,transcriber ,notes3    #a4 ,several    
misprints corrected4 ,a complete list of
 corrections may be      found at the   
end of the text4    #b4 ,symbol of a    
hand pointing right has been replaced   
with a right      arrow3 4              
,,how ,,to ,,succeed2                   
,,or1           ,stepping-,stones to    
,fame and ,fortune4                     
,illustration                           
444,,by444              ,,orison ,,swett
 ,,marden1 ,a4,m41 ,m4,d4               
,author of   ,pushing to the ,front2 or1
 ,success ,under ,difficulties1 and     
,architects of ,fate2 or1 ,steps to     
,success and ,power4              99    
99       99       99       99           
,,published ,,by                  ,,the 
,,christian ,,herald1                   
,,louis ,,klopsch1 ,proprietor1         
,,bible ,,house1 ,,new ,,york4          
,copyright1 #ahif1                      
,,by ,,louis ,,klopsch4     ,,contents  
,,chapter4                              
,,page4           ,i4 ,first1 ,be a     

,man1                #e         ,,ii4   
,seize ,your ,opportunity1        #ad   
,,iii4 ,how ,did ,he ,begin8            
#bg         ,,iv4 ,out of ,place1       
#di          ,v4 ,what ,shall ,i ,do8   
#eh         ,,vi4 ,will ,you ,pay the   
,price8        #ff        ,,vii4        
,foundation ,stones1             #ha    
,,viii4 ,the ,conquest of ,obstacles1   
#ii         ,,ix4 ,dead in ,earnest1    
#aae          ,x4 ,to ,be ,great1       
,concentrate1     #abh         ,,xi4 ,at
 ,once1                      #adj       
,,xii4 ,thoroughness1                   
#adi       ,,xiii4 ,trifles1            
#afj        ,,xiv4 ,courage1            
#afi         ,,xv4 ,will ,power1        
#ahc        ,,xvi4 ,guard ,your ,weak   
,point1        #aib       ,,xvii4       
,stick1                        #bji     
,,xviii4 ,save1                         
#bbj        ,,xix4 ,live ,upward1       
#bbi         ,,xx4 ,sand1               
#bch        ,,xxi4 ,above ,rubies1      
#bef       ,,xxii4 ,moral ,sunshine1    

#bge      ,,xxiii4 ,hold ,up ,your      
,head1            #bhg       ,,xxiv4    
,books and ,success1            #bif    
,,xxv4 ,riches ,without ,wings1         
#cah     ,,how ,,to ,,succeed4          
,,chapter ,i4  ,,first1 ,,be ,a ,,man4  
,the great need at this hour is manly   
men4 ,we want no      goody-goody piety2
 we have too much of it4 ,we want men   
who will      do right1 though the      
heavens fall1 who believe in ,god1 and  
who      will confess ,him4             
--,,rev4 ,w4 ,j4 ,,dawson4       ,all   
the world cries1 ,where is the man who  
will save us8 ,we want      a man6      
,don't look so far for this man4 ,you   
have him at hand4      ,this man--it is 
you1 it is ,i2 it is each one of us6444 
,how to      constitute one's self a    
man8 ,nothing harder1 if one knows not  
how to will it2 nothing easier1 if one  
wills it4      --,,alexander ,,dumas4   
,i thank ,god ,i am a ,baptist1 said a  
little1 short ,doctor of ,divinity1 as  
he mounted a step at a convention4      

,louder6 louder6 shouted a man in the   
audience2 we can't hear4 ,get up higher1
 said another4 ,i can't1 replied the    
doctor1 to be a ,baptist is as high as  
one can get4  ,but there is something   
higher than being a ,baptist1 and that  
is being a man4  ,rousseau says3        
,according to the order of nature1 men  
being equal1 their common vocation is   
the profession of humanity2 and whoever 
is well educated to discharge the duty  
of a man cannot be badly prepared to    
fill any of those offices that have a   
relation to him4 ,it matters little to  
me whether my pupil be designed for the 
army1 the pulpit1 or the bar4 ,to live  
is the profession ,i would teach him4   
,when ,i have done with him1 it is true 
he will be neither a soldier1 a lawyer1 
nor a divine4 ,let him first be a man2  
,fortune may remove him from one rank to
 another1 as she pleases1 he will be    
always found in his place4  ,first of   
all1 replied the boy ,james ,a4         
,garfield1 when asked what he meant to  

be1 ,i must make myself a man2 if ,i do 
not succeed in that1 ,i can succeed in  
nothing4  ,hear me1 ,o men1 cried       
,diogenes1 in the market place at       
,athens2 and1 when a crowd collected    
around him1 he said scornfully1 ,i      
called for men1 not pigmies4  ,one 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  ,dispense with the doctor by   
being temperate2 the lawyer by keeping  

out of debt2 the demagogue1 by voting   
for honest men2 and poverty1 by being   
industrious4  ,nephew1 said ,sir        
,godfrey ,kneller1 the artist1 to a     
,guinea slave trader1 who entered the   
room where his uncle was talking with   
,alexander ,pope1 you have the honor of 
seeing the two greatest men in the      
world4 ,i don't know how great men you  
may be1 said the ,guinea man1 as he     
looked contemptuously upon their        
diminutive physical proportions1 but ,i 
don't like your looks2 ,i have often    
bought a much better man than either of 
you1 all muscles and bones1 for ten     
guineas4  ,a man is never so happy as   
when he suffices to himself1 and can    
walk without crutches or a guide4 ,said 
,jean ,paul ,richter3 ,i have made as   
much out of myself as could be made of  
the stuff1 and no man should require    
more4  ,the body of an athlete and the  
soul of a sage1 wrote ,voltaire to      
,helvetius2 these are what we require to
 be happy4  ,although millions are out  

of employment in the ,united ,states1   
how difficult it is to find a thorough1 
reliable1 self-dependent1 industrious   
man or woman1 young or old1 for any     
position1 whether as a domestic servant1
 an office boy1 a teacher1 a brakeman1 a
 conductor1 an engineer1 a clerk1 a     
bookkeeper1 or whatever we may want4 ,it
 is almost impossible to find a really  
competent person in any department1 and 
oftentimes we have to make many trials  
before we can get a position fairly well
 filled4  ,it is a superficial age2 very
 few prepare for their work4 ,of        
thousands of young women trying to get a
 living at typewriting1 many are so     
ignorant1 so deficient in the common    
rudiments even1 that they spell badly1  
use bad grammar1 and know scarcely      
anything of punctuation4 ,in fact1 they 
murder the ,english language4 ,they can 
copy1 parrot like1 and that is about    
all4  ,the same superficiality is found 
in nearly all kinds of business4 ,it is 
next to impossible to get a first-class 

mechanic2 he has not learned his trade2 
he has picked it up1 and botches        
everything he touches1 spoiling good    
material and wasting valuable time4  ,in
 the professions1 it is true1 we find   
greater skill and faithfulness1 but     
usually they have been developed at the 
expense of mental and moral breadth4    
,the merely professional man is narrow2 
worse than that1 he is in a sense an    
artificial man1 a creature of           
technicalities and specialties1 removed 
alike from the broad truth of nature and
 from the healthy influence of human    
converse4 ,in society1 the most         
accomplished man of mere professional   
skill is often a nullity2 he has sunk   
his personality in his dexterity4  ,the 
aim of every man1 said ,humboldt1 should
 be to secure the highest and most      
harmonious development of his powers to 
a complete and consistent whole4  ,some 
men impress us as immense possibilities4
 ,they seem to have a sweep of intellect
 that is grand2 a penetrative power that

 is phenomenal2 they seem to know       
everything1 to have read everything1 to 
have seen everything4 ,nothing seems to 
escape the keenness of their vision4    
,but somehow they are forever           
disappointing our expectations4 ,they   
raise great hopes only to dash them4    
,they are men of great promise1 but they
 never pay4 ,there is some indefinable  
want in their make-up4  ,what the world 
needs is a clergyman who is broader than
 his pulpit1 who does not look upon     
humanity with a white neckcloth ideal1  
and who would give the lie to the saying
 that the human race is divided into    
three classes3 men1 women and ministers4
 ,wanted1 a clergyman who does not look 
upon his congregation from the          
standpoint of old theological books1 and
 dusty1 cobweb creeds1 but who sees the 
merchant as in his store1 the clerk as  
making sales1 the lawyer pleading before
 the jury1 the physician standing over  
the sick bed2 in other words1 who looks 
upon the great throbbing1 stirring1     

pulsing1 competing1 scheming1 ambitious1
 impulsive1 tempted1 mass of humanity as
 one of their number1 who can live with 
them1 see with their eyes1 hear with    
their ears1 and experience their        
sensations4  ,the world has a standing  
advertisement over the door of every    
profession1 every occupation1 every     
calling3 ,wanted--,a ,man4  ,wanted1 a  
lawyer1 who has not become the victim of
 his specialty1 a mere walking bundle of
 precedents4  ,wanted1 a shopkeeper who 
does not discuss markets wherever he    
goes4 ,a man should be so much larger   
than his calling1 so broad and          
symmetrical in his culture1 that he     
would not talk shop in society1 that no 
one would suspect how he gets his       
living4  ,nothing is more apparent in   
this age of specialties than the        
dwarfing1 crippling1 mutilating         
influence of occupations or professions4
 ,specialties facilitate commerce1 and  
promote efficiency in the professions1  
but are often narrowing to individuals4 

,the spirit of the age tends to doom the
 lawyer to a narrow life of practice1   
the business man to a mere money-making 
career4  ,think of a man1 the grandest  
of ,god's creations1 spending his       
life-time standing beside a machine for 
making screws4 ,there is nothing to call
 out his individuality1 his ingenuity1  
his powers of balancing1 judging1       
deciding4  ,he stands there year after  
year1 until he seems but a piece of     
mechanism4 ,his powers1 from lack of    
use1 dwindle to mediocrity1 to          
inferiority1 until finally he becomes a 
mere part of the machine he tends4      
,wanted1 a man who will not lose his    
individuality in a crowd1 a man who has 
the courage of his convictions1 who is  
not afraid to say ,no1 though all the   
world say ,yes4  ,wanted1 a man who1    
though he is dominated by a mighty      
purpose1 will not permit one great      
faculty to dwarf1 cripple1 warp1 or     
mutilate his manhood2 who will not allow
 the over-development of one faculty to 

stunt or paralyze his other faculties4  
,wanted1 a man who is larger than his   
calling1 who considers it a low estimate
 of his occupation to value it merely as
 a means of getting a living4 ,wanted1 a
 man who sees self-development1         
education and culture1 discipline and   
drill1 character and manhood1 in his    
occupation4  ,as ,nature tries every way
 to induce us to obey her laws by       
rewarding their observance with health1 
pleasure and happiness1 and punishes    
their violation by pain and disease1 so 
she resorts to every means to induce us 
to expand and develop the great         
possibilities she has implanted within  
us4 ,she nerves us to the struggle1     
beneath which all great blessings are   
buried1 and beguiles the tedious marches
 by holding up before us glittering     
prizes1 which we may almost touch1 but  
never quite possess4 ,she covers up her 
ends of discipline by trial1 of         
character building through suffering by 
throwing a splendor and glamour over the

 future2 lest the hard1 dry facts of the
 present dishearten us1 and she fail in 
her great purpose4 ,how else could      
,nature call the youth away from all the
 charms that hang around young life1 but
 by presenting to his imagination       
pictures of future bliss and greatness  
which will haunt his dreams until he    
resolves to make them real4 ,as a mother
 teaches her babe to walk1 by holding up
 a toy at a distance1 not that the child
 may reach the toy1 but that it may     
develop its muscles and strength1       
compared with which the toys are mere   
baubles2 so ,nature goes before us      
through life1 tempting us with higher   
and higher toys1 but ever with one      
object in view--the development of the  
man4  ,in every great painting of the   
masters there is one idea or figure     
which stands out boldly beyond          
everything else4 ,every other idea or   
figure on the canvas is subordinate to  
this idea or figure1 and finds its real 
significance not in itself1 but1        

pointing to the central idea1 finds its 
true expression there4 ,so in the vast  
universe of ,god1 every object of       
creation is but a guide-board with an   
index finger pointing to the central    
figure of the created universe--,man4   
,nature writes this thought upon every  
leaf2 she thunders it in every creation2
 it exhales from every flower2 it       
twinkles in every star4       ,open thy 
bosom1 set thy wishes wide1      ,and   
let in manhood--let in happiness2       
,admit the boundless theatre of thought 
,from nothing up to ,god 444 which makes
 a man6      --,,young4     ,,chapter   
,,ii4  ,,seize ,,your ,,opportunity4    
,the blowing winds are but our servants 
,when we hoist a sail4       ,you must  
come to know that each admirable genius 
is but a      successful diver in that  
sea whose floor of pearls is all your   
own4      --,,emerson4       ,who waits 
until the wind shall silent keep1       
,who never finds the ready hour to sow1 
,who watcheth clouds1 will have no time 

to reap4      --,,helen ,,hunt          
,,jackson4       ,the secret of success 
in life is for a man to be ready for his
      opportunity when it comes4        
--,,disraeli4       ,do the best you can
 where you are2 and1 when that is       
accomplished1 ,god will open a door for 
you1 and a voice will      call1 ,come  
up hither into a higher sphere4         
--,,beecher4       ,our grand business  
is1 not to see what lies dimly at a     
distance1 but to do what lies clearly at
 hand4      --,,carlyle4   ,when ,i was 
a boy1 said ,general ,grant1 my mother  
one morning found herself without butter
 for breakfast1 and sent me to borrow   
some from a neighbor4 ,going into the   
house without knocking1 ,i overheard a  
letter read from the son of a neighbor1 
who was then at ,west ,point1 stating   
that he had failed in examination and   
was coming home4 ,i got the butter1 took
 it home1 and1 without waiting for      
breakfast ran to the office of the      
congressman for our district4 ',mr4     

,hamer1' ,i said1 'will you appoint me  
to ,west ,point8' ',no1 ---- is there1  
and has three years to serve4' ',but    
suppose he should fail1 will you send   
me8' ,mr4 ,hamer laughed4 ',if he don't 
go through1 no use for you to try1      
,uly4' ',promise me you will give me the
 chance1 ,mr4 ,hamer1 anyhow4' ,mr4     
,hamer promised4 ,the next day the      
defeated lad came home1 and the         
congressman1 laughing at my sharpness1  
gave me the appointment4 ,now1 said     
,grant1 it was my mother's being without
 butter that made me general and        
president4 ,but he was mistaken4 ,it was
 his own shrewdness to see the chance1  
and the promptness to seize it1 that    
urged him upward4  ,there is nobody1    
says a ,roman ,cardinal1 whom ,fortune  
does not visit once in his life2 but    
when she finds he is not ready to       
receive her1 she goes in at the door1   
and out through the window4 ,opportunity
 is coy4 ,the careless1 the slow1 the   
unobservant1 the lazy fail to see it1 or

 clutch at it when it has gone4 ,the    
sharp fellows detect it instantly1 and  
catch it when on the wing4  ,the utmost 
which can be said about the matter is1  
that circumstances will1 and do combine 
to help men at some periods of their    
lives1 and combine to thwart them at    
others4 ,thus much we freely admit2 but 
there is no fatality in these           
combinations1 neither any such thing as 
luck or chance1 as commonly understood4 
,they come and go like all other        
opportunities and occasions in life1 and
 if they are seized upon and made the   
most of1 the man whom they benefit is   
fortunate2 but if they are neglected and
 allowed to pass by unimproved1 he is   
unfortunate4  ,charley1 says ,moses ,h4 
,grinnell to a clerk born in ,new ,york 
,city1 take my overcoat tip to my house 
on ,fifth ,avenue4 ,mr4 ,charley takes  
the coat1 mutters something about ,i'm  
not an errand boy4 ,i came here to learn
 business1 and moves reluctantly4 ,mr4  
,grinnell sees it1 and at the same time 

one of his ,new ,england clerks says1   
,i'll take it up4 ,that is right1 do so1
 says ,mr4 ,g41 and to himself he says1 
that boy is smart1 he will work1 and he 
gives him plenty to do4 ,he gets        
promoted1 gets the confidence of        
business men as well as of his          
employers1 and is soon known as a       
successful man4  ,the youth who starts  
out in life determined to make the most 
of his eyes and let nothing escape him  
which he can possibly use for his own   
advancement1 who keeps his ears open for
 every sound that can help him on his   
way1 who keeps his hands open that he   
may clutch every opportunity1 who is    
ever on the alert for everything which  
can help him to get on in the world1 who
 seizes every experience in life and    
grinds it up into paint for his great   
life's picture1 who keeps his heart open
 that he may catch every noble impulse  
and everything which may inspire him1   
will be sure to live a successful life2 
there are no ifs or ands about it4 ,if  

he has his health1 nothing can keep him 
from success4  ,zion's ,herald says that
 ,isaac ,rich1 who gave one million and 
three quarters to found ,boston         
,university of the ,methodist ,episcopal
 ,church1 began business thus3 at       
eighteen he went from ,cape ,cod to     
,boston with three or four dollars in   
his possession1 and looked about for    
something to do1 rising early1 walking  
far1 observing closely1 reflecting much4
 ,soon he had an idea3 he bought three  
bushels of oysters1 hired a wheelbarrow1
 found a piece of board1 bought six     
small plates1 six iron forks1 a         
three-cent pepper-box1 and one or two   
other things4 ,he was at the oyster-boat
 buying his oysters at three o'clock in 
the morning1 wheeled them three miles1  
set up his board near a market1 and     
began business4 ,he sold out his oysters
 as fast as he could get them1 at a good
 profit4 ,in that same market he        
continued to deal in oysters and fish   
for forty years1 became king of the     

business1 and ended by founding a       
college4 ,his success was won by        
industry and honesty4  ,give me a       
chance1 says ,haliburton's ,stupid1 and 
,i will show you4 ,but most likely he   
has had his chance already and neglected
 it4  ,well1 boys1 said ,mr4 ,a41 a ,new
 ,york merchant1 to his four clerks one 
winter morning in #ahae1 this is good   
news4 ,peace has been declared4 ,now we 
must be up and doing4 ,we shall have our
 hands full1 but we can do as much as   
anybody4  ,he was owner and part owner  
of several ships lying dismantled during
 the war1 three miles up the river1     
which was covered with ice an inch      
thick4 ,he knew that it would be a month
 before the ice yielded for the season1 
and that thus the merchants in other    
towns where the harbors were open1 would
 have time to be in the foreign markets 
before him4 ,his decision therefore was 
instantly taken4  ,reuben1 he continued1
 addressing one of his clerks1 go and   
collect as many laborers as possible to 

go up the river4 ,charles1 do you find  
,mr4----1 the rigger1 and ,mr4----1 the 
sailmaker1 and tell them ,i want them   
immediately4 ,john1 engage half-a-dozen 
truckmen for to-day and to-morrow4      
,stephen1 do you hunt up as many gravers
 and caulkers as you can1 and hire them 
to work for me4 ,and ,mr4 ,a4 himself   
sallied forth to provide the necessary  
implements for icebreaking4 ,before     
twelve o'clock that day1 upward of an   
hundred men were three miles up the     
river1 clearing the ships and cutting   
away ice1 which they sawed out in large 
squares1 and then thrust under the main 
mass to open up the channel4 ,the       
roofing over the ships was torn off1 and
 the clatter of the caulkers' mallets   
was like to the rattling of a           
hail-storm1 loads of rigging were passed
 up on the ice1 riggers went to and fro 
with belt and knife1 sailmakers busily  
plied their needles1 and the whole      
presented an unusual scene of stir and  
activity and well-directed labor4       

,before night the ships were afloat1 and
 moved some distance down the channel2  
and by the time they had reached the    
wharf1 namely1 in some eight or ten     
days1 their rigging and spars were      
aloft1 their upper timbers caulked1 and 
everything ready for them to go to sea4 
,thus ,mr4 ,a4 competed on equal terms  
with the merchants of open seaports4    
,large and quick gains rewarded his     
enterprise1 and then his neighbors spoke
 depreciatingly of his good luck4 ,but1 
as the writer from whom we get the story
 says1 ,mr4 ,a4 was equal to his        
opportunity1 and this was the secret of 
his good fortune4  ,a ,baltimore lady   
lost a valuable diamond bracelet at a   
ball1 and supposed it was stolen from   
the pocket of her cloak4 ,years         
afterward1 she walked the streets near  
the ,peabody ,institute to get money to 
purchase food4 ,she cut up an old1 worn 
out1 ragged cloak to make a hood of1    
when lo6 in the lining of the cloak1 she
 discovered the diamond bracelet4       

,during all her poverty she was worth   
thirty-five hundred dollars1 but did not
 know it4  ,many of us who think we are 
poor are rich in opportunities if we    
could only see them1 in possibilities   
all about us1 in faculties worth more   
than diamond bracelets1 in power to do  
good4  ,in our large eastern cities it  
has been found that at least ninety-four
 out of every hundred found their first 
fortune at home1 or near at hand1 and in
 meeting common everyday wants4 ,it is a
 sorry day for a young man who cannot   
see any opportunities where he is1 but  
thinks he can do better somewhere else4 
,several ,brazilian shepherds organized 
a party to go to ,california to dig     
gold1 and took along a handful of clear 
pebbles to play checkers with on the    
voyage4 ,they discovered after arriving 
at ,sacramento1 after they had thrown   
most of the pebbles away1 that they were
 all diamonds4 ,they returned to ,brazil
 only to find that the mines had been   
taken up by others and sold to the      

government4  ,the richest gold and      
silver mine in ,nevada was sold for     
forty-two dollars by the owner1 to get  
money to pay his passage to other mines 
where he thought he could get rich4     
,professor ,agassiz told the ,harvard   
students of a farmer who owned a farm of
 hundreds of acres of unprofitable woods
 and rocks1 and concluded to sell out   
and try some more remunerative business4
  ,he studied coal measures and coal oil
 deposits1 and experimented for a long  
time4 ,he sold his farm for two hundred 
dollars and went into the oil business  
two hundred miles away4 ,only a short   
time afterward the man who bought the   
farm discovered a great flood of coal   
oil1 which the farmer had ignorantly    
tried to drain off4  ,a man was once    
sitting in an uncomfortable chair in    
,boston talking with a friend as to what
 he could do to help mankind4 ,i should 
think it would be a good thing1 said the
 friend1 to begin by getting up an      
easier and cheaper chair4  ,i will do   

it1 he exclaimed1 leaping up and        
examining the chair4 ,he found a great  
deal of rattan thrown away by the ,east 
,india merchant ships1 whose cargoes    
were wrapped in it4 ,he began the       
manufacture of rattan chairs and other  
furniture1 and has astonished the world 
by what he has done with what was before
 thrown away4 ,while this man was       
dreaming about some far off success1 he 
at that very time had fortune awaiting  
only his ingenuity and industry4  ,if   
you want to get rich1 study yourself and
 your own wants4 ,you will find millions
 of others have the same wants1 the same
 demands4 ,the safest business is always
 connected with men's prime necessities4
 ,they must have clothing1 dwellings2   
they must eat4 ,they want comforts1     
facilities of all kinds1 for use and    
pleasure1 luxury1 education1 culture4   
,any man who can supply a great want of 
humanity1 improve any methods which men 
use1 supply any demand or contribute in 
any way to their well-being1 can make a 

fortune4  ,but it is detrimental to the 
highest success to undertake anything   
merely because it is profitable4 ,if the
 vocation does not supply a human want1 
if it is not healthful1 if it is        
degrading1 if it is narrowing1 don't    
touch it4  ,a selfish vocation never    
pays4 ,if it belittles the manhood1     
blights the affections1 dwarfs the      
mental life1 chills the charities and   
shrivels the soul1 don't touch it4      
,choose that occupation1 if possible1   
which will be the most helpful to the   
largest number4  ,it is estimated that  
five out of every seven of the          
millionaire manufacturers began by      
making with their own hands the articles
 on which they made their fortune4  ,one
 of the greatest hindrances to          
advancement and promotion in life is the
 lack of observation and the            
disinclination to take pains4 ,a keen1  
cultivated observation will see a       
fortune where others see only poverty4  
,an observing man1 the eyelets of whose 

shoes pulled out1 but who could ill     
afford to get another pair1 said to     
himself1 ,i will make a metallic lacing 
hook1 which can be riveted into the     
leather4 ,he succeeded in doing so and  
now he is a very rich man4  ,an         
observing barber in ,newark1 ,n4 ,j41   
thought he could make an improvement on 
shears for cutting hair1 and invented   
clippers and became very rich4 ,a ,maine
 man was called from the hayfield to    
wash out the clothes for his invalid    
wife4 ,he had never realized what it was
 to wash before4 ,he invented the       
washing-machine and made a fortune4 ,a  
man who was suffering terribly with     
toothache1 said to himself1 ,there must 
be some way of filling teeth to prevent 
them aching2 he invented gold filling   
for teeth4  ,the great things of the    
world have not been done by men of large
 means4 ,want has been the great        
schoolmaster of the race3 necessity has 
been the mother of all great inventions4
 ,ericsson began the construction of a  

screw-propeller in a bath-room4 ,john   
,harrison1 the great inventor of the    
marine chronometer1 began his career in 
the loft of an old barn4 ,parts of the  
first steamboat ever run in ,america    
were set up in the vestry of an old     
church in ,philadelphia by ,fitch4      
,mc,cormick began to make his famous    
reaper in an old grist-mill4 ,the first 
model dry-dock was made in an attic4    
,clark1 the founder of ,clark           
,university of ,worcester1 ,mass41 began
 his great fortune by making toy wagons 
in a horse-shed4  ,opportunities8 ,they 
crowd around us4 ,forces of nature plead
 to be used in the service of man1 as   
lightning for ages tried to attract his 
attention to electricity1 which would do
 his drudgery and leave him to develop  
the ,god-given powers within him4       
,there is power lying latent everywhere1
 waiting for the observant eye to       
discover it4  ,first find out what the  
people need and then supply that want4  
,an invention to make the smoke go the  

wrong way in a chimney might be a very  
ingenious thing1 but it would be of no  
use to humanity4 ,the patent office at  
,washington is full of wonderful        
devices1 ingenious mechanism2 not one in
 hundreds is of earthly use to the      
inventor or to the world1 and yet how   
many families have been impoverished and
 have struggled for years mid want and  
woe1 while the father has been working  
on useless inventions4 ,these men did   
not study the wants of humanity4 ,a4 ,t4
 ,stewart1 as a boy1 lost eighty-seven  
cents when his capital was one dollar   
and a half1 in buying buttons and thread
 which people would not purchase4 ,after
 that he made it a rule never to buy    
anything which people did not want4     
,the first thing a youth1 entering the  
city to make his home there1 needs to do
 is to make himself a necessity to the  
person who employs him1 according to the
 ,boston ,herald4 ,whatever he may have 
been at home1 it counts for nothing     
until he has done something that makes  

known the quality of the stuff that is  
in him4 ,if he shirks work1 however     
humble it may be1 the work will soon be 
inclined to shirk him4 ,but the youth   
who comes into a city to make his way in
 the world1 and is not afraid of doing  
his best whether he is paid for it or   
not1 is not long in finding remunerative
 employment4 ,the people who seem so    
indifferent to employing young people   
from the country are eagerly watching   
for the newcomers1 but they look for    
qualities of character and service in   
actual work before they manifest        
confidence or give recognition4 ,it is  
the youth who is deserving that wins his
 way to the front1 and when once he has 
been tested his promotion is only a     
question of time4 ,it is the same with  
young women4 ,there are seemingly no    
places for them where they can earn a   
decent living1 but the moment they fill 
their places worthily there is room     
enough for them1 and progress is rapid4 
,what the city people desire most is to 

find those who have ability to take     
important places1 and the question of   
gaining a position in the city resolves 
itself at once into the question of what
 the young persons have brought with    
them from home4 ,it is the staying      
qualities that have been in-wrought from
 childhood which are now in requisition1
 and the success of the boy or girl is  
determined by the amount of energetic   
character that has been developed in the
 early years at home4 ,take up the      
experience of every man or woman who has
 made a mark in the city for the last   
hundred years1 and it has been the      
sterling qualities of the home training 
that have constituted the success of    
later years4  ,don't think you have no  
chance in life because you have no      
capital to begin with4 ,most of the rich
 men of to-day began poor4 ,the chances 
are you would be ruined if you had      
capital4 ,you can only use to advantage 
what has become a part of yourself by   
your earning it4 ,it is estimated that  

not one rich man's son in ten thousand  
dies rich4 ,god has given every man a   
capital to start with2 we are born rich4
 ,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 marvelous   
mechanism of his body and mind4 ,it is  
individual effort that has accomplished 
everything worth accomplishing in this  
world4 ,money to start with is only a   
crutch1 which1 if any misfortune knocks 
it from under you1 would only make your 
fall all the more certain4     ,,chapter
 ,,iii4  ,,how ,,did ,,he ,,begin8      
,there can be no doubt that the captains
 of industry to-day1      using that    
term in its broadest sense1 are men who 
began life      as poor boys4           
--,,seth ,,low4       ,poverty is very  
terrible1 and sometimes kills the very  

soul      within us1 but it is the north
 wind that lashes men into              
,vikings2 it is the soft1 luscious south
 wind which lulls them      to lotus    
dreams4      --,,ouida4       ',tis a   
common proof1      ,that lowliness is   
young ambition's ladder                 
--,,shakespeare4   ,fifty years ago1    
said ,hezekiah ,conant1 the millionaire 
manufacturer and philanthropist of      
,pawtucket1 ,r4 ,i41 ,i persuaded my    
father to let me leave my home in       
,dudley1 ,mass41 and strike out for     
myself4 ,so one morning in ,may1 #ahde1 
the old farm horse and wagon was hitched
 up1 and1 dressed in our ,sunday        
clothes1 father and ,i started for      
,worcester4 ,our object was to get me   
the situation offered by an             
advertisement in the ,worcester ,county 
,gazette as follows3       ,,boy        
,,wanted4       ,,wanted                
,,immediately4--,at the ,gazette        
,office1 a well disposed      boy1 able 
to do heavy rolling4 ,worcester1 ,may   

#g4  ,the financial inducements were    
thirty dollars the first year1          
thirty-five the next1 and forty dollars 
the third year and board in the         
employer's family4 ,these conditions    
were accepted1 and ,i began work the    
next day4 ,the ,gazette was an ordinary 
four-page sheet4 ,i soon learned what   
'heavy rolling' meant for the paper was 
printed on a ',washington' hand-press1  
the edition of about #bjjj copies       
requiring two laborious intervals of    
about ten hours each1 every week4 ,the  
printing of the outside was generally   
done ,friday and kept me very busy all  
day4 ,the inside went to press about    
three or four o'clock ,tuesday          
afternoon1 and it was after three       
o'clock on ,wednesday morning before ,i 
could go to bed1 tired and lame from the
 heavy rolling4 ,in addition1 ,i also   
had the laborious task of carrying a    
quantity of water from the pump behind  
the block around to the entrance in     
front1 and then up two flights of       

stairs1 usually a daily job4 ,i was at  
first everybody's servant4 ,i was       
abused1 called all sorts of nicknames1  
had to sweep out the office1 build fires
 in winter1 run errands1 post bills1    
carry papers1 wait on the editor1 in    
fact ,i led the life of a genuine       
printer's devil2 but when ,i showed them
 at length that ,i had learned to set   
type and run the press1 ,i got promoted1
 and another boy was hired to succeed to
 my task1 with all its decorations4     
,that was my first success1 and from    
that day to this ,i have never asked    
anybody to get me a job or situation1   
and never used a letter of              
recommendation2 but when an important   
job was in prospect the proposed        
employers were given all facilities to  
learn of my abilities and character4 ,if
 some young men are easily discouraged1 
,i hope they may gain encouragement and 
strength from my story4 ,it is a long1  
rough road at first1 but1 like the ship 
on the ocean1 you must lay your course  

for the place where you hope to land1   
and take advantage of all favoring      
circumstances4  ,don't go about the town
 any longer in that outlandish rig4 ,let
 me give you an order on the store4     
,dress up a little1 ,horace4 ,horace    
,greeley looked down on his clothes as  
if he had never before noticed how seedy
 they were1 and replied3 ,you see1 ,mr4 
,sterrett1 my father is on a new place1 
and ,i want to help him all ,i can4 ,he 
had spent but six dollars for personal  
expenses in seven months1 and was to    
receive one hundred and thirty-five from
 ,judge ,j4 ,m4 ,sterrett of the ,erie  
,gazette for substitute work4 ,he       
retained but fifteen dollars and gave   
the rest to his father1 with whom he had
 moved from ,vermont to ,western        
,pennsylvania1 and for whom he had      
camped out many a night to guard the    
sheep from wolves4 ,he was nearly       
twenty-one2 and1 although tall and      
gawky1 with tow-colored hair1 a pale    
face and whining voice1 he resolved to  

seek his fortune in ,new ,york ,city4   
,slinging his bundle of clothes on a    
stick over his shoulder1 he walked sixty
 miles through the woods to ,buffalo1   
rode on a canal boat to ,albany1        
descended the ,hudson in a barge1 and   
reached ,new ,york1 just as the sun was 
rising1 ,august #ah1 #ahca4  ,for days  
,horace wandered up and down the        
streets1 going into scores of buildings 
and asking if they wanted a hand2 but no
 was the invariable reply4 ,his quaint  
appearance led many to think he was an  
escaped apprentice4 ,one ,sunday at his 
boarding-place he heard that printers   
were wanted at ,west's ,printing-office4
 ,he was at the door at five o'clock    
,monday morning1 and asked the foreman  
for a job at seven4 ,the latter had no  
idea that the country greenhorn could   
set type for the ,polyglot ,testament on
 which help was needed1 but said3 ,fix  
up a case for him and we'll see if he   
can do anything4 ,when the proprietor   
came in1 he objected to the newcomer and

 told the foreman to let him go when his
 first day's work was done4 ,that night 
,horace showed a proof of the largest   
and most correct day's work that had    
then been done4 ,in ten years ,horace   
was a partner in a small                
printing-office4 ,he founded the ,new   
,yorker1 the best weekly paper in the   
,united ,states1 but it was not         
profitable4 ,when ,harrison was         
nominated for ,president in #ahdj1      
,greeley started ,the ,log ,cabin1 which
 reached the then fabulous circulation  
of ninety thousand4 ,but on this paper  
at a penny a copy1 he made no money4    
,his next venture was the ,new ,york    
,tribune1 price one cent4 ,to start it  
he borrowed a thousand dollars and      
printed five thousand copies of the     
first number4 ,it was difficult to give 
them all away4 ,he began with six       
hundred subscribers1 and increased the  
list to eleven thousand in six weeks4   
,the demand for the ,tribune grew faster
 than new machinery could be obtained to

 print it4 ,it was a paper whose editor 
always tried to be right4  ,at the      
,world's ,fair in ,new ,york in #ahec   
,president ,pierce might have been seen 
watching a young man exhibiting a patent
 rat trap4 ,he was attracted by the     
enthusiasm and diligence of the young   
man1 but never dreamed that he would    
become one of the richest men in the    
world4 ,it seemed like small business   
for ,jay ,gould to be exhibiting a rat  
trap1 but he did it well and with       
enthusiasm4 ,in fact he was bound to do 
it as well as it could be done4 ,young  
,gould supported himself by odd jobs at 
surveying1 paying his way by erecting   
sundials for farmers at a dollar apiece1
 frequently taking his pay in board4    
,thus he laid the foundation for the    
business career in which he became so   
rich4  ,fred4 ,douglass started in life 
with less than nothing1 for he did not  
own his own body1 and he was pledged    
before his birth to pay his master's    
debts4 ,to reach the starting-point of  

the poorest white boy1 he had to climb  
as far as the distance which the latter 
must ascend if he would become          
,president of the ,united ,states4 ,he  
saw his mother but two or three times1  
and then in the night1 when she would   
walk twelve miles to be with him an     
hour1 returning in time to go into the  
field at dawn4 ,he had no chance to     
study1 for he had no teacher1 and the   
rules of the plantation forbade slaves  
to learn to read and write4 ,but        
somehow1 unnoticed by his master1 he    
managed to learn the alphabet from      
scraps of paper and patent medicine     
almanacs1 and no limits could then be   
placed to his career4 ,he put to shame  
thousands of white boys4 ,he fled from  
slavery at twenty-one1 went ,north and  
worked as a stevedore in ,new ,york and 
,new ,bedford4 ,at ,nantucket he was    
given an opportunity to speak in an     
anti-slavery meeting1 and made so       
favorable an impression that he was made
 agent of the ,anti-,slavery ,society of

 ,massachusetts4 ,while traveling from  
place to place to lecture1 he would     
study with all his might4 ,he was sent  
to ,europe to lecture1 and won the      
friendship of several ,englishmen1 who  
gave him #gej1 with which he purchased  
his freedom4 ,he edited a paper in      
,rochester1 ,n4 ,y41 and afterward      
conducted the ,new ,era in ,washington4 
,for several years he was ,marshal of   
the ,district of ,columbia4 ,he became  
the first colored man in the ,united    
,states1 the peer of any man in the     
country1 and died honored by all in     
#ahie4  ,what has been done can be done 
again1 said the boy with no chance who  
became ,lord ,beaconsfield1 ,england's  
great prime minister4 ,i am not a slave1
 ,i am not a captive1 and by energy ,i  
can overcome greater obstacles4 ,jewish 
blood flowed in his veins1 and          
everything seemed against him1 but he   
remembered the example of ,joseph1 who  
became prime minister of ,egypt four    
thousand years before1 and that of      

,daniel1 who was prime minister to the  
greatest despot of the world five       
centuries before the birth of ,christ4  
,he pushed his way up through the lower 
classes1 up through the middle classes1 
up through the upper classes1 until he  
stood a master1 self-poised upon the    
topmost round of political and social   
power4 ,rebuffed1 scorned1 ridiculed1   
hissed down in the ,house of ,commons1  
he simply said1 ,the time will come when
 you shall hear me4 ,the time did come1 
and the boy with no chance but a        
determined will1 swayed the sceptre of  
,england for a quarter of a century4  ,i
 learned grammar when ,i was a private  
soldier on the pay of sixpence a day1   
said ,william ,cobbett4 ,the edge of my 
berth1 or that of the guard-bed1 was my 
seat to study in2 my knapsack was my    
bookcase2 a bit of board lying on my lap
 was my writing table1 and the task did 
not demand anything like a year of my   
life4 ,i had no money to purchase       
candles or oil2 in winter it was rarely 

that ,i could get any evening light but 
that of the fire1 and only my turn1 even
 of that4 ,to buy a pen or a sheet of   
paper ,i was compelled to forego some   
portion of my food1 though in a state of
 half starvation4 ,i had no moment of   
time that ,i could call my own1 and ,i  
had to read and write amidst the        
talking1 laughing1 singing1 whistling1  
and bawling of at least half a score of 
the most thoughtless of men1 and that1  
too1 in the hours of their freedom from 
all control4 ,think not lightly of the  
farthing ,i had to give1 now and then1  
for pen1 ink1 or paper4 ,that farthing  
was1 alas6 a great sum to me4 ,i was as 
tall as ,i am now1 and ,i had great     
health and great exercise4 ,the whole of
 the money not expended for us at market
 was twopence a week for each man4 ,i   
remember1 and well ,i may6 that upon one
 occasion ,i had1 after all absolutely  
necessary expenses1 on a ,friday1 made  
shift to have a half-penny in reserve1  
which ,i had destined for the purchase  

of a red herring in the morning1 but    
when ,i pulled off my clothes at night1 
so hungry then as to be hardly able to  
endure life1 ,i found that ,i had lost  
my half-penny4 ,i buried my head under  
the miserable sheet and rug1 and cried  
like a child4  ,if ,i1 under such       
circumstances1 could encounter and      
overcome this task1 he added1 is there1 
can there be in the world1 a youth to   
find any excuse for its non-performance8
  ,i have talked with great men1        
,lincoln told his fellow-clerk and      
friend1 ,greene1 according to           
,mc,clure's ,magazine1 and ,i do not see
 how they differ from others4  ,he made 
up his mind to put himself before the   
public1 and talked of his plans to his  
friends4 ,in order to keep in practice  
in speaking he walked seven or eight    
miles to debating clubs4 ,practicing    
polemics1 was what he called the        
exercise4  ,he seems now for the first  
time to have begun to study subjects4   
,grammar was what he chose4 ,he sought  

,mentor ,graham1 the schoolmaster1 and  
asked his advice4  ,if you are going    
before the public1 ,mr4 ,graham told    
him1 you ought to do it4  ,but where    
could he get a grammar8 ,there was but  
one in the neighborhood1 ,mr4 ,graham   
said1 and that was six miles away4      
,without waiting for more information   
the young man rose from the             
breakfast-table1 walked immediately to  
the place1 borrowed this rare copy of   
,kirkham's ,grammar1 and before night   
was deep in its mysteries4 ,from that   
time on for weeks he gave every moment  
of his leisure to mastering the contents
 of the book4 ,frequently he asked his  
friend ,greene to hold the book while he
 recited1 and when puzzled by a point he
 would consult ,mr4 ,graham4  ,lincoln's
 eagerness to learn was such that the   
whole neighborhood became interested4   
,the ,greenes lent him books1 the       
schoolmaster kept him in mind and helped
 him as he could1 and even the village  
cooper let him come into his shop and   

keep up a fire of shavings sufficiently 
bright to read by at night4 ,it was not 
long before the grammar was mastered4   
,well1 ,lincoln said to his             
fellow-clerk1 ,greene1 if that's what   
they call science1 ,i think ,i'll go at 
another4  ,he had made another          
discovery--that he could conquer        
subjects4  ,the poor and friendless lad1
 ,george ,peabody1 weary1 footsore and  
hungry1 called at a tavern in ,concord1 
,n4 ,h41 and asked to be allowed to saw 
wood for lodging and breakfast4 ,half a 
century later he called there again1 but
 then ,george ,peabody was one of the   
greatest millionaire bankers of the     
world4 ,bishop ,fowler says3 ,it is one 
of the greatest encouragements of our   
age1 that ordinary men with             
extraordinary industry reach the highest
 stations4  ,greeley's father1 because  
the boy tried to yoke the off ox on the 
near side1 said3 ,ah6 that boy will     
never get along in the world4 ,he'll    
never know enough to come in when it    

rains4  ,he was too poor to wear        
stockings4 ,but ,horace persevered1 and 
became one of the greatest editors of   
his century4  ,handel's father hated    
music1 and would not allow a musical    
instrument in the house2 but the boy    
with an aim secured a little spinet1 hid
 it in the attic1 where he practiced    
every minute he could steal without     
detection1 until he surprised the great 
players and composers of ,europe by his 
wonderful knowledge of music4 ,he was   
very practical in his work1 and studied 
the taste and sensitiveness of audiences
 until he knew exactly what they wanted2
 then he would compose something to     
supply the demand4 ,he analyzed the     
effect of sounds and combinations of    
sounds upon the senses1 and wrote       
directly to human needs4 ,his greatest  
work1 ,the ,messiah1 was composed in    
,dublin for the benefit of poor debtors 
who were imprisoned there4 ,the         
influence of this masterpiece was       
tremendous4 ,it was said it out-preached

 the preacher1 out-prayed prayers1      
reformed the wayward1 softened stony    
hearts1 as it told the wonderful story  
of redemption1 in sound4  ,a4 ,t4       
,stewart began life as a teacher in ,new
 ,york at #cjj a year4 ,he soon resigned
 and began that career as a merchant in 
which he achieved a success almost      
without precedent4 ,honesty1 one price1 
cash on delivery1 and business on       
business principles were his invariable 
rules4 ,absolute regularity and system  
reigned in every department4 ,in fifty  
years he made a fortune of from thirty  
to forty million dollars4 ,he was       
nominated as ,secretary of the ,treasury
 in #ahfi1 but it was found that the law
 forbids a merchant to occupy that      
position4 ,he offered to resign1 or to  
give the entire profits of his business 
to the poor of ,new ,york as long as he 
should remain in office4 ,president     
,grant declined to accept such an offer4
  ,poor ,kepler struggled with constant 
anxieties1 and told fortunes by         

astrology for a livelihood1 saying that 
astrology as the daughter of astronomy  
ought to keep her mother2 but fancy a   
man of science wasting precious time    
over horoscopes4 ,i supplicate you1 he  
writes to ,moestlin1 if there is a      
situation vacant at ,tbingen1 do what   
you can to obtain it for me1 and let me 
know the prices of bread and wine and   
other necessaries of life1 for my wife  
is not accustomed to live on beans4 ,he 
had to accept all sorts of jobs2 he made
 almanacs1 and served anyone who would  
pay him4  ,who could have predicted that
 the modest1 gentle boy1 ,raphael1      
without either riches or noted family1  
would have worked his way to such       
renown1 or that one of his pictures1 but
 sixty-six and three-quarter inches     
square 7the ,mother of ,jesus71 would be
 sold to the ,empress of ,russia1 for   
#ff1jjj8 ,his ,ansedei ,madonna1 was    
bought by the ,national ,gallery for    
#cej1jjj4 ,think of ,michael ,angelo    
working for six florins a month1 and    

eighteen years on ,st4 ,peter's for     
nothing6  ,dr4 ,johnson was so afflicted
 with king's-evil that he lost the use  
of one eye4 ,the youth could not even   
engage in the pastimes of his mates1 as 
he could not see the gutter without     
bending his head down near the street4  
,he read and studied terribly4 ,finally 
a friend offered to send him to ,oxford1
 but he failed to keep his promise1 and 
the boy had to leave4 ,he returned home1
 and soon afterward his father died     
insolvent4 ,he conquered adverse fortune
 and bodily infirmities with the        
fortitude of a true hero4  ,ichabod     
,washburn1 a poor boy born near         
,plymouth ,rock1 was apprenticed to a   
blacksmith in ,worcester1 ,mass41 and   
was so bashful that he scarcely dared to
 eat in the presence of others2 but he  
determined that he would make the best  
wire in the world1 and would contrive   
ways and means to manufacture it in     
enormous quantities4 ,at that time there
 was no good wire made in the ,united   

,states4 ,one house in ,england had the 
monopoly of making steel wire for pianos
 for more than a century4 ,young        
,washburn1 however1 had grit1 and was   
bound to succeed4 ,his wire became the  
standard everywhere4 ,at one time he    
made #bej1jjj yards of iron wire daily1 
consuming twelve tons of metal1 and     
requiring the services of seven hundred 
men4 ,he amassed an immense fortune1 of 
which he gave away a large part during  
his life1 and bequeathed the balance to 
charitable institutions4  ,john ,jacob  
,astor left home at seventeen to acquire
 a fortune4 ,his capital consisted of   
two dollars1 and three resolutions1--to 
be honest1 to be industrious and not to 
gamble4 ,two years later he reached ,new
 ,york1 and began work in a fur store at
 two dollars a week and his board4 ,soon
 learning the details of the business1  
he began operations on his own account4 
,by giving personal attention to every  
purchase and sale1 roaming the woods to 
trade with the ,indians1 or crossing the

 ,atlantic to sell his furs at a great  
profit in ,england1 he soon became the  
leading fur dealer in the ,united       
,states4 ,his idea of what constitutes a
 fortune expanded faster than his       
acquisitions4 ,at fifty he owned        
millions2 at sixty his millions owned   
him4 ,he invested in land1 becoming in  
time the richest owner of real estate in
 ,america4 ,generous to his family1 he  
seldom gave much for charity4 ,he once  
subscribed fifty dollars for some       
benevolent purpose1 when one of the     
committee of solicitation said1 ,we did 
hope for more1 ,mr4 ,astor4 ,your son   
gave us a hundred dollars4 ,ah6 chuckled
 the rich furrier1 ,william has a rich  
father4 ,mine was poor4  ,elihu ,burritt
 wrote in a diary kept at ,worcester1   
whither he went to enjoy its library    
privileges1 such entries as these3      
,monday1 ,june #ah1 headache1 #dj pages 
,cuvier's ',theory of the ,earth1' #fd  
pages of ,french1 #aa hours' forging4   
,tuesday1 ,june #ai1 #fj lines ,hebrew1 

#cj ,danish1 #aj lines ,bohemian1 #i    
lines ,polish1 #ae names of stars1 #aj  
hours' forging4 ,wednesday1 ,june #bj1  
#be lines ,hebrew1 #h lines ,syriac1 #aa
 hours' forging4 ,he mastered eighteen  
languages and thirty-two dialects4 ,he  
became eminent as the ,learned          
,blacksmith1 and for his noble work in  
the service of humanity4 ,edward        
,everett said of the manner in which    
this boy with no chance acquired great  
learning3 ,it is enough to make one who 
has good opportunities for education    
hang his head in shame4  ,i was born in 
poverty1 said ,vice-,president ,henry   
,wilson4 ,want sat by my cradle4 ,i know
 what it is to ask a mother for bread   
when she has none to give4 ,i left my   
home at ten years of age1 and served an 
apprenticeship of eleven years1         
receiving a month's schooling each year1
 and1 at the end of eleven years of hard
 work1 a yoke of oxen and six sheep1    
which brought me eighty-four dollars4 ,i
 never spent the sum of one dollar for  

pleasure1 counting every penny from the 
time ,i was born till ,i was twenty-one 
years of age4 ,i know what it is to     
travel weary miles and ask my fellow-men
 to give me leave to toil4 99 99 99 ,in 
the first month after ,i was twenty-one 
years of age1 ,i went into the woods1   
drove a team1 and cut mill-logs4 ,i rose
 in the morning before daylight and     
worked hard till after dark1 and        
received the magnificent sum of six     
dollars for the month's work6 ,each of  
these dollars looked as large to me as  
the moon looks to-night4  ,many a       
farmer's son1 says ,thurlow ,weed1 has  
found the best opportunities for mental 
improvement in his intervals of leisure 
while tending 'sap-bush4' ,such1 at any 
rate1 was my own experience4 ,at night  
you had only to feed the kettles and    
keep up the fires1 the sap having been  
gathered and the wood cut before dark4  
,during the day we would always lay in a
 good stock of 'fat-pine' by the light  
of which1 blazing bright before the     

sugar-house1 in the posture the serpent 
was condemned to assume1 as a penalty   
for tempting our first grandmother1 ,i  
passed many a delightful night in       
reading4 ,i remember in this way to have
 read a history of the ,french          
,revolution1 and to have obtained from  
it a better and more enduring knowledge 
of its events and horrors and of the    
actors in that great national tragedy1  
than ,i have received from all          
subsequent reading4 ,i remember also how
 happy ,i was in being able to borrow   
the books of a ,mr4 ,keyes after a      
two-mile tramp through the snow1        
shoeless1 my feet swaddled in remnants  
of rag carpet4  ,that fellow will beat  
us all some day1 said a merchant1       
speaking of ,john ,wanamaker and his    
close attention to his work4 ,what a    
prediction to make of a young man who   
started business with a little clothing 
in a hand cart in the streets of        
,philadelphia4 ,but this youth had the  
indomitable spirit of a conqueror in    

him1 and you could not keep him down4   
,general ,grant said to ,george ,w4     
,childs1 ,mr4 ,wanamaker could command  
an army4 ,his great energy1 method1     
industry1 economy1 and high moral       
principle1 attracted ,president         
,harrison1 who appointed him            
,postmaster-,general4  ,jacques         
,aristide ,boucicault began his business
 life as an employ in a dry goods house 
in a small provincial town in ,france4  
,after a few years he went to ,paris1   
where he prospered so rapidly that in   
#ahec he became a partner and later the 
sole proprietor of the ,bon ,march1 then
 only a small shop1 which became under  
his direction the most unique           
establishment in the world4 ,his idea   
was to establish a combined             
philanthropic and commercial house on a 
large scale4 ,every one who worked for  
him was advanced progressively1         
according to his length of employment   
and the value of the services he        
rendered4 ,he furnished free tuition1   

free medical attendance1 and a free     
library for employs2 a provident fund   
affording a small capital for males and 
a marriage portion for females at the   
expiration of ten or fifteen years of   
service2 a free reading room for the    
public2 and a free art gallery for      
artists to exhibit their paintings or   
sculptures4 ,after his sudden death in  
#ahgg1 his only son carried forward his 
father's projects until he1 too1 died in
 #ahgi1 when his widow1 ,marguerite     
,guerin1 continued and extended his     
business and beneficent plans until her 
death in #ahhg4 ,so well did this family
 lay the foundations of a building      
covering #ajh1jjj square feet1 with many
 accessory buildings of smaller size1   
and of a business employing #cfjj       
persons with sales amounting to nearly  
#bj1jjj1jjj annually1 that every        
department is still conducted with all  
its former success in accordance with   
the instructions of the founders4 ,they 
are here no longer in their bodily      

presence1 but their spirit1 their ideas1
 still pervade the vast establishment4  
,everything is still sold at a small    
profit and at a price plainly marked1   
and any article which may have ceased to
 please the purchaser can1 without the  
slightest difficulty1 be exchanged or   
its value refunded4  ,when ,james       
,gordon ,bennett was forty years old1 he
 collected all his property1 three      
hundred dollars1 and in a cellar with a 
board upon two barrels for a desk1      
himself his own type setter1 office boy1
 publisher1 newsboy1 clerk1 editor1     
proof-reader and printer's devil1 he    
started the ,new ,york ,herald4 ,in all 
his literary work up to this time he had
 tried to imitate ,franklin's style2    
and1 as is the fate of all imitators1 he
 utterly failed4  ,he lost twenty years 
of his life trying to be somebody else4 
,he first showed the material he was    
made of in the ,salutatory1 of the      
,herald1 viz41 ,our only guide shall be 
good1 sound and practical common-sense  

applicable to the business and bosoms of
 men engaged in everyday life4 ,we shall
 support no party1 be the organ of no   
faction or coterie1 and care nothing for
 any election or any candidate from     
,president down to constable4 ,we shall 
endeavor to record facts upon every     
public and proper subject stripped of   
verbiage and coloring1 with comments    
when suitable1 just1 independent1       
fearless and good-tempered4  ,joseph    
,hunter was a carpenter1 ,robert ,burns 
a ploughman1 ,keats a druggist1 ,thomas 
,carlyle a mason1 ,hugh ,miller a stone 
mason4 ,rubens1 the artist1 was a page1 
,swedenborg1 a mining engineer4 ,dante  
and ,descartes were soldiers4 ,ben      
,johnson was a brick layer and worked at
 building ,lincoln ,inn in ,london with 
trowel in hand and a book in his pocket4
 ,jeremy ,taylor was a barber4 ,andrew  
,johnson was a tailor4 ,cardinal ,wolsey
 was a butcher's son4 ,so were ,defoe   
and ,kirke ,white4 ,michael ,faraday was
 the son of a blacksmith4 ,he even      

excelled his teacher1 ,sir ,humphry     
,davy1 who was an apprentice to an      
apothecary4  ,virgil was the son of a   
porter1 ,homer of a farmer1 ,pope of a  
merchant1 ,horace of a shopkeeper1      
,demosthenes of a cutler1 ,milton of a  
money scrivener1 ,shakespeare of a wool 
stapler1 and ,oliver ,cromwell of a     
brewer4  ,john ,wanamaker's first salary
 was #a4be per week4 ,a4 ,t4 ,stewart   
began his business life as a school     
teacher4 ,james ,keene drove a milk     
wagon in a ,california town4 ,joseph    
,pulitzer1 proprietor of the ,new ,york 
,world1 once acted as stoker on a       
,mississippi steamboat4 ,when a young   
man1 ,cyrus ,field was a clerk in a ,new
 ,england store4 ,george ,w4 ,childs was
 an errand boy for a bookseller at #d a 
month4 ,andrew ,carnegie began work in a
 ,pittsburg telegraph office at #c a    
week4 ,c4 ,p4 ,huntington sold butter   
and eggs for what he could get a pound  
or dozen4 ,whitelaw ,reid was once a    
correspondent of a newspaper in         

,cincinnati at #e per week4 ,adam       
,forepaugh was once a butcher in        
,philadelphia4  ,sarah ,bernhardt was a 
dressmaker's apprentice4 ,adelaide      
,neilson began life as a child's nurse4 
,miss ,braddon1 the novelist1 was a     
utility actress in the provinces4       
,charlotte ,cushman was the daughter of 
poor people4  ,mr4 ,w4 ,o4 ,stoddard1 in
 his ,men of ,business1 tells a         
characteristic story of the late ,leland
 ,stanford4 ,when eighteen years of age 
his father purchased a tract of         
woodland1 but had not the means to clear
 it as he wished4 ,he told ,leland that 
he could have all he could make from the
 timber if he would leave the land clear
 of trees4 ,a new market had just then  
been created for cord wood1 and ,leland 
took some money that he had saved1 hired
 other choppers to help him1 and sold   
over two thousand cords of wood to the  
,mohawk and ,hudson ,river ,railroad at 
a net profit of #bfjj4 ,he used this sum
 to start him in his law studies1 and   

thus1 as ,mr4 ,stoddard says1 chopped   
his way to the bar4  ,it is said that   
the career of ,benjamin ,franklin is    
full of inspiration for any young man4  
,when he left school for good he was    
only twelve years of age4 ,at first he  
did little but read4 ,he soon found1    
however1 that reading1 alone1 would not 
make him an educated man1 and he        
proceeded to act upon this discovery at 
once4 ,at school he had been unable to  
understand arithmetic4 ,twice he had    
given it up as a hopeless puzzle1 and   
finally left school almost hopelessly   
ignorant upon the subject4 ,but the     
printer's boy soon found his ignorance  
of figures extremely inconvenient4 ,when
 he was about fourteen he took up for   
the third time the ,cocker's            
,arithmetic1 which had baffled him at   
school1 and ciphered all through it with
 ease and pleasure4 ,he then mastered a 
work upon navigation1 which included the
 rudiments of geometry1 and thus tasted 
the inexhaustible charm of mathematics4 

,he pursued a similar course1 we are    
told1 in acquiring the art of           
composition1 in which1 at length1 he    
excelled most of the men of his time4   
,when he was but a boy of sixteen1 he   
wrote so well that the pieces which he  
slyly sent to his brother's paper were  
thought to have been written by some of 
the most learned men in the colony4     
,henry ,clay1 the mill-boy of the       
slashes1 was one of seven children of a 
widow too poor to send him to any but a 
common country school1 where he was     
drilled only in the three ,r's4 ,but he 
used every spare moment to study without
 a teacher1 and in after years he was a 
king among self-made men4  ,the most    
successful man is he who has triumphed  
over obstacles1 disadvantages and       
discouragements4  ,it is ,goodyear in   
his rude laboratory enduring poverty and
 failure until the pasty rubber is at   
length hardened2 it is ,edison biding   
his time in baggage car and in printing 
office until that mysterious light and  

power glows and throbs at his command2  
it is ,carey on his cobbler's bench     
nourishing the great purpose that at    
length carried the message of love to   
benighted ,india2--these are the cases  
and examples of true success4           
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,out ,,of ,,place4    
,the high prize of life1 the crowning   
fortune of a man1 is to be      born    
with a bias to some pursuit1 which finds
 him in employment      and happiness4  
--,,emerson4       ,the art of putting  
the right man in the right place is     
perhaps      the first in the science of
 government1 but the art of finding     
a satisfactory position for the         
discontented is the most      difficult4
      --,,talleyrand4       ,it is a    
celebrated thought of ,socrates1 that if
 all the      misfortunes of mankind    
were cast into a public stock1 in order 
to be equally distributed among the     
whole species1 those who      now think 
themselves the most unhappy would prefer
 the share      they are already        

possessed of1 before that which would   
fall to      them by such a division4   
--,,addison4       ,i was born to other 
things4      --,,tennyson4       ,how   
many a rustic ,milton has passed by1    
,stifling the speechless longings of his
 heart1      ,in unremitting drudgery   
and care6      ,how many a vulgar ,cato 
has compelled      ,his energies1 no    
longer tameless then1      ,to mould a  
pin1 or fabricate a nail4               
--,,shelley4   ,but ,i'm good for       
something1 pleaded a young man whom a   
merchant was about to discharge for his 
bluntness4 ,you are good for nothing as 
a salesman1 said his employer4 ,i am    
sure ,i can be useful1 said the youth4  
,how8 ,tell me how4 ,i don't know1 sir1 
,i don't know4 ,nor do ,i1 said the     
merchant1 laughing at the earnestness of
 his clerk4 ,only don't put me away1    
sir1 don't put me away4 ,try me at      
something besides selling4 ,i cannot    
sell2 ,i know ,i cannot sell4 ,i know   
that1 too1 said the principal2 that is  

what is wrong4 ,but ,i can make myself  
useful somehow1 persisted the young man2
 ,i know ,i can4 ,he was placed in the  
counting-house1 where his aptitude for  
figures soon showed itself1 and in a few
 years he became not only chief cashier 
in the large store1 but an eminent      
accountant4  ,out of an art1 says       
,bulwer1 a man may be so trivial you    
would mistake him for an imbecile--at   
best1 a grown infant4 ,put him into his 
art1 and how high he soars above you6   
,how quietly he enters into a heaven of 
which he has become a denizen1 and      
unlocking the gates with his golden key1
 admits you to follow1 an humble        
reverent visitor4  ,a man out of place  
is like a fish out of water4 ,its fins  
mean nothing1 they are only a hindrance4
 ,the fish can do nothing but flounder  
out of its element4 ,but as soon as the 
fins feel the water1 they mean          
something4 ,fifty-two per cent of our   
college graduates studied law1 not      
because1 in many cases1 they have the   

slightest natural aptitude for it1 but  
because it is put down as the proper    
road to promotion4  ,a man never grows  
in personal power and moral stamina when
 out of his place4 ,if he grows at all1 
it is a narrow1 one-sided1 stunted      
growth1 not a manly growth4 ,nature     
abhors the slightest perversion of      
natural aptitude or deviation from the  
sealed orders which accompany every soul
 into this world4  ,a man out of place  
is not half a man4 ,he feels unmanned1  
unsexed4 ,he cannot respect himself1    
hence he cannot be respected4  ,you can 
enter all kinds of horses for a race1   
but only those which have natural       
adaptation for speed will make records2 
the others will only make themselves    
ridiculous by their lumbering1 unnatural
 exertions to win4 ,how many truck and  
family-horse lawyers make themselves    
ridiculous by trying to speed on the law
 track1 where courts and juries only    
laugh at them4 ,the effort to redeem    
themselves from scorn may enable them by

 unnatural exertions to become fairly   
passable1 but the same efforts along the
 line of their strength or adaptation   
would make them kings in their line4    
,jonathan1 said ,mr4 ,chace1 when his   
son told of having nearly fitted himself
 for college1 thou shalt go down to the 
machine-shop on ,monday morning4 ,it was
 many years before ,jonathan escaped    
from the shop to work his way up to the 
position of a man of great influence as 
a ,united ,states ,senator from ,rhode  
,island4  ,galileo was sent to the      
university at ,pisa at seventeen1 with  
the strict injunction not to neglect    
medical subjects for the alluring study 
of philosophy or literature4 ,but when  
he was eighteen he discovered the great 
principle of the pendulum by a lamp left
 swinging in the cathedral4  ,john      
,adams' father was a shoemaker2 and1    
trying to teach his son the art1 gave   
him some uppers to cut out by a pattern 
which had a three-cornered hole in it to
 hang it up by4 ,the future statesman   

followed the pattern1 hole and all4     
,there is a tradition that ,tennyson's  
first poems were published at the       
instigation of his father's coachman4   
,his grandfather gave the lad ten       
shillings for writing an elegy on his   
grandmother4 ,as he handed it to him1 he
 said2 ,there1 that's the first money   
you ever earned by your poetry1 and take
 my word for it1 it will be the last4   
,murillo's mother had marked her boy for
 a priest1 but nature had already laid  
her hand upon him and marked him for her
 own4 ,his mother was shocked on        
returning from church one day to find   
that the child had taken down the sacred
 family picture1 ,jesus and the ,lamb1  
and had painted his own hat on the      
,saviour's head1 and had changed the    
lamb into a dog4  ,the poor boy's home  
was broken up1 and he started out on    
foot and alone to seek his fortune4 ,all
 he had was courage and determination to
 make something of himself4 ,he not only
 became a famous artist1 but a man of   

great character4  ,let us people who are
 so uncommonly clever and learned1 says 
,thackeray1 have a great tenderness and 
pity for the folks who are not endowed  
with the prodigious talents which we    
have4 ,i have always had a regard for   
dunces1--those of my own school days    
were among the pleasantest of the       
fellows1 and have turned out by no means
 the dullest in life2 whereas1 many a   
youth who could turn off ,latin         
hexameters by the yard1 and construe    
,greek quite glibly1 is no better than a
 feeble prig now1 with not a pennyworth 
more brains than were in his head before
 his beard grew4  ,in the winter of     
#ahbd1 there set in a great flood upon  
the town of ,sidmouth1 the tide rose to 
a terrible height4 ,in the midst of this
 sublime and terrible storm1 ,dame      
,partington1 who lived upon the beach1  
was seen at the door of her house1 with 
mop and pattens1 trundling her mop1     
squeezing out the sea-water1 and        
vigorously pushing away the ,atlantic   

,ocean4 ,the ,atlantic was roused4 ,mrs4
 ,partington's spirit was up3 but ,i    
need not tell you the contest was       
unequal2 the ,atlantic ,ocean beat ,mrs4
 ,partington4 ,she was excellent at a   
slop or a puddle1 but she should not    
have meddled with a tempest4  ,how many 
,dame ,partingtons there are of both    
sexes1 and in every walk of life6  ,the 
young swan is restless and uneasy until 
she finds the element she has never     
before seen4 ,then1             ,with   
archd neck      ,between her white wings
 mantling proudly1 rows      ,her state 
with oary feet4  ,what a wretched       
failure was that of ,haydon the painter4
 ,he thought he failed through the      
world's ingratitude or injustice1 but   
his failure was due wholly to his being 
out of place4 ,his bitter               
disappointments at his half successes   
were really pitiable because to him they
 were more than failures4 ,he had not   
the slightest sense of color1 yet went  
through life under the delusion that he 

was an artist4  ,if it is ,god's will to
 take any of my children by death1 ,i   
hope it may be ,isaac1 said the father  
of ,dr4 ,isaac ,barrow4 ,why do you tell
 that blockhead the same thing twenty   
times over8 asked ,john ,wesley's       
father4 ,because1 replied his mother1 if
 ,i had told him but nineteen times1 all
 my labor would have been lost1 while   
now he will understand and remember4  ,a
 man out of place may manage to get a   
living1 but he has lost the buoyancy1   
energy and enthusiasm which are as      
natural to a man in his place as his    
breath4 ,he is industrious1 but he works
 mechanically and without heart4 ,it is 
to support himself and family1 not      
because he cannot help it4 ,dinner time 
does not come two hours before he       
realizes it2 a man out of place is      
constantly looking at his watch and     
thinking of his salary4  ,if a man is in
 his place he is happy1 joyous1         
cheerful1 energetic1 fertile in         
resources4 ,the days are all too short  

for him4 ,all his faculties give their  
consent to his work2 say yes to his     
occupation4 ,he is a man2 he respects   
himself and is happy because all his    
powers are at play in their natural     
sphere4 ,there is no compromising of his
 faculties1 no cramping of legal acumen 
upon the farm2 no suppressing of        
forensic oratorical powers at the       
shoemaker's bench2 no stifling of       
exuberance of physical strength1 of     
visions of golden crops and blooded     
cattle amid the loved country life in   
the dry clergyman's study1 composing    
sermons to put the congregation to      
sleep4  ,to be out of place is          
demoralizing to all the powers of       
manhood4 ,we can't cheat nature out of  
her aim2 if she has set all the currents
 of your life toward medicine or law1   
you will only be a botch at anything    
else4 ,will-power and application cannot
 make a farmer of a born painter any    
more than a lumbering draught horse can 
be changed into a race horse4 ,when the 

powers are not used along the line of   
their strength they become demoralized1 
weakened1 deteriorated4 ,self-respect1  
enthusiasm and courage ooze out2 we     
become half-hearted and success is      
impossible4  ,scott was called the great
 blockhead while in ,edinburgh ,college4
 ,grant's mother called the future      
,general and ,president1 ,useless       
,grant1 because he was so unhandy and   
dull4  ,erskine had at length found his 
place as a lawyer2 he carried everything
 before him at the bar4 ,had he remained
 in the navy he would probably never    
have been heard from4 ,when elected to  
,parliament1 his lofty spirit was       
chilled by the cold sarcasm and         
contemptuous indifference of ,pitt1 whom
 he was expected by his friends to      
annihilate4 ,but he was again out of his
 place2 he was shorn of his magic power 
and his eloquent tongue faltered from a 
consciousness of being out of his place4
  ,gould failed as a storekeeper1 tanner
 and surveyor and civil engineer1 before

 he got into a railroad office where he 
struck his gait4  ,when extracts from   
,james ,russell ,lowell's poem at       
,harvard were shown his father at ,rome1
 instead of being pleased the latter    
said1 ,james promised me when ,i left   
home1 that he would give up poetry and  
stick to books4 ,i had hoped that he had
 become less flighty4 ,the world is full
 of people at war with their positions4 
,man only grows when he is developing   
along the lines of his own              
individuality1 and not when he is trying
 to be somebody else4 ,all attempts to  
imitate another man1 when there is no   
one like you in all creation1 as the    
pattern was broken when you were born1  
is not only to ruin your own pattern1   
but to make only an echo of the one     
imitated4 ,there is no strength off the 
lines of our own individuality4         
,anywhere else we are dwarfs1 weaklings1
 echoes1 and the echo even of a great   
man is a sorry contrast to even the     
smallest human being who is himself4    

,,chapter ,v4  ,,what ,,shall ,i ,,do8  
,no man ever made an ill-figure who     
understood his own talents1      nor a  
good one who mistook them4              
--,,swift4       ,blessed is he who has 
found his work1--let him ask no other   
blessing4      --,,carlyle4             
,whatever you are by nature1 keep to it2
 never desert your line      of talent4 
,be what nature intended you for1 and   
you will      succeed2 be anything else1
 and you will be ten thousand times     
worse than nothing4      --,,sydney     
,,smith4       ,he who is false to      
present duty breaks a thread in the     
loom1      and will find the flaw when  
he may have forgotten its cause4        
--,,beecher4       ,i am glad to think  
,i am not bound to make the world go    
round2      ,but only to discover and to
 do1      ,with cheerful heart1 the work
 that ,god appoints4      --,,jean      
,,ingelow4   ,do that which is assigned 
you1 says ,emerson1 and you cannot hope 
too much or dare too much4 ,there is at 

this moment for you an utterance brave  
and grand as that of the colossal chisel
 of ,phidias1 or trowel of the          
,egyptians1 or the pen of ,moses or     
,dante1 but different from all these4   
,i felt that ,i was in the world to do  
something1 and thought ,i must1 said    
,whittier1 thus giving the secret of his
 great power4 ,it is the man who must   
enter law1 literature1 medicine1 the    
ministry1 or any other of the           
overstocked professions1 who will       
succeed4 ,his certain call--that is1 his
 love for it1 and his fidelity to       
it--are the imperious factors of his    
career4 ,if a man enters a profession   
simply because his grandfather made a   
great name in it1 or his mother wants   
him to1 with no love or adaptability for
 it1 it were far better for him to be a 
day laborer4 ,in the humbler work1 his  
intelligence may make him a leader2 in  
the other career he might do as much    
harm as a boulder rolled from its place 
upon a railroad track1 a menace to the  

next express4  ,lowell said3 ,it is the 
vain endeavor to make ourselves what we 
are not1 that has strewn history with so
 many broken purposes1 and lives left in
 the rough4  ,the age has no aversion to
 preaching as such1 said ,phillips      
,brooks1 it may not listen to your      
preaching4 ,but though it may not listen
 to your preaching1 it will wear your   
boots1 or buy your flour1 or see stars  
through your telescope4 ,it has a use   
for every person1 and it is his business
 to find out what that use is4  ,the    
following advertisement appeared several
 times in a paper without bringing a    
letter3       ,,wanted4--,situation by a
 ,practical ,printer1 who is competent  
to      take charge of any department in
 a printing and publishing      house4  
,would accept a professorship in any of 
the academies4      ,has no objection to
 teach ornamental painting and          
penmanship1      geometry1 trigonometry1
 and many other sciences4 ,has had some 
experience as a lay preacher4 ,would    

have no objection to form a      small  
class of young ladies and gentlemen to  
instruct them in      the higher        
branches4 ,to a dentist or chiropodist  
he would be      invaluable2 or he would
 cheerfully accept a position as bass or
      tenor singer in a choir4  ,at     
length there appeared this addition to  
the notice3       ,p4,s4 ,will accept an
 offer to saw and split wood at less    
than      the usual rates4  ,this       
secured a situation at once1 and the    
advertisement was seen no more4  ,don't 
wait for a higher position or a larger  
salary4 ,enlarge the position you       
already occupy2 put originality of      
method into it4 ,fill it as it never was
 filled before4 ,be more prompt1 more   
energetic1 more thorough1 more polite   
than your predecessor or fellow-workmen4
 ,study your business1 devise new modes 
of operation1 be able to give your      
employer points4 ,the art lies not in   
giving satisfaction merely1 not in      
simply filling your place1 but in doing 

better than was expected1 in surprising 
your employer2 and the reward will be a 
better place and a larger salary4  ,he  
that hath a trade1 says ,franklin1 hath 
an estate2 and he that hath a calling   
hath a place of profit and honor4 ,a    
ploughman on his legs is higher than a  
gentleman on his knees4  ,follow your   
bent4 ,you cannot long fight            
successfully against your aspirations4  
,parents1 friends1 or misfortune may    
stifle and suppress the longings of the 
heart1 by compelling you to perform     
unwelcome tasks2 but1 like a volcano1   
the inner fire will burst the crusts    
which confine it and pour forth its     
pent-up genius in eloquence1 in song1 in
 art1 or in some favorite industry4     
,beware of a talent which you cannot    
hope to practice in perfection4 ,nature 
hates all botched and half-finished     
work1 and will pronounce her curse upon 
it4  ,your talent is your call4 ,your   
legitimate destiny speaks in your       
character4  ,if you have found your     

place1 your occupation has the consent  
of every faculty of your being4  ,if    
possible1 choose that occupation which  
focuses the largest amount of your      
experience and tastes4 ,you will then   
not only have a congenial vocation1 but 
will utilize largely your skill and     
business knowledge1 which is your true  
capital4  ,there is no doubt that every 
person has a special adaptation for his 
own peculiar part in life4 ,a very      
few--the geniuses1 we call them--have   
this marked in an unusual degree1 and   
very early in life4  ,a man's business  
does more to make him than anything     
else4 ,it hardens his muscles1          
strengthens his body1 quickens his      
blood1 sharpens his mind1 corrects his  
judgment1 wakes up his inventive genius1
 puts his wits to work1 starts him on   
the race of life1 arouses his ambition1 
makes him feel that he is a man and must
 fill a man's shoes1 do a man's work1   
bear a man's part in life1 and show     
himself a man in that part4 ,no man     

feels himself a man who is not doing a  
man's business4 ,a man without          
employment is not a man4 ,he does not   
prove by his works that he is a man4 ,a 
hundred and fifty pounds of bone and    
muscle do not make a man4 ,a good       
cranium full of brains is not a man4    
,the bone and muscle and brain must know
 how to do a man's work1 think a man's  
thoughts1 mark out a man's path1 and    
bear a man's weight of character and    
duty before they constitute a man4      
,whatever you do in life1 be greater    
than your calling4 ,most people look    
upon an occupation or calling as a mere 
expedient for earning a living4 ,what a 
mean1 narrow view to take of what was   
intended for the great school of life1  
the great man-developer1 the            
character-builder2 that which should    
broaden1 deepen1 heighten1 and round out
 into symmetry1 harmony and beauty1 all 
the ,god-given faculties within us6 ,how
 we shrink from the task and evade the  
lessons which were intended for the     

unfolding of life's great possibilities 
into usefulness and power1 as the sun   
unfolds into beauty and fragrance the   
petals of the flower4  ,girls1 you      
cheapen yourselves by lack of purpose in
 life1 says ,rena ,l4 ,miner4 ,you show 
commendable zeal in pursuing your       
studies2 your alertness in comprehending
 and ability in surmounting difficult   
problems have become proverbial2 nine   
times out of ten you outrank your       
brothers thus far2 but when the end is  
attained1 the goal reached1 whether it  
be the graduating certificate from a    
graded school1 or a college diploma1 for
 nine out of every ten it might as well 
be added thereto1 'dead to further      
activity1' or1 'sleeping until marriage 
shall resurrect her4'  ,crocheting1     
placquing1 dressing1 visiting1 music1   
and flirtations1 make up the sum total  
for the expense and labor expended for  
your existence4 ,if forced to earn your 
support1 you are content to stand behind
 a counter1 or teach school term after  

term in the same grade1 while the young 
men who graduated with you walk up the  
grades1 as up a ladder1 to professorship
 and good salary1 from which they swing 
off into law1 physics1 or perhaps the   
legislative firmament1 leaving          
difficulties and obstacles like nebul in
 their wake4--,you girls1 satisfied with
 mediocrity1 have an eye mainly for the 
'main chance'--marriage4 ,if you marry  
wealthy1--which is marrying well        
according to the modern popular         
idea1--you dress more elegantly1        
cultivate more fashionable society1     
leave your thinking for your husband and
 your minister to do for you1 and become
 in the economy of life but a sentient  
nonentity4 ,if you are true to the grand
 passion1 and accept with it poverty1   
you bake1 brew1 scrub1 spank the        
children1 and talk with your neighbor   
over the back fence for recreation1     
spending the years literally like the   
horse in a treadmill1 all for the lack  
of a purpose1--a purpose sufficiently   

potent to convert the latent talent into
 a gem of living beauty1 a creative     
force which makes all adjuncts          
secondary1 like planets to their central
 sun4 ,choose some one course or        
calling1 and master it in all its       
details1 sleep by it1 swear by it1 work 
for it1 and1 if marriage crowns you1 it 
can but add new glory to your labor4    
,dr4 ,hall says that the world has      
urgent need of girls who are mother's   
right hand2 girls who can cuddle the    
little ones next best to mamma1 and     
smooth out the tangles in the domestic  
skein when things get twisted2 girls    
whom father takes comfort in for        
something better than beauty1 and the   
big brothers are proud of for something 
that outranks the ability to dance or   
shine in society4 ,next1 we want girls  
of sense1--girls who have a standard of 
their own regardless of                 
conventionalities1 and are independent  
enough to live up to it2 girls who      
simply won't wear a trailing dress on   

the street to gather up microbes and all
 sorts of defilement2 girls who don't   
wear a high hat to the theatre1 or      
lacerate their feet with high heels and 
endanger their health with corsets2     
girls who will wear what is pretty and  
becoming and snap their fingers at the  
dictates of fashion when fashion is     
horrid and silly4 ,and we want good     
girls1--girls who are sweet1 right      
straight out from the heart to the lips2
 innocent and pure and simple girls1    
with less knowledge of sin and duplicity
 and evil-doing at twenty than the pert 
little schoolgirl of ten has all too    
often4 ,and we want careful girls and   
prudent girls1 who think enough of the  
generous father who toils to maintain   
them in comfort1 and of the gentle      
mother who denies herself much that they
 may have so many pretty things1 to     
count the cost and draw the line between
 the essentials and non-essentials2     
girls who strive to save and not to     
spend2 girls who are unselfish and eager

 to be a joy and a comfort in the home  
rather than an expense and a useless    
burden4 ,we want girls with             
hearts1--girls who are full of          
tenderness and sympathy1 with tears that
 flow for other people's ills1 and      
smiles that light outward their own     
beautiful thoughts4 ,we have lots of    
clever girls1 and brilliant girls1 and  
witty girls4 ,give us a consignment of  
jolly girls1 warm-hearted and impulsive 
girls2 kind and entertaining to their   
own folks1 and with little desire to    
shine in the garish world4 ,with a few  
such girls scattered around1 life would 
freshen up for all of us1 as the weather
 does under the spell of summer showers4
     ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,will ,,you ,,pay
 ,,the ,,price8       ,the gods sell    
anything and to everybody at a fair     
price4      --,,emerson4       ,all     
desire knowledge1 but no one is willing 
to pay the price4      --,,juvenal4     
,there is no royal path which leads to  
geometry4      --,,euclid4       ,there 

is no road to success but through a     
clear1 strong      purpose4 ,a purpose  
underlies character1 culture1 position1 
attainment of whatever sort4      --,t4 
,t4 ,,munger4       ,remember you have  
not a sinew whose law of strength is not
      action2 you have not a faculty of 
body1 mind1 or soul1 whose      law of  
improvement is not energy4      --,e4   
,b4 ,,hall4       ,we have but what we  
make1 and every good      ,is locked by 
nature in a granite hand1      ,sheer   
labor must unclench4   ,oh1 if ,i could 
thus put a dream on canvas6 exclaimed an
 enthusiastic young artist1 pointing to 
a most beautiful painting4 ,dream on    
canvas6 growled the master1 it is the   
ten thousand touches with the brush you 
must learn to put on canvas that make   
your dream4  ,there is but one method of
 attaining excellence1 said ,sydney     
,smith1 and that is hard labor4  ,if    
only ,milton's imagination could have   
conceived his visions1 says ,waters1 his
 consummate industry alone could have   

carved the immortal lines which enshrine
 them4 ,if only ,newton's mind could    
reach out to the secrets of nature1 even
 his genius could only do it by the     
homeliest toil4 ,the works of ,bacon are
 not midsummer-night's dreams1 but1 like
 coral islands1 they have risen from the
 depths of truth1 and formed their broad
 surfaces above the ocean by the        
minutest accretions of persevering      
labor4 ,the conceptions of ,michael     
,angelo would have perished like a      
night's phantasy1 had not his industry  
given them permanence4  ,salvini        
contributes the following to the        
,century as to his habits of study      
before he had established himself as a  
past master of tragedy3 ,i imposed upon 
myself a new method of study4 ,while ,i 
was busying myself with the part of     
,saul1 ,i read and reread the ,bible1 so
 as to become impregnated with the      
appropriate sentiments1 manners and     
local color4 ,when ,i took up ,othello1 
,i pored over the history of the        

,venetian ,republic and that of the     
,moorish invasion of ,spain4 ,i studied 
the passions of the ,moors1 their art of
 war1 their religious beliefs1 nor did  
,i overlook the romance of ,giraldi     
,cinthio1 in order the better to master 
that sublime character4 ,i did not      
concern myself about a superficial study
 of the words1 or of some point of      
scenic effect1 or of greater or less    
accentuation of certain phrases with a  
view to win passing applause2 a vaster  
horizon opened out before me--an        
infinite sea on which my bark could     
navigate in security1 without fear of   
falling in with reefs4  ,his method was 
not new1 but he considered it so1 and   
gives his opinion in quotation-marks4   
,he speaks of characters with which1 his
 name is not always associated by       
writers on the stage1 but is correct1 ,i
 think1 in the main4  ,many years ago a 
little boy entered ,harrow school and   
was put in a class beyond his years1    
wherein all the other boys had the      

advantage of previous instruction4 ,his 
master used to reprove his dullness1 but
 all his efforts could not raise him    
from the lowest place in the class4 ,the
 boy finally procured the elementary    
books which the other boys had studied4 
,he devoted the hours of play and many  
of the hours of sleep to mastering the  
elementary principles of these books4   
,this boy was soon at the head of his   
class and the pride of ,harrow4 ,the    
statue of that boy1 ,sir ,william       
,jones1 stands to-day in ,st4 ,paul's   
,cathedral2 for he lived to be the      
greatest ,oriental scholar of ,europe4  
,what is the secret of success in       
business8 asked a friend of ,cornelius  
,vanderbilt4 ,secret6 there is no secret
 about it1 replied the commodore2 all   
you have to do is to attend to your     
business and go ahead4 ,if you would    
adopt ,vanderbilt's method1 know your   
business1 attend to it1 and keep down   
expenses until your fortune is safe from
 business perils4  ,work or starve1 is  

nature's motto1--and it is written on   
the stars and the sod alike1--starve    
mentally1 starve morally1 starve        
physically4 ,it is an inexorable law of 
nature that whatever is not used1 dies4 
,nothing for nothing1 is her maxim4 ,if 
we are idle and shiftless by choice1 we 
shall be nerveless and powerless by     
necessity4  ,the mottoes of great men   
often give us glimpses of the secret of 
their characters and success4 ,work6    
work6 work6 was the motto of ,sir       
,joshua ,reynolds1 ,david ,wilkie1 and  
scores of other men who have left their 
mark upon the world4 ,voltaire's motto  
was ,toujours au travail 7always at     
work74 ,scott's maxim was ,never be     
doing nothing4 ,michael ,angelo was a   
wonderful worker4 ,he even slept in his 
clothes ready to spring to his work as  
soon as he awoke4 ,he kept a block of   
marble in his bedroom that he might get 
up in the night and work when he could  
not sleep4 ,his favorite device was an  
old man in a go-cart1 with an hour-glass

 upon it1 bearing this inscription3     
,ancora imparo 7still ,i'm learning74   
,even after he was blind he would ask to
 be wheeled into the ,belvidere1 to     
examine the statues with his hands4     
,cobden used to say1 ,i'm working like a
 horse without a moment to spare4 ,it   
was said that ,handel1 the musician1 did
 the work of a dozen men4 ,nothing ever 
daunted him4 ,he feared neither ridicule
 nor defeat4 ,lord ,palmerston worked   
like a slave1 even in his old age4      
,being asked when he considered a man in
 his prime1 he replied1 ,seventy-nine1  
that being his own age4 ,humboldt was   
one of the world's great workers4 ,in   
summer he arose at four in the morning  
for thirty years4 ,he used to say work  
was as much of a necessity as eating or 
sleeping4 ,sir ,walter ,scott was a     
phenomenal worker4 ,he wrote the        
,waverley ,novels at the rate of twelve 
volumes a year4 ,he averaged a volume   
every two months during his whole       
working life4 ,what an example is this  

to the young men of to-day1 of the      
possibilities of an earnest life6       
,edmund ,burke was one of the most      
prodigious workers that ever lived4     
,george ,stephenson used to work at meal
 time1 getting out loads of coal while  
the miners were at dinner in order that 
he might earn a few extra shillings to  
buy a spelling-book and an arithmetic4  
,his associates thought he was very     
foolish1 and asked him what good it     
would do to learn to read and cipher4   
,he told them he was determined to      
improve his mind2 so he studied whenever
 he could snatch a minute before the    
engine's fire1 and in every possible    
situation until he had a good1          
practical1 common-sense education4      
,garibaldi's father decided that        
,guiseppe should be a minister1 because 
the boy was so sorry for a cricket which
 lost its leg4 ,samuel ,morse's father  
concluded that his son would preach well
 because he could not keep his head     
above water in a dangerous attempt to   

catch bait in the ,mystic ,river4       
,president ,dwight told young ,morse he 
would never make a painter1 and hinted  
that he never would amount to much any  
way if he did not study more4 ,although 
under the teaching of ,west and ,allston
 in ,london1 he became a tolerable      
portrait painter1 he did not find his   
sphere until returning from ,england on 
a sailing vessel1 he heard ,professor   
,jackson explain an electrical          
experiment in ,paris1 when the thought  
of the telegraph flashed into his mind  
and he found no rest1 until he flashed  
over the wire the first message1 ,what  
hath ,god wrought6 on the experimental  
line between ,baltimore and ,washington3
 this was ,may #bd1 #ahdd4  ,william ,h4
 ,vanderbilt was by far the wealthiest  
man in the world4 ,chauncey ,m4 ,depew  
estimated his fortune at two hundred    
millions4 ,he left his eight children   
ten millions each1 except ,cornelius and
 ,william ,k41 who had sixty-five       
millions each4 ,commodore ,vanderbilt1  

his father1 amassed a fortune of eighty 
millions of dollars in his own lifetime1
 and that too at a time when it was more
 difficult to make money than it is now4
  ,mr4 ,c4 ,p4 ,huntington is a good    
example of a self-made man4 ,his father 
was a ,connecticut farmer4 ,the farm was
 left to him1 but he traded it off for a
 lot of clocks which he peddled in      
mining districts for gold dust and      
nuggets4 ,he and ,mark ,hopkins formed a
 partnership and opened a hardware store
 in ,california4 ,they united with      
,leland ,stanford in the construction of
 a railroad1 and they all got rich      
rapidly4 ,mr4 ,huntington is one of the 
greatest railroad operators of the      
country4 ,he always acted upon the      
principle that he would control the     
stock of any road in which he was       
interested4 ,he is one of the most      
methodical men of all the millionaires  
of this country4 ,he is very plain in   
his manner1 strictly temperate1 and very
 abstemious in his living4 ,he said he  

never knew what it was to be tired4     
,russell ,sage used to keep a grocery   
store in ,troy1 ,n4 ,y4 ,he finally     
associated himself with ,jay ,gould1 who
 used to be a constant borrower of money
 of him4 ,mr4 ,sage probably keeps more 
ready money on hand than any other      
millionaire4 ,he can nearly always      
control ten millions or more at call4   
,he has never speculated in stocks to   
any extent4 ,mr4 ,sage's word is as good
 as any bond4 ,he has no taste for      
ordinary diversions1 except driving4    
,philip ,d4 ,armour1 who has the        
appearance of a prosperous farmer1 was  
born on a farm near ,watertown1 ,n4 ,j4 
,he became fired with a desire to see   
the ,boundless ,west4 ,his mind seemed  
to run to hogs1 and with a financial    
instinct he made up his mind that there 
was a fortune in transporting the hogs  
from where they were so plenty to where 
there were so few of them and so many to
 eat them4 ,he could now purchase every 
hog in the world and then have money    

left to buy a railroad or two4  ,mrs4   
,hetty ,green is probably the richest   
woman in the world4 ,her fortune has    
grown from the little industry of her   
father in ,new ,bedford1 ,mass4 ,she has
 raised the nine millions left her by   
her father and nine millions left her by
 her aunt to thirty millions4 ,she is a 
woman of great ability and courage4 ,she
 once took with her five millions of    
dollars of securities in a satchel on a 
street car to deposit with her banker on
 ,wall street4  ,the probabilities are  
that billionaires will be as plentiful  
in the twentieth century as millionaires
 are to-day1 through hard work1         
self-denial1 rigid economy1 method1     
accuracy1 and strict temperance1 for not
 one of the self-made millionaires are  
intemperate4 ,john ,d4 ,rockefeller     
never tastes intoxicating liquor4 ,he   
seems as unvarying in his method and    
system as the laws of the universe4 ,jay
 ,gould did not use wine or intoxicating
 liquor of any kind4 ,mr4 ,huntington   

does not even drink coffee1 while       
,william ,waldorf ,astor merely takes a 
sip of wine for courtesy's sake4 ,not   
one of the leading millionaires uses    
tobacco1 and not one of them is profane4
 ,very rich men are almost always honest
 in their dealings1 so far as their word
 is concerned4 ,william ,waldorf ,astor1
 until recently1 has been considered the
 richest man in the world1 but ,john ,d4
 ,rockefeller surpasses him now1 it is  
said4 ,the whole wealth of ,croesus was 
little more than the income of this     
modern ,croesus for one year4 ,mr4      
,rockefeller controls about eighty or   
ninety millions of capital stock in the 
,standard ,oil ,trust4 ,the ,standard   
,oil ,company is one of the best managed
 corporations in the world4  ,two       
centuries and a quarter ago1 a little1  
tempest-tossed1 weather-beaten bark1    
barely escaped from the jaws of the wild
 ,atlantic1 landed upon the bleakest    
shore of ,new ,england4 ,from her deck  
disembarked a hundred and one careworn  

exiles4  ,to the casual observer no     
event could seem more insignificant4    
,the contemptuous eye of the world      
scarcely deigned to notice it4 ,yet the 
famous vessel that bore ,csar and his   
fortunes1 carried but an ignoble freight
 compared with that of the ,mayflower4  
,though landed by a treacherous pilot   
upon a barren and inhospitable coast1   
they sought neither richer fields nor a 
more congenial climate1 but liberty and 
opportunity4  ,a lady once asked ,turner
 the secret of his great success4  ,i   
have no secret1 madam1 but hard work4   
,this is a secret that many never learn1
 and they don't succeed because they    
fail to learn it4 ,labor is the genius  
that changes the world from ugliness to 
beauty1 and the great curse to a great  
blessing4  ,see ,balzac1 in his lonely  
garret1 toiling1 toiling1 waiting1      
waiting1 amid poverty and hunger1 but   
neither hunger1 debt1 poverty nor       
discouragement could induce him to      
swerve a hair's breadth from his        

purpose4 ,he could wait1 even while a   
world scoffed4  ,mankind is more        
indebted to industry than to ingenuity1 
says ,addison2 the gods set up their    
favors at a price and industry is the   
purchaser4  ,rome was a mighty nation   
while industry led her people1 but when 
her great conquests of wealth and slaves
 placed her citizens above work1 that   
moment her glory began to fade1 and vice
 and corruption1 induced by idleness1   
doomed the proud city to an ignominious 
history4 ,even ,cicero1 ,rome's great   
orator1 said1 ,all artisans are engaged 
in a disgraceful occupation2 and        
,aristotle said1 ,the best regulated    
states will not permit a mechanic to be 
a citizen1 for it is impossible for one 
who lives the life of a mechanic1 or    
hired servant1 to practice a life of    
virtue4 ,some were born to be slaves4   
,but1 fortunately there came a mightier 
than ,rome1 ,cicero or ,aristotle1 whose
 magnificent life and example forever   
lifted the false ban from labor and     

redeemed it from disgrace4 ,he gave     
dignity to the most menial service1 and 
significance to labor4  ,christ did not 
say1 ,come unto me all ye pleasure      
hunters1 ye indolent and ye lazy2 but   
,come all ye that labor and are heavy   
laden4  ,columbus was a persistent and  
practical1 as well as an intellectual   
hero4 ,he went from one state to        
another1 urging kings and emperors to   
undertake the first visiting of a world 
which his instructed spirit already     
discerned in the far-off seas4 ,he first
 tried his own countrymen at ,genoa1 but
 found none ready to help him4 ,he then 
went to ,portugal1 and submitted his    
project to ,john ,,ii41 who laid it     
before his council4 ,it was scouted as  
extravagant and chimerical4             
,nevertheless1 the king endeavored to   
steal ,columbus's idea4 ,a fleet was    
sent forth in the direction indicated by
 the navigator1 but1 being frustrated by
 storms and winds1 it returned to       
,lisbon after four days' voyaging4      

,columbus returned to ,genoa1 and again 
renewed his propositions to the         
,republic1 but without success4 ,nothing
 discouraged him4 ,the finding of the   
,new ,world was the irrevocable object  
of his life4 ,he went to ,spain1 and    
landed at the town of ,palos1 in        
,andalusia4 ,he went by chance to a     
convent of ,franciscans1 knocked at the 
door and asked for a little bread and   
water4 ,the prior gratefully received   
the stranger1 entertained him1 and      
learned from him the story of his life4 
,he encouraged him in his hopes1 and    
furnished him with an admission to the  
,court of ,spain1 then at ,cordova4     
,king ,ferdinand received him           
graciously1 but before coming to a      
decision he desired to lay the project  
before a council of his wisest men at   
,salamanca4 ,columbus had to reply1 not 
only to the scientific arguments laid   
before him1 but to citations from the   
,bible4 ,the ,spanish clergy declared   
that the theory of the antipodes was    

hostile to the faith4 ,the earth1 they  
said1 was an immense flat disk2 and if  
there was a new earth beyond the ocean1 
then all men could not be descended from
 ,adam4 ,columbus was considered a fool4
  ,still bent on his idea1 he wrote to  
the ,king of ,england1 then to the ,king
 of ,france1 without effect4 ,at last1  
in #adib1 ,columbus was introduced by   
,louis de ,saint ,angel to ,queen       
,isabella of ,spain4 ,the friends who   
accompanied him pleaded his cause with  
so much force and conviction that he at 
length persuaded the queen to aid him4  
,lord ,ellenborough was a great worker4 
,he had a very hard time in getting a   
start at the bar1 but was determined    
never to relax his industry until       
success came to him4 ,when he was worked
 down to absolute exhaustion1 he had    
this card which he kept constantly      
before his eyes1 lest he might be       
tempted to relax his efforts3 ,read or  
,starve4  ,show me a man who has made   
fifty thousand dollars1 and ,i will show

 you in that man an equivalent of       
energy1 attention to detail1            
trustworthiness1 punctuality1           
professional knowledge1 good address1   
common sense1 and other marketable      
qualities4 ,the farmer respects his     
savings bank book not unnaturally1 for  
it declares with all the solemnity of a 
sealed and stamped document that for a  
certain length of time he rose at six   
o'clock each morning to oversee his     
labors1 that he patiently waited upon   
seasonable weather1 that he understood  
buying and selling4 ,to the medical man1
 his fee serves as a medal to indicate  
that he was brave enough to face small  
pox and other infectious diseases1 and  
his self-respect is fostered thereby4   
,the barrister's brief is marked with   
the price of his legal knowledge1 of his
 eloquence1 or of his brave endurance   
during a period of hope-deferred        
brieflessness4  ,a rich man asked       
,howard ,burnett to do a little thing   
for his album4 ,burnett complied and    

charged a thousand francs4 ,but it took 
you only five minutes1 objected the rich
 man4 ,yes1 but it took me thirty years 
to learn how to do it in five minutes4  
,i prepared that sermon1 said a young   
sprig of divinity1 in half an hour1 and 
preached it at once1 and thought nothing
 of it4 ,in that1 said an older         
minister1 your hearers are at one with  
you1 for they also thought nothing of   
it4  ,virgil seems to have accomplished 
about four lines a week2 but then they  
have lasted eighteen hundred years and  
will last eighteen hundred more4  ,seven
 years ,virgil is said to have expended 
in the composition of the ,georgics1 and
 they could all be printed in about     
seven columns of an ordinary newspaper4 
,tradition reports that he was in the   
habit of composing a few lines in the   
morning and spending the rest of the day
 in polishing them4 ,campbell used to   
say that if a poet made one good line a 
week1 he did very well indeed2 but      
,moore thought that if a poet did his   

duty1 he could get a line done every    
day4  ,what an army of young men enters 
the success-contest every year as raw   
recruits6 ,many of them are country     
youths flocking to the cities to buy    
success4 ,their young ambitions have    
been excited by some book1 or fired by  
the story of some signal success1 and   
they dream of becoming ,astors or       
,girards1 ,stewarts or ,wanamakers1     
,vanderbilts or ,goulds1 ,lincolns or   
,garfields1 until their innate energy   
impels them to try their own fortune in 
the magic metropolis4 ,but what are you 
willing to pay for success1 as you call 
it1 young man8 ,do you realize what that
 word means in a great city in the      
nineteenth century1 where men grow gray 
at thirty and die of old age at         
forty1--where the race of life has      
become so intense that the runners are  
treading on the heels of those before   
them2 and woe to him who stops to tie   
his shoestring8 ,do you know that only  
two or three out of every hundred will  

ever win permanent success1 and only    
because they have kept everlastingly at 
it2 and that the rest will sooner or    
later fail and many die in poverty      
because they have given up the struggle4
  ,there are multitudes of men who never
 rely wholly upon themselves and achieve
 independence4 ,they are like summer    
vines1 which never grow even ligneous1  
but stretch out a thousand little hands 
to grasp the stronger shrubs2 and if    
they cannot reach them1 they lie        
dishevelled in the grass1 hoof-trodden1 
and beaten of every storm4 ,it will be  
found that the first real movement      
upward will not take place until1 in a  
spirit of resolute self-denial1         
indolence1 so natural to almost every   
one1 is mastered4 ,necessity is1        
usually1 the spur that sets the sluggish
 energies in motion4 ,poverty1          
therefore1 is often of inestimable value
 as an incentive to the best endeavors  
of which we are capable4     ,,chapter  
,,vii4  ,,foundation ,,stones4       ,in

 all matters1 before beginning1 a       
diligent preparation should      be     
made4      --,,cicero4       ,how great 
soever a genius may be1 444 certain it  
is that he      will never shine in his 
full lustre1 nor shed the full          
influence he is capable of1 unless to   
his own experience he      adds that of 
other men and other ages4               
--,,bolingbroke4       ,it is for want  
of the little that human means must add 
to the      wonderful capacity for      
improvement1 born in man1 that by far   
the greatest part of the intellect1     
innate in our race1      perishes       
undeveloped and unknown4      --,,edward
 ,,everett4       ,if any man fancies   
that there is some easier way of gaining
 a      dollar than by squarely earning 
it1 he has lost his clue to his      way
 through this mortal labyrinth and must 
henceforth wander as      chance may    
dictate4      --,,horace ,,greeley4     
,what we do upon some great occasion    
will probably depend on      what we    

already are2 and what we are will be the
 result of      previous years of       
self-discipline4      --,h4 ,p4         
,,liddon4       ,learn to labor and to  
wait4      --,,longfellow4   ,what      
avails all this sturdiness8 asked an oak
 tree which had grown solitary for two  
hundred years1 bitterly handled by      
frosts and wrestled by winds4 ,why am ,i
 to stand here useless8 ,my roots are   
anchored in rifts of rocks2 no herds can
 lie down under my shadow2 ,i am far    
above singing birds1 that seldom come to
 rest among my leaves2 ,i am set as a   
mark for storms1 that bend and tear me2 
my fruit is serviceable for no appetite2
 it had been better for me to have been 
a mushroom1 gathered in the morning for 
some poor man's table1 than to be a     
hundred-year oak1 good for nothing4     
,while it yet spoke1 the axe was hewing 
at its base4 ,it died in sadness1 saying
 as it fell1 ,weary ages for nothing    
have ,i lived4  ,the axe completed its  
work4 ,by and by the trunk and root form

 the knees of a stately ship1 bearing   
the country's flag around the world4    
,other parts form keel and ribs of      
merchantmen1 and having defied the      
mountain storms1 they now equally resist
 the thunder of the waves and the murky 
threat of scowling hurricanes4 ,other   
parts are laid into floors1 or wrought  
into wainscoting1 or carved for frames  
of noble pictures1 or fashioned into    
chairs that embosom the weakness of old 
age4 ,thus the tree1 in dying1 came not 
to its end1 but to its beginning of     
life4 ,it voyaged the world4 ,it grew to
 parts of temples and dwellings4 ,it    
held upon its surface the soft tread of 
children and the tottering steps of     
patriarchs4 ,it rocked in the cradle4   
,it swayed the limbs of age by the      
chimney corner1 and heard1 secure       
within1 the roar of those old1 unwearied
 tempests that once surged about its    
mountain life4 ,all its early struggles 
and hardships had enabled it to grow    
tough and hard and beautiful of grain1  

alike useful and ornamental4  ,sir1 you 
have been to college1 ,i presume8 asked 
an illiterate but boastful exhorter of a
 clergyman4 ,yes1 sir1 was the reply4 ,i
 am thankful1 said the former1 that the 
,lord opened my mouth without any       
learning4 ,a similar event1 retorted the
 clergyman1 happened in ,balaam's time4 
,why not allow the schoolboy to erase   
from his list of studies all subjects   
that appear to him useless8 ,would he   
not erase every thing which taxed his   
pleasure and freedom8 ,would he not obey
 the call of his blood1 rather than the 
advice of his teacher8 ,ignorant men who
 have made money tell him that the study
 of geography is useless2 his tea will  
come over the sea to him whether he     
knows where ,china is or not2 what      
difference does it make whether verbs   
agree with their subjects or not8 ,why  
waste time learning geometry or algebra8
 ,who keeps accounts by these8 ,learning
 spoils a man for business1 they tell   
him2 they begrudge the time and money   

spent in education4 ,they want cheap and
 rapid transit through college for their
 children4 ,veneer will answer every    
practical purpose for them1 instead of  
solid mahogany1 or even paint and pine  
will do4  ,it is said that the editors  
of the ,dictionary of ,american         
,biography who diligently searched the  
records of living and dead ,americans1  
found #ae1adb names worthy of a place in
 their six volumes of annals of         
successful men1 and #ecbf1 or more than 
one-third of them1 were college-educated
 men4 ,one in forty of the college      
educated attained a success worthy of   
mention1 and but one in #aj1jjj of those
 not so educated2 so that the           
college-bred man had two hundred and    
fifty times the chances for success that
 others had4 ,medical records1 it is    
said1 show that but five per cent4 of   
the practicing physicians of the ,united
 ,states are college graduates2 and yet 
forty-six per cent4 of the physicians   
who became locally famous enough to be  

mentioned by those editors came from    
that small five per cent4 of college    
educated persons4 ,less than four per   
cent4 of the lawyers were college-bred1 
yet they furnished more than one-half of
 all who became successful4 ,not one per
 cent4 of the business men of the       
country were college educated1 yet that 
small fraction of college-bred men had  
seventeen times the chances of success  
that their fellow men of business had4  
,in brief1 the college-educated lawyer  
has fifty per cent4 more chances for    
success than those not so favored2 the  
college-educated physician1 forty-six   
per cent4 more2 the author1 thirty-seven
 per cent4 more2 the statesman1         
thirty-three per cent42 the clergyman1  
fifty-eight per cent42 the educator1    
sixty-one per cent42 the scientist1     
sixty-three per cent4 ,you should       
therefore get the best and most complete
 education that it is possible for you  
to obtain4  ,knowledge1 then1 is one of 
the secret keys which unlock the hidden 

mysteries of a successful life4  ,i do  
not remember1 said ,beecher1 a book in  
all the depths of learning1 nor a scrap 
in literature1 nor a work in all the    
schools of art1 from which its author   
has derived a permanent renown1 that is 
not known to have been long and         
patiently elaborated4  ,you are a fool  
to stick so close to your work all the  
time1 said one of ,vanderbilt's young   
friends2 we are having our fun while we 
are young1 for when will we if not now8 
,but ,cornelius was either earning more 
money by working overtime1 or saving    
what he had earned1 or at home asleep1  
recruiting for the next day's labor and 
preparing for a large harvest later4    
,like all successful men1 he made       
finance a study4 ,when he entered the   
railroad business1 it was estimated that
 his fortune was thirty-five or forty   
million dollars4  ,the spruce young     
spark1 says ,sizer1 who thinks chiefly  
of his mustache and boots and shiny hat1
 of getting along nicely and easily     

during the day1 and talking about the   
theatre1 the opera1 or a fast horse1    
ridiculing the faithful young fellow who
 came to learn the business and make a  
man of himself1 because he will not join
 in wasting his time in dissipation1    
will see the day1 if his useless life is
 not earlier blasted by vicious         
indulgences1 when he will be glad to    
accept a situation from his fellow-clerk
 whom he now ridicules and affects to   
despise1 when the latter shall stand in 
the firm1 dispensing benefits and       
acquiring fortune4  ,when a man has done
 his work1 says ,ruskin1 and nothing can
 any way be materially altered in his   
fate1 let him forget his toil1 and jest 
with his fate if he will2 but what      
excuse can you find for willfulness of  
thought at the very time when every     
crisis of fortune hangs on your         
decisions8 ,a youth thoughtless1 when   
all the happiness of his home forever   
depends on the chances or the passions  
of the hour6 ,a youth thoughtless1 when 

the career of all his days depends on   
the opportunity of a moment6 ,a youth   
thoughtless1 when his every action is a 
foundation-stone of future conduct1 and 
every imagination a foundation of life  
or death6 ,be thoughtless in any after  
years1 rather than now--though1 indeed1 
there is only one place where a man may 
be nobly thoughtless1 his deathbed4     
,nothing should ever be left to be done 
there4  ,on to ,berlin1 was the shout of
 the ,french army in ,july1 #ahgj2 but1 
to the astonishment of the world1 the   
,french forces were cut in two and      
rolled as by a tidal wave into ,metz and
 around ,sedan4 ,soon two ,french armies
 and the ,emperor surrendered1 and      
,german troopers paraded the streets of 
captured ,paris4  ,but as men thought it
 out1 as ,professor ,wells tells us1    
they came to see that it was not ,france
 that was beaten1 but only ,louis       
,napoleon and a lot of nobles1          
influential only because they bore      
titles or were favorites4 ,louis        

,napoleon1 the feeble bearer of a great 
name1 was emperor because of that name  
and criminal daring4 ,by a series of    
happy accidents he had gained credit in 
the ,crimean ,war1 and at ,magenta and  
,solferino4 ,but the unmasking time came
 in the ,franco-,prussian ,war1 as it   
always comes when sham1 artificial      
toy-men meet genuine self-made men4 ,and
 such were the ,german                  
leaders1--,william1 strong1 upright1    
warlike1 every inch a king2 ,von ,roon1 
,minister of ,war1 a master of          
administrative detail2 ,bismarck1 the   
master mind of ,european politics2 and1 
above all1 ,von ,moltke1 chief of staff1
 who hurled armies by telegraph1 as he  
sat at his cabinet1 as easily as a      
master moves chessmen against a stupid  
opponent4  ,said ,captain ,bingham3 ,you
 can have no idea of the wonderful      
machine that the ,german army is and how
 well it is prepared for war4 ,a chart  
is made out which shows just what must  
be done in the case of wars with the    

different nations4 ,and every officer's 
place in the scheme is laid out         
beforehand4 ,there is a schedule of     
trains which will supersede all other   
schedules the moment war is declared1   
and this is so arranged that the        
commander of the army here could        
telegraph to any officer to take such a 
train and go to such a place at a       
moment's notice4 ,when the              
,franco-,prussian ,war was declared1    
,von ,moltke was awakened at midnight   
and told of the fact4 ,he said coolly to
 the official who aroused him1 ',go to  
pigeonhole ,no4 ---- in my safe and take
 a paper from it and telegraph as there 
directed to the different troops of the 
empire4' ,he then turned over and went  
to sleep and awoke at his usual hour in 
the morning4 ,every one else in ,berlin 
was excited about the war1 but ,von     
,moltke took his morning walk as usual1 
and a friend who met him said1          
',general1 you seem to be taking it very
 easy4 ,aren't you afraid of the        

situation8 ,i should think you would be 
busy4' ',ah1' replied ,von ,moltke1 'all
 of my work for this time has been done 
long beforehand1 and everything that can
 be done now has been done4'  ,a rare   
man this ,von ,moltke6 exclaims         
,professor ,wells2 one who made himself 
ready for his opportunities beyond all  
men known to the modern world4 ,of an   
impoverished family1 he rose very slowly
 and by his own merit4 ,he yielded to no
 temptation1 vice1 or dishonesty1 of    
course1 nor to the greater and ever     
present temptation to idleness1 for he  
constantly worked to the limit of human 
endurance4 ,he was ready for every      
emergency1 not by accident1 but because 
he made himself ready by painstaking    
labor1 before the opportunity came4 ,his
 favorite motto was1 ',help yourself and
 others will help you4' ,hundreds of his
 age in the ,prussian army were of      
nobler birth1 thousands of greater      
fortune1 but he made himself superior to
 them all by extraordinary fidelity and 

diligence4  ,the greatest master of     
strategy the world has ever seen was    
sixty-six years at school to himself    
before he was ready for his task4       
,though born with the century1 and an   
army officer at nineteen1 he was an old 
man when1 in #ahff1 as ,prussian chief  
of staff1 he crushed ,austria at ,sadowa
 and drove her out of ,germany4 ,four   
years later the silent1 modest soldier  
of seventy1 ready for the still greater 
opportunity1 smote ,france1 and changed 
the map of ,europe4 ,glory and the      
field-marshal's baton1 after fifty-one  
years of hard work6 ,no wonder ,louis   
,napoleon was beaten by such men as he4 
,all ,louis ,napoleons have been1 and   
always will be4 ,opportunity always     
finds out frauds4 ,it does not make men1
 but shows the world what they have made
 of themselves4  ,sir ,henry ,havelock  
joined the army of ,india in his        
twenty-eighth year1 and waited till he  
was sixty-two for the opportunity to    
show himself fitted to command and      

skillful to plan4 ,during those four and
 thirty years of waiting1 he was busy   
preparing himself for that march to     
,lucknow which was to make him famous as
 a soldier4  ,farragut1       ,the      
viking of our western clime      ,who   
made his mast a throne1  began his naval
 career as a mere boy1 and was          
sixty-four years old before he had an   
opportunity to distinguish himself2 but 
when the great test of his life came1   
the reserve of half a century's         
preparation made him master of the      
situation4  ,alexander ,hamilton said1  
,men give me credit for genius4 ,all the
 genius ,i have lies just in this3 when 
,i have a subject in hand ,i study it   
profoundly4 ,day and night it is before 
me4 ,i explore it in all its bearings4  
,my mind becomes pervaded with it4 ,then
 the effort which ,i make the people are
 pleased to call the fruit of genius2 it
 is the fruit of labor and thought4 ,the
 law of labor is equally binding on     
genius and mediocrity4  ,fill up the    

cask6 fill up the cask6 said old ,dr4   
,bellamy when asked by a young clergyman
 for advice about the composition of    
sermons4 ,fill up the cask6 and then if 
you tap it anywhere you will get a good 
stream4 ,but if you put in but little1  
it will dribble1 dribble1 dribble1 and  
you must tap1 tap1 tap1 and then you get
 but a small stream1 after all4  ,the   
merchant is in a dangerous position1    
says ,dr4 ,w4 ,w4 ,patton1 whose means  
are in goods trusted out all over the   
country on long credits1 and who in an  
emergency has no money in the bank upon 
which to draw4 ,a heavy deposit1 subject
 to a sight-draft1 is the only position 
of strength4 ,and he only is            
intellectually strong1 who has made     
heavy deposits in the bank of memory1   
and can draw upon his faculties at any  
time1 according to the necessities of   
the case4  ,they say that more life1 if 
not more labor1 was spent on the piles  
beneath the ,st4 ,petersburg church of  
,st4 ,isaac's1 to get a foundation1 than

 on all the magnificent marbles and     
malachite which have since been lodged  
in it4  ,fifty feet of ,bunker ,hill    
,monument is under ground1 unseen1 and  
unappreciated by the thousands who tread
 about that historic shaft4 ,the rivers 
of ,india run under ground1 unseen1     
unheard1 by the millions who tramp      
above1 but are they therefore lost8 ,ask
 the golden harvest waving above them if
 it feels the water flowing beneath8    
,the superstructure of a lifetime cannot
 stand upon the foundation of a day4    
,c4 ,h4 ,parkhurst says that in manhood1
 as much as in house-building1 the      
foundation keeps asserting itself all   
the way from the first floor to the     
roof4 ,the stones laid in the           
underpinning may be coarse and          
inelegant1 but1 even so1 each such stone
 perpetuates itself in silent echo clear
 up through to the finial4 ,the body is 
in that respect like an old             
,stradivarius violin1 the ineffable     
sweetness of whose music is outcome and 

quotation from the coarse fibre of the  
case upon which its strings are strung4 
,it is a very pleasant delusion that    
what we call the higher qualities and   
energies of a person maintain that      
self-centered kind of existence that    
enables them to discard and contemn all 
dependence upon what is lower and less  
refined than themselves1 but it is a    
delusion that always wilts in an        
atmosphere of fact4 ,climb high as we   
like our ladder will still require to   
rest on the ground2 and it is probable  
that the keenest intellectual intuition1
 and the most delicate throb of passion 
would1 if analysis could be carried so  
far1 be discovered to have its          
connections with the rather material    
affair that we know as the body4        
,lincoln took the postmastership for the
 sake of reading all the papers that    
came to town4 ,he read everything he    
could lay his hands on2 the ,bible1     
,shakespeare1 ,pilgrim's ,progress1     
,life of ,washington and ,life of       

,franklin1 ,life of ,henry ,clay1 sop's 
,fables2 he read them over and over     
again until he could almost repeat them 
by heart2 but he never read a novel in  
his life4 ,his education came from the  
newspapers and from his contact with men
 and things4 ,after he read a book he   
would write out an analysis of it4 ,what
 a grand sight to see this long1 lank1  
backwoods student1 lying before the fire
 in a log cabin without floor or        
windows1 after everybody else was abed1 
devouring books he had borrowed but     
could not afford to buy6  ,i have been  
watching the careers of young men by the
 thousand in this busy city of ,new     
,york for over thirty years1 said ,dr4  
,cuyler1 and ,i find that the chief     
difference between the successful and   
the failures lies in the single element 
of staying power4 ,permanent success is 
oftener won by holding on than by sudden
 dash1 however brilliant4 ,the easily   
discouraged1 who are pushed back by a   
straw1 are all the time dropping to the 

rear--to perish or to be carried along  
on the stretcher of charity4 ,they who  
understand and practice ,abraham        
,lincoln's homely maxim of 'pegging     
away' have achieved the solidest        
success4  ,it is better to deserve      
success than to merely have it2 few     
deserve it who do not attain it4 ,there 
is no failure in this country for those 
whose personal habits are good1 and who 
follow some honest calling              
industriously1 unselfishly1 and purely4 
,if one desires to succeed1 he must pay 
the price1 work4  ,no matter how weak a 
power may be1 rational use will make it 
stronger4 ,no matter how awkward your   
movements may be1 how obtuse your       
senses1 or how crude your thought1 or   
how unregulated your desires1 you may by
 patient discipline acquire1 slowly     
indeed but with infallible certainty1   
grace and freedom of action1 clearness  
and acuteness of perception1 strength   
and precision of thought1 and moderation
 of desire4  ,it would go very far to   

destroy the absurd and pernicious       
association of genius and idleness1 to  
show that the greatest poets1 orators1  
statesmen1 and historians--men of the   
most imposing and brilliant             
talents--have actually labored as hard  
as the makers of dictionaries and       
arrangers of indexes2 and the most      
obvious reason why they have been       
superior to other men1 is1 that they    
have taken more pains4  ,even the great 
genius1 ,lord ,bacon1 left large        
quantities of material entitled ,sudden 
thoughts set down for use4 ,john ,foster
 was an indefatigable worker4 ,he used  
to hack1 split1 twist1 and pull up by   
the roots1 or practice any other        
severity on whatever did not please him4
 ,chalmers was asked in ,london what    
,foster was doing4 ,hard at it he said1 
at the rate of a line a week4  ,when a  
young lawyer1 ,daniel ,webster once     
looked in vain through all the libraries
 near him1 and then ordered at an       
expense of #ej the necessary books1 to  

obtain authorities and precedents in a  
case in which his client was a poor     
blacksmith4 ,he won his case1 but1 on   
account of the poverty of his client1   
only charged #ae1 thus losing heavily on
 the books bought1 to say nothing of his
 time4 ,years after1 as he was passing  
through ,new ,york city1 he was         
consulted by ,aaron ,burr on an         
important but puzzling case then pending
 before the ,supreme ,court4 ,webster   
saw in a moment that it was just like   
the blacksmith's case1 an intricate     
question of title1 which he had solved  
so thoroughly that it was to him simple 
as the multiplication table4 ,going back
 to the time of ,charles ,,ii41 he gave 
the law and precedents involved with    
such readiness and accuracy of sequence 
that ,burr asked1 in great surprise3    
,mr4 ,webster1 have you been consulted  
before in this case8  ,most certainly   
not4 ,i never heard of your case till   
this evening4  ,very well1 said ,burr1  
proceed4 ,and when he had finished1     

,webster received a fee that paid him   
liberally for all the time and trouble  
he had spent for his early client4      
,what the age wants is men who have the 
nerve and the grit to work and wait1    
whether the world applaud or hiss4 ,it  
wants a ,bancroft1 who can spend        
twenty-six years on the ,history of the 
,united ,states2 a ,noah ,webster1 who  
can devote thirty-six years to a        
dictionary2 a ,gibbon1 who can plod for 
twenty years on the ,decline and ,fall  
of the ,roman ,empire2 a ,mirabeau1 who 
can struggle on for forty years before  
he has a chance to show his vast        
reserve1 destined to shake an empire2 a 
,farragut1 a ,von ,moltke1 who have the 
persistence to work and wait for half a 
century for their first great           
opportunities2 a ,garfield1 burning his 
lamp fifteen minutes later than a rival 
student in his academy2 a ,grant1       
fighting on in heroic silence1 when     
denounced by his brother generals and   
politicians everywhere2 a ,field's      

untiring perseverance1 spending years   
and a fortune laying a cable when all   
the world called him a fool2 a ,michael 
,angelo1 working seven long years       
decorating the ,sistine ,chapel with his
 matchless ,creation and the ,last      
,judgment1 refusing all remuneration    
therefor1 lest his pencil might catch   
the taint of avarice2 a ,titian1        
spending seven years on the ,last       
,supper2 a ,stephenson1 working fifteen 
years on a locomotive2 a ,watt1 twenty  
years on a condensing engine2 a ,lady   
,franklin1 working incessantly for      
twelve long years to rescue her husband 
from the polar seas2 a ,thurlow ,weed1  
walking two miles through the snow with 
rags tied around his feet for shoes1 to 
borrow the history of the ,french       
,revolution1 and eagerly devouring it   
before the sap-bush fire2 a ,milton1    
elaborating ,paradise ,lost in a world  
he could not see1 and then selling it   
for fifteen pounds2 a ,thackeray1       
struggling on cheerfully after his      

,vanity ,fair was refused by a dozen    
publishers2 a ,balzac1 toiling and      
waiting in a lonely garret1 whom neither
 poverty1 debt1 nor hunger could        
discourage or intimidate2 not daunted by
 privations1 not hindered by            
discouragements4 ,it wants men who can  
work and wait4  ,that is done soon      
enough which is done well4 ,soon ripe1  
soon rotten4 ,he that would enjoy the   
fruit must not gather the flower4 ,he   
who is impatient to become his own      
master is more likely to become his own 
slave4 ,better believe yourself a dunce 
and work away than a genius and be idle4
 ,one year of trained thinking is worth 
more than a whole college course of     
mental absorption of a vast series of   
undigested facts4 ,the facility with    
which the world swallows up the ordinary
 college graduate who thought he was    
going to dazzle mankind should bid you  
pause and reflect4 ,but just as         
certainly as man was created not to     
crawl on all fours in the depths of     

primeval forests1 but to develop his    
mental and moral faculties1 just so     
certainly he needs education1 and only  
by means of it will he become what he   
ought to become1--man1 in the highest   
sense of the word4 ,ignorance is not    
simply the negation of knowledge1 it is 
the misdirection of the mind4 ,one step 
in knowledge1 says ,bulwer1 is one step 
from sin2 one step from sin is one step 
nearer to ,heaven4     ,,chapter ,,viii4
  ,,the ,,conquest ,,of ,,obstacles4    
,nature1 when she adds difficulties1    
adds brains4      --,,emerson4          
,exigencies create the necessary ability
 to meet and conquer      them4         
--,,wendell ,,phillips4       ,many men 
owe the grandeur of their lives to their
 tremendous      difficulties4          
--,,spurgeon4       ,the rugged metal of
 the mine      ,must burn before its    
surface shine4      --,,byron4          
,when a man looks through a tear in his 
own eye1 that is a lens      which opens
 reaches in the unknown1 and reveals    

orbs no      telescope could do4        
--,,beecher4       ,no man ever worked  
his way in a dead calm4      --,,john   
,,neal4       ,kites rise against1 not  
with1 the wind4         ,then welcome   
each rebuff1        ,that turns earth's 
smoothness rough1      ,each sting1 that
 bids not sit nor stand1 but go4        
--,,browning4   ,what a fine profession 
ours would be if there were no gibbets6 
said one of two highwaymen who chanced  
to pass a gallows4 ,tut1 you blockhead1 
replied the other1 gibbets are the      
making of us2 for1 if there were no     
gibbets1 every one would be a           
highwayman4 ,just so with every art1    
trade1 or pursuit2 it is the            
difficulties that scare and keep out    
unworthy competitors4  ,life1 says a    
philosopher1 refuses to be so adjusted  
as to eliminate from it all strife and  
conflict and pain4 ,there are a thousand
 tasks1 that1 in larger interests than  
ours1 must be done1 whether we want them
 or no4 ,the world refuses to walk upon 

tiptoe1 so that we may be able to sleep4
 ,it gets up very early and stays up    
very late1 and all the while there is   
the conflict of myriads of hammers and  
saws and axes with the stubborn material
 that in no other way can be made to    
serve its use and do its work for man4  
,and then1 too1 these hammers and axes  
are not wielded without strain or pang1 
but swung by the millions of toilers who
 labor with their cries and groans and  
tears4 ,nay1 our temple building1       
whether it be for ,god or man1 exacts   
its bitter toll1 and fills life with    
cries and blows4 ,the thousand rivalries
 of our daily business1 the fierce      
animosities when we are beaten1 the even
 fiercer exultation when we have beaten1
 the crashing blows of disaster1 the    
piercing scream of defeat--these things 
we have not yet gotten rid of1 nor in   
this life ever will4 ,why should we wish
 to get rid of them8 ,we are here1 my   
brother1 to be hewed and hammered and   
planed in ,god's quarry and on ,god's   

anvil for a nobler life to come4 ,only  
the muscle that is used is developed4   
,troubles are often the tools by which  
,god fashions us for better things1 said
 ,beecher4 ,far up the mountain side    
lies a block of granite1 and says to    
itself1 ',how happy am ,i in my         
serenity--above the winds1 above the    
trees1 almost above the flight of birds6
 ,here ,i rest1 age after age1 and      
nothing disturbs me4'  ,yet what is it8 
,it is only a bare block of granite1    
jutting out of the cliff1 and its       
happiness is the happiness of death4    
,by and by comes the miner1 and with    
strong and repeated strokes he drills a 
hole in its top1 and the rock says1     
',what does this mean8' ,then the black 
powder is poured in1 and with a blast   
that makes the mountain echo1 the block 
is blown asunder1 and goes crashing down
 into the valley4 ',ah6' it exclaims as 
it falls1 'why this rending8' ,then come
 saws to cut and fashion it2 and humbled
 now1 and willing to be nothing1 it is  

borne away from the mountain and        
conveyed to the city4 ,now it is        
chiseled and polished1 till1 at length1 
finished in beauty1 by block and tackle 
it is raised1 with mighty hoistings1    
high in air1 to be the top-stone on some
 monument of the country's glory4  ,it  
is this scantiness of means1 this       
continual deficiency1 this constant     
hitch1 this perpetual struggle to keep  
the head above water and the wolf from  
the door1 that keeps society from       
falling to pieces4 ,let every man have a
 few more dollars than he wants1 and    
anarchy would follow4  ,do you wish to  
live without a trial8 asks a modern     
teacher4 ,then you wish to die but half 
a man4 ,without trial you cannot guess  
at your own strength4 ,men do not learn 
to swim on a table4 ,they must go into  
deep water and buffet the waves4        
,hardship is the native soil of manhood 
and self-reliance4 ,trials are rough    
teachers1 but rugged schoolmasters make 
rugged pupils4 ,a man who goes through  

life prosperous1 and comes to his grave 
without a wrinkle1 is not half a man4   
,difficulties are ,god's errands4 ,and  
when we are sent upon them we should    
esteem it a proof of ,god's confidence4 
,we should reach after the highest good4
  ,suddenly1 with much jarring and      
jolting1 an electric car came to a      
standstill just in front of a heavy     
truck that was headed in an opposite    
direction4 ,the huge truck wheels were  
sliding uselessly round on the car      
tracks that were wet and slippery from  
rain4 ,all the urging of the teamster   
and the straining of the horses were in 
vain--until the motorman quietly tossed 
a shovelful of sand on the track under  
the heavy wheels1 and then the truck    
lumbered on its way4 ,friction is a very
 good thing1 remarked a passenger4      
,there is a beautiful tale of           
,scandinavian mythology4 ,a hero1 under 
the promise of becoming a demi-god1 is  
bidden in the celestial halls to perform
 three test-acts of prowess4 ,he is to  

drain the drinking-horn of ,thor4 ,then 
he must run a race with a courser so    
fleet that he fairly spurns the ground  
under his flying footsteps4 ,then he    
must wrestle with a toothless old woman1
 whose sinewy hands1 as wiry as eagle   
claws in the grapple1 make his very     
flesh to quiver4 ,he is victorious in   
them all4 ,but as the crown of success  
is placed upon his temples1 he discovers
 for the first time that he has had for 
his antagonist the three greatest forces
 of nature4 ,he raced with thought1 he  
wrestled with old age1 he drank the sea4
 ,nature1 like the ,god of nature1      
wrestles with us as a friend1 not an    
enemy1 wanting us to gain the victory1  
and wrestles with us that we may        
understand and enjoy her best blessings4
 ,every greatest and highest earthly    
good has come to us unfolded and        
enriched by this terrible wrestling with
 nature4  ,a curious society still      
exists in ,paris composed of dramatic   
authors who meet once a month and dine  

together4 ,their number has no fixed    
limit1 only every member to be eligible 
must have been hissed4 ,an eminent      
dramatist is selected for chairman and  
holds the post for three months4 ,his   
election generally follows close upon a 
splendid failure4 ,some of the          
world-famous ones have enjoyed this     
honor4 ,dumas1 ,jr41 ,zola and          
,offenbach have all filled the chair and
 presided at the monthly dinner4 ,these 
dinners are given on the last ,friday of
 the month1 and are said to be          
extraordinarily hilarious4  ,i do       
believe ,god wanted a grand poem of that
 man1 said ,george ,macdonald of        
,milton1 and so blinded him that he     
might be able to write it4  ,returned   
with thanks has made many an author4    
,failure often leads a man to success by
 arousing his latent energy1 by firing a
 dormant purpose1 by awakening powers   
which were sleeping4 ,men of mettle turn
 disappointments into helps as the      
oyster turns into pearls the sand which 

annoys it4  ,let the adverse breath of  
criticism be to you only what the blast 
of the storm wind is to the eagle1--a   
force against him that lifts him higher4
  ,i do not see1 says ,emerson1 how any 
man can afford1 for the sake of his     
nerves and his nap1 to spare any action 
in which he can partake4 ,it is pearls  
and rubies to his discourse4 ,drudgery1 
calamity1 exasperation1 want1 are       
instructors in eloquence and wisdom4    
,the true scholar grudges every         
opportunity of action passed by as a    
loss of power4  ,adversity is a severe  
instructor1 says ,edmund ,burke1 set    
over us by one who knows us better than 
we do ourselves1 as ,he loves us better 
too4 ,he that wrestles with us          
strengthens our nerves and sharpens our 
skill4 ,our antagonist is our helper4   
,this conflict with difficulty makes us 
acquainted with our object1 and compels 
us to consider it in all its relations4 
,it will not suffer us to be            
superficial4  ,strong characters1 like  

the palm tree1 seem to thrive best when 
most abused4 ,men who have stood up     
bravely under great misfortune for years
 are often unable to bear prosperity4   
,their good fortune takes the spring out
 of their energy1 as the torrid zone    
enervates races accustomed to a vigorous
 climate4 ,some people never come to    
themselves until baffled1 rebuffed1     
thwarted1 defeated1 crushed1 in the     
opinion of those around them4 ,trials   
unlock their virtues2 defeat is the     
threshold of their victory4  ,every man 
who makes a fortune has been more than  
once a bankrupt1 if the truth were      
known1 said ,albion ,tourge4 ,grant's   
failure as a subaltern made him         
commander-in-chief1 and for myself1 my  
failure to accomplish what ,i set out to
 do led me to what ,i never had aspired 
to4  ,what is defeat8 asked ,wendell    
,phillips4 ,nothing but education4 ,and 
a life's disaster may become the        
landmark from which there has begun a   
new era1 a broader life for man4  ,to   

make his way at the bar1 said an eminent
 jurist1 a young man must live like a   
hermit and work like a horse4 ,there is 
nothing that does a young lawyer so much
 good as to be half starved4  ,we are   
the victors of our opponents4 ,they have
 developed in us the very power by which
 we overcome them4 ,without their       
opposition we could never have braced   
and anchored and fortified ourselves1 as
 the oak is braced and anchored for its 
thousand battles with the tempests4 ,our
 trials1 our sorrows1 and our griefs    
develop us in a similar way4            
,obstacles1 says ,mitchell1 are great   
incentives4 ,i lived for whole years    
upon ,virgil and found myself well off4 
,poverty1 ,horace tells us1 drove him to
 poetry4  ,nothing more unmans a man    
than to take away from him the spur of  
necessity1 which urges him onward and   
upward to the goal of his ambition4 ,man
 is naturally lazy1 and wealth induces  
indolence4 ,the great object of life is 
development1 the unfolding and drawing  

out of our powers1 and whatever tempts  
us to a life of indolence or inaction1  
or to seek pleasure merely1 whatever    
furnishes us a crutch when we can       
develop our muscles better by walking1  
all helps1 guides1 props1 whatever      
tempts to a life of inaction1 in        
whatever guise it may come1 is a curse4 
,i always pity the boy or girl with     
inherited wealth1 for the temptation to 
hide their talents in a napkin1         
undeveloped1 is very1 very great4 ,it is
 not natural for them to walk when they 
can ride1 to go alone when they can be  
helped4  ,quentin ,matsys was a         
blacksmith at ,antwerp4 ,when in his    
twentieth year he wished to marry the   
daughter of a painter4 ,the father      
refused his consent4 ,wert thou a       
painter1 said he1 she should be thine2  
but a blacksmith--never6 ,i will be a   
painter1 said the young man4 ,he applied
 to his new art with so much            
perseverance that in a short time he    
produced pictures which gave a promise  

of the highest excellence4 ,he gained   
for his reward the fair hand for which  
he sighed1 and rose ere long to a high  
rank in his profession4  ,take two      
acorns from the same tree1 as nearly    
alike as possible2 plant one on a hill  
by itself1 and the other in the dense   
forest1 and watch them grow4 ,the oak   
standing alone is exposed to every      
storm4 ,its roots reach out in every    
direction1 clutching the rocks and      
piercing deep into the earth4 ,every    
rootlet lends itself to steady the      
growing giant1 as if in anticipation of 
fierce conflict with the elements4      
,sometimes its upward growth seems      
checked for years1 but all the while it 
has been expending its energy in pushing
 a root across a large rock to gain a   
firmer anchorage4 ,then it shoots       
proudly aloft again1 prepared to defy   
the hurricane4 ,the gales which sport so
 rudely with its wide branches find more
 than their match1 and only serve still 
further to toughen every minutest fibre 

from pith to bark4  ,the acorn planted  
in the deep forest shoots up a weak1    
slender sapling4 ,shielded by its       
neighbors1 it feels no need of spreading
 its roots far and wide for support4    
,take two boys1 as nearly alike as      
possible4 ,place one in the country away
 from the hothouse culture and          
refinements of the city1 with only the  
district school1 the ,sunday school1 and
 a few books4 ,remove wealth and props  
of every kind2 and1 if he has the right 
kind of material in him1 he will thrive4
 ,every obstacle overcome lends him     
strength for the next conflict4 ,if he  
falls1 he rises with more determination 
than before4 ,like a rubber ball1 the   
harder the obstacle he meets the higher 
he rebounds4 ,obstacles and opposition  
are but apparatus of the gymnasium in   
which the fibres of his manhood are     
developed4 ,he compels respect and      
recognition from those who have         
ridiculed his poverty4 ,put the other   
boy in a ,vanderbilt family4 ,give him  

,french and ,german nurses2 gratify     
every wish4 ,place him under the        
tutelage of great masters and send him  
to ,harvard4 ,give him thousands a year 
for spending money1 and let him travel  
extensively4  ,the two meet4 ,the city  
lad is ashamed of his country brother4  
,the plain1 threadbare clothes1 hard    
hands1 tawny face1 and awkward manner of
 the country boy make sorry contrast    
with the genteel appearance of the      
other4 ,the poor boy bemoans his hard   
lot1 regrets that he has no chance in   
life1 and envies the city youth4 ,he    
thinks that it is a cruel ,providence   
that places such a wide gulf between    
them4 ,they meet again as men1 but how  
changed6 ,it is as easy to distinguish  
the sturdy1 self-made man from the one  
who has been propped up all his life by 
wealth1 position1 and family influence1 
as it is for the shipbuilder to tell the
 difference between the plank from the  
rugged mountain oak and one from the    
sapling of the forest4 ,if you think    

there is no difference1 place each plank
 in the bottom of a ship1 and test them 
in a hurricane at sea4  ,the athlete    
does not carry the gymnasium away with  
him1 but he carries the skill and muscle
 which give him his reputation4  ,the   
lessons you learn at school will give   
you strength and skill in after life1   
and power1 just in proportion to the    
accuracy1 the clearness of perception   
with which you learn your lessons4 ,the 
school was your gymnasium4 ,you do not  
carry away the ,greek and ,latin        
text-books1 the geometry and algebra    
into your occupations any more than the 
athlete carries the apparatus of the    
gymnasium1 but you carry away the skill 
and the power if you have been          
painstaking1 accurate and faithful4  ,it
 is in me1 and it shall come out6 ,and  
it did4 ,for ,richard ,brinsley         
,sheridan became the most brilliant1    
eloquent and amazing statesman of his   
day4 ,yet if his first efforts had been 
but moderately successful1 he might have

 been content with mere mediocrity4 ,it 
was his defeats that nerved him to      
strive for eminence and win it4 ,but it 
took hard1 persistent work in his case  
to secure it1 just as it did in that of 
so many others4  ,byron was stung into a
 determination to go to the top by a    
scathing criticism of his first book1   
,hours of ,idleness1 published when he  
was but nineteen years of age4 ,macaulay
 said1 ,there is scarce an instance in  
history of so sudden a rise to so dizzy 
an eminence as ,byron reached4 ,in a few
 years he stood by the side of such men 
as ,scott1 ,southey and ,campbell4 ,many
 an orator like stuttering ,jack        
,curran1 or ,orator ,mum1 as he was once
 called1 has been spurred into eloquence
 by ridicule and abuse4  ,where the sky 
is gray and the climate unkindly1 where 
the soil yields nothing save to the     
diligent hand1 and life itself cannot be
 supported without incessant toil1 man  
has reached his highest range of        
physical and intellectual development4  

,the most beautiful and the strongest   
animals1 as a rule1 have come from the  
same narrow belt of latitude which has  
produced the heroes of the world4  ,the 
most beautiful as well as the strongest 
characters are not developed in warm    
climates1 where man finds his bread     
ready made on trees1 and where exertion 
is a great effort1 but rather in a      
trying climate and on a stubborn soil4  
,it is no chance that returns to the    
,hindoo ryot a penny and to the         
,american laborer a dollar for his daily
 toil2 that makes ,mexico with her      
mineral wealth poor1 and ,new ,england  
with its granite and ice rich4 ,it is   
rugged necessity1 it is the struggle to 
obtain1 it is poverty the priceless     
spur1 that develops the stamina of      
manhood1 and calls the race out of      
barbarism4 ,labor found the world a     
wilderness and has made it a garden4    
,the law of adaptation by which         
conditions affect an organism is simple 
and well known4 ,it is that which       

callouses the palm of the oarsman1      
strengthens the waist of the wrestler1  
fits the back to its burden4 ,it        
inexorably compels the organism to adapt
 itself to its conditions1 to like them1
 and so to survive them4  ,as soon as   
young eagles can fly the old birds      
tumble them out and tear the down and   
feathers from their nest4 ,the rude and 
rough experience of the eaglet fits him 
to become the bold king of birds1 fierce
 and expert in pursuing his prey4       
,benjamin ,franklin ran away and ,george
 ,law was turned out of doors4 ,thrown  
upon their own resources1 they early    
acquired the energy and skill to        
overcome difficulties4  ,boys who are   
bound out1 crowded out1 kicked out1     
usually turn out1 while those who do not
 have these disadvantages frequently    
fail to come out4  ,from an aimless1    
idle and useless brain1 emergencies     
often call out powers and virtues before
 unknown and unsuspected4 ,how often we 
see a young man develop astounding      

ability and energy after the death of a 
parent or the loss of a fortune1 or     
after some other calamity has knocked   
the props and crutches from under him4  
,the prison has roused the slumbering   
fire in many a noble mind4 ,robinson    
,crusoe was written in prison4 ,the     
,pilgrim's ,progress appeared in        
,bedford ,jail4 ,the ,life and ,times of
 ,baxter1 ,eliot's ,monarchia of ,man1  
and ,penn's ,no ,cross1 ,no ,crown1 were
 written by prisoners4 ,sir ,walter     
,raleigh wrote ,the ,history of the     
,world during his imprisonment of       
thirteen years4 ,luther translated the  
,bible while confined in the ,castle of 
,wartburg4 ,for twenty years ,dante     
worked in exile1 and even under sentence
 of death4 ,his works were burned in    
public after his death2 but genius will 
not burn4  ,adversity exasperates fools1
 dejects cowards1 draws out the         
faculties of the wise and industrious1  
puts the modest to the necessity of     
trying their skill1 awes the opulent1   

and makes the idle industrious4 ,neither
 do uninterrupted success and prosperity
 qualify men for usefulness and         
happiness4 ,the storms of adversity1    
like those of the ocean1 rouse the      
faculties1 and excite the invention1    
prudence1 skill and fortitude of the    
voyager4 ,the martyrs of ancient times1 
in bracing their minds to outward       
calamities1 acquired a loftiness of     
purpose and a moral heroism worth a     
lifetime of softness and security4 ,a   
man upon whom continuous sunshine falls 
is like the earth in ,august3 he becomes
 parched and dry and hard and           
close-grained4 ,men have drawn from     
adversity the elements of greatness4 ,if
 you have the blues1 go and see the     
poorest and sickest families within your
 knowledge4 ,the darker the setting1 the
 brighter the diamond4 ,don't run about 
and tell acquaintances that you have    
been unfortunate2 people do not like to 
have unfortunate men for acquaintances4 
,this is the crutch age4 ,helps and aids

 are advertised everywhere4 ,we have    
institutes1 colleges1 universities1     
teachers1 books1 libraries1 newspapers1 
magazines4 ,our thinking is done for us4
 ,our problems are all worked out in    
explanations and keys4 ,our boys are too
 often tutored through college with very
 little study4 ,short roads and abridged
 methods are characteristic of the      
century4 ,ingenious methods are used    
everywhere to get the drudgery out of   
the college course4 ,newspapers give us 
our politics1 and preachers our         
religion4 ,self-help and self-reliance  
are getting old fashioned4 ,nature1 as  
if conscious of delayed blessings1 has  
rushed to man's relief with her wondrous
 forces1 and undertakes to do the       
world's drudgery and emancipate him from
 ,eden's curse4     ,,chapter ,,ix4     
,,dead ,,in ,,earnest4       ,it is the 
live coal that kindles others1 not the  
dead4 ,what      made ,demosthenes the  
greatest of all orators was that he     
appeared the most entirely possessed by 

the feelings he wished      to inspire4 
,the effect produced by ,charles ,fox1  
who by the      exaggerations of party  
spirit1 was often compared to           
,demosthenes1 seems to have arisen      
wholly from this earnestness1      which
 made up for the want of almost every   
grace1 both of      manner and style4   
--,,anon4       ,twelve poor men taken  
out of boats and creeks1 without any    
help      of learning1 should conquer   
the world to the cross4      --,,stephen
 ,,carnock4       ,for his heart was in 
his work1 and the heart      ,giveth    
grace unto every art4                   
--,,longfellow4       ,he did it with   
all his heart and prospered4            
--,,ii4 ,,chronicles4       ,the only   
conclusive evidence of a man's sincerity
 is that he      gives himself for a    
principle4 ,words1 money1 all things    
else      are comparatively easy to give
 away2 but when a man makes a      gift 
of his daily life and practice1 it is   
plain that the      truth1 whatever it  

may be1 has taken possession of him4    
--,,lowell4   ,the emotions1 says       
,whipple1 may all be included in the    
single word 'enthusiasm1' or that       
impulsive force which liberates the     
mental power from the ice of timidity as
 spring loosens the streams from the    
grasp of winter1 and sends them forth in
 a rejoicing rush4 ,the mind of youth1  
when impelled by this original strength 
and enthusiasm of ,nature1 is keen1     
eager1 inquisitive1 intense1 audacious1 
rapidly assimilating facts into         
faculties and knowledge into power1 and 
above all teeming with that joyous      
fullness of creative life which radiates
 thoughts as inspirations1 and          
magnetizes as well as informs4          
,columbus1 my hero1 exclaims ,carlyle1  
royalist sea-king of all6 ,it is no     
friendly environment this of thine1 in  
the waste1 deep waters2 around thee     
mutinous discouraged souls1 behind thee 
disgrace and ruin1 before thee the      
unpenetrated veil of night4 ,brother1   

these wild water-mountains1 bounding    
from their deep bases 7ten miles deep1  
,i am told71 are not there on thy       
behalf6 ,meseems they have other work   
than floating thee forward3--and the    
huge winds1 that sweep from ,ursa ,major
 to the tropics and equator1 dancing    
their giant-waltz through the kingdoms  
of chaos and immensity1 they care little
 about filling rightly or filling       
wrongly the small shoulder-of-mutton    
sails in this cockle skiff of thine6    
,thou art not among articulate-speaking 
friends1 my brother2 thou art among     
immeasurable dumb monsters1 tumbling1   
howling wide as the world here4 ,secret1
 far-off1 invisible to all hearts but   
thine1 there lies a help in them3 see   
how thou wilt get at that4 ,patiently   
thou wilt wait till the mad southwester 
spend itself1 saving thyself by         
dexterous science of defence the while3 
valiantly1 with swift decision1 wilt    
thou strike in1 when the favoring east  
wind1 the possible1 springs up4 ,mutiny 

of men thou wilt sternly repress2       
weakness1 despondency1 thou wilt        
cheerily encourage3 thou wilt swallow   
down complaint1 unreason1 weariness1    
weakness of others and thyself2--how    
much wilt thou swallow down8 ,there     
shall be a depth of silence in thee1    
deeper than this sea1 which is but ten  
miles deep3 a silence unsoundable2 known
 to ,god only4 ,thou shalt be a great   
man4 ,yes1 my world-soldier1 thou of the
 world marine-service1--thou wilt have  
to be greater than this tumultuous      
unmeasured world here round thee is3    
thou1 in thy strong soul1 as with       
wrestler's arms1 shall embrace it1      
harness it down2 and make it bear thee  
on1--to new ,americas1 or whither ,god  
wills6  ,with what concentration of     
purpose did ,washington put the whole   
weight of his character into the scales 
of our cause in the ,revolution6 ,with  
what earnest singleness of aim did      
,lincoln in the cabinet1 ,grant in the  
field1 throw his whole soul into the    

contest of our civil war8  ,the power of
 ,phillips ,brooks1 at which men        
wondered1 lay in his tremendous         
earnestness4  ,no matter what your work 
is1 says ,emerson1 let it be yours2 no  
matter if you are a tinker or preacher1 
blacksmith or president1 let what you   
are doing be organic1 let it be in your 
bones1 and you open the door by which   
the affluence of heaven and earth shall 
stream into you4 ,again1 he says3 ,god  
will not have ,his works made manifest  
by cowards4 ,a man is relieved and gay  
when he has put his heart into his work 
and done his best2 but what he has said 
or done otherwise1 shall give him no    
peace4 ,it is a deliverance which does  
not deliver4 ,in the attempt1 his genius
 deserts him2 no muse befriends2 no     
invention1 no hope4  ,i do not know how 
it is with others when speaking on an   
important question1 said ,henry ,clay2  
but on such occasions ,i seem to be     
unconscious of the external world4      
,wholly engrossed by the subject before 

me1 ,i lose all sense of personal       
identity1 of time1 or of surrounding    
objects4  ,i have been so busy for      
twenty years trying to save the souls of
 other people1 said ,livingstone1 that  
,i had forgotten that ,i have one of my 
own until a savage auditor asked me if  
,i felt the influence of the religion ,i
 was advocating4  ,well1 ,i've worked   
hard enough for it1 said ,malibran when 
a critic expressed his admiration of her
 ,d in alt1 reached by running up three 
octaves from low ,d2 ,i've been chasing 
it for a month4 ,i pursued it           
everywhere1--when ,i was dressing1 when 
,i was doing my hair2 and at last ,i    
found it on the toe of a shoe that ,i   
was putting on4  ,people smile at the   
enthusiasm of youth1 said ,charles      
,kingsley2 that enthusiasm which they   
themselves secretly look back at with a 
sigh1 perhaps unconscious that it is    
partly their own fault that they ever   
lost it4  ,should ,i die this minute1   
said ,nelson at an important crisis1    

want of frigates would be found written 
on my heart4  ,said ,dr4 ,arnold1 the   
celebrated instructor3 ,i feel more and 
more the need of intercourse with men   
who take life in earnest4 ,it is painful
 to me to be always on the surface of   
things4 ,not that ,i wish for much of   
what is called religious conversation4  
,that is often apt to be on the surface4
 ,but ,i want a sign which one catches  
by a sort of masonry1 that a man knows  
what he is about in life4 ,when ,i find 
this it opens my heart with as fresh a  
sympathy as when ,i was twenty years    
younger4  ,archimedes1 the greatest     
geometer of antiquity1 was consulted by 
the king in regard to a gold crown      
suspected of being fraudulently alloyed 
with silver4 ,while considering the best
 method of detecting any fraud1 he      
plunged into a full bathing tub2 and1   
with the thought that the water that    
overflowed must be equal in weight to   
his body1 he discovered the method of   
obtaining the bulk of the crown compared

 with an equally heavy mass of pure     
gold4 ,excited by the discovery1 he ran 
through the streets undressed1 crying1  
,i have found it4  ,equally celebrated  
is his remark1 ,give me where to stand  
and ,i will move the world4  ,his only  
remark to the ,roman soldier who entered
 his room while engaged in geometrical  
study1 was1 ,don't step on my circle4   
,refusing to follow the soldier to      
,marcellus1 who had captured the city1  
he was killed on the spot4 ,he is said  
to have remarked1 ,my head1 but not my  
circle4  ,every great and commanding    
moment in the annals of the world1 says 
,emerson1 is the triumph of some        
enthusiasm4 ,the victories of the ,arabs
 after ,mahomet1 who1 in a few years1   
from a small and mean beginning1        
established a larger empire than that of
 ,rome1 is an example4 ,they did they   
knew not what4 ,the naked ,derar1 horsed
 on an idea1 was found an overmatch for 
a troop of cavalry4 ,the women fought   
like men and conquered the ,roman men4  

,they were miserably equipped1 miserably
 fed4 ,they were temperance troops4     
,there was neither brandy nor flesh     
needed to feed them4 ,they conquered    
,asia and ,africa and ,spain on barley4 
,the ,caliph ,omar's walking-stick      
struck more terror into those who saw it
 than another man's sword4  ,horace     
,vernet's enthusiasm and devotion to the
 one idea of his life knew no bounds4   
,he had himself lashed to the mast in a 
terrible gale on the ,mediterranean when
 all others on board were seized with   
terror1 and with great delight sketched 
the towering waves which threatened     
every minute to swallow the vessel4     
,several writers tell the story that a  
great artist1 ,giotto1 about to paint   
the crucifixion1 induced a poor man to  
let him bind him upon a cross in order  
that he might get a better idea of the  
terrible scene that he was about to put 
upon the canvas4 ,he promised faithfully
 that he would release his model in an  
hour1 but to the latter's horror the    

painter seized a dagger and plunged it  
into his heart2 and1 while the blood was
 streaming from the ghastly wound1      
painted his death agony4  ,beecher was a
 very dull boy and was the last member  
of the family of whom anything was      
expected4 ,he had a weak memory1 and    
disliked study4 ,he shunned society and 
wanted to go to sea4 ,even when he went 
to college many of his classmates stood 
ahead of him1 who have fallen into      
oblivion4 ,but when he was converted his
 whole life changed3 he was full of     
enthusiasm1 hopefulness and zeal4       
,nothing was too menial for him to      
undertake to carry his purpose4 ,he     
chopped wood1 built the fire in his     
little church in ,lawrenceburg1 ,ind41  
of only eighteen members1 cleaned the   
lamps1 swept the floor and washed the   
windows4 ,he built the fire1 baked1     
washed1 when his wife was ill4 ,the     
pent-up enthusiasm of his ambitious life
 burst the barriers of his inhospitable 
surroundings until he blossomed out into

 ,america's greatest pulpit orator4     
,when ,handel was a little boy he bought
 a clavichord1 hid it in the attic1 and 
went there at night to play upon it1    
muffling the strings with small pieces  
of fine woolen cloth so that the sounds 
should not wake the family4 ,michael    
,angelo neglected school to copy        
drawings which he dared not carry home4 
,murillo filled the margin of his       
school-book with drawings4 ,dryden read 
,polybius before he was ten years old4  
,le ,brum1 when a boy1 drew with a piece
 of charcoal on the walls of the house4 
,pope wrote excellent verses at         
fourteen4 ,blaise ,pascal1 the ,french  
mathematician1 composed at sixteen a    
tract on the conic sections4  ,professor
 ,agassiz was so enthusiastic in his    
work and so loved the fishes1 the fowl  
and the cattle that it is said these    
creatures would die for him to give him 
their skeletons4 ,his father wanted him 
to fit for commercial life1 but the fish
 haunted him day and night4  ,confucius 

said that he was so eager in the pursuit
 of knowledge that he forgot his food2  
and that1 in the joy of its attainment1 
he forgot his sorrows2 and that he did  
not even perceive that old age was      
coming on4  ,that boy tries to make     
himself useful1 said an employer of the 
errand boy1 ,george ,w4 ,childs4 ,it is 
this trying to be useful and helpful    
that promotes us in life4  ,once1 when  
,mr4 ,harvey1 an accomplished           
mathematician1 was in a bookseller's    
shop1 he saw a poor lad of mean         
appearance enter and write something on 
a slip of paper and give it to the      
proprietor4 ,on inquiry he found this   
was a poor deaf boy1 ,kitto1 who        
afterward became one of the most noted  
,biblical scholars in the world1 and who
 wrote his first book in the poor-house4
 ,he had come to borrow a book4 ,when a 
lad he had fallen backward from a ladder
 thirty-five feet upon the pavement with
 a load of slates that he was carrying  
to the roof4 ,the poor lad was so       

thirsty for books that he would borrow  
from booksellers who would loan them to 
him out of pity1 read them and return   
them4  ,the ,youth's ,companion says    
that ,mr4 ,edison in his new            
biography--his ,life and                
,inventions--describes the accidental   
method by which he discovered the       
principle of the phonograph4 ,there is a
 kind of accident that happens only to a
 certain kind of man4  ,i was singing to
 the mouthpiece of a telephone1 ,mr4    
,edison says1 when the vibrations of the
 voice sent the fine steel point into my
 finger4 ,that set me to thinking4 ,if  
,i could record the actions of the      
point1 and send the point over the same 
surface afterward1 ,i saw no reason why 
the thing would not talk4  ,i tried the 
experiment first on a slip of telegraph 
paper and found that the point made an  
alphabet4 ,i shouted the words ',halloo6
 ,halloo6' into the mouthpiece1 ran the 
paper back over the steel point1 and    
heard a faint ',halloo6 ,halloo6' in    

return4  ,i determined to make a machine
 that would work accurately1 and gave my
 assistants instructions1 telling them  
what ,i had discovered4 ,they laughed at
 me4 ,that's the whole story4 ,the      
phonograph is the result of the pricking
 of a finger4  ,it is one thing to hit  
upon an idea1 however1 and another thing
 to carry it out to perfection4 ,the    
machine would talk1 but1 like many young
 children1 it had difficulty with       
certain sounds--in the present case with
 aspirants and sibilants4 ,mr4 ,edison's
 biographers say1 but the statement is  
somewhat exaggerated3  ,he has          
frequently spent from fifteen to twenty 
hours daily1 for six or seven months on 
a stretch1 dinning the word ',spezia1'  
for example1 into the stubborn surface  
of the wax4 ',spezia1' roared the       
inventor1 ',pezia' lisped the phonograph
 in tones of ladylike reserve1 and so on
 through thousands of graded repetitions
 till the desired results were obtained4
  ,the primary education of the         

phonograph was comical in the extreme4  
,to hear those grave and reverend       
signors1 rich in scientific honors1     
patiently reiterating3       ,mary had a
 little lamb1      ,a little lamb1 lamb1
 ,,lamb1  and elaborating that point    
with anxious gravity1 was to receive a  
practical demonstration of the eternal  
unfitness of things4  ,milton1 when     
blind1 old and poor1 showed a royal     
cheerfulness and never bated one jot of 
heart or hope1 but steered right onward4
  ,dickens' characters seemed to possess
 him1 and haunt him day and night until 
properly portrayed in his stories4  ,at 
a time when it was considered dangerous 
to society in ,europe for the common    
people to read books and listen to      
lectures on any but religious subjects1 
,charles ,knight determined to enlighten
 the masses by cheap literature4 ,he    
believed that a paper could be          
instructive and not be dull1 cheap      
without being wicked4 ,he started the   
,penny ,magazine1 which acquired a      

circulation of #bjj1jjj the first year4 
,knight projected the ,penny            
,cyclopedia1 the ,library of            
,entertaining ,knowledge1 ,half-,hours  
,with the ,best ,authors1 and other     
useful books at a low price4 ,his whole 
adult life was spent in the work of     
elevating the common people by cheap1   
yet wholesome1 publications4 ,he died in
 poverty1 but grateful people have      
erected a noble monument over his ashes4
  ,demosthenes roused the torpid spirits
 of his countrymen to a vigorous effort 
to preserve their independence against  
the designs of an ambitious and artful  
prince1 and ,philip had just reason to  
say he was more afraid of that man than 
of all the fleets and armies of the     
,athenians4  ,horace ,greeley was a     
hampered genius who never had a chance  
to show himself until he started the    
,tribune1 into which he poured his whole
 individuality1 life and soul4  ,emerson
 lost the first years of his life trying
 to be somebody else4 ,he finally came  

to himself and said3 ,if a single man   
plant himself indomitably on his        
instincts1 and there abide1 the whole   
world will come round to him in the end4
 ,though we travel the world over to    
find the beautiful we must carry it with
 us or we find it not4 ,the man that    
stands by himself the universe stands by
 him also4 ,take ,michael ,angelo's     
course1 'to confide in one's self and be
 something of worth and value4' ,none of
 us will ever accomplish anything       
excellent or commanding except when he  
listens to this whisper which is heard  
by him alone4  ,many unknown writers    
would make fame and fortune if1 like    
,bunyan and ,milton and ,dickens and    
,george ,eliot and ,scott and ,emerson1 
they would write their own lives in     
their ,,mss41 if they would write about 
things they have seen1 that they have   
felt1 that they have known4 ,it is life 
thoughts that stir and convince1 that   
move and persuade1 that carry their very
 iron particles into the blood4 ,the    

real heaven has never been outdone by   
the ideal4  ,neither poverty nor        
misfortune could keep ,linnus from his  
botany4  ,the ,english and ,austrian    
armies called ,napoleon the             
one-hundred-thousand-man4 ,his presence 
was considered equal to that force in   
battle4  ,the lesson he teaches is that 
which vigor always teaches--that there  
is always room for it4 ,to what heaps of
 cowardly doubts is not that man's life 
an answer4     ,,chapter ,x4  ,,to ,,be 
,,great1 ,,concentrate4       ,let every
 one ascertain his special business and 
calling1 and      then stick to it4     
--,,franklin4       ,he who follows two 
hares is sure to catch neither4         
,none sends his arrow to the mark in    
view1      ,whose hand is feeble1 or his
 aim untrue4      --,,cowper4       ,he 
who wishes to fulfill his mission must  
be a man of one idea1      that is1 of  
one great overmastering purpose1        
overshadowing all      his aims1 and    
guiding and controlling his entire life4

      --,,bate4       ,the shortest way 
to do anything is to do only one thing  
at a      time4      --,,cecil4         
,the power of concentration is one of   
the most valuable of      intellectual  
attainments4      --,,horace ,,mann4    
,the power of a man increases steadily  
by continuance in one      direction4   
--,,emerson4       ,careful attention to
 one thing often proves superior to     
genius      and art4      --,,cicero4   
,it puffed like a locomotive1 said a boy
 of the donkey engine2 it whistled like 
the steam-cars1 but it didn't go        
anywhere4  ,the world is full of        
donkey-engines1 of people who can       
whistle and puff and pull1 but they     
don't go anywhere1 they have no definite
 aim1 no controlling purpose4  ,the     
great secret of ,napoleon's power lay in
 his marvelous ability to concentrate   
his forces upon a single point4 ,after  
finding the weak place in the enemy's   
ranks he would mass his men and hurl    
them upon the enemy like an avalanche   

until he made a breach4 ,what a lesson  
of the power of concentration there is  
in that man's life6 ,he was such a      
master of himself that he could         
concentrate his powers upon the smallest
 detail as well as upon an empire4      
,when ,napoleon had anything to say he  
always went straight to his mark4 ,he   
had a purpose in everything he did2     
there was no dilly-dallying nor         
shilly-shallying2 he knew what he wanted
 to say1 and said it4 ,it was the same  
with all his plans2 what he wanted to   
do1 he did4 ,he always hit the bull's   
eye4 ,his great success in war was due  
largely to his definiteness of aim4 ,he 
knew what he wanted to do1 and did it4  
,he was like a great burning glass1     
concentrating the rays of the sun upon a
 single spot2 he burned a hole wherever 
he went4  ,the sun's rays scattered do  
no execution1 but concentrated in a     
burning glass1 they melt solid granite2 
yes1 a diamond1 even4 ,there are plenty 
of men who have ability enough1 the rays

 of their faculties taken separately are
 all right2 but they are powerless to   
collect them1 to concentrate them upon a
 single object4 ,they lack the burning  
glass of a purpose1 to focalize upon one
 spot the separate rays of their        
ability4 ,versatile men1 universal      
geniuses1 are usually weak1 because they
 have no power to concentrate the rays  
of their ability1 to focalize them upon 
one point1 until they burn a hole in    
whatever they undertake4  ,this power to
 bring all of one's scattered forces    
into one focal point makes all the      
difference between success and failure4 
,the sun might blaze out upon the earth 
forever without burning a hole in it or 
setting anything on fire2 whereas a very
 few of these rays concentrated in a    
burning glass would1 as stated1         
transform a diamond into vapor4  ,sir   
,james ,mackintosh was a man of         
marvelous ability4 ,he excited in       
everybody who knew him great            
expectations1 but there was no purpose  

in his life to act as a burning glass to
 collect the brilliant rays of his      
intellect1 by which he might have       
dazzled the world4 ,most men have       
ability enough1 if they could only      
focalize it into one grand1 central1    
all-absorbing purpose1 to accomplish    
great things4  ,to encourage me in my   
efforts to cultivate the power of       
attention1 said a friend of ,john ,c4   
,calhoun1 he stated that to this end he 
had early subjected his mind to such a  
rigid course of discipline1 and had     
persisted without faltering until he had
 acquired a perfect control over it2    
that he could now confine it to any     
subject as long as he pleased1 without  
wandering even for a moment2 that it was
 his uniform habit1 when he set out     
alone to walk or ride1 to select a      
subject for reflection1 and that he     
never suffered his attention to wander  
from it until he was satisfied with its 
examination4  ,my friend laughs at me   
because ,i have but one idea1 said a    

learned ,american chemist2 but ,i have  
learned that if ,i wish ever to make a  
breach in a wall1 ,i must play my guns  
continually upon one point4  ,it is his 
will that has made him what he is1 said 
an intimate friend of ,philip ,d4       
,armour1 the ,chicago millionaire4 ,he  
fixes his eye on something ahead1 and no
 matter what rises upon the right or the
 left he never sees it4 ,he goes        
straight in pursuit of the object ahead1
 and overtakes it at last4 ,he never    
gives up what he undertakes4  ,while    
,horace ,greeley would devote a column  
of the ,new ,york ,tribune to an        
article1 ,thurlow ,weed would treat the 
same subject in a few words in the      
,albany ,evening ,journal1 and put the  
argument into such shape as to carry far
 more conviction4  ,if you would be     
pungent1 says ,southey1 be brief2 for it
 is with words as with sunbeams--the    
more they are condensed the deeper they 
burn4  ,the only valuable kind of study1
 said ,sydney ,smith1 is to read so     

heartily that dinner-time comes two     
hours before you expected it2 to sit    
with your ,livy before you and hear the 
geese cackling that saved the ,capitol1 
and to see with your own eyes the       
,carthaginian sutlers gathering up the  
rings of the ,roman knights after the   
battle of ,cann1 and heaping them into  
bushels1 and to be so intimately present
 at the actions you are reading of1 that
 when anybody knocks at the door it will
 take you two or three seconds to       
determine whether you are in your own   
study or on the plains of ,lombardy1    
looking at ,hannibal's weather-beaten   
face and admiring the splendor of his   
single eye4  ,never study on            
speculation1 says ,waters2 all such     
study is vain4 ,form a plan2 have an    
object2 then work for it2 learn all you 
can about it1 and you will be sure to   
succeed4 ,what ,i mean by studying on   
speculation is that aimless learning of 
things because they may be useful some  
day2 which is like the conduct of the   

woman who bought at auction a brass     
door-plate with the name of ,thompson on
 it1 thinking it might be useful some   
day6  ,i resolved1 when ,i began to read
 law1 said ,edward ,sugden1 afterward   
,lord ,st4 ,leonard1 to make everything 
,i acquired perfectly my own1 and never 
go on to a second reading till ,i had   
entirely accomplished the first4 ,many  
of the competitors read as much in a day
 as ,i did in a week2 but at the end of 
twelve months my knowledge was as fresh 
as on the day it was acquired1 while    
theirs had glided away from their       
recollection4  ,very often1 says ,sidney
 ,smith1 the modern precept of education
 is1 ',be ignorant of nothing4' ,but my 
advice is1 have the courage to be       
ignorant of a great number of things1   
that you may avoid the calamity of being
 ignorant of all things4  ,lord1 help me
 to take fewer things into my hands1 and
 to do them well1 is a prayer           
recommended by ,paxton ,hood to an      
overworked man4  ,many persons seeing me

 so much engaged in active life1 said   
,edward ,bulwer ,lytton1 and as much    
about the world as if ,i had never been 
a student1 have said to me1 ',when do   
you get time to write all your books8   
,how on earth do you contrive to do so  
much work8' ,i shall surprise you by the
 answer ,i made4 ,the answer is this--,i
 contrive to do so much work by never   
doing too much at a time4 ,a man to get 
through work well must not overwork     
himself2 or1 if he do too much to-day1  
the reaction of fatigue will come1 and  
he will be obliged to do too little     
to-morrow4 ,now1 since ,i began really  
and earnestly to study1 which was not   
till ,i had left college1 and was       
actually in the world1 ,i may perhaps   
say that ,i have gone through as large a
 course of general reading as most men  
of my time4 ,i have traveled much and ,i
 have seen much2 ,i have mixed much in  
politics1 and in the various business of
 life2 and in addition to all this1 ,i  
have published somewhere about sixty    

volumes1 some upon subjects requiring   
much special research4 ,and what time do
 you think1 as a general rule1 ,i have  
devoted to study1 to reading1 and       
writing8 ,not more than three hours a   
day2 and1 when ,parliament is sitting1  
not always that4 ,but then1 during these
 three hours1 ,i have given my whole    
attention to what ,i was about4  ,the   
things that are crowded out of a life   
are the test of that life4 ,not what we 
would like1 but what we long for and    
strive for with all our might we attain4
  ,one great cause of failure of young  
men in business1 says ,carnegie1 is lack
 of concentration4 ,they are prone to   
seek outside investments4 ,the cause of 
many a surprising failure lies in so    
doing4 ,every dollar of capital and     
credit1 every business-thought1 should  
be concentrated upon the one business   
upon which a man has embarked4 ,he      
should never scatter his shot4 ,it is a 
poor business which will not yield      
better returns for increased capital    

than any outside investment4 ,no man or 
set of men or corporation can manage a  
business-man's capital as well as he can
 manage it himself4 ,the rule1 ',do not 
put all your eggs in one basket1' does  
not apply to a man's life-work4 ,put all
 your eggs in one basket and then watch 
that basket1 is the true doctrine--the  
most valuable rule of all4  ,a man must 
not only desire to be right1 said       
,beecher1 he must be right4 ,you may    
say1 ',i wish to send this ball so as to
 kill the lion crouching yonder1 ready  
to spring upon me4 ,my wishes are all   
right1 and ,i hope ,providence will     
direct the ball4' ,providence won't4    
,you must do it2 and if you do not1 you 
are a dead man4  ,the ruling idea of    
,milton's life and the key to his mental
 history is his resolve to produce a    
great poem4 ,not that the aspiration in 
itself is singular1 for it is probably  
shared in by every poet in his turn4 ,as
 every clever schoolboy is destined by  
himself or his friends to become        

,lord-,chancellor1 and every private in 
the ,french army carries in his         
haversack the baton of a marshal1 so it 
is a necessary ingredient of the dream  
of ,parnassus that it should embody     
itself in a form of surpassing          
brilliance4 ,what distinguishes ,milton 
from the crowd of youthful literary     
aspirants1 audax juventa1 is his        
constancy of resolve4 ,he not only      
nourished through manhood the dream of  
youth1 keeping under the importunate    
instincts which carry off most ambitions
 in middle life into the pursuit of     
place1 profit1 honor--the thorns which  
spring up and smother the wheat--but    
carried out his dream in its integrity  
in old age4 ,he formed himself for this 
achievement and no other4 ,study at     
home1 travel abroad1 the arena of       
political controversy1 the public       
service1 the practice of the domestic   
virtues1 were so many parts of the      
schooling which was to make a poet4     
,bismarck adopted it as the aim of his  

public life to snatch ,germany from     
,austrian oppression1 and to gather     
round ,prussia1 in a ,north ,german     
,confederation1 all the states whose    
tone of thought1 religion1 manners and  
interest were in harmony with those of  
,prussia4 ,to attain this end1 he once  
said in conversation1 ,i would brave all
 dangers--exile1 the scaffold itself4   
,what matter if they hang me1 provided  
the rope with which ,i am hung binds    
this new ,germany firmly to the         
,prussian throne8  ,it is related of    
,greeley that1 when he was writing his  
,american ,conflict1 he found it        
necessary to conceal himself somewhere1 
to prevent constant interruptions4 ,he  
accordingly took a room in the ,bible   
house1 where he worked from ten in the  
morning till five in the afternoon1 and 
then appeared in the sanctum1 seemingly 
as fresh as ever4  ,cooper ,institute is
 the evening school which ,peter        
,cooper1 as long ago as #ahaj1 resolved 
to found some day1 when he was looking  

about as an apprentice for a place where
 he could go to school evenings4        
,through all his career in various      
branches of business he never lost sight
 of this object2 and1 as his wealth     
increased1 he was pleased that it       
brought nearer the realization of his   
dream4  ,see a great lawyer like ,rufus 
,choate1 says ,dr4 ,storrs1 in a case   
where his convictions are strong and his
 feelings are enlisted4 ,he saw long    
ago1 as he glanced over the box1 that   
five of those in it were sympathetic    
with him2 as he went on he became       
equally certain of seven2 the number now
 has risen to ten2 but two are still    
left whom he feels that he has not      
persuaded or mastered4 ,upon them he now
 concentrates his power1 summing up the 
facts1 setting forth anew and more      
forcibly the principles1 urging upon    
them his view of the case with a more   
and more intense action of his mind upon
 theirs1 until one only is left4 ,like  
the blow of a hammer1 continually       

repeated until the iron bar crumbles    
beneath it1 his whole force comes with  
ceaseless percussion on that one mind   
till it has yielded1 and accepts the    
conviction on which the pleader's       
purpose is fixed4 ,men say afterward1   
',he surpassed himself4' ,it was only   
because the singleness of his aim gave  
unity1 intensity1 and overpowering      
energy to the mind4  ,the foreman of the
 jury1 however1 said ,whipple1 was a    
hard-hearted1 practical man1 a model of 
business intellect and integrity1 but   
with an incapacity of understanding any 
intellect or conscience radically       
differing from his own4 ,mr4 ,choate's  
argument1 as far as the facts and the   
law were concerned1 was through in an   
hour4 ,still he went on speaking4 ,hour 
after hour passed1 and yet he continued 
to speak with constantly increasing     
eloquence1 repeating and recapitulating1
 without any seeming reason1 facts which
 he had already stated and arguments    
which he had already urged4 ,the truth  

was1 as ,i gradually learned1 that he   
was engaged in a hand-to-hand--or rather
 in a brain-to-brain and a              
heart-to-heart--contest with the        
foreman1 whose resistance he was        
determined to break down1 but who       
confronted him for three hours with     
defiance observable in every rigid line 
of his honest countenance4 ',you fool6' 
was the burden of the advocate's        
ingenious argument4 ',you rascal6' was  
the phrase legibly printed on the       
foreman's incredulous face4 ,but at last
 the features of the foreman began to   
relax1 and at the end the stern lines   
melted into acquiescence with the       
opinion of the advocate1 who had been   
storming at the defences of his mind1   
his heart1 and his conscience for five  
hours1 and had now entered as victor4   
,the verdict was ',not guilty4'  ,he who
 would do some great thing in this short
 life must apply himself to the work    
with such a concentration of his forces 
as1 to idle spectators1 who live only to

 amuse themselves1 looks like insanity4 
,it is generally thought that when a man
 is said to be dissipated in his habits 
he must be a drinking man1 or a gambler1
 or licentious1 or all three2 but       
dissipation is of two kinds1 coarse and 
refined4 ,a man can dissipate or scatter
 all of his mental energies and physical
 power by indulging in too many         
respectable diversions1 as easily as in 
habits of a viler nature4 ,property and 
its cares make some men dissipated2 too 
many friends make others4 ,the exactions
 of society1 the balls1 parties1        
receptions1 and various entertainments  
constantly being given and attended by  
the beau monde1 constitute a most       
wasting species of dissipation4 ,others1
 again1 fritter away all their time and 
strength in political agitations1 or in 
controversies and gossip2 others in     
idling with music or some other one of  
the fine arts2 others in feasting or    
fasting1 as their dispositions and      
feelings incline4 ,but the man of       

concentration of purpose is never a     
dissipated man in any sense1 good or    
bad4 ,he has no time to devote to       
useless trifling of any kind1 but puts  
in as many strokes of faithful work as  
possible toward the attainment of some  
definite good4     ,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,at
 ,,once4       ,note the sublime        
precision that leads the earth over a   
circuit      of #ejj1jjj1jjj miles back 
to the solstice at the appointed        
moment without the loss of one          
second--no1 not the millionth      part 
of a second--for ages and ages of which 
it traveled that      imperial road4    
--,,edward ,,everett4       ,despatch is
 the soul of business4                  
--,,chesterfield4       ,unfaithfulness 
in the keeping of an appointment is an  
act of      clear dishonesty4 ,you may  
as well borrow a person's money as      
his time4      --,,horace ,,mann4       
,by the street of by-and-by one arrives 
at the house of never4                  
--,,cervantes4       ,the greatest thief

 this world has ever produced is        
procrastination1 and he is still at     
large4      --,h4 ,w4 ,,shaw4   ,oh1 how
 ,i do appreciate a boy who is always on
 time6 says ,h4 ,c4 ,bowen4 ,how quickly
 you learn to depend on him1 and how    
soon you find yourself intrusting him   
with weightier matters6 ,the boy who has
 acquired a reputation for punctuality  
has made the first contribution to the  
capital that in after years makes his   
success a certainty6  ,nothing commends 
a young man so much to his employers1   
says ,john ,stuart ,blackie1 as accuracy
 and punctuality in the conduct of his  
business4 ,and no wonder4 ,on each man's
 exactitude depends the comfortable and 
easy going of his machine4 ,if the clock
 goes fitfully nobody knows the time of 
day2 and1 if your task is a link in the 
chain of another man's work1 you are his
 clock1 and he ought to be able to rely 
on you4  ,the whole period of youth1    
said ,ruskin1 is one essentially of     
formation1 edification1 instruction4    

,there is not an hour of it but is      
trembling with destinies--not a moment  
of which1 once passed1 the appointed    
work can ever be done again1 or the     
neglected blow struck on the cold iron4 
,to-morrow1 didst thou say8 asked       
,cotton4 ,go to--,i will not hear of it4
 ,to-morrow6 't is a sharper who stakes 
his penury against thy plenty--who takes
 thy ready cash and pays thee naught but
 wishes1 hopes and promises1 the        
currency of idiots4 ,to-morrow6 it is a 
period nowhere to be found in all the   
hoary registers of time1 unless         
perchance in the fool's calendar4       
,wisdom disclaims the word1 nor holds   
society with those that own it4 ',tis   
fancy's child1 and folly is its father2 
wrought of such stuffs as dreams are2   
and baseless as the fantastic visions of
 the evening4 ,oh1 how many a wreck on  
the road to success could say3 ,i have  
spent all my life in the pursuit of     
to-morrow1 being assured that to-morrow 
has some vast benefit or other in store 

for me4  ,i give it as my deliberate and
 solemn conviction1 said ,dr4 ,fitch1   
that the individual who is tardy in     
meeting an appointment will never be    
respected or successful in life4  ,if a 
man has no regard for the time of other 
men1 said ,horace ,greeley1 why should  
he have for their money8 ,what is the   
difference between taking a man's hour  
and taking his five dollars8 ,there are 
many men to whom each hour of the       
business day is worth more than five    
dollars4  ,a man who keeps his time will
 keep his word2 in truth1 he cannot keep
 his word unless he does keep his time4 
,when the ,duchess of ,sutherland came  
late1 keeping the court waiting1 the    
queen1 who was always vexed by          
tardiness1 presented her with her own   
watch1 saying1 ,i am afraid your's does 
not keep good time4  ,then you must get 
a new watch1 or ,i another secretary1   
replied ,washington1 when his secretary 
excused the lateness of his attendance  
by saying that his watch was too slow4  

,i have generally found that a man who  
is good at an excuse is good for nothing
 else1 said ,franklin to a servant who  
was always late1 but always ready with  
an excuse4  ,one of the best things     
about school and college life is that   
the bell which strikes the hour for     
rising1 for recitations1 or for         
lectures1 teaches habits of promptness4 
,every young man should have a watch    
which is a good timekeeper2 one that is 
nearly right encourages bad habits1 and 
is an expensive investment at any price4
 ,wear threadbare clothes if you must1  
but never carry an inaccurate watch4    
,five minutes behind time has ruined    
many a man and many a firm4  ,he who    
rises late1 says ,fuller1 must trot all 
day1 and shall scarcely overtake his    
business at night4  ,some people are too
 late for everything but ruin2 when a   
nobleman apologized to ,george ,,iii4   
for being late1 and said1 better late   
than never1 the king replied1 ,no1 ,i   
say1 better never than late4  ,better   

late than never is not half so good a   
maxim as ,better never late4  ,if       
,samuel ,budgett was even a minute late 
at an appointment he would apologize2 he
 was as punctual as a chronometer4      
,punctuality is contagious4 ,napoleon   
infused promptness into his officers    
every minute4 ,what power there is in   
promptness to take the drudgery out of a
 disagreeable task4  ,a singular        
mischance has happened to some of our   
friends1 said ,hamilton4 ,at the instant
 when ,he ushered them into existence1  
,god gave them work to do1 and ,he also 
gave them a competency of time2 so much 
that if they began at the right moment  
and wrought with sufficient vigor1 their
 time and their work would end together4
 ,but a good many years ago a strange   
misfortune befell them4 ,a fragment of  
their allotted time was lost4 ,they     
cannot tell what became of it1 but sure 
enough1 it has dropped out of existence2
 for just like two measuring lines laid 
alongside the one an inch shorter than  

the other1 their work and their time run
 parallel1 but the work is always ten   
minutes in advance of the time4 ,they   
are not irregular4 ,they are never too  
soon4 ,their letters are posted the very
 minute after the mail is closed4 ,they 
arrive at the wharf just in time to see 
the steamboat off1 they come in sight of
 the terminus precisely as the station  
gates are closing4 ,they do not break   
any engagement nor neglect any duty2 but
 they systematically go about it too    
late1 and usually too late by about the 
same fatal interval4  ,of ,tours1 the   
wealthy ,new ,orleans ship-owner1 it is 
said that he was as methodical and      
regular as a clock1 and that his        
neighbors were in the habit of judging  
of the time of the day by his movements4
  ,how1 asked a man of ,sir ,walter     
,raleigh1 do you accomplish so much and 
in so short a time8 ,when ,i have       
anything do1 ,i go and do it1 was the   
reply4 ,the man who always acts         
promptly1 even if he makes occasional   

mistakes1 will succeed when a           
procrastinator will fail--even if he    
have the better judgment4  ,when asked  
how he got through so much work1 ,lord  
,chesterfield replied3 ,because ,i never
 put off till morrow what ,i can do     
to-day4  ,dewitt1 pensionary of         
,holland1 answered the same question3   
,nothing is more easy2 never do but one 
thing at a time1 and never put off until
 to-morrow what can be done to-day4     
,walter ,scott was a very punctual man4 
,this was the secret of his enormous    
achievements4 ,he made it a rule to     
answer all letters the day they were    
received4 ,he rose at five4 ,by         
breakfast time he had broken the neck of
 the day's work1 as he used to say4     
,writing to a youth who had obtained a  
situation and asked him for advice1 he  
gave this counsel3 ,beware of stumbling 
over a propensity which easily besets   
you from not having your time fully     
employed--,i mean what the women call   
dawdling4 ,do instantly whatever is to  

be done1 and take the hours of          
recreation after business1 never before 
it4  ,frederick the ,great had a maxim3 
,time is the only treasure of which it  
is proper to be avaricious4  ,leibnitz  
declared that the loss of an hour is the
 loss of a part of life4  ,napoleon1 who
 knew the value of time1 remarked that  
it was the quarter hours that won       
battles4 ,the value of minutes has been 
often recognized1 and any person        
watching a railway clerk handing out    
tickets and change during the last few  
minutes available must have been struck 
with how much could be done in these    
short periods of time4  ,at the         
appointed hour the train starts and by  
and by is carrying passengers at the    
rate of sixty miles an hour4 ,in a      
second you are carried twenty-nine      
yards4 ,in one twenty-ninth of a second 
you pass over one yard4 ,now1 one yard  
is quite an appreciable distance1 but   
one twenty-ninth of a second is a period
 which cannot be appreciated4  ,the     

father of the ,webster brothers1 before 
going away to be gone for a week1 gave  
his boys a stint to cut a field of corn1
 telling them that after it was done1 if
 they had any time left1 they might do  
what they pleased4 ,the boys looked the 
field over on ,monday morning and       
concluded they could do all the work in 
three days1 so they decided to play the 
first three days4 ,thursday morning they
 went to the field1 but it looked so    
much larger than it did on ,monday      
morning1 that they decided they could   
not possibly do it in three days1 and   
rather than not do it all1 they would   
not touch it4 ,when the angry father    
returned1 he called ,ezekiel to him and 
asked him why they had not harvested the
 corn4 ,what have you been doing8 said  
the stern father4 ,nothing1 father4 ,and
 what have you been doing1 ,daniel8     
,helping ,zeke1 sir4  ,how many boys1   
and men1 too1 waste hours and days      
helping ,zeke6  ,remember the world was 
created in six days1 said ,napoleon to  

one of his officers4 ,ask for whatever  
you please except time4  ,railroads and 
steamboats have been wonderful educators
 in promptness4 ,no matter who is late  
they leave right on the minute4  ,it is 
interesting to watch people at a great  
railroad station1 running1 hurrying1    
trying to make up time1 for they well   
know when the time arrives the train    
will leave4  ,factories1 shops1 stores1 
banks1 everything opens and closes on   
the minute4 ,the higher the state of    
civilization the prompter is everything 
done4 ,in countries without railroads1  
as in ,eastern countries1 everything is 
behind time4 ,everybody is indolent and 
lazy4  ,the world knows that the prompt 
man's bills and notes will be paid on   
the day they are due1 and will trust    
him4 ,people will give him credit1 for  
they know they can depend upon him4 ,but
 lack of promptness will shake          
confidence almost as quickly as         
downright dishonesty4 ,the man who has a
 habit of dawdling or listlessness will 

show it in everything he does4 ,he is   
late at meals1 late at work1 dawdles on 
the street1 loses his train1 misses his 
appointments1 and dawdles at his store  
until the banks are closed4 ,everybody  
he meets suffers more or less from his  
malady1 for dawdling becomes practically
 a disease4  ,you will never find time  
for anything1 said ,charles ,buxton2 if 
you want time you must make it4  ,the   
best work we ever do is that which we do
 now1 and can never repeat4 ,too late1  
is the curse of the unsuccessful1 who   
forget that one to-day is worth two     
to-morrows4  ,time accepts no sacrifice2
 it admits of neither redemption nor    
atonement4 ,it is the true avenger4     
,your enemy may become your             
friend1--your injurer may do you        
justice1--but ,time is inexorable1 and  
has no mercy4       ,then stay the      
present instant1 dear ,horatio3         
,imprint the marks of wisdom on its     
wings4      ',tis of more worth than    
kingdoms6 far more precious      ,than  

all the crimson treasures of life's     
fountain4      ,o6 let it not elude thy 
grasp2 but1 like      ,the good old     
patriarch upon record1      ,hold the   
fleet angel fast until he bless thee4   
--,,nathaniel ,,cotton4     ,,chapter   
,,xii4  ,,thoroughness4       ,doing    
well depends upon doing completely4     
--,,persian ,,proverb4       ,he who    
does well will always have patrons      
enough4      --,,plautus4       ,if a   
man can write a better book1 preach a   
better sermon1 or      make a better    
mouse-trap than his neighbor1 though he 
build his      house in the woods1 the  
world will make a beaten path to his    
door4      --,,emerson4       ,i hate a 
thing done by halves4 ,if it be right1  
do it boldly2 if      it be wrong1 leave
 it undone4      --,,gilpin4       ,no  
two things differ more than ,hurry and  
,dispatch4 ,hurry is the      mark of a 
weak mind1 ,dispatch of a strong one4 99
 99 99 ,like a      turnstile1 he 7the  
weak man7 is in everybody's way1 but    

stops      nobody2 he talks a great     
deal1 but says very little2 looks into  
everything1 but sees nothing2 and has a 
hundred irons in the      fire1 but very
 few of them are hot1 and with those few
 that are      he only burns his        
fingers4      --,,colton4   ,make me as 
good a hammer as you know how1 said a   
carpenter to the blacksmith in a ,new   
,york village before the first railroad 
was built2 six of us have come to work  
on the new church1 and ,i've left mine  
at home4 ,as good a one as ,i know how8 
asked ,david ,maydole1 doubtfully1 but  
perhaps you don't want to pay for as    
good a one as ,i know how to make4 ,yes1
 ,i do1 said the carpenter1 ,i want a   
good hammer4  ,it was indeed a good     
hammer that he received1 the best1      
probably1 that had ever been made4 ,by  
means of a longer hole than usual1      
,david had wedged the handle in its     
place so that the head could not fly    
off1 a wonderful improvement in the eyes
 of the carpenter1 who boasted of his   

prize to his companions4 ,they all came 
to the shop next day1 and each ordered  
just such a hammer4 ,when the contractor
 saw the tools1 he ordered two for      
himself1 asking that they be made a     
little better than those for his men4 ,i
 can't make any better ones1 said       
,maydole2 when ,i make a thing1 ,i make 
it as well as ,i can1 no matter whom it 
is for4  ,the storekeeper soon ordered  
two dozen1 a supply unheard of in his   
previous business career4 ,a ,new ,york 
dealer in tools came to the village to  
sell his wares1 and bought all the      
storekeeper had1 and left a standing    
order for all the blacksmith could make4
 ,david might have grown very wealthy by
 making goods of the standard already   
attained2 but throughout his long and   
successful life he never ceased to study
 still further to perfect his hammers in
 the minutest detail4 ,they were usually
 sold without any warrant of excellence1
 the word ,maydole stamped on the head  
being universally considered a guaranty 

of the best article the world could     
produce4 ,character is power1 and is the
 best advertisement in the world4  ,yes1
 said he one day to the late ,james     
,parton1 who told this story1 ,i have   
made hammers in this little village for 
twenty-eight years4 ,well1 replied the  
great historian1 by this time you ought 
to make a pretty good hammer4  ,no1 ,i  
can't1 was the reply1 ,i can't make a   
pretty good hammer4 ,i make the best    
hammer that's made4 ,my only care is to 
make a perfect hammer4 ,if folks don't  
want to pay me what they're worth1      
they're welcome to buy cheaper ones     
somewhere else4 ,my wants are few1 and  
,i'm ready any time to go back to my    
blacksmith's shop1 where ,i worked forty
 years ago1 before ,i thought of making 
hammers4 ,then ,i had a boy to blow by  
bellows1 now ,i have one hundred and    
fifteen men4 ,do you see them over there
 watching the heads cook over the       
charcoal furnace1 as your cook1 if she  
knows what she is about1 watches the    

chops broiling8 ,each of them is        
hammered out of a piece of iron1 and is 
tempered under the inspection of an     
experienced man4 ,every handle is       
seasoned three years1 or until there is 
no shrink left in it4 ,once ,i thought  
,i could use machinery in manufacturing 
them2 now ,i know that a perfect tool   
can't be made by machinery1 and every   
bit of the work is done by hand4  ,in   
telling this little story1 said ,parton1
 ,i have told thousands of stories4     
,take the word 'hammer' out of it1 and  
put 'glue' in its place1 and you have   
the history of ,peter ,cooper4 ,by      
putting in other words1 you can make the
 true history of every great business in
 the world which has lasted thirty      
years4  ,we have no secret1 said        
,manager ,daniel ,j4 ,morrill1 of the   
,cambria ,iron ,works1 employing seven  
thousand men1 at ,johnstown1 ,pa4 ,we   
always try to beat our last batch of    
rails4 ,that is all the secret we've    
got1 and we don't care who knows it4  ,i

 don't try to see how cheap a machine ,i
 can produce1 but how good a machine1   
said the late ,john ,c4 ,whitin1 of     
,northbridge1 ,mass41 to a customer who 
complained of the high price of some    
cotton machinery4 ,business men soon    
learned what this meant2 and when there 
was occasion to advertise any machinery 
for sale1 ,new ,england cotton          
manufacturers were accustomed to state  
the number of years it had been in use  
and add1 as an all-sufficient guaranty  
of ,northbridge products1 ,whitin make4 
,put thoroughness into your work3 it    
pays4  ,the accurate boy is always the  
favored one1 said ,president ,tuttle4   
,if a carpenter must stand at his       
journeyman's elbow to be sure his work  
is right1 or if a cashier must run over 
his bookkeeper's columns1 he might as   
well do the work himself as employ      
another to do it in that way4  ,mr4     
,girard1 can you not assist me by giving
 me a little work8 asked one ,john      
,smith1 who had formerly worked for the 

great banker and attracted attention by 
his activity4  ,assistance--work--ah8   
,you want work8 ,yes sir2 it's a long   
time since ,i've had anything to do4    
,very well1 ,i shall give you some4 ,you
 see dem stone yondare8 ,yes1 sir4 ,very
 well2 you shall fetch and put them in  
this place2 you see8 ,yes sir4 ,and when
 you done1 come to me at my bank4       
,smith finished his task1 reported to   
,mr4 ,girard1 and asked for more work4  
,ah1 ha1 oui4 ,you want more work8 ,very
 well2 you shall go place dem stone     
where you got him4 ,understandez8 ,you  
take him back4 ,yes1 sir4  ,again ,smith
 performed the work and waited on ,mr4  
,girard for payment4 ,ah1 ha1 you all   
finish8 ,yes1 sir4 ,very well2 how much 
money shall ,i give you8 ,one dollar1   
sir4 ,dat is honest4 ,you take no       
advantage4 ,dare is your dollar4 ,can ,i
 do anything else for you8 ,oui1 come   
here when you get up to-morrow4 ,you    
shall have more work4  ,smith was       
punctual1 but for the third time1 and   

yet again for the fourth1 he was ordered
 to take dem stone back again4 ,when he 
called for his pay in the evening       
,stephen ,girard spoke very cordially4  
,ah1 ,monsieur ,smit1 you shall be my   
man2 you mind your own business and do  
it1 ask no questions1 you do not        
interfere4 ,you got one vife8 ,yes1 sir4
 ,ah1 dat is bad4 ,von vife is bad4 ,any
 little chicks8 ,yes1 sir1 five living4 
,five8 ,dat is good2 ,i like five4 ,i   
like you1 ,monsieur ,smit2 you like to  
work2 you mind your business4 ,now ,i do
 something for your five little chicks4 
,there3 take these five pieces of paper 
for your five little chicks2 you shall  
work for them2 you shall mind your own  
business1 and your little chicks shall  
never want five more4 ,in a few years   
,mr4 ,smith became one of the wealthiest
 and most respected merchants of        
,philadelphia4  ,it is difficult to     
estimate the great influence upon a life
 of the early formed habit of doing     
everything to a finish1 not leaving it  

half done1 or pretty nearly done1 but   
completely done4 ,nature finishes every 
little leaf1 even to every little rib1  
its edges and stem1 as exactly and      
perfectly as though it were the only    
leaf to be made that year4 ,even the    
flower that blooms in the mountain dell1
 where no human eye will ever behold it1
 is finished with the same perfection   
and exactness of form and outline1 with 
the same delicate shade of color1 with  
the same completeness of beauty1 as     
though it was made for royalty in the   
queen's garden4 ,perfection to the      
finish is a motto which every youth     
should adopt4  ,how did you attain such 
excellence in your profession8 was asked
 of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds4 ,by         
observing one simple rule1 namely1 to   
make each picture the best1 he replied4 
,the discipline of being exact is       
uplifting4 ,progress is never more rapid
 than it is when we are studying to be  
accurate4 ,the effort educates all the  
powers4 ,arthur ,helps says3 ,i do not  

know that there is anything except it be
 humility1 which is so valuable1 as an  
incident of education1 as accuracy3 and 
accuracy can be taught4 ,direct lies    
told to the world are as dust in the    
balance when weighed against the        
falsehoods of inaccuracy4  ,too many    
youths enter upon their business in a   
languid1 half-hearted way1 and do their 
work in a slipshod manner4 ,the         
consequence is that they inspire neither
 admiration nor confidence on the part  
of their superiors1 and cut off almost  
every chance of success4 ,there is a    
loose1 perfunctory method of doing one's
 work that never merits advance1 and    
very rarely wins it4 ,instead of        
buckling to their task with all the     
force they possess1 they merely touch it
 with the tips of their fingers1 their  
rule apparently being1 the maximum of   
ease with the minimum of work4 ,the     
principle of ,strafford1 the great      
minister of ,charles ,i41 is indicated  
by his motto1 the one word ,thorough4   

,it was said of ,king ,hezekiah1 ,in    
every work that he began1 he did it with
 all his heart and prospered4  ,the     
stone-cutter goes to work on a stone and
 most patiently shapes it4 ,he carves   
that bit of fern1 putting all his skill 
and taste into it4 ,and by-and-by the   
master says1 ,well done1 and takes it   
away and gives him another block and    
tells him to work on that4 ,and so he   
works on that from the rising of the sun
 till the going down of the same1 and he
 only knows that he is earning his      
bread4 ,and he continues to put all his 
skill and taste into his work4 ,he has  
no idea what use will be made of these  
few stones which he has been carving1   
until afterward1 when1 one day1 walking 
along the street1 and looking up at the 
front of the ,art ,gallery1 he sees the 
stones upon which he has worked4 ,he did
 not know what they were for1 but the   
architect did4 ,and as he stands looking
 at his work on that structure which is 
the beauty of the whole street1 he says3

 ,i am glad ,i did it well4 ,and every  
day as he passes that way1 he says to   
himself exultingly1 ,i did it well4 ,he 
did not draw the design1 nor plan the   
building1 and he knew nothing of what   
use was to be made of his work3 but he  
took pains in cutting those stems2 and  
when he saw they were a part of that    
magnificent structure1 his soul         
rejoiced4  ,work that is not finished1  
is not work at all2 it is merely a      
botch4 ,we often see this defect of     
incompleteness in a child1 which        
increases in youth4 ,all about the      
house1 everywhere1 there are            
half-finished things4 ,it is true that  
children often become tired of things   
which they begin with enthusiasm2 but   
there is a great difference in children 
about finishing what they undertake4 ,a 
boy1 for instance1 will start out in the
 morning with great enthusiasm to dig   
his garden over2 but1 after a few       
minutes1 his enthusiasm has evaporated1 
and he wants to go fishing4 ,he soon    

becomes tired of this1 and thinks he    
will make a boat4 ,no sooner does he get
 a saw and knife and a few pieces of    
board about him than he makes up his    
mind that really what he wanted to do1  
after all1 was to play ball1 and this1  
in turn1 must give way to something     
else4  ,one watch1 set right1 will do to
 set many by2 but1 on the other hand1   
one that goes wrong may be the means of 
misleading a whole neighborhood4 ,the   
same may be said of the example we      
individually set to those around us4    
,whatever ,i have tried to do in life1  
said ,dickens1 ,i have tried with all my
 heart to do well4 ,what ,i have devoted
 myself to1 ,i have devoted myself to   
completely4  ,it is no disgrace to be a 
shoemaker1 but it is a disgrace for a   
shoemaker to make bad shoes4  ,a        
traveler1 recently returned from        
,jerusalem1 found1 in conversation with 
,humboldt1 that the latter was as       
conversant with the streets and houses  
of ,jerusalem as he was himself4 ,on    

being asked how long it was since he had
 visited it1 the aged philosopher       
replied3 ,i have never been there2 but  
,i expected to go sixty years since1 and
 ,i prepared myself4  ,so noted for     
excellency was everything bearing the   
brand of ,george ,washington1 that a    
barrel of flour marked ,george          
,washington1 ,mount ,vernon1 was        
exempted from the customary inspection  
in the ,west ,india ports4  ,pascal1 the
 most wonderful mathematical genius of  
his time1 whose work on conic sections1 
at sixteen1 ,descartes refused to       
believe could be produced at that age1  
is considered to have fixed the ,french 
language1 as ,luther did the ,german1 by
 his writings4 ,none of his provincial  
letters1 with the exception of the last 
three1 was more than eight quarto pages 
in length1 yet he devoted twenty days to
 the writing of a single letter1 and one
 of them was written no less than       
thirteen times4  ,the night the         
,tasmania was wrecked1 the captain had  

given the course north by west1         
sixty-seven degrees4 ,he had taken      
account of eddies and currents4 ,the    
second officer1 overlooking these1      
ordered the helmsman to make it north by
 west1 fifty-seven degrees1 but to bring
 the ship around so gently that the     
captain wouldn't know it4 ,hence her    
destruction4  ,rev4 ,mr4 ,maley1 of the 
,ohio ,conference of the ,methodist     
,church1 had the habit of greatly       
exaggerating anything he talked about4  
,his brethren at conference told him    
that this habit was growing on him1 and 
rendering him unpopular in the ministry4
 ,mr4 ,maley heard them patiently1 and  
then said3 ,brethren1 ,i am aware of the
 truth of all you have said1 and have   
shed barrels of tears over it4  ,there  
is a great difference between going just
 right and a little wrong4     ,,chapter
 ,,xiii4  ,,trifles4       ,in the elder
 days of ,art        ,builders wrought  
with greatest care      ,each minute and
 unseen part1        ,for the gods see  

everywhere4      --,,longfellow4        
,think naught a trifle1 though it small 
appear1      ,small sands the mountain1 
moments make the year1      ,and        
trifles1 life4      --,,young4          
,the smallest hair throws its shadow4   
--,,goethe4       ,he that despiseth    
small things shall fall little by       
little4      --,,ecclesiastes4       ,it
 is the little rift within the lute1    
,that by and by will make the music     
mute1      ,and ever widening slowly    
silence all4      --,,tennyson4       ,a
 pebble in the streamlet scant          
,has turned the course of many a river3 
,a dewdrop on the baby plant        ,has
 warped the giant oak forever4       ,it
 is the close observation of little     
things which is the      secret of      
success in business1 in art1 in science1
 and in every      pursuit of life4     
--,,smiles4       ,only6--,but then the 
onlys      ,make up the mighty all4     
,my rule of conduct has been that       
whatever is worth doing at all is worth 

doing well1 said ,nicolas ,poussin1 the 
great ,french painter4 ,when asked the  
reason why he had become so eminent in a
 land of famous artists he replied1     
,because ,i have neglected nothing4  ,do
 little things now1 says a ,persian     
proverb2 so shall big things come to    
thee by and by asking to be done4 ,god  
will take care of the great things if we
 do not neglect the little ones4  ,a    
gentleman advertised for a boy to assist
 him in his office1 and nearly fifty    
applicants presented themselves to him4 
,out of the whole number he in a short  
time selected one and dismissed the     
rest4 ,i should like to know1 said a    
friend1 on what ground you selected that
 boy1 who had not a single              
recommendation8 ,you are mistaken1 said 
the gentleman1 he had a great many4 ,he 
wiped his feet when he came in1 and     
closed the door after him1 showing that 
he was careful4 ,he gave up his seat    
instantly to that lame old man1 showing 
that he was kind and thoughtful4 ,he    

took off his cap when he came in1 and   
answered my questions promptly and      
respectfully1 showing that he was polite
 and gentlemanly4 ,he picked up the book
 which ,i had purposely laid upon the   
floor1 and replaced it on the table1    
while all the rest stepped over it1 or  
shoved it aside2 and he waited quietly  
for his turn1 instead of pushing and    
crowding1 showing that he was honest and
 orderly4 ,when ,i talked to him1 ,i    
noticed that his clothes were carefully 
brushed1 his hair in nice order1 and his
 teeth as white as milk2 and when he    
wrote his name1 ,i noticed that his     
finger-nails were clean1 instead of     
being tipped with jet1 like that        
handsome little fellow's1 in the blue   
jacket4 ,don't you call those letters of
 recommendation8 ,i do2 and ,i would    
give more for what ,i can tell about a  
boy by using my eyes ten minutes1 than  
for all the fine letters he can bring   
me4  ,least of all seeds1 greatest of   
all harvests1 seems to be one of the    

great laws of nature4 ,all life comes   
from microscopic beginnings4 ,in nature 
there is nothing small4 ,the microscope 
reveals as great a world below as the   
telescope above4 ,all of nature's laws  
govern the smallest atoms1 and a single 
drop of water is a miniature ocean4  ,i 
cannot see that you have made any       
progress since my last visit1 said a    
gentleman to ,michael ,angelo4 ,but1    
said the sculptor1 ,i have retouched    
this part1 polished that1 softened that 
feature1 brought out that muscle1 given 
some expression to this lip1 more energy
 to that limb1 etc4 ,but they are       
trifles6 exclaimed the visitor4 ,it may 
be so1 replied the great artist1 but    
trifles make perfection1 and perfection 
is no trifle4 ,that infinite patience   
which made ,michael ,angelo spend a week
 in bringing out a muscle in a statue   
with more vital fidelity to truth1 or   
,gerhard ,dow a day in giving the right 
effect to a dewdrop on a cabbage leaf1  
makes all the difference between success

 and failure4  ,of what use is it8      
people asked with a sneer1 when         
,franklin told of his discovery that    
lightning and electricity are identical4
 ,what is the use of a child8 replied   
,franklin2 it may become a man4  ,in the
 earliest days of cotton spinning1 the  
small fibres would stick to the bobbins1
 and make it necessary to stop and clear
 the machinery4 ,although this loss of  
time reduced the earnings of the        
operatives1 the father of ,robert ,peel 
noticed that one of his spinners always 
drew full pay1 as his machine never     
stopped4 ,how is this1 ,dick8 asked ,mr4
 ,peel one day2 the on-looker tells me  
your bobbins are always clean4 ,ay1 that
 they be1 replied ,dick ,ferguson4 ,how 
do you manage it1 ,dick8 ,why1 you see1 
,meester ,peel1 said the workman1 it is 
sort o' secret6 ,if ,i tow'd ye1 yo'd be
 as wise as ,i am4 ,that's so1 said ,mr4
 ,peel1 smiling2 but ,i'd give you      
something to know4 ,could you make all  
the looms work as smoothly as yours8    

,ivery one of 'em1 meester1 replied     
,dick4 ,well1 what shall ,i give you for
 your secret8 asked ,mr4 ,peel1 and     
,dick replied1 ,gi' me a quart of ale   
every day as ,i'm in the mills1 and     
,i'll tell thee all about it4 ,agreed1  
said ,mr4 ,peel1 and ,dick whispered    
very cautiously in his ear1 ,chalk your 
bobbins6 ,that was the whole secret1 and
 ,mr4 ,peel soon shot ahead of all his  
competitors1 for he made machines that  
would chalk their own bobbins4 ,dick was
 handsomely rewarded with money instead 
of beer4 ,his little idea has saved the 
world millions of dollars4  ,the        
totality of a life at any moment is the 
product mainly of little things4        
,trifling choices1 insignificant        
exercises of the will1 unimportant acts 
often repeated1--things seemingly of    
small account1--these are the thousand  
tiny sculptors that are carving away    
constantly at the rude block of our     
life1 giving it shape and feature4      
,indeed the formation of character is   

much like the work of an artist in      
stone4 ,the sculptor takes a rough1     
unshapen mass of marble1 and with       
strong1 rapid strokes of mallet and     
chisel quickly brings into view the rude
 outline of his design2 but after the   
outline appears then come hours1 days1  
perhaps even years1 of patient1 minute  
labor4 ,a novice might see no change in 
the statue from one day to another2 for 
though the chisel touches the stone a   
thousand times1 it touches as lightly as
 the fall of a rain-drop1 but each touch
 leaves a mark4  ,the smallest thing    
becomes respectable when regarded as the
 commencement of what has advanced or is
 advancing into magnificence4 ,the crude
 settlement of ,romulus would have      
remained an insignificant circumstance  
and might have justly sunk into         
oblivion1 if ,rome had not at length    
commanded the world4  ,beecher says that
 men1 in their property1 are afraid of  
conflagrations and lightning strokes2   
but if they were building a wharf in    

,panama1 a million madrepores1 so small 
that only the microscope could detect   
them1 would begin to bore the piles down
 under the water4 ,there would be       
neither noise nor foam2 but in a little 
while1 if a child did but touch the     
post1 over it would fall as if a saw had
 cut it through4  ,men think1 with      
regard to their conduct1 that1 if they  
were to lift themselves up gigantically 
and commit some crashing sin1 they      
should never be able to hold up their   
heads2 but they will harbor in their    
souls little sins1 which are piercing   
and eating them away to inevitable ruin4
  ,lichens1 of themselves of little     
value1 prepare the way for important    
vegetation4 ,they deposit1 in dying1 an 
acid which wears away the rock and      
prepares the mould necessary for the    
nourishment of superior plants4  ,it was
 but a tiny rivulet trickling down the  
embankment that started the terrible    
,johnstown flood and swept thousands    
into eternity4 ,one noble heroic act has

 elevated a nation4 ,franklin's whole   
career was changed by a torn copy of    
,cotton ,mather's ,essays to ,do ,good4 
,taking up a stone to throw at a turtle 
was the turning point in ,theodore      
,parker's life4 ,as he raised the stone 
something within him said1 ,don't do it1
 and he didn't4 ,he went home and asked 
his mother what it was in him that said 
don't4 ,she told him it was conscience4 
,small things become great when a great 
soul sees them4 ,a child1 when asked why
 a certain tree grew crooked1 answered1 
,somebody trod upon it when it was a    
little fellow4  ,by gnawing through a   
dike1 even a rat may drown a nation4 ,a 
little boy in ,holland saw water        
trickling from a small hole near the    
bottom of a dike4 ,he realized that the 
leak would rapidly become larger if the 
water was not checked1 so he held his   
hand over the hole for hours on a dark  
and dismal night until he could attract 
the attention of passers-by4 ,his name  
is still held in grateful remembrance in

 ,holland4  ,we may tell which way the  
wind blew before the ,deluge by marking 
the ripple and cupping of the rain in   
the petrified sand now preserved        
forever4 ,we tell the very path by which
 gigantic creatures1 whom man never saw1
 walked to the river's edge to find     
their food4  ,the tears of ,virgilia and
 ,volumnia saved ,rome from the         
,volscians when nothing else could move 
the vengeful heart of ,coriolanus4  ,not
 even ,helen of ,troy1 it is said1 was  
beautiful enough to spare the tip of her
 nose2 and if ,cleopatra's had been an  
inch shorter ,mark ,antony would never  
have become infatuated with her         
wonderful charms1 and the blemish would 
have changed the history of the world4  
,anne ,boleyn's fascinating smile split 
the great ,church of ,rome in twain1 and
 gave a nation an altered destiny4      
,napoleon1 who feared not to attack the 
proudest monarchs in their capitals1    
shrank from the political influence of  
one independent woman in private life1  

,madame de ,stal4  ,it was a little     
thing for a cow to kick over a lantern  
left in a shanty1 but it laid ,chicago  
in ashes1 and rendered homeless a       
hundred thousand people4  ,the discovery
 of glass was due to a mere             
accident--the building of a fire on the 
sand2 and the bayonet1 first made at    
,bayonne1 in ,france1 owes its existence
 to the fact that a ,basque regiment1   
being hard pressed by the enemy1 one of 
the soldiers suggested that1 as their   
ammunition was exhausted1 they should   
fix their long knives into the barrels  
of their muskets1 which was done1 and   
the first bayonet-charge was made4  ,a  
jest led to a war between two great     
nations4 ,the presence of a comma in a  
deed1 lost to the owner of an estate    
five thousand dollars a month for eight 
months4 ,the battle of ,corunna was     
fought and ,sir ,john ,moore's life     
sacrificed1 in #ahji1 through a dragoon 
stopping to drink while bearing         
despatches4  ,you do no work1 said the  

scissors to the rivet4 ,where would your
 work be1 said the rivet to the         
scissors1 if ,i didn't keep you         
together8  ,every day is a little life2 
and our whole life but a day repeated4  
,those that dare lose a day are         
dangerously prodigal2 those that dare   
misspend it1 desperate4 ,what is the    
happiness of your life made up of8      
,little courtesies1 little kindnesses1  
pleasant words1 genial smiles1 a        
friendly letter1 good wishes1 and good  
deeds4 ,one in a million--once in a     
lifetime--may do a heroic action4  ,we  
call the large majority of human lives  
obscure4 ,presumptuous that we are6 ,how
 know we what lives a single thought    
retained from the dust of nameless      
graves may have lighted to renown8      
,,chapter ,,xiv4  ,,courage4       ,quit
 yourselves like men4      --#a ,,samuel
 iv4 #i4       ,cowards have no luck4   
--,,elizabeth ,,kulman4       ,he has   
not learned the lesson of life who does 
not every day      surmount a fear4     

--,,emerson4       ,to dare is better   
than to doubt1        ,for doubt is     
always grieving2      ',tis faith that  
finds the riddles out2        ,the prize
 is for believing4      --,,henry       
,,burton4                               
--,walk      ,boldly and wisely in that 
light thou hast2      ,there is a hand  
above will help thee on4                
--,,bailey',s ,,festus4       ,have     
hope6 ,though clouds environ now1       
,and gladness hides her face in scorn1  
,put thou the shadow from thy brow--    
,no night but hath its morn4   ,our     
enemies are before us1 exclaimed the    
,spartans at ,thermopyl4 ,and we are    
before them1 was the cool reply of      
,leonidas4 ,deliver your arms1 came the 
message from ,xerxes4 ,come and take    
them1 was the answer ,leonidas sent     
back4 ,a ,persian soldier said3 ,you    
will not be able to see the sun for     
flying javelins and arrows4 ,then we    
will fight in the shade1 replied a      
,lacedemonian4 ,what wonder that a      

handful of such men checked the march of
 the greatest host that ever trod the   
earth4  ,the hero1 says ,emerson1 is the
 man who is immovably centred4  ,darius 
the ,great sent ambassadors to the      
,athenians1 to demand earth and water1  
which denoted submission4 ,the          
,athenians threw them into a ditch and  
told them1 there was earth and water    
enough4  ,bring back the colors1 shouted
 a captain at the battle of the ,alma1  
when an ensign maintained his ground in 
front1 although the men were retreating4
 ,no1 cried the ensign1 bring up the men
 to the colors4 ,to dare1 and again to  
dare1 and without end to dare1 was      
,danton's noble defiance to the enemies 
of ,france4  ,shakespeare says3 ,he is  
not worthy of the honeycomb that shuns  
the hives because the bees have stings4 
,it is a bad omen1 said ,eric the ,red1 
when his horse slipped and fell on the  
way to his ship1 moored on the coast of 
,greenland1 in readiness for a voyage of
 discovery4 ,ill-fortune would be mine  

should ,i dare venture now upon the sea4
 ,so he returned to his house2 but his  
young son ,leif decided to go1 and with 
a crew of thirty-five men1 sailed       
southward in search of the unknown shore
 upon which ,captain ,biarni had been   
driven by a storm1 while sailing in     
another ,viking ship two or three years 
before4 ,the first land that they saw   
was probably ,labrador1 a barren1 rugged
 plain4 ,leif called this country       
,heluland1 or the land of flat stones4  
,sailing onward many days1 he came to a 
low1 level coast thickly covered with   
woods1 on account of which he called the
 country ,markland1 probably the modern 
,nova ,scotia4 ,sailing onward1 they    
came to an island which they named      
,vinland1 on account of the abundance of
 delicious wild grapes in the woods4    
,this was in the year #ajjj4 ,here where
 the city of ,newport1 ,r4 ,i41 stands1 
they spent many months1 and then        
returned to ,greenland with their vessel
 loaded with grapes and strange kinds of

 wood4 ,the voyage was successful1 and  
no doubt ,eric was sorry he had been    
frightened by the bad omen4  ,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  ,men 
who have dared have moved the world1    
often before reaching the prime of life4
 ,it is astonishing what daring to begin
 and perseverance have enabled even     
youths to achieve4 ,alexander1 who      
ascended the throne at twenty1 had      
conquered the whole known world before  
dying at thirty-three4 ,julius ,csar    
captured eight hundred cities1 conquered
 three hundred nations1 and defeated    
three million men1 became a great orator
 and one of the greatest statesmen      
known1 and still was a young man4       
,washington was appointed               
adjutant-general at nineteen1 was sent  
at twenty-one as an ambassador to treat 
with the ,french1 and won his first     
battle as a colonel at twenty-two4      

,lafayette was made general of the whole
 ,french army at twenty4 ,charlemagne   
was master of ,france and ,germany at   
thirty4 ,cond was only twenty-two when  
he conquered at ,rocroi4 ,galileo was   
but eighteen when he saw the principle  
of the pendulum in the swinging lamp in 
the cathedral at ,pisa4 ,peel was in    
,parliament at twenty-one4 ,gladstone   
was in ,parliament before he was        
twenty-two1 and at twenty-four he was a 
,lord of the ,treasury4 ,elizabeth      
,barrett ,browning was proficient in    
,greek and ,latin at twelve2 ,de        
,quincey at eleven4 ,robert ,browning   
wrote at eleven poetry of no mean order4
 ,cowley1 who sleeps in ,westminster    
,abbey1 published a volume of poems at  
fifteen4 ,n4 ,p4 ,willis won lasting    
fame as a poet before leaving college4  
,macaulay was a celebrated author before
 he was twenty-three4 ,luther was but   
twenty-nine when he nailed his famous   
thesis to the door of the bishop and    
defied the pope4 ,nelson was a          

lieutenant in the ,british navy before  
he was twenty4 ,he was but forty-seven  
when he received his death wound at     
,trafalgar4 ,charles the ,twelfth was   
only nineteen when he gained the battle 
of ,narva2 at thirty-six ,cortes was the
 conqueror of ,mexico2 at thirty-two    
,clive had established the ,british     
power in ,india4 ,hannibal1 the greatest
 of military commanders1 was only thirty
 when1 at ,cann1 he dealt an almost     
annihilating blow at the ,republic of   
,rome2 and ,napoleon was only           
twenty-seven when1 on the plains of     
,italy1 he out-generaled and defeated1  
one after another1 the veteran marshals 
of ,austria4  ,equal courage and        
resolution are often shown by men who   
have passed the allotted limit of life4 
,victor ,hugo and ,wellington were both 
in their prime after they had reached   
the age of threescore years and ten4    
,george ,bancroft wrote some of his best
 historical work when he was            
eighty-five4 ,gladstone ruled ,england  

with a strong hand at eighty-four1 and  
was a marvel of literary and scholarly  
ability4  ,your ,grace has not the organ
 of animal courage largely developed1   
said a phrenologist1 who was examining  
,wellington's head4 ,you are right1     
replied the ,iron ,duke1 and but for my 
sense of duty ,i should have retreated  
in my first fight4 ,that first fight1 on
 an ,indian field1 was one of the most  
terrible on record4  ,grant never knew  
when he was beaten4 ,when told that he  
was surrounded by the enemy at ,belmont1
 he quietly replied3 ,well1 then1 we    
must cut our way out4  ,when ,general   
,jackson was a judge and was holding    
court in a small settlement1 a border   
ruffian1 a murderer and desperado1 came 
into the court-room with brutal violence
 and interrupted the court4 ,the judge  
ordered him to be arrested4 ,the officer
 did not dare approach him4 ,call a     
posse1 said the judge1 and arrest him4  
,but they also shrank with fear from the
 ruffian4 ,call me1 then1 said ,jackson2

 this court is adjourned for five       
minutes4 ,he left the bench1 walked     
straight up to the man1 and with his    
eagle eye actually cowed the ruffian1   
who dropped his weapons1 afterward      
saying3 ,there was something in his eye 
,i could not resist4  ,lincoln never    
shrank from espousing an unpopular cause
 when he believed it to be right4 ,at   
the time when it almost cost a young    
lawyer his bread and butter to defend   
the fugitive slave1 and when other      
lawyers had refused1 ,lincoln would     
always plead the cause of the           
unfortunate whenever an opportunity     
presented4 ,go to ,lincoln1 people would
 say1 when these bounded fugitives were 
seeking protection2 he's not afraid of  
any cause1 if it's right4  ,abraham     
,lincoln's boyhood was one long struggle
 with poverty1 with little education and
 no influential friends4 ,when at last  
he had begun the practice of law it     
required no little daring to cast his   
fortune with the weaker side in         

politics1 and thus imperil what small   
reputation he had gained4 ,only the most
 sublime moral courage could have       
sustained him as ,president to hold his 
ground against hostile criticism and a  
long train of disaster2 to issue the    
,emancipation ,proclamation2 to support 
,grant and ,stanton against the clamor  
of the politicians and the press2 and   
through it all to do the right as ,god  
gave him to see the right4  ,doubt      
indulged becomes doubt realized4 ,to    
determine to do anything is half the    
battle4 ,to think a thing is impossible 
is to make it so4 ,courage is victory1  
timidity is defeat4  ,don't waste time  
dreaming of obstacles you may never     
encounter1 or in crossing bridges you   
have not reached4 ,don't fool with a    
nettle6 ,grasp with firmness if you     
would rob it of its sting4 ,to half will
 and to hang forever in the balance is  
to lose your grip on life4  ,execute    
your resolutions immediately4 ,thoughts 
are but dreams till their effects be    

tried4 ,does competition trouble you8   
work away2 what is your competitor but a
 man8 ,conquer your place in the world1 
for all things serve a brave soul4      
,combat difficulty manfully2 sustain    
misfortune bravely2 endure poverty      
nobly2 encounter disappointment         
courageously4 ,the influence of the     
brave man is a magnetism which creates  
an epidemic of noble zeal in all about  
him4 ,every day sends to the grave      
obscure men1 who have only remained in  
obscurity because their timidity has    
prevented them from making a first      
effort2 and who1 if they could have been
 induced to begin1 would in all         
probability have gone great lengths in  
the career of usefulness and fame4 ,no  
great deed is done1 says ,george ,eliot1
 by falterers who ask for certainty4  ,a
 mouse that dwelt near the abode of a   
great magician was kept in such constant
 distress by its fear of a cat that the 
magician1 taking pity on it1 turned it  
into a cat itself4 ,immediately it began

 to suffer from its fear of a dog1 so   
the magician turned it into a dog4 ,then
 it began to suffer from fear of a      
tiger1 and the magician turned it into a
 tiger4 ,then it began to suffer from   
its fear of huntsmen1 and the magician1 
in disgust1 said1 ,be a mouse again4 ,as
 you have only the heart of a mouse it  
is impossible to help you by giving you 
the body of a nobler animal4 ,and the   
poor creature again became a mouse4     
,young ,commodore ,oliver ,h4 ,perry1   
not twenty-eight years old1 was         
intrusted with the plan to gain control 
of ,lake ,erie4 ,with great energy      
,perry directed the construction of nine
 ships1 carrying fifty-four guns1 and   
conquered ,commodore ,barclay1 a veteran
 of ,european navies1 with six vessels1 
carrying sixty-three guns4 ,perry had no
 experience in naval battles before     
this4  ,to believe a business impossible
 is the way to make it so4 ,feasible    
projects often miscarry through         
despondency1 and are strangled at birth 

by a cowardly imagination4 ,a ship on a 
lee shore stands out to sea to escape   
shipwreck4 ,shrink and you will be      
despised4  ,one of ,napoleon's drummer  
boys won the battle of ,arcola4         
,napoleon's little army of fourteen     
thousand men had fought fifty thousand  
,austrians for seventy-two hours2 the   
,austrians' position enabled them to    
sweep the bridge of ,arcola1 which the  
,french had gained and which they must  
hold to win the battle4 ,the drummer    
boy1 on the shoulders of his sergeant   
7who swam across the river with him71   
beat the drum all the way across the    
river1 and when on the opposite end of  
the bridge he beat his drum so          
vigorously that the ,austrians1         
remembering the terrible ,french        
onslaught of the day before1 fled in    
terror1 thinking the ,french army was   
advancing upon them4 ,napoleon dated his
 great confidence in himself from this  
drum4 ,this boy's heroic act was        
represented in stone on the front of the

 ,pantheon of ,paris4  ,two days before 
the battle of ,jena ,napoleon said3 ,my 
lads1 you must not fear death3 when     
soldiers brave death they drive him into
 the enemy's ranks4  ,arago says1 in his
 autobiography1 that when he was puzzled
 and discouraged with difficulties he   
met with in his early studies in        
mathematics some words he found on the  
waste leaf of his text-book caught his  
attention and interested him4 ,he found 
it to be a short letter from            
,d',alembert to a young person1         
disheartened like himself1 and read3 ,go
 on1 sir1 go on4 ,the difficulties you  
meet with will resolve themselves as you
 advance4 ,proceed and light will dawn  
and shine with increasing clearness on  
your path4 ,that maxim1 he said1 was my 
greatest master in mathematics4         
,overtaken near a rocky coast by a      
sudden storm of great violence1 the     
captain of a ,french brig gave orders to
 put out to sea2 but in spite of all the
 efforts of the crew they could not     

steer clear of the rocks1 and alter     
struggling for a whole day they felt a  
violent shock1 accompanied by a horrible
 crash4 ,the boats were lowered1 but    
only to be swept away by the waves4 ,as 
a last resort the captain proposed that 
some sailors should swim ashore with a  
rope1 but not a man would volunteer4    
,captain1 said the little               
twelve-year-old cabin boy1 ,jacques1    
timidly1 ,you don't wish to expose the  
lives of good sailors like these2 it    
does not matter what becomes of a little
 cabin boy4 ,give me a ball of strong   
string1 which will unroll as ,i go on2  
fasten one end around my body1 and ,i   
promise you that within an hour the rope
 shall be well fastened to the shore or 
,i will perish in the attempt4  ,before 
anyone could stop him he leaped         
overboard4 ,his head was soon seen like 
a black point rising above the waves and
 then it disappeared in the distance and
 mist1 and but for the occasional pull  
upon the ball of cord all would have    

thought him dead4 ,at length it fell as 
if slackened and the sailors looked at  
one another in silence1 when a quick1   
violent pull1 followed by a second and a
 third1 told that ,jacques had reached  
the shore4 ,a strong rope was fastened  
to the cord and pulled to the shore1 and
 by its aid many of the sailors were    
rescued4  ,in #ahcc ,miss ,prudence     
,crandall1 a ,quaker schoolmistress of  
,canterbury1 ,conn41 opened her school  
to negro children as well as to whites4 
,the whole place was thrown into uproar2
 town meetings were called to denounce  
her2 the most vindictive and inhuman    
measures were taken to isolate the      
school from the support of the          
townspeople2 stores and churches were   
closed against teacher and pupils2      
public conveyances were denied them2    
physicians would not attend them2 ,miss 
,crandall's own friends dared not visit 
her2 the house was assailed with rotten 
eggs and stones and finally set on fire4
 ,yet the cause was righteous and the   

opposition proved vain and fruitless4   
,public opinion is often radically      
wrong4  ,staunch old ,admiral           
,farragut--he of the true heart and the 
iron will--said to another officer of   
the navy1 ,dupont1 do you know why you  
didn't get into ,charleston with your   
ironclads8 ,oh1 it was because the      
channel was so crooked4 ,no1 ,dupont1 it
 was not that4 ,well1 the rebel fire was
 perfectly horrible4 ,yes1 but it wasn't
 that4 ,what was it1 then8 ,it was      
because you didn't believe you could go 
in4  ,i have tried ,lord ,howe on most  
important occasions4 ,he never asked me 
how he was to execute any service       
entrusted to his charge1 but always went
 straight forward and did it4 ,so       
answered ,sir ,edward ,hawke1 when his  
appointment of ,howe for some peculiarly
 responsible duty was criticized on the 
ground that ,howe was the junior admiral
 in the fleet4  ,there is a tradition   
among the ,indians that ,manitou was    
traveling in the invisible world and    

came upon a hedge of thorns1 then saw   
wild beasts glare upon him from the     
thicket1 and after awhile stood before  
an impassable river4 ,as he determined  
to proceed1 the thorns turned out       
phantoms1 the wild beasts powerless     
ghosts1 and the river only a shadow4    
,when we march on obstacles disappear4  
,many distinguished foreign and         
,american statesmen were present at a   
fashionable dinner party where wine was 
freely poured1 but ,schuyler ,colfax1   
then ,vice-,president of the ,united    
,states1 declined to drink from a       
proffered cup4 ,colfax does not drink1  
sneered a ,senator who had already taken
 too much4 ,you are right1 said the     
,vice-,president1 ,i dare not4  ,a      
,western party recently invited the     
surviving ,union and ,confederate       
officers to give an account of the      
bravest act observed by each during the 
,civil ,war4 ,colonel ,thomas ,w4       
,higginson said that at a dinner at     
,beaufort1 ,s4 ,c41 where wine flowed   

freely and ribald jests were bandied1   
,dr4 ,miner1 a slight1 boyish fellow who
 did not drink1 was told that he could  
not go until he had drunk a toast1 told 
a story1 or sung a song4 ,he replied3 ,i
 cannot sing1 but ,i will give a toast1 
although ,i must drink it in water4 ,it 
is ',our ,mothers4' ,the men were so    
affected and ashamed that some took him 
by the hand and thanked him for         
displaying courage greater than that    
required to walk up to the mouth of a   
cannon4  ,when ,grant was in ,houston   
several years ago1 he was given a       
rousing reception4 ,naturally           
hospitable1 and naturally inclined to   
like a man of ,grant's make-up1 the     
,houstonites determined to go beyond any
 other ,southern city in the way of a   
banquet and other manifestations of     
their good-will and hospitality4 ,they  
made great preparations for the dinner1 
the committee taking great pains to have
 the finest wines that could be procured
 for the table at night4 ,when the time 

came to serve the wine1 the head-waiter 
went first to ,grant4 ,without a word   
the general quietly turned down all the 
glasses at his plate4 ,this movement was
 a great surprise to the ,texans1 but   
they were equal to the occasion4        
,without a single word being spoken1    
every man along the line of the long    
tables turned his glasses down1 and     
there was not a drop of wine taken that 
night4  ,don't be like ,uriah ,heep1    
begging everybody's pardon for taking   
the liberty of being in the world4      
,there is nothing attractive in         
timidity1 nothing lovable in fear4 ,both
 are deformities and are repulsive4     
,manly courage is dignified and         
graceful4 ,the worst manners in the     
world are those of persons conscious of 
being beneath their position1 and trying
 to conceal it or make up for it by     
style4 ,it takes courage for a young man
 to stand firmly erect while others are 
bowing and fawning for praise and power4
 ,it takes courage to wear threadbare   

clothes while your comrades dress in    
broadcloth4 ,it takes courage to remain 
in honest poverty when others grow rich 
by fraud4 ,it takes courage to say ,no  
squarely when those around you say ,yes4
 ,it takes courage to do your duty in   
silence and obscurity while others      
prosper and grow famous although        
neglecting sacred obligations4 ,it takes
 courage to unmask your true self1 to   
show your blemishes to a condemning     
world1 and to pass for what you really  
are4     ,,chapter ,,xv4                
,,will-,,power4       ,in the moral     
world there is nothing impossible if we 
can bring      a thorough will to do it4
      --,w4 ,,humboldt4       ,it is    
firmness that makes the gods on our     
side4      --,,voltaire4       ,stand   
firm1 don't flutter4      --,,franklin4 
,people do not lack strength they lack  
will4      --,,victor ,,hugo4           
,perpetual pushing and assurance put a  
difficulty out of      countenance and  
make a seeming difficulty give way4     

--,,jeremy ,,collier4       ,when a     
firm1 decisive spirit is recognized1 it 
is curious to      see how the space    
clears around a man and leaves him room 
and      freedom4      --,,john         
,,foster4   ,do you know1 asked         
,balzac's father1 that in literature a  
man must be either a king or a beggar8  
,very well1 replied his son1 ,i will be 
a king4 ,after ten years of struggle    
with hardship and poverty1 he won       
success as an author4  ,why do you      
repair that magistrate's bench with such
 great care8 asked a bystander of a     
carpenter who was taking unusual pains4 
,because ,i wish to make it easy against
 the time when ,i come to sit on it     
myself1 replied the other4 ,he did sit  
on that bench as a magistrate a few     
years later4  ,i will be marshal of     
,france and a great general1 exclaimed a
 young ,french officer as he paced his  
room with hands tightly clenched4 ,he   
became a successful general and a       
marshal of ,france4  ,there is so much  

power in faith1 says ,bulwer1 even when 
faith is applied but to things human and
 earthly1 that let a man but be firmly  
persuaded that he is born to do some    
day1 what at the moment seems           
impossible1 and it is fifty to one but  
what he does it before he dies4  ,there 
is about as much chance of idleness and 
incapacity winning real success1 or a   
high position in life1 as there would be
 in producing a ,paradise ,lost by      
shaking up promiscuously the separate   
words of ,webster's ,dictionary1 and    
letting them fall at random on the      
floor4 ,fortune smiles upon those who   
roll up their sleeves and put their     
shoulders to the wheel2 upon men who are
 not afraid of dreary1 dry1 irksome     
drudgery1 men of nerve and grit who do  
not turn aside for dirt and detail4  ,is
 there one whom difficulties dishearten8
 asked ,john ,hunter4 ,he will do       
little4 ,is there one who will conquer8 
,that kind of a man never fails4        
,circumstances1 says ,milton1 have      

rarely favored famous men4 ,they have   
fought their way to triumph through all 
sorts of opposing obstacles4  ,we have a
 half belief1 said ,emerson1 that the   
person is possible who can counterpoise 
all other persons4 ,we believe that     
there may be a man who is a match for   
events1--one who never found his        
match1--against whom other men being    
dashed are broken1--one who can give you
 any odds and beat you4  ,the simple    
truth is that a will strong enough to   
keep a man continually striving for     
things not wholly beyond his powers will
 carry him in time very far toward his  
chosen goal4  ,at nineteen ,bayard      
,taylor walked to ,philadelphia1 thirty 
miles1 to find a publisher for fifteen  
of his poems4 ,he wanted to see them    
printed in a book2 but no publisher     
would undertake it4 ,he returned to his 
home whistling1 however1 showing that   
his courage and resolution had not      
abated4  ,in ,europe he was often forced
 to live on twenty cents a day for weeks

 on account of his poverty4 ,he returned
 to ,london with only thirty cents left4
 ,he tried to sell a poem of twelve     
hundred lines1 which he had in his      
knapsack1 but no publisher wanted it4   
,of that time he wrote3 ,my situation   
was about as hopeless as it is possible 
to conceive4 ,but his will defied       
circumstances and he rose above them4   
,for two years he lived on two hundred  
and fifty dollars a year in ,london1    
earning every dollar of it with his pen4
  ,his untimely death in #ahgi1 at      
fifty-four1 when ,minister to ,berlin1  
was lamented by the learned and great of
 all countries4  ,we are told of a young
 ,new ,york inventor who about twenty   
years ago spent every dollar he was     
worth in an experiment1 which1 if       
successful1 would introduce his         
invention to public notice and insure   
his fortune1 and1 what he valued more1  
his usefulness4 ,the next morning the   
daily papers heaped unsparing ridicule  
upon him4 ,hope for the future seemed   

vain4 ,he looked around the shabby room 
where his wife1 a delicate little woman1
 was preparing breakfast4 ,he was       
without a penny4 ,he seemed like a fool 
in his own eyes2 all these years of hard
 work were wasted4 ,he went into his    
chamber1 sat down1 and buried his face  
in his hands4  ,at length1 with a fiery 
heat flashing through his body1 he stood
 erect4 ,it shall succeed6 he said1     
shutting his teeth4 ,his wife was crying
 over the papers when he went back4     
,they are very cruel1 she said4 ,they   
don't understand4 ,i'll make them       
understand1 he replied cheerfully4 ,it  
was a fight for six years1 he said      
afterward4 ,poverty1 sickness and       
contempt followed me4 ,i had nothing    
left but the dogged determination that  
it should succeed4 ,it did succeed4 ,the
 invention was a great and useful one4  
,the inventor is now a prosperous and   
happy man4  ,napoleon was a terrible    
example of what the power of will can   
accomplish4 ,he always threw his whole  

force of body and mind direct upon his  
work4 ,imbecile rulers and the nations  
they governed went down before him in   
succession4 ,he was told that the ,alps 
stood in the way of his armies1--,there 
shall be no ,alps1 he said1 and the road
 across the ,simplon was constructed1   
through a district formerly almost      
inaccessible4 ,impossible1 said he1 is a
 word only to be found in the dictionary
 of fools4 ,he was a man who toiled     
terribly2 sometimes employing and       
exhausting four secretaries at a time4  
,he spared no one1 not even himself4    
,his influence inspired other men1 and  
put a new life into them4 ,i made my    
generals out of mud1 he said4  ,to think
 we are able is almost to be so--to     
determine upon attainment1 is frequently
 attainment itself4 ,thus1 earnest      
resolution has often seemed to have     
about it almost a savor of omnipotence4 
,the strength of ,suwarrow's character  
lay in his power of willing1 and1 like  
most resolute persons1 he preached it up

 as a system4  ,before ,pizarro1        
,d',almagro and ,de ,luque obtained any 
associates or arms or soldiers1 and with
 a very imperfect knowledge of the      
country or the powers they were to      
encounter1 they celebrated a solemn mass
 in one of the great churches1          
dedicating themselves to the conquest of
 ,peru4 ,the people expressed their     
contempt at such a monstrous project1   
and were shocked at such sacrilege4 ,but
 these decided men continued the service
 and afterward retired for their great  
preparation with an entire insensibility
 to the expressions of contempt4 ,their 
firmness was absolutely invincible4 ,the
 world has deplored the results of this 
expedition1 but there is a great lesson 
for us in the firmness of decision of   
its leaders4 ,such firmness would keep  
to its course and retain its purpose    
unshaken amidst the ruins of the world4 
,at the battle of ,marengo the ,french  
army was supposed to be defeated2 but1  
while ,bonaparte and his staff were     

considering their next move1 ,dessaix   
suggested that there was yet time to    
retrieve their disaster1 as it was only 
about the middle of the afternoon4      
,napoleon rallied his men1 renewed the  
fight1 and won a great victory over the 
,austrians1 though the unfortunate      
,dessaix lost his own life on that      
field4  ,what has chance ever done in   
the world8 ,has it built any cities8    
,has it invented any telephones1 any    
telegraphs8 ,has it built any           
steamships1 established any             
universities1 any asylums1 any          
hospitals8 ,was there any chance in     
,csar's crossing the ,rubicon8 ,what had
 chance to do with ,napoleon's career1  
with ,wellington's1 or ,grant's1 or ,von
 ,moltke's8 ,every battle was won before
 it was begun4 ,what had luck to do with
 ,thermopyl1 ,trafalgar1 ,gettysburg8   
,our successes we ascribe to ourselves2 
our failures to destiny4  ,a vacillating
 man1 no matter what his abilities1 is  
invariably pushed to the wall in the    

race of life by a determined will4 ,it  
is he who resolves to succeed1 and who  
at every fresh rebuff begins resolutely 
again1 that reaches the goal4 ,the      
shores of fortune are covered with the  
stranded wrecks of men of brilliant     
ability1 but who have wanted courage1   
faith and decision1 and have therefore  
perished in sight of more resolute but  
less capable adventurers1 who succeeded 
in making port4 ,hundreds of men go to  
their graves in obscurity1 who have been
 obscure only because they lacked the   
pluck to make a first effort1 and who1  
could they only have resolved to begin1 
would have astonished the world by their
 achievements and successes4 ,the fact  
is1 as ,sydney ,smith has well said1    
that in order to do anything in this    
world that is worth doing1 we must not  
stand shivering on the bank1 and        
thinking of the cold and the danger1 but
 jump in and scramble through as well as
 we can4  ,is not this a grand privilege
 of man1 immortal man1 that though he   

may not be able to stir a finger2 that  
though a moth may crush him2 that merely
 by a righteous will1 he is raised above
 the stars2 that by it he originates a  
good in the universe1 which the universe
 could not annihilate2 a good which can 
defy extinction1 though all created     
energies of intelligence or matter were 
combined against it8  ,a man whose moral
 nature is ascendant is not the subject1
 but the superior of circumstances4 ,he 
is free2 nay1 more1 he is a king2 and   
though this sovereignty may have been   
won by many desperate battles1 once on  
the throne1 and holding the sceptre with
 a firm grasp1 he has a royalty of which
 neither time nor accident can strip    
him4  ,what can you do with a man who   
has an invincible purpose in him2 who   
never knows when he is beaten2 and who1 
when his legs are shot off1 will fight  
on the stumps8 ,difficulties and        
opposition do not daunt him4 ,he thrives
 upon persecution2 it only stimulates   
him to more determined endeavor4 ,give a

 man the alphabet and an iron will1 and 
who shall place bounds to his           
achievements6 ,imprison a ,galileo for  
his discoveries in science1 and he will 
experiment with the straw in his cell4  
,deprive ,euler of his eyesight1 and he 
but studies harder upon mental problems1
 thus developing marvelous powers of    
mathematical calculation4 ,lock up the  
poor ,bedford tinker in jail1 and he    
will write the finest allegory in the   
world1 or will leave his imperishable   
thoughts upon the walls of his cell4    
,burn the body of ,wycliffe and throw   
the ashes into the ,severn2 but they    
will be swept to the ocean1 which will  
carry them1 permeated with his          
principles1 to all lands4 ,the world    
always listens to a man with a will in  
him4 ,you might as well snub the sun as 
such men as ,bismarck and ,grant4  ,hope
 would storm the castle of despair2 it  
gives courage when despondency would    
give up the battle of life4 ,he is the  
best doctor who can implant hope and    

courage in the human soul4 ,so he is the
 greatest man who can inspire us to the 
grandest achievements4       ,our       
remedies oft in ourselves do lie1       
,which we ascribe to heaven2 the fated  
sky      ,gives us free scope2 and only 
backward pulls      ,our slow designs   
when we ourselves are dull4       ,how  
much ,i could do if ,i only tried4      
,,chapter ,,xvi4  ,,guard ,,your ,,weak 
,,point4       ,he that is slow to anger
 is better than the mighty3 and he that 
ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a 
city4      --,,bible4       ,the first  
and best of victories is for a man to   
conquer      himself3 to be conquered by
 himself is1 of all things1 the most    
shameful and vile4      --,,plato4      
,the worst education which teaches      
self-denial is better than      the best
 which teaches everything else and not  
that4      --,,john ,,sterling4         
,most powerful is he who has himself in 
his own power4      --,,seneca4         
,the energy which issues in growth1 or  

assimilates knowledge1      must        
originate in self and be self-directed4 
--,,thomas ,j4 ,,morgan4       ,the foes
 with which they waged their strife     
,were passion1 self and sin2      ,the  
victories that laureled life1           
,were fought and won within4            
--,,edward ,h4 ,,dewart4   ,i'll sign it
 after awhile1 a drunkard would reply1  
when repeatedly urged by his wife to    
sign the pledge2 but ,i don't like to   
break off at once1 the best way is to   
get used to a thing4 ,very well1 old    
man1 said his wife1 see if you don't    
fall into a hole one of these days1 with
 no one to help you out4  ,not long     
after1 when intoxicated1 he did fall    
into a shallow well1 but his shouts for 
help were fortunately heard by his wife4
 ,didn't ,i tell you so8 she asked4     
,it's lucky ,i was in hearing or you    
might have drowned4 ,he took hold of the
 bucket and she tugged at the windlass2 
but when he was near the top her grasp  
slipped and down he went into the water 

again4 ,this was repeated until he      
screamed3 ,look here1 you're doing that 
on purpose1 ,i know you are4 ,well1 now1
 ,i am1 admitted the wife4 ,don't you   
remember telling me it's best to get    
used to a thing by degrees8 ,i'm afraid 
if ,i bring you up sudden1 you would not
 find it wholesome4 ,finding that his   
case was becoming desperate1 he promised
 to sign the pledge at once4 ,his wife  
raised him out immediately1 but warned  
him that if ever he became intoxicated  
and fell into the well again1 she would 
leave him there4  ,a man captured a     
young tiger and resolved to make a pet  
of it4 ,it grew up like a kitten1 fond  
and gentle4 ,there was no evidence of   
its savage1 bloodthirsty nature1 and it 
seemed perfectly harmless4 ,but one day 
while the master was playing with his   
pet1 the rough tongue upon his hand     
started the blood from a scratch4 ,the  
moment the beast tasted blood1 his      
ferocious tiger nature was roused1 and  
he rushed upon his master to tear him to

 pieces4 ,sometimes the appetite for    
drink1 which was thought to be buried   
years ago1 is roused by the taste or the
 smell of the devil in solution1 and the
 wretched victim finds himself a        
helpless slave to the passion which he  
thought dead4  ,when a young man1 ,hugh 
,miller once drank the two glasses of   
whiskey which fell to his share at the  
usual treat of drink of the masons with 
whom he worked4 ,on reaching home he    
tried to read ,bacon's ,essays1 his     
favorite book1 but he could not         
distinguish the letters or comprehend   
the meaning4 ,the condition into which  
,i had brought myself was1 ,i felt1 one 
of degradation1 said he4 ,i had sunk1 by
 my own act1 for the time1 to a lower   
level of intelligence than that on which
 it was my privilege to be placed2 and  
though the state could have been no very
 favorable one for forming a resolution1
 ,i in that hour determined that ,i     
should never again sacrifice my capacity
 of intellectual enjoyment to a drinking

 usage2 and with ,god's help ,i was     
enabled to hold by the determination4   
,in a certain manufacturing town an     
employer one ,saturday paid to his      
workmen #gjj in crisp new bills that had
 been secretly marked4 ,on ,monday #dej 
of those identical bills were deposited 
in the bank by the saloon-keepers4 ,when
 the fact was made known1 the workmen   
were so startled by it that they helped 
to make the place a no-license town4    
,the times would not be so hard for the 
workmen if the saloons did not take in  
so much of their wages4 ,if they would  
organize a strike against the saloons1  
they would find the result to be better 
than an increase of wages1 and to       
include an increase of savings4  ,how   
often we might read the following sign  
over the threshold of a youthful life3  
,for sale1 grand opportunities1 for a   
song2 golden chances for beer2          
magnificent opportunities exchanged for 
a little sensual enjoyment2 for         
exchange1 a beautiful home1 devoted     

wife1 lovely children1 for drink2 for   
sale1 cheap1 all the magnificent        
possibilities of a brilliant life1 a    
competence1 for one chance in a thousand
 at the gambling table2 for exchange1   
bright prospects1 a brilliant outlook1 a
 cultivated intelligence1 a college     
education1 a skilled hand1 an observant 
eye1 valuable experience1 great tact1   
all exchanged for rum1 for a muddled    
brain1 a bewildered intellect1 a        
shattered nervous system1 poisoned      
blood1 a diseased body1 for fatty       
degeneration of the heart1 for ,bright's
 disease1 for a drunkard's liver4  ,with
 almost palsied hand1 at a temperance   
meeting1 ,john ,b4 ,gough signed the    
pledge4 ,for six days and nights in a   
wretched garret1 without a mouthful of  
food1 with scarcely a moment's sleep1 he
 fought the fearful battle with         
appetite4 ,weak1 famished1 almost dying1
 he crawled into the sunlight2 but he   
had conquered the demon which had almost
 killed him4 ,gough used to describe the

 struggles of a man who tried to leave  
off using tobacco4 ,he threw away what  
he had1 and said that was the end of it2
 but no1 it was only the beginning of   
it4 ,he would chew camomile1 gentian1   
tooth-picks1 but it was of no use4 ,he  
bought another plug of tobacco and put  
it in his pocket4 ,he wanted a chew     
awfully1 but he looked at it and said1  
,you are a weed1 and ,i am a man4 ,i'll 
master you if ,i die for it2 and he did1
 while carrying it in his pocket daily4 
,there was an abbot that desired a piece
 of ground that lay conveniently for    
him4 ,the owner refused to sell2 yet    
with much persuasion he was contented to
 let it4 ,the abbot hired it and        
covenanted only to farm it for one crop4
 ,he had his bargain1 and sowed it with 
acorns--a crop that lasted three hundred
 years4 ,so ,satan asks to get          
possession of our souls by asking us to 
permit some small sin to enter1 some one
 wrong that seems of no great account4  
,but when once he has entered and       

planted the seeds and beginnings of     
evil1 he holds his ground4  ,teach      
self-denial and make its practice       
pleasurable1 says ,walter ,scott1 and   
you create for the world a destiny more 
sublime than ever issued from the brain 
of the wildest dreamer4  ,thomas ,a4    
,edison was once asked why he was a     
total abstainer4 ,he said1 ,i thought ,i
 had a better use for my head4  ,byron  
could write poetry easily1 for it was   
merely indulging his natural propensity2
 but to curb his temper1 soothe his     
discontent1 and control his animal      
appetites was a very different thing4   
,at all events1 it seemed so great to   
him that he never seriously attempted   
self-conquest4 ,let every youth who     
would not be shipwrecked on life's      
voyage cultivate this one great virtue1 
self-control4 ,there is nothing so      
important to a youth starting out in    
life as a thoroughly trained and        
cultivated will2 everything depends upon
 it4 ,if he has it1 he will succeed2 if 

he does not have it1 he will fail4  ,the
 first and best of victories1 says      
,plato1 is for a man to conquer himself2
 to be conquered by himself is1 of all  
things1 the most shameful and vile4     
,silence1 says ,zimmerman1 is the safest
 response for all the contradiction that
 arises from impertinence1 vulgarity1 or
 envy4  ,he is a fool who cannot be     
angry1 says ,english1 but he is a wise  
man who will not4  ,seneca1 one of the  
greatest of the ancient philosophers1   
said that we should every night call    
ourselves to account4 ,what infirmity   
have ,i mastered to-day8 what passion   
opposed8 what temptation resisted8 what 
virtue acquired8 and then he follows    
with the profound truth that our vices  
will abate of themselves if they be     
brought every day to the shrift4 ,if you
 cannot at first control your anger1    
learn to control your tongue1 which1    
like fire1 is a good servant1 but a hard
 master4  ,it does no good to get angry4
 ,some sins have a seeming compensation 

or apology1 a present gratification of  
some sort1 but anger has none4 ,a man   
feels no better for it4 ,it is really a 
torment1 and when the storm of passion  
has cleared away1 it leaves one to see  
that he has been a fool4 ,and he has    
made himself a fool in the eyes of      
others too4  ,the wife of ,socrates1    
,xanthippe1 was a woman of a most       
fantastical and furious spirit4 ,at one 
time1 having vented all the reproaches  
upon ,socrates her fury could suggest1  
he went out and sat before the door4    
,his calm and unconcerned behavior but  
irritated her so much the more2 and1 in 
the excess of her rage1 she ran upstairs
 and emptied a vessel upon his head1 at 
which he only laughed and said that so  
much thunder must needs produce a       
shower4 ,alcibiades1 his friend1 talking
 with him about his wife1 told him he   
wondered how he could bear such an      
everlasting scold in the same house with
 him4 ,he replied1 ,i have so accustomed
 myself to expect it1 that it now       

offends me no more than the noise of    
carriages in the street4  ,it is said of
 ,socrates1 that whether he was teaching
 the rules of an exact morality1 whether
 he was answering his corrupt judges1 or
 was receiving sentence of death1 or    
swallowing the poison1 he was still the 
same man2 that is to say1 calm1 quiet1  
undisturbed1 intrepid--in a word1 wise  
to the last4  ,it is not enough to have 
great qualities1 says ,la               
,rochefoucauld2 we should also have the 
management of them4 ,no man can call    
himself educated until every voluntary  
muscle obeys his will4  ,you ask whether
 it would not be manly to resent a great
 injury1 said ,eardley ,wilmot2 ,i      
answer that it would be manly to resent 
it1 but it would be ,godlike to forgive 
it4  ,he who1 with strong passions1     
remains chaste2 he who1 keenly          
sensitive1 with manly power of          
indignation in him1 can be provoked1 and
 yet restrain himself and forgive--these
 are strong men1 the spiritual heroes4  

,to feel provoked or exasperated at a   
trifle1 when the nerves are exhausted1  
is1 perhaps1 natural to us in our       
imperfect state4 ,but why put into the  
shape of speech the annoyance which1    
once uttered1 is remembered2 which may  
burn like a blistering wound1 or rankle 
like a poisoned arrow8 ,if a child be   
crying or a friend capricious1 or a     
servant unreasonable1 be careful what   
you say4 ,do not speak while you feel   
the impulse of anger1 for you will be   
almost certain to say too much1 to say  
more than your cooler judgment will     
approve1 and to speak in a way that you 
will regret4 ,be silent until the sweet 
by and by1 when you will be calm1       
rested1 and self-controlled4  ,but      
self-respect must be accompanied by     
self-conquest1 or our strong feelings   
may prove but runaway horses4 ,he who   
would command others must first learn to
 obey1 and he who would command his own 
powers must learn to be submissive to   
the still small voice within4           

,discipline the passions1 curb pride and
 impatience1 restrain all hasty         
impulses4 ,deny yourself the            
gratification of any desire not         
sanctioned by reason4 ,shame and its    
consequent degradation follow the loss  
of our own good opinion rather than the 
esteem of others4 ,too many yield in the
 perpetual conflict between temptation  
to gratify the coarser appetites and    
aspiration for the good1 the true1 and  
the beautiful4 ,voices unheard by those 
around us whisper ,don't1 but too often 
self-respect is lost1 the will lies     
prostrate1 and the debauch goes on4     
,such battles must be fought by all2 be 
ours the victory born of self-control1  
aided by that ,heaven which always helps
 him who prays while putting his own    
shoulder to the wheel4  ,no man had a   
better heart or more thoroughly hated   
oppression than ,edmund ,burke4 ,he     
possessed neither experience in affairs1
 nor a tranquil judgment1 nor the rule  
over his own spirit1 so that his genius1

 under the impulse of his bewildering   
passions1 wrought much evil to his      
country and to ,europe1 even while he   
rendered noble service to the cause of  
commercial freedom1 to ,ireland1 and to 
,america4  ,burns could not resist the  
temptation to utter his clever sarcasms 
at another's expense1 and one of his    
biographers has said that he made a     
hundred enemies for every ten jokes he  
made4 ,but ,burns could no more control 
his appetite than his tongue4           
,thus thoughtless follies laid him low  
,and stained his name4  ,xanthus1 the   
philosopher1 told his servant that on   
the morrow he was going to have some    
friends to dine1 and asked him to get   
the best thing he could find in the     
market4 ,the philosopher and his guests 
sat down the next day at the table4     
,they had nothing but tongue--four or   
five courses of tongue--tongue cooked in
 this way1 and tongue cooked in that    
way1 and the philosopher lost his       
patience1 and said to his servant1      

,didn't ,i tell you to get the best     
thing in the market8 ,he said1 ,i did   
get the best thing in the market4 ,isn't
 the tongue the organ of sociality1 the 
organ of eloquence1 the organ of        
kindness1 the organ of worship8 ,then   
,xanthus said1 ,to-morrow ,i want you to
 get the worst thing in the market4 ,and
 on the morrow the philosopher sat at   
the table1 and there was nothing there  
but tongue--four or five courses of     
tongue--tongue in this shape1 and tongue
 in that shape--and the philosopher     
again lost his patience1 and said1      
,didn't ,i tell you to get the worst    
thing in the market8 ,the servant       
replied1 ,i did2 for isn't the tongue   
the organ of blasphemy1 the organ of    
defamation1 the organ of lying8  ,i can 
reform my people1 said ,peter the       
,great1 but ,i cannot reform myself4 ,he
 forbade all ,russians to wear beards1  
and to quell the insurrection which     
resulted1 he had #hjjj revolters        
beheaded4 ,with a hatchet he began the  

ghastly work4 ,he had his own son       
beheaded4  ,he who cannot resist        
temptation is not a man4 ,he is wanting 
in the highest attributes of humanity4  
,the honor and nobleness of the old     
knight-errantry consisted in defending  
the innocence of men and protecting the 
chastity of women against the assaults  
of others4 ,but the truer and nobler    
knighthood protects the property and the
 character1 the innocence and the       
chastity of others against one's self4  
,we should all be posted upon our weak  
points1 for after all there are many    
emergencies in life when these weak     
points1 not our strong ones1 will       
measure our manhood and our strength4   
,many a woman whom a mouse would        
frighten out of her wits would not      
shrink from assisting in terrible       
surgical operations in our city or war  
hospitals1 and many an officer and      
soldier who would walk up to the        
cannon's mouth without a tremor in      
battle1 would not dare to say his soul  

was his own in a society parlor4 ,many a
 great statesman has quailed before the 
ringer of scorn of a                    
fellow-,congressman1 and has been       
completely cowed by a hiss from the     
gallery or a ridiculing paragraph in a  
newspaper4 ,we all have tender spots1   
weak spots1 and a man can never know his
 strength who does not study his        
weaknesses4  ,violent passions and      
ardent feelings are seldom found united 
with complete self-command2 but when    
they are they form the strongest        
possible character1 for there is all the
 power of clear thought and cool        
judgment impelled by the resistless     
energy of feeling4 ,this combination    
,washington possessed2 for in his       
impetuosity there was no foolish        
rashness1 and in his passion no         
injustice4 ,besides1 whatever violence  
there might be within1 the explosion    
seldom came to the surface1 and when it 
did it was arrested at once by the stern
 mandate of his will4 ,he never lost the

 mastery of himself in any emergency1   
and in 'ruling his spirit' showed       
himself greater than in 'taking a city4'
  ,it is one of the astonishing things  
in his life that1 amid the perfect chaos
 of feeling into which he was           
thrown1--amid the distracted counsels   
and still more distracted affairs that  
surrounded him1--he never once lost the 
perfect equilibrium of his own mind4    
,the contagion of fear and doubt and    
despair could not touch him4 ,he did not
 seem susceptible to the common         
influences which affect men4 ,his soul  
poised on its own centre1 reposed calmly
 there through all the storms that beat 
for seven years on his noble breast4    
,the ingratitude and folly of those who 
should have been his allies1 the insults
 of his foes1 and the frowns of fortune 
never provoked him into a rash act1 or  
deluded him into a single error4        
,horace ,mann says that there must be a 
time when the vista of the future1 with 
all its possibilities of glory and of   

shame1 first opens to the vision of     
youth4 ,then is he summoned to make his 
choice between truth and treachery2     
between honor and dishonor2 between     
purity and profligacy2 between moral    
life and moral death4 ,and as he doubts 
or balances between the heavenward or   
hellward course2 as he struggles to rise
 or consents to fall2 is there in all   
the universe of ,god a spectacle of     
higher exultation or of deeper pathos8  
,within him are the appetites of a brute
 and the attributes of an angel2 and    
when these meet in council to make up   
the roll of his destiny and seal his    
fate1 shall the beast hound out the     
seraph8 ,shall the young man1 now       
conscious of the largeness of his sphere
 and of the sovereignty of his choice1  
wed the low ambitions of the world1 and 
seek1 with their emptiness1 to fill his 
immortal desires8 ,because he has a few 
animal wants that must be supplied1     
shall he become all animal1--an epicure 
and an inebriate1--and blasphemously    

make it the first doctrine of his       
catechism1--the ,chief ,end of ,man8--to
 glorify his stomach and enjoy it8      
,because it is the law of               
self-preservation that he shall provide 
for himself1 and the law of religion    
that he shall provide for his family1   
when he has one1 must he1 therefore1 cut
 away all the bonds of humanity that    
bind him to his race1 forswear charity1 
crush down every prompting of           
benevolence1 and if he can have the     
palace and equipage of the prince1 and  
the table of a sybarite1 become a blind 
man1 and a deaf man1 and a dumb man1    
when he walks the streets where hunger  
moans and nakedness shivers8  ,the      
strong man is the one who ever keeps    
himself under strict discipline1 who    
never once allows the lower to usurp the
 place of the higher in him2 who makes  
his passions his servants and never     
allows them to be his master2 who is    
ever led by his mind and not by his     
inclinations4 ,he drills and disciplines

 his desires and keeps the roots of his 
life under ground1 and never allows them
 to interfere with his character4 ,he is
 never the slave of his inclinations1   
nor the sport of impulse4 ,he is the    
commander of himself and heads his ship 
due north even in the wildest tempests  
of passion4 ,he is never the slave of   
his strongest desire4  ,a noted teacher 
has said that the propensities and      
habits are as teachable as ,latin and   
,greek1 while they are infinitely more  
essential to happiness4 ,we are very    
largely the creatures of our wills4 ,by 
constantly looking on the bright side of
 things1 by viewing everything          
hopefully1 by setting the face as a     
flint every hour of every day toward all
 that is harmonious and beautiful in    
life1 and refusing to listen to the     
discord or to look at the ugly side of  
life1 by constantly directing the       
thought toward what is noble1 grand and 
true1 we can soon form habits which will
 develop into a beautiful character1 a  

harmonious and well-rounded life4 ,we   
are creatures of habit1 and by knowing  
the laws of its formation we can1 in a  
little while1 build up a network of     
habit about us1 which will protect us   
from most of the ugly1 selfish and      
degrading things of life4 ,in fact1 the 
only real happiness and unalloyed       
satisfaction we get out of life1 is the 
product of self-control4 ,it is the     
great guardian of all the virtues1      
without which none of them is safe4 ,it 
is the sentinel1 which stands on guard  
at the door of life1 to admit friends   
and exclude enemies4  ,i call that mind 
free1 says ,channing1 which jealously   
guards its intellectual rights and      
powers1 which calls no man master1 which
 does not content itself with a passive 
or hereditary faith1 which opens itself 
to light whencesoever it may come1 which
 receives new truth as an angel from    
heaven1 which1 whilst consulting others1
 inquires still more of the oracle      
within2 itself1 and uses instructions   

from abroad1 not to supersede1 but to   
quicken and exalt its own energies4 ,i  
call that mind free which is not        
passively framed by outward             
circumstances1 which is not swept away  
by the torrent of events1 which is not  
the creature of accidental impulse1 but 
which bends events to its own           
improvement1 and acts from an inward    
spring1 from immutable principles which 
it has deliberately espoused4 ,i call   
that mind free which protects itself    
against the usurpations of society1     
which does not cower to human opinion1  
which feels itself accountable to a     
higher tribunal than man's1 which       
respects a higher law than fashion1     
which respects itself too much to be the
 slave or tool of the many or the few4  
,i call that mind free which through    
confidence in ,god and in the power of  
virtue has cast off all fear but that of
 wrong-doing1 which no menace or peril  
can enthrall1 which is calm in the midst
 of tumults1 and possesses itself though

 all else be lost4 ,i call that mind    
free which resists the bondage of habit1
 which does not mechanically repeat     
itself and copy the past1 which does not
 live on its old virtues1 which does not
 enslave itself to precise rules1 but   
which forgets what is behind1 listens   
for new and higher monitions of         
conscience1 and rejoices to pour itself 
forth in fresh and higher exertions4 ,i 
call that mind free which is jealous of 
its own freedom1 which guards itself    
from being merged in others1 which      
guards its empire over itself as nobler 
than the empire of the world4           
,,chapter ,,xvii4  ,,stick4             
,patience is the courage of the         
conqueror2 it is the virtue1      par   
excellence1 of ,man against ,destiny1 of
 the ,one against      the ,world1 and  
of the ,soul against ,matter4 ,therefore
 this is      the courage of the        
,gospel2 and its importance1 in a social
      view--its importance to races and 
institutions--cannot be too             

earnestly inculcated4      --,,bulwer4  
,perpetual pushing and assurance put a  
difficulty out of      countenance1 and 
make a seeming impossibility give way4  
--,,jeremy ,,collier4       ,to bear is 
to conquer fate4      --,,campbell4     
,the nerve that never relaxes1 the eye  
that never blenches1 the      thought   
that never wanders1--these are the      
masters of victory4      --,,burke4     
,let us1 then1 be up and doing1         
,with a heart for any fate2      ,still 
achieving1 still pursuing1      ,learn  
to labor and to wait4                   
--,,longfellow4   ,how long did it take 
you to learn to play8 asked a young man 
of ,geradini4 ,twelve hours a day for   
twenty years1 replied the great         
violinist4 ,layman ,beecher's father1   
when asked how long it took him to write
 his celebrated sermon on the           
,government of ,god1 replied1 ,about    
forty years4  ,if you will study a year 
,i will teach you to sing well1 said an 
,italian music teacher to a pupil who   

wished to know what can be hoped for    
with study2 if two years1 you may excel4
 ,if you will practice the scale        
constantly for three years1 ,i will make
 you the best tenor in ,italy2 if for   
four years1 you may have the world at   
your feet4  ,perceiving that ,caffarelli
 had a fine tenor voice and unusual     
talent1 a teacher offered to give him a 
thorough musical education free of      
charge1 provided the pupil would promise
 never to complain of the course of     
instruction given4 ,the first year the  
master gave nothing but the scales1     
compelling the youth to practice them   
over and over again4 ,the second year it
 was the same1 the third1 and the       
fourth1 the conditions of the bargain   
being the only reply to any question in 
relation to a change from such          
monotonous drill4 ,the fifth year the   
teacher introduced chromatics and       
thorough bass1 and1 at its close1 when  
,caffarelli looked for something more   
brilliant and interesting1 the master   

said3 ,go1 my son1 ,i can teach you     
nothing more4 ,you are the first singer 
of ,italy and of the world4 ,the mastery
 of scales and diatonics gave him power 
to sing anything4  ,keep at the helm1   
said ,president ,porter2 steer your own 
ship1 and remember that the great art of
 commanding is to take a fair share of  
the work4 ,strike out4 ,assume your own 
position4 ,put potatoes in a cart1 over 
a rough road1 and the small ones go to  
the bottom4  ,never depend upon your    
genius1 said ,john ,ruskin1 in the words
 of ,joshua ,reynolds2 if you have      
talent1 industry will improve it2 if you
 have none1 industry will supply the    
deficiency4  ,the only merit to which ,i
 lay claim1 said ,hugh ,miller1 is that 
of patient research--a merit in which   
whoever wills may rival or surpass me2  
and this humble faculty of patience when
 rightly developed may lead to more     
extraordinary development of ideas than 
even genius itself4  ,titian1 the       
greatest master of color the world has  

seen1 used to say3 ,white1 red and      
black1 these are all the colors that a  
painter needs1 but he must know how to  
use them4 ,it took fifty years of       
constant1 hard practice to bring him to 
his full mastery4  ,how much grows      
everywhere if we do but wait6 exclaims  
,carlyle4 ,not a difficulty but can     
transfigure itself into a triumph2 not  
even a deformity1 but if our own soul   
have imprinted worth on it1 will grow   
dear to us4  ,persistency is            
characteristic of all men who have      
accomplished anything great4 ,they may  
lack in some other particular1 have many
 weaknesses1 or eccentricities1 but the 
quality of persistence is never absent  
in a successful man4 ,no matter what    
opposition he meets or what             
discouragements overtake him1 he is     
always persistent4 ,drudgery cannot     
disgust him1 obstacles cannot discourage
 him1 labor cannot weary him4 ,he will  
persist1 no matter what comes or what   
goes2 it is a part of his nature4 ,he   

could almost as easily stop breathing4  
,it is not so much brilliancy of        
intellect or fertility of resource as   
persistency of effort1 constancy of     
purpose1 that makes a great man4        
,persistency always gives confidence4   
,everybody believes in the man who      
persists4 ,he may meet misfortunes1     
sorrows and reverses1 but everybody     
believes that he will ultimately triumph
 because they know there is no keeping  
him down4 ,does he keep at it1 is he    
persistent8 is the question which the   
world asks of a man4  ,even the man with
 small ability will often succeed if he 
has the quality of persistence1 where a 
genius without persistence would fail4  
,how hard ,i worked at that tremendous  
shorthand1 and all improvement          
appertaining to it1 said ,dickens4 ,i   
will only add to what ,i have already   
written of my perseverance at this time 
of my life1 and of a patient and        
continuous energy which then began to be
 matured within me1 and which ,i know to

 be the strong point of my character1 if
 it have any strength at all1 that      
there1 on looking back1 ,i find the     
source of my success4  ,i am sorry to   
say that ,i don't think this is in your 
line1 said ,woodfall the reporter1 after
 ,sheridan had made his first speech in 
,parliament4 ,you had better have stuck 
to your former pursuits4 ,with head on  
his hand ,sheridan mused for a time1    
then looked up and said1 ,it is in me1  
and it shall come out of me4 ,from the  
same man came that harangue against     
,warren ,hastings which the orator ,fox 
called the best speech ever made in the 
,house of ,commons4  ,the man who is    
perpetually hesitating which of two     
things he will do first1 said ,william  
,wirt1 will do neither4 ,the man who    
resolves1 but suffers his resolution to 
be changed by the first                 
counter-suggestion of a friend--who     
fluctuates from opinion to opinion1 from
 plan to plan1 and veers like a         
weather-cock to every point of the      

compass1 with every breath of caprice   
that blows1 can never accomplish        
anything great or useful4 ,instead of   
being progressive in anything1 he will  
be at best stationary1 and1 more        
probably1 retrograde in all4  ,great    
writers have ever been noted for their  
tenacity of purpose4 ,their works have  
not been flung off from minds aglow with
 genius1 but have been elaborated and   
elaborated into grace and beauty1 until 
every trace of their efforts has been   
obliterated4 ,bishop ,butler worked     
twenty years incessantly on his         
,analogy1 and even then was so          
dissatisfied that he wanted to burn it4 
,rousseau says he obtained the ease and 
grace of his style only by ceaseless    
inquietude1 by endless blotches and     
erasures4 ,virgil worked eleven years on
 the neid4 ,the note-books of great men 
like ,hawthorne and ,emerson are        
tell-tales of enormous drudgery1 of the 
years put into a book which may be read 
in an hour4 ,montesquieu was twenty-five

 years writing his ,esprit de ,louis1   
yet you can read it in sixty minutes4   
,adam ,smith spent ten years on his     
,wealth of ,nations4 ,a rival playwright
 once laughed at ,euripides for spending
 three days on three lines1 when he had 
written five hundred lines4 ,but your   
five hundred lines in three days will be
 dead and forgotten1 while my three     
lines will live forever1 replied        
,euripides4  ,sir ,fowell ,buxton       
thought he could do as well as others1  
if he devoted twice as much time and    
labor as they did4 ,ordinary means and  
extraordinary application have done most
 of the great things in the world4      
,defoe offered the manuscript of        
,robinson ,crusoe to many booksellers   
and all but one refused it4 ,addison's  
first play1 ,rosamond1 was hissed off   
the stage1 but the editor of the        
,spectator and ,tattler was made of     
stern stuff and was determined that the 
world should listen to him1 and it did4 
,david ,livingstone said3 ,those who    

have never carried a book through the   
press can form no idea of the amount of 
toil it involves4 ,the process has      
increased my respect for authors a      
thousand-fold4 ,i think ,i would rather 
cross the ,african continent again than 
undertake to write another book4  ,for  
the statistics of the negro population  
of ,south ,america alone1 says ,robert  
,dale ,owen1 ,i examined more than a    
hundred and fifty volumes4  ,another    
author tells us that he wrote paragraphs
 and whole pages of his book as many as 
fifty times4  ,it is said of one of     
,longfellow's poems that it was written 
in four weeks1 but that he spent six    
months in correcting and cutting it     
down4 ,bulwer declared that he had      
rewritten some of his briefer           
productions as many as eight or nine    
times before their publication4 ,one of 
,tennyson's pieces was rewritten fifty  
times4 ,john ,owen was twenty years on  
his ,commentary on the ,epistle to the  
,hebrews2 ,gibbon on his ,decline and   

,fall1 twenty years2 and ,adam ,clark1  
on his ,commentary1 twenty-six years4   
,carlyle spent fifteen years on his     
,frederick the ,great4  ,a great deal of
 time is consumed in reading before some
 books are prepared4 ,george ,eliot read
 #ajjj books before she wrote ,daniel   
,deronda4 ,allison read #bjjj before he 
completed his history4 ,it is said of   
another that he read #bj1jjj and wrote  
only two books4  ,virgil spent several  
years on the ,georgics1 which could be  
printed in two columns of an ordinary   
newspaper4  ,generally speaking1 said   
,sydney ,smith1 the life of all truly   
great men has been a life of intense and
 incessant labor4 ,they have commonly   
passed the first half of life in the    
gross darkness of indigent              
humility1--overlooked1 mistaken1        
condemned by weaker men1--thinking while
 others slept1 reading while others     
rioted1 feeling something within them   
that told them they should not always be
 kept down among the dregs of the world4

 ,and then1 when their time has come1   
and some little accident has given them 
their first occasion1 they have burst   
out into the light and glory of public  
life1 rich with the spoils of time1 and 
mighty in all the labors and struggles  
of the mind4  ,malibran said3 ,if ,i    
neglect my practice a day1 ,i see the   
difference in my execution2 if for two  
days1 my friends see it2 and if for a   
week1 all the world knows my failure4   
,constant1 persistent struggle she found
 to be the price of her marvelous power4
  ,if ,i am building a mountain1 said   
,confucius1 and stop before the last    
basketful of earth is placed on the     
summit1 ,i have failed4  ,young         
gentlemen1 said ,francis ,wayland1      
remember that nothing can stand day's   
work4  ,america will never produce any  
great art until our resources are       
developed and we get more time4 ,as a   
people we have not yet learned the art  
of patience4 ,we do not know how to     
wait4 ,think of an ,american artist     

spending seven1 eight1 ten1 and even    
twelve years on a single painting as did
 ,titian1 ,michael ,angelo and many of  
the other old masters4 ,think of an     
,american sculptor spending years and   
years upon a single masterpiece1 as did 
the ,greeks and ,romans4 ,we have not   
yet learned the secret of working and   
waiting4  ,the single element in all the
 progressive movements of my pencil1    
said the great ,david ,wilkie1 was      
persevering industry4  ,the kind of     
ability which most men rank highest is  
that which enables its possessor to do  
what he undertakes1 and attain the      
object of his ambition or desire4  ,the 
reader of a newspaper does not see the  
first insertion of an ordinary          
advertisement1 says a ,french writer4   
,the second insertion he sees1 but does 
not read2 the third insertion he reads2 
the fourth insertion he looks at the    
price2 the fifth insertion he speaks of 
it to his wife2 the sixth insertion he  
is ready to purchase1 and the seventh   

insertion he purchases4  ,the large fees
 which make us envy the great lawyer or 
doctor are not remuneration for the few 
minutes' labor of giving advice1 but for
 the mental stores gathered during the  
precious spare moments of many a year   
while others were sleeping or enjoying  
holidays4 ,a client will frequently     
object to paying fifty dollars for an   
opinion written in five minutes1 but    
such an opinion could be written only by
 one who has read a hundred law books4  
,if the lawyer had not previously read  
those books1 but should keep a client   
waiting until he could read them with   
care1 there would be fewer complaints   
that fees of this kind are not earned4  
,we are told that perseverance built the
 pyramids on ,egypt's plains1 erected   
the gorgeous temple at ,jerusalem1      
inclosed in adamant the ,chinese        
,empire1 scaled the stormy1 cloud-capped
 ,alps1 opened a highway through the    
watery wilderness of the ,atlantic1     
leveled the forests of the new world1   

and reared in its stead a community of  
,states and nations4 ,perseverance has  
wrought from the marble block the       
exquisite creations of genius1 painted  
on canvas the gorgeous mimicry of       
nature1 and engraved on a metallic      
surface the viewless substance of the   
shadow4 ,perseverance has put in motion 
millions of spindles1 winged as many    
flying shuttles1 harnessed thousands of 
iron steeds to as many freighted cars1  
and sent them flying from town to town  
and nation to nation2 tunneled mountains
 of granite1 and annihilated space with 
the lightning's speed4 ,perseverance has
 whitened the waters of the world with  
the sails of a hundred nations1         
navigated every sea and explored every  
land4 ,perseverance has reduced nature  
in her thousand forms to as many        
sciences1 taught her laws1 prophesied   
her future movements1 measured her      
untrodden spaces1 counted her myriad    
hosts of worlds1 and computed their     
distances1 dimensions1 and velocities4  

,whoever is resolved to excel in        
painting1 or1 indeed1 in any other art1 
said ,reynolds1 must bring all his mind 
to bear upon that one object from the   
moment that he rises till he goes to    
bed4  ,if you work hard two weeks       
without selling a book1 wrote a         
publisher to an agent1 you will make a  
success of it4  ,know thy work and do   
it1 said ,carlyle2 and work at it like a
 ,hercules4 ,one monster there is in the
 world--an idle man4     ,,chapter      
,,xviii4  ,,save4       ,if you want to 
test a young man and ascertain whether  
nature      made him for a king or a    
subject1 give him a thousand dollars    
and see what he will do with it4 ,if he 
is born to conquer and      command1 he 
will put it quietly away till he is     
ready to use it      as opportunity     
offers4 ,if he is born to serve1 he will
      immediately begin to spend it in  
gratifying his ruling      propensity4  
--,,parton4       ,the man who builds1  
and lacks wherewith to pay1             

,provides a home from which to run away4
      --,,young4       ,buy what thou   
hast no need of1 and ere long thou      
shalt sell thy necessaries4       ,for  
age and want save while you may3        
,no morning sun lasts a whole day4      
--,,franklin4       ,whatever be your   
talents1 whatever be your prospects1    
never      speculate away on a chance of
 a palace that which you may need       
as a provision against the workhouse4   
--,,bulwer4   ,what do you do with all  
these books8 ,oh1 that library is my    
'one cigar a day1' was the response4    
,what do you mean8 ,mean6 ,just this3   
when you bothered me so about being a   
man1 and learning to smoke1 ,i'd just   
been reading about a young fellow who   
bought books with money that others     
would have spent in smoke1 and ,i       
thought ,i'd try and do the same4 ,you  
remember1 ,i said ,i should allow myself
 one cigar a day4 ,yes4 ,well1 ,i never 
smoked4 ,i just put by the price of a   
five-cent cigar every day1 and as the   

money accumulated ,i bought books--the  
books you see there4 ,do you mean to say
 that those books cost no more than     
that8 ,why there are dollars' worth of  
them4 ,yes1 ,i know there are4 ,i had   
six years more of my apprenticeship to  
serve when you persuaded me to 'be a    
man4' ,i put by the money ,i have told  
you of1 which of course at five cents a 
day amounted to #ah4be a year or #aji4ej
 in six years4 ,i keep those books by   
themselves1 as a result of my           
apprenticeship cigar-money2 and if you'd
 done as ,i did1 you would by this time 
have saved many1 many more dollars than 
that1 and been in business besides4  ,if
 a man will begin at the age of twenty  
and lay by twenty-six cents every       
working day1 investing at #g per cent4  
compound interest1 he will have         
thirty-two thousand dollars when he is  
seventy years old4 ,twenty cents a day  
is no unusual expenditure for beer or   
cigars1 yet in fifty years it would     
easily amount to twenty thousand        

dollars4 ,even a saving of one dollar a 
week from the date of one's majority    
would give him one thousand dollars for 
each of the last ten of the allotted    
years of life4 ,what maintains one vice 
would bring up two children4  ,who does 
not feel honored by his relationship to 
,dr4 ,franklin1 whether as a townsman or
 a countryman1 or even as belonging to  
the same race8 ,who does not feel a sort
 of personal complacency in that        
frugality of his youth which laid the   
foundation for so much competence and   
generosity in his mature age2 in that   
wise discrimination of his outlays1     
which held the culture of the soul in   
absolute supremacy over the pleasures of
 the sense2 and in that consummate      
mastership of the great art of living1  
which has carried his practical wisdom  
into every cottage in ,christendom1 and 
made his name immortal8 ,and yet1 how   
few there are among us who would not    
disparage1 nay1 ridicule and contemn a  
young man who should follow ,franklin's 

example4  ,washington examined the      
minutest expenditures of his family1    
even when ,president of the ,united     
,states4 ,he understood that without    
economy none can be rich1 and with it   
none need be poor4  ,napoleon examined  
his domestic bills himself1 detected    
overcharges and errors4  ,unfortunately 
,congress can pass no law that will     
remedy the vice of living beyond one's  
means4  ,we are ruined1 says ,colton1   
not by what we really want1 but by what 
we think we do4 ,therefore never go     
abroad in search of your wants2 if they 
be real wants1 they will come home in   
search of you2 for he that buys what he 
does not want will soon want what he    
cannot buy4  ,i hope that there will not
 be another sale1 exclaimed ,horace     
,walpole1 for ,i have not an inch of    
room nor a farthing left4 ,a woman once 
bought an old door-plate with ,thompson 
on it because she thought it might come 
in handy some time4 ,the habit of buying
 what you don't need because it is cheap

 encourages extravagance4 ,many have    
been ruined by buying good pennyworths4 
,barnum tells the story of one of his   
acquaintances1 whose wife would have a  
new and elegant sofa1 which in the end  
cost him thirty thousand dollars4 ,when 
the sofa reached the house it was found 
necessary to get chairs to match1 then  
sideboards1 carpets1 and tables1 to     
correspond with them1 and so on through 
the entire stock of furniture1 when at  
last it was found that the house itself 
was quite too small and old-fashioned   
for the furniture1 and a new one was    
built to correspond with the sofa and et
 ceteras3 thus1 added my friend1 running
 up an outlay of #cj1jjj caused by that 
single sofa1 and saddling on me in the  
shape of servants1 equipage1 and the    
necessary expenses attendant on keeping 
up a fine 'establishment' a yearly      
outlay of eleven thousand dollars1 and a
 habit of extravagance which was a      
constant menace to my prosperity4       
,cicero said3 ,not to have a mania for  

buying1 is to possess a revenue4 ,many  
are carried away by the habit of        
bargain-buying4 ,here's something       
wonderfully cheap2 let's buy it4 ,have  
you any use for it8 ,no1 not at present2
 but it is sure to come in useful1 some 
time4  ,annual income1 says ,macawber1  
twenty pounds2 annual expenditure1      
nineteen six1 result--happiness4 ,annual
 income1 twenty pounds2 annual          
expenditure1 twenty pounds ought and    
six1 result--misery4  ,hunger1 rags1    
cold1 hard work1 contempt1 suspicion1   
unjust reproach1 are disagreeable1 says 
,horace ,greeley2 but debt is infinitely
 worse than them all4  ,if ,i had but   
fifty cents a week to live on1 said     
,greeley1 ,i'd buy a peck of corn and   
parch it before ,i'd owe any man a      
dollar4  ,to find out uses for the      
persons or things which are now wasted  
in life is to be the glorious work of   
the men of the next generation1 and that
 which will contribute most to their    
enrichment4  ,economizing in spots or by

 freaks is no economy at all2 it must be
 done by management4  ,let us learn the 
meaning of economy4 ,economy is a high1 
humane office1 a sacrament1 when its aim
 is great2 when it is the prudence of   
simple tastes1 when it is practiced for 
freedom1 or love or devotion4 ,much of  
the economy we see in houses is of a    
base origin1 and is best kept out of    
sight4 ,parched corn eaten to-day that  
,i may have roast fowl for my dinner on 
,sunday1 is a baseness1 but parched corn
 and a house with one apartment1 that ,i
 may be free of all perturbations1 that 
,i may be serene and docile to what the 
mind shall speak1 and girt and          
road-ready for the lowest mission of    
knowledge or good will1 is frugality for
 gods and heroes4  ,like many other boys
 ,p4 ,t4 ,barnum picked up pennies      
driving oxen for his father1 but unlike 
many other boys he would invest these   
earnings in knick-knacks which he would 
sell to others on every holiday1 thus   
increasing his pennies to dollars4  ,the

 eccentric ,john ,randolph once sprang  
from his seat in the ,house of          
,representatives1 and exclaimed in his  
piercing voice1 ,mr4 ,speaker1 ,i have  
found it4 ,and then1 in the stillness   
which followed this strange outburst1 he
 added1 ,i have found the ,philosopher's
 stone3 it is ,pay as you go4  ,in      
,france1 all classes1 the men as well as
 the women1 study the economy of cookery
 and practice it2 and there1 as many    
travelers affirm1 the people live at    
one-third the expense of ,englishmen or 
,americans4 ,there they know how to make
 savory messes out of remnants that     
others would throw away4 ,there they    
cook no more for each day than is       
required for that day4 ,with them the   
art ranks with the fine arts1 and a     
great cook is as much honored and       
respected as a sculptor or a painter4   
,the consequence is1 as ex-,secretary   
,mc,cullough thinks1 a ,french village  
of #ajjj inhabitants could be supported 
luxuriously on the waste of one of our  

large ,american hotels1 and he believes 
that the entire population of ,france   
could be supported on the food which is 
literally wasted in the ,united ,states4
 ,professor ,blot1 who resided for some 
years in the ,united ,states1 remarks1  
pathetically1 that here1 where the      
markets rival the best markets of       
,europe1 it is really a pity to live as 
many do live4 ,there are thousands of   
families in moderately good             
circumstances who have never eaten a    
loaf of really good bread1 nor tasted a 
well-cooked steak1 nor sat down to a    
properly prepared meal4  ,there are many
 who think that economy consists in     
saving cheese parings and candle ends1  
in cutting off two pence from the       
laundress' bill1 and doing all sorts of 
little1 mean1 dirty things4 ,economy is 
not meanness4 ,the misfortune is also   
that this class of persons let their    
economy apply only in one direction4    
,they fancy they are so wonderfully     
economical in saving a half-penny1 where

 they ought to spend two-pence1 that    
they think they can afford to squander  
in other directions4 ,punch1 in speaking
 of this one idea class of people1 says1
 ,they are like a man who bought a penny
 herring for his family's dinner1 and   
then hired a coach and four to take it  
home4 ,i never knew a man to succeed by 
practicing this kind of economy4 ,true  
economy consists in always making the   
income exceed the out-go4 ,wear the old 
clothes a little longer1 if necessary2  
dispense with the new pair of gloves1   
live on plainer food if need be4 ,so    
that under all circumstances1 unless    
some unforeseen accident occurs1 there  
will be a margin in favor of the income4
 ,a penny here and a dollar there placed
 at interest go on accumulating1 and in 
this way the desired result is obtained4
  ,i wish ,i could write all across the 
sky in letters of gold1 says ,rev4      
,william ,marsh1 the one word1 savings  
bank4  ,boston savings banks have       
#acj1jjj1jjj on deposit1 mostly saved in

 driblets4 ,josiah ,quincy used to say  
that the servant girls built most of the
 palaces on ,beacon street4  ,nature    
uses a grinding economy1 says ,emerson1 
working up all that is wasted to-day    
into to-morrow's creation2 not a        
superfluous grain of sand for all the   
ostentation she makes of expense and    
public works4 ,she flung us out in her  
plenty1 but we cannot shed a hair or a  
paring of a nail but instantly she      
snatches at the shred and appropriates  
it to her general stock4 ,last summer's 
flowers and foliage decayed in autumn   
only to enrich the earth this year for  
other forms of beauty4 ,nature will not 
even wait for our friends to see us1    
unless we die at home4 ,the moment the  
breath has left the body she begins to  
take us to pieces1 that the parts may be
 used again for other creations4  ,so   
apportion your wants that your means may
 exceed them1 says ,bulwer4 ,with one   
hundred pounds a year ,i may need no    
man's help2 ,i may at least have 'my    

crust of bread and liberty4' ,but with  
#ejjj a year ,i may dread a ring at my  
bell2 ,i may have my tyrannical master  
in servants whose wages ,i cannot pay2  
my exile may be at the fiat of the first
 long-suffering man who enters a        
judgment against me2 for the flesh that 
lies nearest my heart some ,shylock may 
be dusting his scales and whetting his  
knife4 ,every man is needy who spends   
more than he has2 no man is needy who   
spends less4 ,i may so ill manage1 that 
with #ejjj a year ,i purchase the worst 
evils of poverty--terror and shame2 ,i  
may so well manage my money1 that with  
#ajj a year ,i purchase the best        
blessings of wealth3 safety and respect4
     ,,chapter ,,xix4  ,,live ,,upward4 
,do what thou dost as if the stake were 
heaven1      ,and this thy last deed ere
 the judgment day4       ,if you wish to
 reach the highest begin at the lowest4 
--,,publius ,,syrus4                    
,what is a man1      ,if his chief good1
 and market of his time1      ,be but to

 sleep1 and feed8 ,a beast1 no more4    
,sure ,he1 that made us with such large 
discourse1      ,looking before1 and    
after1 gave us not      ,that capability
 and godlike ,reason      ,to rust in us
 unused4      --,,shakespeare4          
,ambition is the spur that makes man    
struggle with destiny4 ,it      is      
heaven's own incentive to make purpose  
great and achievement      greater4     
--,,anonymous4       ,not failure1 but  
low aim1 is crime4       ,endeavor to be
 first in thy calling1 whatever it      
may be2 neither let anyone go before    
thee in well      doing4       ,o may ,i
 join the choir invisible      ,of those
 immortal dead who live again      ,in  
minds made better by their presence2    
live      ,in pulses stirred to         
generosity1      ,in deeds of daring    
rectitude1 in scorn      ,for miserable 
aims that end with self1      ,in       
thoughts sublime that pierce the night  
like stars1      ,and with their mild   
persistence urge man's search      ,to  

vaster issues4      --,,george ,,eliot4 
,alexander1 ,csar1 ,charlemagne and     
myself have founded empires1 said       
,napoleon to ,montholon at ,st4 ,helena2
 but upon what did we rest the creations
 of our genius8 ,upon force4 ,jesus     
,christ alone founded his empire on     
love1 and at this moment millions of men
 would die for ,him4 ,i die before my   
time and my body will be given back to  
worms4 ,such is the fate of him who has 
been called the great ,napoleon4 ,what  
an abyss between my deep misery and the 
eternal kingdom of ,christ1 which is    
proclaimed1 loved and adored1 and which 
is extended over the whole earth4 ,call 
you this dying8 ,is it not rather       
living8 ,the death of ,christ is the    
death of a ,god4  ,no true man can live 
a half life1 says ,phillips ,brooks1    
when he has genuinely learned that it is
 a half life4 ,the other half1 the      
higher half1 must haunt him4  ,ideality1
 says ,horace ,mann1 is only the avant  
courier of the mind2 and where that in a

 healthy and normal state goes ,i hold  
it to be a prophecy that realization can
 follow4  ,if the certainty of future   
fame bore ,milton rejoicing through his 
blindness1 or cheered ,galileo in his   
dungeon1 writes ,bulwer1 what stronger  
and holier support shall not be given to
 him who has loved mankind as his       
brothers and devoted his labors to their
 cause8--who has not sought1 but        
relinquished1 his own renown8--who has  
braved the present censures of men for  
their future benefit1 and trampled upon 
glory in the energy of benevolence8     
,will there not be for him something    
more powerful than fame to comfort his  
sufferings and to sustain his hopes8    
,if ,i live1 wrote ,rufus ,choate in his
 diary in ,september1 #ahdd1 all        
blockheads which are shaken at certain  
mental peculiarities shall know and feel
 a reasoner1 a lawyer and a man of      
business4  ,i have read that none of the
 humbler races have the muscle by which 
man turns his eye upward1 though ,i am  

not anatomist enough to be sure of the  
fact4  ,show me a contented slave1 says 
,burke1 and ,i will show you a degraded 
man4  ,they truly are faithful1 says one
 writer1 who devote their entire lives  
to amendment4  ,general ,grant said of  
the ,chinese ,wall3 ,i believe that the 
labor expended on this wall could have  
built every railroad in the ,united     
,states1 every canal and highway1 and   
most1 if not all1 our cities4  ,the real
 benefactors of mankind1 says ,emerson1 
are the men and women who can raise     
their fellow beings out of the world of 
corn and money1 who make them forget    
their bank account by interesting them  
in their higher selves2 who can raise   
mere money-getters into the intellectual
 realm1 where they will cease to measure
 greatness and happiness by dollars and 
cents2 who can make men forget their    
stomachs and feast on being's banquet4  
,men are not so much mistaken in        
desiring to advance themselves1 said    
,beecher1 as in judging what will be an 

advance1 and what the right method of   
obtaining it4 ,an ambition which has    
conscience in it will always be a       
laborious and faithful engineer1 and    
will build the road and bridge the      
chasms between itself and eminent       
success by the most faithful and minute 
performances of duty4 ,the liberty to go
 higher than we are is given only when  
we have fulfilled amply the duty of our 
present sphere4 ,thus men are to rise   
upon their performances and not upon    
their discontent4 ,and this is the      
secret and golden meaning of the command
 to be content in whatever sphere we are
 placed4 ,it is not to be the content of
 indifference1 of indolence1 of         
unambitious stupidity1 but the content  
of industrious fidelity4 ,when men are  
building the foundations of vast        
structures they must needs labor far    
below the surface1 and in disagreeable  
conditions4 ,but every course of stone  
which they lay raises them higher2 and  
at length1 when they reach the surface1 

they have laid such solid work under    
them that they need not fear now to     
carry up their walls1 through towering  
stories1 till they overlook the whole   
neighborhood4 ,a man proves himself fit 
to go higher who shows that he is       
faithful where he is4 ,a man that will  
not do well in his present place1       
because he longs to be higher1 is fit   
neither to be where he is nor yet above 
it2 he is already too high and should be
 put lower4  ,do that which is assigned 
thee and thou canst not hope too much1  
or dare too much4 ,what a man does1 that
 he has4 ,in himself is his might4      
,don't waste life on doubts and fears4  
,spend yourself on the work before you1 
well assured that the performance of    
this hour's duties will be the best     
preparation for the hours or ages that  
follow it4  ,tradition says that when   
,solomon received the gift of an emerald
 vase from the ,queen of ,sheba he      
filled it with an elixir which he only  
knew how to prepare1 one drop of which  

would prolong life indefinitely4 ,a     
dying criminal begged for a drop of the 
precious fluid1 but ,solomon refused to 
prolong a wicked life4 ,when good men   
asked for it they were refused1 or      
failed to obtain it when promised1 as   
the king would forget or prefer not to  
open the vase to get but a single drop4 
,when at last the king became ill1 and  
bade his servants bring the vase1 he    
found that the contents had all         
evaporated4 ,so it is often with our    
hope1 our faith1 our ambition1 our      
aspiration4  ,a man cannot aspire if he 
looks down4 ,god has not created us with
 aspirations and longings for heights to
 which we cannot climb4 ,live upward4   
,the unattained still beckons us toward 
the summit of life's mountains1 into the
 atmosphere where great souls live and  
breathe and have their being4 ,even hope
 is but a promise of the possibility of 
its own fulfillment4 ,life should be    
lived in earnest4 ,it is no idle game1  
no farce to amuse and be forgotten4 ,it 

is a stern reality1 fuller of duties    
than the sky of stars4 ,you cannot have 
too much of that yearning which we call 
aspiration1 for1 even though you do not 
attain your ideal1 the efforts you make 
will bring nothing but blessing2 while  
he who fails of attaining mere worldly  
goals is too often eaten up with the    
canker-worm of disappointed ambition4   
,to all will come a time when the love  
of glory will be seen to be but a       
splendid delusion1 riches empty1 rank   
vain1 power dependent1 and all outward  
advantages without inward peace a mere  
mockery of wretchedness4 ,the wisest men
 have taken care to uproot selfish      
ambition from their breasts4            
,shakespeare considered it so near a    
vice as to need extenuating             
circumstances to make it a virtue4  ,who
 has not noticed the power of love in an
 awkward1 crabbed1 shiftless1 lazy man8 
,he becomes gentle1 chaste in language1 
energetic4 ,love brings out the poetry  
in him4 ,it is only an idea1 a          

sentiment1 and yet what magic it has    
wrought4 ,nothing we can see has touched
 the man1 yet he is entirely            
transformed4  ,not less does ambition   
completely transform a human being1 for 
a woman thirsting for fame can work     
where a man equally resolute would      
faint4 ,he despises ease and sloth1     
welcomes toil and hardship1 and shakes  
even kingdoms to gratify his master     
passion4 ,mere ambition has impelled    
many a man to a life of eminence and    
usefulness2 its higher manifestation1   
aspiration1 has led him beyond the      
stars4 ,if the aim be right the life in 
its details cannot be far wrong4 ,your  
heart must inspire what your hands      
execute1 or the work will be poorly     
done4 ,the hand cannot reach higher than
 does the heart4  ,but do not strive to 
reach impossible goals4 ,it is wholly in
 your power to develop yourself1 but not
 necessarily so to make yourself a king4
 ,how many ,presidents of the ,united   
,states or ,prime ,ministers of ,england

 are chosen within the working lifetime 
of a man8 ,what if a thousand young men 
resolve to become ,president or ,prime  
,minister8 ,while such prizes are within
 your reach1 remember that your will    
must be tremendous and your             
qualifications of the highest order1 or 
you cannot hope to secure them4 ,too    
many are deluded by ambition beyond     
their power of attainment1 or tortured  
by aspirations totally disproportionate 
to their capacity for execution4 ,you   
may1 indeed1 confidently hope to become 
eminent in usefulness and power1 but    
only as you build upon a broad          
foundation of self-culture2 while1 as a 
rule1 specialists in ambition as in     
science are apt to become narrow and    
one-sided4 ,darwin was very fond of     
poetry and music when young1 but after  
devoting his life to science1 he was    
surprised to find ,shakespeare tedious4 
,he said that1 if he were to live his   
life again1 he would read poetry and    
hear music every day1 so as not to lose 

the power of appreciating such things4  
,god asks no man whether he will accept 
life4 ,that is not the choice4 ,you must
 take it4 ,the only choice is how4      
,when ,i found ,i was black1 said       
,dumas1 ,i resolved to live as if ,i    
were white1 and so force men to look    
below my skin4  ,in the collection of   
the ,massachusetts ,historical ,society 
is a prospectus used by ,longfellow in  
canvassing1 on one of the blank leaves  
of which are the skeleton stanzas of    
,excelsior1 which he was evidently      
evolving as he trudged from house to    
house4  ,disregarding the honors that   
most men value and looking to the truth1
 said ,plato1 ,i shall endeavor in      
reality to live as virtuously as ,i can2
 and1 when ,i die1 to die so4 ,and ,i   
invite all other men to the utmost of my
 power2 and you1 too1 ,i invite to this 
contest1 which1 ,i affirm1 surpasses all
 contests here4  ,did you ever hear of a
 man who had striven all his life       
faithfully and singly toward an object1 

and in no measure obtained it8 asked    
,thoreau4 ,if a man constantly aspires1 
is he not elevated8 ,did ever a man try 
heroism1 magnanimity1 truth1 sincerity1 
and find that there was no advantage in 
them1--that it was a vain endeavor8  ,o 
if the stone can only have some vision  
of the temple of which it is to be a    
part forever1 exclaimed ,phillips       
,brooks1 what patience must fill it as  
it feels the blows of the hammer1 and   
knows that success for it is simply to  
let itself be wrought into what shape   
the master wills4  ,man never reaches   
heights above his habitual thought4 ,it 
is not enough now and then to mount on  
wings of ecstasy into the infinite4 ,we 
must habitually dwell there4 ,the great 
man is he who abides easily on heights  
to which others rise occasionally and   
with difficulty4 ,don't let the maxims  
of a low prudence daily dinned into your
 ears lower the tone of your high       
ambition or check your aspirations4     
,hope lifts us step by step up the      

mysterious ladder1 the top of which no  
eye hath ever seen4 ,though we do not   
find what hope promised1 yet we are     
stronger for the climbing1 and we get a 
broader outlook upon life which repays  
the effort4 ,indeed1 if we do not follow
 where hope beckons1 we gradually slide 
down the ladder in despair4 ,strive ever
 to be at the top of your condition4 ,a 
high standard is absolutely necessary4  
,,chapter ,,xx4  ,,sand4       ,i shall 
show the cinders of my spirits          
,through the ashes of my chance4        
--,,shakespeare4                        
,perseverance is a virtue      ,that    
wins each god-like act1 and plucks      
success      ,e'en from the spear-proof 
crest of rugged danger4      --,,william
 ,,harvard4       ,never say ,fail      
again4      --,,richelieu4       ,it is 
the one neck nearer that wins the race  
and shows the      blood2 the one pull  
more of the oar that proves the         
beefiness      of the fellow1 as ,oxford
 men say2 it is the one march more      

that wins the campaign2 the five        
minutes' more persistent      courage   
that wins the fight4 ,though your force 
be less than      another's1 you equal  
and out-master your opponent if you     
continue it longer and concentrate it   
more4      --,,smiles4       ,i know no 
such unquestionable badge and ensign of 
a sovereign      mind as that tenacity  
of purpose which1 through all changes of
      companions1 or parties1 or        
fortunes1 changes never1 bates no       
jot of heart or hope1 but wearies out   
opposition and arrives at      its port4
   ,well done1 ,tommy ,brooks6 exclaimed
 his teacher in pleased surprise when   
the dunce of the school spoke his piece 
without omitting a single word4 ,the    
other boys had laughed when he rose1 for
 they expected a bad failure4 ,but when 
the rest of the class had tried1 the    
teacher said ,tommy had done the best of
 all1 and gave him the prize4  ,and now 
tell me1 said she1 how you learned the  
poem so well4  ,please1 ma'am1 it was   

the snail on the wall that taught me how
 to do it1 said ,tommy4 ,at this the    
other pupils laughed aloud1 but the     
teacher said3 ,you need not laugh1 boys1
 for we may learn much from such things 
as snails4 ,how did the snail teach you1
 ,tommy8  ,i saw it crawl up the wall   
little by little1 replied the boy4 ,it  
did not stop nor turn back1 but went on1
 and on2 and ,i thought ,i would do the 
same with the poem4 ,so ,i learned it   
little by little1 and did not give up4  
,by the time the snail reached the top  
of the wall1 ,i had learned the whole   
poem4  ,i may here impart the secret of 
what is called good and bad luck1 said  
,addison4 ,there are men who1 supposing 
,providence to have an implacable spite 
against them1 bemoan in the poverty of  
old age the misfortunes of their lives4 
,luck forever runs against them1 and for
 others4 ,one with a good profession    
lost his luck in the river1 where he    
idled away his time a-fishing4 ,another 
with a good trade perpetually burnt up  

his luck by his hot temper1 which       
provoked all his employes to leave him4 
,another with a lucrative business lost 
his luck by amazing diligence at        
everything but his own business4        
,another who steadily followed his      
trade1 as steadily followed the bottle4 
,another who was honest and constant to 
his work1 erred by his perpetual        
misjudgment1--he lacked discretion4     
,hundreds lose their luck by indulging  
sanguine expectations1 by trusting      
fraudulent men1 and by dishonest gains4 
,a man never has good luck who has a bad
 wife4 ,i never knew an early-rising1   
hard-working1 prudent man1 careful of   
his earnings and strictly honest1 who   
complained of his bad luck4 ,a good     
character1 good habits1 and iron        
industry are impregnable to the assaults
 of the ill luck that fools are dreaming
 of4 ,but when ,i see a tatterdemalion  
creeping out of a grocery late in the   
forenoon with his hands stuck into his  
pockets1 the rim of his hat turned up1  

and the crown knocked in1 ,i know he has
 had bad luck1--for the worst of all    
luck is to be a sluggard1 a knave1 or a 
tippler4  ,you have a difficult subject1
 said ,anthony ,trollope at ,niagara    
,falls1 to an artist who had attempted  
to draw the spray of the waters4 ,all   
subjects are difficult1 was the reply1  
to a man who desires to do well4 ,but   
yours1 ,i fear1 is impossible1 said     
,trollope4 ,you have no right to say so 
till ,i have finished my picture1       
protested the artist4  ,tell ,louisa to 
stick to her teaching2 she can never    
succeed as a writer4 ,when her father   
delivered the rejected manuscript of a  
story sent to ,james ,t4 ,fields1 editor
 of the ,atlantic ,monthly1 with the    
above message1 ,miss ,alcott said1 ,tell
 him ,i will succeed as a writer1 and   
some day ,i shall write for the         
,atlantic4 ,not long after she sent an  
article to the ,atlantic and received a 
check for #ej4 ,with the money she said 
she bought a second hand carpet for the 

parlor1 a bonnet for her sister1 shoes  
and stockings for herself4 ,her father  
was calling upon ,longfellow some time  
after this1 when ,longfellow took the   
,atlantic1 and said1 ,i want to read to 
you ,emerson's fine poem upon ,thoreau's
 flute4 ,mr4 ,alcott interrupted him    
with delight and said1 ,my daughter     
,louisa wrote that4  ,men talk as if    
victory were something fortunate1 says  
,emerson4 ,work is victory4 ,wherever   
work is done victory is obtained4 ,there
 is no chance and no blanks4 ,you want  
but one verdict2 if you have your own1  
you are secure of the rest4 ,but if     
witnesses are wanted1 witnesses are     
near4  ,young gentlemen1 said ,francis  
,wayland1 remember that nothing can     
stand day's work4  ,alexander the ,great
 exclaimed to his soldiers1 disaffected 
after a long campaign1 ,go home and tell
 them that you left ,alexander to       
conquer the world alone4  ,we discount  
only our own bills1 and not those of    
private persons1 said the cashier of the

 ,bank of ,england1 when a large bill   
was offered drawn by ,anselm ,rothschild
 of ,frankfort1 on ,nathan ,rothschild  
of ,london4 ,private persons6 exclaimed 
,nathan1 when told of the cashier's     
remark2 ,i will make these gentlemen see
 what sort of private persons we are4   
,three weeks later he presented a       
five-pound note at the bank at the      
opening of the office4 ,the teller      
counted out five sovereigns1 looking    
surprised that ,baron ,rothschild should
 have troubled himself about such a     
trifle4 ,the baron examined the coins   
one by one1 weighing them in the        
balance1 as he said the law gave him the
 right to do1 put them into a little    
canvas bag1 and offered a second1 then a
 third1 fourth1 fiftieth1 thousandth    
note4 ,when a bag was full he handed it 
to a clerk in waiting1 and proceeded to 
fill another4 ,in seven hours he had    
changed #ba1jjj1 and1 with nine employes
 of his house similarly engaged1 had    
occupied the tellers so busily in       

changing #a1jej1jjj worth of notes that 
no one else could receive attention4    
,the bankers laughed1 but the next      
morning ,rothschild appeared with his   
nine clerks and several drays to carry  
away the gold1 remarking1 ,these        
gentlemen refuse to pay my bills2 ,i    
have sworn not to keep theirs4 ,they can
 pay at their leisure1 only ,i notify   
them that ,i have enough to employ them 
for two months4 ,the smiles faded from  
the features of the bank officials1 as  
they thought of a draft of #ee1jjj1jjj  
in gold which they did not hold4 ,next  
morning notice was given in the         
newspapers that the ,bank of ,england   
would pay ,rothschild's bills as well as
 its own4  ,well1 said ,barnum to a     
friend in #ahda1 ,i am going to buy the 
,american ,museum4 ,buy it6 exclaimed   
the astonished friend1 who knew that the
 showman had not a dollar2 what do you  
intend buying it with8 ,brass1 was the  
prompt reply1 for silver and gold have  
,i none4  ,every one interested in      

public entertainments in ,new ,york knew
 ,barnum1 and knew the condition of his 
pocket2 but ,francis ,olmstead1 who     
owned the ,museum building1 consulted   
numerous references all telling of a    
good showman1 who would do as he agreed1
 and accepted a proposition to give     
security for the purchaser4 ,mr4        
,olmstead was to appoint a money-taker  
at the door1 and credit ,barnum toward  
the purchase with all above expenses and
 an allowance of fifty dollars per month
 to support his wife and three children4
 ,mrs4 ,barnum gladly assented to the   
arrangement1 and offered1 if need be1 to
 cut down the household expenses to a   
little more than a dollar a day4 ,some  
six months later ,mr4 ,olmstead happened
 to enter the ticket office at noon1 and
 found ,barnum eating for dinner a few  
slices of bread and some corned beef4   
,is this the way you eat your dinner8 he
 asked4  ,i have not eaten a warm dinner
 since ,i bought the ,museum1 except on 
the ,sabbath2 and ,i intend never to eat

 another until ,i get out of debt4 ,ah6 
you are safe1 and will pay for the      
,museum before the year is out1 said    
,mr4 ,olmstead1 slapping the young man  
approvingly on the shoulder4 ,he was    
right1 for in less than a year ,barnum  
had paid every cent out of the profits  
of the establishment4  ,a noted         
philosopher said3 ,the favors of fortune
 are like steep rocks2 only eagles and  
creeping things mount to the summit4    
,lord ,campbell1 who became ,chief      
,justice and ,lord ,chancellor of       
,england and amassed a large fortune1   
began life as a drudge in a printing    
office4 ,a little observation shows us  
that1 as a rule1 the men who accomplish 
the most in the world are the most      
useful1 and sensible members of society1
 the men who are depended upon most in  
emergencies1 the men of backbone and    
stamina1 the bone and sinew of their    
communities2 the men who can always be  
relied upon1 who are healthiest and     
happiest1 are1 as a rule1 of ordinary   

mental calibre and medium capacity4 ,but
 with persistent and untiring industry1 
these are they1 after all1 who carry the
 burdens and reap the prizes of life4   
,it is the men and women who keep       
everlastingly at it1 who do not believe 
themselves geniuses1 but who know that  
if they ever accomplish anything great1 
they must do it by common drudgery and  
persistent industry and with an         
unwavering aim in one pursuit4 ,those   
who believe themselves geniuses are apt 
to scatter their efforts and thus       
fritter away their great energies       
without accomplishing anything in       
proportion to their high promise4 ,often
 the men who promise the most pay the   
least4  ,mrs4 ,frank ,leslie often      
refers to the time she lived in her     
carpetless attic while striving to pay  
her husband's obligations4 ,she has     
fought her way successfully through nine
 lawsuits1 and has paid the entire debt4
 ,she manages her ten publications      
entirely herself1 signs all checks and  

money-orders1 makes all contracts1 looks
 over all proofs1 and approves the      
make-up of everything before it goes to 
press4 ,she has developed great business
 ability1 which no one dreamed she      
possessed4  ,a little boy was asked how 
he learned to skate4 ,oh1 by getting up 
every time ,i fell down1 he replied4    
,the boy ,thorwaldsen1 whose father died
 in the poorhouse1 and whose education  
was so scanty that he had to write his  
letters over many times before they     
could be posted1 by his indomitable     
perseverance1 tenacity and grit1        
fascinated the world with the genius    
which neither his discouraging father1  
poverty1 nor hardship could repress4    
,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 on1 or he may  
be satisfied with his first triumph2 but
 show me a young man who has not        
succeeded at first1 and nevertheless has
 gone on1 and ,i will back that young   

man to do better than most of those who 
have succeeded at the first trial4  ,it 
was the last three days of the first    
voyage of ,columbus that told4 ,all his 
years of struggle and study would have  
availed nothing if he had yielded to the
 mutiny4 ,it was all in those three     
days4 ,but what days6  ,often defeated  
in battle1 said ,macaulay of ,alexander 
the ,great1 he was always successful in 
war4 ,he might have said the same of    
,washington1 and1 with appropriate      
changes1 of all who win great triumphs  
of any kind4  ,one of the greatest      
preachers of modern times1 ,lacordaire1 
failed again and again4 ,everybody said 
he would never make a preacher1 but he  
was determined to succeed1 and in two   
years from his humiliating failures he  
was preaching in ,notre ,dame to immense
 congregations4  ,orange ,judd was a    
remarkable example of success through   
grit4 ,he earned corn by working for    
farmers1 carried it on his back to mill1
 brought back the meal to his room1     

cooked it himself1 milked cows for his  
pint of milk per day1 and lived on mush 
and milk for months together4 ,he worked
 his way through ,wesleyan ,university1 
and took a three years' post-graduate   
course at ,yale4  ,oh1 the triumphs of  
this indomitable spirit of the          
conqueror6 ,this it was that enabled    
,franklin to dine on a small loaf in the
 printing-office with a book in his     
hand4 ,it helped ,locke to live on bread
 and water in a ,dutch garret4 ,it      
enabled ,gideon ,lee to go barefoot in  
the snow1 half starved and thinly clad4 
,it sustained ,lincoln and ,garfield on 
their hard journeys from the log cabin  
to the ,white ,house4  ,the very        
reputation of being strong-willed1      
plucky1 and indefatigable is of         
priceless value4 ,it often cowes enemies
 and dispels at the start opposition to 
one's undertakings which would otherwise
 be formidable4  ,when you get into a   
tight place and everything goes against 
you1 till it seems as if you could not  

hold on a minute longer1 said ,harriet  
,beecher ,stowe1 never give up then1 for
 that's just the place and time that the
 tide'll turn4  ,never despair1 says    
,burke1 but if you do1 work on in       
despair4  ,once when ,marshal ,ney was  
going into battle1 looking down at his  
knees which were smiting together1 he   
said1 ,you may well shake2 you would    
shake worse yet if you knew where ,i am 
going to take you4  ,go it1 ,william6 an
 old boxer was overheard saying to      
himself in the midst of a fight2 at him 
again6--never say 'die'6  ,a striking   
incident is related of the early        
experience of ,george ,law1 who1 in his 
day1 was one of the most conspicuous    
financiers and capitalists of ,new ,york
 ,city4 ,when he was a young man he went
 to ,new ,york1 poor and friendless4    
,one day he was walking along the       
streets1 hungry1 not knowing where his  
next meal would come from1 and passed a 
new building in course of erection4     
,through some accident one of the hod   

carriers fell from the structure and    
dropped dead at his feet4 ,young ,law1  
in his desperation1 applied for the job 
to take the dead man's place1 and the   
place was given him4 ,he went to work1  
and this was how one of the wealthiest  
and shrewdest ,new ,york business men   
got his start4  ,see young ,disraeli1   
sprung from a hated and persecuted race2
 without opportunity1 pushing his way up
 through the middle classes1 up through 
the upper classes1 until he stands      
self-poised upon the topmost round of   
political and social power4 ,scoffed1   
ridiculed1 rebuffed1 hissed from the    
,house of ,commons1 he simply says1 ,the
 time will come when you will hear me4  
,the time did come1 and the boy with no 
chance swayed the sceptre of ,england   
for a quarter of a century4  ,if        
impossibilities ever exist1 popularly   
speaking1 they ought to have been found 
somewhere between the birth and the     
death of ,kitto1 that deaf pauper and   
master of ,oriental learning4 ,but      

,kitto did not find them there4 ,in the 
presence of his decision and imperial   
energy they melted away4 ,kitto begged  
his father to take him out of the       
poorhouse1 even if he had to subsist    
like the ,hottentots4 ,he told him that 
he would sell his books and pawn his    
handkerchief1 by which he thought he    
could raise about twelve shillings4 ,he 
said he could live upon blackberries1   
nuts and field turnips1 and was willing 
to sleep on a hayrick4 ,here was real   
grit4 ,what were impossibilities to such
 a resolute will8 ,patrick ,henry voiced
 that decision which characterized the  
great men of the ,revolution when he    
said1 ,is life so dear1 or peace so     
sweet1 as to be purchased at the price  
of chains and slavery8 ,forbid it1      
,almighty ,god6 ,i know not what course 
others may take2 but as for me1 give me 
liberty or give me death6  ,look at     
,garrison reading this advertisement in 
a ,southern paper3 ,five thousand       
dollars will be paid for the head of ,w4

 ,l4 ,garrison by the ,governor of      
,georgia4 ,behold him again2 a          
broadcloth mob is leading him through   
the streets of ,boston by a rope4 ,he is
 hurried to jail4 ,see him return calmly
 and unflinchingly to his work1         
beginning at the point at which he was  
interrupted4 ,note this heading in the  
,liberator1 the type of which he set    
himself in an attic on ,state ,street1  
in ,boston3 ,i am in earnest1 ,i will   
not equivocate1 ,i will not excuse1 ,i  
will not retreat a single inch1 and ,i  
will be heard4 ,was ,garrison heard8    
,ask a race set free largely by his     
efforts4 ,even the gallows erected in   
front of his own door did not daunt him4
 ,he held the ear of an unwilling world 
with that burning word freedom1 which   
was destined never to cease its         
vibrations until it had breathed its    
sweet secret to the last slave4  ,at a  
time when abolitionists were dangerously
 unpopular1 a crowd of brawny ,cape ,cod
 fishermen had made such riotous        

demonstrations that all the speakers    
announced1 except ,stephen ,foster and  
,lucy ,stone1 had fled from an open-air 
platform4 ,you had better run1 ,stephen1
 said she2 they are coming4 ,but who    
will take care of you8 asked ,foster4   
,this gentleman will take care of me1   
she replied1 calmly laying her hand     
within the arm of a burly rioter with a 
club1 who had just sprung upon the      
platform4 ,wh--what did you say8        
stammered the astonished rowdy1 as he   
looked at the little woman2 yes1 ,i'll  
take care of you1 and no one shall touch
 a hair of your head4 ,with this he     
forced a way for her through the crowd1 
and1 at her earnest request1 placed her 
upon a stump and stood guard with his   
club while she delivered an address so  
effective that the audience offered no  
further violence1 and even took up a    
collection of twenty dollars to repay   
,mr4 ,foster for the damage his clothes 
had received when the riot was at its   
height4  ,luck is ever waiting for      

something to turn up1 says ,cobden2     
labor1 with keen eyes and strong will1  
will turn up something4 ,luck lies in   
bed1 and wishes the postman would bring 
him the news of a legacy2 labor turns   
out at six o'clock1 and with busy pen or
 ringing hammer lays the foundation of a
 competence4 ,luck whines2 labor        
whistles4 ,luck relies on chance2 labor1
 on character4  ,there is no luck1 for  
all practical purposes1 to him who is   
not striving1 and whose senses are not  
all eagerly attent4 ,what are called    
accidental discoveries are almost       
invariably made by those who are looking
 for something4 ,a man incurs about as  
much risk of being struck by lightning  
as by accidental luck4 ,there is1       
perhaps1 an element of luck in the      
amount of success which crowns the      
efforts of different men2 but even here 
it will usually be found that the       
sagacity with which the efforts are     
directed and the energy with which they 
are prosecuted measure pretty accurately

 the luck contained in the results      
achieved4 ,apparent exceptions will be  
found to relate almost wholly to single 
undertakings1 while in the long run the 
rule will hold good4 ,two pearl-divers1 
equally expert1 dive together and work  
with equal energy4 ,one brings up a     
pearl1 while the other returns          
empty-handed4 ,but let both persevere   
and at the end of five1 ten or twenty   
years it will be found that they        
succeeded almost in exact proportion to 
their skill and industry4  ,lincoln1    
being asked by an anxious visitor what  
he would do after three or four years if
 the rebellion was not subdued1 replied3
 ,oh1 there is no alternative but to    
keep pegging away4  ,it is in me and it 
shall come out1 said ,sheridan1 when    
told that he would never make an orator1
 as he had failed in his first speech in
 ,parliament4 ,he became known as one of
 the foremost orators of his day4  ,it  
takes great courage to fight a lost     
cause when there is no hope even of     

victory4 ,to contest every inch of      
ground with as much persistency and     
enthusiasm as if we were assured of     
victory2 this is true courage4  ,the    
world admires the man who never flinches
 from unexpected difficulties1 who      
calmly1 patiently1 and courageously     
grapples with his fate2 who dies1 if    
need be1 at his post4  ,president       
,chadbourne put grit in place of his    
lost lung1 and worked thirty-five years 
after his funeral had been planned4     
,henry ,fawcett put grit in place of    
eyesight1 and became the greatest       
,postmaster-,general ,england ever had4 
,prescott also put grit in place of     
eyesight1 and became one of ,america's  
greatest historians4 ,francis ,parkman  
put grit in place of health and         
eyesight1 and became the greatest       
historian of ,america in his line4      
,thousands of men have put grit in place
 of health1 eyes1 ears1 hands1 legs1 and
 yet have achieved marvelous success4   
,indeed1 most of the great things of the

 world have been accomplished by grit   
and pluck4 ,you cannot keep a man down  
who has these qualities4 ,he will make  
stepping-stones out of his              
stumbling-blocks1 and lift himself to   
success4  ,grit and pluck are not always
 exhibited only by poor boys who have no
 chance1 for there are many notable     
examples of pluck1 persistence and real 
grit among youth in good circumstances1 
who never have to fight their way to    
their own loaf4 ,mr4 ,mifflin1 who has  
recently become the head of the         
celebrated publishing firm of ,houghton1
 ,mifflin  ,co41 is a notable example of
 persistency1 push and grit4 ,after     
graduating at ,harvard and traveling    
abroad1 he was determined1 although not 
obliged to work for a living1 to get a  
position at the ,riverside ,press in    
,cambridge4 ,he called upon the late    
,mr4 ,houghton and asked him for a      
situation4 ,mr4 ,houghton told him that 
he had no opening1 and that1 even if he 
had1 he did not believe that a graduate 

from ,harvard who had money and who had 
traveled abroad would ever be willing to
 begin at the bottom and do the         
necessary drudgery1 for boy's pay4 ,mr4 
,mifflin protested that he was not      
afraid of hard work1 and that he was    
willing to do anything and take any sort
 of a position1 if he could only learn  
the business4 ,but ,mr4 ,houghton would 
not give him any encouragement4 ,again  
and again ,mr4 ,mifflin came to the     
,riverside ,press1 and pressed his suit1
 but to no purpose4 ,mr4 ,mifflin       
persuaded his father to intercede for   
him1 but ,mr4 ,houghton succeeded in    
convincing him that it would be very    
unwise for his son to attempt it4 ,but  
young ,mifflin was determined not to    
give up4 ,finally1 ,mr4 ,houghton1 out  
of admiration for his persistence and   
pluck1 made a place for him1 which had  
been occupied by a boy1 for #e a week4  
,young ,mifflin took hold of the work   
with such earnestness1 and showed so    
much pluck and determination1 that ,mr4 

,houghton soon called him into the      
office and raised his pay to #i a week  
from the time he began4 ,although the   
young man lived in ,boston1 he was      
always at the ,riverside ,press in      
,cambridge early in the morning1 and    
would frequently remain after all the   
others had gone4 ,mr4 ,houghton happened
 to go in late one night1 after         
everybody had gone1 as he supposed1 and 
was surprised to find ,mr4 ,mifflin     
there1 taking one of the presses apart4 
,of course such a young man would be    
advanced4 ,these are the boys who become
 the heads of firms4  ,it is victory    
after victory with the soldier1 lesson  
after lesson with the scholar1 blow     
after blow with the laborer1 crop after 
crop with the farmer1 picture after     
picture with the painter1 and mile after
 mile with the traveler1 that secures   
what all so much desire--,,success4     
,stick to the thing and carry it        
through4 ,believe you were made for the 
place you fill1 and that no one else can

 fill it as well4 ,put forth your whole 
energies4 ,be awake1 electrify yourself2
 go forth to the task4 ,only once learn 
to carry a thing through in all its     
completeness and proportion1 and you    
will become a hero4 ,you will think     
better of yourself2 others will think   
better of you4 ,the world in its very   
heart admires the stern1 determined     
doer4     ,,chapter ,,xxi4  ,,above     
,,rubies4       ,the best way to settle 
the quarrel between capital and labor is
      by allopathic doses of            
,peter-,cooperism4      --,,talmage4    
,in the sublimest flights of the soul1  
rectitude is never      surmounted1 love
 is never outgrown4      --,,emerson4   
,one ruddy drop of manly blood the      
surging sea outweighs4       ,virtue    
alone out-builds the pyramids3      ,her
 monuments shall last when ,egypt's     
fall4      --,,young4       ,he believed
 that he was born1 not for himself1 but 
for the      whole world4               
--,,lucan4       ,wherever man goes to  

dwell1 his character goes with him4     
--,,african ,,proverb4       ,the spirit
 of a single mind      ,makes that of   
multitudes take one direction1      ,as 
roll the waters to the breathing wind4  
--,,byron4   ,no1 say what you have to  
say in her presence1 too1 said ,king    
,cleomenes of ,sparta1 when his visitor 
,anistagoras asked him to send away his 
little daughter ,gorgo1 ten years old1  
knowing how much harder it is to        
persuade a man to do wrong when his     
child is at his side4 ,so ,gorgo sat at 
her father's feet1 and listened while   
the stranger offered more and more money
 if ,cleomenes would aid him to become  
king in a neighboring country4 ,she did 
not understand the matter1 but when she 
saw her father look troubled and        
hesitate1 she took hold of his hand and 
said1 ,papa1 come away--come1 or this   
strange man will make you do wrong4 ,the
 king went away with the child1 and     
saved himself and his country from      
dishonor4 ,character is power1 even in a

 child4 ,when grown to womanhood1 ,gorgo
 was married to the hero ,leonidas4 ,one
 day a messenger brought a tablet sent  
by a friend who was a prisoner in       
,persia4 ,but the closest scrutiny      
failed to reveal a single word or line  
on the white waxen surface1 and the king
 and all his noblemen concluded that it 
was sent as a jest4 ,let me take it1    
said ,queen ,gorgo2 and1 after looking  
it all over1 she exclaimed1 ,there must 
be some writing underneath the wax6     
,they scraped away the wax and found a  
warning to ,leonidas from the ,grecian  
prisoner1 saying that ,xerxes was coming
 with his immense host to conquer all   
,greece4 ,acting on this warning1       
,leonidas and the other kings assembled 
their armies and checked the mighty host
 of ,xerxes1 which is said to have      
shaken the earth as it marched4  ,i fear
 ,john ,knox's prayers more than an army
 of ten thousand men1 said ,mary1 ,queen
 of ,scotland4  ,the man behind the     
sermon1 said ,william ,m4 ,evarts1 is   

the secret of ,john ,hall's power4 ,in  
fact if there is not a man with a       
character behind it nothing about it is 
of the slightest consequence4           
,thackeray says1 ,nature has written a  
letter of credit upon some men's faces  
which is honored wherever presented4    
,you can not help trusting such men2    
their very presence gives confidence4   
,there is a 'promise to pay' in their   
very faces which gives confidence1 and  
you prefer it to another man's          
indorsement4 ,character is credit4  ,in 
the great monetary panic of #aheg1 a    
meeting was called of the various bank  
presidents of ,new ,york ,city4 ,when   
asked what percentage of specie had been
 drawn during the day1 some replied     
fifty per cent41 some even as high as   
seventy-five per cent41 but ,moses      
,taylor of the ,city ,bank said3 ,we had
 in the bank this morning1 #djj1jjj2    
this evening1 #dgj1jjj4 ,while other    
banks were badly run1 the confidence in 
the ,city ,bank under ,mr4 ,taylor's    

management was such that people had     
deposited in that institution what they 
had drawn from other banks4 ,character  
gives confidence4  ,there is no such    
thing as a small country1 said ,victor  
,hugo4 ,the greatness of a people is no 
more affected by the number of its      
inhabitants than the greatness of an    
individual is measured by his height4   
,it is the nature of party in ,england1 
said ,john ,russell1 to ask the         
assistance of men of genius1 but to     
follow the guidance of men of character4
  ,a handful of good life1 says ,george 
,herbert1 is worth a bushel of learning4
  ,i have read1 ,emerson says1 that they
 who listened to ,lord ,chatham felt    
that there was something finer in the   
man than anything which he said4 ,it has
 been complained of ,carlyle that when  
he has told all his facts about         
,mirabeau they do not justify his       
estimate of the latter's genius4 ,the   
,gracchi1 ,agis1 ,cleomenes1 and others 
of ,plutarch's heroes do not in the     

record of facts equal their own fame4   
,sir ,philip ,sidney and ,sir ,walter   
,raleigh are men of great figure and of 
few deeds4 ,we cannot find the smallest 
part of the personal weight of          
,washington in the narrative of his     
exploits4 ,the authority of the name of 
,schiller is too great for his books4   
,this inequality of the reputation to   
the works or the anecdotes is not       
accounted for by saying that the        
reverberation is longer than the        
thunder-clap2 but something resided in  
these men which begot an expectation    
that outran all their performance4 ,the 
largest part of their power was latent4 
,this is that which we call             
character1--a reserved force which acts 
directly by presence1 and without means4
 ,what others effect by talent or       
eloquence1 the man of character         
accomplishes by some magnetism4 ,half   
his strength he puts not forth4 ,his    
victories are by demonstration of       
superiority1 and not by crossing        

bayonets4 ,he conquers1 because his     
arrival alters the face of affairs4 ,o  
,iole6 how didst thou know that         
,hercules was a god8 ,because1 answered 
,iole1 ,i was content the moment my eyes
 fell on him4 ,when ,i beheld ,theseus1 
,i desired that ,i might see him offer  
battle1 or at least drive his horses in 
the chariot-race2 but ,hercules did not 
wait for a contest2 he conquered whether
 he stood1 or walked1 or sat1 or        
whatever else he did4  ,show me1 said   
,omar the ,caliph to ,amru the warrior1 
the sword with which you have fought so 
many battles and slain so many infidels4
 ,ah1 replied ,amru1 the sword without  
the arm of the master is no sharper nor 
heavier than the sword of ,farezdak the 
poet4 ,so one hundred and fifty pounds  
of flesh and blood without character is 
of no great value4  ,no man throws away 
his vote1 says ,francis ,willard1 when  
he places it in the ballot-box with his 
conviction behind it4 ,the party which  
elected ,lincoln in #ahfj polled only   

seven thousand votes in #ahdj4          
,revolutions never go backward1 and the 
fanaticisms of to-day are the victories 
of to-morrow4  ,o sir1 we are beaten1   
exclaimed the general in command of     
,sheridan's army1 retreating before the 
victorious ,early4 ,no1 sir1 replied the
 indignant ,sheridan2 you are beaten1   
but this army is not beaten4 ,drawing   
his sword1 he waved it above his head1  
and pointed it at the pursuing host1    
while his clarion voice rose above the  
horrid din in a command to charge once  
more4 ,the lines paused1 turned1--      
,and with the ocean's mighty swing1     
,when heaving to the tempest's wing1    
,they hurled them on the foe2  and the  
,confederate army was wildly routed4    
,when war with ,france seemed imminent1 
in #agih1 ,president ,adams wrote to    
,george ,washington1 then a private     
citizen in retirement at ,mount ,vernon3
 ,we must have your name1 if you will   
permit us to use it2 there will be more 
efficacy in it than in many an army4    

,character is power4  ,when ,pope ,paul 
,,iv4 heard of the death of ,calvin he  
exclaimed with a sigh1 ,ah1 the strength
 of that proud heretic lay in--riches8  
,no6 ,honors8 ,no6 ,but nothing could   
move him from his course4 ,holy ,virgin6
 ,with two such servants1 our ,church   
would soon be mistress of both worlds4  
,eighteen hundred years ago1 when night 
closed over the city of ,pompeii1 a lady
 sat in her house nursing her son of ten
 years of age4 ,the child had been ill  
for some days2 his form was wasted1 his 
little limbs were shrunk2 and we may    
imagine with what infinite anxiety she  
watched every motion of the helpless    
one1 whose existence was so dear4 ,what 
did take place we know with an exactness
 very remarkable4 ,that distant mountain
 which reared its awful head on the     
shore of the bay1 ,vesuvius1 was        
troubled that same night with an        
eruption1 and threw into the air such   
clouds of pumice-stones that the streets
 and squares of ,pompeii became filled1 

and gradually the stones grew higher and
 higher1 until they reached the level of
 the windows4 ,there was no chance of   
escape then by the doors2 and those who 
attempted to get away stepped out of    
their first floor windows and rushed    
over the sulphurous stones--a short     
distance only1 for they were quickly    
overpowered by the poisonous vapors and 
fell dead4 ,after the stones there fell 
ashes1 and after ashes hot water fell in
 showers1 which changed the ashes into  
clay4 ,those who ran out of their houses
 during the fall of stones were utterly 
consumed1 while those who waited until  
the ashes began to fall perished        
likewise1 but their bodies were         
preserved by the ashes and water which  
fell upon them4 ,the ,pompeiian mother  
we have mentioned opened the window of  
her house when she thought the fall of  
stones was over1 and with the child in  
her arms took a few hurried steps       
forward1 when1 overpowered by the       
sulphur1 she fell forward1 at which     

moment the shower of ashes began to     
fall1 and quickly buried mother and     
child4 ,the hot water afterward changed 
into a mould2 the ashes and the sun     
baked the fatal clay to such a degree of
 hardness that it has endured to the    
present day4 ,a short time ago the spot 
where mother and child lay was found1   
liquid plaster-of-,paris was poured into
 the mould formed by the bodies1 and    
then the mould was broken up1 leaving   
the plaster-cast whole4 ,thus one       
touching incident in the terrible       
tragedy of eighteen centuries ago has   
been preserved for the admiration and   
respect of posterity4 ,the arms and legs
 of the child showed a contraction and  
emaciation which could only result from 
illness4 ,of the mother only the right  
arm was preserved2 she fell upon the    
ashes1 and the remaining portion of her 
body was consumed4 ,but the right hand  
still clasped the legs of the child2 on 
her arm were two gold bracelets1 and on 
her fingers were two gold rings--one set

 with an emerald1 the other with a cut  
amethyst4 ,this touching illustration of
 a mother's love now rests in the museum
 of the celebrated city4  ,i was sitting
 with ,grant once1 says ,general ,fisk1 
when a major-general entered1 dressed in
 the uniform of his rank1 who said3     
',boys1 ,i have a good story to tell    
you4 ,i believe there are no ladies     
present4' ,grant said1 ',no1 but there  
are gentlemen present4'  ,mr4 ,george   
,w4 ,childs1 in referring to this trait1
 said3  ,another great trait of his     
character was his purity in every way4  
,i never heard him express or make an   
indelicate allusion in any way or shape4
 ,there is nothing ,i ever heard that   
man say that could not be repeated in   
the presence of women4  ,the writer has 
heard of several incidents illustrating 
his answer to impure stories4 ,on one   
occasion1 when ,grant formed one of a   
dinner-party of ,american gentlemen in a
 foreign city1 conversation drifted into
 references to questionable affairs1    

when he suddenly rose and said1         
,gentlemen1 please excuse me2 ,i will   
retire4  ,when ,attila1 flushed with    
conquest1 appeared with his barbarian   
horde before the gates of ,rome in #deb1
 ,pope ,leo alone of all the people     
dared go forth and try to turn his wrath
 aside4 ,a single magistrate followed   
him4 ,the ,huns were awed by the        
fearless majesty of the unarmed old man1
 and led him before their chief1 whose  
respect was so great that he agreed not 
to enter the city1 provided a tribute   
should be paid to him4  ,wellington said
 that ,napoleon's presence in the       
,french army was equivalent to forty    
thousand additional soldiers1 and       
,richter said of the invincible ,luther1
 ,his words were half battles4  ,i know 
no great men1 says ,voltaire1 except    
those who have rendered great services  
to the human race4 ,men are measured by 
what they do2 not by what they seem or  
possess4  ,francis ,horner1 of ,england1
 was a man of whom ,sydney ,smith said1 

that the ten commandments were stamped  
upon his forehead4 ,the valuable and    
peculiar light in which ,horner's       
history is calculated to inspire every  
right-minded youth is this3 he died at  
the age of thirty-eight1 possessed of   
greater influence than any other private
 man1 and admired1 beloved1 trusted1 and
 deplored by all except the heartless   
and the base4 ,no greater homage was    
ever paid in ,parliament to any deceased
 member4 ,how was this attained8 ,by    
rank8 ,he was the son of an ,edinburgh  
merchant4 ,by wealth8 ,neither he nor   
any of his relatives ever had a         
superfluous sixpence4 ,by office8 ,he   
held but one2 and that for only a few   
years1 of no influence1 and with very   
little pay4 ,by talents8 ,his were not  
splendid1 and he had no genius4         
,cautious and slow1 his only ambition   
was to be right4 ,by eloquence8 ,he     
spoke in calm1 good taste1 without any  
of the oratory that either terrifies or 
seduces4 ,by any fascination of manner8 

,his was only correct and agreeable4 ,by
 what was it1 then8 ,merely by sense1   
industry1 good principles and a good    
heart1 qualities which no well          
constituted mind need ever despair of   
attaining4 ,it was the force of his     
character that raised him2 and this     
character was not impressed on him by   
nature1 but formed1 out of no peculiarly
 fine elements1 by himself4 ,there were 
many in the ,house of ,commons of far   
greater ability and eloquence4 ,but no  
one surpassed him in the combination of 
an adequate portion of these with moral 
worth4 ,horner was born to show what    
moderate powers1 unaided by anything    
whatever except culture and goodness1   
may achieve1 even when these powers are 
displayed amidst the competition and    
jealousies of public life4  ,a hundred  
years hence what difference will it make
 whether you were rich or poor1 a peer  
or a peasant8 ,but what difference may  
it not make whether you did what was    
right or what was wrong8  ,at a large   

dinner-party given by ,lord ,stratford  
after the ,crimean ,war1 it was proposed
 that every one should write on a slip  
of paper the name which appeared most   
likely to descend to posterity with     
renown4 ,when the papers were opened    
everyone of them contained the name of  
,florence ,nightingale4  ,professor     
,blackie1 of the ,university of         
,edinburgh1 said to a class of young    
men3 ,money is not needful2 power is not
 needful2 liberty is not needful2 even  
health is not the one thing needful2 but
 character alone is that which can truly
 save us1 and if we are not saved in    
this sense1 we certainly must be damned4
 ,it has been said that when poverty is 
your inheritance1 virtue must be your   
capital4  ,hence it was1 said ,franklin1
 speaking of the influence of his known 
integrity of character1 that ,i had so  
much weight with my fellow-citizens4 ,i 
was but a bad speaker1 never eloquent1  
subject to much hesitation in my choice 
of words1 hardly correct in language1   

and yet ,i generally carried my point4  
,when a man's character is gone1 all is 
gone4 ,all peace of mind1 all           
complacency in himself is fled forever4 
,he despises himself4 ,he is despised by
 his fellow-men4 ,within is shame and   
remorse2 without neglect and reproach4  
,he is of necessity a miserable and     
useless man2 he is so even though he be 
clothed in purple and fine linen1 and   
fare sumptuously every day4 ,it is      
better to be poor2 it is better to be   
reduced to beggary2 it is better to be  
cast into prison1 or condemned to       
perpetual slavery1 than to be destitute 
of a good name or endure the pains and  
the evils of a conscious worthlessness  
of character4  ,the time is soon coming 
when1 by the common consent of mankind1 
it will be esteemed more honorable to   
have been ,john ,pounds1 putting new and
 beautiful souls into the ragged        
children of the neighborhood while he   
mended his father's shoes1 than to have 
sat upon the ,british throne4 ,the time 

now is when1 if ,queen ,victoria1 in one
 of her magnificent progresses through  
her realms1 were to meet that more than 
,american queen1 ,miss ,dix1 in her     
circumnavigation of charity among the   
insane1 the former should kneel and kiss
 the hand of the latter2 and the ruler  
over more than a hundred millions of    
people should pay homage to the angel   
whom ,god has sent to the maniac4  ,at  
your age1 said to a youth an old man who
 had honorably held many positions of   
trust and responsibility1 both position 
and wealth appear enduring things2 but  
at mine a man sees that nothing lasts   
but character4  ,several eminent        
clergymen were discussing the qualities 
of self-made men4 ,they each admitted   
that they belonged to that class1 except
 a certain bishop1 who remained silent1 
and was intensely absorbed in the       
repast4 ,the host was determined to draw
 him out1 and so1 addressing him1 said3 
,all at this table are self-made men1   
unless the bishop is an exception4 ,the 

bishop promptly replied1 ,i am not made 
yet1 and the reply contained a profound 
truth4 ,so long as life lasts1 with its 
discipline of joy or sorrow1 its        
opportunities for good or evil1 so long 
our characters are being shaped and     
fixed4  ,milton said3 ,he who would     
write heroic poems1 must make his whole 
life an heroic poem4 ,we are responsible
 for our thoughts1 and unless we could  
command them1 mental and moral          
excellence would be impossible4         
,charles ,kingsley has well said3 ,let  
any one set his heart to do what is     
right and nothing else1 and it will not 
be long ere his brow is stamped with all
 that goes to make up the heroic        
expression1 with noble indignation1     
noble self-restraint1 great hopes1 great
 sorrows1 perhaps even with the print of
 the martyr's crown of thorns4  ,said   
,james ,martineau3 ,god insists on      
having a concurrence between our        
practice and our thoughts4 ,if we       
proceed to make a contradiction between 

them1 ,he forthwith begins to abolish   
it1 and if the will will not rise to the
 reason1 the reason must be degraded to 
the will4  ,when ,i say1 in conducting  
your understanding1 says ,sidney ,smith1
 love knowledge with a great love1 with 
a vehement love1 with a love co-eval    
with life--what do ,i say but love      
innocence1 love virtue1 love purity of  
conduct1 love that which1 if you are    
rich and great1 will vindicate the blind
 fortune which has made you so1 and make
 them call it justice2 love that which1 
if you are poor1 will render your       
poverty respectable1 and make the       
proudest feel that it is unjust to laugh
 at the meanness of your fortunes2 love 
that which will comfort you1 adorn you1 
and never quit you--which will open to  
you the kingdom of thought1 and all the 
boundless regions of conception as an   
asylum against the cruelty1 the         
injustice1 and the pain that may be your
 lot in the world--that which will make 
your motives habitually great and       

honorable1 and light up in an instant a 
thousand noble disdains at the very     
thought of meanness and of fraud8  ,the 
,arabs express this by a parable that   
incarnates1 as is their wont1 the ,word 
in the recital4 ,king ,nimrod1 say they1
 one day summoned his three sons into   
his presence4 ,he ordered to be set     
before them three urns under seal4 ,one 
of the urns was of gold1 another of     
amber1 and the third of clay4 ,the king 
bade the eldest of his sons choose among
 the urns that which appeared to him to 
contain the treasure of greatest price4 
,the eldest chose the vase of gold1 on  
which was written the word ,empire4 ,he 
opened it and found it full of blood4   
,the second chose the amber vase whereon
 was written the word ,glory4 ,he opened
 it and found it contained the ashes of 
the great men who had made a sensation  
in the world4 ,the third son took the   
only remaining vase1 the one of clay2 he
 found it quite empty1 but on the bottom
 the potter had written the word ,god4  

,which of these vases weighs the most8  
asked the king of the courtiers4 ,the   
men of ambition replied it was the vase 
of gold2 the poets and conquerors1 the  
amber one2 the sages that it was the    
empty vase1 because a single letter of  
the name ,god weighs more than the      
entire globe4 ,we are of the opinion of 
the sages4 ,we believe the greatest     
things are great but in the proportion  
of divinity they contain4  ,although    
genius always commands admiration1 says 
,smiles1 character most secures respect4
 ,the former is more the product of     
brain-power1 the latter of heart-power2 
and in the long run it is the heart that
 rules in life4 ,men of genius stand to 
society in the relation of its          
intellect1 as men of character of its   
conscience2 and while the former are    
admired1 the latter are followed4       
,commonplace though it may appear1 this 
doing of one's duty embodies the highest
 ideal of life and character4 ,there may
 be nothing heroic about it2 but the    

common lot of men is not heroic4 ,and   
though the abiding sense of duty upholds
 man in his highest attitudes1 it also  
equally sustains him in the transaction 
of the ordinary affairs of every-day    
existence4 ,the most influential of all 
the virtues are those which are the most
 in request for daily use4 ,they wear   
the best and last the longest4 ,we can  
always better understand and appreciate 
a man's real character by the manner in 
which he conducts himself toward those  
who are the most nearly related to him1 
and by his transaction of the seemingly 
commonplace details of daily duty1 than 
by his public exhibition of himself as  
an author1 an orator1 or a statesman4   
,intellectual culture has no necessary  
relation to purity or excellence of     
character4  ,on the contrary1 a         
condition of comparative poverty is     
compatible with character in its highest
 form4 ,a man may possess only his      
industry1 his frugality1 his integrity1 
and yet stand high in the rank of true  

manhood4  ,character is property4 ,it is
 the noblest of possessions4 ,it is an  
estate in the general good-will and     
respect of men2 and they who invest in  
it--though they may not become rich in  
this world's goods--will find their     
reward in esteem and reputation fairly  
and honorably won4 ,without principles1 
a man is like a ship without rudder or  
compass1 left to drift hither and       
thither with every wind that blows4     
,what a contrast is afforded by the     
lives of ,bacon and ,more4 ,bacon sought
 office with as much desire as ,more    
avoided it2 ,bacon used as much         
solicitation to obtain it as ,more      
endured to accept it1 and each1 when in 
it1 was equally true to his character4  
,more was simple1 as ,bacon was         
ostentatious4 ,more was as incorruptible
 as ,bacon was venal4 ,more spent his   
private fortune in office1 and ,bacon   
spent the wages of corruption there4    
,both left office poor in worldly goods2
 but while ,more was rich in honor and  

good deeds1 ,bacon was poor in          
everything2 poor in the mammon for which
 he bartered his integrity2 poor in the 
gawd for which he sacrificed his peace2 
poor in the presence of the worthless2  
covered with shame in the midst of the  
people2 trusting his fame to posterity1 
of which posterity is only able to say1 
that the wisest of men was adviser to   
the silliest of kings1 yet that such a  
king had a sort of majesty when morally 
compared with the official director of  
his conscience4 ,both ,more and ,bacon  
served each a great purpose for the     
world4 ,more illustrated the beauty of  
holiness2 ,bacon expounded the          
infinitude of science4 ,bacon became the
 prophet of intellect2 ,more1 the martyr
 of conscience4 ,the one pours over our 
understandings the light of knowledge2  
but the other inflames our hearts with  
the love of virtue4  ,all have read of  
the proud ,egyptian king who ordered a  
colossal staircase built in his new     
palace1 and was chagrined to find that  

he required a ladder to climb from one  
step to the next4 ,a king's legs are as 
short as those of a beggar4 ,so1 too1 a 
prince's ability to enjoy the pleasures 
of life is no greater than that of a    
pauper4  ,all that is valuable in this  
world is to be had for nothing4 ,genius1
 beauty1 health1 piety1 love1 are not   
bought and sold4 ,the richest man on    
earth would vainly offer a fortune to be
 qualified to write a verse like        
,milton1 or to compose a melody like    
,mozart4 ,you may summon all the        
physicians1 but they cannot procure for 
you the sweet1 healthful sleep which the
 tired laborer gets without price4 ,let 
no man1 then1 call himself a proprietor4
 ,he owns but the breath as it traverses
 his lips and the idea as it flits      
across his mind2 and of that breath he  
may be deprived by the sting of a bee1  
and that idea1 perhaps1 truly belongs to
 another4       ,we live in deeds1 not  
years2 in thoughts1 not breaths3        
,in feelings1 not in figures on a dial4 

,we should count time by heart-throbs4  
,he most lives      ,who thinks most1   
feels the noblest1 acts the best2       
,and he whose heart beats quickest lives
 the longest4     ,,chapter ,,xxii4     
,,moral ,,sunshine4       ,i have gout1 
asthma1 and seven other maladies1 but am
 otherwise      very well4              
--,,sidney ,,smith4       ,the inborn   
geniality of some people amounts to     
genius4      --,,whipple4       ,this   
one sits shivering in fortune's smile1  
,taking his joy with bated1 doubtful    
breath2      ,this other1 gnawed by     
hunger1 all the while      ,laughs in   
the teeth of death4      --,t4 ,b4      
,,aldrich4       ,there is no real life 
but cheerful life4      --,,addison4    
,next to the virtue1 the fun in this    
world is what we can least      spare4  
--,,agnes ,,strickland4       ,joy in   
one's work is the consummate tool4      
--,,phillips ,,brooks4       ,joy is the
 mainspring in the whole        ,of     
endless ,natures calm rotation4         

,joy moves the dazzling wheels that roll
        ,in the great timepiece of      
,creation4      --,,schiller4   ,he is  
as stiff as a poker1 said a friend of a 
man who could never be coaxed or tempted
 to smile4 ,stiff as a poker1 exclaimed 
another1 why he would set an example to 
a poker4  ,even ,christians are not     
celebrated for entering into the joy of 
their ,lord4  ,we are told that ,pascal 
would not permit himself to be conscious
 of the relish of his food2 he          
prohibited all seasonings and spices1   
however much he might wish for and need 
them2 and he actually died because he   
forced his diseased stomach to receive  
at each meal a certain amount of        
aliment1 neither more nor less1 whatever
 might be his appetite at the time1 or  
his utter want of appetite4 ,he wore a  
girdle armed with iron spikes1 which he 
was accustomed to drive in upon his body
 7his fleshless ribs7 as often as he    
thought himself in need of such         
admonition4 ,he was annoyed and offended

 if any in his hearing might chance to  
say that they had just seen a beautiful 
woman4 ,he rebuked a mother who         
permitted her own children to give her  
their kisses4 ,toward a loving sister1  
who devoted herself to his comfort1 he  
assumed an artificial harshness of      
manner for the express purpose1 as he   
acknowledged1 of revolting her sisterly 
affection4  ,and all this sprung from   
the simple principle that earthly       
enjoyment was inconsistent with         
religion4  ,we should fight against     
every influence which tends to depress  
the mind1 as we would against a         
temptation to crime4 ,a depressed mind  
prevents the free action of the         
diaphragm and the expansion of the      
chest4 ,it stops the secretions of the  
body1 interferes with the circulation of
 the blood in the brain1 and deranges   
the entire functions of the body4       
,scrofula and consumption often follow  
protracted depressions of mind4 ,that   
fatal murmur which is heard in the upper

 lobes of the lungs in the first stages 
of consumption1 often follows depressed 
spirits after some great misfortune or  
sorrow4 ,victims of suicide are almost  
always in a depressed state from        
exhausted vitality1 loss of nervous     
energy1 dyspepsia1 worry1 anxiety1      
trouble1 or grief4  ,mirth is ,god's    
medicine1 says a wise writer2 everybody 
ought to bathe in it4 ,grim care1       
moroseness1 anxiety--all the rust of    
life1 ought to be scoured off by the oil
 of mirth4 ,it is better than emery4    
,every man ought to rub himself with it4
 ,a man without mirth is like a wagon   
without springs1 in which one is caused 
disagreeably to jolt by every pebble    
over which it runs4 ,a man with mirth is
 like a chariot with springs1 in which  
one can ride over the roughest roads and
 scarcely feel anything but a pleasant  
rocking motion4  ,i have told you1 said 
,southey1 of the ,spaniard who always   
put on spectacles when about to eat     
cherries1 in order that the fruit might 

look larger and more tempting4 ,in like 
manner ,i make the most of my           
enjoyments2 and though ,i do not cast my
 eyes away from my troubles1 ,i pack    
them in as small a compass as ,i can for
 myself1 and never let them annoy       
others4 ,we all know the power of good  
cheer to magnify everything4  ,travelers
 are told by the ,icelanders1 who live  
amid the cold and desolation of almost  
perpetual winter1 that ,iceland is the  
best land the sun shines upon4  ,you are
 on the shady side of seventy1 ,i       
expect8 was asked of an old man4 ,no1   
was the reply1 ,i am on the sunny side2 
for ,i am on the side nearest to glory4 
,a cheerful man is pre-eminently a      
useful man4 ,he does not cramp his mind1
 nor take half-views of men and things4 
,he knows that there is much misery1 but
 that misery need not be the rule of    
life4 ,he sees that in every state      
people may be cheerful2 the lambs skip1 
birds sing and fly joyously1 puppies    
play1 kittens are full of joyance1 the  

whole air full of careering and         
rejoicing insects2 that everywhere the  
good outbalances the bad1 and that every
 evil has its compensating balm4        
,bishop ,fnelon is a delicious man1 said
 ,lord ,peterborough2 ,i had to run away
 from him to prevent his making me a    
,christian4  ,hume1 the historian1 never
 said anything truer than--,to be happy1
 the person must be cheerful and gay1   
not gloomy and melancholy4 ,a propensity
 to hope and joy is real riches2 one to 
fear and sorrow1 real poverty4  ,dr4    
,johnson once remarked with his point   
and pith that the custom of looking on  
the bright side of every event was      
better than having a thousand pounds a  
year income4 ,but ,hume rated the value 
in dollars and cents of cheerfulness    
still higher4 ,he said he would rather  
have a cheerful disposition always      
inclined to look on the bright side of  
things than to be master of an estate   
with #aj1jjj pounds a year4  ,we have   
not fulfilled every duty1 unless we have

 fulfilled that of being pleasant4  ,if 
a word or two will render a man happy1  
said a ,frenchman1 he must be a wretch  
indeed1 who will not give it4 ,it is    
like lighting another man's candle with 
your own1 which loses none of its       
brilliancy by what the other gains4     
,the sensible young man1 in theory at   
least1 chooses for his wife one who will
 be able to keep his house1 to be the   
mother of sturdy children1 one who will 
of all things meet life's experiences   
with a sweet temper4 ,it is impossible  
to imagine a pleasant home with a cross 
wife1 mother or sister1 as its presiding
 genius4 ,and it is a rule1 with        
exceptions1 that good appetite and sound
 sleep induce amiability4 ,if1 with     
these advantages1 a girl or woman1 boy  
or man1 is still snappish or surly1 why 
it must be due to her or his total      
depravity4  ,some things she should not 
do2 she shouldn't dose herself1 or study
 up her case1 or plunge suddenly into   
vigorous exercise4 ,moderation is a safe

 rule to begin with1 and1 indeed1 to    
keep on with--moderation in study1 in   
work1 in exercise1 in everything except 
fresh air1 good1 simple food1 and sleep4
 ,few people have too much of these4    
,the average girl at home can find no   
more sanitary gymnastics than in doing  
part of the lighter housework4 ,this    
sort of exercise has object1 and        
interest1 and use1 which raises it above
 mere drill4 ,add to this a merry romp  
with younger brothers and sisters1 a    
brisk daily walk1 the use for a few     
moments twice a day of dumb bells in a  
cool1 airy room1 and it is safe to      
predict a steady advance toward that    
ideal state of being in which we forget 
our bodies and just enjoy ourselves4    
,it is not work that kills men1 says    
,beecher2 it is worry4 ,work is healthy2
 you can hardly put more on a man than  
he can bear4 ,but worry is rust upon the
 blade4 ,it is not movement that        
destroys the machinery1 but friction4   
,helen ,hunt says there is one sin which

 seems to be everywhere1 and by         
everybody is underestimated and quite   
too much overlooked in valuations of    
character4 ,it is the sin of fretting4  
,it is as common as air1 as speech2 so  
common that unless it rises above its   
usual monotone we do not even observe   
it4 ,watch any ordinary coming together 
of people1 and we see how many minutes  
it will be before somebody frets--that  
is1 makes more or less complaint of     
something or other1 which probably every
 one in the room1 or car1 or on the     
street corner knew before1 and which    
most probably nobody can help4 ,why say 
anything about it8 ,it is cold1 it is   
hot1 it is wet1 it is dry1 somebody has 
broken an appointment1 ill-cooked a     
meal2 stupidity or bad faith somewhere  
has resulted in discomfort4 ,there are  
plenty of things to fret about4 ,it is  
simply astonishing1 how much annoyance  
and discomfort may be found in the      
course of every-day living1 even of the 
simplest1 if one only keeps a sharp eye 

out on that side of things4 ,some people
 seem to be always hunting for          
deformities1 discords and shadows1      
instead of beauty1 harmony and light4   
,we are born to trouble1 as sparks fly  
upward4 ,but even to the sparks flying  
upward1 in the blackest of smoke1 there 
is a blue sky above1 and the less time  
they waste on the road1 the sooner they 
will reach it4 ,fretting is all time    
wasted on the road4  ,about two things  
we should never fret1 that which we     
cannot help1 and that which we can help4
 ,better find one of your own faults    
than ten of your neighbor's4  ,it is not
 the troubles of to-day1 but those of   
to-morrow and next week and next year1  
that whiten our heads and wrinkle our   
faces4  ,every man we meet looks as if  
he'd gone out to borrow trouble1 with   
plenty of it on hand1 said a ,french    
lady driving in ,new ,york4  ,the       
pendulum of a certain clock began to    
calculate how often it would have to    
swing backward and forward in the week  

and in the month to come2 then looking  
further into the future1 it made a      
calculation for a year1 etc4 ,the       
pendulum got frightened and stopped4 ,do
 one day's work at a time4 ,do not worry
 about the trouble of to-morrow4 ,most  
of the trouble in life is borrowed      
trouble1 which never actually comes4    
,as all healthy action1 physical1       
intellectual and moral1 depends         
primarily on cheerfulness1 says ,e4 ,p4 
,whipple1 and as every duty1 whether it 
be to follow a plow or to die at the    
stake1 should be done in a cheerful     
spirit1 the exploration of the sources  
and conditions of this most vigorous1   
exhilarating and creative of the virtues
 may be as useful as the exposition of  
any topic of science or system of       
prudential art4  ,christ1 the great     
teacher1 did not shut ,himself up with  
monks1 away from temptation of the great
 world outside4 ,he taught no           
long-faced1 gloomy theology4 ,he taught 
the gospel of gladness and good cheer4  

,his doctrines are touched with the     
sunlight1 and flavored with the flowers 
of the fields4 ,the birds of the air1   
the beasts of the field1 and happy1     
romping children are in them4 ,true     
piety is cheerful as the day4  ,cranmer 
cheers his brother martyrs1 and ,latimer
 walks with a face shining with         
cheerfulness to the stake1 upholds his  
fellow's spirits1 and seasons all his   
sermons with pleasant anecdotes4        
,nothing will supply the want of        
sunshine to peaches1 said ,emerson1 and 
to make knowledge valuable1 you must    
have the cheerfulness of wisdom4  ,in   
answer to the question1 ,how shall we   
overcome temptation1 a noted writer     
said1 ,cheerfulness is the first thing1 
cheerfulness is the second1 and         
cheerfulness is the third4 ,a habit of  
cheerfulness1 enabling one to transmute 
apparent misfortunes into real          
blessings1 is a fortune to a young man  
or young woman just crossing the        
threshold of active life4 ,he who has   

formed a habit of looking at the bright1
 happy side of things1 who sees the     
glory in the grass1 the sunshine in the 
flowers1 sermons in stones1 and good in 
everything1 has a great advantage over  
the chronic dyspeptic1 who sees no good 
in anything4 ,his habitual thought      
sculptures his face into beauty and     
touches his manner with grace4  ,we     
often forget that the priceless charm   
which will secure to us all these       
desirable gifts is within our reach4 ,it
 is the charm of a sunny temper1 a      
talisman more potent than station1 more 
precious than gold1 more to be desired  
than fine rubies4 ,it is an aroma1 whose
 fragrance fills the air with the odors 
of ,paradise4  ,it is from these        
enthusiastic fellows1 says an admirer1  
that you hear--what they fully believe1 
bless them6--that all countries are     
beautiful1 all dinners grand1 all       
pictures superb1 all mountains high1 all
 women beautiful4 ,when such a one has  
come back from his country trip1 after a

 hard year's work1 he has always found  
the cosiest of nooks1 the cheapest      
houses1 the best of landladies1 the     
finest views1 and the best dinners4 ,but
 with the other the case is indeed      
altered4 ,he has always been robbed2 he 
has positively seen nothing2 his        
landlady was a harpy1 his bedroom was   
unhealthy1 and the mutton was so tough  
that he could not get his teeth through 
it4  ,he goes on to talk of the sun in  
his glory1 says ,izaak ,walton1 the     
fields1 the meadows1 the streams which  
they have seen1 the birds which they    
have heard2 he asks what would the blind
 and deaf give to see and hear what they
 have seen4  ,of ,lord ,holland's       
sunshiny face1 ,rogers said3 ,he always 
comes to breakfast like a man upon whom 
some sudden good fortune has fallen4    
,but oh1 for the glorious spectacles    
worn by the good-natured man6--oh1 for  
those wondrous glasses1 finer than the  
,claude ,lorraine glass1 which throw a  
sunlit view over everything1 and make   

the heart glad with little things1 and  
thankful for small mercies6 ,such       
glasses had honest ,izaak ,walton1 who1 
coming in from a fishing expedition on  
the river ,lea1 burst out into such     
grateful little talks as this3 ,let us1 
as we walk home under the cool shade of 
this honeysuckle hedge1 mention some of 
the thoughts and joys that have         
possessed my soul since we two met4 ,and
 that our present happiness may appear  
the greater1 and we more thankful for   
it1 ,i beg you to consider with me1 how 
many do at this very time lie under the 
torment of the gout or the toothache1   
and this we have been free from2 and let
 me tell you1 that every misery ,i miss 
is a new blessing4  ,the hypochondriac  
who nurses his spleen never looks       
forward cheerfully1 but lounges in his  
invalid chair1 and croaks like a raven1 
foreboding woe4 ,ah1 says he1 you will  
never succeed2 these things always fail4
  ,the ,thug of ,india1 whose prayer is 
a homicide1 and whose offering is the   

body of a victim1 is melancholy4  ,the  
,fijiian1 waiting to smash the skull of 
a victim1 and to prepare a bakola for   
his gods1 is gloomy as fear and death4  
,the melancholy of the ,eastern ,jews   
after their black fast1 and the         
ill-temper of monks and nuns after their
 ,fridays and ,wednesdays1 is very      
observable2 it is the recompense which a
 proud nature takes out of the world for
 its selfish sacrifice4 ,melancholia is 
the black bile which the ,greeks        
presumed overran and pervaded the bodies
 of such persons2 and fasting does      
undoubtedly produce this4  ,i once      
talked with a ,rosicrucian about the    
,great ,secret1 said ,addison4 ,he      
talked of it as a spirit that lived in  
an emerald1 and converted everything    
that was near it to the highest         
perfection4 ',it gives lustre to the    
sun1' said he1 'and water to the        
diamond4 ,it irradiates every metal1 and
 enriches lead with the property of     
gold4 ,it brightens smoke into flame1   

flame into light1 and light into glory4 
,a single ray dissipates pain and care  
from the person on whom it falls4' ,then
 ,i found his great secret was ,content4
       ,my crown is in my heart1 not on 
my head3      ,not decked with diamonds 
and ,indian stones1      ,nor to be     
seen3 my crown is called content3       
,a crown it is1 that seldom kings enjoy4
      --,,shakespeare4       ,yet1 with 
a heart that's ever kind1        ,a     
gentle spirit gay1      ,you've spring  
perennial in your mind1        ,and     
round you make a ,may4                  
--,,thackeray4     ,,chapter ,,xxiii4   
,,hold ,,up ,,your ,,head4              
,thoroughly to believe in one's own     
self1 so one's self were      thorough1 
were to do great things4                
--,,tennyson4       ,if there be a faith
 that can remove mountains1 it is faith 
in      one's own power4      --,,marie 
,,ebner-,,eschenbach4       ,let no one 
discourage self-reliance2 it is1 of all 
the rest1      the greatest quality of  

true manliness4      --,,kossuth4       
,it needs a divine man to exhibit       
anything divine4 99 99 99 ,trust        
thyself2 every breast vibrates to that  
iron string4 ,accept the      place that
 divine ,providence has found for you1  
the society of      your contemporaries1
 the connection of events4 ,great men   
have      always done so4 99 99 99      
,nothing is at last sacred but the      
integrity of our own mind4              
--,,emerson4       ,this above all1--to 
thine own self be true2      ,and it    
must follow1 as the night the day1      
,thou canst not then be false to any    
man4      --,,shakespeare4   ,yes1 said 
a half-drunken man in a cellar to a     
parish visitor1 a young girl1 ,i am a   
tough and a drunkard1 and am just out of
 jail1 and my wife is starving2 but that
 doesn't give you the right to come into
 my house without knocking to ask       
questions4  ,another zealous girl       
declared in a reform club in ,new ,york 
,city that she always went to visit the 

poor in her carriage1 with the crest on 
the door and liveried servants4 ,it     
gives me authority1 she said4 ,they     
listen to my words with more respect4   
,the ,frulein ,barbara1 who founded the 
home for degraded and drunken sailors in
 ,london1 used other means to gain      
influence over them4 ,i too1 she would  
say1 taking the poor applicant by the   
hand when he came to her door1 ,i1 too1 
as well as you1 am one of those for whom
 ,christ died4 ,we are brother and      
sister1 and will help each other4  ,an  
,english artist1 engaged in painting a  
scene in the ,london slums1 applied to  
the ,board of ,guardians of the poor in 
,chelsea for leave to sketch into it1 as
 types of want and wretchedness1 certain
 picturesque paupers then in the        
almshouse4 ,the board refused permission
 on the ground that a man does not cease
 to have self-respect and rights because
 he is a pauper1 and that his           
misfortunes should not be paraded before
 the world4  ,the incident helps to     

throw light on the vexed problem of the 
intercourse of the rich with the poor4  
,kind but thoughtless people1 who take  
up the work of slumming1 intent upon    
elevating and reforming the needy       
classes1 are apt to forget that these   
unfortunates have self-respect and      
rights and sensitive feelings4  ,but ,i 
am not derided1 said ,diogenes1 when    
some one told him he was derided4 ,only 
those are ridiculed who feel the        
ridicule and are discomposed by it4     
,dr4 ,franklin used to say that if a man
 makes a sheep of himself the wolves    
will eat him4 ,not less true is it that 
if a man is supposed to be a sheep1     
wolves will very likely try to eat him4 
,o ,god1 assist our side1 prayed the    
,prince of ,anhalt-,dessau1 a general in
 the ,prussian service1 before going    
into battle4 ,at least1 avoid assisting 
the enemy1 and leave the result to me4  
,if a man possesses the consciousness of
 what he is1 said ,schelling1 he will   
soon also learn what he ought to be2 let

 him have a theoretical respect for     
himself1 and a practical will soon      
follow4 ,a person under the firm        
persuasion that he can command resources
 virtually has them4 ,humility is the   
part of wisdom1 and is most becoming in 
men1 said ,kossuth2 but let no one      
discourage self-reliance2 it is1 of all 
the rest1 the greatest quality of true  
manliness4 ,froude wrote3 ,a tree must  
be rooted in the soil before it can bear
 flowers or fruit4 ,a man must learn to 
stand upright upon his own feet1 to     
respect himself1 to be independent of   
charity or accident4 ,it is on this     
basis only that any superstructure of   
intellectual cultivation worth having   
can possibly be built4  ,i think he is a
 most extraordinary man1 said ,john ,j4 
,ingalls1 speaking of ,grover           
,cleveland4 ,while the ,senate was in   
session to induct ,hendricks into       
office1 ,i had an opportunity to study  
,cleveland1 as he sat there like a      
sphinx4 ,he occupied a seat immediately 

in front of the vice-president's stand1 
and from where ,i sat1 ,i had an        
unobstructed view of him4  ,i wanted to 
fathom1 if possible1 what manner of a   
man it was who had defeated us and taken
 the patronage of the government over to
 the democracy4 ,we had a new master1 so
 to speak1 and a democrat at that1 and  
,i looked him over with a good deal of  
curiosity4  ,there sat a man1 the       
president of the ,united ,states1       
beginning his rule over the destinies of
 sixty millions of people1 who less than
 three years before was an obscure      
lawyer1 scarcely known outside of ,erie 
,county1 shut up in a dingy office over 
a livery stable4 ,he had been mayor of  
the city of ,buffalo at a time when a   
crisis in its affairs demanded a        
courageous head and a firm hand and he  
supplied them4 ,the little prestige thus
 gained made him the democratic nominee 
for governor1 and at a time 7his luck   
still following him7 when the           
,republican party of the ,state was rent

 with dissensions4 ,he was elected1 and 
7still more luck7 by the unprecedented  
and unheard of majority of nearly       
#bjj1jjj votes4 ,two years later his    
party nominated him for president and he
 was elected4  ,there sat this man      
before me1 wholly undisturbed by the    
pageantry of the occasion1 calmly       
waiting to perform his part in the      
drama1 just as an actor awaits his cue  
to appear on a stage4 ,it was his first 
visit to ,washington4 ,he had never     
before seen the ,capitol and knew       
absolutely nothing of the machinery of  
government4 ,all was a mystery to him1  
but a stranger not understanding the    
circumstances would have imagined that  
the proceedings going on before him were
 a part of his daily life4  ,the man    
positively did not move a limb1 shut an 
eye or twitch a muscle during the entire
 hour he sat in the ,senate chamber4    
,nor did he betray the faintest evidence
 of self-consciousness or emotion1 and  
as ,i thought of the dingy office over  

the livery stable but three years before
 he struck me as a remarkable           
illustration of the possibilities of    
,american citizenship4  ,but the most   
marvelous exhibition of the man's nerve 
and of the absolute confidence he has in
 himself was yet to come4 ,after the    
proceedings in the ,senate chamber      
,cleveland was conducted to the east end
 of the ,capitol to take the oath of    
office and deliver his inaugural        
address4 ,he wore a close buttoned      
,prince ,albert coat1 and between the   
buttons he thrust his right hand1 while 
his left he carried behind him4 ,in this
 position he stood until the applause   
which greeted him had subsided1 when he 
began his address4  ,i looked for him to
 produce a manuscript1 but he did not1  
and as he progressed in clear and       
distinct tones1 without hesitation1 ,i  
was amazed4 ,with sixty millions of     
people1 yes1 with the entire civilized  
world looking on1 this man had the      
courage to deliver an inaugural address 

making him ,president of the ,united    
,states as coolly and as unconcernedly  
as if he were addressing a ward meeting4
 ,it was the most remarkable spectacle  
this or any other country has ever      
beheld4  ,believe in yourself2 you may  
succeed when others do not believe in   
you1 but never when you do not believe  
in yourself4  ,ah6 ,john ,hunter1 still 
hard at work6 exclaimed a physician on  
finding the old anatomist at the        
dissecting table4 ,yes1 doctor1 and     
you'll find it difficult to meet with   
another ,john ,hunter when ,i am gone4  
,heaven takes a hundred years to form a 
great genius for the regeneration of an 
empire and afterward rests a hundred    
years1 said ,kaunitz1 who had           
administered the affairs of his country 
with great success for half a century4  
,this makes me tremble for the ,austrian
 monarchy after my death4  ,isn't it    
beautiful that ,i can sing so8 asked    
,jenny ,lind1 navely1 of a friend4  ,my 
,lord1 said ,william ,pitt in #ageg to  

the ,duke of ,devonshire1 ,i am sure    
that ,i can save this country and that  
nobody else can4 ,he did save it4  ,what
 seems to us disagreeable egotism in    
others is often but a strong expression 
of confidence in their ability to       
attain4 ,great men have usually had     
great confidence in themselves4         
,wordsworth felt sure of his place in   
history and never hesitated to say so4  
,dante predicted his own fame4 ,kepler  
said it did not matter whether his      
contemporaries read his books or not4 ,i
 may well wait a century for a reader   
since ,god has waited six thousand years
 for an observer like myself4 ,fear not1
 said ,julius ,csar to his pilot        
frightened in a storm1 thou bearest     
,csar and his good fortunes4  ,when the 
,directory at ,paris found that         
,napoleon had become in one month the   
most famous man in ,europe they         
determined to check his career1 and     
appointed ,kellerman his associate in   
command4 ,napoleon promptly1 but        

respectfully1 tendered his resignation1 
saying1 ,one bad general is better than 
two good ones2 war1 like government1 is 
mainly decided by tact4 ,this decision  
immediately brought the ,directory to   
terms4  ,emperor ,francis was extremely 
anxious to prove the illustrious descent
 of his prospective son-in-law4         
,napoleon refused to have the account   
published1 remarking1 ,i had rather be  
the descendant of an honest man than of 
any petty tyrant of ,italy4 ,i wish my  
nobility to commence with myself and    
derive all my titles from the ,french   
people4 ,i am the ,rudolph of ,hapsburg 
of my family4 ,my patent of nobility    
dates from the battle of ,montenotte4   
,when ,napoleon was informed that the   
,british ,government had decreed that he
 should be recognized only as general1  
he said1 ,they cannot prevent me from   
being myself4  ,an ,englishman asked    
,napoleon at ,elba who was the greatest 
general of the age1 adding1 ,i think    
,wellington4 ,to which the ,emperor     

replied1 ,he has not yet measured       
himself against me4  ,well matured and  
well disciplined talent is always sure  
of a market1 said ,washington ,irving2  
but it must not cower at home and expect
 to be sought for4 ,there is a good deal
 of cant1 too1 about the success of     
forward and impudent men1 while men of  
retiring worth are passed over with     
neglect4 ,but it usually happens that   
those forward men have that valuable    
quality of promptness and activity1     
without which worth is a mere           
inoperative property4 ,a barking dog is 
often more useful than a sleeping lion4 
,self-respect is the early form in which
 greatness appears4  ,you may deceive   
all the people some of the time1 said   
,lincoln1 some of the people all the    
time1 but not all the people all the    
time4 ,we cannot deceive ourselves any  
of the time1 and the only way to enjoy  
our own respect is to deserve it4 ,what 
would you think of a man who would      
neglect himself and treat his shadow    

with the greatest respect8              
,self-reliance is a grand element of    
character1 says ,michael ,reynolds4 ,it 
has won ,olympic crowns and ,isthmian   
laurels2 it confers kinship with men who
 have vindicated their divine right to  
be held in the world's memory4          
,,chapter ,,xxiv4  ,,books ,,and        
,,success4       ,ignorance is the curse
 of ,god1      ,knowledge the wing      
wherewith we fly to heaven4             
--,,shakespeare4       ,prefer knowledge
 to wealth2 for the one is transitory1  
the      other perpetual4               
--,,socrates4       ,if a man empties   
his purse into his head1 no man can take
 it      away from him4 ,an investment  
in knowledge always pays the best       
interest4      --,,franklin4       ,my  
early and invincible love of reading1 ,i
 would not exchange      for the        
treasures of ,india4      --,,gibbon4   
,if the crowns of all the kingdoms of   
the empire were laid down      at my    
feet in exchange for my books and my    

love of reading1 ,i      would spurn    
them all4      --,f,,nelon4             
,who of us can tell      ,what he had   
been1 had ,cadmus never taught      ,the
 art that fixes into form the thought1--
      ,had ,plato never spoken from his 
cell1      ,or his high harp blind      
,homer never strung8      --,,bulwer4   
,when friends grow cold and the converse
 of intimates languishes      into vapid
 civility and common-place1 these only  
continue the      unaltered countenance 
of happier days1 and cheer us with that 
true friendship which never deceived    
hope1 nor deserted sorrow4              
--,,washington ,,irving4   ,do you want 
to know1 asks ,robert ,collyer1 how ,i  
manage to talk to you in this simple    
,saxon8 ,i read ,bunyan1 ,crusoe1 and   
,goldsmith when ,i was a boy1 morning1  
noon1 and night4 ,all the rest was task 
work2 these were my delight1 with the   
stories in the ,bible1 and with         
,shakespeare1 when at last the mighty   
master came within our doors4 ,the rest 

were as senna to me4 ,these were like a 
well of pure water1 and this is the     
first step ,i seem to have taken of my  
own free will toward the pulpit4 99 99  
99 ,i took to these as ,i took to milk1 
and1 without the least idea what ,i was 
doing1 got the taste for simple words   
into the very fibre of my nature4 ,there
 was day-school for me until ,i was     
eight years old1 and then ,i had to turn
 in and work thirteen hours a day4 99 99
 99 99 ,from the days when we used to   
spell out ,crusoe and old ,bunyan there 
had grown up in me a devouring hunger to
 read books4 ,it made small matter what 
they were1 so they were books4 ,half a  
volume of an old encyclopdia came       
along--the first ,i had ever seen4 ,how 
many times ,i went through that ,i      
cannot even guess4 ,i remember that ,i  
read some old reports of the ,missionary
 ,society with the greatest delight4    
,there were chapters in them about      
,china and ,labrador4 ,yet ,i think it  
is in reading1 as it is in eating1 when 

the first hunger is over you begin to be
 a little critical1 and will by no means
 take to garbage if you are of a        
wholesome nature4 ,and ,i remember this 
because it touches this beautiful valley
 of the ,hudson4 ,i could not go home   
for the ,christmas of #ahci1 and was    
feeling very sad about it all1 for ,i   
was only a boy2 and sitting by the fire1
 an old farmer came in and said3 ',i    
notice thou's fond of reading1 so ,i    
brought thee summat to read4' ,it was   
,irving's ',sketch ,book4' ,i had never 
heard of the work4 ,i went at it1 and   
was 'as them that dream4' ,no such      
delight had touched me since the old    
days of ,crusoe4 ,i saw the ,hudson and 
the ,catskills1 took poor ,rip at once  
into my heart1 as everybody has1 pitied 
,ichabod while ,i laughed at him1       
thought the old ,dutch feast a most     
admirable thing1 and long before ,i was 
through1 all regret at my lost          
,christmas had gone down with the wind1 
and ,i had found out there are books and

 books4 ,that vast hunger to read never 
left me4 ,if there was no candle1 ,i    
poked my head down to the fire2 read    
while ,i was eating1 blowing the        
bellows1 or walking from one place to   
another4 ,i could read and walk four    
miles an hour4 ,the world centred in    
books4 ,there was no thought in my mind 
of any good to come out of it2 the good 
lay in the reading4 ,i had no more idea 
of being a minister than you elder men  
who were boys then1 in this town1 had   
that ,i should be here to-night to tell 
this story4 ,now1 give a boy a passion  
like this for anything1 books or        
business1 painting or farming1 mechanism
 or music1 and you give him thereby a   
lever to lift his world1 and a patent of
 nobility1 if the thing he does is      
noble4 ,there were two or three of my   
mind about books4 ,we became companions1
 and gave the roughs a wide berth4 ,the 
books did their work1 too1 about that   
drink1 and fought the devil with a finer
 fire4  ,in education1 says ,herbert    

,spencer1 the process of                
self-development should be encouraged to
 the fullest extent4 ,children should be
 led to make their own investigations1  
and to draw their own inferences4 ,they 
should be told as little as possible1   
and induced to discover as much as      
possible4 ,humanity has progressed      
solely by self-instruction2 and that to 
achieve the best results each mind must 
progress somewhat after the same        
fashion1 is continually proved by the   
marked success of self-made men4  ,my   
books1 said ,thomas ,hood1 kept me from 
the ring1 the dog-pit1 the tavern1 and  
the saloon4 ,the associate of ,pope and 
,addison1 the mind accustomed to the    
noble though silent discourse of        
,shakespeare and ,milton1 will hardly   
seek or put up with low or evil company 
or slaves4  ,when ,i get a little money1
 said ,erasmus1 ,i buy books1 and if any
 is left1 ,i buy food and clothes4      
,hundreds of books read once1 says      
,robertson1 have passed as completely   

from us as if we had never read them2   
whereas the discipline of mind got by   
writing down1 not copying1 an abstract  
of a book which is worth the trouble    
fixes it on the mind for years1 and1    
besides1 enables one to read other books
 with more attention and more profit4   
,this habit of reading1 ,i make bold to 
tell you1 says ,trollope1 is your pass  
to the greatest1 the purest1 and the    
most perfect pleasures that ,god has    
prepared for ,his creatures4 ,other     
pleasures may be more ecstatic2 but the 
habit of reading is the only enjoyment  
,i know1 in which there is no alloy4    
,the ,bible was begun in the desert in  
,arabia ages before ,homer sang and     
flourished in ,asia ,minor4 ,millions of
 books have since gone into oblivion4   
,empires have risen and fallen4         
,revolutions have swept over and changed
 the earth4 ,it has always been subject 
to criticism and obloquy4 ,mighty men   
have sought its overthrow4 ,works of    
,greek poets who catered to men's       

depraved tastes have1 in spite of       
everything1 perished4 ,the ,bible is a  
book of religion2 and can be tried by no
 other standard4  ,read ,plutarch1 said 
,emerson1 and the world is a proud place
 peopled with men of positive quality1  
with heroes and demi-gods standing      
around us who will not let us sleep4    
,there is no business1 no avocation     
whatever1 says ,wyttenbach1 which will  
not permit a man1 who has an            
inclination1 to give a little time1     
every day1 to the studies of his youth4 
,all the sport in the park1 said ,lady  
,jane ,grey1 is but a shadow of that    
pleasure ,i find in ,plato4  ,in the lap
 of ,eternity1 said ,heinsius1 among so 
many divine souls1 ,i take my seat with 
so lofty a spirit and such sweet        
content1 that ,i pity all the great ones
 and rich men1 that have not this       
happiness4  ,death itself divides not   
the wise1 says ,bulwer4 ,thou meetest   
,plato when thine eyes moisten over the 
,phdo4 ,may ,homer live with all men    

forever6  ,when a man reads1 says       
,president ,porter1 he should put       
himself into the most intimate          
intercourse with his author1 so that all
 his energies of apprehension1 judgment 
and feeling may be occupied with1 and   
aroused by1 what his author furnishes1  
whatever it may be4 ,if repetition or   
review will aid him in this1 as it often
 will1 let him not disdain or neglect   
frequent reviews4 ,if the use of the    
pen1 in brief or full notes1 in         
catchwords or other symbols1 will aid   
him1 let him not shrink from the        
drudgery of the pen and the commonplace 
book4  ,reading is to the mind1 says    
,addison1 what exercise is to the body4 
,as by the one health is preserved1     
strengthened and invigorated1 by the    
other1 virtue 7which is the health of   
the mind7 is kept alive1 cherished and  
confirmed4  ,there is a world of science
 necessary in choosing books1 said      
,bulwer4 ,i have known some people in   
great sorrow fly to a novel1 or the last

 light book in fashion4 ,one might as   
well take a rose draught for the plague6
 ,light reading does not do when the    
heart is really heavy4 ,i am told that  
,goethe1 when he lost his son1 took to  
study a science that was new to him4    
,ah6 ,goethe was a physician who knew   
what he was about4  ,when ,i served when
 a young man in ,india1 said a          
distinguished ,english soldier and      
diplomatist2 when it was the turning    
point in my life2 when it was a mere    
chance whether ,i should become a mere  
card-playing1 hooka-smoking lounger1 ,i 
was fortunately quartered for two years 
in the neighborhood of an excellent     
library1 which was made accessible to   
me4  ,books1 says ,e4 ,p4 ,whipple1 are 
lighthouses erected in the great sea of 
time4  ,as a rule1 said ,benjamin       
,disraeli1 the most successful man in   
life is the man who has the best        
information4  ,you get into society1 in 
the widest sense1 says ,geikie1 in a    
great library1 with the huge advantage  

of needing no introductions1 and not    
dreading repulses4 ,from that great     
crowd you can choose what companions you
 please1 for in the silent levees of the
 immortals there is no pride1 but the   
highest is at the service of the lowest1
 with a grand humility4 ,you may speak  
freely with any1 without a thought of   
your inferiority2 for books are         
perfectly well-bred1 and hurt no one's  
feelings by any discriminations4 ,sir   
,william ,waller observed1 ,in my study1
 ,i am sure to converse with none but   
wise men1 but abroad it is impossible   
for me to avoid the society of fools4   
,it is the glorious prerogative of the  
empire of knowledge1 says ,webster1 that
 what it gains it never loses4 ,on the  
contrary1 it increases by the multiple  
of its own power2 all its ends become   
means1 all its attainments help to new  
conquests4  ,at this hour1 five hundred 
years since their creation1 says ,de    
,quincey1 the tales of ,chaucer1 never  
equaled on this earth for their         

tenderness and for life of              
picturesqueness1 are read familiarly by 
many in the charming language of their  
natal day1 and by others in the         
modernization of ,dryden1 of ,pope1 and 
,wordsworth4 ,at this hour1 one thousand
 eight hundred years since their        
creation1 the pagan tales of ,ovid1     
never equaled on this earth for the     
gayety of their movement and the        
capricious graces of their narrative1   
are read by all ,christendom4  ,there is
 no ,past so long as ,books shall live1 
says ,lytton4  ,no wonder ,cicero said  
that he would part with all he was worth
 so he might live and die among his     
books1 says ,geikie4 ,no wonder         
,petrarch was among them to the last1   
and was found dead in their company4 ,it
 seems natural that ,bede should have   
died dictating1 and that ,leibnitz      
should have died with a book in his     
hand1 and ,lord ,clarendon at his desk4 
,buckle's last words1 ',my poor book6'  
tell a passion that forgot death2 and it

 seemed only a fitting farewell when the
 tear stole down the manly cheeks of    
,scott as they wheeled him into his     
library1 when he had come back to       
,abbotsford to die4 ,southey1           
white-haired1 a living shadow1 sitting  
stroking and kissing the books he could 
no longer open or read1 is altogether   
pathetic4  ,no entertainment is so cheap
 as reading1 says ,mary ,wortley        
,montagu2 nor any pleasure so lasting4  
,good books elevate the character1      
purify the taste1 take the              
attractiveness out of low pleasures1 and
 lift us upon a higher plane of thinking
 and living4 ,it is not easy to be mean 
directly after reading a noble and      
inspiring book4 ,the conversation of a  
man who reads for improvement or        
pleasure will be flavored by his        
reading2 but it will not be about his   
reading4  ,perhaps no other thing has   
such power to lift the poor out of his  
poverty1 the wretched out of his misery1
 to make the burden-bearer forget his   

burden1 the sick his sufferings1 the    
sorrower his grief1 the downtrodden his 
degradation1 as books4 ,they are friends
 to the lonely1 companions to the       
deserted1 joy to the joyless1 hope to   
the hopeless1 good cheer to the         
disheartened1 a helper to the helpless4 
,they bring light into darkness1 and    
sunshine into shadow4  ,twenty-five     
years ago1 when ,i was a boy1 said ,rev4
 ,j4 ,a4 ,james1 a school-fellow gave me
 an infamous book1 which he lent me for 
only fifteen minutes4 ,at the end of    
that time it was returned to him1 but   
that book has haunted me like a spectre 
ever since4 ,i have asked ,god on my    
knees to obliterate that book from my   
mind1 but ,i believe that ,i shall carry
 down with me to the grave the spiritual
 damage ,i received during those fifteen
 minutes4  ,did ,homer and ,plato and   
,socrates and ,virgil ever dream that   
their words would echo through the ages1
 and aid in shaping men's lives in the  
nineteenth century8 ,they were mere     

infants when on earth in comparison with
 the mighty influence and power they now
 yield4 ,every life on the ,american    
continent has in some degree been       
influenced by them4 ,christ1 when on    
earth1 never exerted one millionth part 
of the influence ,he wields to-day4     
,while ,he reigns supreme in few human  
hearts1 ,he touches all more or less1   
the atheist as well as the saint4 ,on   
the other hand who shall say how many   
crimes were committed the past year by  
wicked men buried long ago8 ,their      
books1 their pictures1 their terrible   
examples1 live in all they reach1 and   
incite to evil deeds4 ,how important1   
then1 is the selection of books which   
are to become a part of your being4     
,knowledge cannot be stolen from us4 ,it
 cannot be bought or sold4 ,we may be   
poor1 and the sheriff may come and sell 
our furniture1 or drive away our cow1 or
 take our pet lamb1 and leave us        
homeless and penniless2 but he cannot   
lay the law's hand upon the jewelry of  

our minds4  ,good books and the wild    
woods are two things with which man can 
never become too familiar1 says ,george 
,w4 ,cable4 ,the friendship of trees is 
a sort of self-love and is very         
wholesome4 ,all inanimate nature is but 
a mirror1 and it is greater far to have 
the sense of beauty than it is to be    
only its insensible depository4  ,the   
books that inspire imagination1 whether 
in truth or fiction2 that elevate the   
thoughts1 are the right kind to read4   
,our emotions are simply the vibrations 
of our soul4  ,the moment fiction       
becomes mendacious it is bad1 for it    
induces us to believe a lie4 ,fiction   
purely as fiction must be innocent and  
beautiful1 and its beauty must be more  
than skin deep4 ,every field of art is a
 playground and we are extra pleased    
when the artist makes that field a      
gymnasium also4  ,cotton ,mather's      
,essay to do ,good read by the boy      
,franklin influenced the latter's whole 
life4 ,he advised everybody to read with

 a pen in hand and to make notes of all 
they read4  ,james ,t4 ,fields visited  
,jesse ,pomeroy1 the boy murderer1 in   
jail4 ,pomeroy told him he had been a   
great reader of blood and thunder       
stories2 that he had read sixty dime    
novels about scalping and other bloody  
performances2 and he thought there was  
no doubt that these books had put the   
horrible thoughts into his mind which   
led to his murderous acts4  ,many a boy 
has gone to sea and become a rover for  
life under the influence of ,marryat's  
novels4 ,abbott's ,life of ,napoleon1   
read at the age of seven years1 sent one
 boy whom ,i knew to the army before he 
was fourteen4 ,many a man has committed 
crime from the leavening1 multiplying   
influence of a bad book read when a boy4
 ,the chaplain of ,newgate prison in    
,london1 in one of his annual reports to
 the ,lord ,mayor1 referring to many    
fine-looking lads of respectable        
parentage in the city prison1 said that 
he discovered that all these boys1      

without exception1 had been in the habit
 of reading those cheap periodicals     
which were published for the alleged    
amusement of youth of both sexes4 ,there
 is not a police court or a prison in   
this country where similar cases could  
not be found4 ,one can hardly measure   
the moral ruin that has been caused in  
this generation by the influence of bad 
books4  ,in the parlor window of the old
 mossy vicarage where ,coleridge spent  
his dreamy childhood lay a well-thumbed 
copy of that volume of ,oriental fancy1 
the ,arabian ,nights1 and he has told us
 with what mingled desire and           
apprehension he was wont to look at the 
precious book1 until the morning        
sunshine had touched and illuminated it1
 when1 seizing it hastily1 he would     
carry it off in triumph to some leafy   
nook in the vicarage garden1 and plunge 
delightedly into its maze of marvels and
 enchantments4  ,beecher said that      
,ruskin's works taught him the secret of
 seeing1 and that no man could ever     

again be quite the same man or look at  
the world in the same way after reading 
him4 ,samuel ,drew said1 ,locke's       
',essay on the ,understanding' awakened 
me from stupor1 and induced me to form a
 resolution to abandon the groveling    
views ,i had been accustomed to         
maintain4 ,an ,english tanner1 whose    
leather gained a great reputation1 said 
he should not have made it so good if he
 had not read ,carlyle4 ,the lives of   
,washington and ,henry ,clay1 which     
,lincoln borrowed from neighbors in the 
wilderness1 and devoured by the light of
 the cabin fire1 inspired his life4 ,in 
his early manhood he read ,paine's ,age 
of ,reason1 and ,volney's ,ruins1 which 
so influenced his mind that he wrote an 
essay to prove the unreliability of the 
,bible4 ,these two books nearly         
unbalanced his moral character4 ,but1   
fortunately1 the books which fell into  
his hands in after years corrected this 
evil influence4 ,the trend of many a    
life for good or ill1 for success or    

failure1 has been determined by a single
 book4 ,the books which we read early in
 life are those which influence us most4
 ,when ,garfield was working for a      
neighbor he read ,sinbad the ,sailor and
 the ,pirate's ,own ,book4 ,these books 
revealed a new world to him1 and his    
mother with difficulty kept him from    
going to sea4 ,he was fascinated with   
the sea life which these books pictured 
to his young imagination4 ,the ,voyages 
of ,captain ,cook led ,william ,carey to
 go on a mission to the heathen4 ,the   
,imitation of ,christ and ,taylor's     
,holy ,living and ,dying determined the 
character of ,john ,wesley4 ,shakespeare
 and the ,bible1 said ,john ,sharp1 made
 me ,archbishop of ,york4 ,the ,vicar of
 ,wakefield awakened the poetical genius
 in ,goethe4  ,i have been the bosom    
friend of ,leander and ,romeo1 said     
,lowell4 ,i seem to go behind           
,shakespeare1 and to get my intelligence
 at first hand4 ,sometimes1 in my       
sorrow1 a line from ,spenser steals in  

upon my memory as if by some vitality   
and external volition of its own1 like a
 blast from the distant trump of a      
knight pricking toward the court of     
,faerie1 and ,i am straightway lifted   
out of that sadness and shadow into the 
sunshine of a previous and long-agone   
experience4  ,who gets more enjoyment   
out of eating1 asks ,amos ,r4 ,wells1   
the pampered millionaire1 whose tongue  
is the wearied host of myriads of       
sugary1 creamy1 spicy guests1 or the    
little daughter of the laborer1 trotting
 about all the morning with helpful     
steps1 who has come a long two miles    
with her father's dinner to eat it with 
him from a tin pail8 ,and who gets the  
more pleasure out of reading1 the       
satiated fiction-glutton1 her brain     
crammed with disordered fragments of    
countless scenes of adventure1 love and 
tragedy1 impatient of the same old      
situations1 the familiar characters1 the
 stale plots--she or the girl who is    
fired with a love for history1 say1 who 

wants to know all about the grand old1  
queer old ,socrates1 and then about his 
friends1 and then about the times in    
which he lived1 and then about the way  
in which they all lived1 then about the 
,socratic legacy to the ages8 ,why1 will
 that girl ever be done with the feast8 
,can you not see1 looking down on her   
joy with a blessing1 the very ,lord of  
the banquet1 who has ordered all history
 and ordained that the truth ,he        
fashions shall be stranger always than  
the fiction man contrives8 ,take the    
word of a man who has made full trial of
 both4 ,solid reading is as much more   
interesting and attractive than         
frivolous reading as solid living is    
more recreative than frivolous living4  
,i solemnly declare1 said ,sidney       
,smith1 that but for the love of        
knowledge1 ,i should consider the life  
of the meanest hedger and ditcher as    
preferable to that of the greatest and  
richest man in existence2 for the fire  
of our minds is like the fires which the

 ,persians burn in the mountains1 it    
flames night and day1 and is immortal1  
and not to be quenched6 ,upon something 
it must act and feed--upon the pure     
spirit of knowledge1 or upon the foul   
dregs of polluting passions4 ,therefore1
 when ,i say1 in conducting your        
understanding1 love knowledge with a    
great love1 with a vehement love1 with a
 love co-eval with life--what do ,i say 
but love innocence1 love virtue1 love   
purity of conduct1 love that which1 if  
you are rich and great1 will vindicate  
the blind fortune which has made you so1
 and make men call it justice2 love that
 which1 if you are poor1 will render    
your poverty respectable1 and make the  
proudest feel it unjust to laugh at the 
meanness of your fortunes2 love that    
which will comfort you1 adorn you1 and  
never quit you--which will open to you  
the kingdom of thought1 and all the     
boundless regions of conception1 as an  
asylum against the cruelty1 the         
injustice1 and the pain that may be your

 lot in the world--that which will make 
your motives habitually great and       
honorable1 and light up in an instant a 
thousand noble disdains at the very     
thought of meanness and of fraud8  ,do  
,i feel like hearing an eloquent sermon8
 ,spurgeon and ,beecher1 ,whitefield1   
,hall1 ,collyer1 ,phillips ,brooks1     
,canon ,farrar1 ,dr4 ,parker1 ,talmage1 
are all standing on my bookcase1 waiting
 to give me their greatest efforts at a 
moment's notice4 ,do ,i feel indisposed1
 and need a little recreation8 ,this    
afternoon ,i will take a trip across the
 ,atlantic1 flying against the wind and 
over breakers without fear of           
seasickness on the ocean greyhounds4 ,i 
will inspect the world renowned         
,liverpool docks2 take a run up to      
,hawarden1 call on ,mr4 ,gladstone2 fly 
over to ,london1 take a run through the 
,british ,museum and see the wonderful  
collection from all nations2 go through 
the ,national ,art ,gallery1 through the
 ,houses of ,parliament1 visit ,windsor 

,castle and ,buckingham ,palace1 call   
upon ,queen ,victoria1 the ,prince of   
,wales2 take a run through the lake     
region and call upon the great writers1 
visit ,oxford and ,cambridge2 cross the 
,english ,channel1 stop at ,rouen1 where
 ,joan of ,arc was burned to death by   
the ,english1 take a flying trip to     
,paris1 visit the tomb of ,napoleon1 the
 ,louvre ,gallery2 take a peep at one of
 the greatest pieces of sculpture in    
existence1 the ,venus de ,milo 7which a 
rich and ignorant person offered to buy 
if they would give him a fresh one71    
take a glance at some of the greatest   
paintings in existence along the miles  
of galleries2 take a peep into the      
,grand ,opera ,house1 the grandest in   
the world 7to make room for which #dbg  
buildings were demolished71 promenade   
through the ,champs de ,elyse1 pass     
under the triumphal arch of ,napoleon1  
take a run out to ,versailles and       
inspect the famous palace of ,louis     
,,xiv41 upon which he spent perhaps     

#ajj1jjj1jjj4  ,do ,i desire to hear    
eloquent speeches8 ,through my books ,i 
can enter the ,parliament and listen to 
the thrilling oratory of ,disraeli1 of  
,gladstone1 of ,bright1 of ,o',connor2  
they will admit me to the floor of the  
,senate1 where ,i can hear the matchless
 oratory of a ,webster1 of a ,clay1 of a
 ,calhoun1 of a ,sumner1 of ,everett1 of
 ,wilson4 ,they will pass me into the   
,roman ,forum1 where ,i can hear        
,cicero1 or to the rostrums of ,greece1 
where ,i may listen spell-bound to the  
magic oratory of a ,demosthenes4  ,no   
matter how poor ,i am1 says ,channing2  
no matter though the prosperous of my   
own time will not enter my obscure      
dwelling2 if the sacred writers will    
enter and take up their abode under my  
roof2 if ,milton will cross my threshold
 to sing to me of paradise1 and         
,shakespeare to open to me the worlds of
 imagination and the workings of the    
human heart1 and ,franklin to enrich me 
with his practical wisdom1--,i shall not

 pine for the want of intellectual      
companionship1 and ,i may become a      
cultivated man1 though excluded from    
what is called the best society in the  
place where ,i live4  ,with the dead    
there is no rivalry1 says ,macaulay4 ,in
 the dead there is no change4 ,plato is 
never sullen2 ,cervantes is never       
petulant2 ,demosthenes never comes      
unseasonably2 ,dante never stays too    
long2 no difference of political opinion
 can alienate ,cicero2 no heresy can    
excite the horror of ,bossuet4  ,heed   
not the idle assertion that literary    
pursuits will disqualify you for the    
active business of life1 says ,alexander
 ,h4 ,everett4 ,reject it as a mere     
imagination1 inconsistent with          
principle1 unsupported by experience4   
,the habit of reading may become morbid4
 ,there is a novel-reading disease4     
,there are people who are almost as much
 tied to their novels as an intemperate 
man is tied to his bottle4 ,the more of 
these novels they read1 the weaker their

 minds become4 ,they remember nothing2  
they read for the stimulus2 their       
reasoning powers become weaker and      
weaker1 their memory more treacherous4  
,the mind is ruined for healthy         
intellectual food4 ,they have no taste  
for history or biography1 or anything   
but cheap1 trashy1 sensational novels4  
,the passive reception of other men's   
thoughts is not education4 ,beware of   
intellectual dram drinking and          
intellectual dissipation4 ,it is        
emasculating4 ,beware of the book which 
does not make you determined to go and  
do something and be something in the    
world4  ,the great difference between   
the ,american graduate and the graduates
 from the ,english universities is that 
the latter have not read many books     
superficially1 but a few books well4    
,the ,american graduate has a smattering
 of many books1 but has not become      
master of any4 ,the same is largely true
 of readers in general2 they want to    
know a little of everything4 ,they want 

to read all the latest publications1    
good1 bad and indifferent1 if it is only
 new4 ,as a rule our people want light  
reading1 something to read that will    
take up the attention1 kill time on the 
railroad or at home4 ,as a rule ,english
 people read more substantial books1    
older books1 books which have           
established their right to exist4 ,they 
are not so eager for recent             
publications4  ,joseph ,cook advises    
youth to always make notes of their     
reading4 ,mr4 ,cook uses the margins of 
his books for his notes1 and marks all  
of his own books very freely1 so that   
every volume in his library becomes a   
notebook4 ,he advises all young men and 
young women to keep commonplace books4  
,we cannot too heartily recommend this  
habit of taking notes4 ,it is a great   
aid to memory1 and it helps wonderfully 
to locate or to find for future use what
 we have read4 ,it helps to assimilate  
and make our own whatever we read4 ,the 
habit of taking notes of lectures and   

sermons is an excellent one4 ,one of the
 greatest aids to education is the habit
 of writing out an analysis or a        
skeleton of a book or article after we  
have read it2 also of a sermon or a     
lecture4 ,this habit has made many a    
strong1 vigorous thinker and writer4 ,in
 this connection we cannot too strongly 
recommend the habit of saving clippings 
from our readings wherever possible of  
everything which would be likely to     
assist us in the future4 ,these         
scrap-books1 indexed1 often become of   
untold advantage1 especially if in the  
line of our work4 ,much of what we call 
genius in great men comes from these    
note-books and scrap-books4  ,how many  
poor boys and girls who thought they had
 no chance in life have been started    
upon noble careers by the grand books of
 ,smiles1 ,todd1 ,mathews1 ,munger1     
,whipple1 ,geikie1 ,thayer1 and others4 
,you should bring your mind to the      
reading of a book1 or to the study of   
any subject1 as you take an axe to the  

grindstone2 not for what you get from   
the stone1 but for the sharpening of the
 axe4 ,while it is true that the facts  
learned from books are worth more than  
the dust from the stone1 even in much   
greater ratio is the mind more valuable 
than the axe4 ,bacon says3 ,some books  
are to be tasted1 others to be          
swallowed1 and some few to be chewed and
 digested2 that is1 some books are to be
 read only in parts2 others to be read1 
but not curiously2 and some few to be   
read wholly1 and with diligence and     
attention4 ,reading maketh a full man1  
conference a ready man1 and writing an  
exact man2 and1 therefore1 if a man     
write little1 he had need have a great  
memory2 if he confer little1 he had need
 have a present wit2 and if he read     
little1 he had need have much cunning1  
to seem to know that he doth not4       
,histories make men wise2 poets witty2  
the mathematics subtle2 natural         
philosophy deep2 morals grave2 logic and
 rhetoric able to contend4     ,,chapter

 ,,xxv4  ,,riches ,,without ,,wings4    
,walk worthy of the vocation wherewith  
ye are called4      --,,eph4 iv4 ,i4    
,abundance consists not alone in        
material possession1 but in an          
uncovetous spirit4      --,,selden4     
,less coin1 less care2 to know how to   
dispense with wealth is to      possess 
it4      --,,reynolds4       ,rich1 from
 the very want of wealth1      ,in      
heaven's best treasures1 peace and      
health4      --,,gray4       ,money     
never made a man happy yet2 there is    
nothing in its      nature to produce   
happiness4 ,the more a man has1 the more
 he      wants4 ,instead of filling a   
vacuum1 it makes one4      --,,franklin4
       ,there are treasures laid up in  
the heart1 treasures of charity1        
piety1 temperance1 and soberness4 ,these
 treasures a man takes      with him    
beyond death1 when he leaves this world4
      --,,buddhist ,,scriptures4        
,it is better to get wisdom than gold2  
for wisdom is better      than rubies1  

and all things that may be desired are  
not to be      compared to it4          
,better a cheap coffin and a plain      
funeral after a useful1      unselfish  
life1 than a grand mausoleum after a    
loveless1      selfish life4       ,i   
ought not to allow any man1 because he  
has broad lands1 to      feel that he is
 rich in my presence4 ,i ought to make  
him feel      that ,i can do without his
 riches1 that ,i cannot be              
bought--neither by comfort1 neither by  
pride1--and although ,i      be utterly 
penniless1 and receiving bread from him1
 that he is      the poor man beside me4
      --,,emerson4   ,i don't want such 
things1 said ,epictetus to the rich     
,roman orator who was making light of   
his contempt for money-wealth2 and      
besides1 said the stoic1 you are poorer 
than ,i am1 after all4 ,you have silver 
vessels1 but earthenware reasons1       
principles1 appetites4 ,my mind to me a 
kingdom is1 and it furnishes me with    
abundant and happy occupation in lieu of

 your restless idleness4 ,all your      
possessions seem small to you2 mine seem
 great to me4 ,your desire is insatiate1
 mine is satisfied4  ,lord1 how many    
things are in the world of which        
,diogenes hath no need6 exclaimed the   
stoic1 as he wandered among the         
miscellaneous articles at a country     
fair4  ,one would think1 said ,boswell1 
that the proprietor of all this         
7,keddlestone1 the seat of ,lord        
,scarsfield7 must be happy4 ,nay1 sir1  
said ,johnson1 all this excludes but one
 evil1 poverty4  ,what property has he  
left behind him8 people ask when a man  
dies2 but the angel who receives him    
asks1 ,what good deeds hast thou sent   
before thee8  ,what is the best thing to
 possess8 asked an ancient philosopher  
of his pupils4 ,one answered1 ,nothing  
is better than a good eye1--a figurative
 expression for a liberal and contented 
disposition4 ,another said1 ,a good     
companion is the best thing in the      
world2 a third chose a good neighbor2   

and a fourth1 a wise friend4 ,but       
,eleazar said3 ,a good heart is better  
than them all4 ,true1 said the master2  
thou hast comprehended in two words all 
that the rest have said1 for he that    
hath a good heart will be contented1 a  
good companion1 a good neighbor1 and    
will easily see what is fit to be done  
by him4  ,my kingdom for a horse1 said  
,richard ,,iii4 of ,england amid the    
press of ,bosworth ,field4 ,my kingdom  
for a moment1 said ,queen ,elizabeth on 
her death-bed4 ,and millions of others1 
when they have felt earth1 its riches   
and power slipping from their grasp1    
have shown plainly that deep down in    
their hearts they value such things at  
naught when really compared with the    
blessed light of life1 the stars and    
flowers1 the companionship of friends1  
and far above all else1 the opportunity 
of growth and development here and of   
preparation for future life4  ,queen    
,caroline ,matilda of ,denmark wrote on 
the window of her prison1 with her      

diamond ring3 ,oh1 keep me innocent2    
make others great4  ,these are my       
jewels1 said ,cornelia to the ,campanian
 lady who asked to see her gems2 and she
 pointed with pride to her boys         
returning from school4 ,the reply was   
worthy the daughter of ,scipio          
,africanus and wife of ,tiberius        
,gracchus4 ,the most valuable production
 of any country is its crop of men4  ,i 
will take away thy treasures1 said a    
tyrant to a philosopher4 ,nay1 that thou
 canst not1 was the retort2 for1 in the 
first place1 ,i have none that thou     
knowest of4 ,my treasure is in heaven1  
and my heart is there4  ,some people are
 born happy4 ,no matter what their      
circumstances are they are joyous1      
content and satisfied with everything4  
,they carry a perpetual holiday in their
 eye and see joy and beauty everywhere4 
,when we meet them they impress us as   
just having met with some good luck1 or 
that they have some good news to tell   
you4 ,like the bees that extract honey  

from every flower1 they have a happy    
alchemy which transmutes even gloom into
 sunshine4 ,in the sick room they are   
better than the physician and more      
potent than drugs4 ,all doors open to   
these people4 ,they are welcome         
everywhere4  ,we make our own worlds and
 people them1 while memory1 the scribe1 
faithfully registers the account of each
 as we pass the milestones dotting the  
way4 ,are we not1 then1 responsible for 
the inhabitants of our little worlds8   
,we should fill them with the true1 the 
beautiful and the good1 since we are    
endowed with the faculty of creating4   
,genius1 says ,whipple1 may almost be   
defined as the faculty of acquiring     
poverty4 ,it is the men of talent who   
make money out of the work of the men of
 genius4 ,somebody has truly said1 that 
the greatest works have brought the     
least benefit to their authors4 ,they   
were beyond the reach of appreciation   
before appreciation came4  ,there is an 
,eastern legend of a powerful genius1   

who promised a beautiful maiden a gift  
of rare value if she would pass through 
a field of corn and1 without pausing1   
going backward1 or wandering hither and 
thither1 select the largest and ripest  
ear1--the value of the gift to be in    
proportion to the size and perfection of
 the ear she should choose4 ,she passed 
through the field1 seeing a great many  
well worth gathering1 but always hoping 
to find a larger and more perfect one1  
she passed them all by1 when1 coming to 
a part of the field where the stalks    
grew more stunted1 she disdained to take
 one from these1 and so came through to 
the other side without having selected  
any4  ,a man may make millions and be a 
failure still4 ,money-making is not the 
highest success4 ,the life of a         
well-known millionaire was not truly    
successful4 ,he had but one ambition4   
,he coined his very soul into dollars4  
,the almighty dollar was his sun1 and   
was mirrored in his heart4 ,he strangled
 all other emotions and hushed and      

stifled all nobler aspirations4 ,he     
grasped his riches tightly1 till        
stricken by the scythe of death2 when1  
in the twinkling of an eye1 he was      
transformed from one of the richest men 
who ever lived in this world to one of  
the poorest souls that ever went out of 
it4  ,lincoln always yearned for a      
rounded wholeness of character2 and his 
fellow lawyers called him perversely    
honest4 ,nothing could induce him to    
take the wrong side of a case1 or to    
continue on that side after learning    
that it was unjust or hopeless4 ,after  
giving considerable time to a case in   
which he had received from a lady a     
retainer of two hundred dollars1 he     
returned the money1 saying3 ,madam1 you 
have not a peg to hang your case on4    
,but you have earned that money1 said   
the lady4 ,no1 no1 replied ,lincoln1    
that would not be right4 ,i can't take  
pay for doing my duty4  ,agassiz would  
not lecture at five hundred dollars a   
night1 because he had no time to make   

money4 ,charles ,sumner1 when a senator1
 declined to lecture at any price1      
saying that his time belonged to        
,massachusetts and the nation4 ,spurgeon
 would not speak for fifty nights in    
,america at one thousand dollars a      
night1 because he said he could do      
better3 he could stay in ,london and try
 to save fifty souls4 ,all honor to the 
comparative few in every walk of life   
who1 amid the strong materialistic      
tendencies of our age1 still speak and  
act earnestly1 inspired by the hope of  
rewards other than gold or popular      
favor4 ,these are our truly great men   
and women4 ,they labor in their ordinary
 vocations with no less zeal because    
they give time and thought to higher    
things4  ,king ,midas1 in the ancient   
myth1 asked that everything he touched  
might be turned to gold1 for then1 he   
thought1 he would be perfectly happy4   
,his request was granted1 but when his  
clothes1 his food1 his drink1 the       
flowers he plucked1 and even his little 

daughter1 whom he kissed1 were all      
changed into yellow metal1 he begged    
that the ,golden ,touch might be taken  
from him4 ,he had learned that many     
other things are intrinsically far more 
valuable than all the gold that was ever
 dug from the earth4  ,the beggarly     
,homer1 who strolled1 ,god knows when1  
in the infancy and barbarism of the     
world1 was richer far than ,croesus and 
added more wealth to the world than the 
,rothschilds1 the ,vanderbilts and      
,goulds4  ,an ,arab who fortunately     
escaped death after losing his way in   
the desert1 without provisions1 tells of
 his feelings when he found a bag full  
of pearls1 just as he was about to      
abandon all hope4 ,i shall never forget1
 said he1 the relish and delight that ,i
 felt on supposing it to be dried wheat1
 nor the bitterness and despair ,i      
suffered on discovering that the bag    
contained pearls4  ,it is an interesting
 fact in this money-getting era that a  
poor author1 or a seedy artist1 or a    

college president with frayed           
coat-sleeves1 has more standing in      
society and has more paragraphs written 
about him in the papers than many a     
millionaire4 ,this is due1 perhaps1 to  
the malign influence of money-getting   
and to the benign effect of purely      
intellectual pursuits4 ,as a rule every 
great success in the money world means  
the failure and misery of hundreds of   
antagonists4 ,every success in the world
 of intellect and character is an aid   
and profit to society4 ,character is a  
mark cut upon something1 and this       
indelible mark determines the only true 
value of all people and all their work4 
,dr4 ,hunter said3 ,no man was ever a   
great man who wanted to be one4 ,artists
 cannot help putting themselves and     
their own characters into their works4  
,the vulgar artist cannot paint a       
virtuous picture4 ,the gross1 the       
bizarre1 the sensitive1 the delicate1   
all come out on the canvas and tell the 
story of his life4  ,who would not      

choose to be a millionaire of deeds with
 a ,lincoln1 a ,grant1 a ,florence      
,nightingale1 a ,childs2 a millionaire  
of ideas with ,emerson1 with ,lowell1   
with ,shakespeare1 with ,wordsworth2 a  
millionaire of statesmanship with a     
,gladstone1 a ,bright1 a ,sumner1 a     
,washington8  ,some men are rich in     
health1 in constant cheerfulness1 in a  
mercurial temperament which floats them 
over troubles and trials enough to sink 
a shipload of ordinary men4 ,others are 
rich in disposition1 family1 and        
friends4 ,there are some men so amiable 
that everybody loves them2 some so      
cheerful that they carry an atmosphere  
of jollity about them4 ,some are rich in
 integrity and character4  ,who is the  
richest of men8 asked ,socrates4 ,he who
 is content with the least1 for         
contentment is nature's riches4  ,do you
 know1 sir1 said a devotee of ,mammon to
 ,john ,bright1 that ,i am worth a      
million sterling8 ,yes1 said the        
irritated but calm-spirited respondent1 

,i do2 and ,i know that it is all you   
are worth4  ,a bankrupt merchant1       
returning home one night1 said to his   
noble wife1 ,my dear1 ,i am ruined2     
everything we have is in the hands of   
the sheriff4 ,after a few moments of    
silence the wife looked into his face   
and asked1 ,will the sheriff sell you8  
,oh1 no4 ,will the sheriff sell me8 ,oh1
 no4 ,then do not say we have lost      
everything4 ,all that is most valuable  
remains to us--manhood1 womanhood1      
childhood4 ,we have lost but the results
 of our skill and industry4 ,we can make
 another fortune if our hearts and hands
 are left us4  ,we say a man is 'made'1 
said ,beecher4 ,what do we mean8 ,that  
he has got the control of his lower     
instincts1 so that they are only fuel to
 his higher feelings1 giving force to   
his nature8 ,that his affections are    
like vines1 sending out on all sides    
blossoms and clustering fruits8 ,that   
his tastes are so cultivated that all   
beautiful things speak to him1 and bring

 him their delights8 ,that his          
understanding is opened1 so that he     
walks through every hall of knowledge1  
and gathers its treasures8 ,that his    
moral feelings are so developed and     
quickened that he holds sweet commerce  
with ,heaven8 ,o1 no--none of these     
things4 ,he is cold and dead in heart1  
and mind1 and soul4 ,only his passions  
are alive2 but--he is worth five hundred
 thousand dollars6  ,and we say a man is
 'ruined4' ,are his wife and children   
dead8 ,o1 no4 ,have they had a quarrel1 
and are they separated from him8 ,o1 no4
 ,has he lost his reputation through    
crime8 ,no4 ,is his reason gone8 ,o1 no2
 it is as sound as ever4 ,is he struck  
through with disease8 ,no4 ,he has lost 
his property1 and he is ruined4 ,the man
 ruined6 ,when shall we learn that 'a   
man's life consisteth not in the        
abundance of the things which he        
possesseth8'  ,how is it possible1 asks 
an ancient philosopher1 that a man who  
has nothing1 who is naked1 houseless1   

without a hearth1 squalid1 without a    
slave1 without a city1 can pass a life  
that flows easily8 ,see1 ,god has sent  
you a man to show you that it is        
possible4 ,look at me who am without a  
city1 without a house1 without          
possessions1 without a slave2 ,i sleep  
on the ground2 ,i have no wife1 no      
children1 no prtorium1 but only the     
earth and heavens1 and one poor cloak4  
,and what do ,i want8 ,am ,i not without
 sorrow8 ,am ,i not without fear8 ,am ,i
 not free8 ,when did any of you see me  
failing in the object of my desire8 or  
even falling into that which ,i would   
avoid8 ,did ,i ever blame ,god or man8  
,did ,i ever accuse any man8 ,did any of
 you ever see me with a sorrowful       
countenance8  ,you are a plebeian1 said 
a patrician to ,cicero4 ,i am a         
plebeian1 replied the great ,roman      
orator2 the nobility of my family begins
 with me1 that of yours will end with   
you4 ,no man deserves to be crowned with
 honor whose life is a failure1 and he  

who lives only to eat and drink and     
accumulate money is surely not          
successful4 ,the world is no better for 
his living in it4 ,he never wiped a tear
 from a sad face1 never kindled a fire  
upon a frozen hearth4 ,there is no flesh
 in his heart2 he worships no god but   
gold4  ,why should ,i scramble and      
struggle to get possession of a little  
portion of this earth8 ,this is my world
 now2 why should ,i envy others its mere
 legal possession8 ,it belongs to him   
who can see it1 enjoy it4 ,i need not   
envy the so-called owners of estates in 
,boston and ,new ,york4 ,they are merely
 taking care of my property and keeping 
it in excellent condition for me4 ,for a
 few pennies for railroad fare whenever 
,i wish ,i can see and possess the best 
of it all4 ,it has cost me no effort1 it
 gives me no care2 yet the green grass1 
the shrubbery1 and the statues on the   
lawns1 the finer sculptures and         
paintings within1 are always ready for  
me whenever ,i feel a desire to look    

upon them4 ,i do not wish to carry them 
home with me1 for ,i could not give them
 half the care they now receive2        
besides1 it would take too much of my   
valuable time1 and ,i should be worrying
 continually lest they be spoiled or    
stolen4 ,i have much of the wealth of   
the world now4 ,it is all prepared for  
me without any pains on my part4 ,all   
around me are working hard to get things
 that will please me1 and competing to  
see who can give them the cheapest4 ,the
 little ,i pay for the use of libraries1
 railroads1 galleries1 parks1 is less   
than it would cost to care for the least
 of all ,i use4 ,life and landscape are 
mine1 the stars and flowers1 the sea and
 air1 the birds and trees4 ,what more do
 ,i want8 ,all the ages have been       
working for me2 all mankind are my      
servants4 ,i am only required to feed   
and clothe myself1 an easy task in this 
land of opportunity4  ,there is scarcely
 an idea more infectious or potent than 
the love of money4 ,it is a yellow      

fever1 decimating its votaries and      
ruining more families in the land1 than 
all the plagues or diseases put         
together4 ,instances of its malevolent  
power occur to every reader4 ,almost    
every square foot of land of our        
continent during the early buccaneer    
period 7some call it the march of       
civilization71 has been ensanguined     
through the madness for treasure4 ,read 
the pages of our historian ,prescott1   
and you will see that the whole         
anti-,puritan history of ,america       
resolves itself into an awful slaughter 
for gold4 ,discoveries were only side   
issues4  ,speak1 history1 who are life's
 victors8 ,unroll thy long scroll and   
say1 have they won who first reached the
 goal1 heedless of a brother's rights8  
,and has he lost in life's great race   
who stopped to raise a fallen child1 and
 place him on his feet again1 or to give
 a fainting comrade care2 or to guide or
 assist a feeble woman8 ,has he lost who
 halts before the throne when duty      

calls1 or sorrow1 or distress8 ,is there
 no one to sing the pan of the conquered
 who fell in the battle of life8 of the 
wounded1 the beaten1 who died           
overwhelmed in the strife8 of the low   
and humble1 the weary and               
broken-hearted1 who strove and who      
failed1 in the eyes of men1 but who did 
their duty as ,god gave them to see it8 
,we have yet no man who has leaned      
entirely on his character1 and eaten    
angel's food1 said ,emerson2 who1       
trusting to his sentiments1 found life  
made of miracles2 who1 working for      
universal aims1 found himself fed1 he   
knew not how2 clothed1 sheltered1 and   
weaponed1 he knew not how1 and yet it   
was done by his own hands4  ,at a time  
when it was considered dangerous to     
society in ,europe for the common people
 to read books and listen to lectures on
 any but religious subjects1 ,charles   
,knight determined to enlighten the     
masses by cheap literature4 ,he believed
 that a paper might be instructive and  

not be dull1 cheap without being wicked4
 ,he started the ,penny ,magazine1 which
 acquired a circulation of two hundred  
thousand the first year4 ,knight        
projected the ,penny ,cyclopedia1 the   
,library of ,entertaining ,knowledge1   
,half-,hours with the ,best ,authors1   
and other useful works at a low price4  
,his whole adult life was spent in the  
work of elevating the common people by  
cheap1 yet wholesome publications4 ,he  
died in poverty1 but grateful people    
have erected a noble monument over his  
ashes4  ,how many rich dwellings there  
are1 crowded with every appointment of  
luxury1 that are only glittering caverns
 of selfishness and discontent6 ,better 
a dinner of herbs where love is1 than a 
stalled ox and hatred therewith4  ,no   
man can tell whether he is rich or poor 
by turning to his ledger1 says ,beecher4
 ,it is the heart that makes a man rich4
 ,he is rich or poor according to what  
he is1 not according to what he has4    
,if our thoughts are great and noble1 no

 mean surroundings can make us          
miserable4 ,it is the mind that makes   
the body rich4       ,howe'er it be1 it 
seems to me1      ',tis only noble to be
 good4      ,kind hearts are more than  
coronets1      ,and simple faith than   
,norman blood4      --,,tennyson4       
,be noble6 and the nobleness that lies  
,in other men1 sleeping1 but never dead1
      ,will rise in majesty to meet     
thine own4      --,,lowell4             
,,pushing ,,to ,,the ,,front       ,,or1
 ,,success ,,under ,,difficulties1 by   
,,orison ,,swett ,,marden4 ,a book      
of inspiration and help to the youth of 
,america who long to be      somebody   
and to do something in the world1 many  
of whom1 hedged      in as it were by   
iron walls of circumstances feel that   
they      have no chance in life4       
,passed through a dozen editions        
its first year4 ,it is used in ,boston  
and other public      schools1 and has  
been republished and heartily received  
in      foreign countries4  ,with #bd   

fine full-page portraits4 ,crown #hvo41 
#a4ej4         99       99       99     
99       99       ,a modern wonder4 ,it 
should be in the hands of every         
,american      youth4      --,bishop    
,newman4       ,it is the most          
stimulating and suggestive book for     
young men ,i      ever read4            
--,mrs4 ,mary ,a4 ,livermore4           
,best book of the kind ever written4    
--,golden ,rule4       ,there is an     
uplift on every page1 and wisdom in     
every      paragraph4      --,epworth   
,herald4       ,i have read with unusual
 interest your book ,pushing to the     
,front4 ,it cannot but be an inspiration
 to every boy or girl      who reads it4
      --,wm4 ,mc,kinley4       ,a most  
interesting and valuable book to the    
youth of ,america4      --,senator      
,henry ,cabot ,lodge4       ,an         
admirable book1 a timely contribution of
 advice and      inspiration to youth4  
--,chauncey ,m4 ,depew4       ,the      
author has done a most valuable service 

to the young life      of the country4  
--,bishop ,j4 ,h4 ,vincent4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,sold by 
all booksellers4 ,sent1 postpaid1 by    
,,houghton1 ,,mifflin  ,,co41      ,,new
 ,,york and ,,boston4     ,a ,new1      
,handsomely ,illustrated ,magazine4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,,success  ,,edited ,,by  ,,orison      
,,swett ,,marden4  ,author of ,pushing  
to the ,front1 or ,success ,under       
,difficulties2 ,architects of ,fate1    
etc4         99       99       99       
99       99  ,the key note of the       
magazine will be to inspire1 encourage  
and stimulate to higher purposes all who
 are anxious to add to their knowledge  
and culture1 and to make the most of    
themselves and their opportunities4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,,features4  ,the following departments 
and subjects will be given especial     
attention3 ,the ,progress of the ,world1
 ,self-,culture1 ,civics1 ,what ,career8
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,problems1 ,incidents and ,anecdotes1   
,miscellaneous ,reading4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,,partial
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,oliver ,optic4      ,hezekiah          
,butterworth4      ,bishop ,john ,p4    
,newman4      ,frank ,h4 ,vincent4      
,dr4 ,booker ,t4 ,washington4      ,abby
 ,morton ,diaz4      ,john ,ritchie1    
,jr4      ,marie ,a4 ,molineux4         
,rev4 ,dr4 ,david ,gregg4      ,rev4    
,dr4 ,j4 ,l4 ,withrow4      ,dr4 ,a4 ,h4
 ,campbell4      ,henry ,wood4          
,mary ,a4 ,livermore4      ,bishop ,j4  
,h4 ,vincent4      ,rev4 ,edward        
,everett ,hale4      ,john ,wanamaker4  
,william ,m4 ,thayer4      ,harriet     

,prescott ,spofford4      ,justice ,john
 ,m4 ,harlan4      ,rev4 ,dr4 ,r4 ,s4   
,mc,arthur4      ,mrs4 ,sarah ,white    
,lee4      ,a4 ,e4 ,winship4      ,helen
 ,m4 ,winslow4      ,frank ,h4          
,vizetelly4      ,rev4 ,dr4 ,alexander  
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 descriptive prospectus1 illustrated    
premium list1 and free sample copy4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,,success ,,publishing ,,co41  ,,boston1
 ,,mass4     ,,architects ,,of ,,fate   
,,or1 ,,steps ,,to ,,success ,,and      
,,power1 by ,,orison ,,swett ,,marden4  
,a book      of inspiration to          
character-building1 self-culture1 to a  
full      and rich manhood and          
womanhood1 by most invigorating examples
      of noble achievement4 ,it is      
characterized by the same               
remarkable qualities as its companion   

volume ,pushing to the      ,front4     
,with #cb fine full-page portraits4     
,crown #hvo41 #dhf pages1 #a4ej4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,architects of ,fate1 like ,pushing to  
the ,front1 is a      remarkable book1  
and of immense value in the training of 
youth4      ,there is inspiration1      
encouragement and helpfulness on every  
page4      --,edward ,everett ,hale4    
,there are enough brilliant sayings and 
lively anecdotes in this      book to   
supply an after-dinner speaker or       
conversationalist for      a lifetime4  
,it is wise1 witty1 inspiring4          
--,woman's ,journal4       ,it will be a
 missionary of the highest type wherever
 it goes4      --,new ,york ,times4     
,artistic1 logical1 stimulating mentally
 and morally4      --,rev4 ,dr4         
,lorimer4       ,it teaches the lofty   
aim1 the high resolve1 the fixed        
purpose1      the pure ideal4           
--,phila4 ,public ,ledger4       ,an    
ideal book for youth4      --,n4 ,y4    

,herald4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,sold by all booksellers4  
,sent1 postpaid1 by       ,,houghton1   
,,mifflin  ,,co41      ,,new ,,york and 
,,boston4     ,transcriber's ,list of   
,corrections       ,location            
,original                               
,correction       ,,chapter ,,vii4      
,diction-tionary at line break          
,dictionary       ,,chapter ,,xi4       
more of less                        more
 or less       ,,chapter ,,xv4          
battle of life1                         
battle of life4       ,,chapter ,,xvi4  
philsopher                              
philosopher       ,,chapter ,,xix4      
impossbile                              
impossible       ,,chapter ,,xx4        
notoble                        notable  
,,chapter ,,xxi4                        
conquerers                              
conquerors       ,,success advertisement
               ,dr4 ,brooker ,t4        
,washington4                        ,dr4
 ,booker ,t4 ,washington4