But outside of him, this “Devil” is quite an institution whose great aim seems to be to monopolize you and everybody else. The feature he displays is a willingness to go into partnership with you in your undertakings. He will make suggestions to you that sound plausible and good, and his promises are lurid. But beware of him, he is working for himself and not you. He is extremely selfish and will grab all the profits, leaving you thrown out like an old shoe that is no longer fit to wear. A suggestion of wrong, of crooked work, of something that will injure your fellow man, that will best him, and cause him to lose money, character, friends, or honesty, comes from this outside Devil who wants you for a partner. In a partnership the partners are supposed to work together for the common interest, but with the Devil as a partner you do all the work and he takes the pot of gold. If you are a sterling, upright man, and insist upon being so, you may and probably will be tempted to go into partnership with the Devil, but knowing him, you will flaunt his honied words and stick to your uprightness. By and by he will leave you and you will win your way and enjoy all the profits. In baptism you renounce the world, the flesh and the Devil. The world ruins you, the flesh overcomes you, and the Devil gets you. This is the usual routine, so stand by your baptismal vows, they are wise. HONESTY THE BEST POLICY Honesty is a question of morals. The law demands that all men shall be honest, but the maxim says it is the “best policy” to be honest. To succeed in business or in any affairs where others are concerned, it behooves a man to be open and above board with every one. The truth is, that a dishonest man is not wanted in anything where there is responsibility, or where a loss may result through dishonesty. If a man is honest with himself, it is probable that he will be honest with others. In this respect, honesty is like charity: “It begins at home, but does not end there.” To be honest does not mean merely that a man is not to steal another man’s money, but does mean that every man should be given his due, whether in financial matters or in duty. The man who half does his work, watches for the clock to hasten toward closing time, or dawdles when haste is required, is not honest, however square he may be in money matters. The trouble is, we limit all our morality to money, and imagine that if we handle money carefully and without loss to the owner, we are honest. Even taking that broad view of the virtue, we are robbing a man when we shirk work, do it badly, or pretend we can do a thing we can not do in a proper manner and take his money for the doing of it. To be honest truly, a man must be fair in everything that pertains to his fellows. A man who will deliberately lie will cheat. To give every man a square deal is to be honest. Do As You Would Be Done By