," he said, jokingly. "Sort of a gold brick proposition, wasn't it," rejoined hisfather, laughing. "I'll tell you, Ned, I've seen a few sturdy examples of honestythat have made an impression on me, never to be forgotten. Onewas an old pioneer, a farmer, in a new country, battling with allthe hardships that a man has to meet under such circumstances.In order to meet his great necessities he decided, after much de-bating with himself, to mortgage his homestead. The sum re-quired for his urgent need was $100. So early one morning, hehitched his team to his heavy wagon, and taking some articles ofproduce with him to exchange for groceries and other necessities,he drove seventeen miles to the nearest town. Upon reaching theplace, he went to the bank, explained his need, and after the docu-ments were properly signed entitling him to the loan, the moneywas counted out in crisp bills and given to him. Without recount-ing them, he rolled them up snugly and placed them in his wornmoney purse and drove the seventeen miles back to his home,through a piercing cold wind from the north. Upon reachinghome, he took out his purse and counted his bills, but to his aston-ishment he found that he had received $200 instead of $100. Hiswife and his son both counted the money and marveled over theserious mistake. The next morning, bright and early, the oldpioneer made his way back to the town and entered the bankquietly. ' 'Gentlemen,' he said, 'yesterday, I came here and borrowed$100 from you. But when I reached home and counted mymoney, I found that you had made a mistake.' ' 'You should have found that out, yesterday,' snapped thebanker. 'We never correct past errors.' ' 'But it is such a big mistake,' urged the old man. " 'Can't help that,' growled the banker. " 'And it's in my favor,' persisted the old man. ' 'How's that!' demanded the banker, beginning to thaw alittle. . ' 'The mortgage was signed for $100 but you gave me $200instead,' finished the old man. "The banker was not many minutes in becoming all gracious-ness and accepting the $100. "The old man counted out the money, closed his purse witha snap, and climbing into his wagon he drove seventeen miles back-to his home through the piercing cold. Nor did he realize thathe had done a heroic deed. T wouldn't make a thief of myselffor the best hundred dollars that ever come off the mint,' hesnorted, when one of his friends suggested that he had actedunwisely." WHAT IS A CHARACTER WORTH? 535 "It would take a good deal of courage to do that, all right,"consented Ned. "Yes," agreed his father, "but it, sometimes, takes greatermoral strength to live up to a fine point of honor than it does tomake a sacrifice in matters of money. I shall never forget oneincident of this nature that I knew of years ago. It was some-what similar to the experience you have just met so bravely." Ned turned his flushed face away feeling that he deserved nopraise for the outcome of the little affair just passed. "There were two boys in the district school," began hisfather, '"who were in the same class and who sometimes sat to-gether. They played games together, and studied together, andyet in a way, they were always rivals. In the debates they usuallychose sides and each pitted his cunning against the other; inbaseball and various other games they were usually captains andeach measured strength with the other. After they left the grades,the rivalry went on. They both loved the same girl. Each ofthem filled positions of trust and responsibility in their home townand in the county. Finally, a time came when each of them hadaspirations for a certain political position in the county. Theyhad to pass a certain examination in the state, before they couldqualify as nominees. Each of them had taken the examinationbut neither had received his returns. The time for the primarydrew near. There were other aspirants who were already qual-ified ; and there were heated discussions among the delegates asto the outcome. The results.of the examination finally arrived,but for some inexplicable reason, all of the papers were sent toJohn, instead of being sent to each individual. No one, saveJohn, knew that he had received the important information. Hewent quietly to his own room. His hopes ran high. His handtrembled with excitement as he ripped open this letter. Yes,there was Harry's name heading the list. Harry had passed thetest. He was qualified to become a nominee. But—his heartalmost missed a beat—what did it mean? Surely he himself hadnot failed. Again he ran his finger down the row of figures. Yes,there were the results. He had fallen below the minimum in onesubject. He was not eligible to become a nominee. He hadfailed. The light went out of his face and the spring went outof his step as he walked to his desk and locked the letter inside.What would he do? His standard of right and honor demandedthat he should go immediately to Harry, but his humiliated spiritfaltered. He thought of all their past struggles together—formoney, and place, and love, and honor. This seemed to him, atthe moment, to be the climax. If he lost out now, he would lose,not only the position and the respect of his fellows, but he wouldalso lose the means whereby he had hoped to prepare himself forhis life's work. And, bitterest of all, he would, no doubt, lose the 5.36 IMPROVEMENT ERA woman in the case,—the woman for whom he could have sacri-ficed his highest ambitions in life. In his soul he knew that hewas more worthy of the position than his rival was. There wereno hidden pages in his past career. He had made a clean record;which he knew was not the case with his rival. And because ofthat clear record, his manhood rose to meet the occasion and hefaced it squarely. Unlocking his desk he sauntered down toHarry's office, and passing the letter to Harry, he said pleasantly: "'Got here just in time, didn't it? Prepare to hoist yoursail, there's a strong wind in your favor.' "'Yes?' questioned Harry. " 'Your name heads the list.' " 'And yours ?' asked Harry. " 'Oh, I petered out on the home stretch,' said John, quietly."Ned's father smiled reminiscently. "Was he nominated?" asked Ned. "Yes," replied his father, "and elected. But he didn't finishhis term. He tried to use sand for cement, Ned. and he found itcouldn't be done." "And the woman?" asked Ned, "Is your mother," said Mr. Bancroft, quietly, as a smile over-spread his face. Ned's eyes beamed with admiration. "Guess you didn't care if you did fail in the exam?" chuckledNed. TTCFXE, UTAH RICHFIELD M. I. A. SCOUTSOn their first annual hike to Fish Lake. Obeyingthe third point in the Scout Law—a scout is helpful.