198
THE UPRIGHT CHARACTER.
He is not just who doth no wrong, but he
Who will not when he may; not he who, lured
By some poor petty prize, abstains, but he
Who with some mighty treasure in his grasp
May sin securely, yet abhors the sin.
Not he who closely skirts the pale of law,
But he whose generous nature, void of guile—
Would be,
Not seem to be,
The upright man.
—Philemon, a Greek.
Translated by Millman.
199
As daylight can be seen through very small holes, so little things will illustrate a person's character.
200
CHARACTER SHOULD NOT BE BELOW HOME STANDARD.
Alexander Simpson, the elder brother of Sir James Simpson, watched over the boyhood of the latter with parental care. When the social usages of the town and the prevalent free mode of living presented strong temptations to the boy, Alexander would put his arm round his neck and tenderly warn him: "Others may do this, but it would break a' our hearts and blast a' your prospects were ye to do it." After one such warning, "Jamie was greatly troubled, and cried nearly a' the nicht (night) like to break his heart." He obeyed the warning, and became a celebrated physician in Edinburgh.
