,illustration3 ,,benjamin ,,franklin1 ,american ,philosopher1 ,statesman1 ,diplomatist1 and ,author4 b4 ,boston1 #agjf2 d4 ,philadelphia1 #agij4 ,,an ,,iron ,,will ,by ,,orison ,,swett ,,marden ,,author ,,of ,,pushing ,,to ,,the ,,front1 ,,etc4 ,,with ,,the ,,assistance ,,of ,,abner ,,bayley ,,illustrated ,,with ,,portraits ,new ,york3 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,,publishers #aija ,,by ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company4 ,,an ,,iron ,,will4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,training ,,the ,,will4 ,the education of the will is the object of our existence1 says ,emerson4 ,nor is this putting it too strongly1 if we take into account the human will in its relations to the divine4 ,this accords with the saying of ,j4 ,stuart ,mill1 that a character is a completely fashioned will4 ,in respect to mere mundane relations1 the development and discipline of one's will-power is of supreme moment in relation to success in life4 ,no man can ever estimate the power of will4 ,it is a part of the divine nature1 all of a piece with the power of creation4 ,we speak of ,god's fiat ,fiat lux1 ,let light be4 ,man has his fiat4 ,the achievements of history have been the choices1 the determinations1 the creations1 of the human will4 ,it was the will1 quiet or pugnacious1 gentle or grim1 of men like ,wilberforce and ,garrison1 ,goodyear and ,cyrus ,field1 ,bismarck and ,grant1 that made them indomitable4 ,they simply would do what they planned4 ,such men can no more be stopped than the sun can be1 or the tide4 ,most men fail1 not through lack of education or agreeable personal qualities1 but from lack of dogged determination1 from lack of dauntless will4 ,it is impossible1 says ,sharman1 to look into the conditions under which the battle of life is being fought1 without perceiving how much really depends upon the extent to which the will-power is cultivated1 strengthened1 and made operative in right directions4 ,young people need to go into training for it4 ,we live in an age of athletic meets4 ,those who are determined to have athletic will-power must take for it the kind of exercise they need4 ,this is well illustrated by a report ,i have seen of the long race from ,marathon in the recent ,olympian games1 which was won by the young ,greek peasant1 ,sotirios ,lous4 ,a ,,struggle ,,in ,,the ,,race ,,of ,,life4 ,there had been no great parade about the training of this champion runner4 ,from his work at the plough he quietly betook himself to the task of making ,greece victorious before the assembled strangers from every land4 ,he was known to be a good runner1 and without fuss or bustle he entered himself as a competitor4 ,but it was not his speed alone1 out-distancing every rival1 that made the young ,greek stand out from among his fellows that day4 ,when he left his cottage home at ,amarusi1 his father said to him1 ,sotiri1 you must only return a victor6 ,the light of a firm resolve shone in the young man's eye4 ,the old father was sure that his boy would win1 and so he made his way to the station1 there to wait till ,sotiri should come in ahead of all the rest4 ,no one knew the old man and his three daughters as they elbowed their way through the crowd4 ,when at last the excitement of the assembled multitude told that the critical moment had arrived1 that the racers were nearing the goal1 the old father looked up through eyes that were a little dim as he realized that truly ,sotiri was leading the way4 ,he was returning a victor4 ,how the crowd surged about the young peasant when the race was fairly won6 ,wild with excitement1 they knew not how to shower upon him sufficient praise4 ,ladies overwhelmed him with flowers and rings2 some even gave him their watches1 and one ,american lady bestowed upon him her jewelled smelling-bottle4 ,the princes embraced him1 and the king himself saluted him in military fashion4 ,but the young ,sotirios was seeking for other praise than theirs4 ,past the ranks of royalty and fair maidenhood1 past the outstretched hands of his own countrymen1 past the applauding crowd of foreigners1 his gaze wandered till it fell upon an old man trembling with eagerness1 who resolutely pushed his way through the excited1 satisfied throng4 ,then the young face lighted1 and as old ,lous advanced to the innermost circle with arms outstretched to embrace his boy1 the young victor said1 simply3 ,you see1 father1 ,i have obeyed4 ,,mental ,,discipline4 ,the athlete trains for his race2 and the mind must be put into training if one will win life's race4 ,it is1 says ,professor ,mathews1 only by continued1 strenuous efforts1 repeated again and again1 day after day1 week after week1 and month after month1 that the ability can be acquired to fasten the mind to one subject1 however abstract or knotty1 to the exclusion of everything else4 ,the process of obtaining this self-mastery--this complete command of one's mental powers--is a gradual one1 its length varying with the mental constitution of each person2 but its acquisition is worth infinitely more than the utmost labor it ever costs4 ,perhaps the most valuable result of all education1 it was said by ,professor ,huxley1 is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do when it ought to be done1 whether you like it or not2 it is the first lesson which ought to be learned1 and1 however early a man's training begins1 it is probably the last lesson which he learns thoroughly4 ,,doing ,,things ,,once4 ,when ,henry ,ward ,beecher was asked how it was that he could accomplish so much more than other men1 he replied3 ,i don't do more1 but less1 than other people4 ,they do all their work three times over3 once in anticipation1 once in actuality1 once in rumination4 ,i do mine in actuality alone1 doing it once instead of three times4 ,this was by the intelligent exercise of ,mr4 ,beecher's will-power in concentrating his mind upon what he was doing at a given moment1 and then turning to something else4 ,any one who has observed business men closely1 has noticed this characteristic4 ,one of the secrets of a successful life is to be able to hold all of our energies upon one point1 to focus all of the scattered rays of the mind upon one place or thing4 ,,centralizing ,,force4 ,the mental reservoir of most people is like a leaky dam which we sometimes see in the country1 where the greater part of the water flows out without going over the wheel and doing the work of the mill4 ,the habit of mind-wandering1 of worrying about this and that1 ,genius1 that power which dazzles mortal eyes1 ,is oft but ,perseverance in disguise4 ,many a man would have been a success had he connected his fragmentary efforts4 ,spasmodic1 disconnected attempts1 without concentration1 uncontrolled by any fixed idea1 will never bring success4 ,it is continuity of purpose alone that achieves results4 ,,learning ,,to ,,swim4 ,the way to learn to run is to run1 the way to learn to swim is to swim4 ,the way to learn to develop will-power is by the actual exercise of will-power in the business of life4 ,the man that exercises his will1 says an ,english essayist1 makes it a stronger and more effective force in proportion to the extent to which such exercise is intelligently and perseveringly maintained4 ,the forth-putting of will-power is a means of strengthening will-power4 ,the will becomes strong by exercise4 ,to stick to a thing till you are master1 is a test of intellectual discipline and power4 ,,dr4 ,,cuyler4 ,it is astonishing1 says ,dr4 ,theodore ,cuyler1 how many men lack this power of 'holding on' until they reach the goal4 ,they can make a sudden dash1 but they lack grit4 ,they are easily discouraged4 ,they get on as long as everything goes smoothly1 but when there is friction they lose heart4 ,they depend on stronger personalities for their spirit and strength4 ,they lack independence or originality4 ,they only dare to do what others do4 ,they do not step boldly from the crowd and act fearlessly4 ,,the ,,big ,,trees4 ,what is needed by him who would succeed in the highest degree possible is careful planning4 ,he is to accumulate reserved power1 that he may be equal to all emergencies4 ,thomas ,starr ,king said that the great trees of ,california gave him his first impression of the power of reserve4 ,it was the thought of the reserve energies that had been compacted into them1 he said1 that stirred me4 ,the mountains had given them their iron and rich stimulants1 the hills had given them their soil1 the clouds had given their rain and snow1 and a thousand summers and winters had poured forth their treasures about their vast roots4 ,no young man can hope to do anything above the commonplace who has not made his life a reservoir of power on which he can constantly draw1 which will never fail him in any emergency4 ,be sure that you have stored away1 in your power-house1 the energy1 the knowledge that will be equal to the great occasion when it comes4 ,if ,i were twenty1 and had but ten years to live1 said a great scholar and writer1 ,i would spend the first nine years accumulating knowledge and getting ready for the tenth4 ,i ,,will4 ,there are no two words in the ,english language which stand out in bolder relief1 like kings upon a checker-board1 to so great an extent as the words ',i will4' ,there is strength1 depth and solidity1 decision1 confidence and power1 determination1 vigor and individuality1 in the round1 ringing tone which characterizes its delivery4 ,it talks to you of triumph over difficulties1 of victory in the face of discouragement1 of will to promise and strength to perform1 of lofty and daring enterprise1 of unfettered aspirations1 and of the thousand and one solid impulses by which man masters impediments in the way of progression4 ,as one has well said3 ,he who is silent is forgotten2 he who does not advance falls back2 he who stops is overwhelmed1 distanced1 crushed2 he who ceases to become greater1 becomes smaller2 he who leaves off gives up2 the stationary is the beginning of the end--it precedes death2 to live is to achieve1 to will without ceasing4 ,be thou a hero2 let thy might ,tramp on eternal snows its way1 ,and through the ebon walls of night1 ,hew down a passage unto day4 ,park ,benjamin4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,rulers ,,of ,,destiny4 ,there is no chance1 no destiny1 no fate1 ,can circumvent1 or hinder1 or control ,the firm resolve of a determined soul4 ,gifts count for nothing2 will alone is great2 ,all things give way before it soon or late4 ,what obstacle can stay the mighty force ,of the sea-seeking river in its course1 ,or cause the ascending orb of day to wait8 ,each well-born soul must win what it deserves4 ,let the fool prate of luck4 ,the fortunate ,is he whose earnest purpose never swerves1 ,whose slightest action or inaction serves ,the one great aim4 ,ella ,wheeler ,wilcox4 ,there is always room for a man of force4--,emerson4 ,the king is the man who can4--,carlyle4 ,a strong1 defiant purpose is many-handed1 and lays hold of whatever is near that can serve it2 it has a magnetic power that draws to itself whatever is kindred4--,t4,t4 ,munger4 ,what is will-power1 looked at in a large way1 but energy of character8 ,energy of will1 self-originating force1 is the soul of every great character4 ,where it is1 there is life2 where it is not1 there is faintness1 helplessness1 and despondency4 ,let it be your first study to teach the world that you are not wood and straw2 that there is some iron in you4 ,men who have left their mark upon the world have been men of great and prompt decision4 ,the achievements of will-power are almost beyond computation4 ,scarcely anything seems impossible to the man who can will strongly enough and long enough4 ,one talent with a will behind it will accomplish more than ten without it1 as a thimbleful of powder in a rifle1 the bore of whose barrel will give it direction1 will do greater execution than a carload burned in the open air4 ,,the ,,wills1 ,,the ,,won',,ts1 ,,and ,,the ,,can',,ts4 ,there are three kinds of people in the world1 says a recent writer1 the wills1 the won'ts1 and the can'ts4 ,the first accomplish everything2 the second oppose everything2 the third fail in everything4 ,the shores of fortune1 as ,foster says1 are covered with the stranded wrecks of men of brilliant ability1 but who have wanted courage1 faith1 and decision1 and have therefore perished in sight of more resolute but less capable adventurers1 who succeeded in making port4 ,were ,i called upon to express in a word the secret of so many failures among those who started out with high hopes1 ,i should say they lacked will-power4 ,they could not half will3 and what is a man without a will8 ,he is like an engine without steam4 ,genius unexecuted is no more genius than a bushel of acorns is a forest of oaks4 ,will has been called the spinal column of personality4 ,the will in its relation to life1 says an ,english writer1 may be compared at once to the rudder and to the steam engine of a vessel1 on the confined and related action of which it depends entirely for the direction of its course and the vigor of its movement4 ,strength of will is the test of a young man's possibilities4 ,can he will strong enough1 and hold whatever he undertakes with an iron grip8 ,it is the iron grip that takes and holds4 ,what chance is there in this crowding1 pushing1 selfish1 greedy world1 where everything is pusher or pushed1 for a young man with no will1 no grip on life8 ,the man who would forge to the front in this competitive age must be a man of prompt and determined decision4 ,a ,,tailor',s ,,needle4 ,it is in one of ,ben ,jonson's old plays3 ,when ,i once take the humor of a thing1 ,i am like your tailor's needle--,i go through with it4 ,this is not different from ,richelieu1 who said3 ,when ,i have once taken a resolution1 ,i go straight to my aim2 ,i overthrow all1 ,i cut down all4 ,and in business affairs the counsel of ,rothschild is to the same effect3 ,do without fail that which you determine to do4 ,gladstone's children were taught to accomplish to the end whatever they might begin1 no matter how insignificant the undertaking might be4 ,,what ,,is ,,worse ,,than ,,rashness ,it is irresolution that is worse than rashness4 ,he that shoots1 says ,feltham1 may sometimes hit the mark2 but he that shoots not at all can never hit it4 ,irresolution is like an ague2 it shakes not this nor that limb1 but all the body is at once in a fit4 ,the man who is forever twisting and turning1 backing and filling1 hesitating and dawdling1 shuffling and parleying1 weighing and balancing1 splitting hairs over non-essentials1 listening to every new motive which presents itself1 will never accomplish anything4 ,but the positive man1 the decided man1 is a power in the world1 and stands for something2 you can measure him1 and estimate the work that his energy will accomplish4 ,opportunity is coy1 is swift1 is gone1 before the slow1 the unobservant1 the indolent1 or the careless can seize her4 ,vigilance in watching opportunity1 said ,phelps1 tact and daring in seizing upon opportunity2 force and persistence in crowding opportunity to its utmost of possible achievement--these are the martial virtues which must command success4 ,the best men1 remarked ,chapin1 are not those who have waited for chances1 but who have taken them2 besieged the chance2 conquered the chance2 and made chance the servitor4 ,is it not possible to classify successes and failures by their various degrees of will-power8 ,a man who can resolve vigorously upon a course of action1 and turns neither to the right nor to the left1 though a paradise tempt him1 who keeps his eyes upon the goal1 whatever distracts him1 is sure of success4 ,not every vessel that sails from ,tarshish will bring back the gold of ,ophir4 ,but shall it therefore rot in the harbor8 ,no6 ,give its sails to the wind6 ,,conscious ,,power4 ,conscious power1 says ,mells1 exists within the mind of every one4 ,sometimes its existence is unrealized1 but it is there4 ,it is there to be developed and brought forth1 like the culture of that obstinate but beautiful flower1 the orchid4 ,to allow it to remain dormant is to place one's self in obscurity1 to trample on one's ambition1 to smother one's faculties4 ,to develop it is to individualize all that is best within you1 and give it to the world4 ,it is by an absolute knowledge of yourself1 the proper estimate of your own value4 ,there is hardly a reader1 says an experienced educator1 who will not be able to recall the early life of at least one young man whose childhood was spent in poverty1 and who1 in boyhood1 expressed a firm desire to secure a higher education4 ,if1 a little later1 that desire became a declared resolve1 soon the avenues opened to that end4 ,that desire and resolve created an atmosphere which attracted the forces necessary to the attainment of the purpose4 ,many of these young men will tell us that1 as long as they were hoping and striving and longing1 mountains of difficulty rose before them2 but that when they fashioned their hopes into fixed purposes aid came unsought to help them on the way4 ,,do ,,you ,,believe ,,in ,,yourself8 ,the man without self-reliance and an iron will is the plaything of chance1 the puppet of his environment1 the slave of circumstances4 ,are not doubts the greatest of enemies8 ,if you would succeed up to the limit of your possibilities1 must you not constantly hold to the belief that you are success-organized1 and that you will be successful1 no matter what opposes8 ,you are never to allow a shadow of doubt to enter your mind that the ,creator intended you to win in life's battle4 ,regard every suggestion that your life may be a failure1 that you are not made like those who succeed1 and that success is not for you1 as a traitor1 and expel it from your mind as you would a thief from your house4 ,there is something sublime in the youth who possesses the spirit of boldness and fearlessness1 who has proper confidence in his ability to do and dare4 ,the world takes us at our own valuation4 ,it believes in the man who believes in himself1 but it has little use for the timid man1 the one who is never certain of himself2 who cannot rely on his own judgment1 who craves advice from others1 and is afraid to go ahead on his own account4 ,it is the man with a positive nature1 the man who believes that he is equal to the emergency1 who believes he can do the thing he attempts1 who wins the confidence of his fellow-man4 ,he is beloved because he is brave and self-sufficient4 ,those who have accomplished great things in the world have been1 as a rule1 bold1 aggressive1 and self-confident4 ,they dared to step out from the crowd1 and act in an original way4 ,they were not afraid to be generals4 ,there is little room in this crowding1 competing age for the timid1 vacillating youth4 ,he who would succeed to-day must not only be brave1 but must also dare to take chances4 ,he who waits for certainty never wins4 ,the law of the soul is eternal endeavor1 ,that bears the man onward and upward forever4 ,a man can be too confiding in others1 but never too confident in himself4 ,never admit defeat or poverty4 ,stoutly assert your divine right to hold your head up and look the world in the face2 step bravely to the front whatever opposes1 and the world will make way for you4 ,no one will insist upon your rights while you yourself doubt that you have any4 ,believe you were made for the place you fill4 ,put forth your whole energies4 ,be awake1 electrify yourself2 go forth to the task4 ,a young man once said to his employer1 ,don't give me an easy job4 ,i want to handle heavy boxes1 shoulder great loads4 ,i would like to lift a big mountain and throw it into the sea1--and he stretched out two brawny arms1 while his honest eyes danced and his whole being glowed with conscious strength4 ,illustration3 ,,charles ,,robert ,,darwin1 ,english ,naturalist4 b4 ,shrewsbury1 #ahji2 d4 ,down1 #ahhb4 ,the world in its heart admires the stern1 determined doer4 ,the world turns aside to let any man pass who knows whither he is going4 ,it is wonderful how even the apparent casualties of life seem to bow to a spirit that will not bow to them1 and yield to assist a design1 after having in vain attempted to frustrate it4 ,the man who succeeds1 says ,prentice ,mulford1 must always in mind or imagination live1 move1 think1 and act as if he gained that success1 or he never will gain it4 ,we go forth1 said ,emerson1 austere1 dedicated1 believing in the iron links of ,destiny1 and will not turn on our heels to save our lives4 ,a book1 a bust1 or only the sound of a name shoots a spark through the nerves1 and we suddenly believe in will4 ,we cannot hear of personal vigor of any kind1 great power of performance1 without fresh resolution4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,force ,,of ,,will ,,in ,,camp ,,and ,,field4 ,oh1 what miracles have been wrought by the self-confidence1 the self-determination of an iron will6 ,what impossible deeds have been performed by it6 ,it was this that took ,napoleon over the ,alps in midwinter2 it took ,farragut and ,dewey past the cannons1 torpedoes1 and mines of the enemy2 it led ,nelson and ,grant to victory2 it has been the great tonic in the world of discovery1 invention1 and art2 it has helped to win the thousand triumphs in war and science which were deemed impossible4 ,the secret of ,jeanne d',arc's success was not alone in rare decision of character1 but in the seeing of visions which inspired her to self-confidence--confidence in her divine mission4 ,it was an iron will that gave ,nelson command of the ,british fleet1 a title1 and a statue at ,trafalgar ,square ,it was the keynote of his character when he said1 ,when ,i don't know whether to fight or not1 ,i always fight4 ,it was an iron will that was brought into play when ,horatius with two companions held ninety thousand ,tuscans at bay until the bridge across the ,tiber had been destroyed--when ,leonidas at ,thermopyl checked the mighty march of ,xerxes--when ,themistocles off the coast of ,greece shattered the ,persian's ,armada--when ,csar finding his army hard pressed seized spear and buckler and snatched victory from defeat--when ,winkelried gathered to his breast a sheaf of ,austrian spears and opened a path for his comrades--when ,wellington fought in many climes without ever being conquered--when ,ney on a hundred fields changed apparent disaster into brilliant triumph--when ,sheridan arrived from ,winchester as the ,union retreat was becoming a route and turned the tide--when ,sherman signaled his men to hold the fort knowing that their leader was coming4 ,history furnishes thousands of examples of men who have seized occasions to accomplish results deemed impossible by those less resolute4 ,prompt decision and whole-souled action sweep the world before them4 ,who was the organizer of the modern ,german empire8 ,was he not the man of iron8 ,,napoleon ,,and ,,grant4 ,what would you do if you were besieged in a place entirely destitute of provisions8 asked the examiner1 when ,napoleon was a cadet4 ,if there were anything to eat in the enemy's camp1 ,i should not be concerned4 ,when ,paris was in the hands of a mob1 and the authorities were panic-stricken1 in came a man who said1 ,i know a young officer who can quell this mob4 ,send for him4 ,napoleon was sent for2 he came1 he subjugated the mob1 he subjugated the authorities1 he ruled ,france1 then conquered ,europe4 ,may #aj1 #agif1 ,napoleon carried the bridge at ,lodi1 in the face of the ,austrian batteries1 trained upon the ,french end of the structure4 ,behind them were six thousand troops4 ,napoleon massed four thousand grenadiers at the head of the bridge1 with a battalion of three hundred carbineers in front4 ,at the tap of the drum the foremost assailants wheeled from the cover of the street wall under a terrible hail of grape and canister1 and attempted to pass the gateway to the bridge4 ,the front ranks went down like stalks of grain before a reaper2 the column staggered and reeled backward1 and the valiant grenadiers were appalled by the task before them4 ,without a word or a look of reproach1 ,napoleon placed himself at their head1 and his aids and generals rushed to his side4 ,forward again over heaps of dead that choked the passage1 and a quick run counted by seconds only carried the column across two hundred yards of clear space1 scarcely a shot from the ,austrians taking effect beyond the point where the platoons wheeled for the first leap4 ,the guns of the enemy were not aimed at the advance4 ,the advance was too quick for the ,austrian gunners4 ,so sudden and so miraculous was it all1 that the ,austrian artillerists abandoned their guns instantly1 and their supports fled in a panic instead of rushing to the front and meeting the ,french onslaught4 ,this ,napoleon had counted on in making the bold attack4 ,what was ,napoleon but the thunderbolt of war8 ,he once journeyed from ,spain to ,paris at seventeen miles an hour in the saddle4 ,is it possible to cross the path8 asked ,napoleon of the engineers who had been sent to explore the dreaded pass of ,st4 ,bernard4 ,perhaps1 was the hesitating reply1 it is within the limits of possibility4 ,forward1 then4 ,yet ,ulysses ,s4 ,grant1 a young man unknown to fame1 with neither money nor influence1 with no patrons or friends1 in six years fought more battles1 gained more victories1 captured more prisoners1 took more spoils1 commanded more men1 than ,napoleon did in twenty years4 ,the great thing about him1 said ,lincoln1 is cool persistence4 ,,don',t ,,swear--,,fight4 ,when the ,spanish fire on ,san ,juan ,hill became almost unbearable1 some of the ,rough ,riders began to swear4 ,colonel ,wood1 with the wisdom of a good leader1 called out1 amid the whistle of the ,mauser bullets3 ,don't swear--fight6 ,in a skirmish at ,salamanca1 while the enemy's guns were pouring shot into his regiment1 ,sir ,william ,napier's men became disobedient4 ,he at once ordered a halt1 and flogged four of the ringleaders under fire4 ,the men yielded at once1 and then marched three miles under a heavy cannonade as coolly as if it were a review4 ,when ,pellisier1 the ,crimean chief of ,zouaves1 struck an officer with a whip1 the man drew a pistol that missed fire4 ,the chief replied3 ,fellow1 ,i order you a three days' arrest for not having your arms in better order4 ,the man of iron will is cool in the hour of danger4 ,i ,,had ,,to ,,run ,,like ,a ,,cyclone4 ,this was what ,roosevelt said about his pushing on up ,san ,juan ,hill ahead of his regiment3 ,i had to run like a cyclone to stay in front and keep from being run over4 ,the personal heroism of ,hobson1 or of ,cushing1 who blew up the ,albemarle forty years ago1 was but the expression of a magnificent will power4 ,it was this which was the basis of ,general ,wheeler's unparalleled military advancement3 a second lieutenant at twenty-three1 a colonel at twenty-four1 a brigadier-general at twenty-five1 a major-general at twenty-six1 a corps commander at twenty-seven1 and a lieutenant-general at twenty-eight4 ,general ,wheeler had sixteen horses killed under him1 and a great number wounded4 ,his saddle equipments and clothes were frequently struck by the missiles of the enemy4 ,he was three times wounded1 once painfully4 ,he had thirty-two staff officers1 or acting staff officers1 killed or wounded4 ,in almost every case they were immediately by his side4 ,no officer was ever more exposed to the missiles of death than ,joseph ,wheeler4 ,what is this imperial characteristic of manhood1 an iron will1 but that which underlies all magnificent achievement1 whether by heroes of the ,light ,brigade or the heroic fire-fighters of our great cities8 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,will ,,power ,,in ,,its ,,relation ,,to ,,health ,,and ,,disease4 ,i4 ,there is no doubt that1 as a rule1 great decision of character is usually accompanied by great constitutional firmness4 ,men who have been noted for great firmness of character have usually been strong and robust4 ,as a rule it is the strong physical man who carries weight and conviction4 ,take1 as an example1 ,william the ,conqueror1 as he is pictured by ,green in his history3 ,the very spirit of the sea-robbers from whom he sprang seemed embodied in his gigantic form1 his enormous strength1 his savage countenance1 his desperate bravery4 ,no other knight under heaven1 his enemies confessed1 was ,william's peer4 ,no other man could bend ,william's bow4 ,his mace crashed through a ring of ,english warriors to the foot of the standard4 ,he rose to his greatest heights in moments when other men despaired4 ,no other man who ever sat upon the throne of ,england was this man's match4 ,or1 take ,webster4 ,sydney ,smith said3 ,webster is a living lie2 because no man on earth can be as great as he looks4 ,carlyle said of him3 ,one would incline at sight to back him against the world4 ,his very physique was eloquent4 ,men yielded their wills to his at sight4 ,the great prizes of life ever fall to the robust1 the stalwart1 the strong1--not to a huge muscle or powerful frame necessarily1 but to a strong vitality1 a great nervous energy4 ,it is the ,lord ,broughams1 working almost continuously one hundred and forty-four hours2 it is the ,napoleons1 twenty hours in the saddle2 it is the ,franklins1 camping out in the open air at seventy2 it is the ,gladstones1 firmly grasping the helm of the ship of state at eighty-four1 tramping miles every day1 and chopping down huge trees at eighty-five1--who accomplish the great things of life4 ,to prosper you must improve your brain power2 and nothing helps the brain more than a healthy body4 ,the race of to-day is only to be won by those who will study to keep their bodies in such good condition that their minds are able and ready to sustain that high pressure on memory and mind1 which our present fierce competition engenders4 ,it is health rather than strength that is now wanted4 ,health is essentially the requirement of our time to enable us to succeed in life4 ,in all modern occupations--from the nursery to the school1 from the school to the shop or world beyond--the brain and nerve strain go on1 continuous1 augmenting1 and intensifying4 ,as a rule physical vigor is the condition of a great career4 ,stonewall ,jackson1 early in life1 determined to conquer every weakness he had1 physical1 mental1 and moral4 ,he held all of his powers with a firm hand4 ,to his great self-discipline and self-mastery he owed his success4 ,so determined was he to harden himself to the weather that he could not be induced to wear an overcoat in winter4 ,i will not give in to the cold1 he said4 ,for a year1 on account of dyspepsia1 he lived on buttermilk and stale bread1 and wore a wet shirt next his body because his doctor advised it1 although everybody else ridiculed the idea4 ,this was while he was professor at the ,virginia ,military ,institute4 ,his doctor advised him to retire at nine o'clock2 and1 no matter where he was1 or who was present1 he always sought his bed on the minute4 ,he adhered rigidly through life to this stern system of discipline4 ,such self-training1 such self-conquest1 gives one great power over others4 ,it is equal to genius itself4 ,i can do nothing1 said ,grant1 without nine hours' sleep4 ,what else is so grand as to stand on life's threshold1 fresh1 young1 hopeful1 with a consciousness of power equal to any emergency1--a master of the situation8 ,the glory of a young man is his strength4 ,our great need of the world to-day is for men and women who are good animals4 ,to endure the strain of our concentrated civilization1 the coming man and woman must have an excess of animal spirits4 ,they must have a robustness of health4 ,mere absence of disease is not health4 ,it is the overflowing fountain1 not the one half full1 that gives life and beauty to the valley below4 ,only he is healthy who exults in mere animal existence2 whose very life is a luxury2 who feels a bounding pulse throughout his body2 who feels life in every limb1 as dogs do when scouring over the field1 or as boys do when gliding over fields of ice4 ,,ii4 ,yet in spite of all this1 in defiance of it1 we know that an iron will is often triumphant in the contest with physical infirmity4 ,brave spirits are a balsam to themselves3 ,there is a nobleness of mind that heals ,wounds beyond salves4 ,one day1 said a noted rope-walker1 ,i signed an agreement to wheel a barrow along a rope on a given day4 ,a day or two before ,i was seized with lumbago4 ,i called in my medical man1 and told him ,i must be cured by a certain day2 not only because ,i should lose what ,i hoped to earn1 but also forfeit a large sum4 ,i got no better1 and the doctor forbade my getting up4 ,i told him1 ',what do ,i want with your advice8 ,if you cannot cure me1 of what good is your advice8' ,when ,i got to the place1 there was the doctor protesting ,i was unfit for the exploit4 ,i went on1 though ,i felt like a frog with my back4 ,i got ready my pole and my barrow1 took hold of the handles and wheeled it along the rope as well as ,i ever did4 ,when ,i got to the end ,i wheeled it back again1 and when this was done ,i was a frog again4 ,what made me that ,i could wheel the barrow8 ,it was my reserve will4 ,what does he know1 asks the sage1 who has not suffered8 ,did not ,schiller produce his greatest tragedies in the midst of physical suffering almost amounting to torture8 ,handel was never greater than when1 warned by palsy of the approach of death1 and struggling with distress and suffering1 he sat down to compose the great works which have made his name immortal in music4 ,beethoven was almost totally deaf and burdened with sorrow when he produced his greatest works4 ,milton writing ,who best can suffer1 best can do1 wrote at his best when in feeble health1 and when poor and blind4 444 ,yet ,i argue not ,against ,heaven's hand or will1 nor bate a jot ,of heart or hope2 but still bear up and steer ,right onward4 ,the ,rev4 ,william ,h4 ,milburn1 who lost his sight when a child1 studied for the ministry1 and was ordained before he attained his majority4 ,he has written half a dozen books1 among them a very careful history of the ,mississippi ,valley4 ,he has long been chaplain of the lower house of ,congress4 ,blind ,fanny ,crosby1 of ,new ,york1 was a teacher of the blind for many years4 ,she has written nearly three thousand hymns1 among which are3 ,pass ,me not1 ,o ,gentle ,saviour1 ,rescue the ,perishing1 ,saviour ,more than ,life to ,me1 and ,jesus keep ,me near the ,cross4 ,the truest help we can render one who is afflicted1 said ,bishop ,brooks1 is not to take his burden from him1 but to call out his best energy1 that he may be able to bear4 ,what a mighty will ,darwin had6 ,he was in continual ill health4 ,he was in constant suffering4 ,his patience was marvellous4 ,no one but his wife knew what he endured4 ,for forty years1 says his son1 he never knew one day of health2 yet during those forty years he unremittingly forced himself to do the work from which the mightiest minds and the strongest constitutions would have shrunk4 ,he had a wonderful power of sticking to a subject4 ,he used almost to apologize for his patience1 saying that he could not bear to be beaten1 as if it were a sign of weakness4 ,bulwer advises us to refuse to be ill1 never to tell people we are ill1 never to own it ourselves4 ,illness is one of those things which a man should resist on principle4 ,do not dwell upon your ailments nor study your symptoms4 ,never allow yourself to be convinced that you are not complete master of yourself4 ,stoutly affirm your own superiority over bodily ills4 ,we should keep a high ideal of health and harmony constantly before the mind4 ,is not the mind the natural protector of the body8 ,we cannot believe that the ,creator has left the whole human race entirely at the mercy of only about half a dozen specific drugs which always act with certainty4 ,there is a divine remedy placed within us for many of the ills we suffer4 ,if we only knew how to use this power of will and mind to protect ourselves1 many of us would be able to carry youth and cheerfulness with us into the teens of our second century4 ,the mind has undoubted power to preserve and sustain physical youth and beauty1 to keep the body strong and healthy1 to renew life1 and to preserve it from decay1 many years longer than it does now4 ,the longest-lived men and women have1 as a rule1 been those who have attained great mental and moral development4 ,they have lived in the upper region of a higher life1 beyond the reach of much of the jar1 the friction1 and the discords which weaken and shatter most lives4 ,every physician knows that courageous people1 with indomitable will1 are not half as likely to contract contagious diseases as the timid1 the vacillating1 the irresolute4 ,a thoughtful physician once assured a friend that if an express agent were to visit ,new ,orleans in the yellow-fever season1 having forty thousand dollars in his care1 he would be in little danger of the fever so long as he kept possession of the money4 ,let him once deliver that into other hands1 and the sooner he left the city the better4 ,napoleon used to visit the plague hospitals even when the physicians dreaded to go1 and actually put his hands upon the plague-stricken patients4 ,he said the man who was not afraid could vanish the plague4 ,a will power like this is a strong tonic to the body4 ,such a will has taken many men from apparent death-beds1 and enabled them to perform wonderful deeds of valor4 ,when told by his physicians that he must die1 ,douglas ,jerrold said3 ,and leave a family of helpless children8 ,i won't die4 ,he kept his word1 and lived for years4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,romance ,,of ,,achievement ,,under ,,difficulties4 ,what doth the poor man's son inherit8 ,stout muscles1 and a sinewy heart1 ,a hardy frame1 a hardier spirit6 ,king of two hands he does his part ,in every useful toil and art3 ,a heritage it seems to me1 ,a king might wish to hold in fee4 ,lowell4 ,has not ,god given every man a capital to start with8 ,are we not born rich8 ,he is rich who has good health1 a sound body1 good muscles2 he is rich who has a good head1 a good disposition1 a good heart2 he is rich who has two good hands1 with five chances on each4 ,equipped8 ,every man is equipped as only ,god could equip him4 ,what a fortune he possesses in the marvellous mechanism of his body and mind4 ,it is individual effort that has achieved everything worth achieving4 ,,the ,,fun ,,of ,,the ,,little ,,game4 ,a big ,australian1 six feet four1 ,james ,tyson1 died not long since1 with a property of #be1jjj1jjj1 who began life as a farm hand4 ,tyson cared little for money4 ,he used to say of it3 ,i shall just leave it behind me when ,i go4 ,i shall have done with it then1 and it will not concern me afterwards4 ,but1 he would add1 with a characteristic semi-exultant snap of the fingers1 the money is nothing4 ,it was the little game that was the fun4 ,being asked1 ,what was the little game8 he replied with an energy of concentration peculiar to him3 ,fighting the desert4 ,that has been my work4 ,i have been fighting the desert all my life1 and ,i have won4 ,i have put water where was no water1 and beef where was no beef4 ,i have put fences where there were no fences1 and roads where there were no roads4 ,nothing can undo what ,i have done1 and millions will be happier for it after ,i am long dead and forgotten4 ,has not self-help accomplished about all the great things of the world8 ,how many young men falter1 faint1 and dally with their purpose because they have no capital to start with1 and wait and wait for some good luck to give them a lift4 ,but success is the child of drudgery and perseverance4 ,it cannot be coaxed or bribed2 pay the price1 and it is yours4 ,a constant struggle1 a ceaseless battle to bring success from inhospitable surroundings1 is the price of all great achievements4 ,,conquerors ,,of ,,fortune4 ,benjamin ,franklin had this tenacity of purpose in a wonderful degree4 ,when he started in the printing business in ,philadelphia1 he carried his material through the streets on a wheelbarrow4 ,he hired one room for his office1 work-room1 and sleeping-room4 ,he found a formidable rival in the city and invited him to his room4 ,pointing to a piece of bread from which he had just eaten his dinner1 he said3 ,unless you can live cheaper than ,i can1 you cannot starve me out4 ,it was so that he proved the wisdom of ,edmund ,burke's saying1 that ,he that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves1 and sharpens our skill3 our antagonist is our helper4 ,the poor and friendless lad1 ,george ,peabody1 weary1 footsore1 and hungry1 called at a tavern in ,concord1 ,n4,h41 and asked to be allowed to saw wood for lodging and breakfast4 ,yet he put in work for everything he ever received1 and out-matched the poverty of early days4 ,gideon ,lee could not even get shoes to wear in winter1 when a boy1 but he went to work barefoot in the snow4 ,he made a bargain with himself to work sixteen hours a day4 ,he fulfilled it to the letter1 and when from interruption he lost time1 he robbed himself of sleep to make it up4 ,he became a wealthy merchant of ,new ,york1 mayor of the city1 and a member of ,congress4 ,,commercial ,,courage4 ,the business affairs of a gentleman named ,rouss were once in a complicated condition1 owing to his conflicting interests in various states1 and he was thrown into prison4 ,while confined he wrote on the walls of his cell3 ,i am forty years of age this day4 ,when ,i am fifty1 ,i shall be worth half a million2 and by the time ,i am sixty1 ,i shall be worth a million dollars4 ,he lived to accumulate more than three million dollars4 ,the ruin which overtakes so many merchants1 says ,whipple1 is due not so much to their lack of business talent as to their lack of business nerve4 ,cyrus ,w4 ,field had retired from business with a large fortune when he became possessed with the idea that by means of a cable laid upon the bottom of the ,atlantic ,ocean1 telegraphic communication could be established between ,europe and ,america4 ,he plunged into the undertaking with all the force of his being4 ,it was an incredibly hard contest3 the forests of ,newfoundland1 the lobby in ,congress1 the unskilled handling of brakes on his ,agamemnon cable1 a second and a third breaking of the cable at sea1 the cessation of the current in a well-laid cable1 the snapping of a superior cable on the ,great ,eastern--all these availed not to foil the iron will of ,field1 whose final triumph was that of mental energy in the application of science4 ,,four ,,new ,,york ,,journalists4 ,to ,horace ,greeley1 the founder of the ,tribune1 ,i need not allude2 his story is or ought to be in every school-book4 ,james ,brooks1 once the editor and proprietor of the ,daily ,express1 and later an eminent congressman1 began life as a clerk in a store in ,maine1 and when twenty-one received for his pay a hogshead of ,new ,england rum4 ,he was so eager to go to college that he started for ,waterville with his trunk on his back1 and when he was graduated he was so poor and plucky that he carried his trunk on his back to the station as he went home4 ,when ,james ,gordon ,bennett was forty years old he collected all his property1 three hundred dollars1 and in a cellar with a board upon two barrels for a desk1 himself his own typesetter1 office boy1 publisher1 newsboy1 clerk1 editor1 proofreader1 and printer's devil1 he started the ,new ,york ,herald4 ,he did this1 after many attempts and defeats in trying to follow the routine1 instead of doing his own way4 ,never was any man's early career a better illustration of ,wendell ,phillips' dictum3 ,what is defeat8 ,nothing but education2 nothing but the first steps to something better4 ,thurlow ,weed1 who was a journalist for fifty-seven years1 strong1 sensible1 genial1 tactful1 and of magnificent physique1 who did so much to shape public policy in the ,empire ,state1 tells a most romantic story of his boyhood3-- ,i cannot ascertain how much schooling ,i got at ,catskill1 probably less than a year1 certainly not a year and a half1 and this was when ,i was not more than five or six years old4 ,i felt a necessity1 at an early age1 of trying to do something for my own support4 ,my first employment was in sugar-making1 an occupation to which ,i became much attached4 ,i now look with great pleasure upon the days and nights passed in the sap-bush4 ,the want of shoes 7which1 as the snow was deep1 was no small privation7 was the only drawback upon my happiness4 ,i used1 however1 to tie pieces of an old rag carpet around my feet1 and got along pretty well1 chopping wood and gathering up sap4 ,but when the spring advanced1 and bare ground appeared in spots1 ,i threw off the old carpet encumbrance and did my work barefoot4 ,there is much leisure time for boys who are making maple sugar4 ,i devoted this time to reading1 when ,i could obtain books2 but the farmers of that period had few or no books1 save their ,bibles4 ,i borrowed books whenever and wherever ,i could4 ,i heard that a neighbor1 three miles off1 had borrowed from a still more distant neighbor a book of great interest4 ,i started off1 barefoot1 in the snow1 to obtain the treasure4 ,there were spots of bare ground1 upon which ,i would stop to warm my feet4 ,and there were also1 along the road1 occasional lengths of log-fence from which the snow had melted1 and upon which it was a luxury to walk4 ,the book was at home1 and the good people consented1 upon my promise that it should be neither torn nor soiled1 to lend it to me4 ,in returning with the prize1 ,i was too happy to think of the snow or my naked feet4 ,candles were then among the luxuries1 not the necessaries1 of life4 ,if boys1 instead of going to bed after dark1 wanted to read1 they supplied themselves with pine knots1 by the light of which1 in a horizontal position1 they pursued their studies4 ,in this manner1 with my body in the sugar-house1 and my head out of doors1 where the fat pine was blazing1 ,i read with intense interest the book ,i had borrowed1 a ',history of the ,french ,revolution4' ,weed's next earning was in an iron foundry at ,onondaga3 ,my business was1 after a casting1 to temper and prepare the molding 'dogs1' myself4 ,this was night and day work4 ,we ate salt pork and rye and ,indian bread1 three times a day1 and slept on straw in bunks4 ,i liked the excitement of a furnace life4 ,when he went to the ,albany ,argus to learn the printing business he worked from five in the morning till nine at night4 ,,from ,,humblest ,,beginnings4 ,the more difficulties one has to encounter1 within and without1 the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be4--,horace ,bushnell4 ,the story of ,weed and of ,greeley is not an uncommon one in ,america4 ,some of the most eminent men on the globe have struggled with poverty in early life and triumphed over it4 ,the astronomer ,kepler1 whose name can never die1 was kept in constant anxieties2 and he told fortunes by astrology for a livelihood1 saying that astrology1 as the daughter of astronomy1 ought to keep her mother4 ,all sorts of service he had to accept2 he made almanacs and worked for any one who would pay him4 ,linnus was so poor when getting his education that he had to mend his shoes with folded paper1 and often had to beg his meals of his friends4 ,during the ten years in which he made his greatest discoveries1 ,isaac ,newton could hardly pay two shillings a week to the ,royal ,society of which he was a member4 ,some of his friends wanted to get him excused from this payment1 but he would not allow them to act4 ,humphry ,davy had but a slender chance to acquire great scientific knowledge1 yet he had true mettle in him1 and he made even old pans1 kettles1 and bottles contribute to his success1 as he experimented and studied in the attic of the apothecary store where he worked4 ,george ,stephenson was one of eight children whose parents were so poor that all lived in a single room4 ,george had to watch cows for a neighbor1 but he managed to get time to make engines of clay1 with hemlock sticks for pipes4 ,at seventeen he had charge of an engine1 with his father for fireman4 ,he could neither read nor write1 but the engine was his teacher1 and he a faithful student4 ,while the other hands were playing games or loafing in liquor shops during the holidays1 ,george was taking his machine to pieces1 cleaning it1 studying it1 and making experiments in engines4 ,when he had become famous as a great inventor of improvements in engines1 those who had loafed and played called him lucky4 ,it was by steadfastly keeping at it1 by indomitable will power1 that these men won their positions in life4 ,we rise by the things that are under our feet2 ,by what we have mastered of good or gain4 ,,talent ,,in ,,tatters4 ,among the companions of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 while he was studying his art at ,rome1 was a fellow-pupil of the name of ,astley4 ,they made an excursion1 with some others1 on a sultry day1 and all except ,astley took off their coats4 ,after several taunts he was persuaded to do the same1 and displayed on the back of his waistcoat a foaming waterfall4 ,distress had compelled him to patch his clothes with one of his own landscapes4 ,james ,sharpies1 the celebrated blacksmith artist of ,england1 was very poor1 but he often rose at three o'clock to copy books he could not buy4 ,he would walk eighteen miles to ,manchester and back after a hard day's work1 to buy a shilling's worth of artist's materials4 ,he would ask for the heaviest work in the blacksmith shop1 because it took a longer time to heat at the forge1 and he could thus have many spare minutes to study the precious book1 which he propped up against the chimney4 ,he was a great miser of spare moments1 and used every one as though he might never see another4 ,he devoted his leisure hours for five years to that wonderful production1 ,the ,forge1 copies of which are to be seen in many a home4 ,it was by one unwavering aim1 carried out by an iron will1 that he wrought out his life triumph4 ,that boy will beat me one day1 said an old painter as he watched a little fellow named ,michael ,angelo making drawings of pot and brushes1 easel and stool1 and other articles in the studio4 ,the barefoot boy did persevere until he had overcome every difficulty and become the greatest master of art the world has known4 ,although ,michael ,angelo made himself immortal in three different occupations1--and his fame might well rest upon his dome of ,st4 ,peter as an architect1 upon his ,moses as a sculptor1 or upon his ,last ,judgment as a painter1--yet we find by his correspondence1 now in the ,british ,museum1 that when he was at work on his colossal bronze statue of ,pope ,julius ,,ii41 he was so poor that he could not have his younger brother come to visit him at ,bologna1 because he had but one bed in which he and three of his assistants slept together4 ,yet ,the star of an unconquered will ,arose in his breast1 ,serene1 and resolute and still1 ,and calm and self-possessed4 ,,concentrated ,,energy4 ,the struggles and triumphs of those who are bound to win is a never-ending tale4 ,nor will the procession of enthusiastic workers cease so long as the globe is turning on its axle4 ,say what we will of genius1 specialized in a hundred callings1 yet the fact remains that no amount of genius has ever availed upon the earth unless enforced by will power to overcome the obstacles that hedge about every one who would rise above the circumstances in which he was born1 or become greater than his calling4 ,was not ,virgil the son of a porter1 ,horace of a shopkeeper1 ,demosthenes of a cutler1 ,milton of a money scrivener1 ,shakespeare of a wool stapler1 and ,cromwell of a brewer8 ,illustration3 ,,thurlow ,,weed1 ,american ,journalist and ,politician4 b4 ,cairo1 ,n4,y41 #agig2 d4 ,new ,york1 #ahhb4 ,ben ,jonson1 when following his trade of a mason1 worked on ,lincoln's ,inn in ,london with trowel in hand and a book in his pocket4 ,joseph ,hunter was a carpenter in youth1 ,robert ,burns a plowman1 ,keats a druggist1 ,thomas ,carlyle and ,hugh ,miller masons4 ,dante and ,descartes were soldiers4 ,cardinal ,wolsey1 ,defoe1 and ,kirke ,white were butchers' sons4 ,faraday was the son of a hostler1 and his teacher1 ,humphry ,davy1 was an apprentice to an apothecary4 ,kepler was a waiter boy in a ,german hotel1 ,bunyan a tinker1 ,copernicus the son of a ,polish baker4 ,they rose by being greater than their callings1 as ,arkwright rose above mere barbering1 ,bunyan above tinkering1 ,wilson above shoemaking1 ,lincoln above rail-splitting1 and ,grant above tanning4 ,by being first-class barbers1 tinkers1 shoemakers1 rail-splitters1 tanners1 they acquired the power which enabled them to become great inventors1 authors1 statesmen1 generals4 ,john ,kay1 the inventor of the fly-shuttle1 ,james ,hargreaves1 who introduced the spinning-jenny1 and ,samuel ,compton1 who originated mule-spinning1 were all artisans1 uneducated and poor1 but were endowed with natural faculties which enabled them to make a more enduring impression upon the world than anything that could have been done by the mere power of scholarship or wealth4 ,it cannot be said of any of these great names that their individual courses in life would have been what they were1 had there been lacking a superb will power resistless as the tide to bear them upward and onward4 ,let ,fortune empty her whole quiver on me1 ,i have a soul that1 like an ample shield1 ,can take in all1 and verge enough for more2 ,fate was not mine1 nor am ,i ,fate's3 ,souls know no conquerors4 ,dryden4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,staying ,,power4 ,never give up1 there are chances and changes1 ,helping the hopeful1 a hundred to one2 ,and1 through the chaos1 ,high ,wisdom arranges ,ever success1 if you'll only hold on4 ,never give up2 for the wisest is boldest1 ,knowing that ,providence mingles the cup1 ,and of all maxims1 the best1 as the oldest1 ,is the stern watchword of ',never give up6' ,be firm2 one constant element of luck ,is genuine1 solid1 old ,teutonic pluck4 ,holmes4 ,success in most things depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed4--,montesquieu4 ,the power to hold on is characteristic of all men who have accomplished anything great2 they may lack in some other particular1 have many weaknesses or eccentricities1 but the quality of persistence is never absent from a successful man4 ,no matter what opposition he meets or what discouragement overtakes him1 drudgery cannot disgust him1 obstacles cannot discourage him1 labor cannot weary him2 misfortune1 sorrow1 and reverses cannot harm him4 ,it is not so much brilliancy of intellect1 or fertility of resource1 as persistency of effort1 constancy of purpose1 that makes a great man4 ,those who succeed in life are the men and women who keep everlastingly at it1 who do not believe themselves geniuses1 but who know that if they ever accomplish anything they must do it by determined and persistent industry4 ,audubon after years of forest life had two hundred of his priceless drawings destroyed by mice4 ,a poignant flame1 he relates1 pierced my brain like an arrow of fire1 and for several weeks ,i was prostrated with fever4 ,at length physical and moral strength awoke within me4 ,again ,i took my gun1 my game-bag1 my portfolio1 and my pencils1 and plunged once more into the depths of the forests4 ,all are familiar with the misfortune of ,carlyle while writing his ,history of the ,french ,revolution4 ,after the first volume was ready for the press1 he loaned the manuscript to a neighbor1 who left it lying on the floor1 and the servant girl took it to kindle the fire4 ,it was a bitter disappointment1 but ,carlyle was not the man to give up4 ,after many months of poring ,over hundreds of volumes of authorities and scores of manuscripts1 he reproduced that which had burned in a few minutes4 ,,proceed1 ,,and ,,light ,,will ,,dawn4 ,the slightest acquaintance with literary history would bring to light a multitude of heroes of poverty or misfortune1 of men and women perplexed and disheartened1 who have yet aroused themselves to new effort at every new obstacle4 ,it is related by ,arago that he found under the cover of a text book he was binding a short note from ,d',alembert to a student3 ,go on1 sir1 go on4 ,the difficulties you meet with will resolve themselves as you advance4 ,proceed2 and light will dawn1 and shine with increasing clearness on your path4 ,that maxim1 said ,arago1 was my greatest master in mathematics4 ,had ,balzac been easily discouraged he would have hesitated at the words of warning given by his father3 ,do you know that in literature a man must be either a king or a beggar8 ,very well1 was the reply1 ,i will be a king4 ,his parents left him to his fate in a garret4 ,for ten years he fought terrible battles with hardship and poverty1 but won a great victory at last4 ,he won it after producing forty novels that did not win4 ,zola's early manhood witnessed a bitter struggle against poverty and deprivation4 ,until twenty he was a spoiled child2 but1 on his father's death1 he and his mother began the battle of life in ,paris4 ,of his dark time1 ,zola himself says3 ,often ,i went hungry for so long1 that it seemed as if ,i must die4 ,i scarcely tasted meat from one month's end to another1 and for two days ,i lived on three apples4 ,fire1 even on the coldest nights1 was an undreamed-of luxury2 and ,i was the happiest man in ,paris when ,i could get a candle1 by the light of which ,i might study at night4 ,samuel ,johnson's bare feet at ,oxford showed through the holes in his shoes1 yet he threw out at his window the new pair that some one left at his door4 ,he lived for a time in ,london on nine cents a day4 ,for thirteen years he had a hard struggle with want4 ,john ,locke once lived on bread and water in a ,dutch garret1 and ,heyne slept many a night on a barn floor with only a book for his pillow4 ,it was to poverty as a thorn urging the breast of ,harriet ,martineau that we owe her writings4 ,there are no more interesting pages in biography than those which record how ,emerson1 as a child1 was unable to read the second volume of a certain book1 because his widowed mother could not afford the amount 7five cents7 necessary to obtain it from the circulating library4 ,poor fellow6 said ,emerson1 as he looked at his delicately-reared little son1 how much he loses by not having to go through the hard experiences ,i had in my youth4 ,it was through the necessity laid upon him to earn that ,emerson made his first great success in life as a teacher4 ,i know1 he said1 no such unquestionable badge and ensign of a sovereign mind as that tenacity of purpose1 which1 through all change of companions or parties or fortunes1 changes never1 bates no jot of heart or hope1 but wearies out opposition and arrives at its port4 ,,she ,,can ,,never ,,succeed4 ,louisa ,alcott earned two hundred thousand dollars by her pen4 ,yet1 when she was first dreaming of her power1 her father handed her a manuscript one day that had been rejected by ,mr4 ,fields1 editor of the ,atlantic1 with the message3 ,tell ,louisa to stick to her teaching2 she can never succeed as a writer4 ,tell him ,i will succeed as a writer1 and some day ,i shall write for the ',atlantic4' ,not long after she wrote for the ,atlantic a poem that ,longfellow attributed to ,emerson4 ,and there came a time when she wrote in her diary3 ,twenty years ago ,i resolved to make the family independent if ,i could4 ,at forty1 that is done4 ,debts all paid1 even the outlawed ones1 and we have enough to be comfortable4 ,it has cost me my health1 perhaps4 ,i ,,trample ,,on ,,impossibilities3 ,so it was said by ,lord ,chatham4 ,why1 asked ,mirabeau1 should we call ourselves men1 unless it be to succeed in everything everywhere8 ,it is all very well1 said ,charles ,j4 ,fox1 to tell me that a young man has distinguished himself by a brilliant first speech4 ,he may go on satisfied with his first triumph2 but show me a young man who has not succeeded at first1 and has then gone on1 and ,i will back that man to do better than those who succeeded at the first trial4 ,cobden broke down completely the first time he appeared on a platform in ,manchester1 and the chairman apologized for him2 but he did not give up speaking until every poor man in ,england had a larger1 better1 and cheaper loaf4 ,young ,disraeli sprung from a hated and persecuted race1 pushed his way up through the middle classes and upper classes1 until he stood self-poised upon the topmost round of political and social power4 ,at first he was scoffed at1 ridiculed1 rebuffed1 hissed from the ,house of ,commons2 he simply said1 ,the time will come when you will hear me4 ,the time did come1 and he swayed the sceptre of ,england for a quarter of a century4 ,how massive was the incalculable reserve power of ,lincoln as a youth2 or of ,president ,garfield1 wood-chopper1 bell-ringer1 and sweeper-general in college6 ,,persistent ,,purpose4 ,we hear a great deal of talk about genius1 talent1 luck1 chance1 cleverness1 and fine manners playing a large part in one's success4 ,leaving out luck and chance1 all these elements are important factors4 ,yet the possession of any or all of them1 unaccompanied by a definite aim1 a determined purpose1 will not insure success4 ,men drift into business4 ,they drift into society4 ,they drift into politics4 ,they drift into what they fondly and but vainly imagine is religion4 ,if winds and tides are favorable1 all is well2 if not1 all is wrong4 ,stalker says3 ,most men merely drift through life1 and the work they do is determined by a hundred different circumstances2 they might as well be doing anything else1 or they would prefer to be doing nothing at all4 ,yet whatever else may have been lacking in the giants of the race1 the men who have been conspicuously successful have all had one characteristic in common--doggedness and persistence of purpose4 ,it does not matter how clever a youth may be1 whether he leads his class in college or outshines all the other boys in his community1 he will never succeed if he lacks this essential of determined persistence4 ,many men who might have made brilliant musicians1 artists1 teachers1 lawyers1 able physicians or surgeons1 in spite of predictions to the contrary1 have fallen short of success because deficient in this quality4 ,persistency of purpose is a power4 ,it creates confidence in others4 ,everybody believes in the determined man4 ,when he undertakes anything his battle is half won1 because not only he himself1 but every one who knows him1 believes that he will accomplish whatever he sets out to do4 ,people know that it is useless to oppose a man who uses his stumbling-blocks as stepping-stones2 who is not afraid of defeat2 who never1 in spite of calumny or criticism1 shrinks from his task2 who never shirks responsibility2 who always keeps his compass pointed to the north star of his purpose1 no matter what storms may rage about him4 ,the persistent man never stops to consider whether he is succeeding or not4 ,the only question with him is how to push ahead1 to get a little farther along1 a little nearer his goal4 ,whether it lead over mountains1 rivers1 or morasses1 he must reach it4 ,every other consideration is sacrificed to this one dominant purpose4 ,the success of a dull or average youth and the failure of a brilliant one is a constant surprise in ,american history4 ,but if the different cases are closely analyzed we shall find that the explanation lies in the staying power of the seemingly dull boy1 the ability to stand firm as a rock under all circumstances1 to allow nothing to divert him from his purpose4 ,,three ,,necessary ,,things4 ,three things are necessary1 said ,charles ,sumner1 first1 backbone2 second1 backbone2 third1 backbone4 ,a good chance alone is nothing4 ,education is nothing without strong and vigorous resolution and stamina to make one accomplish something in the world4 ,an encouraging start is nothing without backbone4 ,a man who cannot stand erect1 who wabbles first one way and then the other1 who has no opinion of his own1 or courage to think his own thought1 is of very little use in this world4 ,it is grit1 it is perseverance1 it is moral stamina and courage that govern the world4 ,at the trial of the seven bishops of the ,church of ,england for refusing to aid the king to overthrow the ,protestant faith1 it was necessary to watch the officers at the doors1 lest they send food to some juryman1 and aid him to starve the others into an agreement4 ,nothing was allowed to be sent in but water for the jurymen to wash in1 and they were so thirsty they drank it up4 ,at first nine were for acquitting1 and three for convicting4 ,two of the minority soon gave way2 the third1 ,arnold1 was obstinate4 ,he declined to argue4 ,austin said to him1 ,look at me4 ,i am the largest and the strongest of the twelve2 and before ,i will find such a petition as this libel1 here will ,i stay till ,i am no bigger than a tobacco pipe4 ,arnold yielded at six in the morning4 ,,success ,,against ,,odds4 ,yes1 to this thought ,i hold with firm persistence2 ,the last result of wisdom stamps it true3 ,he only earns his freedom and existence ,who daily conquers them anew4 ,goethe4 ,it is interesting to notice how some minds seem almost to create themselves1 says ,irving1 springing up under every disadvantage1 and working their solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles4 ,opposing circumstances create strength4 ,opposition gives us greater power of resistance4 ,to overcome one barrier gives us greater ability to overcome the next4 ,history is full of examples of men and women who have redeemed themselves from disgrace1 poverty1 and misfortune1 by the firm resolution of an iron will4 ,success is not measured by what a man accomplishes1 but by the opposition he has encountered1 and the courage with which he has maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds4 ,not the distance we have run1 but the obstacles we have overcome1 the disadvantages under which we have made the race1 will decide the prizes4 ,it is defeat1 says ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 that turns bone to flint1 and gristle to muscle1 and makes men invincible1 and formed those heroic natures that are now in ascendency in the world4 ,do not1 then1 be afraid of defeat4 ,you are never so near to victory as when defeated in a good cause4 ,governor ,seymour of ,new ,york1 a man of great force and character1 said1 in reviewing his life3 ,if ,i were to wipe out twenty acts1 what should they be8 ,should it be my business mistakes1 my foolish acts 7for ,i suppose all do foolish acts occasionally71 my grievances8 ,no2 for1 after all1 these are the very things by which ,i have profited4 ,so ,i finally concluded ,i should expunge1 instead of my mistakes1 my triumphs4 ,i could not afford to dismiss the tonic of mortification1 the refinement of sorrow2 ,i needed them every one4 ,every condition1 be it what it may1 says ,channing1 has hardships1 hazards1 pains4 ,we try to escape them2 we pine for a sheltered lot1 for a smooth path1 for cheering friends1 and unbroken success4 ,but ,providence ordains storms1 disasters1 hostilities1 sufferings2 and the great question whether we shall live to any purpose or not1 whether we shall grow strong in mind and heart1 or be weak and pitiable1 depends on nothing so much as on our use of the adverse circumstances4 ,outward evils are designed to school our passions1 and to rouse our faculties and virtues into intenser action4 ,sometimes they seem to create new powers4 ,difficulty is the element1 and resistance the true work of man4 ,self-culture never goes on so fast as when embarrassed circumstances1 the opposition of men or the elements1 unexpected changes of the times1 or other forms of suffering1 instead of disheartening1 throw us on our inward resources1 turn us for strength to ,god1 clear up to us the great purpose of life1 and inspire calm resolution4 ,no greatness or goodness is worth much1 unless tried in these fires4 ,illustration3 ,,benjamin ,,disraeli 7,earl of ,beaconsfield71 ,english ,statesman and ,novelist4 b4 ,london1 #ahjd2 d4 ,london1 #ahha4 ,better to stem with heart and hand ,the roaring tide of life1 than lie1 ,unmindful1 on its flowery strand1 ,of ,god's occasions drifting by6 ,better with naked nerve to bear ,the needles of this goading air1 ,than in the lap of sensual ease forego ,the godlike power to do1 the godlike aim to know4 ,whittier4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,degree ,,of ,o4,o4 ,when ,moody first visited ,ireland he was introduced by a friend to an ,irish merchant who asked at once3 ,is he an ,o4,o48 ,out and ,out--that was what ,o4,o4 stood for4 ,out and ,out for ,god--that was what this merchant meant4 ,he indeed is but a wooden man1 and a poor stick at that1 who is decided in everything else1 but who never knows where he is at in all moral relations1 being religiously nowhere4 ,the early books of the ,hebrews have much to say about ,the ,valley of ,decision and the development of ,out and ,out moral character4 ,wofully lacking in a well-balanced will power is the man who stands side by side with moral evil personified1 in hands with it1 to serve it willingly as a tool and servant4 ,morally made in ,god's image1 what is more sane1 more wholesome1 more fitting1 for a man than his rising up promptly1 decidedly1 to make the ,divine ,will his own will in all moral action1 to take it as the supreme guide to go by8 ,it is the glory of the human will to coincide with the ,divine ,will4 ,doing this1 a man's ,iron ,will1 instead of being a malignant selfish power1 will be useful in uplifting mankind4 ,god has spoken1 or he has not spoken4 ,if he has spoken1 the wise will hear4 ,we search the world for truth2 we cull ,the good1 the pure1 the beautiful1 ,from graven stone and written scroll1 ,from all the flower-fields of the soul3 ,and1 weary seekers of the best1 ,we come back laden from our quest1 ,to find that all the sages said ,is in the ,,book our mother read4 ,whittier4 ,o earth that blooms and birds that sing1 ,o stars that shine when all is dark6 ,in type and symbol thou dost bring ,the ,life ,divine1 and bid us hark1 ,that we may catch the chant sublime1 ,and1 rising1 pass the bounds of time2 ,so shall we win the goal divine1 ,our immortality4 ,carrol ,norton4 ,,the ,,marden ,,inspirational ,,books ,be ,good to ,yourself ,every ,man a ,king ,exceptional ,employee ,getting ,on ,he ,can ,who ,thinks ,he ,can ,how to ,get ,what ,you ,want ,joys of ,living ,keeping ,fit ,love's ,way ,making ,life a ,masterpiece ,miracle of ,right ,thought ,optimistic ,life ,peace1 ,power1 and ,plenty ,progressive ,business ,man ,pushing to the ,front ,rising in the ,world ,secret of ,achievement ,self-,investment ,selling ,things ,training for ,efficiency ,victorious ,attitude ,woman and the ,home ,young ,man ,entering ,business ,,success ,,booklets ,an ,iron ,will ,good ,manners ,economy ,ambition ,do it to a ,finish ,opportunity ,cheerfulness ,character ,thrift ,power of ,personality ,,special ,,books ,,and ,,booklets ,hints for ,young ,writers ,success ,nuggets ,i ,had a ,friend ,why ,grow ,old8 ,not the ,salary but the ,opportunity ,send for ,publishers' ,special ,circular of these ,great ,books ,,opinions ,,of ,the ,exceptional ,employee ,uplifting to ,humanity ,i assure you that the present and future generations must look upon such a work as most uplifting to humanity4 ,,charles ,,francis1 ,charles ,francis ,press1 ,new ,york ,city4 ,fresh ,efforts after ,reading ,no one will fail to put forth fresh and better directed efforts to work to the front after reading the book4 ,good ,health4 ,the ,ladder of ,success ,the author writes with a purpose in view2 that purpose is found on the topmost rungs of the ladder of success4 ,in order to find the purpose the reader must ascend this ladder4 ,the rest is easy4 ,chamber of ,commerce ,bulletin 7,portland1 ,ore474 ,a ,wise ,investment ,any one who employs labor where it requires character and intelligence would make a wise investment by presenting his employees a copy of this book4 ,it has been some time since ,i have read a more wholesome1 inspiring1 and fascinating volume4 ,j4,j4 ,,cole1 in ,christian ,standard4 ,brimful of ,anecdote and ,illustration ,the book is not all theory and principle4 ,it is brimful of the anecdote and illustration from actual business life which gives vigor and acceptance to the writer's ideas4 ,christian ,advocate4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,opinions and ,reviews of ,dr4 ,marden's ,the ,secret of ,achievement ,exasperating ',the ,secret of ,achievement' is one of those exasperating books which you feel you ought to present to your young friends1 yet find yourself unwilling to part with4 ,,william ,b4 ,,warren1 ,former ,president ,boston ,university4 ,art of ,putting ,things ,i have studied ,dr4 ,marden's books with deep interest4 ,he has the art of putting things2 of planting in the mind convictions that will live4 ,i know of no works that contain equal inspiration for life4 ,,hezekiah ,,butterworth4 ,a ,great ,service ,i thoroughly feel that you are rendering a great service to young men and women in ,america and throughout the world4 ,,rev4 ,r4,s4 ,mc,a,r,t,h,u,r1 ,d4,d41 ,new ,york ,city4 ,the ,difference ',pushing to the ,front' is a great book and ',rising in the ,world' is a magnificent book1 but ',the ,secret of ,achievement' is a superb book4 ,success against ,odds ,this volume contains a series of stimulating anecdotes and advice showing how energy1 force of well-directed will1 application1 lofty purpose1 and noble ideals serve to win success even against the greatest odds4 ,many a young man will draw inspiration from it which will aid him in making his life work a success4 ,school ,journal4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,,press ,,reviews ,,of ,the ,young ,man ,entering ,business ,a readable volume on a substantial topic1 which discusses actual questions4 ,the counsel of an experienced person4 ,pittsburgh ,post4 ,abounds in ,specific ,advice ,we can easily conceive that a young man who gets this book into his hands may1 in after life1 date his success from reading it4 ,it is sound1 wholesome1 stimulating4 ,the treatment is concrete4 ,it abounds in specific advice and telling illustration4 ,southern ,observer4 ,stimulates and ,encourages ,packed as it is with sensible1 practical counsels1 this volume can be cordially recommended to stimulate and encourage young men starting out in business life4 ,brooklyn ,times4 ,a ,necessity to ,earnest ,young ,men ,there is such a thing as the science of success4 ,dr4 ,marden has made a study of it4 ,he writes in simple1 attractive style4 ,he deals with facts4 ,the book should be in the hands of every earnest young man4 ,christian ,advocate4 ,entertaining as ,well as ,helpful ,so interwoven with personal incident and illustration that it is an entertaining as well as a helpful book4 ,christian ,observer4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,opinions of ,the ,miracle of ,right ,thought ,dr4 ,sheldon ,leavitt says3 ,i wish to state that ,i am unusually well pleased with ,dr4 ,marden's ',miracle of ,right ,thought4' ,it is the best work of the author4 ,ralph ,waldo ,trine says3 ,this is one of those inspiring1 reasonable and valuable books that are bringing new life and new power to so many thousands all over our country and all over the world to-day4 ,you have formulated a philosophy which must sooner or later be universally accepted4 ,your book shows how the right mental attitude helps one in the realization of every laudable ambition1 and the value of cultivating a bright1 self-reliant habit of thought4 ,i congratulate you on it4 ,g4,h4 ,,sandison1 ,editor1 ,the ,christian ,herald4 ,it is marked by sanctified common sense2 it is in line with the advance thought of to-day1 and yet it is so simple in statement that unlettered men and untrained youths can master its best thoughts and translate them into their daily lives4 ,,rev4 ,r4,s4 ,mac,a,r,t,h,u,r1 ,d4,d41 ,new ,york ,city4 ,,rev4 ,f4,e4 ,clark1 ,president ,united ,society of ,christian ,endeavor1 says3 ,i regard ',the ,miracle of ,right ,thought' as one of ,dr4 ,marden's very best books1 and that is saying a great deal4 ,he has struck the modern note of the power of mind over bodily conditions in a fresh and most interesting way1 while he has not fallen into the mistake of some ,new ,thought writers of eliminating the personal ,god from the universe4 ,no one can read this book sympathetically1 ,i believe1 without being happier and better4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,selling ,things ,by ,,orison ,,swett ,,marden ,a ,book ,for ,salesmen ,deals with the training of salesmen and the necessary attributes to make them successful4 ,all phases of the subject are considered3 clothes1 presence1 ability to talk1 persuasive powers1 tact1 helping and getting the customer to buy4 ,bookseller4 ,will be ,welcome ,a book that will be gladly welcomed by sales managers and salesmen in every field4 ,philadelphia ,public ,ledger4 ,helps to ,prosperity ,one of the best things that you have written1 and ought to be in the hands of every man who would call himself a salesman4 ,there are many points therein that will certainly help him to prosperity4 ,samuel ,brill4 ,a ,masterful ,work ,a masterful work and is filled from cover to cover with practical usable information for young men and women4 ,i consider this book one of the best things you have done1 and that is saying a great deal when the excellence of your previous works is taken into consideration4 ,hudson ,maxim4 ,a ,powerful ,factor ,in our opinion1 if 'selling' would be given more thought by such world famous writers as you1 it would be a powerful factor in the complete revolution of business1 and eliminate to a great extent the waste of time1 money and human life that is so recklessly thrown away under the present ignorance of true salesmanship4 ,n4,a4 ,corking1 ,sales ,mgr41 ,ford ,motor ,company4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,,opinions ,,of ,rising in the ,world ,a storehouse of incentive1 a treasury of precious sayings2 a granary of seed-thoughts capable1 under proper cultivation1 of a fine character harvest4--,,edward ,a4 ,,horton4 ,a stimulating book which is pitched at a high note and rings true4--,,edwin ,m4 ,,bacon4 ,has all the excellences of style and matter that gave to ',pushing to the ,front' its signal success4 ,dr4 ,marden's power of pithy statement and pertinent illustration seems inexhaustible4--,w4,f4 ,,warren1 ,former ,president of ,boston ,university4 ,touches the ,springs of ,life ,dr4 ,marden has touched the springs of life and set forth with marvellous and convincing power the results obtained by those inspired by high resolves1 lofty aspirations1 and pure motives4 ,no one can rise from reading this book without cleaner desires1 firmer resolutions1 and sublime ambition4--,,myron ,t4 ,,pritchard1 ,master of ,everett ,school1 ,boston4 ,its ,immortal ,possibilities ,has the same iron in the blood1 the same vigorous constitution1 the same sanguine temperament1 the same immortal possibilities as ',pushing to the ,front4'--,,thomas ,w4 ,,bicknell1 ,ex-,u4,s4 ,commissioner of ,education4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,letters to ,dr4 ,marden concerning ,every ,man a ,king ,success vs4 ,failure ,one of the most inspiring books ,i have ever read4 ,i should like to purchase a thousand and distribute them1 as ,i believe the reading of this book would make the difference between success and failure in many lives4 ,,chas4 ,e4 ,,schmick1 ,house of ,representatives1 ,mass4 ,worth ,one ,hundred ,dollars ,i would not take one hundred dollars for your book1 ',every ,man a ,king1' if no other were available4 ,,willard ,,merriam1 ,new ,york ,city4 ,unfailing ,optimism ,the unfailing note of optimism which rings through all your works is distinctly sounded here4 ,w4,e4 ,,huntington1 ,pres41 ,boston ,university4 ,the ,keynote of ,life ',every ,man a ,king' strikes the keynote of life4 ,any one of its chapters is well worth the cost of the book4 ,e4,j4 ,,teagarden1 ,danbury1 ,conn4 ,simply ,priceless ,i have just read it with tremendous interest1 and ,i frankly say that ,i regard it as simply priceless4 ,its value to me is immeasurable1 and ,i should be glad if ,i could put it in the hands of every intelligent young man and woman in this country4 ,,chas4 ,,stokes ,,wayne1 ,chappaqua1 ,n4,y4 ,renewed ,ambition ,i have read and re-read it with pleasure and renewed ambition4 ,i shall ever keep it near at hand as a frequent reminder and an invaluable text-book4 ,h4,h4 ,,williams1 ,brockton1 ,mass4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,co41 ,,new ,,york ,the ,victorious ,attitude ,by ,,orison ,,swett ,,marden ,a ,soul ,doctor ,this book should be read by all discouraged people4 ,it is a tonic--and a moral bracer of the first order4 ,most of us need to have our self-confidence stimulated1 and ,dr4 ,marden stimulates it4 ,he is a soul doctor4 ,richmond ,times ,dispatch4 ,buoyant and ,breezy ,full of fresh ideas couched in straightforward language4 ,buoyant1 breezy and highly stimulating4 ,san ,francisco ,bulletin4 ,a ,wallet of ,truth ,there is a crammed wallet of truth in your book4 ,may it go forth to inspire men with the fine courage of life4 ,edwin ,markham4 ,excellent ,advice ,the homely truths and excellent bits of advice contained is ,dr4 ,marden's book will make instructive reading4 ,it is written in forcible and easily understandable style4 ,buffalo ,commercial4 ,cannot ,fail to ,help ,clear1 direct and vigorous in expression1 and so uplifting and wholesome in subject matter1 that it cannot fail to be of help to many people who are in need of just such advice4 ,des ,moines ,register4 ,nothing ,more ,valuable ,one of the very best books that you ever produced4 ,the book is like a medicine to me4 ,i commended it to our students put it in our library and it has been in great demand4 ,i know of nothing finer or more valuable for young people who are struggling for an education4 ,rev4 ,o4,s4 ,krisbel1 ,d4,d4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,letters to ,dr4 ,marden concerning ,he ,can ,who ,thinks ,he ,can ,will ,do ,amazing ,good ,i believe ',he ,can ,who ,thinks ,he ,can1' comprising some of your editorials1 which appear akin to divine inspiration in words of cheer1 hope1 courage and success1 will do amazing good4 ,,james ,,peter1 ,independence1 ,kas4 ,greatest ,things ,ever ,written ,your editorials on the subjects of self-confidence and self-help are the greatest things ever written along that line4 ,h4,l4 ,,dunlap1 ,waynesburg1 ,pa4 ,gripping ,power ,presents the truth in a remarkably clear and forcible manner1 with a gripping power back of the writing4 ,it is beautiful and inspiring4 ,c4,w4 ,,smelser1 ,coopertown1 ,okla4 ,beginning of ,my ,success ,your editorials have helped me mere than any other reading4 ,the beginning of my success was when ,i commenced to practise your teachings4 ,,bruce ,,hartman1 ,honolulu1 ,t4,h4 ,wishes to ,reprint ,it ,i have been very much impressed by the chapter on ',new ,thought1 ,new ,life4' ,i would like to send a copy of it to two thousand of my customers1 giving due credit of course4 ,john ,d4 ,,morris1 ,philadelphia1 ,pa4 ,full of ,light and ,joy ,i have studied the subject of ,new ,thought for ten years1 but have never seen anything so comprehensive1 so full of light and joy1 as your treatment of it4 ,when ,i think of the good it will do1 and the thousands it will reach1 my heart rejoices4 ,,louise ,,markscheffel1 ,toledo1 ,o4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,co41 ,,new ,,york ,,opinions ,,of ,the ,joys of ,living ,in ,every ,sense ,worth ,while ,a ringing call for a joyful life is just what this old world needs to hear and to heed4 ,a saner1 wiser1 more helpful book than this we have rarely read4444 ,in every sense well worth the while4 ,the ,examiner4 ,wholesome ,reading ,the book makes wholesome reading4 ,one lays it down with a resolve to find more happiness in his life and a determination to live more in the present4 ,springfield ,republican4 ,one of the ,author's ,best ,the author has been doing uniformly good work1 work that has elicited warmest commendations from leading men of the country4 ',the ,joys of ,living' is one of ,dr4 ,marden's best books4 ,chicago ,standard4 ,more ,such ,teachers ,wanted ,give us more such teachers and writers1 more such heralds of the new and ever present kingdom of ,good1 of joy1 of ,opulence6 ,just read this book yourself and you will change your whole mental attitude4 ,the ,truth-,seeker4 ,a ,book for the ,nerve-worn ,the book is one that our rushing ,american world needs4 ,if you feel compassion for any nerve-worn1 unhappy man or woman1 tell them of this message4 ,better still1 send the book to some one who needs it4 ,portland ,oregonian4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company ,press ,reviews of ,dr4 ,marden's ,be ,good to ,yourself ,the author is a wonder1-- one of the very best preachers1 through the pen1 of our time4 ,zion's ,herald4 ,just such a discussion of personality as we all need4 ,the titles of the chapters are appetizing and the advice and lessons taught are good4 ,it will help many a reader to understand himself better4 ,the ,advance4 ,the kind counsel of a new book by ,orison ,swett ,marden1 who says there are many people who are good to others but not to themselves ,this is a fine volume from every point of view4 ,the ,religious ,telescope4 ,of a thoroughly inspirational character1 these essays are calculated to awaken and sustain the right sort of ambition and evolve a manly type of character4 ,they are surcharged with faith1 optimism1 and common sense4 ,the ,boston ,herald4 ,dr4 ,marden's friends1 who are to be found in all quarters of the globe1 wait eagerly for such advice as this1 on how to be happy1 hearty1 and healthy4 ,seattle ,post ,intelligencer4 ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell ,,company