More than seven decades ago, the editor of American
Magazine
received a letter from an ambitious young man asking, “Why should I be
honest?” It's a question that continues to echo down the
generations.
In a world that glorifies the pursuit of personal gain, why care about
honesty and integrity?
American Magazine
asked its
readers to send their responses to the young man's question, and the
letters poured in by the thousands. Among them was a poem by Dale
Wimbrow titled “The Guy in the Glass.” The magazine published the
poem,
and since then it has become a beloved expression of the inner virtue
that guides men and women of honor.
When you get what you
want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.
For it isn't your Father,
or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgment upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.
He's the feller to
please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end,
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.
You may be like Jack
Horner and “chisel” a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
You can fool the whole
world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you've cheated the guy in the glass. [1]
¹
American Magazine, May 1934, 185
