,,character  ,by ,samuel ,smiles        
,,chapter ,i4--,,influence ,,of         
,,character4         ,unless above      
himself he can ,erect himself1 how poor 
a thing      is man--,,daniel4          
,character is moral order seen through  
the medium1 of an      individual       
nature4444 ,men of character are the    
conscience of      the society to which 
they belong4--,,emerson4       ,the     
prosperity of a country depends1 not on 
the abundance      of its revenues1 nor 
on the strength of its fortifications1  
nor on the beauty of its public         
buildings2 but it consists      in the  
number of its cultivated citizens1 in   
its men of      education1              
enlightenment1 and character2 here are  
to be      found its true interest1 its 
chief strength1 its real                
power4--,,martin ,,luther4   ,character 
is one of the greatest motive powers in 
the world4 ,in its noblest embodiments1 
it exemplifies human nature in its      
highest forms1 for it exhibits man at   

his best4  ,men of genuine excellence1  
in every station of life--men of        
industry1 of integrity1 of high         
principle1 of sterling honesty of       
purpose--command the spontaneous homage 
of mankind4 ,it is natural to believe in
 such men1 to have confidence in them1  
and to imitate them4 ,all that is good  
in the world is upheld by them1 and     
without their presence in it the world  
would not be worth living in4  ,although
 genius always commands admiration1     
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       
,great men are always exceptional men2  
and greatness itself is but comparative4
 ,indeed1 the range of most men in life 
is so limited1 that very few have the   

opportunity of being great4 ,but each   
man can act his part honestly and       
honourably1 and to the best of his      
ability4 ,he can use his gifts1 and not 
abuse them4 ,he can strive to make the  
best of life4 ,he can be true1 just1    
honest1 and faithful1 even in small     
things4 ,in a word1 he can do his ,duty 
in that sphere in which ,providence has 
placed him4  ,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 everyday existence4 
,man's life is centred in the sphere of 
common duties4 ,the most influential of 
all the virtues are those which are the 
most in request for daily use4 ,they    
wear the best1 and last the longest4    
,superfine virtues1 which are above the 

standard of common men1 may only be     
sources of temptation and danger4 ,burke
 has truly said that the human system   
which rests for its basis on the heroic 
virtues is sure to have a superstructure
 of weakness or of profligacy4  ,when   
,dr4 ,abbot1 afterwards ,archbishop of  
,canterbury1 drew the character of his  
deceased friend ,thomas ,sackville1 #aja
 he did not dwell upon his merits as a  
statesman1 or his genius as a poet1 but 
upon his virtues as a man in relation to
 the ordinary duties of life4 ,how many 
rare things were in him6 said he4 ,who  
more loving unto his wife8 ,who more    
kind unto his children8--,who more fast 
unto his friend8--,who more moderate    
unto his enemy8--,who more true to his  
word8 ,indeed1 we can always better     
understand and appreciate a man's real  
character by the manner in which he     
conducts himself towards 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   
,at the same time1 while ,duty1 for the 
most part1 applies to the conduct of    
affairs in common life by the average of
 common men1 it is also a sustaining    
power to men of the very highest        
standard of character4 ,they may not    
have either money1 or property1 or      
learning1 or power2 and yet they may be 
strong in heart and rich in             
spirit--honest1 truthful1 dutiful4 ,and 
whoever strives to do his duty          
faithfully is fulfilling the purpose for
 which he was created1 and building up  
in himself the principles of a manly    
character4 ,there are many persons of   
whom it may be said that they have no   
other possession in the world but their 
character1 and yet they stand as firmly 
upon it as any crowned king4            
,intellectual culture has no necessary  
relation to purity or excellence of     
character4 ,in the ,new ,testament1     
appeals are constantly made to the heart

 of man and to the spirit we are of1    
whilst allusions to the intellect are of
 very rare occurrence4 ,a handful of    
good life1 says ,george ,herbert1 is    
worth a bushel of learning4 ,not that   
learning is to be despised1 but that it 
must be allied to goodness4             
,intellectual capacity is sometimes     
found associated with the meanest moral 
character with abject servility to those
 in high places1 and arrogance to those 
of low estate4 ,a man may be            
accomplished in art1 literature1 and    
science1 and yet1 in honesty1 virtue1   
truthfulness1 and the spirit of duty1 be
 entitled to take rank after many a poor
 and illiterate peasant4  ,you insist1  
wrote ,perthes to a friend1 on respect  
for learned men4 ,i say1 ,amen6 ,but1 at
 the same time1 don't forget that       
largeness of mind1 depth of thought1    
appreciation of the lofty1 experience of
 the world1 delicacy of manner1 tact and
 energy in action1 love of truth1       
honesty1 and amiability--that all these 

may be wanting in a man who may yet be  
very learned4 #ajb  ,when some one1 in  
,sir ,walter ,scott's hearing1 made a   
remark as to the value of literary      
talents and accomplishments1 as if they 
were above all things to be esteemed and
 honoured1 he observed1 ,god help us6   
what a poor world this would be if that 
were the true doctrine6 ,i have read    
books enough1 and observed and conversed
 with enough of eminent and             
splendidly-cultured minds1 too1 in my   
time2 but ,i assure you1 ,i have heard  
higher sentiments from the lips of poor 
,,uneducated men and women1 when        
exerting the spirit of severe yet gentle
 heroism under difficulties and         
afflictions1 or speaking their simple   
thoughts as to circumstances in the lot 
of friends and neighbours1 than ,i ever 
yet met with out of the ,bible4 ,we     
shall never learn to feel and respect   
our real calling and destiny1 unless we 
have taught ourselves to consider       
everything as moonshine1 compared with  

the education of the heart4 #ajc  ,still
 less has wealth any necessary          
connection with elevation of character4 
,on the contrary1 it is much more       
frequently the cause of its corruption  
and degradation4 ,wealth and corruption1
 luxury and vice1 have very close       
affinities to each other4 ,wealth1 in   
the hands of men of weak purpose1 of    
deficient self-control1 or of           
ill-regulated passions1 is only a       
temptation and a snare--the source1 it  
may be1 of infinite mischief to         
themselves1 and often to others4  ,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 ,the advice which 
,burns's father gave him was the best3  
,he bade me act a manly part1 though ,i 
had ne'er a farthing1    ,for without an
 honest manly heart no man was worth    
regarding4  ,one of the purest and      

noblest characters the writer ever knew 
was a labouring man in a northern       
county1 who brought up his family       
respectably on an income never amounting
 to more than ten shillings a week4     
,though possessed of only the rudiments 
of common education1 obtained at an     
ordinary parish school1 he was a man    
full of wisdom and thoughtfulness4 ,his 
library consisted of the ,bible1        
',flavel1' and ',boston'--books which1  
excepting the first1 probably few       
readers have ever heard of4 ,this good  
man might have sat for the portrait of  
,wordsworth's well-known ',wanderer4'   
,when he had lived his modest life of   
work and worship1 and finally went to   
his rest1 he left behind him a          
reputation for practical wisdom1 for    
genuine goodness1 and for helpfulness in
 every good work1 which greater and     
richer men might have envied4  ,when    
,luther died1 he left behind him1 as set
 forth in his will1 no ready money1 no  
treasure of coin of any description4 ,he

 was so poor at one part of his life1   
that he was under the necessity of      
earning his bread by turning1 gardening1
 and clockmaking4 ,yet1 at the very time
 when he was thus working with his      
hands1 he was moulding the character of 
his country2 and he was morally         
stronger1 and vastly more honoured and  
followed1 than all the princes of       
,germany4  ,character is property4 ,it  
is the noblest of possessions4 ,it is an
 estate in the general goodwill 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 honourably won4 ,and it is right    
that in life good qualities should      
tell--that industry1 virtue1 and        
goodness should rank the highest--and   
that the really best men should be      
foremost4  ,simple honesty of purpose in
 a man goes a long way in life1 if      
founded on a just estimate of himself   
and a steady obedience to the rule he   

knows and feels to be right4 ,it holds a
 man straight1 gives him strength and   
sustenance1 and forms a mainspring of   
vigorous action4 ,no man1 once said ,sir
 ,benjamin ,rudyard1 is bound to be rich
 or great1--no1 nor to be wise2 but     
every man is bound to be honest4 #ajd   
,but the purpose1 besides being honest1 
must be inspired by sound principles1   
and pursued with undeviating adherence  
to truth1 integrity1 and uprightness4   
,without principles1 a man is like a    
ship without rudder or compass1 left to 
drift hither and thither with every wind
 that blows4 ,he is as one without law1 
or rule1 or order1 or government4 ,moral
 principles1 says ,hume1 are social and 
universal4 ,they form1 in a manner1 the 
,,party of humankind against vice and   
disorder1 its common enemy4  ,epictetus 
once received a visit from a certain    
magnificent orator going to ,rome on a  
lawsuit1 who wished to learn from the   
stoic something of his philosophy4      
,epictetus received his visitor coolly1 

not believing in his sincerity4 ,you    
will only criticise my style1 said he2  
not really wishing to learn             
principles4--,well1 but1 said the       
orator1 if ,i attend to that sort of    
thing2 ,i shall be a mere pauper1 like  
you1 with no plate1 nor equipage1 nor   
land4--,i don't ,,want such things1     
replied ,epictetus2 and besides1 you are
 poorer than ,i am1 after all4 ,patron  
or no patron1 what care ,i8 ,you ,,do   
care4 ,i am richer than you4 ,i don't   
care what ,caesar thinks of me4 ,i      
flatter no one4 ,this is what ,i have1  
instead of your gold and silver plate4  
,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 insatiate--mine is  
satisfied4 #aje  ,talent is by no means 
rare in the world2 nor is even genius4  

,but can the talent be trusted8--can the
 genius8 ,not unless based on           
truthfulness--on veracity4 ,it is this  
quality more than any other that        
commands the esteem and respect1 and    
secures the confidence of others4       
,truthfulness is at the foundation of   
all personal excellence4 ,it exhibits   
itself in conduct4 ,it is               
rectitude--truth in action1 and shines  
through every word and deed4 ,it means  
reliableness1 and convinces other men   
that it can be trusted4 ,and a man is   
already of consequence in the world when
 it is known that he can be relied      
on1--that when he says he knows a thing1
 he does know it1--that when he says he 
will do a thing1 he can do1 and does it4
 ,thus reliableness becomes a passport  
to the general esteem and confidence of 
mankind4  ,in the affairs of life or of 
business1 it is not intellect that tells
 so much as character1--not brains so   
much as heart1--not genius so much as   
self-control1 patience1 and discipline1 

regulated by judgment4 ,hence there is  
no better provision for the uses of     
either private or public life1 than a   
fair share of ordinary good sense guided
 by rectitude4 ,good sense1 disciplined 
by experience and inspired by goodness1 
issues in practical wisdom4 ,indeed1    
goodness in a measure implies           
wisdom--the highest wisdom--the union of
 the worldly with the spiritual4 ,the   
correspondences of wisdom and goodness1 
says ,sir ,henry ,taylor1 are manifold2 
and that they will accompany each other 
is to be inferred1 not only because     
men's wisdom makes them good1 but       
because their goodness makes them wise4 
#ajf  ,it is because of this controlling
 power of character in life that we     
often see men exercise an amount of     
influence apparently out of all         
proportion to their intellectual        
endowments4 ,they appear to act by means
 of some latent power1 some reserved    
force1 which acts secretly1 by mere     
presence4 ,as ,burke said of a powerful 

nobleman of the last century1 his       
virtues were his means4 ,the secret is1 
that the aims of such men are felt to be
 pure and noble1 and they act upon      
others with a constraining power4       
,though the reputation of men of genuine
 character may be of slow growth1 their 
true qualities cannot be wholly         
concealed4 ,they may be misrepresented  
by some1 and misunderstood by others2   
misfortune and adversity may1 for a     
time1 overtake them but1 with patience  
and endurance1 they will eventually     
inspire the respect and command the     
confidence which they really deserve4   
,it has been said of ,sheridan that1 had
 he possessed reliableness of character1
 he might have ruled the world2 whereas1
 for want of it1 his splendid gifts were
 comparatively useless4 ,he dazzled and 
amused1 but was without weight or       
influence in life or politics4 ,even the
 poor pantomimist of ,drury ,lane felt  
himself his superior4 ,thus1 when       
,delpini one day pressed the manager for

 arrears of salary1 ,sheridan sharply   
reproved him1 telling him he had        
forgotten his station4 ,no1 indeed1     
,monsieur ,sheridan1 ,i have not1       
retorted ,delpini2 ,i know the          
difference between us perfectly well4   
,in birth1 parentage1 and education1 you
 are superior to me2 but in life1       
character1 and behaviour1 ,i am superior
 to you4  ,unlike ,sheridan1 ,burke1 his
 countryman1 was a great man of         
character4 ,he was thirty-five before he
 gained a seat in ,parliament1 yet he   
found time to carve his name deep in the
 political history of ,england4 ,he was 
a man of great gifts1 and of            
transcendent force of character4 ,yet he
 had a weakness1 which proved a serious 
defect--it was his want of temper2 his  
genius was sacrificed to his            
irritability4 ,and without this         
apparently minor gift of temper1 the    
most splendid endowments may be         
comparatively valueless to their        
possessor4  ,character is formed by a   

variety of minute circumstances1 more or
 less under the regulation and control  
of the individual4 ,not a day passes    
without its discipline1 whether for good
 or for evil4 ,there is no act1 however 
trivial1 but has its train of           
consequences1 as there is no hair so    
small but casts its shadow4 ,it was a   
wise saying of ,mrs4 ,schimmelpenninck's
 mother1 never to give way to what is   
little2 or by that little1 however you  
may despise it1 you will be practically 
governed4  ,every action1 every thought1
 every feeling1 contributes to the      
education of the temper1 the habits1 and
 understanding2 and exercises an        
inevitable influence upon all the acts  
of our future life4 ,thus character is  
undergoing constant change1 for better  
or for worse--either being elevated on  
the one hand1 or degraded on the other4 
,there is no fault nor folly of my life1
 says ,mr4 ,ruskin1 that does not rise  
up against me1 and take away my joy1 and
 shorten my power of possession1 of     

sight1 of understanding4 ,and every past
 effort of my life1 every gleam of      
rightness or good in it1 is with me now1
 to help me in my grasp of this art and 
its vision4 #ajg  ,the mechanical law1  
that action and reaction are equal1     
holds true also in morals4 ,good deeds  
act and react on the doers of them2 and 
so do evil4 ,not only so3 they produce  
like effects1 by the influence of       
example1 on those who are the subjects  
of them4 ,but man is not the creature1  
so much as he is the creator1 of        
circumstances3 #ajh and1 by the exercise
 of his freewill1 he can direct his     
actions so that they shall be productive
 of good rather than evil4 ,nothing can 
work me damage but myself1 said ,st4    
,bernard2 the harm that ,i sustain ,i   
carry about with me2 and ,i am never a  
real sufferer but by my own fault4  ,the
 best sort of character1 however1 cannot
 be formed without effort4 ,there needs 
the exercise of constant                
self-watchfulness1 self-discipline1 and 

self-control4 ,there may be much        
faltering1 stumbling1 and temporary     
defeat2 difficulties and temptations    
manifold to be battled with and         
overcome2 but if the spirit be strong   
and the heart be upright1 no one need   
despair of ultimate success4 ,the very  
effort to advance--to arrive at a higher
 standard of character than we have     
reached--is inspiring and invigorating2 
and even though we may fall short of it1
 we cannot fail to be improved by every1
 honest effort made in an upward        
direction4  ,and with the light of great
 examples to guide us--representatives  
of humanity in its best forms--every one
 is not only justified1 but bound in    
duty1 to aim at reaching the highest    
standard of character3 not to become the
 richest in means1 but in spirit2 not   
the greatest in worldly position1 but in
 true honour2 not the most intellectual1
 but the most virtuous2 not the most    
powerful and influential1 but the most  
truthful1 upright1 and honest4  ,it was 

very characteristic of the late ,prince 
,consort--a man himself of the purest   
mind1 who powerfully impressed and      
influenced others by the sheer force of 
his own benevolent nature--when drawing 
up the conditions of the annual prize to
 be given by ,her ,majesty at           
,wellington ,college1 to determine that 
it should be awarded1 not to the        
cleverest boy1 nor to the most bookish  
boy1 nor to the most precise1 diligent1 
and prudent boy1--but to the noblest    
boy1 to the boy who should show the most
 promise of becoming a large-hearted1   
high-motived man4 #aji  ,character      
exhibits itself in conduct1 guided and  
inspired by principle1 integrity1 and   
practical wisdom4 ,in its highest form1 
it is the individual will acting        
energetically under the influence of    
religion1 morality1 and reason4 ,it     
chooses its way considerately1 and      
pursues it steadfastly2 esteeming duty  
above reputation1 and the approval of   
conscience more than the world's praise4

 ,while respecting the personality of   
others1 it preserves its own            
individuality and independence2 and has 
the courage to be morally honest1 though
 it may be unpopular1 trusting          
tranquilly to time and experience for   
recognition4  ,although the force of    
example will always exercise great      
influence upon the formation of         
character1 the self-originating and     
sustaining force of one's own spirit    
must be the mainstay4 ,this alone can   
hold up the life1 and give individual   
independence and energy4 ,unless man can
 erect himself above himself1 said      
,daniel1 a poet of the ,elizabethan era1
 how poor a thing is man6 ,without a    
certain degree of practical efficient   
force--compounded of will1 which is the 
root1 and wisdom1 which is the stem of  
character--life will be indefinite and  
purposeless--like a body of stagnant    
water1 instead of a running stream doing
 useful work and keeping the machinery  
of a district in motion4  ,when the     

elements of character are brought into  
action by determinate will1 and1        
influenced by high purpose1 man enters  
upon and courageously perseveres in the 
path of duty1 at whatever cost of       
worldly interest1 he may be said to     
approach the summit of his being4 ,he   
then exhibits character in its most     
intrepid form1 and embodies the highest 
idea of manliness4 ,the acts of such a  
man become repeated in the life and     
action of others4 ,his very words live  
and become actions4 ,thus every word of 
,luther's rang through ,germany like a  
trumpet4 ,as ,richter said of him1 ,his 
words were half-battles4 ,and thus      
,luther's life became transfused into   
the life of his country1 and still lives
 in the character of modern ,germany4   
,on the other hand1 energy1 without     
integrity and a soul of goodness1 may   
only represent the embodied principle of
 evil4 ,it is observed by ,novalis1 in  
his ',thoughts on ,morals1' that the    
ideal of moral perfection has no more   

dangerous rival to contend with than the
 ideal of the highest strength and the  
most energetic life1 the maximum of the 
barbarian--which needs only a due       
admixture of pride1 ambition1 and       
selfishness1 to be a perfect ideal of   
the devil4 ,amongst men of such stamp   
are found the greatest scourges and     
devastators of the world--those elect   
scoundrels whom ,providence1 in its     
inscrutable designs1 permits to fulfil  
their mission of destruction upon earth4
 #ajaj  ,very different is the man of   
energetic character inspired by a noble 
spirit1 whose actions are governed by   
rectitude1 and the law of whose life is 
duty4 ,he is just and upright1--in his  
business dealings1 in his public action1
 and in his family life--justice being  
as essential in the government of a home
 as of a nation4 ,he will be honest in  
all things--in his words and in his     
work4 ,he will be generous and merciful 
to his opponents1 as well as to those   
who are weaker than himself4 ,it was    

truly said of ,sheridan--who1 with all  
his improvidence1 was generous1 and     
never gave pain--that1       ,his wit in
 the combat1 as gentle as bright1       
,never carried a heart-stain away on its
 blade4  ,such also was the character of
 ,fox1 who commanded the affection and  
service of others by his uniform        
heartiness and sympathy4 ,he was a man  
who could always be most easily touched 
on the side of his honour4 ,thus1 the   
story is told of a tradesman calling    
upon him one day for the payment of a   
promissory note which he presented4 ,fox
 was engaged at the time in counting out
 gold4 ,the tradesman asked to be paid  
from the money before him4 ,no1 said    
,fox1 ,i owe this money to ,sheridan2 it
 is a debt of honour2 if any accident   
happened to me1 he would have nothing to
 show4 ,then1 said the tradesman1 ,i    
change ,,my debt into one of honour2 and
 he tore up the note4 ,fox was conquered
 by the act3 he thanked the man for his 
confidence1 and paid him1 saying1 ,then 

,sheridan must wait2 yours is the debt  
of older standing4  ,the man of         
character is conscientious4 ,he puts his
 conscience into his work1 into his     
words1 into his every action4 ,when     
,cromwell asked the ,parliament for     
soldiers in lieu of the decayed         
serving-men and tapsters who filled the 
,commonwealth's army1 he required that  
they should be men who made some        
conscience of what they did2 and such   
were the men of which his celebrated    
regiment of ,ironsides was composed4    
,the man of character is also           
reverential4 ,the possession of this    
quality marks the noblest1 and highest  
type of manhood and womanhood3 reverence
 for things consecrated by the homage of
 generations--for high objects1 pure    
thoughts1 and noble aims--for the great 
men of former times1 and the highminded 
workers amongst our contemporaries4     
,reverence is alike indispensable to the
 happiness of individuals1 of families1 
and of nations4 ,without it there can be

 no trust1 no faith1 no confidence1     
either in man or ,god--neither social   
peace nor social progress4 ,for         
reverence is but another word for       
religion1 which binds men to each other1
 and all to ,god4  ,the man of noble    
spirit1 says ,sir ,thomas ,overbury1    
converts all occurrences into           
experience1 between which experience and
 his reason there is marriage1 and the  
issue are his actions4 ,he moves by     
affection1 not for affection2 he loves  
glory1 scorns shame1 and governeth and  
obeyeth with one countenance1 for it    
comes from one consideration4 ,knowing  
reason to be no idle gift of nature1 he 
is the steersman of his own destiny4    
,truth is his goddess1 and he takes     
pains to get her1 not to look like her4 
,unto the society of men he is a sun1   
whose clearness directs their steps in a
 regular motion4 ,he is the wise man's  
friend1 the example of the indifferent1 
the medicine of the vicious4 ,thus time 
goeth not from him1 but with him1 and he

 feels age more by the strength of his  
soul than by the weakness of his body4  
,thus feels he no pain1 but esteems all 
such things as friends1 that desire to  
file off his fetters1 and help him out  
of prison4 #ajaa  ,energy of            
will--self-originating force--is the    
soul of every great character4 ,where it
 is1 there is life2 where it is not1    
there is faintness1 helplessness1 and   
despondency4 ,the strong man and the    
waterfall1 says the proverb1 channel    
their own path4 ,the energetic leader of
 noble spirit not only wins a way for   
himself1 but carries others with him4   
,his every act has a personal           
significance1 indicating vigour1        
independence1 and self-reliance1 and    
unconsciously commands respect1         
admiration1 and homage4 ,such           
intrepidity of character characterised  
,luther1 ,cromwell1 ,washington1 ,pitt1 
,wellington1 and all great leaders of   
men4  ,i am convinced1 said ,mr4        
,gladstone1 in describing the qualities 

of the late ,lord ,palmerston in the    
,house of ,commons1 shortly after his   
death--,i am convinced that it was the  
force of will1 a sense of duty1 and a   
determination not to give in1 that      
enabled him to make himself a model for 
all of us who yet remain and follow him1
 with feeble and unequal steps1 in the  
discharge of our duties2 it was that    
force of will that in point of fact did 
not so much struggle against the        
infirmities of old age1 but actually    
repelled them and kept them at a        
distance4 ,and one other quality there  
is1 at least1 that may be noticed       
without the smallest risk of stirring in
 any breast a painful emotion4 ,it is   
this1 that ,lord ,palmerston had a      
nature incapable of enduring anger or   
any sentiment of wrath4 ,this freedom   
from wrathful sentiment was not the     
result of painful effort1 but the       
spontaneous fruit of the mind4 ,it was a
 noble gift of his original nature--a   
gift which beyond all others it was     

delightful to observe1 delightful also  
to remember in connection with him who  
has left us1 and with whom we have no   
longer to do1 except in endeavouring to 
profit by his example wherever it can   
lead us in the path of duty and of      
right1 and of bestowing on him those    
tributes of admiration and affection    
which he deserves at our hands4  ,the   
great leader attracts to himself men of 
kindred character1 drawing them towards 
him as the loadstone draws iron4 ,thus1 
,sir ,john ,moore early distinguished   
the three brothers ,napier from the     
crowd of officers by whom he was        
surrounded1 and they1 on their part1    
repaid him by their passionate          
admiration4 ,they were captivated by his
 courtesy1 his bravery1 and his lofty   
disinterestedness2 and he became the    
model whom they resolved to imitate1    
and1 if possible1 to emulate4 ,moore's  
influence1 says the biographer of ,sir  
,william ,napier1 had a signal effect in
 forming and maturing their characters2 

and it is no small glory to have been   
the hero of those three men1 while his  
early discovery of their mental and     
moral qualities is a proof of ,moore's  
own penetration and judgment of         
character4  ,there is a contagiousness  
in every example of energetic conduct4  
,the brave man is an inspiration to the 
weak1 and compels them1 as it were1 to  
follow him4 ,thus ,napier relates that  
at the combat of ,vera1 when the        
,spanish centre was broken and in       
flight1 a young officer1 named          
,havelock1 sprang forward1 and1 waving  
his hat1 called upon the ,spaniards     
within sight to follow him4 ,putting    
spurs to his horse1 he leapt the abbatis
 which protected the ,french front1 and 
went headlong against them4 ,the        
,spaniards were electrified2 in a moment
 they dashed after him1 cheering for    
,,el ,,chico ,,blanco6 #ajthe fair boy1 
and with one shock they broke through   
the ,french and sent them flying        
downhill4 #ajab  ,and so it is in       

ordinary life4 ,the good and the great  
draw others after them2 they lighten and
 lift up all who are within reach of    
their influence4 ,they are as so many   
living centres of beneficent activity4  
,let a man of energetic and upright     
character be appointed to a position of 
trust and authority1 and all who serve  
under him become1 as it were1 conscious 
of an increase of power4 ,when ,chatham 
was appointed minister1 his personal    
influence was at once felt through all  
the ramifications of office4 ,every     
sailor who served under ,nelson1 and    
knew he was in command1 shared the      
inspiration of the hero4  ,when         
,washington consented to act as         
commander-in-chief1 it was felt as if   
the strength of the ,american forces had
 been more than doubled4 ,many years    
late2 in #agih1 when ,washington1 grown 
old1 had withdrawn from public life and 
was living in retirement at ,mount      
,vernon1 and when it seemed probable    
that ,france would declare war against  

the ,united ,states1 ,president ,adams  
wrote to him1 saying1 ,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 ,such was the esteem in
 which the great ,president's noble     
character and eminent abilities were    
held by his countrymen6 #ajac  ,an      
incident is related by the historian of 
the ,peninsular ,war1 illustrative of   
the personal influence exercised by a   
great commander over his followers4 ,the
 ,british army lay at ,sauroren1 before 
which ,soult was advancing1 prepared to 
attack1 in force4 ,wellington was       
absent1 and his arrival was anxiously   
looked for4 ,suddenly a single horseman 
was seen riding up the mountain alone4  
,it was the ,duke1 about to join his    
troops4 ,one of ,campbell's ,portuguese 
battalions first descried him1 and      
raised a joyful cry2 then the shrill    
clamour1 caught up by the next regiment1
 soon swelled as it ran along the line  
into that appalling shout which the     

,british soldier is wont to give upon   
the edge of battle1 and which no enemy  
ever heard unmoved4 ,suddenly he stopped
 at a conspicuous point1 for he desired 
both armies should know he was there1   
and a double spy who was present pointed
 out ,soult1 who was so near that his   
features could be distinguished4        
,attentively ,wellington fixed his eyes 
on that formidable man1 and1 as if      
speaking to himself1 he said3 ,yonder is
 a great commander2 but he is cautious1 
and will delay his attack to ascertain  
the cause of those cheers2 that will    
give time for the ,sixth ,division to   
arrive1 and ,i shall beat him--which he 
did4 #ajad  ,in some cases1 personal    
character acts by a kind of talismanic  
influence1 as if certain men were the   
organs of a sort of supernatural force4 
,if ,i but stamp on the ground in       
,italy1 said ,pompey1 an army will      
appear4 ,at the voice of ,peter the     
,hermit1 as described by the historian1 
,europe arose1 and precipitated itself  

upon ,asia4 ,it was said of the ,caliph 
,omar that his walking-stick struck more
 terror into those who saw it than      
another man's sword4 ,the very names of 
some men are like the sound of a        
trumpet4 ,when the ,douglas lay mortally
 wounded on the field of ,otterburn1 he 
ordered his name to be shouted still    
louder than before1 saying there was a  
tradition in his family that a dead     
,douglas should win a battle4 ,his      
followers1 inspired by the sound1       
gathered fresh courage1 rallied1 and    
conquered2 and thus1 in the words of the
 ,scottish poet3--  ,the ,douglas dead1 
his name hath won the field4 #ajae      
,there have been some men whose greatest
 conquests have been achieved after they
 themselves were dead4 ,never1 says     
,michelet1 was ,caesar more alive1 more 
powerful1 more terrible1 than when his  
old and worn-out body1 his withered     
corpse1 lay pierced with blows2 he      
appeared then purified1 redeemed1--that 
which he had been1 despite his many     

stains--the man of humanity4 #ajaf      
,never did the great character of       
,william of ,orange1 surnamed the       
,silent1 exercise greater power over his
 countrymen than after his assassination
 at ,delft by the emissary of the       
,jesuits4 ,on the very day of his murder
 the ,estates of ,holland resolved to   
maintain the good cause1 with ,god's    
help1 to the uttermost1 without sparing 
gold or blood2 and they kept their word4
  ,the same illustration applies to all 
history and morals4 ,the career of a    
great man remains an enduring monument  
of human energy4 ,the man dies and      
disappears2 but his thoughts and acts   
survive1 and leave an indelible stamp   
upon his race4 ,and thus the spirit of  
his life is prolonged and perpetuated1  
moulding the thought and will1 and      
thereby contributing to form the        
character of the future4 ,it is the men 
that advance in the highest and best    
directions1 who are the true beacons of 
human progress4 ,they are as lights set 

upon a hill1 illumining the moral       
atmosphere around them2 and the light of
 their spirit continues to shine upon   
all succeeding generations4  ,it is     
natural to admire and revere really     
great men4 ,they hallow the nation to   
which they belong1 and lift up not only 
all who live in their time1 but those   
who live after them4 ,their great       
example becomes the common heritage of  
their race2 and their great deeds and   
great thoughts are the most glorious of 
legacies to mankind4 ,they connect the  
present with the past1 and help on the  
increasing purpose of the future2       
holding aloft the standard of principle1
 maintaining the dignity of human       
character1 and filling the mind with    
traditions and instincts of all that is 
most worthy and noble in life4          
,character1 embodied in thought and     
deed1 is of the nature of immortality4  
,the solitary thought of a great thinker
 will dwell in the minds of men for     
centuries until at length it works      

itself into their daily life and        
practice4 ,it lives on through the ages1
 speaking as a voice from the dead1 and 
influencing minds living thousands of   
years apart4 ,thus1 ,moses and ,david   
and ,solomon1 ,plato and ,socrates and  
,xenophon1 ,seneca and ,cicero and      
,epictetus1 still speak to us as from   
their tombs4 ,they still arrest the     
attention1 and exercise an influence    
upon character1 though their thoughts be
 conveyed in languages unspoken by them 
and in their time unknown4 ,theodore    
,parker has said that a single man like 
,socrates was worth more to a country   
than many such states as ,south         
,carolina2 that if that state went out  
of the world to-day1 she would not have 
done so much for the world as ,socrates4
 #ajag  ,great workers and great        
thinkers are the true makers of history1
 which is but continuous humanity       
influenced by men of character--by great
 leaders1 kings1 priests1 philosophers1 
statesmen1 and patriots--the true       

aristocracy of man4 ,indeed1 ,mr4       
,carlyle has broadly stated that        
,universal ,history is1 at bottom1 but  
the history of ,great ,men4 ,they       
certainly mark and designate the epochs 
of national life4 ,their influence is   
active1 as well as reactive4 ,though    
their mind is1 in a measure2 the product
 of their age1 the public mind is also1 
to a great extent1 their creation4      
,their individual action identifies the 
cause--the institution4 ,they think     
great thoughts1 cast them abroad1 and   
the thoughts make events4 ,thus the     
early ,reformers initiated the          
,reformation1 and with it the liberation
 of modern thought4 ,emerson has said   
that every institution is to be regarded
 as but the lengthened shadow of some   
great man3 as ,islamism of ,mahomet1    
,puritanism of ,calvin1 ,jesuitism of   
,loyola1 ,quakerism of ,fox1 ,methodism 
of ,wesley1 ,abolitionism of ,clarkson4 
,great men stamp their mind upon their  
age and nation--as ,luther did upon     

modern ,germany1 and ,knox upon         
,scotland4 #ajah ,and if there be one   
man more than another that stamped his  
mind on modern ,italy1 it was ,dante4   
,during the long centuries of ,italian  
degradation his burning words were as a 
watchfire and a beacon to all true men4 
,he was the herald of his nation's      
liberty--braving persecution1 exile1 and
 death1 for the love of it4 ,he was     
always the most national of the ,italian
 poets1 the most loved1 the most read4  
,from the time of his death all educated
 ,italians had his best passages by     
heart2 and the sentiments they enshrined
 inspired their lives1 and eventually   
influenced the history of their nation4 
,the ,italians1 wrote ,byron in #ahba1  
talk ,dante1 write ,dante1 and think and
 dream ,dante1 at this moment1 to an    
excess which would be ridiculous1 but   
that he deserves their admiration4 #ajai
  ,a succession of variously gifted men 
in different ages--extending from       
,alfred to ,albert--has in like manner  

contributed1 by their life and example1 
to shape the multiform character of     
,england4 ,of these1 probably the most  
influential were the men of the         
,elizabethan and ,cromwellian1 and the  
intermediate periods--amongst which we  
find the great names of ,shakspeare1    
,raleigh1 ,burleigh1 ,sidney1 ,bacon1   
,milton1 ,herbert1 ,hampden1 ,pym1      
,eliot1 ,vane1 ,cromwell1 and many      
more--some of them men of great force1  
and others of great dignity and purity  
of character4 ,the lives of such men    
have become part of the public life of  
,england1 and their deeds and thoughts  
are regarded as among the most cherished
 bequeathments from the past4  ,so      
,washington left behind him1 as one of  
the greatest treasures of his country1  
the example of a stainless life--of a   
great1 honest1 pure1 and noble          
character--a model for his nation to    
form themselves by in all time to come4 
,and in the case of ,washington1 as in  
so many other great leaders of men1 his 

greatness did not so much consist in his
 intellect1 his skill1 and his genius1  
as in his honour1 his integrity1 his    
truthfulness1 his high and controlling  
sense of duty--in a word1 in his genuine
 nobility of character4  ,men such as   
these are the true lifeblood of the     
country to which they belong4 ,they     
elevate and uphold it1 fortify and      
ennoble it1 and shed a glory over it by 
the example of life and character which 
they have bequeathed4 ,the names and    
memories of great men1 says an able     
writer1 are the dowry of a nation4      
,widowhood1 overthrow1 desertion1 even  
slavery1 cannot take away from her this 
sacred inheritance4444 ,whenever        
national life begins to quicken4444 the 
dead heroes rise in the memories of men1
 and appear to the living to stand by in
 solemn spectatorship and approval4 ,no 
country can be lost which feels herself 
overlooked by such glorious witnesses4  
,they are the salt of the earth1 in     
death as well as in life4 ,what they did

 once1 their descendants have still and 
always a right to do after them2 and    
their example lives in their country1 a 
continual stimulant and encouragement   
for him who has the soul to adopt it4   
#ajbj  ,but it is not great men only    
that have to be taken into account in   
estimating the qualities of a nation1   
but the character that pervades the     
great body of the people4 ,when         
,washington ,irving visited ,abbotsford1
 ,sir ,walter ,scott introduced him to  
many of his friends and favourites1 not 
only amongst the neighbouring farmers1  
but the labouring peasantry4 ,i wish to 
show you1 said ,scott1 some of our      
really excellent plain ,scotch people4  
,the character of a nation is not to be 
learnt from its fine folks1 its fine    
gentlemen and ladies2 such you meet     
everywhere1 and they are everywhere the 
same4 ,while statesmen1 philosophers1   
and divines represent the thinking power
 of society1 the men who found          
industries and carve out new careers1 as

 well as the common body of             
working-people1 from whom the national  
strength and spirit are from time to    
time recruited1 must necessarily furnish
 the vital force and constitute the real
 backbone of every nation4  ,nations    
have their character to maintain as well
 as individuals2 and under              
constitutional governments--where all   
classes more or less participate in the 
exercise of political power--the        
national character will necessarily     
depend more upon the moral qualities of 
the many than of the few4 ,and the same 
qualities which determine the character 
of individuals1 also determine the      
character of nations4 ,unless they are  
highminded1 truthful1 honest1 virtuous1 
and courageous1 they will be held in    
light esteem by other nations1 and be   
without weight in the world4 ,to have   
character1 they must needs also be      
reverential1 disciplined1               
self-controlling1 and devoted to duty4  
,the nation that has no higher god than 

pleasure1 or even dollars or calico1    
must needs be in a poor way4 ,it were   
better to revert to ,homer's gods than  
be devoted to these2 for the heathen    
deities at least imaged human virtues1  
and were something to look up to4  ,as  
for institutions1 however good in       
themselves1 they will avail but little  
in maintaining the standard of national 
character4 ,it is the individual men1   
and the spirit which actuates them1 that
 determine the moral standing and       
stability of nations4 ,government1 in   
the long run1 is usually no better than 
the people governed4 ,where the mass is 
sound in conscience1 morals1 and habit1 
the nation will be ruled honestly and   
nobly4 ,but where they are corrupt1     
self-seeking1 and dishonest in heart1   
bound neither by truth nor by law1 the  
rule of rogues and wirepullers becomes  
inevitable4  ,the only true barrier     
against the despotism of public opinion1
 whether it be of the many or of the    
few1 is enlightened individual freedom  

and purity of personal character4       
,without these there can be no vigorous 
manhood1 no true liberty in a nation4   
,political rights1 however broadly      
framed1 will not elevate a people       
individually depraved4 ,indeed1 the more
 complete a system of popular suffrage1 
and the more perfect its protection1 the
 more completely will the real character
 of a people be reflected1 as by a      
mirror1 in their laws and government4   
,political morality can never have any  
solid existence on a basis of individual
 immorality4 ,even freedom1 exercised by
 a debased people1 would come to be     
regarded as a nuisance1 and liberty of  
the press but a vent for licentiousness 
and moral abomination4  ,nations1 like  
individuals1 derive support and strength
 from the feeling that they belong to an
 illustrious race1 that they are the    
heirs of their greatness1 and ought to  
be the perpetuators of their glory4 ,it 
is of momentous importance that a nation
 should have a great past #ajba to look 

back upon4 ,it steadies the life of the 
present1 elevates and upholds it1 and   
lightens and lifts it up1 by the memory 
of the great deeds1 the noble           
sufferings1 and the valorous            
achievements of the men of old4 ,the    
life of nations1 as of men1 is a great  
treasury of experience1 which1 wisely   
used1 issues in social progress and     
improvement2 or1 misused1 issues in     
dreams1 delusions1 and failure4 ,like   
men1 nations are purified and           
strengthened by trials4 ,some of the    
most glorious chapters in their history 
are those containing the record of the  
sufferings by means of which their      
character has been developed4 ,love of  
liberty and patriotic feeling may have  
done much1 but trial and suffering nobly
 borne more than all4  ,a great deal of 
what passes by the name of patriotism in
 these days consists of the merest      
bigotry and narrow-mindedness2          
exhibiting itself in national prejudice1
 national conceit1 amid national hatred4

 ,it does not show itself in deeds1 but 
in boastings--in howlings1              
gesticulations1 and shrieking helplessly
 for help--in flying flags and singing  
songs--and in perpetual grinding at the 
hurdy-gurdy of long-dead grievances and 
long-remedied wrongs4 ,to be infested by
 ,,such a patriotism as this is1        
perhaps1 amongst the greatest curses    
that can befall any country4  ,but as   
there is an ignoble1 so is there a noble
 patriotism--the patriotism that        
invigorates and elevates a country by   
noble work--that does its duty          
truthfully and manfully--that lives an  
honest1 sober1 and upright life1 and    
strives to make the best use of the     
opportunities for improvement that      
present themselves on every side2 and at
 the same time a patriotism that        
cherishes the memory and example of the 
great men of old1 who1 by their         
sufferings in the cause of religion or  
of freedom1 have won for themselves a   
deathless glory1 and for their nation   

those privileges of free life and free  
institutions of which they are the      
inheritors and possessors4  ,nations are
 not to be judged by their size any more
 than individuals3      it is not       
growing like a tree     ,in bulk1 doth  
make ,man better be4  ,for a nation to  
be great1 it need not necessarily be    
big1 though bigness is often confounded 
with greatness4 ,a nation may be very   
big in point of territory and population
 and yet be devoid of true greatness4   
,the people of ,israel were a small     
people1 yet what a great life they      
developed1 and how powerful the         
influence they have exercised on the    
destinies of mankind6 ,greece was not   
big3 the entire population of ,attica   
was less than that of ,south            
,lancashire4 ,athens was less populous  
than ,new ,york2 and yet how great it   
was in art1 in literature1 in           
philosophy1 and in patriotism6 #ajbb    
,but it was the fatal weakness of       
,athens that its citizens had no true   

family or home life1 while its freemen  
were greatly outnumbered by its slaves4 
,its public men were loose1 if not      
corrupt1 in morals4 ,its women1 even the
 most accomplished1 were unchaste4      
,hence its fall became inevitable1 and  
was even more sudden than its rise4  ,in
 like manner the decline and fall of    
,rome was attributable to the general   
corruption of its people1 and to their  
engrossing love of pleasure and         
idleness--work1 in the later days of    
,rome1 being regarded only as fit for   
slaves4 ,its citizens ceased to pride   
themselves on the virtues of character  
of their great forefathers2 and the     
empire fell because it did not deserve  
to live4 ,and so the nations that are   
idle and luxurious--that will rather    
lose a pound of blood1 as old ,burton   
says1 in a single combat1 than a drop of
 sweat in any honest labour--must       
inevitably die out1 and laborious       
energetic nations take their place4     
,when ,louis ,,xiv4 asked ,colbert how  

it was that1 ruling so great and        
populous a country as ,france1 he had   
been unable to conquer so small a       
country as ,holland1 the minister       
replied3 ,because1 ,sire1 the greatness 
of a country does not depend upon the   
extent of its territory1 but on the     
character of its people4 ,it is because 
of the industry1 the frugality1 and the 
energy of the ,dutch that your ,majesty 
has found them so difficult to overcome4
  ,it is also related of ,spinola and   
,richardet1 the ambassadors sent by the 
,king of ,spain to negotiate a treaty at
 the ,hague in #afjh1 that one day they 
saw some eight or ten persons land from 
a little boat1 and1 sitting down upon   
the grass1 proceed to make a meal of    
bread-and-cheese and beer4 ,who are     
those travellers8 asked the ambassadors 
of a peasant4 ,these are worshipful     
masters1 the deputies from the ,states1 
was his reply4 ,spinola at once         
whispered to his companion1 ,we must    
make peace3 these are not men to be     

conquered4  ,in fine1 stability of      
institutions must depend upon stability 
of character4 ,any number of depraved   
units cannot form a great nation4 ,the  
people may seem to be highly civilised1 
and yet be ready to fall to pieces at   
first touch of adversity4 ,without      
integrity of individual character1 they 
can have no real strength1 cohesion1    
soundness4 ,they may be rich1 polite1   
and artistic2 and yet hovering on the   
brink of ruin4 ,if living for themselves
 only1 and with no end but              
pleasure--each little self his own      
little god--such a nation is doomed1 and
 its decay is inevitable4  ,where       
national character ceases to be upheld1 
a nation may be regarded as next to     
lost4 ,where it ceases to esteem and to 
practise the virtues of truthfulness1   
honesty1 integrity1 and justice1 it does
 not deserve to live4 ,and when the time
 arrives in any country when wealth has 
so corrupted1 or pleasure so depraved1  
or faction so infatuated the people1    

that honour1 order1 obedience1 virtue1  
and loyalty have seemingly become things
 of the past2 then1 amidst the darkness1
 when honest men--if1 haply1 there be   
such left--are groping about and feeling
 for each other's hands1 their only     
remaining hope will be in the           
restoration and elevation of ,individual
 ,character2 for by that alone can a    
nation be saved2 and if character be    
irrecoverably lost1 then indeed there   
will be nothing left worth saving4      
,,chapter ,,ii4--,,home ,,power4        
,so build we up the being that we are1  
,thus deeply drinking in the soul of    
things1          ,we shall be wise      
perforce4  ,,wordsworth4      ,the      
millstreams that turn the clappers of   
the world      arise in solitary        
places4--,,helps4       ,in the course  
of a conversation with ,madame ,campan1 
,napoleon ,buonaparte remarked3 ',the   
old systems of      instruction seem to 
be worth nothing2 what is yet wanting in
      order that the people should be   

properly educated8'      ',,mothers1'   
replied ,madame ,campan4 ,the reply     
struck the      ,emperor4 ',yes6' said  
he 'here is a system of education in    
one word4 ,be it your care1 then1 to    
train up mothers who      shall know how
 to educate their children4'--,,aime    
,,martin4          ,lord6 with what care
 hast ,thou begirt us round6            
,parents first season us4  ,then        
schoolmasters          ,deliver us to   
laws4  ,they send us bound           ,to
 rules of reason4--,,george ,,herbert4  
,,home is the first and most important  
school of character4 ,it is there that  
every human being receives his best     
moral training1 or his worst2 for it is 
there that he imbibes those principles  
of conduct which endure through manhood1
 and cease only with life4  ,it is a    
common saying that ,manners make the    
man2 and there is a second1 that ,mind  
makes the man2 but truer than either is 
a third1 that ,home makes the man4 ,for 
the home-training includes not only     

manners and mind1 but character4 ,it is 
mainly in the home that the heart is    
opened1 the habits are formed1 the      
intellect is awakened1 and character    
moulded for good or for evil4  ,from    
that source1 be it pure or impure1 issue
 the principles and maxims that govern  
society4 ,law itself is but the reflex  
of homes4 ,the tiniest bits of opinion  
sown in the minds of children in private
 life afterwards issue forth to the     
world1 and become its public opinion2   
for nations are gathered out of         
nurseries1 and they who hold the        
leading-strings of children may even    
exercise a greater power than those who 
wield the reins of government4 #aaa  ,it
 is in the order of nature that domestic
 life should be preparatory to social1  
and that the mind and character should  
first be formed in the home4 ,there the 
individuals who afterwards form society 
are dealt with in detail1 and fashioned 
one by one4 ,from the family they enter 
life1 and advance from boyhood to       

citizenship4 ,thus the home may be      
regarded as the most influential school 
of civilisation4 ,for1 after all1       
civilisation mainly resolves itself into
 a question of individual training2 and 
according as the respective members of  
society are well or ill-trained in      
youth1 so will the community which they 
constitute be more or less humanised and
 civilised4  ,the training of any man1  
even the wisest1 cannot fail to be      
powerfully influenced by the moral      
surroundings of his early years4 ,he    
comes into the world helpless1 and      
absolutely dependent upon those about   
him for nurture and culture4 ,from the  
very first breath that he draws1 his    
education begins4 ,when a mother once   
asked a clergyman when she should begin 
the education of her child1 then four   
years old1 he replied3 ,madam1 if you   
have not begun already1 you have lost   
those four years4 ,from the first smile 
that gleams upon an infant's cheek1 your
 opportunity begins4  ,but even in this 

case the education had already begun2   
for the child learns by simple          
imitation1 without effort1 almost       
through the pores of the skin4 ,a       
figtree looking on a figtree becometh   
fruitful1 says the ,arabian proverb4    
,and so it is with children2 their first
 great instructor is example4  ,however 
apparently trivial the influences which 
contribute to form the character of the 
child1 they endure through life4 ,the   
child's character is the nucleus of the 
man's2 all after-education is but       
superposition2 the form of the crystal  
remains the same4 ,thus the saying of   
the poet holds true in a large degree1  
,the child is father of the man2 or1 as 
,milton puts it1 ,the childhood shows   
the man1 as morning shows the day4      
,those impulses to conduct which last   
the longest and are rooted the deepest1 
always have their origin near our birth4
 ,it is then that the germs of virtues  
or vices1 of feelings or sentiments1 are
 first implanted which determine the    

character for life4  ,the child is1 as  
it were1 laid at the gate of a new      
world1 and opens his eyes upon things   
all of which are full of novelty and    
wonderment4 ,at first it is enough for  
him to gaze2 but by-and-by he begins to 
see1 to observe1 to compare1 to learn1  
to store up impressions and ideas2 and  
under wise guidance the progress which  
he makes is really wonderful4 ,lord     
,brougham has observed that between the 
ages of eighteen and thirty months1 a   
child learns more of the material world1
 of his own powers1 of the nature of    
other bodies1 and even of his own mind  
and other minds1 than he acquires in all
 the rest of his life4 ,the knowledge   
which a child accumulates1 and the ideas
 generated in his mind1 during this     
period1 are so important1 that if we    
could imagine them to be afterwards     
obliterated1 all the learning of a      
senior wrangler at ,cambridge1 or a     
first-classman at ,oxford1 would be as  
nothing to it1 and would literally not  

enable its object to prolong his        
existence for a week4  ,it is in        
childhood that the mind is most open to 
impressions1 and ready to be kindled by 
the first spark that falls into it4     
,ideas are then caught quickly and live 
lastingly4 ,thus ,scott is said to have 
received1 his first bent towards ballad 
literature from his mother's and        
grandmother's recitations in his hearing
 long before he himself had learned to  
read4 ,childhood is like a mirror1 which
 reflects in after-life the images first
 presented to it4 ,the first thing      
continues for ever with the child4 ,the 
first joy1 the first sorrow1 the first  
success1 the first failure1 the first   
achievement1 the first misadventure1    
paint the foreground of his life4  ,all 
this while1 too1 the training of the    
character is in progress--of the temper1
 the will1 and the habits--on which so  
much of the happiness of human beings in
 after-life depends4 ,although man is   
endowed with a certain self-acting1     

self-helping power of contributing to   
his own development1 independent of     
surrounding circumstances1 and of       
reacting upon the life around him1 the  
bias given to his moral character in    
early life is of immense importance4    
,place even the highest-minded          
philosopher in the midst of daily       
discomfort1 immorality1 and vileness1   
and he will insensibly gravitate towards
 brutality4 ,how much more susceptible  
is the impressionable and helpless child
 amidst such surroundings6 ,it is not   
possible to rear a kindly nature1       
sensitive to evil1 pure in mind and     
heart1 amidst coarseness1 discomfort1   
and impurity4  ,thus homes1 which are   
the nurseries of children who grow up   
into men and women1 will be good or bad 
according to the power that governs     
them4 ,where the spirit of love and duty
 pervades the home--where head and heart
 bear rule wisely there--where the daily
 life is honest and virtuous--where the 
government is sensible1 kind1 and       

loving1 then may we expect from such a  
home an issue of healthy1 useful1 and   
happy beings1 capable1 as they gain the 
requisite strength1 of following the    
footsteps of their parents1 of walking  
uprightly1 governing themselves wisely1 
and contributing to the welfare of those
 about them4  ,on the other hand1 if    
surrounded by ignorance1 coarseness1 and
 selfishness1 they will unconsciously   
assume the same character1 and grow up  
to adult years rude1 uncultivated1 and  
all the more dangerous to society if    
placed amidst the manifold temptations  
of what is called civilised life4 ,give 
your child to be educated by a slave1   
said an ancient ,greek1 and instead of  
one slave1 you will then have two4  ,the
 child cannot help imitating what he    
sees4 ,everything is to him a model--of 
manner1 of gesture1 of speech1 of habit1
 of character4 ,for the child1 says     
,richter1 the most important era of life
 is that of childhood1 when he begins to
 colour and mould himself by            

companionship with others4 ,every new   
educator effects less than his          
predecessor2 until at last1 if we regard
 all life as an educational institution1
 a circumnavigator of the world is less 
influenced by all the nations he has    
seen than by his nurse4 #aab ,models are
 therefore of every importance in       
moulding the nature of the child2 and if
 we would have fine characters1 we must 
necessarily present before them fine    
models4 ,now1 the model most constantly 
before every child's eye is the ,mother4
  ,one good mother1 said ,george        
,herbert1 is worth a hundred            
schoolmasters4 ,in the home she is      
loadstone to all hearts1 and loadstar to
 all eyes4 ,imitation of her is         
constant--imitation1 which ,bacon likens
 to a globe of precepts4 ,but example is
 far more than precept4 ,it is          
instruction in action4 ,it is teaching  
without words1 often exemplifying more  
than tongue can teach4 ,in the face of  
bad example1 the best of precepts are of

 but little avail4 ,the example is      
followed1 not the precepts4 ,indeed1    
precept at variance with practice is    
worse than useless1 inasmuch as it only 
serves to teach the most cowardly of    
vices--hypocrisy4 ,even children are    
judges of consistency1 and the lessons  
of the parent who says one thing and    
does the opposite1 are quickly seen     
through4 ,the teaching of the friar was 
not worth much1 who preached the virtue 
of honesty with a stolen goose in his   
sleeve4  ,by imitation of acts1 the     
character becomes slowly and            
imperceptibly1 but at length decidedly  
formed4 ,the several acts may seem in   
themselves trivial2 but so are the      
continuous acts of daily life4 ,like    
snowflakes1 they fall unperceived2 each 
flake added to the pile produces no     
sensible change1 and yet the            
accumulation of snowflakes makes the    
avalanche4 ,so do repeated acts1 one    
following another1 at length become     
consolidated in habit1 determine the    

action of the human being for good or   
for evil1 and1 in a word1 form the      
character4  ,it is because the mother1  
far more than the father1 influences the
 action and conduct of the child1 that  
her good example is of so much greater  
importance in the home4 ,it is easy to  
understand how this should be so4 ,the  
home is the woman's domain--her kingdom1
 where she exercises entire control4    
,her power over the little subjects she 
rules there is absolute4 ,they look up  
to her for everything4 ,she is the      
example and model constantly before     
their eyes1 whom they unconsciously     
observe and imitate4  ,cowley1 speaking 
of the influence of early example1 and  
ideas early implanted in the mind1      
compares them to letters cut in the bark
 of a young tree1 which grow and widen  
with age4 ,the impressions then made1   
howsoever slight they may seem1 are     
never effaced4 ,the ideas then implanted
 in the mind are like seeds dropped into
 the ground1 which lie there and        

germinate for a time1 afterwards        
springing up in acts and thoughts and   
habits4 ,thus the mother lives again in 
her children4 ,they unconsciously mould 
themselves after her manner1 her speech1
 her conduct1 and her method of life4   
,her habits become theirs2 and her      
character is visibly repeated in them4  
,this maternal love is the visible      
providence of our race4 ,its influence  
is constant and universal4 ,it begins   
with the education of the human being at
 the out-start of life1 and is prolonged
 by virtue of the powerful influence    
which every good mother exercises over  
her children through life4 ,when        
launched into the world1 each to take   
part in its labours1 anxieties1 and     
trials1 they still turn to their mother 
for consolation1 if not for counsel1 in 
their time of trouble and difficulty4   
,the pure and good thoughts she has     
implanted in their minds when children1 
continue to grow up into good acts1 long
 after she is dead2 and when there is   

nothing but a memory of her left1 her   
children rise up and call her blessed4  
,it is not saying too much to aver that 
the happiness or misery1 the            
enlightenment or ignorance1 the         
civilisation or barbarism of the world1 
depends in a very high degree upon the  
exercise of woman's power within her    
special kingdom of home4 ,indeed1       
,emerson says1 broadly and truly1 that a
 sufficient measure of civilisation is  
the influence of good women4 ,posterity 
may be said to lie before us in the     
person of the child in the mother's lap4
 ,what that child will eventually       
become1 mainly depends upon the training
 and example which he has received from 
his first and most influential educator4
  ,woman1 above all other educators1    
educates humanly4 ,man is the brain1 but
 woman is the heart of humanity2 he its 
judgment1 she its feeling2 he its       
strength1 she its grace1 ornament1 and  
solace4 ,even the understanding of the  
best woman seems to work mainly through 

her affections4 ,and thus1 though man   
may direct the intellect1 woman         
cultivates the feelings1 which mainly   
determine the character4 ,while he fills
 the memory1 she occupies the heart4    
,she makes us love what he can only make
 us believe1 and it is chiefly through  
her that we are enabled to arrive at    
virtue4  ,the respective influences of  
the father and the mother on the        
training and development of character1  
are remarkably illustrated in the life  
of ,st4 ,augustine4 ,while ,augustine's 
father1 a poor freeman of ,thagaste1    
proud of his son's abilities1           
endeavoured to furnish his mind with the
 highest learning of the schools1 and   
was extolled by his neighbours for the  
sacrifices he made with that object     
beyond the ability of his means--his    
mother ,monica1 on the other hand1      
sought to lead her son's mind in the    
direction of the highest good1 and with 
pious care counselled him1 entreated    
him1 advised him to chastity1 and1      

amidst much anguish and tribulation1    
because of his wicked life1 never ceased
 to pray for him until her prayers were 
heard and answered4 ,thus her love at   
last triumphed1 and the patience and    
goodness of the mother were rewarded1   
not only by the conversion of her gifted
 son1 but also of her husband4 ,later in
 life1 and after her husband's death1   
,monica1 drawn by her affection1        
followed her son to ,milan1 to watch    
over him2 and there she died1 when he   
was in his thirty-third year4 ,but it   
was in the earlier period of his life   
that her example and instruction made   
the deepest impression upon his mind1   
and determined his future character4    
,there are many similar instances of    
early impressions made upon a child's   
mind1 springing up into good acts late  
in life1 after an intervening period of 
selfishness and vice4 ,parents may do   
all that they can to develope an upright
 and virtuous character in their        
children1 and apparently in vain4 ,it   

seems like bread cast upon the waters   
and lost4 ,and yet sometimes it happens 
that long after the parents have gone to
 their ,rest--it may be twenty years or 
more--the good precept1 the good example
 set before their sons and daughters in 
childhood1 at length springs up and     
bears fruit4  ,one of the most          
remarkable of such instances was that of
 the ,reverend ,john ,newton of ,olney1 
the friend of ,cowper the poet4 ,it was 
long subsequent to the death of both his
 parents1 and after leading a vicious   
life as a youth and as a seaman1 that he
 became suddenly awakened to a sense of 
his depravity2 and then it was that the 
lessons which his mother had given him  
when a child sprang up vividly in his   
memory4 ,her voice came to him as it    
were from the dead1 and led him gently  
back to virtue and goodness4  ,another  
instance is that of ,john ,randolph1 the
 ,american statesman1 who once said3 ,i 
should have been an atheist if it had   
not been for one recollection--and that 

was the memory of the time when my      
departed mother used to take my little  
hand in hers1 and cause me on my knees  
to say1 ',our ,father who art in        
heaven6'  ,but such instance must1 on   
the whole1 be regarded as exceptional4  
,as the character is biassed in early   
life1 so it generally remains1 gradually
 assuming its permanent form as manhood 
is reached4 ,live as long as you may1   
said ,southey1 the first twenty years   
are the longest half of your life1 and  
they are by far the most pregnant in    
consequences4 ,when the worn-out        
slanderer and voluptuary1 ,dr4 ,wolcot1 
lay on his deathbed1 one of his friends 
asked if he could do anything to gratify
 him4 ,yes1 said the dying man1 eagerly1
 give me back my youth4 ,give him but   
that1 and he would repent--he would     
reform4 ,but it was all too late6 ,his  
life had become bound and enthralled by 
the chains of habit4' #aac  ,gretry1 the
 musical composer1 thought so highly of 
the importance of woman as an educator  

of character1 that he described a good  
mother as ,nature's ,,chef-,d',,oeuvre4 
,and he was right3 for good mothers1 far
 more than fathers1 tend to the         
perpetual renovation of mankind1        
creating1 as they do1 the moral         
atmosphere of the home1 which is the    
nutriment of man's moral being1 as the  
physical atmosphere is of his corporeal 
frame4 ,by good temper1 suavity1 and    
kindness1 directed by intelligence1     
woman surrounds the indwellers with a   
pervading atmosphere of cheerfulness1   
contentment1 and peace1 suitable for the
 growth of the purest as of the manliest
 natures4  ,the poorest dwelling1       
presided over by a virtuous1 thrifty1   
cheerful1 and cleanly woman1 may thus be
 the abode of comfort1 virtue1 and      
happiness2 it may be the scene of every 
ennobling relation in family life2 it   
may be endeared to a man by many        
delightful associations2 furnishing a   
sanctuary for the heart1 a refuge from  
the storms of life1 a sweet             

resting-place after labour1 a           
consolation in misfortune1 a pride in   
prosperity1 and a joy at all times4     
,the good home is thus the best of      
schools1 not only in youth but in age4  
,there young and old best learn         
cheerfulness1 patience1 self-control1   
and the spirit of service and of duty4  
,izaak ,walton1 speaking of ,george     
,herbert's mother1 says she governed her
 family with judicious care1 not rigidly
 nor sourly1 but with such a sweetness  
and compliance with the recreations and 
pleasures of youth1 as did incline them 
to spend much of their time in her      
company1 which was to her great content4
  ,the home is the true school of       
courtesy1 of which woman is always the  
best practical instructor4 ,without     
woman1 says the ,provencal proverb1 men 
were but ill-licked cubs4 ,philanthropy 
radiates from the home as from a centre4
 ,to love the little platoon we belong  
to in society1 said ,burke1 is the germ 
of all public affections4 ,the wisest   

and the best have not been ashamed to   
own it to be their greatest joy and     
happiness to sit behind the heads of    
children in the inviolable circle of    
home4 ,a life of purity and duty there  
is not the least effectual preparative  
for a life of public work and duty2 and 
the man who loves his home will not the 
less fondly love and serve his country4 
,but while homes1 which are the         
nurseries of character1 may be the best 
of schools1 they may also be the worst4 
,between childhood and manhood how      
incalculable is the mischief which      
ignorance in the home has the power to  
cause6 ,between the drawing of the first
 breath and the last1 how vast is the   
moral suffering and disease occasioned  
by incompetent mothers and nurses6      
,commit a child to the care of a        
worthless ignorant woman1 and no culture
 in after-life will remedy the evil you 
have done4 ,let the mother be idle1     
vicious1 and a slattern2 let her home be
 pervaded by cavilling1 petulance1 and  

discontent1 and it will become a        
dwelling of misery--a place to fly from1
 rather than to fly to2 and the children
 whose misfortune it is to be brought up
 there1 will be morally dwarfed and     
deformed--the cause of misery to        
themselves as well as to others4        
,napoleon ,buonaparte was accustomed to 
say that the future good or bad conduct 
of a child depended entirely on the     
mother4 ,he himself attributed his rise 
in life in a great measure to the       
training of his will1 his energy1 and   
his self-control1 by his mother at home4
 ,nobody had any command over him1 says 
one of his biographers1 except his      
mother1 who found means1 by a mixture of
 tenderness1 severity1 and justice1 to  
make him love1 respect1 and obey her3   
from her he learnt the virtue of        
obedience4  ,a curious illustration of  
the dependence of the character of      
children on that of the mother          
incidentally occurs in one of ,mr4      
,tufnell's school reports4 ,the truth1  

he observes1 is so well established that
 it has even been made subservient to   
mercantile calculation4 ,i was informed1
 he says1 in a large factory1 where many
 children were employed1 that the       
managers before they engaged a boy      
always inquired into the mother's       
character1 and if that was satisfactory 
they were tolerably certain that her    
children would conduct themselves       
creditably4 ,,no ,,attention ,,was      
,,paid ,,to ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,the
 ,,father4 #aad  ,it has also been      
observed that in cases where the father 
has turned out badly--become a drunkard1
 and gone to the dogs--provided the     
mother is prudent and sensible1 the     
family will be kept together1 and the   
children probably make their way        
honourably in life2 whereas in cases of 
the opposite sort1 where the mother     
turns out badly1 no matter how          
well-conducted the father may be1 the   
instances of after-success in life on   
the part of the children are            

comparatively rare4  ,the greater part  
of the influence exercised by women on  
the formation of character necessarily  
remains unknown4 ,they accomplish their 
best work in the quiet seclusion of the 
home and the family1 by sustained effort
 and patient perseverance in the path of
 duty4 ,their greatest triumphs1 because
 private and domestic1 are rarely       
recorded2 and it is not often1 even in  
the biographies of distinguished men1   
that we hear of the share which their   
mothers have had in the formation of    
their character1 and in giving them a   
bias towards goodness4 ,yet are they not
 on that account without their reward4  
,the influence they have exercised1     
though unrecorded1 lives after them1 and
 goes on propagating itself in          
consequences for ever4  ,we do not often
 hear of great women1 as we do of great 
men4 ,it is of good women that we mostly
 hear2 and it is probable that by       
determining the character of men and    
women for good1 they are doing even     

greater work than if they were to paint 
great pictures1 write great books1 or   
compose great operas4 ,it is quite true1
 said ,joseph de ,maistre1 that women   
have produced no ,,chefs-,,doeuvre4     
,they have written no ',iliad1' nor     
',jerusalem ,delivered1' nor ',hamlet1' 
nor ',phaedre1' nor ',paradise ,lost1'  
nor ',tartuffe2' they have designed no  
,church of ,st4 ,peter's1 composed no   
',messiah1' carved no ',apollo          
,belvidere1' painted no ',last          
,judgment2' they have invented neither  
algebra1 nor telescopes1 nor            
steam-engines2 but they have done       
something far greater and better than   
all this1 for it is at their knees that 
upright and virtuous men and women have 
been trained--the most excellent        
productions in the world4  ,de ,maistre1
 in his letters and writings1 speaks of 
his own mother with immense love and    
reverence4 ,her noble character made all
 other women venerable in his eyes4 ,he 
described her as his sublime mother--an 

angel to whom ,god had lent a body for a
 brief season4 ,to her he attributed the
 bent of his character1 and all his bias
 towards good2 and when he had grown to 
mature years1 while acting as ambassador
 at the ,court of ,st4 ,petersburg1 he  
referred to her noble example and       
precepts as the ruling influence in his 
life4  ,one of the most charming        
features in the character of ,samuel    
,johnson1 notwithstanding his rough and 
shaggy exterior1 was the tenderness with
 which he invariably spoke of his mother
 #aae--;a woman of strong understanding1
 who firmly implanted in his mind1 as he
 himself acknowledges1 his first        
impressions of religion4 ,he was        
accustomed1 even in the time of his     
greatest difficulties1 to contribute    
largely1 out of his slender means1 to   
her comfort2 and one of his last acts of
 filial duty was to write ',rasselas'   
for the purpose of paying her little    
debts and defraying her funeral charges4
  ,george ,washington was only eleven   

years of age--the eldest of five        
children--when his father died1 leaving 
his mother a widow4 ,she was a woman of 
rare excellence--full of resources1 a   
good woman of business1 an excellent    
manager1 and possessed of much strength 
of character4 ,she had her children to  
educate and bring up1 a large household 
to govern1 and extensive estates to     
manage1 all of which she accomplished   
with complete success4 ,her good sense1 
assiduity1 tenderness1 industry1 and    
vigilance1 enabled her to overcome every
 obstacle2 and as the richest reward of 
her solicitude and toil1 she had the    
happiness to see all her children come  
forward with a fair promise into life1  
filling the spheres allotted to them in 
a manner equally honourable to          
themselves1 and to the parent who had   
been the only guide of their1           
principles1 conduct1 and habits4 #aaf   
,the biographer of ,cromwell says little
 about the ,protector's father1 but     
dwells upon the character of his mother1

 whom he describes as a woman of rare   
vigour and decision of purpose3 ,a      
woman1 he says1 possessed of the        
glorious faculty of self-help when other
 assistance failed her2 ready for the   
demands of fortune in its extremest     
adverse turn2 of spirit and energy equal
 to her mildness and patience2 who1 with
 the labour of her own hands1 gave      
dowries to five daughters sufficient to 
marry them into families as honourable  
but more wealthy than their own2 whose  
single pride was honesty1 and whose     
passion was love2 who preserved in the  
gorgeous palace at ,whitehall the simple
 tastes that distinguished her in the   
old brewery at ,huntingdon2 and whose   
only care1 amidst all her splendour1 was
 for the safety of her son in his       
dangerous eminence4 #aag  ,we have      
spoken of the mother of ,napoleon       
,buonaparte as a woman of great force of
 character4 ,not less so was the mother 
of the ,duke of ,wellington1 whom her   
son strikingly resembled in features1   

person1 and character2 while his father 
was principally distinguished as a      
musical composer and performer4 #aah    
,but1 strange to say1 ,wellington's     
mother mistook him for a dunce2 and1 for
 some reason or other1 he was not such a
 favourite as her other children1 until 
his great deeds in after-life           
constrained her to be proud of him4     
,the ,napiers were blessed in both      
parents1 but especially in their mother1
 ,lady ,sarah ,lennox1 who early sought 
to inspire her sons' minds with         
elevating thoughts1 admiration of noble 
deeds1 and a chivalrous spirit1 which   
became embodied in their lives1 and     
continued to sustain them1 until death1 
in the path of duty and of honour4      
,among statesmen1 lawyers1 and divines1 
we find marked mention made of the      
mothers of ,lord ,chancellors ,bacon1   
,erskine1 and ,brougham--all women of   
great ability1 and1 in the case of the  
first1 of great learning2 as well as of 
the mothers of ,canning1 ,curran1 and   

,president ,adams--of ,herbert1 ,paley1 
and ,wesley4 ,lord ,brougham speaks in  
terms almost approaching reverence of   
his grandmother1 the sister of          
,professor ,robertson1 as having been   
mainly instrumental in instilling into  
his mind a strong desire for            
information1 and the first principles of
 that persevering energy in the pursuit 
of every kind of knowledge which formed 
his prominent characteristic throughout 
life4  ,canning's mother was an         
,irishwoman of great natural ability1   
for whom her gifted son entertained the 
greatest love and respect to the close  
of his career4 ,she was a woman of no   
ordinary intellectual power4 ,indeed1   
says ,canning's biographer1 were we not 
otherwise assured of the fact from      
direct sources1 it would be impossible  
to contemplate his profound and touching
 devotion to her1 without being led to  
conclude that the object of such        
unchanging attachment must have been    
possessed of rare and commanding        

qualities4 ,she was esteemed by the     
circle in which she lived1 as a woman of
 great mental energy4 ,her conversation 
was animated and vigorous1 and marked by
 a distinct originality of manner and a 
choice of topics fresh and striking1 and
 out of the commonplace routine4 ,to    
persons who were but slightly acquainted
 with her1 the energy of her manner had 
even something of the air of            
eccentricity4 #aai  ,curran speaks with 
great affection of his mother1 as a     
woman of strong original understanding1 
to whose wise counsel1 consistent piety1
 and lessons of honourable ambition1    
which she diligently enforced on the    
minds of her children1 he himself       
principally attributed his success in   
life4 ,the only inheritance1 he used to 
say1 that ,i could boast of from my poor
 father1 was the very scanty one of an  
unattractive face and person2 like his  
own2 and if the world has ever          
attributed to me something more valuable
 than face or person1 or than earthly   

wealth1 it was that another and a dearer
 parent gave her child a portion from   
the treasure of her mind4 #aaaj  ,when  
ex-,president ,adams was present at the 
examination of a girls' school at       
,boston1 he was presented by the pupils 
with an address which deeply affected   
him2 and in acknowledging it1 he took   
the opportunity of referring to the     
lasting influence which womanly training
 and association had exercised upon his 
own life and character4 ,as a child1 he 
said1 ,i enjoyed perhaps the greatest of
 blessings that can be bestowed on      
man--that of a mother1 who was anxious  
and capable to form the characters of   
her children rightly4 ,from her ,i      
derived whatever instruction            
#aareligious especially1 and moral has  
pervaded a long life--,i will not say   
perfectly1 or as it ought to be2 but ,i 
will say1 because it is only justice to 
the memory of her ,i revere1 that1 in   
the course of that life1 whatever       
imperfection there has been1 or         

deviation from what she taught me1 the  
fault is mine1 and not hers4  ,the      
,wesleys were peculiarly linked to their
 parents by natural piety1 though the   
mother1 rather than the father1         
influenced their minds and developed    
their characters4 ,the father was a man 
of strong will1 but occasionally harsh  
and tyrannical in his dealings with his 
family2 #aaaa while the mother1 with    
much strength of understanding and      
ardent love of truth1 was gentle1       
persuasive1 affectionate1 and simple4   
,she was the teacher and cheerful       
companion of her children1 who gradually
 became moulded by her example4 ,it was 
through the bias given by her to her    
sons' minds in religious matters that   
they acquired the tendency which1 even  
in early years1 drew to them the name of
 ,methodists4 ,in a letter to her son1  
,samuel ,wesley1 when a scholar at      
,westminster in #agji1 she said3 ,i     
would advise you as much as possible to 
throw your business into a certain      

,,method1 by which means you will learn 
to improve every precious moment1 and   
find an unspeakable facility in the     
performance of your respective duties4  
,this method she went on to describe1   
exhorting her son in all things to act  
upon principle2 and the society which   
the brothers ,john and ,charles         
afterwards founded at ,oxford is        
supposed to have been in a great measure
 the result of her exhortations4  ,in   
the case of poets1 literary men1 and    
artists1 the influence of the mother's  
feeling and taste has doubtless had     
great effect in directing the genius of 
their sons2 and we find this especially 
illustrated in the lives of ,gray1      
,thomson1 ,scott1 ,southey1 ,bulwer1    
,schiller1 and ,goethe4 ,gray inherited1
 almost complete1 his kind and loving   
nature from his mother1 while his father
 was harsh and unamiable4 ,gray was1 in 
fact1 a feminine man--shy1 reserved1 and
 wanting in energy1--but thoroughly     
irreproachable in life and character4   

,the poet's mother maintained the       
family1 after her unworthy husband had  
deserted her2 and1 at her death1 ,gray  
placed on her grave1 in ,stoke ,pogis1  
an epitaph describing her as the careful
 tender mother of many children1 one of 
whom alone had the misfortune to survive
 her4 ,the poet himself was1 at his own 
desire1 interred beside her worshipped  
grave4  ,goethe1 like ,schiller1 owed   
the bias of his mind and character to   
his mother1 who was a woman of          
extraordinary gifts4 ,she was full of   
joyous flowing mother-wit1 and possessed
 in a high degree the art of stimulating
 young and active minds1 instructing    
them in the science of life out of the  
treasures of her abundant experience4   
#aaab ,after a lengthened interview with
 her1 an enthusiastic traveller said1   
,now do ,i understand how ,goethe has   
become the man he is4 ,goethe himself   
affectionately cherished her memory4    
,she was worthy of life6 he once said of
 her2 and when he visited ,frankfort1 he

 sought out every individual who had    
been kind to his mother1 and thanked    
them all4  ,it was ,ary ,scheffer's     
mother--whose beautiful features the    
painter so loved to reproduce in his    
pictures of ,beatrice1 ,st4 ,monica1 and
 others of his works--that encouraged   
his study of art1 and by great          
self-denial provided him with the means 
of pursuing it4 ,while living at        
,dordrecht1 in ,holland1 she first sent 
him to ,lille to study1 and afterwards  
to ,paris2 and her letters to him1 while
 absent1 were always full of sound      
motherly advice1 and affectionate       
womanly sympathy4 ,if you could but see 
me1 she wrote on one occasion1 kissing  
your picture1 then1 after a while1      
taking it up again1 and1 with a tear in 
my eye1 calling you 'my beloved son1'   
you would comprehend what it costs me to
 use sometimes the stern language of    
authority1 and to occasion to you       
moments of pain4 99 99 99 ,work         
diligently--be1 above all1 modest and   

humble2 and when you find yourself      
excelling others1 then compare what you 
have done with ,nature itself1 or with  
the 'ideal' of your own mind1 and you   
will be secured1 by the contrast which  
will be apparent1 against the effects of
 pride and presumption4  ,long years    
after1 when ,ary ,scheffer was himself a
 grandfather1 he remembered with        
affection the advice of his mother1 and 
repeated it to his children4 ,and thus  
the vital power of good example lives on
 from generation to generation1 keeping 
the world ever fresh and young4 ,writing
 to his daughter1 ,madame ,marjolin1 in 
#ahdf1 his departed mother's advice     
recurred to him1 and he said3 ,the word 
,,must--fix it well in your memory1 dear
 child2 your grandmother seldom had it  
out of hers4 ,the truth is1 that through
 our lives nothing brings any good fruit
 except what is earned by either the    
work of the hands1 or by the exertion of
 one's self-denial4 ,sacrifices must1 in
 short1 be ever going on if we would    

obtain any comfort or happiness4 ,now   
that ,i am no longer young1 ,i declare  
that few passages in my life afford me  
so much satisfaction as those in which  
,i made sacrifices1 or denied myself    
enjoyments4 ',das ,entsagen' #aathe     
forbidden is the motto of the wise man4 
,self-denial is the quality of which    
,jesus ,christ set us the example4 #aaac
  ,the ,french historian ,michelet makes
 the following touching reference to his
 mother in the ,preface to one of his   
most popular books1 the subject of much 
embittered controversy at the time at   
which it appeared3--  ,whilst writing   
all this1 ,i have had in my mind a      
woman1 whose strong and serious mind    
would not have failed to support me in  
these contentions4 ,i lost her thirty   
years ago #aa;,i was a child            
then--nevertheless1 ever living in my   
memory1 she follows me from age to age4 
,she suffered with me in my poverty1 and
 was not allowed to share my better     
fortune4 ,when young1 ,i made her sad1  

and now ,i cannot console her4 ,i know  
not even where her bones are3 ,i was too
 poor then to buy earth to bury her6    
,and yet ,i owe her much4 ,i feel deeply
 that ,i am the son of woman4 ,every    
instant1 in my ideas and words #aanot to
 mention my features and gestures1 ,i   
find again my mother in myself4 ,it is  
my mother's blood which gives me the    
sympathy ,i feel for bygone ages1 and   
the tender remembrance of all those who 
are now no more4  ,what return then     
could ,i1 who am myself advancing       
towards old age1 make her for the many  
things ,i owe her8 ,one1 for which she  
would have thanked me--this protest in  
favour of women and mothers4 #aaad  ,but
 while a mother may greatly influence   
the poetic or artistic mind of her son  
for good1 she may also influence it for 
evil4 ,thus the characteristics of ,lord
 ,byron--the waywardness of his         
impulses1 his defiance of restraint1 the
 bitterness of his hate1 and the        
precipitancy of his resentments--were   

traceable in no small degree to the     
adverse influences exercised upon his   
mind from his birth by his capricious1  
violent1 and headstrong mother4 ,she    
even taunted her son with his personal  
deformity2 and it was no unfrequent     
occurrence1 in the violent quarrels     
which occurred between them1 for her to 
take up the poker or tongs1 and hurl    
them after him as he fled from her      
presence4 #aaae ,it was this unnatural  
treatment that gave a morbid turn to    
,byron's after-life2 and1 careworn1     
unhappy1 great1 and yet weak as he was1 
he carried about with him the mother's  
poison which he had sucked in his       
infancy4 ,hence he exclaims1 in his     
',childe ,harold'3--        ,yet must ,i
 think less wildly3--,i have thought    
,too long and darkly1 till my brain     
became1       ,in its own eddy boiling  
and o'erwrought1         ,a whirling    
gulf of phantasy and flame3       ,and  
thus1 ,,untaught ,,in ,,youth ,,my      
,,heart ,,to ,,tame1         ,,my       

,,springs ,,of ,,life ,,were ,,poisoned4
  ,in like manner1 though in a different
 way1 the character of ,mrs4 ,foote1 the
 actor's mother1 was curiously repeated 
in the life of her joyous1              
jovial-hearted son4 ,though she had been
 heiress to a large fortune1 she soon   
spent it all1 and was at length         
imprisoned for debt4 ,in this condition 
she wrote to ,sam1 who had been allowing
 her a hundred a year out of the        
proceeds of his acting3-,dear ,sam1 ,i  
am in prison for debt2 come and assist  
your loving mother1 ,e4 ,foote4 ,to     
which her son characteristically        
replied--,dear mother1 so am ,i2 which  
prevents his duty being paid to his     
loving mother by her affectionate son1  
,sam ,foote4  ,a foolish mother may also
 spoil a gifted son1 by imbuing his mind
 with unsound sentiments4 ,thus         
,lamartine's mother is said to have     
trained him in altogether erroneous     
ideas of life1 in the school of         
,rousseau and ,bernardin de             

,st4-,pierre1 by which his              
sentimentalism1 sufficiently strong by  
nature1 was exaggerated instead of      
repressed3 #aaaf and he became the      
victim of tears1 affectation1 and       
improvidence1 all his life long4 ,it    
almost savours of the ridiculous to find
 ,lamartine1 in his ',confidences1'     
representing himself as a statue of     
,adolescence raised as a model for young
 men4 #aaag ,as he was his mother's     
spoilt child1 so he was the spoilt child
 of his country to the end1 which was   
bitter and sad4 ,sainte-,beuve says of  
him3 ,he was the continual object of the
 richest gifts1 which he had not the    
power of managing1 scattering and       
wasting them--all1 excepting1 the gift  
of words1 which seemed inexhaustible1   
and on which he continued to play to the
 end as on an enchanted flute4 #aaah    
,we have spoken of the mother of        
,washington as an excellent woman of    
business2 and to possess such a quality 
as capacity for business is not only    

compatible with true womanliness1 but is
 in a measure essential to the comfort  
and wellbeing of every properly-governed
 family4 ,habits of business do not     
relate to trade merely1 but apply to all
 the practical affairs of life--to      
everything that has to be arranged1 to  
be organised1 to be provided for1 to be 
done4 ,and in all these respects the    
management of a family1 and of a        
household1 is as much a matter of       
business as the management of a shop or 
of a counting-house4 ,it requires       
method1 accuracy1 organization1         
industry1 economy1 discipline1 tact1    
knowledge1 and capacity for adapting    
means to ends4 ,all this is of the      
essence of business2 and hence business 
habits are as necessary to be cultivated
 by women who would succeed in the      
affairs of home--in other words1 who    
would make home happy--as by men in the 
affairs of trade1 of commerce1 or of    
manufacture4  ,the idea has1 however1   
heretofore prevailed1 that women have no

 concern with such matters1 and that    
business habits and qualifications      
relate to men only4 ,take1 for instance1
 the knowledge of figures4 ,mr4 ,bright 
has said of boys1 ,teach a boy          
arithmetic thoroughly1 and he is a made 
man4 ,and why8--,because it teaches him 
method1 accuracy1 value1 proportions1   
relations4 ,but how many girls are      
taught arithmetic well8--,very few      
indeed4 ,and what is the                
consequence8--,when the girl becomes a  
wife1 if she knows nothing of figures1  
and is innocent of addition and         
multiplication1 she can keep no record  
of income and expenditure1 and there    
will probably be a succession of        
mistakes committed which may be prolific
 in domestic contention4 ,the woman1 not
 being up to her business--that is1 the 
management of her domestic affairs in   
conformity with the simple principles of
 arithmetic--will1 through sheer        
ignorance1 be apt to commit             
extravagances1 though unintentional1    

which may be most injurious to her      
family peace and comfort4  ,method1     
which is the soul of business1 is also  
of essential importance in the home4    
,work can only be got through by method4
 ,muddle flies before it1 and           
hugger-mugger becomes a thing unknown4  
,method demands punctuality1 another    
eminently business quality4 ,the        
unpunctual woman1 like the unpunctual   
man1 occasions dislike1 because she     
consumes and wastes time1 and provokes  
the reflection that we are not of       
sufficient importance to make her more  
prompt4 ,to the business man1 time is   
money2 but to the business woman1 method
 is more--it is peace1 comfort1 and     
domestic prosperity4  ,prudence is      
another important business quality in   
women1 as in men4 ,prudence is practical
 wisdom1 and comes of the cultivated    
judgment4 ,it has reference in all      
things to fitness1 to propriety2 judging
 wisely of the right thing to be done1  
and the right way of doing it4 ,it      

calculates the means1 order1 time1 and  
method of doing4 ,prudence learns from  
experience1 quickened by knowledge4     
,for these1 amongst other reasons1      
habits of business are necessary to be  
cultivated by all women1 in order to    
their being efficient helpers in the    
world's daily life and work4            
,furthermore1 to direct the power of the
 home aright1 women1 as the nurses1     
trainers1 and educators of children1    
need all the help and strength that     
mental culture can give them4  ,mere    
instinctive love is not sufficient4     
,instinct1 which preserves the lower    
creatures1 needs no training2 but human 
intelligence1 which is in constant      
request in a family1 needs to be        
educated4 ,the physical health of the   
rising generation is entrusted to woman 
by ,providence2 and it is in the        
physical nature that the moral and      
mental nature lies enshrined4 ,it is    
only by acting in accordance with the   
natural laws1 which before she can      

follow woman must needs understand1 that
 the blessings of health of body1 and   
health of mind and morals1 can be       
secured at home4 ,without a knowledge of
 such laws1 the mother's love too often 
finds its recompence only in a child's  
coffin4 #aaai  ,it is a mere truism to  
say that the intellect with which woman 
as well as man is endowed1 has been     
given for use and exercise1 and not to  
fust in her unused4 ,such endowments are
 never conferred without a purpose4 ,the
 ,creator may be lavish in ,his gifts1  
but he is never wasteful4  ,woman was   
not meant to be either an unthinking    
drudge1 or the merely pretty ornament of
 man's leisure4 ,she exists for herself1
 as well as for others2 and the serious 
and responsible duties she is called    
upon to perform in life1 require the    
cultivated head as well as the          
sympathising heart4 ,her highest mission
 is not to be fulfilled by the mastery  
of fleeting accomplishments1 on which so
 much useful time is now wasted2 for1   

though accomplishments may enhance the  
charms of youth and beauty1 of          
themselves sufficiently charming1 they  
will be found of very little use in the 
affairs of real life4  ,the highest     
praise which the ancient ,romans could  
express of a noble matron was that she  
sat at home and span--,,domum ,,mansit1 
,,lanam ,,fecit4 ,in our own time1 it   
has been said that chemistry enough to  
keep the pot boiling1 and geography     
enough to know the different rooms in   
her house1 was science enough for any   
woman2 whilst ,byron1 whose sympathies  
for woman were of a very imperfect kind1
 professed that he would limit her      
library to a ,bible and a cookery-book4 
,but this view of woman's character and 
culture is as absurdly narrow and       
unintelligent1 on the one hand1 as the  
opposite view1 now so much in vogue1 is 
extravagant and unnatural on the        
other--that woman ought to be educated  
so as to be as much as possible the     
equal of man2 undistinguishable from    

him1 except in sex2 equal to him in     
rights and votes2 and his competitor in 
all that makes life a fierce and selfish
 struggle for place and power and money4
  ,speaking generally1 the training and 
discipline that are most suitable for   
the one sex in early life1 are also the 
most suitable for the other2 and the    
education and culture that fill the mind
 of the man will prove equally wholesome
 for the woman4 ,indeed1 all the        
arguments which have yet been advanced  
in favour of the higher education of    
men1 plead equally strongly in favour of
 the higher education of women4 ,in all 
the departments of home1 intelligence   
will add to woman's usefulness and      
efficiency4 ,it will give her thought   
and forethought1 enable her to          
anticipate and provide for the          
contingencies of life1 suggest improved 
methods of management1 and give her     
strength in every way4 ,in disciplined  
mental power she will find a stronger   
and safer protection against deception  

and imposture than in mere innocent and 
unsuspecting ignorance2 in moral and    
religious culture she will secure       
sources of influence more powerful and  
enduring than in physical attractions2  
and in due self-reliance and            
self-dependence she will discover the   
truest sources of domestic comfort and  
happiness4  ,but while the mind and     
character of women ought to be          
cultivated with a view to their own     
wellbeing1 they ought not the less to be
 educated liberally with a view to the  
happiness of others4 ,men themselves    
cannot be sound in mind or morals if    
women be the reverse2 and if1 as we hold
 to be the case1 the moral condition of 
a people mainly depends upon the        
education of the home1 then the         
education of women is to be regarded as 
a matter of national importance4 ,not   
only does the moral character but the   
mental strength of man find their best  
safeguard and support in the moral      
purity and mental cultivation of woman2 

but the more completely the powers of   
both are developed1 the more harmonious 
and well-ordered will society be--the   
more safe and certain its elevation and 
advancement4  ,when about fifty years   
since1 the first ,napoleon said that the
 great want of ,france was mothers1 he  
meant1 in other words1 that the ,french 
people needed the education of homes1   
provided over by good1 virtuous1        
intelligent women4 ,indeed1 the first   
,french ,revolution presented one of the
 most striking illustrations of the     
social mischiefs resulting from a       
neglect of the purifying influence of   
women4 ,when that great national        
outbreak occurred1 society was          
impenetrated with vice and profligacy4  
,morals1 religion1 virtue1 were swamped 
by sensualism4 ,the character of woman  
had become depraved4 ,conjugal fidelity 
was disregarded2 maternity was held in  
reproach2 family and home were alike    
corrupted4 ,domestic purity no longer   
bound society together4 ,france was     

motherless2 the children broke loose2   
and the ,revolution burst forth1 amidst 
the yells and the fierce violence of    
women4 #aabj  ,but the terrible lesson  
was disregarded1 and again and again    
,france has grievously suffered from the
 want of that discipline1 obedience1    
self-control1 and self-respect which can
 only be truly learnt at home4 ,it is   
said that the ,third ,napoleon          
attributed the recent powerlessness of  
,france1 which left her helpless and    
bleeding at the feet of her conquerors1 
to the frivolity and lack of principle  
of the people1 as well as to their love 
of pleasure--which1 however1 it must be 
confessed1 he himself did not a little  
to foster4 ,it would thus seem that the 
discipline which ,france still needs to 
learn1 if she would be good and great1  
is that indicated by the ,first         
,napoleon--home education by good       
mothers4  ,the influence of woman is the
 same everywhere4 ,her condition        
influences the morals1 manners1 and     

character of the people in all          
countries4 ,where she is debased1       
society is debased2 where she is morally
 pure and enlightened1 society will be  
proportionately elevated4  ,hence1 to   
instruct woman is to instruct man2 to   
elevate her character is to raise his   
own2 to enlarge her mental freedom is to
 extend and secure that of the whole    
community4 ,for ,nations are but the    
outcomes of ,homes1 and ,peoples of     
,mothers4  ,but while it is certain that
 the character of a nation will be      
elevated by the enlightenment and       
refinement of woman1 it is much more    
than doubtful whether any advantage is  
to be derived from her entering into    
competition with man in the rough work  
of business and polities4 ,women can no 
more do men's special work in the world 
than men can do women's4 ,and wherever  
woman has been withdrawn from her home  
and family to enter upon other work1 the
 result has been socially disastrous4   
,indeed1 the efforts of some of the best

 philanthropists have of late years been
 devoted to withdrawing women from      
toiling alongside of men in coalpits1   
factories1 nailshops1 and brickyards4   
,it is still not uncommon in the ,north 
for the husbands to be idle at home1    
while the mothers and daughters are     
working in the factory2 the result      
being1 in many cases1 an entire         
subversion of family order1 of domestic 
discipline1 and of home rule4 #aaba ,and
 for many years past1 in ,paris1 that   
state of things has been reached which  
some women desire to effect amongst     
ourselves4 ,the women there mainly      
attend to business--serving the         
,,boutique1 or presiding at the         
,,comptoir--while the men lounge about  
the ,boulevards4 ,but the result has    
only been homelessness1 degeneracy1 and 
family and social decay4  ,nor is there 
any reason to believe that the elevation
 and improvement of women are to be     
secured by investing them with political
 power4 ,there are1 however1 in these   

days1 many believers in the potentiality
 of votes1 #aabb who anticipate some    
indefinite good from the enfranchisement
 of women4 ,it is not necessary here to 
enter upon the discussion of this       
question4 ,but it may be sufficient to  
state that the power which women do not 
possess politically is far more than    
compensated by that which they exercise 
in private life--by their training in   
the home those who1 whether as men or as
 women1 do all the manly as well as     
womanly work of the world4 ,the ,radical
 ,bentham has said that man1 even if he 
would1 cannot keep power from woman2 for
 that she already governs the world with
 the whole power of a despot1 #aabc     
though the power that she mainly governs
 by is love4 ,and to form the character 
of the whole human race1 is certainly a 
power far greater than that which women 
could ever hope to exercise as voters   
for members of ,parliament1 or even as  
lawmakers4  ,there is1 however1 one     
special department of woman's work      

demanding the earnest attention of all  
true female reformers1 though it is one 
which has hitherto been unaccountably   
neglected4 ,we mean the better          
economizing and preparation of human    
food1 the waste of which at present1 for
 want of the most ordinary culinary     
knowledge1 is little short of           
scandalous4 ,if that man is to be       
regarded as a benefactor of his species 
who makes two stalks of corn to grow    
where only one grew before1 not less is 
she to be regarded as a public          
benefactor who economizes and turns to  
the best practical account the          
food-products of human skill and labour4
 ,the improved use of even our existing 
supply would be equivalent to an        
immediate extension of the cultivable   
acreage of our country--not to speak of 
the increase in health1 economy1 and    
domestic comfort4 ,were our female      
reformers only to turn their energies in
 this direction with effect1 they would 
earn the gratitude of all households1   

and be esteemed as among the greatest of
 practical philanthropists4             
,,chapter ,,iii4--,,companionship ,,and 
,,examples        ,keep good company1   
and you shall be of the number4         
-- ,,george ,,herbert4      ,for mine   
own part1     ,i ,shall be glad to learn
 of noble men4--,,shakspeare            
,examples preach to th' eye--,care then1
 mine says1     ,not how you end but how
 you spend your days4                   
,,henry ,,marten--',,last ,,thoughts4'  
,dis moi qui t'admire1 et je dirai qui  
tu es4--,,sainte-,,beuve       ,he that 
means to be a good limner will be sure  
to draw      after the most excellent   
copies and guide every stroke of        
his pencil by the better pattern that   
lays before him2 so he      that desires
 that the table of his life may be fair1
 will be      careful to propose the    
best examples1 and will never be        
content till he equals or excels        
them4--,,owen ,,feltham   ,the natural  
education of the ,home is prolonged far 

into life--indeed1 it never entirely    
ceases4 ,but the time arrives1 in the   
progress of years1 when the ,home ceases
 to exercise an exclusive influence on  
the formation of character2 and it is   
succeeded by the more artificial        
education of the school and the         
companionship of friends and comrades1  
which continue to mould the character by
 the powerful influence of example4     
,men1 young and old--but the young more 
than the old--cannot help imitating     
those with whom they associate4 ,it was 
a saying of ,george ,herbert's mother1  
intended for the guidance of her sons1  
that as our bodies take a nourishment   
suitable to the meat on which we feed1  
so do our souls as insensibly take in   
virtue or vice by the example or        
conversation of good or bad company4    
,indeed1 it is impossible that          
association with those about us should  
not produce a powerful influence in the 
formation of character4 ,for men are by 
nature imitators1 and all persons are   

more or less impressed by the speech1   
the manners1 the gait1 the gestures1 and
 the very habits of thinking of their   
companions4 ,is example nothing8 said   
,burke4 ,it is everything4 ,example is  
the school of mankind1 and they will    
learn at no other4 ,burke's grand motto1
 which he wrote for the tablet of the   
,marquis of ,rockingham1 is worth       
repeating3 it was1                      
,remember--resemble--persevere4         
,imitation is for the most part so      
unconscious that its effects are almost 
unheeded1 but its influence is not the  
less permanent on that account4 ,it is  
only when an impressive nature is placed
 in contact with an impressionable one1 
that the alteration in the character    
becomes recognisable4 ,yet even the     
weakest natures exercise some influence 
upon those about them4 ,the             
approximation of feeling1 thought1 and  
habit is constant1 and the action of    
example unceasing4  ,emerson has        
observed that even old couples1 or      

persons who have been housemates for a  
course of years1 grow gradually like    
each other2 so that1 if they were to    
live long enough1 we should scarcely be 
able to know them apart4 ,but if this be
 true of the old1 how much more true is 
it of the young1 whose plastic natures  
are so much more soft and               
impressionable1 and ready to take the   
stamp of the life and conversation of   
those about them6  ,there has been1     
observed ,sir ,charles ,bell in one of  
his letters1 a good deal said about     
education1 but they appear to me to put 
out of sight ,,example1 which is        
all-in-all4 ,my best education was the  
example set me by my brothers4 ,there   
was1 in all the members of the family1 a
 reliance on self1 a true independence1 
and by imitation ,i obtained it4 #aba   
,it is in the nature of things that the 
circumstances which contribute to form  
the character1 should exercise their    
principal influence during the period of
 growth4 ,as years advance1 example and 

imitation become custom1 and gradually  
consolidate into habit1 which is of so  
much potency that1 almost before we know
 it1 we have in a measure yielded up to 
it our personal freedom4  ,it is related
 of ,plato1 that on one occasion he     
reproved a boy for playing at some      
foolish game4 ,thou reprovest me1 said  
the boy1 for a very little thing4 ,but  
custom1 replied ,plato1 is not a little 
thing4 ,bad custom1 consolidated into   
habit1 is such a tyrant that men        
sometimes cling to vices even while they
 curse them4 ,they have become the      
slaves of habits whose power they are   
impotent to resist4 ,hence ,locke has   
said that to create and maintain that   
vigour of mind which is able to contest 
the empire of habit1 may be regarded as 
one of the chief ends of moral          
discipline4  ,though much of the        
education of character by example is    
spontaneous and unconscious1 the young  
need not necessarily be the passive     
followers or imitators of those about   

them4 ,their own conduct1 far more than 
the conduct of their companions1 tends  
to fix the purpose and form the         
principles of their life4 ,each         
possesses in himself a power of will and
 of free activity1 which1 if            
courageously exercised1 will enable him 
to make his own individual selection of 
friends and associates4 ,it is only     
through weakness of purpose that young  
people1 as well as old1 become the      
slaves of their inclinations1 or give   
themselves up to a servile imitation of 
others4  ,it is a common saying that men
 are known by the company they keep4    
,the sober do not naturally associate   
with the drunken1 the refined with the  
coarse1 the decent with the dissolute4  
,to associate with depraved persons     
argues a low taste and vicious          
tendencies1 and to frequent their       
society leads to inevitable degradation 
of character4 ,the conversation of such 
persons1 says ,seneca1 is very          
injurious2 for even if it does no       

immediate harm1 it leaves its seeds in  
the mind1 and follows us when we have   
gone from the speakers--a plague sure to
 spring up in future resurrection4  ,if 
young men are wisely influenced and     
directed1 and conscientiously exert     
their own free energies1 they will seek 
the society of those better than        
themselves1 and strive to imitate their 
example4 ,in companionship with the     
good1 growing natures will always find  
their best nourishment2 while           
companionship with the bad will only be 
fruitful in mischief4 ,there are persons
 whom to know is to love1 honour1 and   
admire2 and others whom to know is to   
shun and despise1--,,dont ,,le ,,savoir 
,n',,est ,,que ,,beterie1 as says       
,rabelais when speaking of the education
 of ,gargantua4 ,live with persons of   
elevated characters1 and you will feel  
lifted and lighted up in them3 ,live    
with wolves1 says the ,spanish proverb1 
and you will learn to howl4             
,intercourse with even commonplace1     

selfish persons1 may prove most         
injurious1 by inducing a dry1 dull      
reserved1 and selfish condition of mind1
 more or less inimical to true manliness
 and breadth of character4 ,the mind    
soon learns to run in small grooves1 the
 heart grows narrow and contracted1 and 
the moral nature becomes weak1          
irresolute1 and accommodating1 which is 
fatal to all generous ambition or real  
excellence4  ,on the other hand1        
association with persons wiser1 better1 
and more experienced than ourselves1 is 
always more or less inspiring and       
invigorating4 ,they enhance our own     
knowledge of life4 ,we correct our      
estimates by theirs1 and become partners
 in their wisdom4 ,we enlarge our field 
of observation through their eyes1      
profit by their experience1 and learn   
not only from what they have enjoyed1   
but--which is still more                
instructive--from what they have        
suffered4 ,if they are stronger than    
ourselves1 we become participators in   

their strength4 ,hence companionship    
with the wise and energetic never fails 
to have a most valuable influence on the
 formation of character--increasing our 
resources1 strengthening our resolves1  
elevating our aims1 and enabling us to  
exercise greater dexterity and ability  
in our own affairs1 as well as more     
effective helpfulness of others4  ,i    
have often deeply regretted in myself1  
says ,mrs4 ,schimmelpenninck1 the great 
loss ,i have experienced from the       
solitude of my early habits4 ,we need no
 worse companion than our unregenerate  
selves1 and1 by living alone1 a person  
not only becomes wholly ignorant of the 
means of helping his fellow-creatures1  
but is without the perception of those  
wants which most need help4 ,association
 with others1 when not on so large a    
scale as to make hours of retirement    
impossible1 may be considered as        
furnishing to an individual a rich      
multiplied experience2 and sympathy so  
drawn forth1 though1 unlike charity1 it 

begins abroad1 never fails to bring back
 rich treasures home4 ,association with 
others is useful also in strengthening  
the character1 and in enabling us1 while
 we never lose sight of our main object1
 to thread our way wisely and well4 #abb
  ,an entirely new direction may be     
given to the life of a young man by a   
happy suggestion1 a timely hint1 or the 
kindly advice of an honest friend4 ,thus
 the life of ,henry ,martyn the ,indian 
missionary1 seems to have been          
singularly influenced by a friendship   
which he formed1 when a boy1 at ,truro  
,grammar ,school4 ,martyn himself was of
 feeble frame1 and of a delicate nervous
 temperament4 ,wanting in animal        
spirits1 he took but little pleasure in 
school sports2 and being of a somewhat  
petulant temper1 the bigger boys took   
pleasure in provoking him1 and some of  
them in bullying him4 ,one of the bigger
 boys1 however1 conceiving a friendship 
for ,martyn1 took him under his         
protection1 stood between him and his   

persecutors1 and not only fought his    
battles for him1 but helped him with his
 lessons4 ,though ,martyn was rather a  
backward pupil1 his father was desirous 
that he should have the advantage of a  
college education1 and at the age of    
about fifteen he sent him to ,oxford to 
try for a ,corpus scholarship1 in which 
he failed4 ,he remained for two years   
more at the ,truro ,grammar ,school1 and
 then went to ,cambridge1 where he was  
entered at ,st4 ,john's ,college4 ,who  
should he find already settled there as 
a student but his old champion of the   
,truro ,grammar ,school8 ,their         
friendship was renewed2 and the elder   
student from that time forward acted as 
the ,mentor1 of the younger one4 ,martyn
 was fitful in his studies1 excitable   
and petulant1 and occasionally subject  
to fits of almost uncontrollable rage4  
,his big friend1 on the other hand1 was 
a steady1 patient1 hardworking fellow2  
and he never ceased to watch over1 to   
guide1 and to advise for good his       

irritable fellow-student4 ,he kept      
,martyn out of the way of evil company1 
advised him to work hard1 not for the   
praise of men1 but for the glory of     
,god2 and so successfully assisted him  
in his studies1 that at the following   
,christmas examination he was the first 
of his year4 ,yet ,martyn's kind friend 
and ,mentor never achieved any          
distinction himself2 he passed away into
 obscurity1 leading1 most probably1 a   
useful though an unknown career2 his    
greatest wish in life having been to    
shape the character of his friend1 to   
inspire his soul with the love of truth1
 and to prepare him for the noble work1 
on which he shortly after entered1 of an
 ,indian missionary4  ,a somewhat       
similar incident is said to have        
occurred in the college career of ,dr4  
,paley4 ,when a student at ,christ's    
,college ,cambridge1 he was             
distinguished for his shrewdness as well
 as his clumsiness1 and he was at the   
same time the favourite and the butt of 

his companions4 ,though his natural     
abilities were great1 he was            
thoughtless1 idle1 and a spendthrift2   
and at the commencement of his third    
year he had made comparatively little   
progress4 ,after one of his usual       
night-dissipations1 a friend stood by   
his bedside on the following morning4   
,paley1 said he1 ,i have not been able  
to sleep for thinking about you4 ,i have
 been thinking what a fool you are6 ,i  
have the means of dissipation1 and can  
afford to be idle3 ,,you are poor1 and  
cannot afford it4 ,i could do nothing1  
probably1 even were ,i to try3 ,,you are
 capable of doing anything4 ,i have lain
 awake all night thinking about your    
folly1 and ,i have now come solemnly to 
warn you4 ,indeed1 if you persist in    
your indolence1 and go on in this way1  
,i must renounce your society           
altogether6  ,it is said that ,paley was
 so powerfully affected by this         
admonition1 that from that moment he    
became an altered man4 ,he formed an    

entirely new plan of life1 and          
diligently persevered in it4 ,he became 
one of the most industrious of students4
 ,one by one he distanced his           
competitors1 and at the end of the year 
he came out ,senior ,wrangler4 ,what he 
afterwards accomplished as an author and
 a divine is sufficiently well known4   
,no one recognised more fully the       
influence of personal example on the    
young than did ,dr4 ,arnold4 ,it was the
 great lever with which he worked in    
striving to elevate the character of his
 school4 ,he made it his principal      
object1 first to put a right spirit into
 the leading boys1 by attracting their  
good and noble feelings2 and then to    
make them instrumental in propagating   
the same spirit among the rest1 by the  
influence of imitation1 example1 and    
admiration4 ,he endeavoured to make all 
feel that they were fellow-workers with 
himself1 and sharers with him in the    
moral responsibility for the good       
government of the place4 ,one of the    

first effects of this highminded system 
of management was1 that it inspired the 
boys with strength and self-respect4    
,they felt that they were trusted4      
,there were1 of course1 ,,mauvais       
,,sujets at ,rugby1 as there are at all 
schools2 and these it was the master's  
duty to watch1 to prevent their bad     
example contaminating others4 ,on one   
occasion he said to an assistant-master3
 ,do you see those two boys walking     
together8 ,i never saw them together    
before4 ,you should make an especial    
point of observing the company they     
keep3 nothing so tells the changes in a 
boy's character4  ,dr4 ,arnold's own    
example was an inspiration1 as is that  
of every great teacher4 ,in his         
presence1 young men learned to respect  
themselves2 and out of the root of      
self-respect there grew up the manly    
virtues4 ,his very presence1 says his   
biographer1 seemed to create a new      
spring of health and vigour within them1
 and to give to life an interest and    

elevation which remained with them long 
after they had left him2 and dwelt so   
habitually in their thoughts as a living
 image1 that1 when death had taken him  
away1 the bond appeared to be still     
unbroken1 and the sense of separation   
almost lost in the still deeper sense of
 a life and a ,union indestructible4    
#abc ,and thus it was that ,dr4 ,arnold 
trained a host of manly and noble       
characters1 who spread the influence of 
his example in all parts of the world4  
,so also was it said of ,dugald         
,stewart1 that he breathed the love of  
virtue into whole generations of pupils4
 ,to me1 says the late ,lord ,cockburn1 
his lectures were like the opening of   
the heavens4 ,i felt that ,i had a soul4
 ,his noble views1 unfolded in glorious 
sentences1 elevated me into a higher    
world444 ,they changed my whole nature4 
#abd  ,character tells in all conditions
 of life4 ,the man of good character in 
a workshop will give the tone to his    
fellows1 and elevate their entire       

aspirations4 ,thus ,franklin1 while a   
workman in ,london1 is said to have     
reformed the manners of an entire       
workshop4 ,so the man of bad character  
and debased energy will unconsciously   
lower and degrade his fellows4 ,captain 
,john ,brown--the marching-on           
,brown--once said to ,emerson1 that for 
a settler in a new country1 one good    
believing man is worth a hundred1 nay1  
worth a thousand men without character4 
,his example is so contagious1 that all 
other men are directly and beneficially 
influenced by him1 and he insensibly    
elevates and lifts them up to his own   
standard of energetic activity4         
,communication with the good is         
invariably productive of good4 ,the good
 character is diffusive in his          
influence4 ,i was common clay till roses
 were planted in me1 says some aromatic 
earth in the ,eastern fable4 ,like      
begets like1 and good makes good4 ,it is
 astonishing1 says ,canon ,moseley1 how 
much good goodness makes4 ,nothing that 

is good is alone1 nor anything bad2 it  
makes others good or others bad--and    
that other1 and so on3 like a stone     
thrown into a pond1 which makes circles 
that make other wider ones1 and then    
others1 till the last reaches the       
shore4444 ,almost all the good that is  
in the world has1 ,i suppose1 thus come 
down to us traditionally from remote    
times1 and often unknown centres of     
good4 #abe ,so ,mr4 ,ruskin says1 ,that 
which is born of evil begets evil2 and  
that which is born of valour and honour1
 teaches valour and honour4  ,hence it  
is that the life of every man is a daily
 inculcation of good or bad example to  
others4 ,the life of a good man is at   
the same time the most eloquent lesson  
of virtue and the most severe reproof of
 vice4 ,dr4 ,hooker described the life  
of a pious clergyman of his acquaintance
 as visible rhetoric1 convincing even   
the most godless of the beauty of       
goodness4 ,and so the good ,george      
,herbert said1 on entering upon the     

duties of his parish3 ,above all1 ,i    
will be sure to live well1 because the  
virtuous life of a clergyman is the most
 powerful eloquence1 to persuade all who
 see it to reverence and love1 and--at  
least to desire to live like him4 ,and  
this ,i will do1 he added1 because ,i   
know we live in an age that hath more   
need of good examples than precepts4 ,it
 was a fine saying of the same good     
priest1 when reproached with doing an   
act of kindness to a poor man1          
considered beneath the dignity of his   
office1--that the thought of such       
actions would prove music to him at     
midnight4 #abf ,izaak ,walton speaks of 
a letter written by ,george ,herbert to 
,bishop ,andrewes1 about a holy life1   
which the latter put into his bosom1 and
 after showing it to his scholars1 did  
always return it to the place where he  
first lodged it1 and continued it so1   
near his heart1 till the last day of his
 life4  ,great is the power of goodness 
to charm and to command4 ,the man       

inspired by it is the true king of men1 
drawing all hearts after him4 ,when     
,general ,nicholson lay wounded on his  
deathbed before ,delhi1 he dictated this
 last message to his equally noble and  
gallant friend1 ,sir ,herbert           
,edwardes3--,tell him1 said he1 ,i      
should have been a better man if ,i had 
continued to live with him1 and our     
heavy public duties had not prevented my
 seeing more of him privately4 ,i was   
always the better for a residence with  
him and his wife1 however short4 ,give  
my love to them both6  ,there are men in
 whose presence we feel as if we        
breathed a spiritual ozone1 refreshing  
and invigorating1 like inhaling mountain
 air1 or enjoying a bath of sunshine4   
,the power of ,sir ,thomas ,more's      
gentle nature was so great that it      
subdued the bad at the same time that it
 inspired the good4 ,lord ,brooke said  
of his deceased friend1 ,sir ,philip    
,sidney1 that his wit and understanding 
beat upon his heart1 to make himself and

 others1 not in word or opinion1 but in 
life and action1 good and great4  ,the  
very sight of a great and good man is   
often an inspiration to the young1 who  
cannot help admiring and loving the     
gentle1 the brave1 the truthful1 the    
magnanimous6 ,chateaubriand saw         
,washington only once1 but it inspired  
him for life4 ,after describing the     
interview1 he says3 ,washington sank    
into the tomb before any little         
celebrity had attached to my name4 ,i   
passed before him as the most unknown of
 beings4 ,he was in all his glory--,i in
 the depth of my obscurity4 ,my name    
probably dwelt not a whole day in his   
memory4 ,happy1 however1 was ,i that his
 looks were cast upon me4 ,i have felt  
warmed for it all the rest of my life4  
,there is a virtue even in the looks of 
a great man4  ,when ,niebuhr died1 his  
friend1 ,frederick ,perthes1 said of    
him3 ,what a contemporary6 ,the terror  
of all bad and base men1 the stay of all
 the sterling and honest1 the friend and

 helper of youth4 ,perthes said on      
another occasion3 ,it does a wrestling  
man good to be constantly surrounded by 
tried wrestlers2 evil thoughts are put  
to flight when the eye falls on the     
portrait of one in whose living presence
 one would have blushed to own them4 ,a 
,catholic money-lender1 when about to   
cheat1 was wont to draw a veil over the 
picture of his favourite saint4 ,so     
,hazlitt has said of the portrait of a  
beautiful female1 that it seemed as if  
an unhandsome action would be impossible
 in its presence4 ,it does one good to  
look upon his manly honest face1 said a 
poor ,german woman1 pointing to a       
portrait of the great ,reformer hung    
upon the wall of her humble dwelling4   
,even the portrait of a noble or a good 
man1 hung up in a room1 is companionship
 after a sort4 ,it gives us a closer    
personal interest in him4 ,looking at   
the features1 we feel as if we knew him 
better1 and were more nearly related to 
him4 ,it is a link that connects us with

 a higher and better nature than our    
own4 ,and though we may be far from     
reaching the standard of our hero1 we   
are1 to a certain extent1 sustained and 
fortified by his depicted presence      
constantly before us4  ,fox was proud to
 acknowledge how much he owed to the    
example and conversation of ,burke4 ,on 
one occasion he said of him1 that if he 
was to put all the political information
 he had gained from books1 all that he  
had learned from science1 or that the   
knowledge of the world and its affairs  
taught him1 into one scale1 and the     
improvement he had derived from ,mr4    
,burke's conversation and instruction   
into the other1 the latter would        
preponderate4  ,professor ,tyndall      
speaks of ,faraday's friendship as      
energy and inspiration4 ,after spending 
an evening with him he wrote3 ,his work 
excites admiration1 but contact with him
 warms and elevates the heart4 ,here1   
surely1 is a strong man4 ,i love        
strength1 but let me not forget the     

example of its union with modesty1      
tenderness1 and sweetness1 in the       
character of ,faraday4  ,even the       
gentlest natures are powerful to        
influence the character of others for   
good4 ,thus ,wordsworth seems to have   
been especially impressed by the        
character of his sister ,dorothy1 who   
exercised upon his mind and heart a     
lasting influence4 ,he describes her as 
the blessing of his boyhood as well as  
of his manhood4 ,though two years       
younger than himself1 her tenderness and
 sweetness contributed greatly to mould 
his nature1 and open his mind to the    
influences of poetry3          ,she gave
 me eyes1 she gave me ears1             
,and humble cares1 and delicate fears2  
,a heart1 the fountain of sweet tears1  
,and love and thought and joy4  ,thus   
the gentlest natures are enabled1 by the
 power of affection and intelligence1 to
 mould the characters of men destined to
 influence and elevate their race       
through all time4  ,sir ,william ,napier

 attributed the early direction of his  
character1 first to the impress made    
upon it by his mother1 when a boy2 and  
afterwards to the noble example of his  
commander1 ,sir ,john ,moore1 when a    
man4 ,moore early detected the qualities
 of the young officer2 and he was one of
 those to whom the ,general addressed   
the encouragement1 ,well done1 my       
majors6 at ,corunna4 ,writing home to   
his mother1 and describing the little   
court by which ,moore was surrounded1 he
 wrote1 ,where shall we find such a     
king8 ,it was to his personal affection 
for his chief that the world is mainly  
indebted to ,sir ,william ,napier for   
his great book1 ',the ,history of the   
,peninsular ,war4' ,but he was          
stimulated to write the book by the     
advice of another friend1 the late ,lord
 ,langdale1 while one day walking with  
him across the fields on which          
,belgravia is now built4 ,it was ,lord  
,langdale1 he says1 who first kindled   
the fire within me4 ,and of ,sir        

,william ,napier himself1 his biographer
 truly says1 that no thinking person    
could ever come in contact with him     
without being strongly impressed with   
the genius of the man4  ,the career of  
the late ,dr4 ,marshall ,hall was a     
lifelong illustration of the influence  
of character in forming character4 ,many
 eminent men still living trace their   
success in life to his suggestions and  
assistance1 without which several       
valuable lines of study and             
investigation might not have been       
entered on1 at least at so early a      
period4 ,he would say to young men about
 him1 ,take up a subject and pursue it  
well1 and you cannot fail to succeed4   
,and often he would throw out a new idea
 to a young friend1 saying1 ,i make you 
a present of it2 there is fortune in it1
 if you pursue it with energy4  ,energy 
of character has always a power to evoke
 energy in others4 ,it acts through     
sympathy1 one of the most influential of
 human agencies4 ,the zealous energetic 

man unconsciously carries others along  
with him4 ,his example is contagious1   
and compels imitation4 ,he exercises a  
sort of electric power1 which sends a   
thrill through every fibre--flows into  
the nature of those about him1 and makes
 them give out sparks of fire4  ,dr4    
,arnold's biographer1 speaking of the   
power of this kind exercised by him over
 young men1 says3 ,it was not so much an
 enthusiastic admiration for true       
genius1 or learning1 or eloquence1 which
 stirred within them2 it was a          
sympathetic thrill1 caught from a spirit
 that was earnestly at work in the      
world--whose work was healthy1          
sustained1 and constantly carried       
forward in the fear of ,god--a work that
 was founded on a deep sense of its duty
 and its value4 #abg  ,such a power1    
exercised by men of genius1 evokes      
courage1 enthusiasm1 and devotion4 ,it  
is this intense admiration for          
individuals--such as one cannot conceive
 entertained for a multitude--which has 

in all times produced heroes and        
martyrs4 ,it is thus that the mastery of
 character makes itself felt4 ,it acts  
by inspiration1 quickening and vivifying
 the natures subject to its influence4  
,great minds are rich in radiating      
force1 not only exerting power1 but     
communicating and even creating it4     
,thus ,dante raised and drew after him a
 host of great spirits--,petrarch1      
,boccacio1 ,tasso1 and many more4 ,from 
him ,milton learnt to bear the stings of
 evil tongues and the contumely of evil 
days2 and long years after1 ,byron1     
thinking of ,dante under the pine-trees 
of ,ravenna1 was incited to attune his  
harp to loftier strains than he had ever
 attempted before4 ,dante inspired the  
greatest painters of ,italy--,giotto1   
,orcagna1 ,michael ,angelo1 and         
,raphael4 ,so ,ariosto and ,titian      
mutually inspired one another1 and      
lighted up each other's glory4  ,great  
and good men draw others after them1    
exciting the spontaneous admiration of  

mankind4 ,this admiration of noble      
character elevates the mind1 and tends  
to redeem it from the bondage of self1  
one of the greatest stumbling blocks to 
moral improvement4 ,the recollection of 
men who have signalised themselves by   
great thoughts or great deeds1 seems as 
if to create for the time a purer       
atmosphere around us3 and we feel as if 
our aims and purposes were unconsciously
 elevated4  ,tell me whom you admire1   
said ,sainte-,beuve1 and ,i will tell   
you what you are1 at least as regards   
your talents1 tastes1 and character4 ,do
 you admire mean men8--your own nature  
is mean4 ,do you admire rich men8--you  
are of the earth1 earthy4 ,do you admire
 men of title8--you are a toad-eater1 or
 a tuft-hunter4 #abh ,do you admire     
honest1 brave1 and manly men8--you are  
yourself of an honest1 brave1 and manly 
spirit4  ,it is in the season of youth1 
while the character is forming1 that the
 impulse to admire is the greatest4 ,as 
we advance in life1 we crystallize into 

habit2 and ,,nil ,,admirari too often   
becomes our motto4 ,it is well to       
encourage the admiration of great       
characters while the nature is plastic  
and open to impressions2 for if the good
 are not admired--as young men will have
 their heroes of some sort--most        
probably the great bad may be taken by  
them for models4 ,hence it always       
rejoiced ,dr4 ,arnold to hear his pupils
 expressing admiration of great deeds1  
or full of enthusiasm for persons or    
even scenery4 ,i believe1 said he1 that 
',,nil ,,admirari' is the devil's       
favourite text2 and he could not choose 
a better to introduce his pupils into   
the more esoteric parts of his doctrine4
 ,and1 therefore1 ,i have always looked 
upon a man infected with the disorder of
 anti-romance as one who has lost the   
finest part of his nature1 and his best 
protection against everything low and   
foolish4 #abi  ,it was a fine trait in  
the character of ,prince ,albert that he
 was always so ready to express generous

 admiration of the good deeds of others4
 ,he had the greatest delight1 says the 
ablest delineator of his character1 in  
anybody else saying a fine saying1 or   
doing a great deed4 ,he would rejoice   
over it1 and talk about it for days2 and
 whether it was a thing nobly said or   
done by a little child1 or by a veteran 
statesman1 it gave him equal pleasure4  
,he delighted in humanity doing well on 
any occasion and in any manner4 #abaj   
,no quality1 said ,dr4 ,johnson1 will   
get a man more friends than a sincere   
admiration of the qualities of others4  
,it indicates generosity of nature1     
frankness1 cordiality1 and cheerful     
recognition of merit4 ,it was to the    
sincere--it might almost be said the    
reverential--admiration of ,johnson by  
,boswell1 that we owe one of the best   
biographies ever written4 ,one is       
disposed to think that there must have  
been some genuine good qualities in     
,boswell to have been attracted by such 
a man as ,johnson1 and to have kept     

faithful to his worship in spite of     
rebuffs and snubbings innumerable4      
,macaulay speaks of ,boswell as an      
altogether contemptible person--as a    
coxcomb and a bore--weak1 vain1 pushing1
 curious1 garrulous2 and without wit1   
humour1 or eloquence4 ,but ,carlyle is  
doubtless more just in his              
characterisation of the biographer1 in  
whom--vain and foolish though he was in 
many respects--he sees a man penetrated 
by the old reverent feeling of          
discipleship1 full of love and          
admiration for true wisdom and          
excellence4 ,without such qualities1    
,carlyle insists1 the ',life of         
,johnson' never could have been written4
 ,boswell wrote a good book1 he says1   
because he had a heart and an eye to    
discern wisdom1 and an utterance to     
render it forth2 because of his free    
insight1 his lively talent1 and1 above  
all1 of his love and childlike          
openmindedness4  ,most young men of     
generous mind have their heroes1        

especially if they be book-readers4     
,thus ,allan ,cunningham1 when a mason's
 apprentice in ,nithsdale1 walked all   
the way to ,edinburgh for the sole      
purpose of seeing ,sir ,walter ,scott as
 he passed along the street4 ,we        
unconsciously admire the enthusiasm of  
the lad1 and respect the impulse which  
impelled him to make the journey4 ,it is
 related of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 that
 when a boy of ten1 he thrust his hand  
through intervening rows of people to   
touch ,pope1 as if there were a sort of 
virtue in the contact4 ,at a much later 
period1 the painter ,haydon was proud to
 see and to touch ,reynolds when on a   
visit to his native place4 ,rogers the  
poet used to tell of his ardent desire1 
when a boy1 to see ,dr4 ,johnson2 but   
when his hand was on the knocker of the 
house in ,bolt ,court1 his courage      
failed him1 and he turned away4 ,so the 
late ,isaac ,disraeli1 when a youth1    
called at ,bolt ,court for the same     
purpose2 and though he ,,had the courage

 to knock1 to his dismay he was informed
 by the servant that the great          
lexicographer had breathed his last only
 a few hours before4  ,on the contrary1 
small and ungenerous minds cannot admire
 heartily4 ,to their own great          
misfortune1 they cannot recognise1 much 
less reverence1 great men and great     
things4 ,the mean nature admires meanly4
 ,the toad's highest idea of beauty is  
his toadess4 ,the small snob's highest  
idea of manhood is the great snob4 ,the 
slave-dealer values a man according to  
his muscles4 ,when a ,guinea trader was 
told by ,sir ,godfrey ,kneller1 in the  
presence of ,pope1 that he saw before   
him two of the greatest men in the      
world1 he replied3 ,i don't know how    
great you may be1 but ,i don't like your
 looks4 ,i have often bought a man much 
better than both of you together1 all   
bones and muscles1 for ten guineas6     
,although ,rochefoucauld1 in one of his 
maxims1 says that there is something    
that is not altogether disagreeable to  

us in the misfortunes of even our best  
friends1 it is only the small and       
essentially mean nature that finds      
pleasure in the disappointment1 and     
annoyance at the success of others4     
,there are1 unhappily1 for themselves1  
persons so constituted that they have   
not the heart to be generous4 ,the most 
disagreeable of all people are those who
 sit in the seat of the scorner4        
,persons of this sort often come to     
regard the success of others1 even in a 
good work1 as a kind of personal        
offence4 ,they cannot bear to hear      
another praised1 especially if he belong
 to their own art1 or calling1 or       
profession4 ,they will pardon a man's   
failures1 but cannot forgive his doing a
 thing better than they can do4 ,and    
where they have themselves failed1 they 
are found to be the most merciless of   
detractors4 ,the sour critic thinks of  
his rival3      ,when ,heaven with such 
parts has blest him1     ,have ,i not   
reason to detest him8  ,the mean mind   

occupies itself with sneering1 carping1 
and fault-finding2 and is ready to scoff
 at everything but impudent effrontery  
or successful vice4 ,the greatest       
consolation of such persons are the     
defects of men of character4 ,if the    
wise erred not1 says ,george ,herbert1  
it would go hard with fools4 ,yet1      
though wise men may learn of fools by   
avoiding their errors1 fools rarely     
profit by the example which1 wise men   
set them4 ,a ,german writer has said    
that it is a miserable temper that cares
 only to discover the blemishes in the  
character of great men or great periods4
 ,let us rather judge them with the     
charity of ,bolingbroke1 who1 when      
reminded of one of the alleged          
weaknesses of ,marlborough1             
observed1--,he was so great a man that  
,i forgot he had that defect4           
,admiration of great men1 living or     
dead1 naturally evokes imitation of them
 in a greater or less degree4 ,while a  
mere youth1 the mind of ,themistocles   

was fired by the great deeds of his     
contemporaries1 and he longed to        
distinguish himself in the service of   
his country4 ,when the ,battle of       
,marathon had been fought1 he fell into 
a state of melancholy2 and when asked by
 his friends as to the cause1 he replied
 that the trophies of ,miltiades would  
not suffer him to sleep4 ,a few years   
later1 we find him at the head of the   
,athenian army1 defeating the ,persian  
fleet of ,xerxes in the battles of      
,artemisium and ,salamis1--his country  
gratefully acknowledging that it had    
been saved through his wisdom and       
valour4  ,it is related of ,thucydides  
that1 when a boy1 he burst into tears on
 hearing ,herodotus read his ,history1  
and the impression made upon his mind   
was such as to determine the bent of his
 own genius4 ,and ,demosthenes was so   
fired on one occasion by the eloquence  
of ,callistratus1 that the ambition was 
roused within him of becoming an orator 
himself4 ,yet ,demosthenes was          

physically weak1 had a feeble voice1    
indistinct articulation1 and shortness  
of breath--defects which he was only    
enabled to overcome by diligent study   
and invincible determination4 ,but1 with
 all his practice1 he never became a    
ready speaker2 all his orations1        
especially the most famous of them1     
exhibiting indications of careful       
elaboration1--the art and industry of   
the orator being visible in almost every
 sentence4  ,similar illustrations of   
character imitating character1 and      
moulding itself by the style and manner 
and genius of great men1 are to be found
 pervading all history4 ,warriors1      
statesmen1 orators1 patriots1 poets1 and
 artists--all have been1 more or less   
unconsciously1 nurtured by the lives and
 actions of others living before them or
 presented for their imitation4  ,great 
men have evoked the admiration of kings1
 popes1 and emperors4 ,francis de       
,medicis never spoke to ,michael ,angelo
 without uncovering1 and ,julius ,,iii4 

made him sit by his side while a dozen  
cardinals were standing4 ,charles ,v4   
made way for ,titian2 and one day1 when 
the brush dropped from the painter's    
hand1 ,charles stooped and picked it up1
 saying1 ,you deserve to be served by an
 emperor4 ,leo ,x4 threatened with      
excommunication whoever should print and
 sell the poems of ,ariosto without the 
author's consent4 ,the same pope        
attended the deathbed of ,raphael1 as   
,francis ,i4 did that of ,leonardo da   
,vinci4  ,though ,haydn once archly     
observed that he was loved and esteemed 
by everybody except professors of music1
 yet all the greatest musicians were    
unusually ready to recognise each       
other's greatness4 ,haydn himself seems 
to have been entirely free from petty   
jealousy4 ,his admiration of the famous 
,porpora was such1 that he resolved to  
gain admission to his house1 and serve  
him as a valet4 ,having made the        
acquaintance of the family with whom    
,porpora lived1 he was allowed to       

officiate in that capacity4 ,early each 
morning he took care to brush the       
veteran's coat1 polish his shoes1 and   
put his rusty wig in order4 ,at first   
,porpora growled at the intruder1 but   
his asperity soon softened1 and         
eventually melted into affection4 ,he   
quickly discovered his valet's genius1  
and1 by his instructions1 directed it   
into the line in which ,haydn eventually
 acquired so much distinction4  ,haydn  
himself was enthusiastic in his         
admiration of ,handel4 ,he is the father
 of us all1 he said on one occasion4    
,scarlatti followed ,handel in          
admiration all over ,italy1 and1 when   
his name was mentioned1 he crossed      
himself in token of veneration4         
,mozart's recognition of the great      
composer was not less hearty4 ,when he  
chooses1 said he1 ,handel strikes like  
the thunderbolt4 ,beethoven hailed him  
as ,the monarch of the musical kingdom4 
,when ,beethoven was dying1 one of his  
friends sent him a present of ,handel's 

works1 in forty volumes4 ,they were     
brought into his chamber1 and1 gazing on
 them with reanimated eye1 he exclaimed1
 pointing at them with his finger1      
,there--there is the truth6  ,haydn not 
only recognised the genius of the great 
men who had passed away1 but of his     
young contemporaries1 ,mozart and       
,beethoven4 ,small men may be envious of
 their fellows1 but really great men    
seek out and love each other4 ,of       
,mozart1 ,haydn wrote ,i only wish ,i   
could impress on every friend of music1 
and on great men in particular1 the same
 depth of musical sympathy1 and profound
 appreciation of ,mozart's inimitable   
music1 that ,i myself feel and enjoy2   
then nations would vie with each other  
to possess such a jewel within their    
frontiers4 ,prague ought not only to    
strive to retain this precious man1 but 
also to remunerate him2 for without this
 the history of a great genius is sad   
indeed4444 ,it enrages me to think that 
the unparalleled ,mozart is not yet     

engaged by some imperial or royal court4
 ,forgive my excitement2 but ,i love the
 man so dearly6  ,mozart was equally    
generous in his recognition of the      
merits of ,haydn4 ,sir1 said he to a    
critic1 speaking of the latter1 if you  
and ,i were both melted down together1  
we should not furnish materials for one 
,haydn4 ,and when ,mozart first heard   
,beethoven1 he observed3 ,listen to that
 young man2 be assured that he will yet 
make a great name in the world4  ,buffon
 set ,newton above all other            
philosophers1 and admired him so highly 
that he had always his portrait before  
him while he sat at work4 ,so ,schiller 
looked up to ,shakspeare1 whom he       
studied reverently and zealously for    
years1 until he became capable of       
comprehending nature at first-hand1 and 
then his admiration became even more    
ardent than before4  ,pitt was          
,canning's master and hero1 whom he     
followed and admired with attachment and
 devotion4 ,to one man1 while he lived1 

said ,canning1 ,i was devoted with all  
my heart and all my soul4 ,since the    
death of ,mr4 ,pitt ,i acknowledge no   
leader2 my political allegiance lies    
buried in his grave4 #abaa  ,a ,french  
physiologist1 ,m4 ,roux1 was occupied   
one day in lecturing to his pupils1 when
 ,sir ,charles ,bell1 whose discoveries 
were even better known and more highly  
appreciated abroad than at home1        
strolled into his class-room4 ,the      
professor1 recognising his visitor1 at  
once stopped his exposition1 saying3    
,,messieurs1 ,c',,est ,,assez ,,pour    
,,aujourd',,hui1 ,,vous ,,avez ,,vu     
,,sir ,,charles ,,bell6  ,the first     
acquaintance with a great work of art   
has usually proved an important event in
 every young artist's life4 ,when       
,correggio first gazed on ,raphael's    
',saint ,cecilia1' he felt within       
himself an awakened power1 and          
exclaimed1 ,and ,i too am a painter ,so 
,constable used to look back on his     
first sight of ,claude's picture of     

',hagar1' as forming an epoch in his    
career4 ,sir ,george ,beaumont's        
admiration of the same picture was such 
that he always took it with him in his  
carriage when he travelled from home4   
,the examples set by the great and good 
do not die2 they continue to live and   
speak to all the generations that       
succeed them4 ,it was very impressively 
observed by ,mr4 ,disraeli1 in the      
,house of ,commons1 shortly after the   
death of ,mr4 ,cobden3--,there is this  
consolation remaining to us1 when we    
remember our unequalled and irreparable 
losses1 that those great men are not    
altogether lost to us--that their words 
will often be quoted in this            
,house--that their examples will often  
be referred to and appealed to1 and that
 even their expressions will form part  
of our discussions and debates4 ,there  
are now1 ,i may say1 some members of    
,parliament who1 though they may not be 
present1 are still members of this      
,house--who are independent of          

dissolutions1 of the caprices of        
constituencies1 and even of the course  
of time4 ,i think that ,mr4 ,cobden was 
one of those men4  ,it is the great     
lesson of biography to teach what man   
can be and can do at his best4 ,it may  
thus give each man renewed strength and 
confidence4 ,the humblest1 in sight of  
even the greatest1 may admire1 and hope1
 and take courage4 ,these great brothers
 of ours in blood and lineage1 who live 
a universal life1 still speak to us from
 their graves1 and beckon us on in the  
paths which they have trod4 ,their      
example is still with us1 to guide1 to  
influence1 and to direct us4 ,for       
nobility of character is a perpetual    
bequest2 living from age to age1 and    
constantly tending to reproduce its     
like4  ,the sage1 say the ,chinese1 is  
the instructor of a hundred ages4 ,when 
the manners of ,loo are heard of1 the   
stupid become intelligent1 and the      
wavering determined4 ,thus the acted    
life of a good man continues to be a    

gospel of freedom and emancipation to   
all who succeed him3            ,to live
 in hearts we leave behind1           is
 not to die4  ,the golden words that    
good men have uttered1 the examples they
 have set1 live through all time3 they  
pass into the thoughts and hearts of    
their successors1 help them on the road 
of life1 and often console them in the  
hour of death4 ,and the most miserable  
or most painful of deaths1 said ,henry  
,marten1 the ,commonwealth man1 who died
 in prison1 is as nothing compared with 
the memory of a well-spent life2 and    
great alone is he who has earned the    
glorious privilege of bequeathing such a
 lesson and example to his successors6  
,,chapter ,,iv4--,,work4        ,arise  
therefore1 and be doing1 and the ,lord  
be with thee4      --l ,,chronicles     
xxii4 #af4          ,work as if thou    
hadst to live for aye2         ,worship 
as if thou wert to die to-day4--,,tuscan
 ,,proverb4            ,c'est par le    
travail qu'on regne4--,,louis ,,xiv     

,blest work6 if ever thou wert curse of 
,god1         ,what must ,his blessing  
be6--,j4 ,b4 ,,selkirk4       ,let every
 man be ,,occupied1 and occupied in the 
highest      employment of which his    
nature is capable1 and die with the     
consciousness that he has done his      
best--,sydney ,smith4   ,,work is one of
 the best educators of practical        
character4 ,it evokes and disciplines   
obedience1 self-control1 attention1     
application1 and perseverance2 giving a 
man deftness and skill in his special   
calling1 and aptitude and dexterity in  
dealing with the affairs of ordinary    
life4  ,work is the law of our          
being--the living principle that carries
 men and nations onward4 ,the greater   
number of men have to work with their   
hands1 as a matter of necessity1 in     
order to live2 but all must work in one 
way or another1 if they would enjoy life
 as it ought to be enjoyed4  ,labour may
 be a burden and a chastisement1 but it 
is also an honour and a glory4 ,without 

it1 nothing can be accomplished4 ,all   
that is great in man comes through work2
 and civilisation is its product4 ,were 
labour abolished1 the race of ,adam were
 at once stricken by moral death4  ,it  
is idleness that is the curse of        
man--not labour4 ,idleness eats the     
heart out of men as of nations1 and     
consumes them as rust does iron4 ,when  
,alexander conquered the ,persians1 and 
had an opportunity of observing their   
manners1 he remarked that they did not  
seem conscious that there could be      
anything more servile than a life of    
pleasure1 or more princely than a life  
of toil4  ,when the ,emperor ,severus   
lay on his deathbed at ,york1 whither he
 had been borne on a litter from the    
foot of the ,grampians1 his final       
watchword to his soldiers was1          
,,laboremus we must work2 and nothing   
but constant toil maintained the power  
and extended the authority of the ,roman
 generals4  ,in describing the earlier  
social condition of ,italy1 when the    

ordinary occupations of rural life were 
considered compatible with the highest  
civic dignity1 ,pliny speaks of the     
triumphant generals and their men1      
returning contentedly to the plough4 ,in
 those days the lands were tilled by the
 hands even of generals1 the soil       
exulting beneath a ploughshare crowned  
with laurels1 and guided by a husbandman
 graced with triumphs3 ,,ipsorum ,,tunc 
,,manibus ,,imperatorum ,,colebantur    
,,agri3 ,,ut ,,fas ,,est ,,credere1     
,,gaudente ,,terra ,,vomere ,,laureato  
,,et ,,triumphali ,,aratore4 #aca ,it   
was only after slaves became extensively
 employed in all departments of industry
 that labour came to be regarded as     
dishonourable and servile4 ,and so soon 
as indolence and luxury became the      
characteristics of the ruling classes of
 ,rome1 the downfall of the empire1     
sooner or later1 was inevitable4  ,there
 is1 perhaps1 no tendency of our nature 
that has to be more carefully guarded   
against than indolence4 ,when ,mr4      

,gurney asked an intelligent foreigner  
who had travelled over the greater part 
of the world1 whether he had observed   
any one quality which1 more than        
another1 could be regarded as a         
universal characteristic of our species1
 his answer was1 in broken ,english1 ,me
 tink dat all men ,,love ,,lazy4 ,it is 
characteristic of the savage as of the  
despot4 ,it is natural to men to        
endeavour to enjoy the products of      
labour without its toils4 ,indeed1 so   
universal is this desire1 that ,james   
,mill has argued that it was to prevent 
its indulgence at the expense of society
 at large1 that the expedient of        
,government was originally invented4    
#acb  ,indolence is equally degrading to
 individuals as to nations4 ,sloth never
 made its mark in the world1 and never  
will4 ,sloth never climbed a hill1 nor  
overcame a difficulty that it could     
avoid4 ,indolence always failed in life1
 and always will4 ,it is in the nature  
of things that it should not succeed in 

anything4 ,it is a burden1 an           
incumbrance1 and a nuisance--always     
useless1 complaining1 melancholy1 and   
miserable4  ,burton1 in his quaint and  
curious1 book--the only one1 ,johnson   
says1 that ever took him out of bed two 
hours sooner than he wished to          
rise--describes the causes of           
,melancholy as hingeing mainly on       
,idleness4 ,idleness1 he says1 is the   
bane of body and mind1 the nurse of     
naughtiness1 the chief mother of all    
mischief1 one of the seven deadly sins1 
the devil's cushion1 his pillow and     
chief reposal4444 ,an idle dog will be  
mangy2 and how shall an idle person     
escape8 ,idleness of the mind is much   
worse than that of the body3 wit1       
without employment1 is a disease--the   
rust of the soul1 a plague1 a hell      
itself4 ,as in a standing pool1 worms   
and filthy creepers increase1 so do evil
 and corrupt thoughts in an idle person2
 the soul is contaminated4444 ,thus much
 ,i dare boldly say3 he or she that is  

idle1 be they of what condition they    
will1 never so rich1 so well allied1    
fortunate1 happy--let them have all     
things in abundance and felicity that   
heart can wish and desire1 all          
contentment--so long as he1 or she1 or  
they1 are idle1 they shall never be     
pleased1 never well in body or mind1 but
 weary still1 sickly still1 vexed still1
 loathing still1 weeping1 sighing1      
grieving1 suspecting1 offended with the 
world1 with every object1 wishing       
themselves gone or dead1 or else carried
 away with some foolish phantasie or    
other4 #acc  ,burton says a great deal  
more to the same effect2 the burden and 
lesson of his book being embodied in the
 pregnant sentence with which it winds  
up3--,only take this for a corollary and
 conclusion1 as thou tenderest thine own
 welfare in this1 and all other         
melancholy1 thy good health of body and 
mind1 observe this short precept1 ,give 
not way to solitariness and idleness4   
,,be ,,not ,,solitary--,,be ,,not       

,,idle4 #acd  ,the indolent1 however1   
are not wholly indolent4 ,though the    
body may shirk labour1 the brain is not 
idle4 ,if it do not grow corn1 it will  
grow thistles1 which will be found      
springing up all along the idle man's   
course in life4 ,the ghosts of indolence
 rise up in the dark1 ever staring the  
recreant in the face1 and tormenting    
him3        ,the gods are just1 and of  
our pleasant vices1        ,make        
instrument to scourge us4  ,true        
happiness is never found in torpor of   
the faculties1 #ace but in their action 
and useful employment4 ,it is indolence 
that exhausts1 not action1 in which     
there is life1 health1 and pleasure4    
,the spirits may be exhausted and       
wearied by employment1 but they are     
utterly wasted by idleness4 ,hense a    
wise physician was accustomed to regard 
occupation as one of his most valuable  
remedial measures4 ,nothing is so       
injurious1 said ,dr4 ,marshall ,hall1 as
 unoccupied time4 ,an archbishop of     

,mayence used to say that the human     
heart is like a millstone3 if you put   
wheat under it1 it grinds the wheat into
 flour2 if you put no wheat1 it grinds  
on1 but then 'tis itself it wears away4 
,indolence is usually full of excuses2  
and the sluggard1 though unwilling to   
work1 is often an active sophist4 ,there
 is a lion in the path2 or ,the hill is 
hard to climb2 or ,there is no use      
trying--,i have tried1 and failed1 and  
cannot do it4 ,to the sophistries of    
such an excuser1 ,sir ,samuel ,romilly  
once wrote to a young man3--,my attack  
upon your indolence1 loss of time1 c41  
was most serious1 and ,i really think   
that it can be to nothing but your      
habitual want of exertion that can be   
ascribed your using such curious        
arguments as you do in your defence4    
,your theory is this3 ,every man does   
all the good that he can4 ,if a         
particular individual does no good1 it  
is a proof that he is incapable of doing
 it4 ,that you don't write proves that  

you can't2 and your want of inclination 
demonstrates your want of talents4 ,what
 an admirable system6--and what         
beneficial effects would it be attended 
with1 if it were but universally        
received6  ,it has been truly said1 that
 to desire to possess1 without being    
burdened with the trouble of acquiring1 
is as much a sign of weakness1 as to    
recognise that everything worth having  
is only to be got by paying its price1  
is the prime secret of practical        
strength4 ,even leisure cannot be       
enjoyed unless it is won by effort4 ,if 
it have not been earned by work1 the    
price has not been paid for it4 #acf    
,there must be work before and work     
behind1 with leisure to fall back upon2 
but the leisure1 without the work1 can  
no more be enjoyed than a surfeit4 ,life
 must needs be disgusting alike to the  
idle rich man as to the idle poor man1  
who has no work to do1 or1 having work1 
will not do it4 ,the words found        
tattooed on the right arm of a          

sentimental beggar of forty1 undergoing 
his eighth imprisonment in the gaol of  
,bourges in ,france1 might be adopted as
 the motto of all idlers3 ,,le ,,passe  
,m',a ,,trompe2 ,,le ,,present ,,me     
,,tourmente2 ,l',,avenir                
,m',,epouvante2--#ac,the past has       
deceived me2 the present torments me2   
the future terrifies me  ,the duty of   
industry applies to all classes and     
conditions of society4 ,all have their  
work to do in the irrespective          
conditions of life--the rich as well as 
the poor4 #acg ,the gentleman by birth  
and education1 however richly he may be 
endowed with worldly possessions1 cannot
 but feel that he is in duty bound to   
contribute his quota of endeavour       
towards the general wellbeing in which  
he shares4 ,he cannot be satisfied with 
being fed1 clad1 and maintained by the  
labour of others1 without making some   
suitable return to the society that     
upholds him4 ,an honest highminded man  
would revolt at the idea of sitting down

 to and enjoying a feast1 and then going
 away without paying his share of the   
reckoning4 ,to be idle and useless is   
neither an honour nor a privilege2 and  
though persons of small natures may be  
content merely to consume--,,fruges     
,,consumere ,,nati--men of average      
endowment1 of manly aspirations1 and of 
honest purpose1 will feel such a        
condition to be incompatible with real  
honour and true dignity4  ,i don't      
believe1 said ,lord ,stanley #acnow     
,earl of ,derby at ,glasgow1 that an    
unemployed man1 however amiable and     
otherwise respectable1 ever was1 or ever
 can be1 really happy4 ,as work is our  
life1 show me what you can do1 and ,i   
will show you what you are4 ,i have     
spoken of love of one's work as the best
 preventive of merely low and vicious   
tastes4 ,i will go further1 and say that
 it is the best preservative against    
petty anxieties1 and the annoyances that
 arise out of indulged self-love4 ,men  
have thought before now that they could 

take refuge from trouble and vexation by
 sheltering themselves as it were in a  
world of their own4 ,the experiment has1
 often been tried1 and always with one  
result4 ,you cannot escape from anxiety 
and labour--it is the destiny of        
humanity4444 ,those who shirk from      
facing trouble1 find that trouble comes 
to them4 ,the indolent may contrive that
 he shall have less than his share of   
the world's work to do1 but ,nature     
proportioning the instinct to the work1 
contrives that the little shall be much 
and hard to him4 ,the man who has only  
himself to please finds1 sooner or      
later1 and probably sooner than later1  
that he has got a very hard master2 and 
the excessive weakness which shrinks    
from responsibility has its own         
punishment too1 for where great         
interests are excluded little matters   
become great1 and the same wear and tear
 of mind that might have been at least  
usefully and healthfully expended on the
 real business of life is often wasted  

in petty and imaginary vexations1 such  
as breed and multiply in the unoccupied 
brain4 #ach  ,even on the lowest        
ground--that of personal                
enjoyment--constant useful occupation is
 necessary4 ,he who labours not1 cannot 
enjoy the reward of labour4 ,we sleep   
sound1 said ,sir ,walter ,scott1 and our
 waking hours are happy1 when they are  
employed2 and a little sense of toil is 
necessary to the enjoyment of leisure1  
even when earned by study and sanctioned
 by the discharge of duty4  ,it is true1
 there are men who die of overwork2 but 
many more die of selfishness1           
indulgence1 and idleness4 ,where men    
break down by overwork1 it is most      
commonly from want of duly ordering     
their lives1 and neglect of the ordinary
 conditions of physical health4 ,lord   
,stanley was probably right when he     
said1 in his address to the ,glasgow    
students above mentioned1 that he       
doubted whether hard work1 steadily and 
regularly carried on1 ever yet hurt     

anybody4  ,then1 again1 length of       
,,years is no proper test of length of  
,,life4 ,a man's life is to be measured 
by what he does in it1 and what he feels
 in it4 ,the more useful work the man   
does1 and the more he thinks and feels1 
the more he really lives4 ,the idle     
useless man1 no matter to what extent   
his life may be prolonged1 merely       
vegetates4  ,the early teachers of      
,christianity ennobled the lot of toil  
by their example4 ,he that will not     
work1 said ,saint ,paul1 neither shall  
he eat2 and he glorified himself in that
 he had laboured with his hands1 and had
 not been chargeable to any man4 ,when  
,st4 ,boniface landed in ,britain1 he   
came with a gospel in one hand and a    
carpenter's rule in the other2 and from 
,england he afterwards passed over into 
,germany1 carrying thither the art of   
building4 ,luther also1 in the midst of 
a multitude of other employments1 worked
 diligently for a living1 earning his   
bread by gardening1 building1 turning1  

and even clockmaking4 #aci  ,it was     
characteristic of ,napoleon1 when       
visiting a work of mechanical           
excellence1 to pay great respect to the 
inventor1 and on taking his leave1 to   
salute him with a low bow4 ,once at ,st4
 ,helena1 when walking with ,mrs4       
,balcombe1 some servants came along     
carrying a load4 ,the lady1 in an angry 
tone1 ordered them out of the way1 on   
which ,napoleon interposed1 saying1     
,respect the burden1 madam4 ,even the   
drudgery of the humblest labourer       
contributes towards the general         
wellbeing of society2 and it was a wise 
saying of a ,chinese ,emperor1 that if  
there was a man who did not work1 or a  
woman that was idle1 somebody must      
suffer cold or hunger in the empire4    
,the habit of constant useful occupation
 is as essential for the happiness and  
wellbeing of woman as of man4 ,without  
it1 women are apt to sink into a state  
of listless ,,ennui and uselessness1    
accompanied by sick headache and attacks

 of nerves4 ,caroline ,perthes carefully
 warned her married daughter ,louisa to 
beware of giving way to such            
listlessness4 ,i myself1 she said1 when 
the children are gone out for a         
half-holiday1 sometimes feel as stupid  
and dull as an owl by daylight2 but one 
must not yield to this1 which happens   
more or less to all young wives4 ,the   
best relief is ,,work1 engaged in with  
interest and diligence4 ,work1 then1    
constantly and diligently1 at something 
or other2 for idleness is the devil's   
snare for small and great1 as your      
grandfather says1 and he says true4     
#acaj  ,constant useful occupation is   
thus wholesome1 not only for the body1  
but for the mind4 ,while the slothful   
man drags himself indolently through    
life1 and the better part of his nature 
sleeps a deep sleep1 if not morally and 
spiritually dead1 the energetic man is a
 source of activity and enjoyment to all
 who come within reach of his influence4
 ,even any ordinary drudgery is better  

than idleness4 ,fuller says of ,sir     
,francis ,drake1 who was early sent to  
sea1 and kept close to his work by his  
master1 that such pains and patience in 
his youth knit the joints of his soul1  
and made them more solid and compact4   
,schiller used to say that he considered
 it a great advantage to be employed in 
the discharge of some daily mechanical  
duty--some regular routine of work1 that
 rendered steady application necessary4 
,thousands can bear testimony to the    
truth of the saying of ,greuze1 the     
,french painter1 that work--employment1 
useful occupation--is one of the great  
secrets of happiness4 ,casaubon was once
 induced by the entreaties of his       
friends to take a few days entire rest1 
but he returned to his work with the    
remark1 that it was easier to bear      
illness doing something1 than doing     
nothing4  ,when ,charles ,lamb was      
released for life from his daily        
drudgery of desk-work at the ,india     
,office1 he felt himself the happiest of

 men4 ,i would not go back to my prison1
 he said to a friend1 ten years longer1 
for ten thousand pounds4 ,he also wrote 
in the same ecstatic mood to ,bernard   
,barton3 ,i have scarce steadiness of   
head to compose a letter1 he said2 ,i am
 free6 free as air6 ,i will live another
 fifty years4444 ,would ,i could sell   
you some of my leisure6 ,positively the 
best thing a man can do is--,nothing2   
and next to that1 perhaps1 ,good ,works4
 ,two years--two long and tedious years 
passed2 and ,charles ,lamb's feelings   
had undergone an entire change4 ,he now 
discovered that official1 even humdrum  
work--the appointed round1 the daily    
task--had been good for him1 though he  
knew it not4 ,time had formerly been his
 friend2 it had now become his enemy4   
,to ,bernard ,barton he again wrote3 ,i 
assure you1 ,,no work is worse than     
overwork2 the mind preys on itself--the 
most unwholesome of food4 ,i have ceased
 to care for almost anything4444 ,never 
did the waters of heaven pour down upon 

a forlorner head4 ,what ,i can do1 and  
overdo1 is to walk4 ,i am a sanguinary  
murderer of time4 ,but the oracle is    
silent4  ,no man could be more sensible 
of the practical importance of industry 
than ,sir ,walter ,scott1 who was       
himself one of the most laborious and   
indefatigable of men4 ,indeed1 ,lockhart
 says of him that1 taking all ages and  
countries together1 the rare example of 
indefatigable energy1 in union with     
serene self-possession of mind and      
manner1 such as ,scott's1 must be sought
 for in the roll of great sovereigns or 
great captains1 rather than in that of  
literary genius4 ,scott himself was most
 anxious to impress upon the minds of   
his own children the importance of      
industry as a means of usefulness and   
happiness in the world4 ,to his son     
,charles1 when at school1 he wrote3--,i 
cannot too much impress upon your mind  
that ,,labour is the condition which    
,god has imposed on us in every station 
of life2 there is nothing worth having  

that can be had without it1 from the    
bread which the peasant wins with the   
sweat of his brow1 to the sports by     
which the rich man must get rid of his  
,,ennui4444 ,as for knowledge1 it can no
 more be planted in the human mind      
without labour than a field of wheat can
 be produced without the previous use of
 the plough4 ,there is1 indeed1 this    
great difference1 that chance or        
circumstances may so cause it that      
another shall reap what the farmer sows2
 but no man can be deprived1 whether by 
accident or misfortune1 of the fruits of
 his own studies2 and the liberal and   
extended acquisitions of knowledge which
 he makes are all for his own use4      
,labour1 therefore1 my dear boy1 and    
improve the time4 ,in youth our steps   
are light1 and our minds are ductile1   
and knowledge is easily laid up2 but if 
we neglect our spring1 our summers will 
be useless and contemptible1 our harvest
 will be chaff1 and the winter of our   
old age unrespected and desolate4 #acaa 

,southey was as laborious a worker as   
,scott4 ,indeed1 work might almost be   
said to form part of his religion4 ,he  
was only nineteen when he wrote these   
words3--,nineteen years6 certainly a    
fourth part of my life2 perhaps how     
great a part6 and yet ,i have been of no
 service to society4 ,the clown who     
scares crows for twopence a day is a    
more useful man2 he preserves the bread 
which ,i eat in idleness4 ,and yet      
,southey had not been idle as a boy--on 
the contrary1 he had been a most        
diligent student4 ,he had not only read 
largely in ,english literature1 but was 
well acquainted1 through translations1  
with ,tasso1 ,ariosto1 ,homer1 and      
,ovid4 ,he felt1 however1 as if his life
 had been purposeless1 and he determined
 to do something4 ,he began1 and from   
that time forward he pursued an         
unremitting career of literary labour   
down to the close of his life--daily    
progressing in learning1 to use his own 
words--not so learned as he is poor1 not

 so poor as proud1 not so proud as      
happy4  ,the maxims of men often reveal 
their character4 #acab ,that of ,sir    
,walter ,scott was1 ,never to be doing  
nothing4 ,robertson the historian1 as   
early as his fifteenth year1 adopted the
 maxim of ,,vita ,,sine ,,literis ,,mors
 ,,est #ac,life without learning is     
death4 ,voltaire's motto was1 ,,toujours
 ,,au ,,travail #ac;,always at work4    
,the favourite maxim of ,lacepede1 the  
naturalist1 was1 ,,vivre ,c',,est       
,,veiller #ac,to live is to observe3 it 
was also the maxim of ,pliny4 ,when     
,bossuet was at college1 he was so      
distinguished by his ardour in study1   
that his fellow students1 playing upon  
his name1 designated him as             
,,bos-,,suetus ,,aratro #ac,the ox used 
to the plough4 ,the name of ,,vita-,,lis
 #ac,life a struggle1 which the ,swedish
 poet ,sjoberg assumed1 as ,frederik von
 ,hardenberg assumed that of            
,,nova-,,lis1 described the aspirations 
and the labours of both these men of    

genius4  ,we have spoken of work as a   
discipline3 it is also an educator of   
character4 ,even work that produces no  
results1 because it ,,is work1 is better
 than torpor1--inasmuch as it educates  
faculty1 and is thus preparatory to     
successful work4 ,the habit of working  
teaches method4 ,it compels economy of  
time1 and the disposition of it with    
judicious forethought4 ,and when the art
 of packing life with useful occupations
 is once acquired by practice1 every    
minute will be turned to account2 and   
leisure1 when it comes1 will be enjoyed 
with all the greater zest4  ,coleridge  
has truly observed1 that if the idle are
 described as killing time1 the         
methodical man may be justly said to    
call it into life and moral being1 while
 he makes it the distinct object not    
only of the consciousness1 but of the   
conscience4 ,he organizes the hours and 
gives them a soul2 and by that1 the very
 essence of which is to fleet and to    
have been1 he communicates an           

imperishable and spiritual nature4 ,of  
the good and faithful servant1 whose    
energies thus directed are thus         
methodized1 it is less truly affirmed   
that he lives in time than that time    
lives in him4 ,his days and months and  
years1 as the stops and punctual marks  
in the record of duties performed1 will 
survive the wreck of worlds1 and remain 
extant when time itself shall be no     
more4 #acac  ,it is because application 
to business teaches method most         
effectually1 that it is so useful as an 
educator of character4 ,the highest     
working qualities are best trained by   
active and sympathetic contact with     
others in the affairs of daily life4 ,it
 does not matter whether the business   
relate to the management of a household 
or of a nation4 ,indeed1 as we have     
endeavoured to show in a preceding      
chapter1 the able housewife must        
necessarily be an efficient woman of    
business4 ,she must regulate and control
 the details of her home1 keep her      

expenditure within her means1 arrange   
everything according to plan and system1
 and wisely manage and govern those     
subject to her rule4 ,efficient domestic
 management implies industry1           
application1 method1 moral discipline1  
forethought1 prudence1 practical        
ability1 insight into character1 and    
power of organization--all of which are 
required in the efficient management of 
business of whatever sort4  ,business   
qualities have1 indeed1 a very large    
field of action4 ,they mean aptitude for
 affairs1 competency to deal            
successfully with the practical work of 
life--whether the spur of action lie in 
domestic management1 in the conduct of a
 profession1 in trade or commerce1 in   
social organization1 or in political    
government4 ,and the training which     
gives efficiency in dealing with these  
various affairs is of all others the    
most useful in practical life4 #acad    
,moreover1 it is the best discipline of 
character2 for it involves the exercise 

of diligence1 attention1 self-denial1   
judgment1 tact1 knowledge of and        
sympathy with others4  ,such a          
discipline is far more productive of    
happiness as well as useful efficiency  
in life1 than any amount of literary    
culture or meditative seclusion2 for in 
the long run it will usually be found   
that practical ability carries it over  
intellect1 and temper and habits over   
talent4 ,it must1 however1 he added that
 this is a kind of culture that can only
 be acquired by diligent observation and
 carefully improved experience4 ,to be a
 good blacksmith1 said ,general ,trochu 
in a recent publication1 one must have  
forged all his life3 to be a good       
administrator one should have passed his
 whole life in the study and practice of
 business4  ,it was characteristic of   
,sir ,walter ,scott to entertain the    
highest respect for able men of         
business2 and he professed that he did  
not consider any amount of literary     
distinction as entitled to be spoken of 

in the same breath with a mastery in the
 higher departments of practical        
life--least of all with a first-rate    
captain4  ,the great commander leaves   
nothing to chance1 but provides for     
every contingency4 ,he condescends to   
apparently trivial details4 ,thus1 when 
,wellington was at the head of his army 
in ,spain1 he directed the precise      
manner in which the soldiers were to    
cook their provisions4 ,when in ,india1 
he specified the exact speed at which   
the bullocks were to be driven2 every   
detail in equipment was carefully       
arranged beforehand4 ,and thus not only 
was efficiency secured1 but the devotion
 of his men1 and their boundless        
confidence in his command4 #acae  ,like 
other great captains1 ,wellington had an
 almost boundless capacity for work4 ,he
 drew up the heads of a ,dublin ,police 
,bill #ac;being still the ,secretary for
 ,ireland1 when tossing off the mouth of
 the ,mondego1 with ,junot and the      
,french army waiting for him on the     

shore4 ,so ,caesar1 another of the      
greatest commanders1 is said to have    
written an essay on ,latin ,rhetoric    
while crossing the ,alps at the head of 
his army4 ,and ,wallenstein when at the 
head of #fj1jjj men1 and in the midst of
 a campaign with the enemy before him1  
dictated from headquarters the medical  
treatment of his poultry-yard4          
,washington1 also1 was an indefatigable 
man of business4 ,from his boyhood he   
diligently trained himself in habits of 
application1 of study1 and of methodical
 work4 ,his manuscript school-books1    
which are still preserved1 show that1 as
 early as the age of thirteen1 he       
occupied himself voluntarily in copying 
out such things as forms of receipts1   
notes of hand1 bills of exchange1 bonds1
 indentures1 leases1 land-warrants1 and 
other dry documents1 all written out    
with great care4 ,and the habits which  
he thus early acquired were1 in a great 
measure1 the foundation of those        
admirable business qualities which he   

afterwards so successfully brought to   
bear in the affairs of government4  ,the
 man or woman who achieves success in   
the management of any great affair of   
business is entitled to honour1--it may 
be1 to as much as the artist who paints 
a picture1 or the author who writes a   
book1 or the soldier who wins a battle4 
,their success may have been gained in  
the face of as great difficulties1 and  
after as great struggles2 and where they
 have won their battle1 it is at least a
 peaceful one1 and there is no blood on 
their hands4  ,the idea has been        
entertained by some1 that business      
habits are incompatible with genius4 ,in
 the ,life of ,richard ,lovell          
,edgeworth1 #acaf it is observed of a   
,mr4 ,bicknell--a respectable but       
ordinary man1 of whom little is known   
but that he married ,sabrina ,sidney1   
the ,,eleve of ,thomas ,day1 author of  
',sandford and ,merton'--that he had    
some of the too usual faults of a man of
 genius3 he detested the drudgery of    

business4 ,but there cannot be a greater
 mistake4 ,the greatest geniuses have1  
without exception1 been the greatest    
workers1 even to the extent of drudgery4
 ,they have not only worked harder than 
ordinary men1 but brought to their work 
higher faculties and a more ardent      
spirit4 ,nothing great and durable was  
ever improvised4 ,it is only by noble   
patience and noble labour that the      
masterpieces of genius have been        
achieved4  ,power belongs only to the   
workers2 the idlers are always          
powerless4 ,it is the laborious and     
painstaking men who are the rulers of   
the world4 ,there has not been a        
statesman of eminence but was a man of  
industry4 ,it is by toil1 said even     
,louis ,,xiv41 that kings govern4 ,when 
,clarendon described ,hampden1 he spoke 
of him as of an industry and vigilance  
not to be tired out or wearied by the   
most laborious1 and of parts not to be  
imposed on by the most subtle and sharp1
 and of a personal courage equal to his 

best parts4 ,while in the midst of his  
laborious though self-imposed duties1   
,hampden1 on one occasion1 wrote to his 
mother3 ,my lyfe is nothing but toyle1  
and hath been for many yeares1 nowe to  
the ,commonwealth1 nowe to the          
,kinge4444 ,not so much tyme left as to 
doe my dutye to my deare parents1 nor to
 sende to them4 ,indeed1 all the        
statesmen of the ,commonwealth were     
great toilers2 and ,clarendon himself1  
whether in office or out of it1 was a   
man of indefatigable application and    
industry4  ,the same energetic vitality1
 as displayed in the power of working1  
has distinguished all the eminent men in
 our own as well as in past times4      
,during the ,anti-,corn ,law movement1  
,cobden1 writing to a friend1 described 
himself as working like a horse1 with   
not a moment to spare4 ,lord ,brougham  
was a remarkable instance of the        
indefatigably active and laborious man2 
and it might be said of ,lord           
,palmerston1 that he worked harder for  

success in his extreme old age than he  
had ever done in the prime of his       
manhood--preserving his working faculty1
 his good-humour and ,,bonhommie1       
unimpaired to the end4 #acag ,he himself
 was accustomed to say1 that being in   
office1 and consequently full of work1  
was good for his health4 ,it rescued him
 from ,,ennui4 ,helvetius even held1    
that it is man's sense of ,,ennui that  
is the chief cause of his superiority   
over the brute1--that it is the         
necessity which he feels for escaping   
from its intolerable suffering that     
forces him to employ himself actively1  
and is hence the great stimulus to human
 progress4  ,indeed1 this living        
principle of constant work1 of abundant 
occupation1 of practical contact with   
men in the affairs of life1 has in all  
times been the best ripener of the      
energetic vitality of strong natures4   
,business habits1 cultivated and        
disciplined1 are found alike useful in  
every pursuit--whether in politics1     

literature1 science1 or art4 ,thus1 a   
great deal of the best literary work has
 been done by men systematically trained
 in business pursuits4 ,the same        
industry1 application1 economy of time  
and labour1 which have rendered them    
useful in the one sphere of employment1 
have been found equally available in the
 other4  ,most of the early ,english    
writers were men of affairs1 trained to 
business2 for no literary class as yet  
existed1 excepting it might be the      
priesthood4 ,chaucer1 the father of     
,english poetry1 was first a soldier1   
and afterwards a comptroller of petty   
customs4 ,the office was no sinecure    
either1 for he had to write up all the  
records with his own hand2 and when he  
had done his reckonings at the          
custom-house1 he returned with delight  
to his favourite studies at home--poring
 over his books until his eyes were     
dazed and dull4  ,the great writers in  
the reign of ,elizabeth1 during which   
there was such a development of robust  

life in ,england1 were not literary men 
according to the modern acceptation of  
the word1 but men of action trained in  
business4 ,spenser acted as secretary to
 the ,lord ,deputy of ,ireland2 ,raleigh
 was1 by turns1 a courtier1 soldier1    
sailor1 and discoverer2 ,sydney was a   
politician1 diplomatist1 and soldier2   
,bacon was a laborious lawyer before he 
became ,lord ,keeper and ,lord          
,chancellor2 ,sir ,thomas ,browne was a 
physician in country practice at        
,norwich2 ,hooker was the hardworking   
pastor of a country parish2 ,shakspeare 
was the manager of a theatre1 in which  
he was himself but an indifferent actor1
 and he seems to have been even more    
careful of his money investments than he
 was of his intellectual offspring4 ,yet
 these1 all men of active business      
habits1 are among the greatest writers  
of any age3 the period of ,elizabeth and
 ,james ,i4 standing out in the history 
of ,england as the era of its greatest  
literary activity and splendour4  ,in   

the reign of ,charles ,i41 ,cowley held 
various offices of trust and confidence4
 ,he acted as private secretary to      
several of the royalist leaders1 and was
 afterwards engaged as private secretary
 to the ,queen1 in ciphering and        
deciphering the correspondence which    
passed between her and ,charles ,i42 the
 work occupying all his days1 and often 
his nights1 during several years4 ,and  
while ,cowley was thus employed in the  
royal cause1 ,milton was employed by the
 ,commonwealth1 of which he was the     
,latin secretary1 and afterwards        
secretary to the ,lord ,protector4 ,yet1
 in the earlier part of his life1       
,milton was occupied in the humble      
vocation of a teacher4 ,dr4 ,johnson    
says1 that in his school1 as in         
everything else which he undertook1 he  
laboured with great diligence1 there is 
no reason for doubting ,it was after the
 ,restoration1 when his official        
employment ceased1 that ,milton entered 
upon the principal literary work of his 

life2 but before he undertook the       
writing of his great epic1 he deemed it 
indispensable that to industrious and   
select reading he should add steady     
observation and insight into all seemly 
and generous arts and affairs4 #acah    
,locke held office in different reigns3 
first under ,charles ,,ii4 as ,secretary
 to the ,board of ,trade and afterwards 
under ,william ,,iii4 as ,commissioner  
of ,appeals and of ,trade and           
,plantations4 ,many literary men of     
eminence held office in ,queen ,anne's  
reign4 ,thus ,addison was ,secretary of 
,state2 ,steele1 ,commissioner of       
,stamps2 ,prior1 ,under-,secretary of   
,state1 and afterwards ,ambassador to   
,france2 ,tickell1 ,under-,secretary of 
,state1 and ,secretary to the ,lords    
,justices of ,ireland2 ,congreve1       
,secretary of ,jamaica21 and ,gay1      
,secretary of ,legation at ,hanover4    
,indeed1 habits of business1 instead of 
unfitting a cultivated mind for         
scientific or literary pursuits1 are    

often the best training for them4       
,voltaire insisted with truth that the  
real spirit of business and literature  
are the same2 the perfection of each    
being the union of energy and           
thoughtfulness1 of cultivated           
intelligence and practical wisdom1 of   
the active and contemplative essence--a 
union commended by ,lord ,bacon as the  
concentrated excellence of man's nature4
 ,it has been said that even the man of 
genius can write nothing worth reading  
in relation to human affairs1 unless he 
has been in some way or other connected 
with the serious everyday business of   
life4  ,hence it has happened that many 
of the best books1 extant have been     
written by men of business1 with whom   
literature was a pastime rather than a  
profession4 ,gifford1 the editor of the 
',quarterly1' who knew the drudgery of  
writing for a living1 once observed that
 a single hour of composition1 won from 
the business of the day1 is worth more  
than the whole day's toil of him who    

works at the trade of literature3 in the
 one case1 the spirit comes joyfully to 
refresh itself1 like a hart to the      
waterbrooks2 in the other1 it pursues   
its miserable way1 panting and jaded1   
with the dogs and hunger of necessity   
behind4 #acai  ,the first great men of  
letters in ,italy were not mere men of  
letters2 they were men of               
business--merchants1 statesmen1         
diplomatists1 judges1 and soldiers4     
,villani1 the author of the best        
,history of ,florence1 was a merchant2  
,dante1 ,petrarch1 and ,boccacio1 were  
all engaged in more or less important   
embassies2 and ,dante1 before becoming a
 diplomatist1 was for some time occupied
 as a chemist and druggist4 ,galileo1   
,galvani1 and ,farini were physicians1  
and ,goldoni a lawyer4 ,ariosto's talent
 for affairs was as great as his genius 
for poetry4 ,at the death of his father1
 he was called upon to manage the family
 estate for the benefit of his younger  
brothers and sisters1 which he did with 

ability and integrity4 ,his genius for  
business having been recognised1 he was 
employed by the ,duke of ,ferrara on    
important missions to ,rome and         
elsewhere4 ,having afterwards been      
appointed governor of a turbulent       
mountain district1 he succeeded1 by firm
 and just governments in reducing it to 
a condition of comparative good order   
and security4 ,even the bandits of the  
country respected him4 ,being arrested  
one day in the mountains by a body of   
outlaws1 he mentioned his name1 when    
they at once offered to escort him in   
safety wherever he chose4  ,it has been 
the same in other countries4 ,vattel1   
the author of the ',rights of ,nations1'
 was a practical diplomatist1 and a     
first-rate man of business4 ,rabelais   
was a physician1 and a successful       
practitioner2 ,schiller was a surgeon2  
,cervantes1 ,lope de ,vega1 ,calderon1  
,camoens1 ,descartes1 ,maupertius1 ,la  
,rochefoucauld1 ,lacepede1 ,lamark1 were
 soldiers in the early part of their    

respective lives4  ,in our own country1 
many men now known by their writings1   
earned their living by their trade4     
,lillo spent the greater part of his    
life as a working jeweller in the       
,poultry2 occupying the intervals of his
 leisure in the production of dramatic  
works1 some of them of acknowledged     
power and merit4 ,izaak ,walton was a   
linendraper in ,fleet ,street1 reading  
much in his leisure hours1 and storing  
his mind with facts for future use in   
his capacity of biographer4 ,de ,foe was
 by turns horse-factor1 brick and tile  
maker1 shopkeeper1 author1 and political
 agent4  ,samuel ,richardson            
successfully combined literature1 with  
business2 writing his novels in his     
back-shop in ,salisbury ,court1 ,fleet  
,street1 and selling them over the      
counter in his front-shop4 ,william     
,hutton1 of ,birmingham1 also           
successfully combined the occupations of
 bookselling and authorship4 ,he says1  
in his ,autobiography1 that a man may   

live half a century and not be          
acquainted with his own character4 ,he  
did not know that he was an antiquary   
until the world informed him of it1 from
 having read his ',history of           
,birmingham1' and then1 he said1 he     
could see it himself4 ,benjamin         
,franklin was alike eminent as a printer
 and bookseller--an author1 a           
philosopher and a statesman4  ,coming   
down to our own time1 we find ,ebenezer 
,elliott successfully carrying on the   
business of a bar-iron merchant in      
,sheffield1 during which time he wrote  
and published the greater number of his 
poems2 and his success in business was  
such as to enable him to retire into the
 country and build a house of his own1  
in which he spent the remainder of his  
days4 ,isaac ,taylor1 the author of the 
',natural ,history of ,enthusiasm1' was 
an engraver of patterns for ,manchester 
calico-printers2 and other members of   
this gifted family were followers of the
 same branch of art4  ,the principal    

early works of ,john ,stuart ,mill were 
written in the intervals of official    
work1 while he held the office of       
principal examiner in the ,east ,india  
,house1--in which ,charles ,lamb1       
,peacock the author of ',headlong       
,hall1' and ,edwin ,norris the          
philologist1 were also clerks4 ,macaulay
 wrote his ',lays of ,ancient ,rome' in 
the ,war ,office1 while holding the post
 of ,secretary of ,war4 ,it is well     
known that the thoughtful writings of   
,mr4 ,helps are literally ,essays       
written in the ,intervals of ,business4 
,many of our best living authors are men
 holding important public offices--such 
as ,sir ,henry ,taylor1 ,sir ,john      
,kaye1 ,anthony ,trollope1 ,tom ,taylor1
 ,matthew ,arnold1 and ,samuel ,warren4 
,mr4 ,proctor the poet1 better known as 
,barry ,cornwall1 was a barrister and   
commissioner in lunacy4 ,most probably  
he assumed the pseudonym for the same   
reason that ,dr4 ,paris published his   
',philosophy in ,sport made ,science in 

,earnest' anonymously--because he       
apprehended that1 if known1 it might    
compromise his professional position4   
,for it is by no means an uncommon      
prejudice1 still prevalent amongst ,city
 men1 that a person who has written a   
book1 and still more one who has written
 a poem1 is good for nothing in the way 
of business4 ,yet ,sharon ,turner1      
though an excellent historian1 was no   
worse a solicitor on that account2 while
 the brothers ,horace and ,james ,smith1
 authors of ',the ,rejected ,addresses1'
 were men of such eminence in their     
profession1 that they were selected to  
fill the important and lucrative post of
 solicitors to the ,admiralty1 and they 
filled it admirably4  ,it was while the 
late ,mr4 ,broderip1 the barrister1 was 
acting as a ,london police magistrate1  
that he was attracted to the study of   
natural history1 in which he occupied   
the greater part of his leisure4 ,he    
wrote the principal articles on the     
subject for the ',penny ,cyclopaedia1'  

besides several separate works of great 
merit1 more particularly the            
',zoological ,recreations1' and ',leaves
 from the ,notebook of a ,naturalist4'  
,it is recorded of him that1 though he  
devoted so much of his time to the      
production of his works1 as well as to  
the ,zoological ,society and their      
admirable establishment in ,regent's    
,park1 of which he was one of the       
founders1 his studies never interfered  
with the real business of his life1 nor 
is it known that a single question was  
ever raised upon his conduct or his     
decisions4 ,and while ,mr4 ,broderip    
devoted himself to natural history1 the 
late ,lord ,chief ,baron ,pollock       
devoted his leisure to natural science1 
recreating himself in the practice of   
photography and the study of            
mathematics1 in both of which he was    
thoroughly proficient4  ,among literary 
bankers we find the names of ,rogers1   
the poet2 ,roscoe1 of ,liverpool1 the   
biographer of ,lorenzo de ,medici2      

,ricardo1 the author of ',political     
,economy and ,taxation2 #acbj ,grote1   
the author of the ',history of ,greece2'
 ,sir ,john ,lubbock1 the scientific    
antiquarian2 #acba and ,samuel ,bailey1 
of ,sheffield1 the author of ',essays on
 the ,formation and ,publication of     
,opinions1' besides various important   
works on ethics1 political economy1 and 
philosophy4  ,nor1 on the other hand1   
have thoroughly-trained men of science  
and learning proved themselves          
inefficient as first-rate men of        
business4 ,culture of the best sort     
trains the habit of application and     
industry1 disciplines the mind1 supplies
 it with resources1 and gives it freedom
 and vigour of action--all of which are 
equally requisite in the successful     
conduct of business4 ,thus1 in young    
men1 education and scholarship usually  
indicate steadiness of character1 for   
they imply continuous attention1        
diligence1 and the ability and energy   
necessary to master knowledge2 and such 

persons will also usually be found      
possessed of more than average          
promptitude1 address1 resource1 and     
dexterity4  ,montaigne has said of true 
philosophers1 that if they were great in
 science1 they were yet much greater in 
action2444 and whenever they have been  
put upon the proof1 they have been seen 
to fly to so high a pitch1 as made it   
very well appear their souls were       
strangely elevated and enriched with the
 knowledge of things4 #acbb  ,at the    
same time1 it must be acknowledged that 
too exclusive a devotion to imaginative 
and philosophical literature1 especially
 if prolonged in life until the habits  
become formed1 does to a great extent   
incapacitate a man for the business of  
practical life4 ,speculative ability is 
one thing1 and practical ability        
another2 and the man who1 in his study1 
or with his pen in hand1 shows himself  
capable of forming large views of life  
and policy1 may1 in the outer world1 be 
found altogether unfitted for carrying  

them into practical effect4             
,speculative ability depends on vigorous
 thinking--practical ability on vigorous
 acting2 and the two qualities are      
usually found combined in very unequal  
proportions4 ,the speculative man is    
prone to indecision3 he sees all the    
sides of a question1 and his action     
becomes suspended in nicely weighing the
 pros and cons1 which are often found   
pretty nearly to balance each other2    
whereas the practical man overleaps     
logical preliminaries1 arrives at       
certain definite convictions1 and       
proceeds forthwith to carry his policy  
into action4 #acbc  ,yet there have been
 many great men of science who have     
proved efficient men of business4 ,we do
 not learn that ,sir ,isaac ,newton made
 a worse ,master of the ,mint because he
 was the greatest of philosophers4 ,nor 
were there any complaints as to the     
efficiency of ,sir ,john ,herschel1 who 
held the same office4 ,the brothers     
,humboldt were alike capable men in all 

that they undertook--whether it was     
literature1 philosophy1 mining1         
philology1 diplomacy1 or statesmanship4 
,niebuhr1 the historian1 was            
distinguished for his energy and success
 as a man of business4 ,he proved so    
efficient as secretary and accountant to
 the ,african consulate1 to which he had
 been appointed by the ,danish          
,government1 that he was afterwards     
selected as one of the commissioners to 
manage the national finances2 and he    
quitted that office to undertake the    
joint directorship of a bank at ,berlin4
 ,it was in the midst of his business   
occupations that he found time to study 
,roman history1 to master the ,arabic1  
,russian1 and other ,sclavonic          
languages1 and to build up the great    
reputation as an author by which he is  
now chiefly remembered4  ,having regard 
to the views professed by the ,first    
,napoleon as to men of science1 it was  
to have been expected that he would     
endeavour to strengthen his             

administration by calling them to his   
aid4 ,some of his appointments proved   
failures1 while others were completely  
successful4 ,thus ,laplace was made     
,minister of the ,interior2 but he had  
no sooner been appointed than it was    
seen that a mistake had been made4      
,napoleon afterwards said of him1 that  
,laplace looked at no question in its   
true point of view4 ,he was always      
searching after subtleties2 all his     
ideas were problems1 and he carried the 
spirit of the infinitesimal calculus    
into the management of business4 ,but   
,laplace's habits had been formed in the
 study1 and he was too old to adapt them
 to the purposes of practical life4     
,with ,darn it was different4 ,but ,darn
 had the advantage of some practical    
training in business1 having served as  
an intendant of the army in ,switzerland
 under ,massena1 during which he also   
distinguished himself as an author4     
,when ,napoleon proposed to appoint him 
a councillor of state and intendant of  

the ,imperial ,household1 ,darn         
hesitated to accept the office4 ,i have 
passed the greater part of my life1 he  
said1 among books1 and have not had time
 to learn the functions of a courtier4  
,of courtiers1 replied ,napoleon1 ,i    
have plenty about me2 they will never   
fail4 ,but ,i want a minister1 at once  
enlightened1 firm1 and vigilant2 and it 
is for these qualities that ,i have     
selected you4 ,darn complied with the   
,emperor's wishes1 and eventually became
 his ,prime ,minister1 proving          
thoroughly efficient in that capacity1  
and remaining the same modest1          
honourable1 and disinterested man that  
he had ever been through life4  ,men of 
trained working faculty so contract the 
habit of labour that idleness becomes   
intolerable to them2 and when driven by 
circumstances from their own special    
line of occupation1 they find refuge in 
other pursuits4 ,the diligent man is    
quick to find employment for his        
leisure2 and he is able to make leisure 

when the idle man finds none4 ,he hath  
no leisure1 says ,george ,herbert1 who  
useth it not4 ,the most active or busy  
man that hath been or can be1 says      
,bacon1 hath1 no question1 many vacant  
times of leisure1 while he expecteth the
 tides and returns of business1 except  
he be either tedious and of no despatch1
 or lightly and unworthily ambitious to 
meddle with things that may be better   
done by others4 ,thus many great things 
have been done during such vacant times 
of leisure1 by men to whom industry had 
become a second nature1 and who found it
 easier to work than to be idle4  ,even 
hobbies are useful as educators of the  
working faculty4 ,hobbies evoke industry
 of a certain kind1 and at least provide
 agreeable occupation4 ,not such hobbies
 as that of ,domitian1 who occupied     
himself in catching flies4 ,the hobbies 
of the ,king of ,macedon who made       
lanthorns1 and of the ,king of ,france  
who made locks1 were of a more          
respectable order4 ,even a routine      

mechanical employment is felt to be a   
relief by minds acting under            
high-pressure3 it is an intermission of 
labour--a rest--a relaxation1 the       
pleasure consisting in the work itself  
rather than in the result4  ,but the    
best of hobbies are intellectual ones4  
,thus men of active mind retire from    
their daily business to find recreation 
in other pursuits--some in science1 some
 in art1 and the greater number in      
literature4 ,such recreations are among 
the best preservatives against          
selfishness and vulgar worldliness4 ,we 
believe it was ,lord ,brougham who said1
 ,blessed is the man that hath a hobby6 
and in the abundant versatility of his  
nature1 he himself had many1 ranging    
from literature to optics1 from history 
and biography to social science4 ,lord  
,brougham is even said to have written a
 novel2 and the remarkable story of the 
',man in the ,bell1' which appeared many
 years ago in ',blackwood1' is reputed  
to have been from his pen4 ,intellectual

 hobbies1 however1 must not be ridden   
too hard--else1 instead of recreating1  
refreshing1 and invigorating a man's    
nature1 they may only have the effect of
 sending him back to his business       
exhausted1 enervated1 and depressed4    
,many laborious statesmen besides ,lord 
,brougham have occupied their leisure1  
or consoled themselves in retirement    
from office1 by the composition of works
 which have become part of the standard 
literature of the world4 ,thus          
',caesar's ,commentaries' still survive 
as a classic2 the perspicuous and       
forcible style in which they are written
 placing him in the same rank with      
,xenophon1 who also successfully        
combined the pursuit of letters with the
 business of active life4  ,when the    
great ,sully was disgraced as a         
minister1 and driven into retirement1 he
 occupied his leisure in writing out his
 ',memoirs1' in anticipation of the     
judgment of posterity upon his career as
 a statesman4 ,besides these1 he also   

composed part of a romance after the    
manner of the ,scuderi school1 the      
manuscript of which was found amongst   
his papers at his death4  ,turgot found 
a solace for the loss of office1 from   
which he had been driven by the         
intrigues of his enemies1 in the study  
of physical science4 ,he also reverted  
to his early taste for classical        
literature4 ,during his long journeys1  
and at nights when tortured by the gout1
 he amused himself by making ,latin     
verses2 though the only line of his that
 has been preserved was that intended to
 designate the portrait of ,benjamin    
,franklin3        ,eripuit caelo fulmen1
 sceptrumque tyrannis4  ,among more     
recent ,french statesmen--with whom1    
however1 literature has been their      
profession as much as politics--may be  
mentioned ,de ,tocqueville1 ,thiers1    
,guizot1 and ,lamartine1 while ,napoleon
 ,,iii4 challenged a place in the       
,academy by his ',life of ,caesar4'     
,literature has also been the chief     

solace of our greatest ,english         
statesmen4 ,when ,pitt retired from     
office1 like his great contemporary     
,fox1 he reverted with delight to the   
study of the ,greek and ,roman classics4
 ,indeed1 ,grenville considered ,pitt   
the best ,greek scholar he had ever     
known4 ,canning and ,wellesley1 when in 
retirement1 occupied themselves in      
translating the odes and satires of     
,horace4 ,canning's passion for         
literature entered into all his         
pursuits1 and gave a colour to his whole
 life4 ,his biographer says of him1 that
 after a dinner at ,pitt's1 while the   
rest of the company were dispersed in   
conversation1 he and ,pitt would be     
observed poring over some old ,grecian  
in a corner of the drawing-room4 ,fox   
also was a diligent student of the      
,greek authors1 and1 like ,pitt1 read   
,lycophron4 ,he was also the author of a
 ,history of ,james ,,ii41 though the   
book is only a fragment1 and1 it must be
 confessed1 is rather a disappointing   

work4  ,one of the most able and        
laborious of our recent statesmen--with 
whom literature was a hobby as well as a
 pursuit--was the late ,sir ,george     
,cornewall ,lewis4 ,he was an excellent 
man of business--diligent1 exact1 and   
painstaking4 ,he filled by turns the    
offices of ,president of the ,poor ,law 
,board--the machinery of which he       
created1--,chancellor of the ,exchequer1
 ,home ,secretary1 and ,secretary at    
,war2 and in each he achieved the       
reputation of a thoroughly successful   
administrator4 ,in the intervals of his 
official labours1 he occupied himself   
with inquiries into a wide range of     
subjects--history1 politics1 philology1 
anthropology1 and antiquarianism4 ,his  
works on ',the ,astronomy of the        
,ancients1' and ',essays on the         
,formation of the ,romanic ,languages1' 
might have been written by the          
profoundest of ,german ,,savans4 ,he    
took especial delight in pursuing the   
abstruser branches of learning1 and     

found in them his chief pleasure and    
recreation4 ,lord ,palmerston sometimes 
remonstrated with him1 telling him he   
was taking too much out of himself by   
laying aside official papers after      
office-hours in order to study books2   
,palmerston himself declaring that he   
had no time to read books--that the     
reading of manuscript was quite enough  
for him4  ,doubtless ,sir ,george ,lewis
 rode his hobby too hard1 and but for   
his devotion to study1 his useful life  
would probably have been prolonged4     
,whether in or out of office1 he read1  
wrote1 and studied4 ,he relinquished the
 editorship of the ',edinburgh ,review' 
to become ,chancellor of the ,exchequer2
 and when no longer occupied in         
preparing budgets1 he proceeded to copy 
out a mass of ,greek manuscripts at the 
,british ,museum4 ,he took particular   
delight in pursuing any difficult       
inquiry in classical antiquity4 ,one of 
the odd subjects with which he occupied 
himself was an examination into the     

truth of reported cases of longevity1   
which1 according to his custom1 he      
doubted or disbelieved4 ,this subject   
was uppermost in his mind while pursuing
 his canvass of ,herefordshire in #aheb4
 ,on applying to a voter one day for his
 support1 he was met by a decided       
refusal4 ,i am sorry1 was the           
candidate's reply1 that you can't give  
me your vote2 but perhaps you can tell  
me whether anybody in your parish has   
died at an extraordinary age6  ,the     
contemporaries of ,sir ,george ,lewis   
also furnish many striking instances of 
the consolations afforded by literature 
to statesmen wearied with the toils of  
public life4 ,though the door of office 
may be closed1 that of literature stands
 always open1 and men who are at        
daggers-drawn in politics1 join hands   
over the poetry of ,homer and ,horace4  
,the late ,earl of ,derby1 on retiring  
from power1 produced his noble version  
of ',the ,iliad1' which will probably   
continue to be read when his speeches   

have been forgotten4 ,mr4 ,gladstone    
similarly occupied his leisure in       
preparing for the press his ',studies on
 ,homer1' #acbd and in editing a        
translation of ',farini's ,roman        
,state2' while ,mr4 ,disraeli signalised
 his retirement from office by the      
production of his ',lothair4' ,among    
statesmen who have figured as novelists1
 besides ,mr4 ,disraeli1 are ,lord      
,russell1 who has also contributed      
largely to history and biography2 the   
,marquis of ,normandy1 and the veteran  
novelist1 ,lord ,lytton1 with whom1     
indeed1 politics may be said to have    
been his recreation1 and literature the 
chief employment of his life4  ,to      
conclude3 a fair measure of work is good
 for mind as well as body4 ,man is an   
intelligence sustained and preserved by 
bodily organs1 and their active exercise
 is necessary to the enjoyment of       
health4 ,it is not work1 but overwork1  
that is hurtful2 and it is not hard work
 that is injurious so much as monotonous

 work1 fagging work1 hopeless work4 ,all
 hopeful work is healthful2 and to be   
usefully and hopefully employed is one  
of the great secrets of happiness4      
,brain-work1 in moderation1 is no more  
wearing than any other kind of work4    
,duly regulated1 it is as promotive of  
health as bodily exercise2 and1 where   
due attention is paid to the physical   
system1 it seems difficult to put more  
upon a man than he can bear4 ,merely to 
eat and drink and sleep one's way idly  
through life is vastly more injurious4  
,the wear-and-tear of rust is even      
faster than the tear-and-wear of work4  
,but overwork is always bad economy4 ,it
 is1 in fact1 great waste1 especially if
 conjoined with worry4 ,indeed1 worry   
kills far more than work does4 ,it      
frets1 it excites1 it consumes the      
body--as sand and grit1 which occasion  
excessive friction1 wear out the wheels 
of a machine4 ,overwork and worry have  
both to be guarded against4 ,for        
over-brain-work is strain-work2 and it  

is exhausting and destructive according 
as it is in excess of nature4 ,and the  
brain-worker may exhaust and overbalance
 his mind by excess1 just as the athlete
 may overstrain his muscles and break   
his back by attempting feats beyond the 
strength of his physical system4        
,,chapter ,v4--,,courage4           ,it 
is not but the tempest that doth show   
,the seaman's cunning2 but the field    
that tries          ,the captain's      
courage2 and we come to know            
,best what men are1 in their worst      
jeopardies4--,,daniel4      ,if thou    
canst plan a noble deed1      ,and never
 flag till it succeed1      ,though in  
the strife thy heart should bleed1      
,whatever obstacles control1      ,thine
 hour will come--go on1 true soul6      
,thou'lt win the prize1 thou'lt reach   
the goal4--,c4 ,,mackay4       ,the     
heroic example of other days is in great
 part the      source of the courage of 
each generation2 and men walk up        
composedly to the most perilous         

enterprises1 beckoned      onwards by   
the shades of the brave that            
were4--,,helps4              ,that which
 we are1 we are1       ,one equal temper
 of heroic hearts1       ,made weak by  
time and fate1 but strong in will       
,to strive1 to seek1 to find1 and not to
 yield4--,,tennyson4   ,,the world owes 
much to its men and women of courage4   
,we do not mean physical courage1 in    
which man is at least equalled by the   
bulldog2 nor is the bulldog considered  
the wisest of his species4  ,the courage
 that displays itself in silent effort  
and endeavour--that dares to endure all 
and suffer all for truth and duty--is   
more truly heroic than the achievements 
of physical valour1 which are rewarded  
by honours and titles1 or by laurels    
sometimes steeped in blood4  ,it is     
moral courage that characterises the    
highest order of manhood and            
womanhood--the courage to seek and to   
speak the truth2 the courage to be just2
 the courage to be honest2 the courage  

to resist temptation2 the courage to do 
one's duty4 ,if men and women do not    
possess this virtue1 they have no       
security whatever for the preservation  
of any other4  ,every step of progress  
in the history of our race has been made
 in the face of opposition and          
difficulty1 and been achieved and       
secured by men of intrepidity and       
valour--by leaders in the van of        
thought--by great discoverers1 great    
patriots1 and great workers in all walks
 of life4 ,there is scarcely a great    
truth or doctrine but has had to fight  
its way to public recognition in the    
face of detraction1 calumny1 and        
persecution4 ,everywhere1 says ,heine1  
that a great soul gives utterance to its
 thoughts1 there also is a ,golgotha4   
,many loved ,truth and lavished life's  
best oil1        ,amid the dust of books
 to find her1     ,content at last1 for 
guerdon of their toil1        ,with the 
cast mantle she had left behind her4    
,many in sad faith sought for her1      

,many with crossed hands sighed for her1
     ,but these1 our brothers1 fought   
for her1     ,at life's dear peril      
wrought for her1     ,so loved her that 
they died for her1     ,tasting the     
raptured fleetness     ,of her divine   
completeness4 #ada  ,socrates was       
condemned to drink the hemlock at       
,athens in his seventy-second year1     
because his lofty teaching ran counter  
to the prejudices and party-spirit of   
his age4 ,he was charged by his accusers
 with corrupting the youth of ,athens by
 inciting them to despise the tutelary  
deities of the state4 ,he had the moral 
courage to brave not only the tyranny of
 the judges who condemned him1 but of   
the mob who could not understand him4   
,he died discoursing of the doctrine of 
the immortality of the soul2 his last   
words to his judges being1 ,it is now   
time that we depart--,i to die1 you to  
live2 but which has the better destiny  
is unknown to all1 except to the ,god4  
,how many great men and thinkers have   

been persecuted in the name of religion6
 ,bruno was burnt alive at ,rome1       
because of his exposure of the          
fashionable but false philosophy of his 
time4 ,when the judges of the           
,inquisition condemned him1 to die1     
,bruno said proudly3 ,you are more      
afraid to pronounce my sentence than ,i 
am to receive it4  ,to him succeeded    
,galileo1 whose character as a man of   
science is almost eclipsed by that of   
the martyr4 ,denounced by the priests   
from the pulpit1 because of the views he
 taught as to the motion of the earth1  
he was summoned to ,rome1 in his        
seventieth year1 to answer for his      
heterodoxy4 ,and he was imprisoned in   
the ,inquisition1 if he was not actually
 put to the torture there4 ,he was      
pursued by persecution even when dead1  
the ,pope refusing a tomb for his body4 
,roger ,bacon1 the ,franciscan monk1 was
 persecuted on account of his studies in
 natural philosophy1 and he was charged 
with1 dealing in magic1 because of his  

investigations in chemistry4 ,his       
writings were condemned1 and he was     
thrown into prison1 where he lay for ten
 years1 during the lives of four        
successive ,popes4 ,it is even averred  
that he died in prison4  ,ockham1 the   
early ,english speculative philosopher1 
was excommunicated by the ,pope1 and    
died in exile at ,munich1 where he was  
protected by the friendship of the then 
,emperor of ,germany4  ,the ,inquisition
 branded ,vesalius as a heretic for     
revealing man to man1 as it had before  
branded ,bruno and ,galileo for         
revealing the heavens to man4 ,vesalius 
had the boldness to study the structure 
of the human body by actual dissection1 
a practice until then almost entirely   
forbidden4 ,he laid the foundations of a
 science1 but he paid for it with his   
life4 ,condemned by the ,inquisition1   
his penalty was commuted1 by the        
intercession of the ,spanish king1 into 
a pilgrimage to the ,holy ,land2 and    
when on his way back1 while still in the

 prime of life1 he died miserably at    
,zante1 of fever and want--a martyr to  
his love of science4  ,when the ',novum 
,organon' appeared1 a hue-and-cry was   
raised against it1 because of its       
alleged tendency to produce dangerous   
revolutions1 to subvert governments1 and
 to overturn the authority of religion2 
#adb and one ,dr4 ,henry ,stubbe        
#adwhose name would otherwise have been 
forgotten wrote a book against the new  
philosophy1 denouncing the whole tribe  
of experimentalists as a ,bacon-faced   
generation4 ,even the establishment of  
the ,royal ,society was opposed1 on the 
ground that experimental philosophy is  
subversive of the ,christian faith4     
,while the followers of ,copernicus were
 persecuted as infidels1 ,kepler was    
branded with the stigma of heresy1      
because1 said he1 ,i take that side     
which seems to me to be consonant with  
the ,word of ,god4 ,even the pure and   
simpleminded ,newton1 of whom ,bishop   
,burnet said that he had the ,,whitest  

,,soul he ever knew--who was a very     
infant in the purity of his mind--even  
,newton was accused of dethroning the   
,deity by his sublime discovery of the  
law of gravitation2 and a similar charge
 was made against ,franklin for         
explaining the nature of the            
thunderbolt4  ,spinoza was              
excommunicated by the ,jews1 to whom he 
belonged1 because of his views of       
philosophy1 which were supposed to be   
adverse to religion2 and his life was   
afterwards attempted by an assassin for 
the same reason4 ,spinoza remained      
courageous and self-reliant to the last1
 dying in obscurity and poverty4  ,the  
philosophy of ,descartes was denounced  
as leading to irreligion2 the doctrines 
of ,locke were said to produce          
materialism2 and in our own day1 ,dr4   
,buckland1 ,mr4 ,sedgwick1 and other    
leading geologists1 have been accused of
 overturning revelation with regard to  
the constitution and history of the     
earth4 ,indeed1 there has scarcely been 

a discovery in astronomy1 in natural    
history1 or in physical science1 that   
has not been attacked by the bigoted and
 narrow-minded as leading to infidelity4
  ,other great discoverers1 though they 
may not have been charged with          
irreligion1 have had not less obloquy of
 a professional and public nature to    
encounter4 ,when ,dr4 ,harvey published 
his theory of the circulation of the    
blood1 his practice fell off1 #adc and  
the medical profession stigmatised him  
as a fool4 ,the few good things ,i have 
been able to do1 said ,john ,hunter1    
have been accomplished with the greatest
 difficulty1 and encountered the        
greatest opposition4 ,sir ,charles      
,bell1 while employed in his important  
investigations as to the nervous system1
 which issued in one of the greatest of 
physiological discoveries1 wrote to a   
friend3 ,if ,i were not so poor1 and had
 not so many vexations to encounter1 how
 happy would ,i be6 ,but he himself     
observed that his practice sensibly fell

 off after the publication of each      
successive stage of his discovery4      
,thus1 nearly every enlargement of the  
domain of knowledge1 which has made us  
better acquainted with the heavens1 with
 the earth1 and with ourselves1 has been
 established by the energy1 the         
devotion1 the self-sacrifice1 and the   
courage of the great spirits of past    
times1 who1 however much they have been 
opposed or reviled by their             
contemporaries1 now rank amongst those  
whom the enlightened of the human race  
most delight to honour4  ,nor is the    
unjust intolerance displayed towards men
 of science in the past1 without its    
lesson for the present4 ,it teaches us  
to be forbearant towards those who      
differ from us1 provided they observe   
patiently1 think honestly1 and utter    
their convictions freely and truthfully4
 ,it was a remark of ,plato1 that the   
world is ,god's epistle to mankind2 and 
to read and study that epistle1 so as to
 elicit its true meaning1 can have no   

other effect on a well-ordered mind than
 to lead to a deeper impression of ,his 
power1 a clearer perception of ,his     
wisdom1 and a more grateful sense of    
,his goodness4  ,while such has been the
 courage of the martyrs of science1 not 
less glorious has been the courage of   
the martyrs of faith4 ,the passive      
endurance of the man or woman who1 for  
conscience sake1 is found ready to      
suffer and to endure in solitude1       
without so much as the encouragement of 
even a single sympathising voice1 is an 
exhibition of courage of a far higher   
kind than that displayed in the roar of 
battle1 where even the weakest feels    
encouraged and inspired by the          
enthusiasm of sympathy and the power of 
numbers4 ,time would fail to tell of the
 deathless names of those who through   
faith in principles1 and in the face of 
difficulty1 danger1 and suffering1 have 
wrought righteousness and waxed valiant 
in the moral warfare of the world1 and  
been content to lay down their lives    

rather than prove false to their        
conscientious convictions of the truth4 
,men of this stamp1 inspired by a high  
sense of duty1 have in past times       
exhibited character in its most heroic  
aspects1 and continue to present to us  
some of the noblest spectacles to be    
seen in history4 ,even women1 full of   
tenderness and gentleness1 not less than
 men1 have in this cause been found     
capable of exhibiting the most          
unflinching courage4 ,such1 for         
instance1 as that of ,anne ,askew1 who1 
when racked until her bones were        
dislocated1 uttered no cry1 moved no    
muscle1 but looked her tormentors calmly
 in the face1 and refused either to     
confess or to recant2 or such as that of
 ,latimer and ,ridley1 who1 instead of  
bewailing their hard fate and beating   
their breasts1 went as cheerfully to    
their death as a bridegroom to the      
altar--the one bidding the other to be  
of good comfort1 for that we shall this 
day light such a candle in ,england1 by 

,god's grace1 as shall never be put out2
 or such1 again1 as that of ,mary ,dyer1
 the ,quakeress1 hanged by the ,puritans
 of ,new ,england for preaching to the  
people1 who ascended the scaffold with a
 willing step1 and1 after calmly        
addressing those who stood about1       
resigned herself into the hands of her  
persecutors1 and died in peace and joy4 
,not less courageous was the behaviour  
of the good ,sir ,thomas ,more1 who     
marched willingly to the scaffold1 and  
died cheerfully there1 rather than prove
 false to his conscience4 ,when ,more   
had made his final decision to stand    
upon his principles1 he felt as if he   
had won a victory1 and said to his      
son-in-law ,roper3 ,son ,roper1 ,i thank
 ,our ,lord1 the field is won6 ,the     
,duke of ,norfolk told him of his       
danger1 saying3 ,by the mass1 ,master   
,more1 it is perilous striving with     
princes2 the anger of a prince brings   
death64 ,is that all1 my lord8 said     
,more2 then the difference between you  

and me is this--that ,i shall die       
to-day1 and you to-morrow4  ,while it   
has been the lot of many great men1 in  
times of difficulty and danger1 to be   
cheered and supported by their wives1   
,more had no such consolation4 ,his     
helpmate did anything but console him   
during his imprisonment in the ,tower4  
#add ,she could not conceive that there 
was any sufficient reason for his       
continuing to lie there1 when by merely 
doing what the ,king required of him1 he
 might at once enjoy his liberty1       
together with his fine house at         
,chelsea1 his library1 his orchard1 his 
gallery1 and the society of his wife and
 children4 ,i marvel1 said she to him   
one day1 that you1 who have been alway  
hitherto taken for wise1 should now so  
play the fool as to lie here in this    
close filthy prison1 and be content to  
be shut up amongst mice and rats1 when  
you might be abroad at your liberty1 if 
you would but do as the bishops have    
done8 ,but ,more saw his duty from a    

different point of view3 it was not a   
mere matter of personal comfort with    
him2 and the expostulations of his wife 
were of no avail4 ,he gently put her    
aside1 saying cheerfully1 ,is not this  
house as nigh heaven as my own8--to     
which she contemptuously rejoined3      
,tilly vally--tilly vally6  ,more's     
daughter1 ,margaret ,roper1 on the      
contrary1 encouraged her father to stand
 firm in his principles1 and dutifully  
consoled and cheered him during his long
 confinement4 ,deprived of pen-and-ink1 
he wrote his letters to her with a piece
 of coal1 saying in one of them3 ,if ,i 
were to declare in writing how much     
pleasure your daughterly loving letters 
gave me1 a ,,peck ,,of ,,coals would not
 suffice to make the pens4 ,more was a  
martyr to veracity3 he would not swear a
 false oath2 and he perished because he 
was sincere4 ,when his head had been    
struck off1 it was placed on ,london    
,bridge1 in accordance with the         
barbarous practice of the times4        

,margaret ,roper had the courage to ask 
for the head to be taken down and given 
to her1 and1 carrying her affection for 
her father beyond the grave1 she desired
 that it might be buried with her when  
she died2 and long after1 when ,margaret
 ,roper's tomb was opened1 the precious 
relic was observed lying on the dust of 
what had been her bosom4  ,martin       
,luther was not called upon to lay down 
his life for his faith2 but1 from the   
day that he declared himself against the
 ,pope1 he daily ran the risk of losing 
it4 ,at the beginning of his great      
struggle1 he stood almost entirely      
alone4 ,the odds against him were       
tremendous4 ,on one side1 said he       
himself1 are learning1 genius1 numbers1 
grandeur1 rank1 power1 sanctity1        
miracles2 on the other ,wycliffe1       
,lorenzo ,valla1 ,augustine1 and        
,luther--a poor creature1 a man of      
yesterday1 standing wellnigh alone with 
a few friends4 ,summoned by the ,emperor
 to appear at ,worms2 to answer the     

charge made against him of heresy1 he   
determined to answer in person4 ,those  
about him told him that he would lose   
his life if he went1 and they urged him 
to fly4 ,no1 said he1 ,i will repair    
thither1 though ,i should find there    
thrice as many devils as there are tiles
 upon the housetops6 ,warned against the
 bitter enmity of a certain ,duke       
,george1 he said--,i will go there1     
though for nine whole days running it   
rained ,duke ,georges4  ,luther was as  
good as his word2 and he set forth upon 
his perilous journey4 ,when he came in  
sight of the old bell-towers of ,worms1 
he stood up in his chariot and sang1    
,,ein ,,feste ,,burg ,,ist ,,unser      
,,gott4--the ',marseillaise' of the     
,reformation--the words and music of    
which he is said to have improvised only
 two days before4 ,shortly before the   
meeting of the ,diet1 an old soldier1   
,george ,freundesberg1 put his hand upon
 ,luther's shoulder1 and said to him3   
,good monk1 good monk1 take heed what   

thou doest2 thou art going into a harder
 fight than any of us have ever yet been
 in4 ,but ,luther's only answer to the  
veteran was1 that he had determined to  
stand upon the ,bible and his           
conscience4  ,luther's courageous       
defence before the ,diet is on record1  
and forms one of the most glorious pages
 in history4 ,when finally urged by the 
,emperor to retract1 he said firmly3    
,sire1 unless ,i am convinced of my     
error by the testimony of ,scripture1 or
 by manifest evidence1 ,i cannot and    
will not retract1 for we must never act 
contrary to our conscience4 ,such is my 
profession of faith1 and you must expect
 none other from me4 ,,hier ,,stehe     
,,ich3 ,,ich ,,kann ,,nicht ,,anders3   
,,gott ,,helfe ,,mir6 #ad;,here stand   
,i3 ,i cannot do otherwise3 ,god help   
me64 ,he had to do his duty--to obey the
 orders of a ,power higher than that of 
kings2 and he did it at all hazards4    
,afterwards1 when hard pressed by his   
enemies at ,augsburg1 ,luther said that 

if he had five hundred heads1 he would  
lose them all rather than recant his    
article concerning faith4 ,like all     
courageous men1 his strength only seemed
 to grow in proportion to the           
difficulties he had to encounter and    
overcome4 ,there is no man in ,germany1 
said ,hutten1 who more utterly despises 
death than does ,luther4 ,and to his    
moral courage1 perhaps more than to that
 of any other single man1 do we owe the 
liberation of modern thought1 and the   
vindication of the great rights of the  
human understanding4  ,the honourable   
and brave man does not fear death       
compared with ignominy4 ,it is said of  
the ,royalist ,earl of ,strafford that1 
as he walked to the scaffold on ,tower  
,hill1 his step and manner were those of
 a general marching at the head of an   
army to secure victory1 rather than of a
 condemned man to undergo sentence of   
death4 ,so the ,commonwealth's man1 ,sir
 ,john ,eliot1 went alike bravely to his
 death on the same spot1 saying3 ,ten   

thousand deaths rather than defile my   
conscience1 the chastity and purity of  
which ,i value beyond all this world4   
,eliot's greatest tribulation was on    
account of his wife1 whom he had to     
leave behind4 ,when he saw her looking  
down upon him from the ,tower window1 he
 stood up in the cart1 waved his hat1   
and cried3 ,to heaven1 my love6--to     
heaven6--and leave you in the storm6 ,as
 he went on his way1 one in the crowd   
called out1 ,that is the most glorious  
seat you ever sat on2 to which he       
replied3 ,it is so1 indeed6 and rejoiced
 exceedingly4 #ade  ,although success is
 the guerdon for which all men toil1    
they have nevertheless often to labour  
on perseveringly1 without any glimmer of
 success in sight4 ,they have to live1  
meanwhile1 upon their courage--sowing   
their seed1 it may be1 in the dark1 in  
the hope that it will yet take root and 
spring up in achieved result4 ,the best 
of causes have had to fight their way to
 triumph through a long succession of   

failures1 and many of the assailants    
have died in the breach before the      
fortress has been won4 ,the heroism they
 have displayed is to be measured1 not  
so much by their immediate success1 as  
by the opposition they have encountered1
 and the courage with which they have   
maintained the struggle4  ,the patriot  
who fights an always-losing battle--the 
martyr who goes to death amidst the     
triumphant shouts of his enemies--the   
discoverer1 like ,columbus1 whose heart 
remains undaunted through the bitter    
years of his long wandering woe--are    
examples of the moral sublime which     
excite a profounder interest in the     
hearts of men than even the most        
complete and conspicuous success4 ,by   
the side of such instances as these1 how
 small by comparison seem the greatest  
deeds of valour1 inciting men to rush   
upon death and die amidst the frenzied  
excitement of physical warfare6  ,but   
the greater part of the courage that is 
needed in the world is not of a heroic  

kind4 ,courage may be displayed in      
everyday life as well as in historic    
fields of action4 ,there needs1 for     
example1 the common courage to be       
honest--the courage to resist           
temptation--the courage to speak the    
truth--the courage to be what we really 
are1 and not to pretend to be what we   
are not--the courage to live honestly   
within our own means1 and not           
dishonestly upon the means of others4   
,a great deal of the unhappiness1 and   
much of the vice1 of the world is owing 
to weakness and indecision of           
purpose--in other words1 to lack of     
courage4 ,men may know what is right1   
and yet fail to exercise the courage to 
do it2 they may understand the duty they
 have to do1 but will not summon up the 
requisite resolution to perform it4 ,the
 weak and undisciplined man is at the   
mercy of every temptation2 he cannot say
 ,no1 but falls before it4 ,and if his  
companionship be bad1 he will be all the
 easier led away by bad example into    

wrongdoing4  ,nothing can be more       
certain than that the character can only
 be sustained and strengthened by its   
own energetic action4 ,the will1 which  
is the central force of character1 must 
be trained to habits of                 
decision--otherwise it will neither be  
able to resist evil nor to follow good4 
,decision gives the power of standing   
firmly1 when to yield1 however slightly1
 might be only the first step in a      
downhill course to ruin4  ,calling upon 
others for help in forming a decision is
 worse than useless4 ,a man must so     
train his habits as to rely upon his own
 powers and depend upon his own courage 
in moments of emergency4 ,plutarch tells
 of a ,king of ,macedon who1 in the     
midst of an action1 withdrew into the   
adjoining town under pretence of        
sacrificing to ,hercules2 whilst his    
opponent ,emilius1 at the same time that
 he implored the ,divine aid1 sought for
 victory sword in hand1 and won the     
battle4 ,and so it ever is in the       

actions of daily life4  ,many are the   
valiant purposes formed1 that end merely
 in words2 deeds intended1 that are     
never done2 designs projected1 that are 
never begun2 and all for want of a      
little courageous decision4 ,better far 
the silent tongue but the eloquent deed4
 ,for in life and in business1 despatch 
is better than discourse2 and the       
shortest answer of all is1 ,,doing4 ,in 
matters of great concern1 and which must
 be done1 says ,tillotson1 there is no  
surer argument of a weak mind than      
irresolution--to be undetermined when   
the case is so plain and the necessity  
so urgent4 ,to be always intending to   
live a new life1 but never to find time 
to set about it1--this is as if a man   
should put off eating and drinking and  
sleeping from one day to another1 until 
he is starved and destroyed4  ,there    
needs also the exercise of no small     
degree of moral courage to resist the   
corrupting influences of what is called 
,society4 ,although ,mrs4 ,grundy may be

 a very vulgar and commonplace          
personage1 her influence is nevertheless
 prodigious4 ,most men1 but especially  
women1 are the moral slaves of the class
 or caste to which they belong4 ,there  
is a sort of unconscious conspiracy     
existing amongst them against each      
other's individuality4 ,each circle and 
section1 each rank and class1 has its   
respective customs and observances1 to  
which conformity is required at the risk
 of being tabooed4 ,some are immured    
within a bastile of fashion1 others of  
custom1 others of opinion2 and few there
 are who have the courage to think      
outside their sect1 to act outside their
 party1 and to step out into the free   
air of individual thought and action4   
,we dress1 and eat1 and follow fashion1 
though it may be at the risk of debt1   
ruin1 and misery2 living not so much    
according to our means1 as according to 
the superstitious observances of our    
class4 ,though we may speak             
contemptuously of the ,indians who      

flatten their heads1 and of the ,chinese
 who cramp their toes1 we have only to  
look at the deformities of fashion      
amongst ourselves1 to see that the reign
 of ,mrs4 ,grundy is universal4  ,but   
moral cowardice is exhibited quite as   
much in public as in private life4      
,snobbism is not confined to the        
toadying of the rich1 but is quite as   
often displayed in the toadying of the  
poor4 ,formerly1 sycophancy showed      
itself in not daring to speak the truth 
to those in high places2 but in these   
days it rather shows itself in not      
daring to speak the truth to those in   
low places4 ,now that the masses #adf   
exercise political power1 there is a    
growing tendency to fawn upon them1 to  
flatter them1 and to speak nothing but  
smooth words to them4 ,they are credited
 with virtues which they themselves know
 they do not possess4 ,the public       
enunciation of wholesome because        
disagreeable truths is avoided2 and1 to 
win their favour1 sympathy is often     

pretended for views1 the carrying out of
 which in practice is known to be       
hopeless4  ,it is not the man of the    
noblest character--the highest-cultured 
and best-conditioned man--whose favour  
is now sought1 so much as that of the   
lowest man1 the least-cultured and      
worst-conditioned man1 because his vote 
is usually that of the majority4 ,even  
men of rank1 wealth1 and education1 are 
seen prostrating themselves before the  
ignorant1 whose votes are thus to be    
got4 ,they are ready to be unprincipled 
and unjust rather than unpopular4 ,it is
 so much easier for some men to stoop1  
to bow1 and to flatter1 than to be      
manly1 resolute1 and magnanimous2 and to
 yield to prejudices than run counter to
 them4 ,it requires strength and courage
 to swim against the stream1 while any  
dead fish can float with it4  ,this     
servile pandering to popularity has been
 rapidly on the increase of late years1 
and its tendency has been to lower and  
degrade the character of public men4    

,consciences have become more elastic4  
,there is now one opinion for the       
chamber1 and another for the platform4  
,prejudices are pandered to in public1  
which in private are despised4          
,pretended conversions--which invariably
 jump with party interests are more     
sudden2 and even hypocrisy now appears  
to be scarcely thought discreditable4   
,the same moral cowardice extends       
downwards as well as upwards4 ,the      
action and reaction are equal4          
,hypocrisy and timeserving above are    
accompanied by hypocrisy and timeserving
 below4 ,where men of high standing have
 not the courage of their opinions1 what
 is to be expected from men of low      
standing8 ,they will only follow such   
examples as are set before them4 ,they  
too will skulk1 and dodge1 and          
prevaricate--be ready to speak one way  
and act another--just like their        
betters4 ,give them but a sealed box1 or
 some hole-and-corner to hide their act 
in1 and they will then enjoy their      

liberty6  ,popularity1 as won in these  
days1 is by no means a presumption in a 
man's favour1 but is quite as often a   
presumption against him4 ,no man1 says  
the ,russian proverb1 can rise to honour
 who is cursed with a stiff backbone4   
,but the backbone of the                
popularity-hunter is of gristle2 and he 
has no difficulty in stooping and       
bending himself in any direction to     
catch the breath of popular applause4   
,where popularity is won by fawning upon
 the people1 by withholding the truth   
from them1 by writing and speaking down 
to the lowest tastes1 and still worse by
 appeals to class-hatred1 #adg such a   
popularity must be simply contemptible  
in the sight of all honest men4 ,jeremy 
,bentham1 speaking of a well-known      
public character1 said3 ,his creed of   
politics results less from love of the  
many than from hatred of the few2 it is 
too much under the influence of selfish 
and dissocial affection4 ,to how many   
men in our own day might not the same   

description apply8  ,men of sterling    
character have the courage to speak the 
truth1 even when it is unpopular4 ,it   
was said of ,colonel ,hutchinson by his 
wife1 that he never sought after popular
 applause1 or prided himself on it3 ,he 
more delighted to do well than to be    
praised1 and never set vulgar           
commendations at such a rate as to act  
contrary to his own conscience or reason
 for the obtaining them2 nor would he   
forbear a good action which he was bound
 to1 though all the world disliked it2  
for he ever looked on things as they    
were in themselves1 not through the dim 
spectacles of vulgar estimation4 #adh   
,popularity1 in the lowest and most     
common sense1 said ,sir ,john           
,pakington1 on a recent occasion1 #adi  
is not worth the having4 ,do your duty  
to the best of your power1 win the      
approbation of your own conscience1 and 
popularity1 in its best and highest     
sense1 is sure to follow4  ,when        
,richard ,lovell ,edgeworth1 towards the

 close of his life1 became very popular 
in his neighbourhood1 he said one day to
 his daughter3 ,maria1 ,i am growing    
dreadfully popular2 ,i shall be good for
 nothing soon2 a man cannot be good for 
anything who is very popular4 ,probably 
he had in his mind at the time the      
,gospel curse of the popular man1 ,woe  
unto you1 when all men shall speak well 
of you6 for so did their fathers to the 
false prophets4  ,intellectual          
intrepidity is one of the vital         
conditions of independence and          
self-reliance of character4 ,a man must 
have the courage to be himself1 and not 
the shadow or the echo of another4 ,he  
must exercise his own powers1 think his 
own thoughts1 and speak his own         
sentiments4 ,he must elaborate his own  
opinions1 and form his own convictions4 
,it has been said that he who dare not  
form an opinion1 must be a coward2 he   
who will not1 must be an idler2 he who  
cannot1 must be a fool4  ,but it is     
precisely in this element of intrepidity

 that so many persons of promise fall   
short1 and disappoint the expectations  
of their friends4 ,they march up to the 
scene of action1 but at every step their
 courage oozes out4 ,they want the      
requisite decision1 courage1 and        
perseverance4 ,they calculate the risks1
 and weigh the chances1 until the       
opportunity for effective effort has    
passed1 it may be never to return4  ,men
 are bound to speak the truth in the    
love of it4 ,i had rather suffer1 said  
,john ,pym1 the ,commonwealth man1 for  
speaking the truth1 than that the truth 
should suffer for want of my speaking4  
,when a man's convictions are honestly  
formed1 after fair and full             
consideration1 he is justified in       
striving by all fair means to bring them
 into action4 ,there are certain states 
of society and conditions of affairs in 
which a man is bound to speak out1 and  
be antagonistic--when conformity is not 
only a weakness1 but a sin4 ,great evils
 are in some cases only to be met by    

resistance2 they cannot be wept down1   
but must be battled down4  ,the honest  
man is naturally antagonistic to fraud1 
the truthful man to lying1 the          
justice-loving man to oppression1 the   
pureminded man to vice and iniquity4    
,they have to do battle with these      
conditions1 and if possible overcome    
them4 ,such men have in all ages        
represented the moral force of the      
world4 ,inspired by benevolence and     
sustained by courage1 they have been the
 mainstays of all social renovation and 
progress4 ,but for their continuous     
antagonism to evil conditions1 the world
 were for the most part given over to   
the dominion of selfishness and vice4   
,all the great reformers and martyrs    
were antagonistic men--enemies to       
falsehood and evildoing4 ,the ,apostles 
themselves were an organised band of    
social antagonists1 who contended with  
pride1 selfishness1 superstition1 and   
irreligion4 ,and in our own time the    
lives of such men as ,clarkson and      

,granville ,sharpe1 ,father ,mathew and 
,richard ,cobden1 inspired by singleness
 of purpose1 have shown what highminded 
social antagonism can effect4  ,it is   
the strong and courageous men who lead  
and guide and rule the world4 ,the weak 
and timid leave no trace behind them2   
whilst the life of a single upright and 
energetic man is like a track of light4 
,his example is remembered and appealed 
to2 and his thoughts1 his spirit1 and   
his courage continue to be the          
inspiration of succeeding generations4  
,it is energy--the central element of   
which is will--that produces the        
miracles of enthusiasm in all ages4     
,everywhere it is the mainspring of what
 is called force of character1 and the  
sustaining power of all great action4   
,in a righteous cause the determined man
 stands upon his courage as upon a      
granite block2 and1 like ,david1 he will
 go forth to meet ,goliath1 strong in   
heart though an host be encamped against
 him4  ,men often conquer difficulties  

because they feel they can4 ,their      
confidence in themselves inspires the   
confidence of others4 ,when ,caesar was 
at sea1 and a storm began to rage1 the  
captain of the ship which carried him   
became unmanned by fear4 ,what art thou 
afraid of8 cried the great captain2 thy 
vessel carries ,caesar6 ,the courage of 
the brave man is contagious1 and carries
 others along with it4 ,his stronger    
nature awes weaker natures into silence1
 or inspires them with his own will and 
purpose4  ,the persistent man will not  
be baffled or repulsed by opposition4   
,diogenes1 desirous of becoming the     
disciple of ,antisthenes1 went and      
offered himself to the cynic4 ,he was   
refused4 ,diogenes still persisting1 the
 cynic raised his knotty staff1 and     
threatened to strike him if he did not  
depart4 ,strike6 said ,diogenes2 you    
will not find a stick hard enough to    
conquer my perseverance4 ,antisthenes1  
overcome1 had not another word to say1  
but forthwith accepted him as his pupil4

  ,energy of temperament1 with a        
moderate degree of wisdom1 will carry a 
man further than any amount of intellect
 without it4 ,energy makes the man of   
practical ability4 ,it gives him ,,vis1 
force1 ,,momentum4 ,it is the active    
motive power of character2 and if       
combined with sagacity and              
self-possession1 will enable a man to   
employ his powers to the best advantage 
in all the affairs of life4  ,hence it  
is that1 inspired by energy of purpose1 
men of comparatively mediocre powers    
have often been enabled to accomplish   
such extraordinary results4 ,for the men
 who have most powerfully influenced the
 world have not been so much men of     
genius as men of strong convictions and 
enduring capacity for work1 impelled by 
irresistible energy and invincible      
determination3 such men1 for example1 as
 were ,mahomet1 ,luther1 ,knox1 ,calvin1
 ,loyola1 and ,wesley4  ,courage1       
combined with energy and perseverance1  
will overcome difficulties apparently   

insurmountable4 ,it gives force and     
impulse to effort1 and does not permit  
it to retreat4 ,tyndall said of         
,faraday1 that in his warm moments he   
formed a resolution1 and in his cool    
ones he made that resolution good4      
,perseverance1 working in the right     
direction1 grows with time1 and when    
steadily practised1 even by the most    
humble1 will rarely fail of its reward4 
,trusting in the help of others is of   
comparatively little use4 ,when one of  
,michael ,angelo's principal patrons    
died1 he said3 ,i begin to understand   
that the promises of the world are for  
the most part vain phantoms1 and that to
 confide in one's self1 and become      
something of worth and value1 is the    
best and safest course4  ,courage is by 
no means incompatible with tenderness4  
,on the contrary1 gentleness and        
tenderness have been found to           
characterise the men1 not less than the 
women1 who have done the most courageous
 deeds4 ,sir ,charles ,napier gave up   

sporting1 because he could not bear to  
hurt dumb creatures4 ,the same          
gentleness and tenderness characterised 
his brother1 ,sir ,william1 the         
historian of the ,peninsular ,war4 #adaj
 ,such also was the character of ,sir   
,james ,outram1 pronounced by ,sir      
,charles ,napier to be the ,bayard of   
,india1 ,,sans ,,peur ,,et ,,sans       
,,reproche--one of the bravest and yet  
gentlest of men2 respectful and reverent
 to women1 tender to children1 helpful  
of the weak1 stern to the corrupt1 but  
kindly as summer to the honest and      
deserving4 ,moreover1 he was himself as 
honest as day1 and as pure as virtue4   
,of him it might be said with truth1    
what ,fulke ,greville said of ,sidney3  
,he was a true model of worth--a man fit
 for conquest1 reformation1 plantation1 
or what action soever is the greatest   
and hardest among men2 his chief ends   
withal being above all things the good  
of his fellows1 and the service of his  
sovereign and country4  ,when ,edward   

the ,black ,prince won the ,battle of   
,poictiers1 in which he took prisoner   
the ,french king and his son1 he        
entertained them in the evening at a    
banquet1 when he insisted on waiting    
upon and serving them at table4 ,the    
gallant prince's knightly courtesy and  
demeanour won the hearts of his captives
 as completely as his valour had won    
their persons2 for1 notwithstanding his 
youth1 ,edward was a true knight1 the   
first and bravest of his time--a noble  
pattern and example of chivalry2 his two
 mottoes1 ',hochmuth' and ',ich dien'   
#ad;high spirit and reverent service not
 inaptly expressing his prominent and   
pervading qualities4  ,it is the        
courageous man who can best afford to be
 generous2 or rather1 it is his nature  
to be so4 ,when ,fairfax1 at the ,battle
 of ,naseby1 seized the colours from an 
ensign whom he had struck down in the   
fight1 he handed them to a common       
soldier to take care of4 ,the soldier1  
unable to resist the temptation1 boasted

 to his comrades that he had himself    
seized the colours1 and the boast was   
repeated to ,fairfax4 ,let him retain   
the honour1 said the commander2 ,i have 
enough beside4  ,so when ,douglas1 at   
the ,battle of ,bannockburn1 saw        
,randolph1 his rival1 outnumbered and   
apparently overpowered by the enemy1 he 
prepared to hasten to his assistance2   
but1 seeing that ,randolph was already  
driving them back1 he cried out1 ,hold  
and halt6 ,we are come too late to aid  
them2 let us not lessen the victory they
 have won by affecting to claim a share 
in it4  ,quite as chivalrous1 though in 
a very different field of action1 was   
the conduct of ,laplace to the young    
philosopher ,biot1 when the latter had  
read to the ,french ,academy his paper1 
,,sur ,,les ,,equations ,,aux           
,,difference ,,melees4 ,the assembled   
,,savans1 at its close1 felicitated the 
reader of the paper on his originality4 
,monge was delighted at his success4    
,laplace also praised him for the       

clearness of his demonstrations1 and    
invited ,biot to accompany him home4    
,arrived there1 ,laplace took from a    
closet in his study a paper1 yellow with
 age1 and handed it to the young        
philosopher4 ,to ,biot's surprise1 he   
found that it contained the solutions1  
all worked out1 for which he had just   
gained so much applause4 ,with rare     
magnanimity1 ,laplace withheld all      
knowledge of the circumstance from ,biot
 until the latter had initiated his     
reputation before the ,academy2         
moreover1 he enjoined him to silence2   
and the incident would have remained a  
secret had not ,biot himself published  
it1 some fifty years afterwards4  ,an   
incident is related of a ,french        
artisan1 exhibiting the same            
characteristic of self-sacrifice in     
another form4 ,in front of a lofty house
 in course of erection at ,paris was the
 usual scaffold1 loaded with men and    
materials4 ,the scaffold1 being too     
weak1 suddenly broke down1 and the men  

upon it were precipitated to the        
ground--all except two1 a young man and 
a middle-aged one1 who hung on to a     
narrow ledge1 which trembled under their
 weight1 and was evidently on the point 
of giving way4 ,pierre1 cried the elder 
of the two1 let go2 ,i am the father of 
a family4 ,c',,est ,,juste6 said        
,pierre2 and1 instantly letting go his  
hold1 he fell and was killed on the     
spot4 ,the father of the family was     
saved4  ,the brave man is magnanimous as
 well as gentle4 ,he does not take even 
an enemy at a disadvantage1 nor strike a
 man when he is down and unable to      
defend himself4 ,even in the midst of   
deadly strife such instances of         
generosity have not been uncommon4      
,thus1 at the ,battle of ,dettingen1    
during the heat of the action1 a        
squadron of ,french cavalry charged an  
,english regiment2 but when the young   
,french officer who led them1 and was   
about to attack the ,english leader1    
observed that he had only one arm1 with 

which he held his bridle1 the ,frenchman
 saluted him courteously with his sword1
 and passed on4 #adaa  ,it is related of
 ,charles ,v41 that after the siege and 
capture of ,wittenburg by the           
,imperialist army1 the monarch went to  
see the tomb of ,luther4 ,while reading 
the inscription on it1 one of the       
servile courtiers who accompanied him   
proposed to open the grave1 and give the
 ashes of the heretic to the winds4 ,the
 monarch's cheek flushed with honest    
indignation3 ,i war not with the dead1  
said he2 let this place be respected4   
,the portrait which the great heathen1  
,aristotle1 drew of the ,magnanimous    
,man1 in other words the ,true          
,gentleman1 more than two thousand years
 ago1 is as faithful now as it was then4
 ,the magnanimous man1 he said1 will    
behave with moderation under both good  
fortune and bad4 ,he will know how to be
 exalted and how to be abased4 ,he will 
neither be delighted with success nor   
grieved by failure4 ,he will neither    

shun danger nor seek it1 for there are  
few things which he cares for4 ,he is   
reticent1 and somewhat slow of speech1  
but speaks his mind openly and boldly   
when occasion calls for it4 ,he is apt  
to admire1 for nothing is great to him4 
,he overlooks injuries4 ,he is not given
 to talk about himself or about others2 
for he does not care that he himself    
should be praised1 or that other people 
should be blamed4 ,he does not cry out  
about trifles1 and craves help from     
none4  ,on the other hand1 mean men     
admire meanly4 ,they have neither       
modesty1 generosity1 nor magnanimity4   
,they are ready to take advantage of the
 weakness or defencelessness of others1 
especially where they have themselves   
succeeded1 by unscrupulous methods1 in  
climbing to positions of authority4     
,snobs in high places are always much   
less tolerable than snobs of low degree1
 because they have more frequent        
opportunities of making their want of   
manliness felt4 ,they assume greater    

airs1 and are pretentious in all that   
they do2 and the higher their elevation1
 the more conspicuous is the incongruity
 of their position4 ,the higher the     
monkey climbs1 says the proverb1 the    
more he shows his tail4  ,much depends  
on the way in which a thing is done4 ,an
 act which might be taken as a kindness 
if done in a generous spirit1 when done 
in a grudging spirit1 may be felt as    
stingy1 if not harsh and even cruel4    
,when ,ben ,jonson lay sick and in      
poverty1 the king sent him a paltry     
message1 accompanied by a gratuity4 ,the
 sturdy plainspoken poet's reply was3 ,i
 suppose he sends me this because ,i    
live in an alley2 tell him his soul     
lives in an alley4  ,from what we have  
said1 it will be obvious that to be of  
an enduring and courageous spirit1 is of
 great importance in the formation of   
character4 ,it is a source not only of  
usefulness in life1 but of happiness4   
,on the other hand1 to be of a timid    
and1 still more1 of a cowardly nature is

 one of the greatest misfortunes4 ,a4   
wise man was accustomed to say that one 
of the principal objects he aimed at in 
the education of his sons and daughters 
was to train them in the habit of       
fearing nothing so much as fear4 ,and   
the habit of avoiding fear is1          
doubtless1 capable of being trained like
 any other habit1 such as the habit of  
attention1 of diligence1 of study1 or of
 cheerfulness4  ,much of the fear that  
exists is the offspring of imagination1 
which creates the images of evils which 
,,may happen1 but perhaps rarely do2 and
 thus many persons who are capable of   
summoning up courage to grapple with and
 overcome real dangers1 are paralysed or
 thrown into consternation by those     
which are imaginary4 ,hence1 unless the 
imagination be held under strict        
discipline1 we are prone to meet evils  
more than halfway--to suffer them by    
forestalment1 and to assume the burdens 
which we ourselves create4  ,education  
in courage is not usually included      

amongst the branches of female training1
 and yet it is really of greater        
importance than either music1 ,french1  
or the use of the globes4 ,contrary to  
the view of ,sir ,richard ,steele1 that 
women should be characterised by a      
tender fear1 and an inferiority which   
makes her lovely1 we would have women   
educated in resolution and courage1 as a
 means of rendering them more helpful1  
more self-reliant1 and vastly more      
useful and happy4  ,there is1 indeed1   
nothing attractive in timidity1 nothing 
loveable in fear4 ,all weakness1 whether
 of mind or body1 is equivalent to      
deformity1 and the reverse of           
interesting4 ,courage is graceful and   
dignified1 whilst fear1 in any form1 is 
mean and repulsive4 ,yet the utmost     
tenderness and gentleness are consistent
 with courage4 ,ary ,scheffer1 the      
artist1 once wrote to his               
daughter3-,dear daughter1 strive to be  
of good courage1 to be gentle-hearted2  
these are the true qualities for woman4 

',troubles' everybody must expect4      
,there is but one way of looking at     
fate--whatever that be1 whether         
blessings or afflictions--to behave with
 dignity under both4 ,we must not lose  
heart1 or it will be the worse both for 
ourselves and for those whom we love4   
,to struggle1 and again and again to    
renew the conflict--,,this is life's    
inheritance4 #adab  ,in sickness and    
sorrow1 none are braver and less        
complaining sufferers than women4 ,their
 courage1 where their hearts are        
concerned1 is indeed proverbial3        
,oh6 femmes c'est a tort qu'on vous     
nommes timides1       ,a la voix de vos 
coeurs vous etes intrepides4            
,experience has proved that women can be
 as enduring as men1 under the heaviest 
trials and calamities2 but too little   
pains are taken to teach them to endure 
petty terrors and frivolous vexations   
with fortitude4 ,such little miseries1  
if petted and indulged1 quickly run into
 sickly sensibility1 and become the bane

 of their life1 keeping themselves and  
those about them in a state of chronic  
discomfort4  ,the best corrective of    
this condition of mind is wholesome     
moral and mental discipline4 ,mental    
strength is as necessary for the        
development of woman's character as of  
man's4 ,it gives her capacity to deal   
with the affairs of life1 and presence  
of mind1 which enable her to act with   
vigour and effect in moments of         
emergency4 ,character1 in a woman1 as in
 a man1 will always be found the best   
safeguard of virtue1 the best nurse of  
religion1 the best corrective of ,time4 
,personal beauty soon passes2 but beauty
 of mind and character increases in     
attractiveness the older it grows4  ,ben
 ,jonson gives a striking portraiture of
 a noble woman in these lines3--     ,i 
meant she should be courteous1 facile1  
sweet1       ,free from that solemn vice
 of greatness1 pride2     ,i meant each 
softed virtue there should meet1        
,fit in that softer bosom to abide4     

,only a learned and a manly soul1       
,i purposed her1 that should with even  
powers1     ,the rock1 the spindle1 and 
the shears control       ,of destiny1   
and spin her own free hours4  ,the      
courage of woman is not the less true   
because it is for the most part passive4
 ,it is not encouraged by the cheers of 
the world1 for it is mostly exhibited in
 the recesses of private life4 ,yet     
there are cases of heroic patience and  
endurance on the part of women which    
occasionally come to the light of day4  
,one of the most celebrated instances in
 history is that of ,gertrude ,von der  
,wart4 ,her husband1 falsely accused of 
being an accomplice in the murder of the
 ,emperor ,albert1 was condemned to the 
most frightful of all punishments--to be
 broken alive on the wheel4 ,with most  
profound conviction of her husband's    
innocence the faithful woman stood by   
his side to the last1 watching over him 
during two days and nights1 braving the 
empress's anger and the inclemency of   

the weather1 in the hope of contributing
 to soothe his dying agonies4 #adac     
,but women have not only distinguished  
themselves for their passive courage3   
impelled by affection1 or the sense of  
duty1 they have occasionally become     
heroic4 ,when the band of conspirators1 
who sought the life of ,james ,,ii4 of  
,scotland1 burst into his lodgings at   
,perth1 the king called to the ladies1  
who were in the chamber outside his     
room1 to keep the door as well as they  
could1 and give him time to escape4 ,the
 conspirators had previously destroyed  
the locks of the doors1 so that the keys
 could not be turned2 and when they     
reached the ladies' apartment1 it was   
found that the bar also had been        
removed4 ,but1 on hearing them approach1
 the brave ,catherine ,douglas1 with the
 hereditary courage of her family1      
boldly thrust her arm across the door   
instead of the bar2 and held it there   
until1 her arm being broken1 the        
conspirators burst into the room with   

drawn swords and daggers1 overthrowing  
the ladies1 who1 though unarmed1 still  
endeavoured to resist them4  ,the       
defence of ,lathom ,house by ,charlotte 
de la ,tremouille1 the worthy descendant
 of ,william of ,nassau and ,admiral    
,coligny1 was another striking instance 
of heroic bravery on the part of a noble
 woman4 ,when summoned by the           
,parliamentary forces to surrender1 she 
declared that she had been entrusted by 
her husband with the defence of the     
house1 and that she could not give it up
 without her dear lord's orders1 but    
trusted in ,god for protection and      
deliverance4 ,in her arrangements for   
the defence1 she is described as having 
left nothing with her eye to be excused 
afterwards by fortune or negligence1 and
 added to her former patience a most    
resolved fortitude4 ,the brave lady held
 her house and home good against the    
enemy for a whole year--during three    
months of which the place was strictly  
besieged and bombarded--until at length 

the siege was raised1 after a most      
gallant defence1 by the advance of the  
,royalist army4  ,nor can we forget the 
courage of ,lady ,franklin1 who         
persevered to the last1 when the hopes  
of all others had died out1 in          
prosecuting the search after the        
,franklin ,expedition4 ,on the occasion 
of the ,royal ,geographical ,society    
determining to award the ,founder's     
,medal to ,lady ,franklin1 ,sir         
,roderick ,murchison observed1 that in  
the course of a long friendship with    
her1 he had abundant opportunities of   
observing and testing the sterling      
qualities of a woman who had proved     
herself worthy of the admiration of     
mankind4 ,nothing daunted by failure    
after failure1 through twelve long years
 of hope deferred1 she had persevered1  
with a singleness of purpose and a      
sincere devotion which were truly       
unparalleled4 ,and now that her one last
 expedition of the ,,fox1 under the     
gallant ,m',clintock1 had realised the  

two great facts--that her husband had   
traversed wide seas unknown to former   
navigators1 and died in discovering a   
north-west passage--then1 surely1 the   
adjudication of the medal would be      
hailed by the nation as one of the many 
recompences to which the widow of the   
illustrious ,franklin was so eminently  
entitled4  ,but that devotion to duty   
which marks the heroic character has    
more often been exhibited by women in   
deeds of charity and mercy4 ,the greater
 part of these are never known1 for they
 are done in private1 out of the public 
sight1 and for the mere love of doing   
good4 ,where fame has come to them1     
because of the success which has        
attended their labours in a more general
 sphere1 it has come unsought and       
unexpected1 and is often felt as a      
burden4 ,who has not heard of ,mrs4 ,fry
 and ,miss ,carpenter as prison visitors
 and reformers2 of ,mrs4 ,chisholm and  
,miss ,rye as promoters of emigration2  
and of ,miss ,nightingale and ,miss     

,garrett as apostles of hospital        
nursing8  ,that these women should have 
emerged from the sphere of private and  
domestic life to become leaders in      
philanthropy1 indicates no small1 degree
 of moral courage on their part2 for to 
women1 above all others1 quiet and ease 
and retirement are most natural and     
welcome4 ,very few women step beyond the
 boundaries of home in search of a      
larger field of usefulness4 ,but when   
they have desired one1 they have had no 
difficulty in finding it4 ,the ways in  
which men and women can help their      
neighbours are innumerable4 ,it needs   
but the willing heart and ready hand4   
,most of the philanthropic workers we   
have named1 however1 have scarcely been 
influenced by choice4 ,the duty lay in  
their way--it seemed to be the nearest  
to them--and they set about doing it    
without desire for fame1 or any other   
reward but the approval of their own    
conscience4  ,among prison-visitors1 the
 name of ,sarah ,martin is much less    

known than that of ,mrs4 ,fry1 although 
she preceded her in the work4 ,how she  
was led to undertake it1 furnishes at   
the same time an illustration of womanly
 trueheartedness and earnest womanly    
courage4  ,sarah ,martin was the        
daughter of poor parents1 and was left  
an orphan at an early age4 ,she was     
brought up by her grandmother1 at       
,caistor1 near ,yarmouth1 and earned her
 living by going out to families as     
assistant-dressmaker1 at a shilling a   
day4 ,in #ahai1 a woman was tried and   
sentenced to imprisonment in ,yarmouth  
,gaol1 for cruelly beating and illusing 
her child1 and her crime became the talk
 of the town4 ,the young dressmaker was 
much impressed by the report of the     
trial1 and the desire entered her mind  
of visiting the woman in gaol1 and      
trying to reclaim her4 ,she had often   
before1 on passing the walls of the     
borough gaol1 felt impelled to seek     
admission1 with the object of visiting  
the inmates1 reading the ,scriptures to 

them1 and endeavouring to lead them back
 to the society whose laws they had     
violated4  ,at length she could not     
resist her impulse to visit the mother4 
,she entered the gaol-porch1 lifted the 
knocker1 and asked the gaoler for       
admission4 ,for some reason or other she
 was refused2 but she returned1 repeated
 her request1 and this time she was     
admitted4 ,the culprit mother shortly   
stood before her4 ,when ,sarah ,martin  
told the motive of her visit1 the       
criminal burst into tears1 and thanked  
her4 ,those tears and thanks shaped the 
whole course of ,sarah ,martin's        
after-life2 and the poor seamstress1    
while maintaining herself by her needle1
 continued to spend her leisure hours in
 visiting the prisoners1 and            
endeavouring to alleviate their         
condition4 ,she constituted herself     
their chaplain and schoolmistress1 for  
at that time they had neither2 she read 
to them from the ,scriptures1 and taught
 them to read and write4 ,she gave up an

 entire day in the week for this        
purpose1 besides ,sundays1 as well as   
other intervals of spare time1 feeling1 
she says1 that the blessing of ,god was 
upon her4 ,she taught the women to knit1
 to sew1 and to cut out2 the sale of the
 articles enabling her to buy other     
materials1 and to continue the          
industrial education thus begun4 ,she   
also taught the men to make straw hats1 
men's and boys' caps1 gray cotton       
shirts1 and even patchwork--anything to 
keep them out of idleness1 and from     
preying on their own thoughts4 ,out of  
the earnings of the prisoners in this   
way1 she formed a fund1 which she       
applied to furnishing them with work on 
their discharge2 thus enabling them     
again to begin the world honestly1 and  
at the same time affording her1 as she  
herself says1 the advantage of observing
 their conduct4  ,by attending too      
exclusively to this prison-work1        
however1 ,sarah ,martin's dressmaking   
business fell off2 and the question     

arose with her1 whether in order to     
recover her business she was to suspend 
her prison-work4 ,but her decision had  
already been made4 ,i had counted the   
cost1 she said1 and my mind1 was made   
up4 ,if1 whilst imparting truth to      
others1 ,i became exposed to temporal   
want1 the privations so momentary to an 
individual would not admit of comparison
 with following the ,lord1 in thus      
administering to others4 ,she now       
devoted six or seven hours every day to 
the prisoners1 converting what would    
otherwise have been a scene of dissolute
 idleness into a hive of orderly        
industry4 ,newly-admitted prisoners were
 sometimes refractory1 but her          
persistent gentleness eventually won    
their respect and co-operation4 ,men old
 in years and crime1 pert ,london       
pickpockets1 depraved boys and dissolute
 sailors1 profligate women1 smugglers1  
poachers1 and the promiscuous horde of  
criminals which usually fill the gaol of
 a seaport and county town1 all         

submitted to the benign influence of    
this good woman2 and under her eyes they
 might be seen1 for the first time in   
their lives1 striving to hold a pen1 or 
to master the characters in a penny     
primer4 ,she entered into their         
confidences--watched1 wept1 prayed1 and 
felt for all by turns4 ,she strengthened
 their good resolutions1 cheered the    
hopeless and despairing1 and endeavoured
 to put all1 and hold all1 in the right 
road of amendment4  ,for more than      
twenty years this good and truehearted  
woman pursued her noble course1 with    
little encouragement1 and not much help2
 almost her only means of subsistence   
consisting in an annual income of ten or
 twelve pounds left by her grandmother1 
eked out by her little earnings at      
dressmaking4 ,during the last two years 
of her ministrations1 the borough       
magistrates of ,yarmouth1 knowing that  
her self-imposed labours saved them the 
expense of a schoolmaster and chaplain  
#adwhich they had become bound by law to

 appoint1 made a proposal to her of an  
annual salary of #ab,l4 a year2 but they
 did it in so indelicate a manner as    
greatly to wound her sensitive feelings4
 ,she shrank from becoming the salaried 
official of the corporation1 and        
bartering for money those serviced which
 had throughout been labours of love4   
,but the ,gaol ,committee coarsely      
informed her1 that if they permitted her
 to visit the prison she must submit to 
their terms1 or be excluded4 ,for two   
years1 therefore1 she received the      
salary of #ab,l4 a year--the            
acknowledgment of the ,yarmouth         
corporation for her services as gaol    
chaplain and schoolmistress6 ,she was   
now1 however1 becoming old and infirm1  
and the unhealthy atmosphere of the gaol
 did much towards finally disabling her4
 ,while she lay on her deathbed1 she    
resumed the exercise of a talent she had
 occasionally practised before in her   
moments of leisure--the composition of  
sacred poetry4 ,as works of art1 they   

may not excite admiration2 yet never    
were verses written truer in spirit1 or 
fuller of ,christian love4 ,but her own 
life was a nobler poem than any she ever
 wrote--full of true courage1           
perseverance1 charity1 and wisdom4 ,it  
was indeed a commentary upon her own    
words3        ,the high desire that     
others may be blest        ,savours of  
heaven4     ,,chapter                   
,,vi4--,,self-,,control4        ,honour 
and profit do not always lie in the same
 sack4--      ,,george ,,herbert4       
,the government of one's self is the    
only true freedom for      the          
,individual4--,,frederick ,,perthes4    
,it is in length of patience1 and       
endurance1 and      forbearance1 that so
 much of what is good in mankind and    
womankind is shown4--,,arthur ,,helps4  
,temperance1 proof       ,against all   
trials2 industry severe       ,and      
constant as the motion of the day2      
,stern self-denial round him spread1    
with shade       ,that might be deemed  

forbidding1 did not there       ,all    
generous feelings flourish and rejoice2 
,forbearance1 charity indeed and        
thought1       ,and resolution competent
 to take       ,out of the bosom of     
simplicity       ,all that her holy     
customs recommend4--,,wordsworth4       
,self-control is only courage under     
another form4 ,it may almost be regarded
 as the primary essence of character4   
,it is in virtue of this quality that   
,shakspeare defines man as a being      
looking before and after4 ,it forms the 
chief distinction between man and the   
mere animal2 and1 indeed1 there can be  
no true manhood without it4             
,self-control is at the root of all the 
virtues4 ,let a man give the reins to   
his impulses and passions1 and from that
 moment he yields up his moral freedom4 
,he is carried along the current of     
life1 and becomes the slave of his      
strongest desire for the time being4    
,to be morally free--to be more than an 
animal--man must be able to resist      

instinctive impulse1 and this can only  
be done by the exercise of self-control4
 ,thus it is this power which           
constitutes the real distinction between
 a physical and a moral life1 and that  
forms the primary basis of individual   
character4  ,in the ,bible praise is    
given1 not to the strong man who taketh 
a city1 but to the stronger man who     
ruleth his own spirit4 ,this stronger   
man is he who1 by discipline1 exercises 
a constant control over his thoughts1   
his speech1 and his acts4 ,nine-tenths  
of the vicious desires that degrade     
society1 and which1 when indulged1 swell
 into the crimes that disgrace it1 would
 shrink into insignificance before the  
advance of valiant self-discipline1     
self-respect1 and self-control4 ,by the 
watchful exercise of these virtues1     
purity of heart and mind become         
habitual1 and the character is built up 
in chastity1 virtue1 and temperance4    
,the best support of character will     
always be found in habit1 which1        

according as the will is directed       
rightly or wrongly1 as the case may be1 
will prove either a benignant ruler or a
 cruel despot4 ,we may be its willing   
subject on the one hand1 or its servile 
slave on the other4 ,it may help us on  
the road to good1 or it may hurry us on 
the road to ruin4  ,habit is formed by  
careful training4 ,and it is astonishing
 how much can be accomplished by        
systematic discipline and drill4 ,see   
how1 for instance1 out of the most      
unpromising materials--such as roughs   
picked up in the streets1 or raw unkempt
 country lads taken from the            
plough--steady discipline and drill will
 bring out the unsuspected qualities of 
courage1 endurance1 and self-sacrifice2 
and how1 in the field of battle1 or even
 on the more trying occasions of perils 
by sea--such as the burning of the      
,,sarah ,,sands or the wreck of the     
,,birkenhead--such men1 carefully       
disciplined1 will exhibit the           
unmistakable characteristics of true    

bravery and heroism6  ,nor is moral     
discipline and drill less influential in
 the formation of character4 ,without   
it1 there will be no proper system and  
order in the regulation of the life4    
,upon it depends the cultivation of the 
sense of self-respect1 the education of 
the habit of obedience1 the development 
of the idea of duty4 ,the most          
self-reliant1 self-governing man is     
always under discipline3 and the more   
perfect the discipline1 the higher will 
be his moral condition4 ,he has to drill
 his desires1 and keep them in          
subjection to the higher powers of his  
nature4 ,they must obey the word of     
command of the internal monitor1 the    
conscience--otherwise they will be but  
the mere slaves of their inclinations1  
the sport of feeling and impulse4  ,in  
the supremacy of self-control1 says     
,herbert ,spencer1 consists one of the  
perfections of the ideal man4 ,not to be
 impulsive--not to be spurred hither and
 thither by each desire that in turn    

comes uppermost--but to be              
self-restrained1 self-balanced1 governed
 by the joint decision of the feelings  
in council assembled1 before whom every 
action shall have been fully debated and
 calmly determined--that it is which    
education1 moral education at least1    
strives to produce4 #aea  ,the first    
seminary of moral discipline1 and the   
best1 as we have already shown1 is the  
home2 next comes the school1 and after  
that the world1 the great school of     
practical life4 ,each is preparatory to 
the other1 and what the man or woman    
becomes1 depends for the most part upon 
what has gone before4 ,if they have     
enjoyed the advantage of neither the    
home nor the school1 but have been      
allowed to grow up untrained1 untaught1 
and undisciplined1 then woe to          
themselves--woe to the society of which 
they form part6  ,the best-regulated    
home is always that in which the        
discipline is the most perfect1 and yet 
where it is the least felt4 ,moral      

discipline acts with the force of a law 
of nature4 ,those subject to it yield   
themselves to it unconsciously2 and     
though it shapes and forms the whole    
character1 until the life becomes       
crystallized in habit1 the influence    
thus exercised is for the most part     
unseen and almost unfelt4  ,the         
importance of strict domestic discipline
 is curiously illustrated by a fact     
mentioned in ,mrs4 ,schimmelpenninck's  
,memoirs1 to the following effect3 that 
a lady who1 with her husband1 had       
inspected most of the lunatic asylums of
 ,england and the ,continent1 found the 
most numerous class of patients was     
almost always composed of those who had 
been only children1 and whose wills had 
therefore rarely been thwarted or       
disciplined in early life2 whilst those 
who were members of large families1 and 
who had been trained in self-discipline1
 were far less frequent victims to the  
malady4  ,although the moral character  
depends in a great degree on temperament

 and on physical health1 as well as on  
domestic and early training and the     
example of companions1 it is also in the
 power of each individual to regulate1  
to restrain1 and to discipline it by    
watchful and persevering self-control4  
,a competent teacher has said of the    
propensities and habits1 that they are  
as teachable as ,latin and ,greek1 while
 they are much more essential to        
happiness4  ,dr4 ,johnson1 though       
himself constitutionally prone to       
melancholy1 and afflicted by it as few  
have been from his earliest years1 said 
that a man's being in a good or bad     
humour very much depends upon his will4 
,we may train ourselves in a habit of   
patience and contentment on the one     
hand1 or of grumbling and discontent on 
the other4 ,we may accustom ourselves to
 exaggerate small evils1 and to         
underestimate great blessings4 ,we may  
even become the victim of petty miseries
 by giving way to them4 ,thus1 we may   
educate ourselves in a happy            

disposition1 as well as in a morbid one4
 ,indeed1 the habit of viewing things   
cheerfully1 and of thinking about life  
hopefully1 may be made to grow up in us 
like any other habit4 #aeb ,it was not  
an exaggerated estimate of ,dr4 ,johnson
 to say1 that the habit of looking at   
the best side of any event is worth far 
more than a thousand pounds a year4     
,the religious man's life is pervaded by
 rigid self-discipline and              
self-restraint4 ,he is to be sober and  
vigilant1 to eschew evil and do good1 to
 walk in the spirit1 to be obedient unto
 death1 to withstand in the evil day1   
and having done all1 to stand2 to       
wrestle against spiritual wickedness1   
and against the rulers of the darkness  
of this world2 to be rooted and built up
 in faith1 and not to be weary of       
well-doing2 for in due season he shall  
reap1 if he faint not4  ,the man of     
business also must needs be subject to  
strict rule and system4 ,business1 like 
life1 is managed by moral leverage2     

success in both depending in no small   
degree upon that regulation of temper   
and careful self-discipline1 which give 
a wise man not only a command over      
himself1 but over others4 ,forbearance  
and self-control smooth the road of     
life1 and open many ways which would    
otherwise remain closed4 ,and so does   
self-respect3 for as men respect        
themselves1 so will they usually respect
 the personality of others4  ,it is the 
same in politics as in business4        
,success in that sphere of life is      
achieved less by talent than by temper1 
less by genius than by character4 ,if a 
man have not self-control1 he will lack 
patience1 be wanting in tact1 and have  
neither the power of governing himself  
nor of managing others4 ,when the       
quality most needed in a ,prime         
,minister was the subject of            
conversation in the presence of ,mr4    
,pitt1 one of the speakers said it was  
,eloquence2 another said it was         
,knowledge2 and a third said it was     

,toil1 ,no1 said ,pitt1 it is ,patience6
 ,and patience means self-control1 a    
quality in which he himself was superb4 
,his friend ,george ,rose has said of   
him that he never once saw ,pitt out of 
temper4 #aec ,yet1 although patience is 
usually regarded as a slow virtue1 ,pitt
 combined with it the most extraordinary
 readiness1 vigour1 and rapidity of     
thought as well as action4  ,it is by   
patience and self-control that the truly
 heroic character is perfected4 ,these  
were among the most prominent           
characteristics of the great ,hampden1  
whose noble qualities were generously   
acknowledged even by his political      
enemies4 ,thus ,clarendon described him 
as a man of rare temper and modesty1    
naturally cheerful and vivacious1 and   
above all1 of a flowing courtesy4 ,he   
was kind and intrepid1 yet gentle1 of   
unblameable conversation1 and his heart 
glowed with love to all men4 ,he was not
 a man of many words1 but1 being of     
unimpeachable character1 every word he  

uttered carried weight4 ,no man had ever
 a greater power over himself4444 ,he   
was very temperate in diet1 and a       
supreme governor over all his passions  
and affections2 and he had thereby great
 power over other men's4 ,sir ,philip   
,warwick1 another of his political      
opponents1 incidentally describes his   
great influence in a certain debate3 ,we
 had catched at each other's locks1 and 
sheathed our swords in each other's     
bowels1 had not the sagacity and great  
calmness of ,mr4 ,hampden1 by a short   
speech1 prevented it1 and led us to     
defer our angry debate until the next   
morning4  ,a strong temper is not       
necessarily a bad temper4 ,but the      
stronger the temper1 the greater is the 
need of self-discipline and             
self-control4 ,dr4 ,johnson says men    
grow better as they grow older1 and     
improve with experience2 but this       
depends upon the width1 and depth1 and  
generousness of their nature4 ,it is not
 men's faults that ruin them so much as 

the manner in which they conduct        
themselves after the faults have been   
committed4 ,the wise will profit by the 
suffering they cause1 and eschew them   
for the future2 but there are those on  
whom experience exerts no ripening      
influence1 and who only grow narrower   
and bitterer and more vicious with time4
  ,what is called strong temper in a    
young man1 often indicates a large      
amount of unripe energy1 which will     
expend itself in useful work if the road
 be fairly opened to it4 ,it is said of 
,stephen ,gerard1 a ,frenchman1 who     
pursued a remarkably successful career  
in the ,united ,states1 that when he    
heard of a clerk with a strong temper1  
he would readily take him into his      
employment1 and set him to work in a    
room by himself2 ,gerard being of       
opinion that such persons were the best 
workers1 and that their energy would    
expend itself in work if removed from   
the temptation to quarrel4  ,strong     
temper may only mean a strong and       

excitable will4 ,uncontrolled1 it       
displays itself in fitful outbreaks of  
passion2 but controlled and held in     
subjection--like steam pent-up within   
the organised mechanism of a            
steam-engine1 the use of which is       
regulated and controlled by slide-valves
 and governors and levers--it may become
 a source of energetic power and        
usefulness4 ,hence1 some of the greatest
 characters in history have been men of 
strong temper1 but of equally strong    
determination to hold their motive power
 under strict regulation and control4   
,the famous ,earl of ,strafford was of  
an extremely choleric and passionate    
nature1 and had great struggles with    
himself in his endeavours to control his
 temper4 ,referring to the advice of one
 of his friends1 old ,secretary ,cooke1 
who was honest enough to tell him of his
 weakness1 and to caution him against   
indulging it1 he wrote3 ,you gave me a  
good lesson to be patient2 and1 indeed1 
my years and natural inclinations give  

me heat more than enough1 which1        
however1 ,i trust more experience shall 
cool1 and a watch over myself in time   
altogether overcome2 in the meantime1 in
 this at least it will set forth itself 
more pardonable1 because my earnestness 
shall ever be for the honour1 justice1  
and profit of my master2 and it is not  
always anger1 but the misapplying of it1
 that is the vice so blameable1 and of  
disadvantage to those that let          
themselves loose there-unto4 #aed       
,cromwell1 also1 is described as having 
been of a wayward and violent temper in 
his youth--cross1 untractable1 and      
masterless--with a vast quantity of     
youthful energy1 which exploded in a    
variety of youthful mischiefs4 ,he even 
obtained the reputation of a roysterer  
in his native town1 and seemed to be    
rapidly going to the bad1 when religion1
 in one of its most rigid forms1 laid   
hold upon his strong nature1 and        
subjected it to the iron discipline of  
,calvinism4 ,an entirely new direction  

was thus given to his energy of         
temperament1 which forced an outlet for 
itself into public life1 and eventually 
became the dominating influence in      
,england for a period of nearly twenty  
years4  ,the heroic princes of the      
,house of ,nassau were all distinguished
 for the same qualities of self-control1
 self-denial1 and determination of      
purpose4 ,william the ,silent was so    
called1 not because he was a taciturn   
man--for he was an eloquent and powerful
 speaker where eloquence was            
necessary--but because he was a man who 
could hold his tongue when it was wisdom
 not to speak1 and because he carefully 
kept his own counsel when to have       
revealed it might have been dangerous to
 the liberties of his country4 ,he was  
so gentle and conciliatory in his manner
 that his enemies even described him as 
timid and pusillanimous4 ,yet1 when the 
time for action came1 his courage was   
heroic1 his determination unconquerable4
 ,the rock in the ocean1 says ,mr4      

,motley1 the historian of the           
,netherlands1 tranquil amid raging      
billows1 was the favourite emblem by    
which his friends expressed their sense 
of his firmness4  ,mr4 ,motley compares 
,william the ,silent to ,washington1    
whom he in many respects resembled4 ,the
 ,american1 like the ,dutch patriot1    
stands out in history as the very       
impersonation of dignity1 bravery1      
purity1 and personal excellence4 ,his   
command over his feelings1 even in      
moments of great difficulty and danger1 
was such as to convey the impression1 to
 those who did not know him intimately1 
that he was a man of inborn calmness and
 almost impassiveness of disposition4   
,yet ,washington was by nature ardent   
and impetuous2 his mildness1 gentleness1
 politeness1 and consideration for      
others1 were the result of rigid        
self-control and unwearied              
self-discipline1 which he diligently    
practised even from his boyhood4 ,his   
biographer says of him1 that his        

temperament was ardent1 his passions    
strong1 and amidst the multiplied scenes
 of temptation and excitement through   
which he passed1 it was his constant    
effort1 and ultimate triumph1 to check  
the one and subdue the other4 ,and      
again3 ,his passions were strong1 and   
sometimes they broke out with vehemence1
 but he had the power of checking them  
in an instant4 ,perhaps self-control was
 the most remarkable trait of his       
character4 ,it was in part the effect of
 discipline2 yet he seems by nature to  
have possessed this power in a degree   
which has been denied to other men4     
#ae99e  ,the ,duke of ,wellington's     
natural temper1 like that of ,napoleon1 
was irritable in the extreme2 and it was
 only by watchful self-control that he  
was enabled to restrain it4 ,he studied 
calmness and coolness in the midst of   
danger1 like any ,indian chief4 ,at     
,waterloo1 and elsewhere1 he gave his   
orders in the most critical moments1    
without the slightest excitement1 and in

 a tone of voice almost more than       
usually subdued4 #aef  ,wordsworth the  
poet was1 in his childhood1 of a stiff1 
moody1 and violent temper1 and perverse 
and obstinate in defying chastisement4  
,when experience of life had disciplined
 his temper1 he learnt to exercise      
greater self-control2 but1 at the same  
time1 the qualities which distinguished 
him as a child were afterwards useful in
 enabling him to defy the criticism of  
his enemies4 ,nothing was more marked   
than ,wordsworth's self-respect and     
self-determination1 as well as his      
self-consciousness of power1 at all     
periods of his history4  ,henry ,martyn1
 the missionary1 was another instance of
 a man in whom strength of temper was   
only so much pent-up1 unripe energy4 ,as
 a boy he was impatient1 petulant1 and  
perverse2 but by constant wrestling     
against his tendency to wrongheadedness1
 he gradually gained the requisite      
strength1 so as to entirely overcome it1
 and to acquire what he so greatly      

coveted--the gift of patience4  ,a man  
may be feeble in organization1 but1     
blessed with a happy temperament1 his   
soul may be great1 active1 noble1 and   
sovereign4 ,professor ,tyndall has given
 us a fine picture of the character of  
,faraday1 and of his self-denying       
labours in the cause of                 
science--exhibiting him as a man of     
strong1 original1 and even fiery nature1
 and yet of extreme tenderness and      
sensibility4 ,underneath his sweetness  
and gentleness1 he says1 was the heat of
 a volcano4 ,he was a man of excitable  
and fiery nature2 but1 through high     
self-discipline1 he had converted the   
fire into a central glow and motive     
power of life1 instead of permitting it 
to waste itself in useless passion4     
,there was one fine feature in          
,faraday's character which is worthy of 
notice--one closely akin to             
self-control3 it was his self-denial4   
,by devoting himself to analytical      
chemistry1 he might have speedily       

realised a large fortune2 but he nobly  
resisted the temptation1 and preferred  
to follow the path of pure science4     
,taking the duration of his life into   
account1 says ,mr4 ,tyndall1 this son of
 a blacksmith and apprentice to a       
bookbinder had to decide between a      
fortune of ,l4#aej1jjj on the one side1 
and his undowered science on the other4 
,he chose the latter1 and died a poor   
man4 ,but his was the glory of holding  
aloft among the nations the scientific  
name of ,england for a period of forty  
years4 #aeg  ,take a like instance of   
the self-denial of a ,frenchman4 ,the   
historian ,anquetil was one of the small
 number of literary men in ,france who  
refused to bow to the ,napoleonic yoke4 
,he sank into great poverty1 living on  
bread-and-milk1 and limiting his        
expenditure to only three sous a day4 ,i
 have still two sous a day left1 said   
he1 for the conqueror of ,marengo and   
,austerlitz4 ,but if you fall sick1 said
 a friend to him1 you will need the help

 of a pension4 ,why not do as others do8
 ,pay court to the ,emperor--you have   
need of him to live4 ,i do not need him 
to die1 was the historian's reply4 ,but 
,anquetil did not die of poverty2 he    
lived to the age of ninety-four1 saying 
to a friend1 on the eve of his death1   
,come1 see a man who dies still full of 
life6  ,sir ,james ,outram exhibited the
 same characteristic of noble           
self-denial1 though in an altogether    
different sphere of life4 ,like the     
great ,king ,arthur1 he was emphatically
 a man who forbore his own advantage4   
,he was characterised throughout his    
whole career by his noble unselfishness4
 ,though he might personally disapprove 
of the policy he was occasionally       
ordered to carry out1 he never once     
faltered in the path of duty4 ,thus he  
did not approve of the policy of        
invading ,scinde2 yet his services      
throughout the campaign were            
acknowledged by ,general ,sir ,c4       
,napier to have been of the most        

brilliant character4 ,but when the war  
was over1 and the rich spoils of ,scinde
 lay at the conqueror's feet1 ,outram   
said3 ,i disapprove of the policy of    
this war--,i will accept no share of the
 prize-money6  ,not less marked was his 
generous self-denial when despatched    
with a strong force to aid ,havelock in 
fighting his way to ,lucknow4 ,as       
superior officer1 he was entitled to    
take upon himself the chief command2    
but1 recognising what ,havelock had     
already done1 with rare                 
disinterestedness1 he left to his junior
 officer the glory of completing the    
campaign1 offering to serve under him as
 a volunteer4 ,with such reputation1    
said ,lord ,clyde1 as ,major-,general   
,outram has won for himself1 he can     
afford to share glory and honour with   
others4 ,but that does not lessen the   
value of the sacrifice he has made with 
such disinterested generosity4  ,if a   
man would get through life honourably   
and peaceably1 he must necessarily learn

 to practise self-denial in small things
 as well as great4 ,men have to bear as 
well as forbear4 ,the temper has to be  
held in subjection to the judgment2 and 
the little demons of ill-humour1        
petulance1 and sarcasm1 kept resolutely 
at a distance4 ,if once they find an    
entrance to the mind1 they are very apt 
to return1 and to establish for         
themselves a permanent occupation there4
  ,it is necessary to one's personal    
happiness1 to exercise control over     
one's words as well as acts3 for there  
are words that strike even harder than  
blows2 and men may speak daggers1 though
 they use none4 ,,un ,,coup ,,de        
,,langue1 says the ,french proverb1     
,,est ,,pire ,,qu',,un ,,coup ,,de      
,,lance4 ,the stinging repartee that    
rises to the lips1 and which1 if        
uttered1 might cover an adversary with  
confusion1 how difficult it sometimes is
 to resist saying it6 ,heaven keep us1  
says ,miss ,bremer in her ',home1' from 
the destroying power of words6 ,there   

are words which sever hearts more than  
sharp swords do2 there are words the    
point of which sting the heart through  
the course of a whole life4  ,thus      
character exhibits itself in            
self-control of speech as much as in    
anything else4 ,the wise and forbearant 
man will restrain his desire to say a   
smart or severe thing at the expense of 
another's feelings2 while the fool      
blurts out what he thinks1 and will     
sacrifice his friend rather than his    
joke4 ,the mouth of a wise man1 said    
,solomon1 is in his heart2 the heart of 
a fool is in his mouth4  ,there are1    
however1 men who are no fools1 that are 
headlong in their language as in their  
acts1 because of their want of          
forbearance and self-restraining        
patience4 ,the impulsive genius1 gifted 
with quick thought and incisive         
speech--perhaps carried away by the     
cheers of the moment--lets fly a        
sarcastic sentence which may return upon
 him to his own infinite damage4 ,even  

statesmen might be named1 who have      
failed through their inability to resist
 the temptation of saying clever and    
spiteful things at their adversary's    
expense4 ,the turn of a sentence1 says  
,bentham1 has decided the fate of many a
 friendship1 and1 for aught that we     
know1 the fate of many a kingdom4 ,so1  
when one is tempted to write a clever   
but harsh thing1 though it may be       
difficult to restrain it1 it is always  
better to leave it in the inkstand4 ,a  
goose's quill1 says the ,spanish        
proverb1 often hurts more than a lion's 
claw4  ,carlyle says1 when speaking of  
,oliver ,cromwell1 ,he that cannot      
withal keep his mind to himself1 cannot 
practise any considerable thing         
whatsoever4 ,it was said of ,william the
 ,silent1 by one of his greatest        
enemies1 that an arrogant or indiscreet 
word was never known to fall from his   
lips4 ,like him1 ,washington was        
discretion itself in the use of speech1 
never taking advantage of an opponent1  

or seeking a shortlived triumph in a    
debate4 ,and it is said that in the long
 run1 the world comes round to and      
supports the wise man who knows when and
 how to be silent4  ,we have heard men  
of great experience say that they have  
often regretted having spoken1 but never
 once regretted holding their tongue4   
,be silent1 says ,pythagoras1 or say    
something better than silence4 ,speak   
fitly1 says ,george ,herbert1 or be     
silent wisely4 ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 
whom ,leigh ,hunt styled the ,gentleman 
,saint1 has said3 ,it is better to      
remain silent than to speak the truth   
ill-humouredly1 and so spoil an         
excellent dish by covering it with bad  
sauce4 ,another ,frenchman1 ,lacordaire1
 characteristically puts speech first1  
and silence next4 ,after speech1 he     
says1 silence is the greatest power in  
the world4 ,yet a word spoken in season1
 how powerful it may be6 ,as the old    
,welsh proverb has it1 ,a golden tongue 
is in the mouth of the blessed4  ,it is 

related1 as a remarkable instance of    
self-control on the part of ,de ,leon1 a
 distinguished ,spanish poet of the     
sixteenth century1 who lay for years in 
the dungeons of the ,inquisition without
 light or society1 because of his having
 translated a part of the ,scriptures   
into his native tongue1 that on being   
liberated and restored to his           
professorship1 an immense crowd attended
 his first lecture1 expecting some      
account of his long imprisonment2 but   
,do ,leon was too wise and too gentle to
 indulge in recrimination4 ,he merely   
resumed the lecture which1 five years   
before1 had been so sadly interrupted1  
with the accustomed formula ,,heri      
,,dicebamus1 and went directly into his 
subject4  ,there are1 of course1 times  
and occasions when the expression of    
indignation is not only justifiable but 
necessary4 ,we are bound to be indignant
 at falsehood1 selfishness1 and cruelty4
 ,a man of true feeling fires up        
naturally at baseness or meanness of any

 sort1 even in cases where he may be    
under no obligation to speak out4 ,i    
would have nothing to do1 said ,perthes1
 with the man who cannot be moved to    
indignation4 ,there are more good people
 than bad in the world1 and the bad get 
the upper hand merely because they are  
bolder4 ,we cannot help being pleased   
with a man who uses his powers with     
decision2 and we often take his side for
 no other reason than because he does so
 use them4 ,no doubt1 ,i have often     
repented speaking2 but not less often   
have ,i repented keeping silence4 #aeh  
,one who loves right cannot be          
indifferent to wrong1 or wrongdoing4 ,if
 he feels warmly1 he will speak warmly1 
out of the fulness of his heart4 ,as a  
noble lady #aei has written3        ,a  
noble heart doth teach a virtuous       
scorn--       ,to scorn to owe a duty   
overlong1       ,to scorn to be for     
benefits forborne1       ,to scorn to   
lie1 to scorn to do a wrong1       ,to  
scorn to bear an injury in mind1        

,to scorn a freeborn heart slave-like to
 bind4  ,we have1 however1 to be on our 
guard against impatient scorn4 ,the best
 people are apt to have their impatient 
side2 and often1 the very temper which  
makes men earnest1 makes them also      
intolerant4 #aeaj ,of all mental gifts1 
says ,miss ,julia ,wedgwood1 the rarest 
is intellectual patience2 and the last  
lesson of culture is to believe in      
difficulties which are invisible to     
ourselves4  ,the best corrective of     
intolerance in disposition1 is increase 
of wisdom and enlarged experience of    
life4 ,cultivated good sense will       
usually save men from the entanglements 
in which moral impatience is apt to     
involve them2 good sense consisting     
chiefly in that temper of mind which    
enables its possessor to deal with the  
practical affairs of life with justice1 
judgment1 discretion1 and charity4      
,hence men of culture and experience are
 invariably1 found the most forbearant  
and tolerant1 as ignorant and           

narrowminded persons are found the most 
unforgiving and intolerant4 ,men of     
large and generous natures1 in          
proportion to their practical wisdom1   
are disposed to make allowance for the  
defects and disadvantages of            
others--allowance for the controlling   
power of circumstances in the formation 
of character1 and the limited power of  
resistance of weak and fallible natures 
to temptation and error4 ,i see no fault
 committed1 said ,goethe1 which ,i also 
might not have committed4 ,so a wise and
 good man exclaimed1 when he saw a      
criminal drawn on his hurdle to ,tyburn3
 ,there goes ,jonathan ,bradford--but   
for the grace of ,god6  ,life will      
always be1 to a great extent1 what we   
ourselves make it4 ,the cheerful man    
makes a cheerful world1 the gloomy man a
 gloomy one4 ,we usually find but our   
own temperament reflected in the        
dispositions of those about us4 ,if we  
are ourselves querulous1 we will find   
them so2 if we are unforgiving and      

uncharitable to them1 they will be the  
same to us4 ,a person returning from an 
evening party not long ago1 complained  
to a policeman on his beat that an      
ill-looking fellow was following him3 it
 turned out to be only his own shadow6  
,and such usually is human life to each 
of us2 it is1 for the most part1 but the
 reflection of ourselves4  ,if we would 
be at peace with others1 and ensure     
their respect1 we must have regard for  
their personality4 ,every man has his   
peculiarities of manner and character1  
as he has peculiarities of form and     
feature2 and we must have forbearance in
 dealing with them1 as we expect them to
 have forbearance in dealing with us4   
,we may not be conscious of our own     
peculiarities1 yet they exist           
nevertheless4 ,there is a village in    
,south ,america where gotos or goitres  
are so common that to be without one is 
regarded as a deformity4 ,one day a     
party of ,englishmen passed through the 
place1 when quite a crowd collected to  

jeer them1 shouting3 ,see1 see these    
people--they have got ,,no ,,gotos6     
,many persons give themselves a great   
deal of fidget concerning what other    
people think of them and their          
peculiarities4 ,some are too much       
disposed to take the illnatured side1   
and1 judging by themselves1 infer the   
worst4 ,but it is very often the case   
that the uncharitableness of others1    
where it really exists1 is but the      
reflection of our own want of charity   
and want of temper4 ,it still oftener   
happens1 that the worry we subject      
ourselves to1 has its source in our own 
imagination4 ,and even though those     
about us may think of us uncharitably1  
we shall not mend matters by            
exasperating ourselves against them4 ,we
 may thereby only expose ourselves      
unnecessarily to their illnature or     
caprice4 ,the ill that comes out of our 
mouth1 says ,herbert1 ofttimes falls    
into our bosom4  ,the great and good    
philosopher ,faraday communicated the   

following piece of admirable advice1    
full of practical wisdom1 the result of 
a rich experience of life1 in a letter  
to his friend ,professor ,tyndall3- ,let
 me1 as an old man1 who ought by this   
time to have profited by experience1 say
 that when ,i was younger ,i found ,i   
often misrepresented the intentions of  
people1 and that they did not mean what 
at the time ,i supposed they meant2 and 
further1 that1 as a general rule1 it was
 better to be a little dull of          
apprehension where phrases seemed to    
imply pique1 and quick in perception    
when1 on the contrary1 they seemed to   
imply kindly feeling4 ,the real truth   
never fails ultimately to appear2 and   
opposing parties1 if wrong1 are sooner  
convinced when replied to forbearingly1 
than when overwhelmed4 ,all ,i mean to  
say is1 that it is better to be blind to
 the results of partisanship1 and quick 
to see goodwill4 ,one has more happiness
 in one's self in endeavouring to follow
 the things that make for peace4 ,you   

can hardly imagine how often ,i have    
been heated in private when opposed1 as 
,i have thought unjustly and            
superciliously1 and yet ,i have striven1
 and succeeded1 ,i hope1 in keeping down
 replies of the like kind4 ,and ,i know 
,i have never lost by it4 #aeaa  ,while 
the painter ,barry was at ,rome1 he     
involved himself1 as was his wont1 in   
furious quarrels with the artists and   
dilettanti1 about picture-painting and  
picture-dealing1 upon which his friend  
and countryman1 ,edmund ,burke--always  
the generous friend of struggling       
merit--wrote to him kindly and sensibly3
 ,believe me1 dear ,barry1 that the arms
 with which the ill-dispositions of the 
world are to be combated1 and the       
qualities by which it is to be          
reconciled to us1 and we reconciled to  
it1 are moderation1 gentleness1 a little
 indulgence to others1 and a great deal 
of distrust of ourselves2 which are not 
qualities of a mean spirit1 as some may 
possibly think them1 but virtues of a   

great and noble kind1 and such as       
dignify our nature as much as they      
contribute to our repose and fortune2   
for nothing can be so unworthy of a     
well-composed soul as to pass away life 
in bickerings and litigations--in       
snarling and scuffling with every one   
about us4 ,we must be at peace with our 
species1 if not for their sakes1 at     
least very much for our own4 #aeab  ,no 
one knew the value of self-control      
better than the poet ,burns1 and no one 
could teach it more eloquently to       
others2 but when it came to practice1   
,burns was as weak as the weakest4 ,he  
could not deny himself the pleasure of  
uttering a harsh and clever sarcasm at  
another's expense4 ,one of his          
biographers observes of him1 that it was
 no extravagant arithmetic to say that  
for every ten jokes he made himself a   
hundred enemies4 ,but this was not all4 
,poor ,burns exercised no control over  
his appetites1 but freely gave them     
rein3        ,thus thoughtless follies  

laid him low              ,and stained  
his name4  ,nor had he the self-denial  
to resist giving publicity to           
compositions originally intended for the
 delight of the tap-room1 but which     
continue secretly to sow pollution      
broadcast in the minds of youth4        
,indeed1 notwithstanding the many       
exquisite poems of this writer1 it is   
not saying too much to aver that his    
immoral writings have done far more harm
 than his purer writings have done good2
 and that it would be better that all   
his writings should be destroyed and    
forgotten provided his indecent songs   
could be destroyed with them4  ,the     
remark applies alike to ,beranger1 who  
has been styled ,the ,burns of ,france4 
,beranger was of the same bright        
incisive genius2 he had the same love of
 pleasure1 the same love of popularity2 
and while he flattered ,french vanity to
 the top of its bent1 he also painted   
the vices most loved by his countrymen  
with the pen of a master4 ,beranger's   

songs and ,thiers' ,history probably did
 more than anything else to reestablish 
the ,napoleonic dynasty in ,france4 ,but
 that was a small evil compared with the
 moral mischief which many of           
,beranger's songs are calculated to     
produce2 for1 circulating freely as they
 do in ,french households1 they exhibit 
pictures of nastiness and vice1 which   
are enough to pollute and destroy a     
nation4  ,one of ,burns's finest poems1 
written1 in his twenty-eighth year1 is  
entitled ',a ,bard's ,epitaph4' ,it is a
 description1 by anticipation1 of his   
own life4 ,wordsworth has said of it3   
,here is a sincere and solemn avowal2 a 
public declaration from his own will2 a 
confession at once devout1 poetical and 
human2 a history in the shape of a      
prophecy4 ,it concludes with these      
lines3--        ,reader1 attend--whether
 thy soul        ,soars fancy's flights 
beyond the pole1        ,or darkling    
grubs this earthly hole                 
,in low pursuit2        ,know--prudent1 

cautious self-control1                  
,is ,wisdom's root4  ,one of the vices  
before which ,burns fell--and it may be 
said to be a master-vice1 because it is 
productive of so many other vices--was  
drinking4 ,not that he was a drunkard1  
but because he yielded to the           
temptations of drink1 with its degrading
 associations1 and thereby lowered and  
depraved his whole nature4 #aeac ,but   
poor ,burns did not stand alone2 for1   
alas6 of all vices1 the unrestrained    
appetite for drink was in his time1 as  
it continues to be now1 the most        
prevalent1 popular1 degrading1 and      
destructive4  ,were it possible to      
conceive the existence of a tyrant who  
should compel his people to give up to  
him one-third or more of their earnings1
 and require them at the same time to   
consume a commodity that should         
brutalise and degrade them1 destroy the 
peace and comfort of their families1 and
 sow in themselves the seeds of disease 
and premature death--what indignation   

meetings1 what monster processions there
 would be6 ',what eloquent speeches and 
apostrophes to the spirit of            
liberty6--what appeals against a        
despotism so monstrous and so unnatural6
 ,and yet such a tyrant really exists   
amongst us--the tyrant of unrestrained  
appetite1 whom no force of arms1 or     
voices1 or votes can resist1 while men  
are willing to be his slaves4  ,the     
power of this tyrant can only be        
overcome by moral means--by             
self-discipline1 self-respect1 and      
self-control4 ,there is no other way of 
withstanding the despotism of appetite  
in any of its forms4 ,no reform of      
institutions1 no extended power of      
voting1 no improved form of government1 
no amount of scholastic instruction1 can
 possibly elevate the character of a    
people who voluntarily abandon          
themselves to sensual indulgence4 ,the  
pursuit of ignoble pleasure is the      
degradation of true happiness2 it saps  
the morals1 destroys the energies1 and  

degrades the manliness and robustness of
 individuals as of nations4  ,the       
courage of self-control exhibits itself 
in many ways1 but in none more clearly  
than in honest living4 ,men without the 
virtue of self-denial are not only      
subject to their own selfish desires1   
but they are usually in bondage to      
others who are likeminded with          
themselves4 ,what others do1 they do4   
,they must live according to the        
artificial standard of their class1     
spending like their neighbours1         
regardless of the consequences1 at the  
same time that all are1 perhaps1        
aspiring after a style of living higher 
than their means4 ,each carries the     
others along with him1 and they have not
 the moral courage to stop4 ,they cannot
 resist the temptation of living high1  
though it may be at the expense of      
others2 and they gradually become       
reckless of debt1 until it enthrals     
them4 ,in all this there is great moral 
cowardice1 pusillanimity1 and want of   

manly independence of character4  ,a    
rightminded man will shrink from seeming
 to be what he is not1 or pretending to 
be richer than he really is1 or assuming
 a style of living that his             
circumstances will not justify4 ,he will
 have the courage to live honestly      
within his own means1 rather than       
dishonestly upon the means of other     
people2 for he who incurs debts in      
striving to maintain a style of living  
beyond his income1 is in spirit as      
dishonest as the man who openly picks   
your pocket4  ,to many1 this may seem an
 extreme view1 but it will bear the     
strictest test4 ,living at the cost of  
others is not only dishonesty1 but it is
 untruthfulness in deed1 as lying is in 
word4 ,the proverb of ,george ,herbert1 
that debtors are liars1 is justified by 
experience4 ,shaftesbury somewhere says 
that a restlessness to have something   
which we have not1 and to be something  
which we are not1 is the root of all    
immorality4 #aead ,no reliance is to be 

placed on the saying--a very dangerous  
one--of ,mirabeau1 that ,,la ,,petite   
,,morale ,,etait ,l',,ennemie ,,de ,,la 
,,grande4 ,on the contrary1 strict      
adherence to even the smallest details  
of morality is the foundation of all    
manly and noble character4  ,the        
honourable man is frugal of his means1  
and pays his way honestly4 ,he does not 
seek to pass himself off as richer than 
he is1 or1 by running into debt1 open an
 account with ruin4 ,as that man is not 
poor whose means are small1 but whose   
desires are uncontrolled1 so that man is
 rich whose means are more than         
sufficient for his wants4 ,when         
,socrates saw a great quantity of       
riches1 jewels1 and furniture of great  
value1 carried in pomp through ,athens1 
he said1 ,now do ,i see how many things 
,i do ,,not desire4 ,i can forgive      
everything but selfishness1 said        
,perthes4 ,even the narrowest           
circumstances admit of greatness with   
reference to 'mine and thine'2 and none 

but the very poorest need fill their    
daily life with thoughts of money1 if   
they have but prudence to arrange their 
housekeeping within the limits of their 
income4  ,a man may be indifferent to   
money because of higher considerations1 
as ,faraday was1 who sacrificed wealth  
to pursue science2 but if he would have 
the enjoyments that money can purchase1 
he must honestly earn it1 and not live  
upon the earnings of others1 as those do
 who habitually incur debts which they  
have no means of paying4 ,when ,maginn1 
always drowned in debt1 was asked what  
he paid for his wine1 he replied that he
 did not know1 but he believed they put 
something down in a book4 #aeae  ,this  
putting-down in a book has proved the   
ruin of a great many weakminded people1 
who cannot resist the temptation of     
taking things upon credit which they    
have not the present means of paying    
for2 and it would probably prove of     
great social benefit if the law which   
enables creditors to recover debts      

contracted under certain circumstances  
were altogether abolished4 ,but1 in the 
competition for trade1 every            
encouragement is given to the incurring 
of debt1 the creditor relying upon the  
law to aid him in the last extremity4   
,when ,sydney ,smith once went into a   
new neighbourhood1 it was given out in  
the local papers that he was a man of   
high connections1 and he was besought on
 all sides for his custom4 ,but he      
speedily undeceived his new neighbours4 
,we are not great people at all1 he     
said3 we are only common honest         
people--people that pay our debts4      
,hazlitt1 who was a thoroughly honest   
though rather thriftless man1 speaks of 
two classes of persons1 not unlike each 
other--those who cannot keep their own  
money in their hands1 and those who     
cannot keep their hands from other      
people's4 ,the former are always in want
 of money1 for they throw it away on any
 object that first presents itself1 as  
if to get rid of it2 the latter make    

away with what they have of their own1  
and are perpetual borrowers from all who
 will lend to them2 and their genius for
 borrowing1 in the long run1 usually    
proves their ruin4  ,sheridan was one of
 such eminent unfortunates4 ,he was     
impulsive and careless in his           
expenditure1 borrowing money1 and       
running into debt with everybody who    
would trust him4 ,when he stood for     
,westminster1 his unpopularity arose    
chiefly from his general indebtedness4  
,numbers of poor people1 says ,lord     
,palmerston in one of his letters1      
crowded round the hustings1 demanding   
payment for the bills he owed them4 ,in 
the midst of all his difficulties1      
,sheridan was as lighthearted as ever1  
and cracked many a good joke at his     
creditors' expense4 ,lord ,palmerston   
was actually present at the dinner given
 by him1 at which the sheriff's in      
possession were dressed up and          
officiated as waiters  ,yet however     
loose ,sheridan's morality may have been

 as regarded his private creditors1 he  
was honest so far as the public money   
was concerned4 ,once1 at dinner1 at     
which ,lord ,byron happened to be       
present1 an observation happened to be  
made as to the sturdiness of the ,whigs 
in resisting office1 and keeping to     
their principles--on which ,sheridan    
turned sharply and said3 ,sir1 it is    
easy for my ,lord this1 or ,earl that1  
or the ,marquis of t'other1 with        
thousands upon thousands a year1 some of
 it either presently derived or         
inherited in sinecure or acquisitions   
from the public money1 to boast of their
 patriotism1 and keep aloof from        
temptation2 but they do not know from   
what temptation those have kept aloof   
who had equal pride1 at least equal     
talents1 and not unequal passions1 and  
nevertheless knew not1 in the course of 
their lives1 what it was to have a      
shilling of their own4 ,and ,lord ,byron
 adds1 that1 in saying this1 ,sheridan  
wept4 #aeaf  ,the tone of public        

morality in money-matters was very low  
in those days4 ,political peculation was
 not thought discreditable2 and heads of
 parties did not hesitate to secure the 
adhesion of their followers by a free   
use of the public money4 ,they were     
generous1 but at the expense of         
others--like that great local magnate1  
who1           ,out of his great bounty1
       ,built a bridge at the expense of
 the county4  ,when ,lord ,cornwallis   
was appointed ,lord-,lieutenant of      
,ireland1 he pressed upon ,colonel      
,napier1 the father of ,,the ,napiers1  
the comptrollership of army accounts4 ,i
 want1 said his ,lordship1 ,,an ,,honest
 ,,man1 and this is the only thing ,i   
have been able to wrest from the harpies
 around me4  ,it is said that ,lord     
,chatham was the first to set the       
example of disdaining to govern by petty
 larceny2 and his great son was alike   
honest in his administration4 ,while    
millions of money were passing through  
,pitt's hands1 he himself was never     

otherwise than poor2 and he died poor4  
,of all his rancorous libellers1 not one
 ever ventured to call in question his  
honesty4  ,in former times1 the profits 
of office were sometimes enormous4 ,when
 ,audley1 the famous annuity-monger of  
the sixteenth century1 was asked the    
value of an office which he had         
purchased in the ,court of ,wards1 he   
replied3--,some thousands to any one who
 wishes to get to heaven immediately2   
twice as much to him who does not mind  
being in purgatory2 and nobody knows    
what to him who is not afraid of the    
devil4  ,sir ,walter ,scott was a man   
who was honest to the core of his nature
 and his strenuous and determined       
efforts to pay his debts1 or rather the 
debts of the firm with which he had     
become involved1 has always appeared to 
us one of the grandest things in        
biography4 ,when his publisher and      
printer broke down1 ruin seemed to stare
 him in the face4 ,there was no want of 
sympathy for him in his great           

misfortune1 and friends came forward who
 offered to raise money enough to enable
 him to arrange with his creditors4 ,no6
 said he1 proudly2 this right hand shall
 work it all off6 ,if we lose everything
 else1 he wrote to a friend1 we will at 
least keep our honour unblemished4 #aeag
 ,while his health was already becoming 
undermined by overwork1 he went on      
writing like a tiger1 as he himself     
expressed it1 until no longer able to   
wield a pen2 and though he paid the     
penalty of his supreme efforts with his 
life1 he nevertheless saved his honour  
and his self-respect4  ,everybody knows 
bow ,scott threw off ',woodstock1' the  
',life of ,napoleon' #aewhich he thought
 would be his death #aeah1 articles for 
the ',quarterly1' ',chronicles of the   
,canongate1' ',prose ,miscellanies1' and
 ',tales of a ,grandfather'--all written
 in the midst of pain1 sorrow1 and ruin4
 ,the proceeds of those various works   
went to his creditors4 ,i could not have
 slept sound1 he wrote1 as ,i now can1  

under the comfortable impression of     
receiving the thanks of my creditors1   
and the conscious feeling of discharging
 my duty as a man of honour and honesty4
 ,i see before me a long1 tedious1 and  
dark path1 but it leads to stainless    
reputation4 ,if ,i die in the harrows1  
as is very likely1 ,i shall die with    
honour4 ,if ,i achieve my task1 ,i shall
 have the thanks of all concerned1 and  
the approbation of my own conscience4   
#aeai  ,and then followed more articles1
 memoirs1 and even sermons--',the ,fair 
,maid of ,perth1' a completely revised  
edition of his novels1 ',anne of        
,geierstein1' and more ',tales of a     
,grandfather'--until he was suddenly    
struck down by paralysis4 ,but he had no
 sooner recovered sufficient strength to
 be able to hold a pen1 than we find him
 again at his desk writing the ',letters
 on ,demonology and ,witchcraft1' a     
volume of ,scottish ,history for        
',lardner's ,cyclopaedia1' and a fourth 
series of ',tales of a ,grandfather' in 

his ,french ,history4 ,in vain his      
doctors told him to give up work2 he    
would not be dissuaded4 ,as for bidding 
me not work1 he said to ,dr4            
,abercrombie1 ,molly might just as well 
put the kettle on the fire and say1     
',now1 kettle1 don't boil2' to which he 
added1 ,if ,i were to be idle ,i should 
go mad6  ,by means of the profits       
realised by these tremendous efforts1   
,scott saw his debts in course of rapid 
diminution1 and he trusted that1 after a
 few more years' work1 he would again be
 a free man4 ,but it was not to be4 ,he 
went on turning out such works as his   
',count ,robert of ,paris' with greatly 
impaired skill1 until he was prostrated 
by another and severer attack of palsy4 
,he now felt that the plough was nearing
 the end of the furrow2 his physical    
strength was gone2 he was not quite     
himself in all things1 and yet his      
courage and perseverance never failed4  
,i have suffered terribly1 he wrote in  
his ,diary1 though rather in body than  

in mind1 and ,i often wish ,i could lie 
down and sleep without waking4 ,but ,i  
,,will ,,fight ,,it ,,out ,,if ,i ,,can4
 ,he again recovered sufficiently to be 
able to write ',castle ,dangerous1'     
though the cunning of the workman's hand
 had departed4 ,and then there was his  
last tour to ,italy in search of rest   
and health1 during which1 while at      
,naples1 in spite of all remonstrances1 
he gave several hours every morning to  
the composition of a new novel1 which1  
however1 has not seen the light4  ,scott
 returned to ,abbotsford to die4 ,i have
 seen much1 he said on his return1 but  
nothing like my own house--give me one  
turn more4 ,one of the last things he   
uttered1 in one of his lucid intervals1 
was worthy of him4 ,i have been1 he     
said1 perhaps the most voluminous author
 of my day1 and it ,,is a comfort to me 
to think that ,i have tried to unsettle 
no man's faith1 to corrupt no man's     
principles1 and that ,i have written    
nothing which on my deathbed ,i should  

wish blotted out4 ,his last injunction  
to his son-in-law was3 ,lockhart1 ,i may
 have but a minute to speak to you4 ,my 
dear1 be virtuous--be religious--be a   
good man4 ,nothing else will give you   
any comfort when you come to lie here4  
,the devoted conduct of ,lockhart       
himself was worthy of his great         
relative4 ,the ',life of ,scott1' which 
he afterwards wrote1 occupied him       
several years1 and was a remarkably     
successful work4 ,yet he himself derived
 no pecuniary advantage from it2 handing
 over the profits of the whole          
undertaking to ,sir ,walter's creditors 
in payment of debts which he was in no  
way responsible1 but influenced entirely
 by a spirit of honour1 of regard for   
the memory of the illustrious dead4     
,,chapter                               
,,vii4--,,duty--,,truthfulness4         
,i slept1 and dreamt that life was      
,beauty2 ,i woke1 and found      that   
life was ,duty4       ,duty6 wondrous   
thought1 that workest neither by fond   

insinuation1 flattery1 nor by any       
threat1 but merely by      holding up   
thy naked law in the soul1 and so       
extorting for      thyself always       
reverence1 if not always obedience2     
before      whom all appetites are dumb1
 however secretly they rebel--          
,,kant4              ,how happy is he   
born and taught1               ,that    
serveth not another's will6             
,whose armour is his honest thought1    
,and simple truth his utmost skill6     
,whose passions not his masters are1    
,whose soul is still prepared for death2
             ,unti'd unto the world by  
care               ,of public fame1 or  
private breath4            ,this man is 
freed from servile bands1               
,of hope to rise1 or fear to fall3      
,lord of himself1 though not of land2   
,and having nothing1 yet hath           
all4--,,wotton4            ,his nay was 
nay without recall2              ,his   
yea was yea1 and powerful all2          
,he gave his yea with careful heed1     

,his thoughts and words were well       
agreed2           ,his word1 his bond   
and seal4                               
,,inscription ,,on ,,baron ,,stein',s   
,,tomb4   ,,duty is a thing that is due1
 and must be paid by every man who would
 avoid present discredit and eventual   
moral insolvency4 ,it is an             
obligation--a debt--which can only be   
discharged by voluntary effort and      
resolute action in the affairs of life4 
,duty embraces man's whole existence4   
,it begins in the home1 where there is  
the duty which children owe to their    
parents on the one hand1 and the duty   
which parents owe to their children on  
the other4 ,there are1 in like manner1  
the respective duties of husbands and   
wives1 of masters and servants2 while   
outside the home there are the duties   
which men and women owe to each other as
 friends and neighbours1 as employers   
and employed1 as governors and governed4
  ,render1 therefore1 says ,st4 ,paul1  
to all their dues3 tribute to whom      

tribute is due2 custom to whom custom2  
fear to whom fear2 honour to whom       
honour4 ,owe no man anything1 but to    
love one another2 for he that loveth    
another hath fulfilled the law1  ,thus  
duty rounds the whole of life1 from our 
entrance into it until our exit from    
it--duty to superiors1 duty to          
inferiors1 and duty to equals--duty to  
man1 and duty to ,god4 ,wherever there  
is power to use or to direct1 there is  
duty4 ,for we are but as stewards1      
appointed to employ the means entrusted 
to us for our own and for others' good4 
,the abiding sense of duty is the very  
crown of character4 ,it is the upholding
 law of man in his highest attitudes4   
,without it1 the individual totters and 
falls before the first puff of adversity
 or temptation2 whereas1 inspired by it1
 the weakest becomes strong and full of 
courage4 ,duty1 says ,mrs4 ,jameson1 is 
the cement which binds the whole moral  
edifice together2 without which1 all    
power1 goodness1 intellect1 truth1      

happiness1 love itself1 can have no     
permanence2 but all the fabric of       
existence crumbles away from under us1  
and leaves us at last sitting in the    
midst of a ruin1 astonished at our own  
desolation4  ,duty is based upon a sense
 of justice--justice inspired by love1  
which is the most perfect form of       
goodness4 ,duty is not a sentiment1 but 
a principle pervading the life3 and it  
exhibits itself in conduct and in acts1 
which are mainly determined by man's    
conscience and freewill4  ,the voice of 
conscience speaks in duty done2 and     
without its regulating and controlling  
influence1 the brightest and greatest   
intellect may be merely as a light that 
leads astray4 ,conscience sets a man    
upon his feet1 while his will holds him 
upright4 ,conscience is the moral       
governor of the heart--the governor of  
right action1 of right thought1 of right
 faith1 of right life--and only through 
its dominating influence can the noble  
and upright character be fully          

developed4  ,the conscience1 however1   
may speak never so loudly1 but without  
energetic will it may speak in vain4    
,the will is free to choose between the 
right course and the wrong one1 but the 
choice is nothing unless followed by    
immediate and decisive action4 ,if the  
sense of duty be strong1 and the course 
of action clear1 the courageous will1   
upheld by the conscience1 enables a man 
to proceed on his course bravely1 and to
 accomplish his purposes in the face of 
all opposition and difficulty4 ,and     
should failure be the issue1 there will 
remain at least this satisfaction1 that 
it has been in the cause of duty4  ,be  
and continue poor1 young man1 said      
,heinzelmann1 while others around you   
grow rich by fraud and disloyalty2 be   
without place or power while others beg 
their way upwards2 bear the pain of     
disappointed hopes1 while others gain   
the accomplishment of theirs by         
flattery2 forego the gracious pressure  
of the hand1 for which others cringe and

 crawl4 ,wrap yourself in your own      
virtue1 and seek a friend and your daily
 bread4 ,if you have in your own cause  
grown gray with unbleached honour1 bless
 ,god and die6  ,men inspired by high   
principles are often required to        
sacrifice all that they esteem and love 
rather than fail in their duty4 ,the old
 ,english idea of this sublime devotion 
to duty was expressed by the loyalist   
poet to his sweetheart1 on taking up    
arms for his sovereign3--            ,i 
could love thee1 dear1 so much1         
,loved ,i not honour more4 #afa  ,and   
,sertorius has said3 ,the man who has   
any dignity of character1 should conquer
 with honour1 and not use any base means
 even to save his life4 ,so ,st4 ,paul1 
inspired by duty and faith1 declared    
himself as not only ready to be bound1  
but to die at ,jerusalem4  ,when the    
,marquis of ,pescara was entreated by   
the princes of ,italy to desert the     
,spanish cause1 to which he was in      
honour bound1 his noble wife1 ,vittoria 

,colonna1 reminded him of his duty4 ,she
 wrote to him3 ,remember your honour1   
which raises you above fortune and above
 kings2 by that alone1 and not by the   
splendour of titles1 is glory           
acquired--that glory which it will be   
your happiness and pride to transmit    
unspotted to your posterity4 ,such was  
the dignified view which she took of her
 husband's honour2 and when he fell at  
,pavia1 though young and beautiful1 and 
besought by many admirers1 she betook   
herself to solitude1 that she might     
lament over her husband's loss and      
celebrate his exploits4 #afb  ,to live  
really1 is to act energetically4 ,life  
is a battle to be fought valiantly4     
,inspired by high and honourable        
resolve1 a man must stand to his post1  
and die there1 if need be4 ,like the old
 ,danish hero1 his determination should 
be1 to dare nobly1 to will strongly1 and
 never to falter in the path of duty4   
,the power of will1 be it great or      
small1 which ,god has given us1 is a    

,divine gift2 and we ought neither to   
let it perish for want of using on the  
one hand1 nor profane it by employing it
 for ignoble purposes on the other4     
,robertson1 of ,brighton1 has truly     
said1 that man's real greatness consists
 not in seeking his own pleasure1 or    
fame1 or advancement--not that every one
 shall save his own life1 not that every
 man shall seek his own glory--but that 
every man shall do his own duty4  ,what 
most stands in the way of the           
performance of duty1 is irresolution1   
weakness of purpose1 and indecision4 ,on
 the one side are conscience and the    
knowledge of good and evil2 on the other
 are indolence1 selfishness1 love of    
pleasure1 or passion4 ,the weak and     
ill-disciplined will may remain         
suspended for a time between these      
influences2 but at length the balance   
inclines one way or the other1 according
 as the will is called into action or   
otherwise4 ,if it be allowed to remain  
passive1 the lower influence of         

selfishness or passion will prevail2 and
 thus manhood suffers abdication1       
individuality is renounced1 character is
 degraded1 and the man permits himself  
to become the mere passive slave of his 
senses4  ,thus1 the power of exercising 
the will promptly1 in obedience to the  
dictates of conscience1 and thereby     
resisting the impulses of the lower     
nature1 is of essential importance in   
moral discipline1 and absolutely        
necessary for the development of        
character in its best forms4 ,to acquire
 the habit of well-doing1 to resist evil
 propensities1 to fight against sensual 
desires1 to overcome inborn selfishness1
 may require a long and persevering     
discipline2 but when once the practice  
of duty is learnt1 it becomes           
consolidated in habit1 and              
thence-forward is comparatively easy4   
,the valiant good man is he who1 by the 
resolute exercise of his freewill1 has  
so disciplined himself as to have       
acquired the habit of virtue2 as the bad

 man is he who1 by allowing his freewill
 to remain inactive1 and giving the     
bridle to his desires and passions1 has 
acquired the habit of vice1 by which he 
becomes1 at last1 bound as by chains of 
iron4  ,a man can only achieve strength 
of purpose by the action of his own     
freewill4 ,if he is to stand erect1 it  
must be by his own efforts2 for he      
cannot be kept propped up by the help of
 others4 ,he is master of himself and of
 his actions4 ,he can avoid falsehood1  
and be truthful2 he can shun sensualism1
 and be continent2 he can turn aside    
from doing a cruel thing1 and be        
benevolent and forgiving4 ,all these lie
 within the sphere of individual        
efforts1 and come within the range of   
self-discipline4 ,and it depends upon   
men themselves whether in these respects
 they will be free1 pure1 and good on   
the one hand2 or enslaved1 impure1 and  
miserable on the other4  ,among the wise
 sayings of ,epictetus we find the      
following3 ,we do not choose our own    

parts in life1 and have nothing to do   
with those parts3 our simple duty is    
confined to playing them well4 ,the     
slave may be as free as the consul2 and 
freedom is the chief of blessings2 it   
dwarfs all others2 beside it all others 
are insignificant2 with it all others   
are needless2 without it no others are  
possible4444 ,you must teach men that   
happiness is not where1 in their        
blindness and misery1 they seek it4 ,it 
is not in strength1 for ,myro and       
,ofellius were not happy2 not in wealth1
 for ,croesus was not happy2 not in     
power1 for the ,consuls were not happy2 
not in all these together1 for ,nero and
 ,sardanapulus and ,agamemnon sighed and
 wept and tore their hair1 and were the 
slaves of circumstances and the dupes of
 semblances4 ,it lies in yourselves2 in 
true freedom1 in the absence or conquest
 of every ignoble fear2 in perfect      
self-government2 and in a power of      
contentment and peace1 and the even flow
 of life amid poverty1 exile1 disease1  

and the very valley of the shadow of    
death4 #afc  ,the sense of duty is a    
sustaining power even to a courageous   
man4 ,it holds him upright1 and makes   
him strong4 ,it was a noble saying of   
,pompey1 when his friends tried to      
dissuade him from embarking for ,rome in
 a storm1 telling him that he did so at 
the great peril of his life3 ,it is     
necessary for me to go1 he said2 it is  
not necessary for me to live4 ,what it  
was right that he should do1 he would   
do1 in the face of danger and in        
defiance of storms4  ,as might be       
expected of the great ,washington1 the  
chief motive power in his life was the  
spirit of duty4 ,it was the regal and   
commanding element in his character     
which gave it unity1 compactness1 and   
vigour4 ,when he clearly saw his duty   
before him1 he did it at all hazards1   
and with inflexible integrity4 ,he did  
not do it for effect2 nor did he think  
of glory1 or of fame and its rewards2   
but of the right thing to be done1 and  

the best way of doing it4  ,yet         
,washington had a most modest opinion of
 himself2 and when offered the chief    
command of the ,american patriot army1  
he hesitated to accept it until it was  
pressed upon him4 ,when acknowledging in
 ,congress the honour which had been    
done him in selecting him to so         
important a trust1 on the execution of  
which the future of his country in a    
great measure depended1 ,washington     
said3 ,i beg it may be remembered1 lest 
some unlucky event should happen        
unfavourable to my reputation1 that ,i  
this day declare1 with the utmost       
sincerity1 ,i do not think myself equal 
to the command ,i am honoured with4     
,and in his letter to his wife1         
communicating to her his appointment as 
,commander-in-,chief1 he said3 ,i have  
used every endeavour in my power to     
avoid it1 not only from my unwillingness
 to part with you and the family1 but   
from a consciousness of its being a     
trust too great for my capacity2 and    

that ,i should enjoy more real happiness
 in one month with you at home1 than ,i 
have the most distant prospect of       
finding abroad1 if my stay were to be   
seven times seven years4 ,but1 as it has
 been a kind of destiny that has thrown 
me upon this service1 ,i shall hope that
 my undertaking it is designed for some 
good purpose4 ,it was utterly out of my 
power to refuse the appointment1 without
 exposing my character to such censures 
as would have reflected dishonour upon  
myself1 and given pain to my friends4   
,this1 ,i am sure1 could not1 and ought 
not1 to be pleasing to you1 and must    
have lessened me considerably in my own 
esteem4 #afd  ,washington pursued his   
upright course through life1 first as   
,commander-in-,chief1 and afterwards as 
,president1 never faltering in the path 
of duty4 ,he had no regard for          
popularity1 but held to his purpose1    
through good and through evil report1   
often at the risk of his power and      
influence4 ,thus1 on one occasion1 when 

the ratification of a treaty1 arranged  
by ,mr4 ,jay with ,great ,britain1 was  
in question1 ,washington was urged to   
reject it4 ,but his honour1 and the     
honour of his country1 was committed1   
and he refused to do so4 ,a great outcry
 was raised against the treaty1 and for 
a time ,washington was so unpopular that
 he is said to have been actually stoned
 by the mob4 ,but he1 nevertheless1 held
 it to be his duty to ratify the treaty2
 and it was carried out1 in despite of  
petitions and remonstrances from all    
quarters4 ,while ,i feel1 he said1 in   
answer to the remonstrants1 the most    
lively gratitude for the many instances 
of approbation from my country1 ,i can  
no otherwise deserve it than by obeying 
the dictates of my conscience4          
,wellington's watchword1 like           
,washington's1 was duty2 and no man     
could be more loyal to it than he was4  
#afe ,there is little or nothing1 he    
once said1 in this life worth living    
for2 but we can all of us go straight   

forward and do our duty4 ,none          
recognised more cheerfully than he did  
the duty of obedience and willing       
service2 for unless men can serve       
faithfully1 they will not rule others   
wisely4 ,there is no motto that becomes 
the wise man better than ,,ich ,,dien1  
,i serve2 and ,they also serve who only 
stand and wait4  ,when the mortification
 of an officer1 because of his being    
appointed to a command inferior to what 
he considered to be his merits1 was     
communicated to the ,duke1 he said3 ,in 
the course of my military career1 ,i    
have gone from the command of a brigade 
to that of my regiment1 and from the    
command of an army to that of a brigade 
or a division1 as ,i was ordered1 and   
without any feeling of mortification4   
,whilst commanding the allied army in   
,portugal1 the conduct of the native    
population did not seem to ,wellington  
to be either becoming or dutiful4 ,we   
have enthusiasm in plenty1 he said1 and 
plenty of cries of ',,viva6' ,we have   

illuminations1 patriotic songs1 and     
,,fetes everywhere4 ,but what we want   
is1 that each in his own station should 
do his duty faithfully1 and pay implicit
 obedience to legal authority4  ,this   
abiding ideal of duty seemed to be the  
governing principle of ,wellington's    
character4 ,it was always uppermost in  
his mind1 and directed all the public   
actions of his life4 ,nor did it fail to
 communicate itself to those under him1 
who served him in the like spirit4 ,when
 he rode into one of his infantry       
squares at ,waterloo1 as its diminished 
numbers closed up to receive a charge of
 ,french cavalry1 he said to the men1   
,stand steady1 lads2 think of what they 
will say of us in ,england2 to which the
 men replied1 ,never fear1 sir--we know 
our duty4  ,duty was also the dominant  
idea in ,nelson's mind4 ,the spirit in  
which he served his country was         
expressed in the famous watchword1      
,england expects every man to do his    
duty1 signalled by him to the fleet     

before going into action at ,trafalgar1 
as well as in the last words that passed
 his lips1--,i have done my duty2 ,i    
praise ,god for it6  ,and ,nelson's     
companion and friend--the brave1        
sensible1 homely-minded ,collingwood--he
 who1 as his ship bore down into the    
great sea-fight1 said to his            
flag-captain1 ,just about this time our 
wives are going to church in            
,england1--,collingwood too was1 like   
his commander1 an ardent devotee of     
duty4 ,do your duty to the best of your 
ability1 was the maxim which he urged   
upon many young men starting on the     
voyage of life4 ,to a midshipman he once
 gave the following manly and sensible  
advice3- ,you may depend upon it1 that  
it is more in your own power than in    
anybody else's to promote both your     
comfort and advancement4 ,a strict and  
unwearied attention to your duty1 and a 
complacent and respectful behaviour1 not
 only to your superiors but to          
everybody1 will ensure you their regard1

 and the reward will surely come2 but if
 it should not1 ,i am convinced you have
 too much good sense to let             
disappointment sour you4 ,guard         
carefully against letting discontent    
appear in you4 ,it will be sorrow to    
your friends1 a triumph to your         
competitors1 and cannot be productive of
 any good4 ,conduct yourself so as to   
deserve the best that can come to you1  
and the consciousness of your own proper
 behaviour will keep you in spirits if  
it should not come4 ,let it be your     
ambition to be foremost in all duty4 ,do
 not be a nice observer of turns1 but   
ever present yourself ready for         
everything1 and1 unless your officers   
are very inattentive men1 they will not 
allow others to impose more duty on you 
than they should4  ,this devotion to    
duty is said to be peculiar to the      
,english nation2 and it has certainly   
more or less characterised our greatest 
public men4 ,probably no commander of   
any other nation ever went into action  

with such a signal flying as ,nelson at 
,trafalgar--not ,glory1 or ,victory1 or 
,honour1 or ,country--but simply ,duty6 
,how few are the nations willing to     
rally to such a battle-cry6  ,shortly   
after the wreck of the ,,birkenhead off 
the coast of ,africa1 in which the      
officers and men went down firing a     
,,feu-,,de-,,joie after seeing the women
 and children safely embarked in the    
boats1--,robertson of ,brighton1        
referring to the circumstance in one of 
his letters1 said3 ,yes6 ,goodness1     
,duty1 ,sacrifice1--these are the       
qualities that ,england honours4 ,she   
gapes and wonders every now and then1   
like an awkward peasant1 at some other  
things--railway kings1 electro-biology1 
and other trumperies2 but nothing stirs 
her grand old heart down to its central 
deeps universally and long1 except the  
,right4 ,she puts on her shawl very     
badly1 and she is awkward enough in a   
concert-room1 scarce knowing a ,swedish 
nightingale from a jackdaw2             

but--blessings large and long upon      
her6--she knows how to teach her sons to
 sink like men amidst sharks and        
billows1 without parade1 without        
display1 as if ,duty were the most      
natural thing in the world2 and she     
never mistakes long an actor for a hero1
 or a hero for an actor4 #aff  ,it is a 
grand thing1 after all1 this pervading  
spirit of ,duty in a nation2 and so long
 as it survives1 no one need despair of 
its future4 ,but when it has departed1  
or become deadened1 and been supplanted 
by thirst for pleasure1 or selfish      
aggrandisement1 or glory--then woe to   
that nation1 for its dissolution is near
 at hand6  ,if there be one point on    
which intelligent observers are agreed  
more than another as to the cause of the
 late deplorable collapse of ,france as 
a nation1 it was the utter absence of   
this feeling of duty1 as well as of     
truthfulness1 from the mind1 not only of
 the men1 but of the leaders of the     
,french people4 ,the unprejudiced       

testimony of ,baron ,stoffel1 ,french   
military attache at ,berlin1 before the 
war1 is conclusive on this point4 ,in   
his private report to the ,emperor1     
found at the ,tuileries1 which was      
written in ,august1 #ahfi1 about a year 
before the outbreak of the war1 ,baron  
,stoffel pointed out that the           
highly-educated and disciplined ,german 
people were pervaded by an ardent sense 
of duty1 and did not think it beneath   
them to reverence sincerely what was    
noble and lofty2 whereas1 in all        
respects1 ,france presented a melancholy
 contrast4 ,there the people1 having    
sneered at everything1 had lost the     
faculty of respecting anything1 and     
virtue1 family life1 patriotism1 honour1
 and religion1 were represented to a    
frivolous generation as only fitting    
subjects for ridicule4 #afg ,alas6 how  
terribly has ,france been punished for  
her sins against truth and duty6  ,yet  
the time was1 when ,france possessed    
many great men inspired by duty2 but    

they were all men of a comparatively    
remote past4 ,the race of ,bayard1      
,duguesclin1 ,coligny1 ,duquesne1       
,turenne1 ,colbert1 and ,sully1 seems to
 have died out and left no lineage4     
,there has been an occasional great     
,frenchman of modern times who has      
raised the cry of ,duty2 but his voice  
has been as that of one crying in the   
wilderness4 ,de ,tocqueville was one of 
such2 but1 like all men of his stamp1 he
 was proscribed1 imprisoned1 and driven 
from public life4 ,writing on one       
occasion to his friend ,kergorlay1 he   
said3 ,like you1 ,i become more and more
 alive to the happiness which consists  
in the fulfilment of ,duty4 ,i believe  
there is no other so deep and so real4  
,there is only one great object in the  
world which deserves our efforts1 and   
that is the good of mankind4 #afh       
,although ,france has been the unquiet  
spirit among the nations of ,europe     
since the reign of ,louis ,,xiv41 there 
have from time to time been honest and  

faithful men who have lifted up their   
voices against the turbulent warlike    
tendencies of the people1 and not only  
preached1 but endeavoured to carry into 
practice1 a gospel of peace4 ,of these1 
the ,abbe de ,st4-,pierre was one of the
 most courageous4 ,he had even the      
boldness to denounce the wars of ,louis 
,,xiv41 and to deny that monarch's right
 to the epithet of ',great1' for which  
he was punished by expulsion from the   
,academy4 ,the ,abbe was as enthusiastic
 an agitator for a system of            
international peace as any member of the
 modern ,society of ,friends4 ,as       
,joseph ,sturge went to ,st4 ,petersburg
 to convert the ,emperor of ,russia to  
his views1 so the ,abbe went to ,utrecht
 to convert the ,conference sitting     
there1 to his project for a ,diet2 to   
secure perpetual peace4 ,of course he   
was regarded as an enthusiast1 ,cardinal
 ,dubois characterising his scheme as   
the dream of an honest man4 ,yet the    
,abbe had found his dream in the        

,gospel2 and in what better way could he
 exemplify the spirit of the ,master he 
served than by endeavouring to abate the
 horrors and abominations of war8 ,the  
,conference was an assemblage of men    
representing ,christian ,states3 and the
 ,abbe merely called upon them to put in
 practice the doctrines they professed  
to believe4 ,it was of no use3 the      
potentates and their representatives    
turned to him a deaf ear4  ,the ,abbe de
 ,st4-,pierre lived several hundred     
years too soon4 ,but he determined that 
his idea should not be lost1 and in     
#agac he published his ',project of     
,perpetual ,peace4' ,he there proposed  
the formation of a ,european ,diet1 or  
,senate1 to be composed of              
representatives of all nations1 before  
which princes should be bound1 before   
resorting to arms1 to state their       
grievances and require redress4 ,writing
 about eighty years after the           
publication of this project1 ,volney    
asked3 ,what is a people8--an individual

 of the society at large4 ,what a       
war8--a duel between two individual     
people4 ,in what manner ought a society 
to act when two of its members          
fight8--,interfere1 and reconcile or    
repress them4 ,in the days of the ,abbe 
de ,st4-,pierre1 this was treated as a  
dream2 but1 happily for the human race1 
it begins to be realised4 ,alas for the 
prediction of ,volney6 ,the twenty-five 
years that followed the date at which   
this passage was written1 were          
distinguished by more devastating and   
furious wars on the part of ,france than
 had ever been known in the world       
before4  ,the ,abbe was not1 however1 a 
mere dreamer4 ,he was an active         
practical philanthropist and anticipated
 many social improvements which have    
since become generally adopted4 ,he was 
the original founder of industrial      
schools for poor children1 where they   
not only received a good education1 but 
learned some useful trade1 by which they
 might earn an honest living when they  

grew up to manhood4 ,he advocated the   
revision and simplification of the whole
 code of laws--an idea afterwards       
carried out by the ,first ,napoleon4 ,he
 wrote against duelling1 against luxury1
 against gambling1 against monasticism1 
quoting the remark of ,segrais1 that the
 mania for a monastic life is the       
smallpox of the mind4 ,he spent his     
whole income in acts of charity--not in 
almsgiving1 but in helping poor         
children1 and poor men and women1 to    
help themselves4 ,his object always was 
to benefit permanently those whom he    
assisted4 ,he continued his love of     
truth and his freedom of speech to the  
last4 ,at the age of eighty he said3 ,if
 life is a lottery for happiness1 my lot
 has been one of the best4 ,when on his 
deathbed1 ,voltaire asked him how he    
felt1 to which he answered1 ,as about to
 make a journey into the country4 ,and  
in this peaceful frame of mind he died4 
,but so outspoken had ,st4-,pierre been 
against corruption in high places1 that 

,maupertius1 his ,successor at the      
,academy1 was not permitted to pronounce
 his ,,eloge2 nor was it until          
thirty-two years after his death that   
this honour was done to his memory by   
,d',alembert4 ,the true and emphatic    
epitaph of the good1 truth-loving1      
truth-speaking ,abbe was this--,,he     
,,loved ,,much6  ,duty is closely allied
 to truthfulness of character2 and the  
dutiful man is1 above all things1       
truthful in his words as in his actions4
 ,he says and he does the right thing1  
in the right way1 and at the right time4
  ,there is probably no saying of ,lord 
,chesterfield that commends itself more 
strongly to the approval of manly-minded
 men1 than that it is truth that makes  
the success of the gentleman4           
,clarendon1 speaking of one of the      
noblest and purest gentlemen of his age1
 says of ,falkland1 that he was so      
severe an adorer of truth that he could 
as easily have given himself leave to   
steal as to dissemble4  ,it was one of  

the finest things that ,mrs4 ,hutchinson
 could say of her husband1 that he was a
 thoroughly truthful and reliable man3  
,he never professed the thing he        
intended not1 nor promised what he      
believed out of his power1 nor failed in
 the performance of anything that was in
 his power to fulfil4  ,wellington was a
 severe admirer of truth4 ,an           
illustration may be given4 ,when        
afflicted by deafness he consulted a    
celebrated aurist1 who1 after trying all
 remedies in vain1 determined1 as a last
 resource1 to inject into the ear a     
strong solution of caustic4 ,it caused  
the most intense pain1 but the patient  
bore it with his usual equanimity4 ,the 
family physician accidentally calling   
one day1 found the ,duke with flushed   
cheeks and bloodshot eyes1 and when he  
rose he staggered about like a drunken  
man4 ,the doctor asked to be permitted  
to look at his ear1 and then he found   
that a furious inflammation was going   
on1 which1 if not immediately checked1  

must shortly reach the brain and kill   
him4 ,vigorous remedies were at once    
applied1 and the inflammation was       
checked4 ,but the hearing of that ear   
was completely destroyed4 ,when the     
aurist heard of the danger his patient  
had run1 through the violence of the    
remedy he had employed1 he hastened to  
,apsley ,house to express his grief and 
mortification2 but the ,duke merely     
said3 ,do not say a word more about     
it--you did all for the best4 ,the      
aurist said it would be his ruin when it
 became known that he had been the cause
 of so much suffering and danger to his 
,grace4 ,but nobody need know anything  
about it3 keep your own counsel1 and1   
depend upon it1 ,i won't say a word to  
any one4 ,then your ,grace will allow me
 to attend you as usual1 which will show
 the public that you have not withdrawn 
your confidence from me8 ,no1 replied   
the ,duke1 kindly but firmly2 ,i can't  
do that1 for that would be a lie4 ,he   
would not act a falsehood any more than 

he would speak one4 #afi  ,another      
illustration of duty and truthfulness1  
as exhibited in the fulfilment of a     
promise1 may be added from the life of  
,blucher4 ,when he was hastening with   
his army over bad roads to the help of  
,wellington1 on the #ahth of ,june1     
#ahae1 he encouraged his troops by words
 and gestures4 ,forwards1               
children--forwards6 ,it is impossible2  
it can't be done1 was the answer4 ,again
 and again he urged them4 ,children1 we 
must get on2 you may say it can't be    
done1 but it ,,must be done6 ,i have    
promised my brother                     
,wellington--,,promised1 do you hear8   
,you wouldn't have me ,,break ,,my      
,,word6 ,and it was done4  ,truth is the
 very bond of society1 without which it 
must cease to exist1 and dissolve into  
anarchy and chaos4 ,a household cannot  
be governed by lying2 nor can a nation4 
,sir ,thomas ,browne once asked1 ,do the
 devils lie8 ,no1 was his answer2 for   
then even hell could not subsist4 ,no   

considerations can justify the sacrifice
 of truth1 which ought to be sovereign  
in all the relations of life4  ,of all  
mean vices1 perhaps lying is the        
meanest4 ,it is in some cases the       
offspring of perversity and vice1 and in
 many others of sheer moral cowardice4  
,yet many persons think so lightly of it
 that they will order their servants to 
lie for them2 nor can they feel         
surprised if1 after such ignoble        
instruction1 they find their servants   
lying for themselves4  ,sir ,harry      
,wotton's description of an ambassador  
as an honest man sent to lie abroad for 
the benefit of his country1 though meant
 as a satire1 brought him into disfavour
 with ,james ,i4 when it became         
published2 for an adversary quoted it as
 a principle of the king's religion4    
,that it was not ,wotton's real view of 
the duty of an honest man1 is obvious   
from the lines quoted at the head of    
this chapter1 on ',the ,character of a  
,happy ,life1' in which he eulogises the

 man            ,whose armour is his    
honest thought1            ,and simple  
truth his utmost skill4  ,but lying     
assumes many forms--such as diplomacy1  
expediency1 and moral reservation2 and1 
under one guise or another1 it is found 
more or less pervading all classes of   
society4 ,sometimes it assumes the form 
of equivocation or moral                
dodging--twisting and so stating the    
things said as to convey a false        
impression--a kind of lying which a     
,frenchman once described as walking    
round about the truth4  ,there are even 
men of narrow minds and dishonest       
natures1 who pride themselves upon their
 jesuitical cleverness in equivocation1 
in their serpent-wise shirking of the   
truth and getting out of moral          
back-doors1 in order to hide their real 
opinions and evade the consequences of  
holding and openly professing them4     
,institutions or systems based upon any 
such expedients must necessarily prove  
false and hollow4 ,though a lie be ever 

so well dressed1 says ,george ,herbert1 
it is ever overcome4 ,downright lying1  
though bolder and more vicious1 is even 
less contemptible than such kind of     
shuffling and equivocation4             
,untruthfulness exhibits itself in many 
other forms3 in reticency on the one    
hand1 or exaggeration on the other2 in  
disguise or concealment2 in pretended   
concurrence in others opinions2 in      
assuming an attitude of conformity which
 is deceptive2 in making promises1 or   
allowing them to be implied1 which are  
never intended to be performed2 or even 
in refraining from speaking the truth   
when to do so is a duty4 ,there are also
 those who are all things to all men1   
who say one thing and do another1 like  
,bunyan's ,mr4 ,facing-both-ways2 only  
deceiving themselves when they think    
they are deceiving others--and who1     
being essentially insincere1 fail to    
evoke confidence1 and invariably in the 
end turn out failures1 if not impostors4
  ,others are untruthful in their       

pretentiousness1 and in assuming merits 
which they do not really possess4 ,the  
truthful man is1 on the contrary1       
modest1 and makes no parade of himself  
and his deeds4 ,when ,pitt was in his   
last illness1 the news reached ,england 
of the great deeds of ,wellington in    
,india4 ,the more ,i hear of his        
exploits1 said ,pitt1 the more ,i admire
 the modesty with which he receives the 
praises he merits for them4 ,he is the  
only man ,i ever knew that was not vain 
of what he had done1 and yet had so much
 reason to be so4  ,so it is said of    
,faraday by ,professor ,tyndall1 that   
pretence of all kinds1 whether in life  
or in philosophy1 was hateful to him4   
,dr4 ,marshall ,hall was a man of like  
spirit--courageously truthful1 dutiful1 
and manly4 ,one of his most intimate    
friends has said of him that1 wherever  
he met with untruthfulness or sinister  
motive1 he would expose it1 saying--,i  
neither will1 nor can1 give my consent  
to a lie4 ,the question1 right or wrong1

 once decided in his own mind1 the right
 was followed1 no matter what the       
sacrifice or the difficulty--neither    
expediency nor inclination weighing one 
jot in the balance4  ,there was no      
virtue that ,dr4 ,arnold laboured more  
sedulously to instil into young men than
 the virtue of truthfulness1 as being   
the manliest of virtues1 as indeed the  
very basis of all true manliness4 ,he   
designated truthfulness as moral        
transparency1 and he valued it more     
highly than any other quality4 ,when    
lying was detected1 he treated it as a  
great moral offence2 but when a pupil   
made an assertion1 he accepted it with  
confidence4 ,if you say so1 that is     
quite enough2 ,,of ,,course ,i believe  
your word4 ,by thus trusting and        
believing them1 he educated the young in
 truthfulness2 the boys at length coming
 to say to one another3 ,it's a shame to
 tell ,arnold a lie--he always believes 
one4 #afaj  ,one of the most striking   
instances that could be given of the    

character of the dutiful1 truthful1     
laborious man1 is presented in the life 
of the late ,george ,wilson1 ,professor 
of ,technology in the ,university of    
,edinburgh4 #afaa ,though we bring this 
illustration under the head of ,duty1 it
 might equally have stood under that of 
,courage1 ,cheerfulness1 or ,industry1  
for it is alike illustrative of these   
several qualities4  ,wilson's life was1 
indeed1 a marvel of cheerful            
laboriousness2 exhibiting the power of  
the soul to triumph over the body1 and  
almost to set it at defiance4 ,it might 
be taken as an illustration of the      
saying of the whaling-captain to ,dr4   
,kane1 as to the power of moral force   
over physical3 ,bless you1 sir1 the soul
 will any day lift the body out of its  
boots6  ,a fragile but bright and lively
 boy1 he had scarcely entered manhood   
ere his constitution began to exhibit   
signs of disease4 ,as early1 indeed1 as 
his seventeenth year1 he began to       
complain of melancholy and              

sleeplessness1 supposed to be the       
effects of bile4 ,i don't think ,i shall
 live long1 he then said to a friend2 my
 mind will--must work itself out1 and   
the body will soon follow it4 ,a strange
 confession for a boy to make6 ,but he  
gave his physical health no fair chance4
 ,his life was all brain-work1 study1   
and competition4 ,when he took exercise 
it was in sudden bursts1 which did him  
more harm than good4 ,long walks in the 
,highlands jaded and exhausted him2 and 
he returned to his brain-work unrested  
and unrefreshed4  ,it was during one of 
his forced walks of some twenty-four    
miles in the neighbourhood of ,stirling1
 that he injured one of his feet1 and he
 returned home seriously ill4 ,the      
result was an abscess1 disease of the   
ankle-joint1 and long agony1 which ended
 in the amputation of the right foot4   
,but he never relaxed in his labours4   
,he was now writing1 lecturing1 and     
teaching chemistry4 ,rheumatism and     
acute inflammation of the eye next      

attacked him2 and were treated by       
cupping1 blisetring1 and colchicum4     
,unable himself to write1 he went on    
preparing his lectures1 which he        
dictated to his sister4 ,pain haunted   
him day and night1 and sleep was only   
forced by morphia4 ,while in this state 
of general prostration1 symptoms of     
pulmonary disease began to show         
themselves4 ,yet he continued to give   
the weekly lectures to which he stood   
committed to the ,edinburgh ,school of  
,arts4 ,not one was shirked1 though     
their delivery1 before a large audience1
 was a most exhausting duty4 ,well1     
there's another nail put into my coffin1
 was the remark made on throwing off his
 top-coat on returning home2 and a      
sleepless night almost invariably       
followed4  ,at twenty-seven1 ,wilson was
 lecturing ten1 eleven1 or more hours   
weekly1 usually with setons or open     
blister-wounds upon him--his bosom      
friends1 he used to call them4 ,he felt 
the shadow of death upon him2 and he    

worked as if his days were numbered4    
,don't be surprised1 he wrote to a      
friend1 if any morning at breakfast you 
hear that ,i am gone4 ,but while he said
 so1 he did not in the least degree     
indulge in the feeling of sickly        
sentimentality4 ,he worked on as        
cheerfully and hopefully as if in the   
very fulness of his strength4 ,to none1 
said he1 is life so sweet as to those   
who have lost all fear to die4          
,sometimes he was compelled to desist   
from his labours by sheer debility1     
occasioned by loss of blood from the    
lungs2 but after a few weeks' rest and  
change of air1 he would return to his   
work1 saying1 ,the water is rising in   
the well again6 ,though disease had     
fastened on his lungs1 and was spreading
 there1 and though suffering from a     
distressing cough1 he went on lecturing 
as usual4 ,to add to his troubles1 when 
one day endeavouring to recover himself 
from a stumble occasioned by his        
lameness1 he overstrained his arm1 and  

broke the bone near the shoulder4 ,but  
he recovered from his successive        
accidents and illnesses in the most     
extraordinary way4 ,the reed bent1 but  
did not break3 the storm passed1 and it 
stood erect as before4  ,there was no   
worry1 nor fever1 nor fret about him2   
but instead1 cheerfulness1 patience1 and
 unfailing perseverance4 ,his mind1     
amidst all his sufferings1 remained     
perfectly calm and serene4 ,he went     
about his daily work with an apparently 
charmed life1 as if he had the strength 
of many men in him4 ,yet all the while  
he knew he was dying1 his chief anxiety 
being to conceal his state from those   
about him at home1 to whom the knowledge
 of his actual condition would have been
 inexpressibly distressing4 ,i am       
cheerful among strangers1 he said1 and  
try to live day by day as a dying man4  
#afab  ,he went on teaching as          
before--lecturing to the ,architectural 
,institute and to the ,school of ,arts4 
,one day1 after a lecture before the    

latter institute1 he lay down to rest1  
and was shortly awakened by the rupture 
of a bloodvessel1 which occasioned him  
the loss of a considerable quantity of  
blood4 ,he did not experience the       
despair and agony that ,keats did on a  
like occasion2 #afac though he equally  
knew that the messenger of death had    
come1 and was waiting for him4 ,he      
appeared at the family meals as usual1  
and next day he lectured twice1         
punctually fulfilling his engagements2  
but the exertion of speaking was        
followed by a second attack of          
haemorrhage4 ,he now became seriously   
ill1 and it was doubted whether he would
 survive the night4 ,but he did survive2
 and during his convalescence he was    
appointed to an important public        
office--that of ,director of the        
,scottish ,industrial ,museum1 which    
involved a great amount of labour1 as   
well as lecturing1 in his capacity of   
,professor of ,technology1 which he held
 in connection with the office4  ,from  

this time forward1 his dear museum1 as  
he called it1 absorbed all his surplus  
energies4 ,while busily occupied in     
collecting models and specimens for the 
museum1 he filled up his odds-and-ends  
of time in lecturing to ,ragged         
,schools1 ,ragged ,kirks1 and ,medical  
,missionary ,societies4 ,he gave himself
 no rest1 either of mind or body2 and to
 die working was the fate he envied4    
,his mind would not give in1 but his    
poor body was forced to yield1 and a    
severe attack of haemorrhage--bleeding  
from both lungs and stomach             
#afad--;compelled him to relax in his   
labours4 ,for a month1 or some forty    
days1 he wrote--a dreadful ,lent--the   
mind has blown geographically from      
',araby the blest1' but thermometrically
 from ,iceland the accursed4 ,i have    
been made a prisoner of war1 hit by an  
icicle in the lungs1 and have shivered  
and burned alternately for a large      
portion of the last month1 and spat     
blood till ,i grew pale with coughing4  

,now ,i am better1 and to-morrow ,i give
 my concluding lecture #afon            
,technology1 thankful that ,i have      
contrived1 notwithstanding all my       
troubles1 to carry on without missing a 
lecture to the last day of the ,faculty 
of ,arts1 to which ,i belong4 #afae     
,how long was it to last8 ,he himself   
began to wonder1 for he had long felt   
his life as if ebbing away4 ,at length  
he became languid1 weary1 and unfit for 
work2 even the writing of a letter cost 
him a painful effort1 and4 he felt as if
 to lie down and sleep were the only    
things worth doing4 ,yet shortly after1 
to help a ,sunday-school1 he wrote his  
',five ,gateways of ,knowledge1' as a   
lecture1 and afterwards expanded it into
 a book4 ,he also recovered strength    
sufficient to enable him to proceed with
 his lectures to the institutions to    
which he belonged1 besides on various   
occasions undertaking to do other       
people's work4 ,i am looked upon as good
 as mad1 he wrote to his brother1       

because1 on a hasty notice1 ,i took a   
defaulting lecturer's place at the      
,philosophical ,institution1 and        
discoursed on the ,polarization of      
,light4444 ,but ,i like work3 it is a   
family weakness4  ,then followed chronic
 malaise--sleepless nights1 days of     
pain1 and more spitting of blood4 ,my   
only painless moments1 he says1 were    
when lecturing4 ,in this state of       
prostration and disease1 the            
indefatigable man undertook to write the
 ',life of ,edward ,forbes'2 and he did 
it1 like everything he undertook1 with  
admirable ability4 ,he proceeded with   
his lectures as usual4 ,to an           
association of teachers he delivered a  
discourse on the educational value of   
industrial science4 ,after he had spoken
 to his audience for an hour1 he left   
them to say whether he should go on or  
not1 and they cheered him on to another 
half-hour's address4 ,it is curious1 he 
wrote1 the feeling of having an         
audience1 like clay in your hands1 to   

mould for a season as you please4 ,it is
 a terribly responsible power4444 ,i do 
not mean for a moment to imply that ,i  
am indifferent to the good opinion of   
others--far otherwise2 but to gain this 
is much less a concern with me than to  
deserve it4 ,it was not so once4 ,i had 
no wish for unmerited praise1 but ,i was
 too ready to settle that ,i did merit  
it4 ,now1 the word ,,duty seems to me   
the biggest word in the world1 and is   
uppermost in all my serious doings4     
,this was written only about four months
 before his death4 ,a little later he   
wrote1 ,i spin my thread of life from   
week to week1 rather than from year to  
year4 ,constant attacks of bleeding from
 the lungs sapped his little remaining  
strength1 but did not altogether disable
 him from lecturing4 ,he was amused by  
one of his friends proposing to put him 
under trustees for the purpose of       
looking after his health4 ,but he would 
not be restrained from working1 so long 
as a vestige of strength remained4  ,one

 day1 in the autumn of #ahei1 he        
returned from his customary lecture in  
the ,university of ,edinburgh with a    
severe pain in his side4 ,he was        
scarcely able to crawl upstairs4        
,medical aid was sent for1 and he was   
pronounced to be suffering from pleurisy
 and inflammation of the lungs4 ,his    
enfeebled frame was ill able to resist  
so severe a disease1 and he sank        
peacefully to the rest he so longed for1
 after a few days' illness3             
,wrong not the dead with tears6         
,a glorious bright to-morrow            
,endeth a weary life of pain and sorrow4
  ,the life of ,george ,wilson--so      
admirably and affectionately related by 
his sister--is probably one of the most 
marvellous records of pain and          
longsuffering1 and yet of persistent1   
noble1 and useful work1 that is to be   
found in the whole history of           
literature4 ,his entire career was      
indeed but a prolonged illustration of  
the lines which he himself addressed to 

his deceased friend1 ,dr4 ,john ,reid1 a
 likeminded man1 whose memoir he        
wrote3--           ,thou wert a daily   
lesson             ,of courage1 hope1   
and faith2           ,we wondered at    
thee living1             ,we envy thee  
thy death4            ,thou wert so meek
 and reverent1             ,so resolute 
of will1           ,so bold to bear the 
uttermost1             ,and yet so calm 
and still4     ,,chapter                
,,viii4--,,temper4         ,temper is   
nine-tenths of ,christianity4--,,bishop 
,,wilson4          ,heaven is a temper1 
not a place4--,,dr4 ,,chalmers4         
,and should my youth1 as youth is apt ,i
 know1                    ,some         
harshness show2         ,all vain       
asperities ,i day by day                
,would wear away1         ,till the     
smooth temper of my age should be       
,like the high leaves upon the ,holly   
,tree--,,southey4      ,even ,power     
itself hath not one-half the might of   
,gentleness                             

--,,leigh ,,hunt4   ,it has been said   
that men succeed in life quite as much  
by their temper as by their talents4    
,however this may be1 it is certain that
 their happiness in life depends mainly 
upon their equanimity of disposition1   
their patience and forbearance1 and     
their kindness and thoughtfulness for   
those about them4 ,it is really true    
what ,plato says1 that in seeking the   
good of others we find our own4  ,there 
are some natures so happily constituted 
that they can find good in everything4  
,there is no calamity so great but they 
can educe comfort or consolation from   
it--no sky so black but they can        
discover a gleam of sunshine issuing    
through it from some quarter or another2
 and if the sun be not visible to their 
eyes1 they at least comfort themselves  
with the thought that it ,,is there1    
though veiled from them for some good   
and wise purpose4  ,such happy natures  
are to be envied4 ,they have a beam in  
the eye--a beam of pleasure1 gladness1  

religious cheerfulness1 philosophy1 call
 it what you will4 ,sunshine is about   
their hearts1 and their mind gilds with 
its own hues all that it looks upon4    
,when they have burdens to bear1 they   
bear them cheerfully--not repining1 nor 
fretting1 nor wasting their energies in 
useless lamentation1 but struggling     
onward manfully1 gathering up such      
flowers as lie along their path4  ,let  
it not for a moment be supposed that men
 such as those we speak of are weak and 
unreflective4 ,the largest and most     
comprehensive natures are generally also
 the most cheerful1 the most loving1 the
 most hopeful1 the most trustful4 ,it is
 the wise man1 of large vision1 who is  
the quickest to discern the moral       
sunshine gleaming through the darkest   
cloud4 ,in present evil he sees         
prospective good2 in pain1 he recognises
 the effort of nature to restore health2
 in trials1 he finds correction and     
discipline2 and in sorrow and suffering1
 he gathers courage1 knowledge1 and the 

best practical wisdom4  ,when ,jeremy   
,taylor had lost all--when his house had
 been plundered1 and his family driven  
out-of-doors1 and all his worldly estate
 had been sequestrated--he could still  
write thus3 ,i am fallen into the hands 
of publicans and sequestrators1 and they
 have taken all from me2 what now8 ,let 
me look about me4 ,they have left me the
 sun and moon1 a loving wife1 and many  
friends to pity me1 and some to relieve 
me2 and ,i can still discourse1 and1    
unless ,i list1 they have not taken away
 my merry countenance and my cheerful   
spirit1 and a good conscience2 they have
 still left me the providence of ,god1  
and all the promises of the ,gospel1 and
 my religion1 and my hopes of heaven1   
and my charity to them1 too2 and still  
,i sleep and digest1 ,i eat and drink1  
,i read and meditate4444 ,and he that   
hath so many causes of joy1 and so      
great1 is very much in love with sorrow 
and peevishness1 who loves all these    
pleasures1 and chooses to sit down upon 

his little handful of thorns4 #aga      
,although cheerfulness of disposition is
 very much a matter of inborn           
temperament1 it is also capable of being
 trained and cultivated like any other  
habit4 ,we may make the best of life1 or
 we may make the worst of it2 and it    
depends very much upon ourselves whether
 we extract joy or misery from it4      
,there are always two sides of life on  
which we can look1 according as we      
choose--the bright side or the gloomy4  
,we can bring the power of the will to  
bear in making the choice1 and thus     
cultivate the habit of being happy or   
the reverse4 ,we can encourage the      
disposition of looking at the brightest 
side of things1 instead of the darkest4 
,and while we see the cloud1 let us not 
shut our eyes to the silver lining4     
,the beam in the eye sheds brightness1  
beauty1 and joy upon life in all its    
phases4 ,it shines upon coldness1 and   
warms it2 upon suffering1 and comforts  
it2 upon ignorance1 and enlightens it2  

upon sorrow1 and cheers it4 ,the beam in
 the eye gives lustre to intellect1 and 
brightens beauty itself4 ,without it the
 sunshine of life is not felt1 flowers  
bloom in vain1 the marvels of heaven and
 earth are not seen or acknowledged1 and
 creation is but a dreary1 lifeless1    
soulless blank4  ,while cheerfulness of 
disposition is a great source of        
enjoyment in life1 it is also a great   
safeguard of character4 ,a devotional   
writer of the present day1 in answer to 
the question1 ,how are we to overcome   
temptations8 says3 ,cheerfulness is the 
first thing1 cheerfulness is the second1
 and cheerfulness is the third4 ,it     
furnishes the best soil for the growth  
of goodness and virtue4 ,it gives       
brightness of heart and elasticity of   
spirit4 ,it is the companion of charity1
 the nurse of patience the mother of    
wisdom4 ,it is also the best of moral   
and mental tonics4 ,the best cordial of 
all1 said ,dr4 ,marshall ,hall to one of
 his patients1 is cheerfulness4 ,and    

,solomon has said that a merry heart    
doeth good like a medicine4 ,when       
,luther was once applied to for a remedy
 against melancholy1 his advice was3    
,gaiety and courage--innocent gaiety1   
and rational honourable courage--are the
 best medicine for young men1 and for   
old men1 too2 for all men against sad   
thoughts4 #agb ,next to music1 if not   
before it1 ,luther loved children and   
flowers4 ,the great gnarled man had a   
heart as tender as a woman's4           
,cheerfulness is also an excellent      
wearing quality4 ,it has been called the
 bright weather of the heart4 ,it gives 
harmony of soul1 and is a perpetual song
 without words4 ,it is tantamount to    
repose4 ,it enables nature to recruit   
its strength2 whereas worry and         
discontent debilitate it1 involving     
constant wear-and-tear4 ,how is it that 
we see such men as ,lord ,palmerston    
growing old in harness1 working on      
vigorously to the end8 ,mainly through  
equanimity of temper and habitual       

cheerfulness4 ,they have educated       
themselves in the habit of endurance1 of
 not being easily provoked1 of bearing  
and forbearing1 of hearing harsh and    
even unjust things said of them without 
indulging in undue resentment1 and      
avoiding worreting1 petty1 and          
self-tormenting cares4 ,an intimate     
friend of ,lord ,palmerston1 who        
observed him closely for twenty years1  
has said that he never saw him angry1   
with perhaps one exception2 and that was
 when the ministry responsible for the  
calamity in ,affghanistan1 of which he  
was one1 were unjustly accused by their 
opponents of falsehood1 perjury1 and    
wilful mutilation of public documents4  
,so far as can be learnt from biography1
 men of the greatest genius have been   
for the most part cheerful1 contented   
men--not eager for reputation1 money1 or
 power--but relishing life1 and keenly  
susceptible of enjoyment1 as we find    
reflected in their works4 ,such seem to 
have been ,homer1 ,horace1 ,virgil1     

,montaigne1 ,shakspeare1 ,cervantes4    
,healthy serene cheerfulness is apparent
 in their great creations4 ,among the   
same class of cheerful-minded men may   
also be mentioned ,luther1 ,more1       
,bacon1 ,leonardo da ,vinci1 ,raphael1  
and ,michael ,angelo4 ,perhaps they were
 happy because constantly occupied1 and 
in the pleasantest of all work--that of 
creating out of the fulness and richness
 of their great minds4  ,milton1 too1   
though a man of many trials and         
sufferings1 must have been a man of     
great cheerfulness and elasticity of    
nature4 ,though overtaken by blindness1 
deserted by friends1 and fallen upon    
evil days--darkness before and danger's 
voice behind--yet did he not bate heart 
or hope1 but still bore up and steered  
right onward4  ,henry ,fielding was a   
man borne down through life by debt1 and
 difficulty1 and bodily suffering2 and  
yet ,lady ,mary ,wortley ,montague has  
said of him that1 by virtue of his      
cheerful disposition1 she was persuaded 

he had known more happy moments than any
 person on earth4  ,dr4 ,johnson1       
through all his trials and sufferings   
and hard fights with fortune1 was a     
courageous and cheerful-natured man4 ,he
 manfully made the best of life1 and    
tried to be glad in it4 ,once1 when a   
clergyman was complaining of the dulness
 of society in the country1 saying they 
only talk of runts #agyoung cows1       
,johnson felt flattered by the          
observation of ,mrs4 ,thrale's mother1  
who said1 ,sir1 ,dr4 ,johnson would     
learn to talk of runts--meaning that he 
was a man who would make the most of his
 situation1 whatever it was4  ,johnson  
was of opinion that a man grew better as
 he grew older1 and that his nature     
mellowed with age4 ,this is certainly a 
much more cheerful view of human nature 
than that of ,lord ,chesterfield1 who   
saw life through the eyes of a cynic1   
and held that the heart never grows     
better by age3 it only grows harder4    
,but both sayings may be true according 

to the point from which life is viewed1 
and the temper by which a man is        
governed2 for while the good1 profiting 
by experience1 and disciplining         
themselves by self-control1 will grow   
better1 the ill-conditioned1            
uninfluenced by experience1 will only   
grow worse4  ,sir ,walter ,scott was a  
man full of the milk of human kindness4 
,everybody loved him4 ,he was never five
 minutes in a room ere the little pets  
of the family1 whether dumb or lisping1 
had found out his kindness for all their
 generation4 ,scott related to ,captain 
,basil ,hall an incident of his boyhood 
which showed the tenderness of his      
nature4 ,one day1 a dog coming towards  
him1 he took up a big stone1 threw it1  
and hit the dog4 ,the poor creature had 
strength enough left to crawl up to him 
and lick his feet1 although he saw its  
leg was broken4 ,the incident1 he said1 
had given him the bitterest remorse in  
his after-life2 but he added1 ,an early 
circumstance of that kind1 properly     

reflected on1 is calculated to have the 
best effect on one's character          
throughout life4  ,give me an honest    
laugher1 ,scott would say2 and he       
himself laughed the heart's laugh4 ,he  
had a kind word for everybody1 and his  
kindness acted all round him like a     
contagion1 dispelling the reserve and   
awe which his great name was calculated 
to inspire4 ,he'll come here1 said the  
keeper of the ruins of ,melrose ,abbey  
to ,washington ,irving--he'll come here 
some-times1 wi' great folks in his      
company1 and the first ,i'll know of it 
is hearing his voice calling out1       
',johnny6 ,johnny ,bower6' ,and when ,i 
go out ,i'm sure to be greeted wi' a    
joke or a pleasant word4 ,he'll stand   
and crack and laugh wi' me1 just like an
 auld wife2 and to think that of a man  
that has ,,such ,,an ,,awfu' ,,knowledge
 ,o' ,,history6  ,dr4 ,arnold was a man 
of the same hearty cordiality of        
manner--full of human sympathy4 ,there  
was not a particle of affectation or    

pretence of condescension about him4 ,i 
never knew such a humble man as the     
doctor1 said the parish clerk at        
,laleham2 he comes and shakes us by the 
hand as if he was one of us4 ,he used to
 come into my house1 said an old woman  
near ,fox ,how1 and talk to me as if ,i 
were a lady4  ,sydney ,smith was another
 illustration of the power of           
cheerfulness4 ,he was ever ready to look
 on the bright side of things2 the      
darkest cloud had to him its silver     
lining4 ,whether working as country     
curate1 or as parish rector1 he was     
always kind1 laborious1 patient1 and    
exemplary2 exhibiting in every sphere of
 life the spirit of a ,christian1 the   
kindness of a pastor1 and the honour of 
a gentleman4 ,in his leisure he employed
 his pen on the side of justice1        
freedom1 education1 toleration1         
emancipation2 and his writings1 though  
full of common-sense and bright humour1 
are never vulgar2 nor did he ever pander
 to popularity or prejudice4 ,his good  

spirits1 thanks to his natural vivacity 
and stamina of constitution1 never      
forsook him2 and in his old age1 when   
borne down by disease1 he wrote to a    
friend3 ,i have gout1 asthma1 and seven 
other maladies1 but am otherwise very   
well4 ,in one of the last letters he    
wrote to ,lady ,carlisle1 he said3 ,if  
you hear of sixteen or eighteen pounds  
of flesh wanting an owner1 they belong  
to me4 ,i look as if a curate had been  
taken out of me4  ,great men of science 
have for the most part been patient1    
laborious1 cheerful-minded men4 ,such   
were ,galileo1 ,descartes1 ,newton1 and 
,laplace4 ,euler the mathematician1 one 
of the greatest of natural philosophers1
 was a distinguished instance4 ,towards 
the close of his life he became         
completely blind2 but he went on writing
 as cheerfully as before1 supplying the 
want of sight by various ingenious      
mechanical devices1 and by the increased
 cultivation of his memory1 which became
 exceedingly tenacious4 ,his chief      

pleasure was in the society of his      
grandchildren1 to whom he taught their  
little lessons in the intervals of his  
severer studies4  ,in like manner1      
,professor ,robison of ,edinburgh1 the  
first editor of the ',encyclopaedia     
,britannica1' when disabled from work by
 a lingering and painful disorder1 found
 his chief pleasure in the society of   
his grandchild4 ,i am infinitely        
delighted1 he wrote to ,james ,watt1    
with observing the growth of its little 
soul1 and particularly with its         
numberless instincts1 which formerly    
passed unheeded4 ,i thank the ,french   
theorists for more forcibly directing my
 attention to the finger of ,god1 which 
,i discern in every awkward movement and
 every wayward whim4 ,they are all      
guardians of his life and growth and    
power4 ,i regret indeed that ,i have not
 time to make infancy and the           
development of its powers my sole study4
  ,one of the sorest trials of a man's  
temper and patience was that which      

befell ,abauzit1 the natural            
philosopher1 while residing at ,geneva2 
resembling in many respects a similar   
calamity which occurred to ,newton1 and 
which he bore with equal resignation4   
,amongst other things1 ,abauzit devoted 
much study to the barometer and its     
variations1 with the object of deducing 
the general laws which regulated        
atmospheric pressure4 ,during           
twenty-seven years he made numerous     
observations daily1 recording them on   
sheets prepared for the purpose4 ,one   
day1 when a new servant was installed in
 the house1 she immediately proceeded to
 display her zeal by putting things     
to-rights4 ,abauzit's study1 amongst    
other rooms1 was made tidy and set in   
order4 ,when he entered it1 he asked of 
the servant1 ,what have you done with   
the paper that was round the barometer8 
,oh1 sir1 was the reply1 it was so dirty
 that ,i burnt it1 and put in its place 
this paper1 which you will see is quite 
new4 ,abauzit crossed his arms1 and     

after some moments of internal struggle1
 he said1 in a tone of calmness and     
resignation3 ,you have destroyed the    
results of twenty-seven years labour2 in
 future touch nothing whatever in this  
room4  ,the study of natural history    
more than that of any other branch of   
science1 seems to be accompanied by     
unusual cheerfulness and equanimity of  
temper on the part of its votaries2 the 
result of which is1 that the life of    
naturalists is on the whole more        
prolonged than that of any other class  
of men of science4 ,a member of the     
,linnaean ,society has informed us that 
of fourteen members who died in #ahgj1  
two were over ninety1 five were over    
eighty1 and two were over seventy4 ,the 
average age of all the members who died 
in that year was seventy-five4          
,adanson1 the ,french botanist1 was     
about seventy years old when the        
,revolution broke out1 and amidst the   
shock he lost everything--his fortune1  
his places1 and his gardens4 ,but his   

patience1 courage1 and resignation never
 forsook him4 ,he became reduced to the 
greatest straits1 and even wanted food  
and clothing2 yet his ardour of         
investigation remained the same4 ,once1 
when the ,institute invited him1 as     
being one of its oldest members1 to     
assist at a ,,seance1 his answer was    
that he regretted he could not attend   
for want of shoes4 ,it was a touching   
sight1 says ,cuvier1 to see the poor old
 man1 bent over the embers of a decaying
 fire1 trying to trace characters with a
 feeble hand on the little bit of paper 
which he held1 forgetting all the pains 
of life in some new idea in natural     
history1 which came to him like some    
beneficent fairy to cheer him in his    
loneliness4 ,the ,directory eventually  
gave him a small pension1 which         
,napoleon doubled2 and at length1       
easeful death came to his relief in his 
seventy-ninth year4 ,a clause in his    
will1 as to the manner of his funeral1  
illustrates the character of the man4   

,he directed that a garland of flowers1 
provided by fifty-eight families whom he
 had established in life1 should be the 
only decoration of his coffin--a slight 
but touching image of the more durable  
monument which he had erected for       
himself in his works4  ,such are only a 
few instances1 of the                   
cheerful-working-ness of great men1     
which might1 indeed1 be multiplied to   
any extent4 ,all large healthy natures  
are cheerful as well as hopeful4 ,their 
example is also contagious and          
diffusive1 brightening and cheering all 
who come within reach of their          
influence4 ,it was said of ,sir ,john   
,malcolm1 when he appeared in a saddened
 camp in ,india1 that it was like a     
gleam of sunlight14444 no man left him  
without a smile on his face4 ,he was    
'boy ,malcolm' still4 ,it was impossible
 to resist the fascination of his genial
 presence4 #agc  ,there was the same    
joyousness of nature about ,edmund      
,burke4 ,once at a dinner at ,sir       

,joshua ,reynolds's1 when the           
conversation turned upon the suitability
 of liquors for particular temperaments1
 ,johnson said1 ,claret is for boys1    
port for men1 and brandy for heroes4    
,then1 said ,burke1 let me have claret3 
,i love to be a boy1 and to have the    
careless gaiety of boyish days4 ,and so 
it is1 that there are old young men1 and
 young old men--some who are as joyous  
and cheerful as boys in their old age1  
and others who are as morose and        
cheerless as saddened old men while     
still in their boyhood4  ,in the        
presence of some priggish youths1 we    
have heard a cheerful old man declare   
that1 apparently1 there would soon be   
nothing but old boys left4              
,cheerfulness1 being generous and       
genial1 joyous and hearty1 is never the 
characteristic of prigs4 ,goethe used to
 exclaim of goody-goody persons1 ,oh6 if
 they had but the heart to commit an    
absurdity6 ,this was when he thought    
they wanted heartiness and nature4      

,pretty dolls6 was his expression when  
speaking of them1 and turning away4     
,the true basis of cheerfulness is love1
 hope1 and patience4 ,love evokes love1 
and begets loving kindness4 ,love       
cherishes hopeful and generous thoughts 
of others4 ,it is charitable1 gentle1   
and truthful4 ,it is a discerner of     
good4 ,it turns to the brightest side of
 things1 and its face is ever directed  
towards happiness4 ,it sees the glory in
 the grass1 the sunshine on the flower4 
,it encourages happy thoughts1 and lives
 in an atmosphere of cheerfulness4 ,it  
costs nothing1 and yet is invaluable2   
for it blesses its possessor1 and grows 
up in abundant happiness in the bosoms  
of others4 ,even its sorrows are linked 
with pleasures1 and its very tears are  
sweet4  ,bentham lays it down as a      
principle1 that a man becomes rich in   
his own stock of pleasures in proportion
 to the amount he distributes to others4
 ,his kindness will evoke kindness1 and 
his happiness be increased by his own   

benevolence4 ,kind words1 he says1 cost 
no more than unkind ones4 ,kind words   
produce kind actions1 not only on the   
part of him to whom they are addressed1 
but on the part of him by whom they are 
employed2 and this not incidentally     
only1 but habitually1 in virtue of the  
principle of association44444 ,it may   
indeed happen1 that the effort of       
beneficence may not benefit those for   
whom it was intended2 but when wisely   
directed1 it ,,must benefit the person  
from whom it emanates4 ,good and        
friendly conduct may meet with an       
unworthy and ungrateful return2 but the 
absence of gratitude on the part of the 
receiver cannot destroy the             
self-approbation which recompenses the  
giver1 and we may scatter the seeds of  
courtesy and kindliness around us at so 
little expense4 ,some of them will      
inevitably fall on good ground1 and grow
 up into benevolence in the minds of    
others2 and all of them will bear fruit 
of happiness in the bosom whence they   

spring4 ,once blest are all the virtues 
always2 twice blest sometimes4 #agd     
,the poet ,rogers used to tell a story  
of a little girl1 a great favourite with
 every one who knew her4 ,some one said 
to her1 ,why does everybody love you so 
much8 ,she answered1 ,i think it is     
because ,i love everybody so much4 ,this
 little story is capable of a very wide 
application2 for our happiness as human 
beings1 generally speaking1 will be     
found to be very much in proportion to  
the number of things we love1 and the   
number of things that love us4 ,and the 
greatest worldly success1 however       
honestly achieved1 will contribute      
comparatively little to happiness1      
unless it be accompanied by a lively    
benevolence towards every human being4  
,kindness is indeed a great power in the
 world4 ,leigh ,hunt has truly said that
 ,power itself hath not one half the    
might of gentleness4 ,men are always    
best governed through their affections4 
,there is a ,french proverb which says  

that1 ,,les ,,hommes ,,se ,,prennent    
,,par ,,la ,,douceur1 and a coarser     
,english one1 to the effect that ,more  
wasps are caught by honey than by       
vinegar4 ,every act of kindness1 says   
,bentham1 is in fact an exercise of     
power1 and a stock of friendship laid   
up2 and why should not power exercise   
itself in the production of pleasure as 
of pain8  ,kindness does not consist in 
gifts1 but in gentleness and generosity 
of spirit4 ,men may give their money    
which comes from the purse1 and withhold
 their kindness which comes from the    
heart4 ,the kindness that displays      
itself in giving money1 does not amount 
to much1 and often does quite as much   
harm as good2 but the kindness of true  
sympathy1 of thoughtful help1 is never  
without beneficent results4  ,the good  
temper that displays itself in kindness 
must not be confounded with softness or 
silliness4 ,in its best form1 it is not 
a merely passive but an active condition
 of being4 ,it is not by any means      

indifferent1 but largely sympathetic4   
,it does not characterise the lowest and
 most gelatinous forms of human life1   
but those that are the most highly      
organized4 ,true kindness cherishes and 
actively promotes all reasonable        
instrumentalities for doing practical   
good in its own time2 and1 looking into 
futurity1 sees the same spirit working  
on for the eventual elevation and       
happiness of the race4  ,it is the      
kindly-dispositioned men who are the    
active men of the world1 while the      
selfish and the sceptical1 who have no  
love but for themselves1 are its idlers4
 ,buffon used to say1 that he would give
 nothing for a young man who did not    
begin life with an enthusiasm of some   
sort4 ,it showed that at least he had   
faith in something good1 lofty1 and     
generous1 even if unattainable4         
,egotism1 scepticism1 and selfishness   
are always miserable companions in life1
 and they are especially unnatural in   
youth4 ,the egotist is next-door to a   

fanatic4 ,constantly occupied with self1
 he has no thought to spare for others4 
,he refers to himself in all things1    
thinks of himself1 and studies himself1 
until his own little self becomes his   
own little god4  ,worst of all are the  
grumblers and growlers at fortune--who  
find that whatever is is wrong1 and will
 do nothing to set matters right--who   
declare all to be barren from ,dan even 
to ,beersheba4 ,these grumblers are     
invariably found the least efficient    
helpers in the school of life4 ,as the  
worst workmen are usually the readiest  
to strike1 so the least industrious     
members of society are the readiest to  
complain4 ,the worst wheel of all is the
 one that creaks4  ,there is such a     
thing as the cherishing of discontent   
until the feeling becomes morbid4 ,the  
jaundiced see everything about them     
yellow4 ,the ill-conditioned think all  
things awry1 and the whole world        
out-of-joint4 ,all is vanity and        
vexation of spirit4 ,the little girl in 

,,punch1 who found her doll stuffed with
 bran1 and forthwith declared everything
 to be hollow and wanted to go into a   
nunnery1 had her counterpart in real    
life4 ,many full-grown people are quite 
as morbidly unreasonable4 ,there are    
those who may be said to enjoy bad      
health2 they regard it as a sort of     
property4 ,they can speak of ,,my       
headache--,,my backache1 and so forth1  
until in course of time it becomes their
 most cherished possession4 ,but perhaps
 it is the source to them of much       
coveted sympathy1 without which they    
might find themselves of comparatively  
little importance in the world4  ,we    
have to be on our guard against small   
troubles1 which1 by encouraging1 we are 
apt to magnify into great ones4 ,indeed1
 the chief source of worry in the world 
is not real but imaginary evil--small   
vexations and trivial afflictions4 ,in  
the presence of a great sorrow1 all     
petty troubles disappear2 but we are too
 ready to take some cherished misery to 

our bosom1 and to pet it there4 ,very   
often it is the child of our fancy2 and1
 forgetful of the many means of         
happiness which lie within our reach1 we
 indulge this spoilt child of ours until
 it masters us4 ,we shut the door       
against cheerfulness1 and surround      
ourselves with gloom4 ,the habit gives a
 colouring to our life4 ,we grow        
querulous1 moody1 and unsympathetic4    
,our conversation becomes full of       
regrets4 ,we are harsh in our judgment  
of others4 ,we are unsociable1 and think
 everybody else is so4 ,we make our     
breast a storehouse of pain1 which we   
inflict upon ourselves as well as upon  
others4  ,this disposition is encouraged
 by selfishness3 indeed1 it is for the  
most part selfishness unmingled1 without
 any admixture of sympathy or           
consideration for the feelings of those 
about us4 ,it is simply wilfulness in   
the wrong direction4 ,it is wilful1     
because it might be avoided4 ,let the   
necessitarians argue as they may1       

freedom of will and action is the       
possession of every man and woman4 ,it  
is sometimes our glory1 and very often  
it is our shame3 all depends upon the   
manner in which it is used4 ,we can     
choose to look at the bright side of    
things1 or at the dark4 ,we can follow  
good and eschew evil thoughts4 ,we can  
be wrongheaded and wronghearted1 or the 
reverse1 as we ourselves determine4 ,the
 world will be to each one of us very   
much what we make it4 ,the cheerful are 
its real possessors1 for the world      
belongs to those who enjoy it4  ,it     
must1 however1 be admitted that there   
are cases beyond the reach of the       
moralist4 ,once1 when a                 
miserable-looking dyspeptic called upon 
a leading physician and laid his case   
before him1 ,oh6 said the doctor1 you   
only want a good hearty laugh3 go and   
see ,grimaldi4 ,alas6 said the miserable
 patient1 ,i am ,grimaldi6 ,so1 when    
,smollett1 oppressed by disease1        
travelled over ,europe in the hope of   

finding health1 he saw everything       
through his own jaundiced eyes4 ,i'll   
tell it1 said ,smellfungus1 to the      
world4 ,you had better tell it1 said    
,sterne1 to your physician4 ,the        
restless1 anxious1 dissatisfied temper1 
that is ever ready to run and meet care 
half-way1 is fatal to all happiness and 
peace of mind4 ,how often do we see men 
and women set themselves about as if    
with stiff bristles1 so that one dare   
scarcely approach them without fear of  
being pricked6 ,for want of a little    
occasional command over one's temper1 an
 amount of misery is occasioned in      
society which is positively frightful4  
,thus enjoyment is turned into          
bitterness1 and life becomes like a     
journey barefooted amongst thorns and   
briers and prickles4 ,though sometimes  
small evils1 says ,richard ,sharp1 like 
invisible insects1 inflict great pain1  
and a single hair may stop a vast       
machine1 yet the chief secret of comfort
 lies in not suffering trifles to vex   

us2 and in prudently cultivating an     
undergrowth of small pleasures1 since   
very few great ones1 alas6 are let on   
long leases4 #age  ,st4 ,francis de     
,sales treats the same topic from the   
,christian's point of view4 ,how        
carefully1 he says1 we should cherish   
the little virtues which spring up at   
the foot of the ,cross6 ,when the saint 
was asked1 ,what virtues do you mean8 he
 replied3 ,humility1 patience1 meekness1
 benignity1 bearing one another's       
burden1 condescension1 softness of      
heart1 cheerfulness1 cordiality1        
compassion1 forgiving injuries1         
simplicity1 candour--all1 in short of   
that sort of little virtues4 ,they1 like
 unobtrusive violets1 love the shade2   
like them are sustained by dew2 and     
though1 like them1 they make little     
show1 they shed a sweet odour on all    
around4 #agf  ,and again he said3 ,if   
you would fall into any extreme1 let it 
be on the side of gentleness4 ,the human
 mind is so constructed that it resists 

rigour1 and yields to softness4 ,a mild 
word quenches anger1 as water quenches  
the rage of fire2 and by benignity any  
soil may be rendered fruitful4 ,truth1  
uttered with courtesy1 is heaping coals 
of fire on the head--or rather1 throwing
 roses in the face4 ,how can we resist a
 foe whose weapons are pearls and       
diamonds8 #agg  ,meeting evils by       
anticipation is not the way to overcome 
them4 ,if we perpetually carry our      
burdens about with us1 they will soon   
bear us down under their load4 ,when    
evil comes1 we must deal with it bravely
 and hopefully4 ,what ,perthes wrote to 
a young man1 who seemed to him inclined 
to take trifles as well as sorrows too  
much to heart1 was doubtless good       
advice3 ,go forward with hope and       
confidence4 ,this is the advice given   
thee by an old man1 who has had a full  
share of the burden and heat of life's  
day4 ,we must ever stand upright1 happen
 what may1 and for this end we must     
cheerfully resign ourselves to the      

varied influences of this many-coloured 
life4 ,you may call this levity1 and you
 are partly right2 for flowers and      
colours are but trifles light as air1   
but such levity is a constituent portion
 of our human nature1 without which it  
would sink under the weight of time4    
,while on earth we must still play with 
earth1 and with that which blooms and   
fades upon its breast4 ,the             
consciousness of this mortal life being 
but the way to a higher goal1 by no     
means precludes our playing with it     
cheerfully2 and1 indeed1 we must do so1 
otherwise our energy in action will     
entirely fail4 #agh  ,cheerfulness also 
accompanies patience1 which is one of   
the main conditions of happiness and    
success in life4 ,he that will be       
served1 says ,george ,herbert1 must be  
patient4 ,it was said of the cheerful   
and patient ,king ,alfred1 that good    
fortune accompanied him like a gift of  
,god4 ,marlborough's expectant calmness 
was great1 and a principal secret of his

 success as a general4 ,patience will   
overcome all things1 he wrote to        
,godolphin1 in #agjb4 ,in the midst of a
 great emergency1 while baffled and     
opposed by his allies1 he said1 ,having 
done all that is possible1 we should    
submit with patience4  ,last and        
chiefest of blessings is ,hope1 the most
 common of possessions2 for1 as ,thales 
the philosopher said1 ,even those who   
have nothing else have hope4 ,hope is   
the great helper of the poor4 ,it has   
even been styled the poor man's bread4  
,it is also the sustainer and inspirer  
of great deeds4 ,it is recorded of      
,alexander the ,great1 that when he     
succeeded to the throne of ,macedon1 he 
gave away amongst his friends the       
greater part of the estates which his   
father had left him2 and when ,perdiccas
 asked him what he reserved for himself1
 ,alexander answered1 ,the greatest     
possession of all1--,hope6  ,the        
pleasures of memory1 however great1 are 
stale compared with those of hope2 for  

hope is the parent of all effort and    
endeavour2 and every gift of noble      
origin is breathed upon by ,hope's      
perpetual breath4 ,it may be said to be 
the moral engine that moves the world1  
and keeps it in action2 and at the end  
of all there stands before us what      
,robertson of ,ellon styled ,the ,great 
,hope4 ,if it were not for ,hope1 said  
,byron1 where would the ,future be8--in 
hell6 ,it is useless to say where the   
,present is1 for most of us know2 and as
 for the ,past1 ,,what predominates in  
memory8--,hope baffled4 ,,ergo1 in all  
human affairs it is ,hope1 ,hope1 ,hope6
 #agi     ,,chapter                     
,,ix4--,,manner--,,art4         ,we must
 be gentle1 now we are                  
gentlemen4--,,shakspeare4               
,manners are not idle1 but the fruit    
,of noble nature and of loyal           
mind4--,,tennyson4       ,a beautiful   
behaviour is better than a beautiful    
form2 it      gives a higher pleasure   
than statues and pictures2 it is the    

finest of the fine arts4--,,emerson4    
,manners are often too much neglected2  
they are most      important to men1 no 
less than to women4444 ,life is too     
short to get over a bad manner2 besides1
 manners are the      shadows of        
virtues4--,,the ,,rev4 ,,sidney ,,smith4
   ,manner is one of the principal      
external graces of character4 ,it is the
 ornament of action1 and often makes the
 commonest offices beautiful by the way 
in which it performs them4 ,it is a     
happy way of doing things1 adorning even
 the smallest details of life1 and      
contributing to render it1 as a whole1  
agreeable and pleasant4  ,manner is not 
so frivolous or unimportant as some may 
think it to be2 for it tends greatly to 
facilitate the business of life1 as well
 as to sweeten and soften social        
intercourse4 ,virtue itself1 says       
,bishop ,middleton1 offends1 when       
coupled with a forbidding manner4       
,manner has a good deal to do with the  
estimation in which men are held by the 

world2 and it has often more influence  
in the government of others than        
qualities of much greater depth and     
substance4 ,a manner at once gracious   
and cordial is among the greatest aids  
to success1 and many there are who fail 
for want of it4 #aha ,for a great deal  
depends upon first impressions2 and     
these are usually favourable or         
otherwise according to a man's          
courteousness and civility4  ,while     
rudeness and gruffness bar doors and    
shut hearts1 kindness and propriety of  
behaviour1 in which good manners        
consist1 act as an open sesame          
everywhere4 ,doors unbar before them1   
and they are a passport to the hearts of
 everybody1 young and old4  ,there is a 
common saying that ,manners make the    
man2 but this is not so true as that    
,man makes the manners4 ,a man may be   
gruff1 and even rude1 and yet be good at
 heart and of sterling character2 yet he
 would doubtless be a much more         
agreeable1 and probably a much more     

useful man1 were he to exhibit that     
suavity of disposition and courtesy of  
manner which always gives a finish to   
the true gentleman4  ,mrs4 ,hutchinson1 
in the noble portraiture of her husband1
 to which we have already had occasion  
to refer1 thus describes his manly      
courteousness and affability of         
disposition3--,i cannot say whether he  
were more truly magnanimous or less     
proud2 he never disdained the meanest   
person1 nor flattered the greatest2 he  
had a loving and sweet courtesy to the  
poorest1 and would often employ many    
spare hours with the commonest soldiers 
and poorest labourers2 but still so     
ordering his familiarity1 that it never 
raised them to a contempt1 but          
entertained still at the same time a    
reverence and love of him4 #ahb  ,a     
man's manner1 to a certain extent1      
indicates his character4 ,it is the     
external exponent of his inner nature4  
,it indicates his taste1 his feelings1  
and his temper1 as well as the society  

to which he has been accustomed4 ,there 
is a conventional manner1 which is of   
comparatively little importance2 but the
 natural manner1 the outcome of natural 
gifts1 improved by careful self-culture1
 signifies a great deal4  ,grace of     
manner is inspired by sentiment1 which  
is a source of no slight enjoyment to a 
cultivated mind4 ,viewed in this light1 
sentiment is of almost as much          
importance as talents and acquirements1 
while it is even more influential in    
giving the direction to a man s tastes  
and character4 ,sympathy is the golden  
key that unlocks the hearts of others4  
,it not only teaches politeness and     
courtesy1 but gives insight and unfolds 
wisdom1 and may almost be regarded as   
the crowning grace of humanity4         
,artificial rules of politeness are of  
very little use4 ,what passes by the    
name of ,etiquette is often of the      
essence of unpoliteness and             
untruthfulness4 ,it consists in a great 
measure of posture-making1 and is easily

 seen through4 ,even at best1 etiquette 
is but a substitute for good manners1   
though it is often but their mere       
counterfeit4  ,good manners consist1 for
 the most part1 in courteousness and    
kindness4 ,politeness has been described
 as the art of showing1 by external     
signs1 the internal regard we have for  
others4 ,but one may be perfectly polite
 to another without necessarily having a
 special regard for him4 ,good manners  
are neither more nor less than beautiful
 behaviour4 ,it has been well said1 that
 a beautiful form is better than a      
beautiful face1 and a beautiful         
behaviour is better than a beautiful    
form2 it gives a higher pleasure than   
statues or pictures--it is the finest of
 the fine arts4  ,the truest politeness 
comes of sincerity4 ,it must be the     
outcome of the heart1 or it will make no
 lasting impression2 for no amount of   
polish can dispense with truthfulness4  
,the natural character must be allowed  
to appear1 freed of its angularities and

 asperities4 ,though politeness1 in its 
best form1 should #ah;as ,st4 ,francis  
de ,sales says resemble water--best when
 clearest1 most simple1 and without     
taste1--yet genius in a man will always 
cover many defects of manner1 and much  
will be excused to the strong and the   
original4 ,without genuineness and      
individuality1 human life would lose    
much of its interest and variety1 as    
well as its manliness and robustness of 
character4  ,true courtesy is kind4 ,it 
exhibits itself in the disposition to   
contribute to the happiness of others1  
and in refraining from all that may     
annoy them4 ,it is grateful as well as  
kind1 and readily acknowledges kind     
actions4 ,curiously enough1 ,captain    
,speke found this quality of character  
recognised even by the natives of       
,uganda on the shores of ,lake ,nyanza1 
in the heart of ,africa1 where1 he says4
 ,ingratitude1 or neglecting to thank a 
person for a benefit conferred1 is      
punishable4  ,true politeness especially

 exhibits itself in regard for the      
personality of others4 ,a man will      
respect the individuality of another if 
he wishes to be respected himself4 ,he  
will have due regard for his views and  
opinions1 even though they differ from  
his own4 ,the well-mannered man pays a  
compliment to another1 and sometimes    
even secures his respect1 by patiently  
listening to him4 ,he is simply tolerant
 and forbearant1 and refrains from      
judging harshly2 and harsh judgments of 
others will almost invariably provoke   
harsh judgments of ourselves4  ,the     
unpolite impulsive man will1 however1   
sometimes rather lose his friend than   
his joke4 ,he may surely be pronounced a
 very foolish person who secures        
another's hatred at the price of a      
moment's gratification4 ,it was a saying
 of ,brunel the engineer--himself one of
 the kindest-natured of men--that spite 
and ill-nature are among the most       
expensive luxuries in life4 ,dr4        
,johnson once said3 ,sir1 a man has no  

more right to ,,say an uncivil thing    
than to ,,act one--no more right to say 
a rude thing to another than to knock   
him down4  ,a sensible polite person    
does not assume to be better or wiser or
 richer than his neighbour4 ,he does not
 boast of his rank1 or his birth1 or his
 country2 or look down upon others      
because they have not been born to like 
privileges with himself4 ,he does not   
brag of his achievements or of his      
calling1 or talk shop whenever he opens 
his mouth4 ,on the contrary1 in all that
 he says or does1 he will be modest1    
unpretentious1 unassuming2 exhibiting   
his true character in performing rather 
than in boasting1 in doing rather than  
in talking4  ,want of respect for the   
feelings of others usually originates in
 selfishness1 and issues in hardness and
 repulsiveness of manner4 ,it may not   
proceed from malignity so much as from  
want of sympathy and want of delicacy--a
 want of that perception of1 and        
attention to1 those little and          

apparently trifling things by which     
pleasure is given or pain occasioned to 
others4 ,indeed1 it may be said that in 
self-sacrificingness1 so to speak1 in   
the ordinary intercourse of life1 mainly
 consists the difference between being  
well and ill bred4  ,without some degree
 of self-restraint in society1 a man may
 be found almost insufferable4 ,no one  
has pleasure in holding intercourse with
 such a person1 and he is a constant    
source of annoyance to those about him4 
,for want of self-restraint1 many men   
are engaged all their lives in fighting 
with difficulties of their own making1  
and rendering success impossible by     
their own crossgrained ungentleness2    
whilst others1 it may be much less      
gifted1 make their way and achieve      
success by simple patience1 equanimity1 
and self-control4  ,it has been said    
that men succeed in life quite as much  
by their temper as by their talents4    
,however this may be1 it is certain that
 their happiness depends mainly on their

 temperament1 especially upon their     
disposition to be cheerful2 upon their  
complaisance1 kindliness of manner1 and 
willingness to oblige others--details of
 conduct which are like the small-change
 in the intercourse of life1 and are    
always in request4  ,men may show their 
disregard of others in various unpolite 
ways--as1 for instance1 by neglect of   
propriety in dress1 by the absence of   
cleanliness1 or by indulging in         
repulsive habits4 ,the slovenly dirty   
person1 by rendering himself physically 
disagreeable1 sets the tastes and       
feelings of others at defiance1 and is  
rude and uncivil only under another     
form4  ,david ,ancillon1 a ,huguenot    
preacher of singular attractiveness1 who
 studied and composed his sermons with  
the greatest care1 was accustomed to say
 that it was showing too little esteem  
for the public to take no pains in      
preparation1 and that a man who should  
appear on a ceremonial-day in his       
nightcap and dressing-gown1 could not   

commit a greater breach of civility4    
,the perfection of manner is ease--that 
it attracts no man's notice as such1 but
 is natural and unaffected4 ,artifice is
 incompatible with courteous frankness  
of manner4 ,rochefoucauld has said that 
nothing so much prevents our being      
natural as the desire of appearing so4  
,thus we come round again to sincerity  
and truthfulness1 which find their      
outward expression in graciousness1     
urbanity1 kindliness1 and consideration 
for the feelings of others4 ,the frank  
and cordial man sets those about him at 
their ease4 ,he warms and elevates them 
by his presence1 and wins all hearts4   
,thus manner1 in its highest form1 like 
character1 becomes a genuine motive     
power4  ,the love and admiration1 says  
,canon ,kingsley1 which that truly brave
 and loving man1 ,sir ,sydney ,smith1   
won from every one1 rich and poor1 with 
whom he came in contact seems to have   
arisen from the one fact1 that without1 
perhaps1 having any such conscious      

intention1 he treated rich and poor1 his
 own servants and the noblemen his      
guests1 alike1 and alike courteously1   
considerately1 cheerfully1              
affectionately--so leaving a blessing1  
and reaping a blessing1 wherever he     
went4  ,good manners are usually        
supposed to be the peculiar             
characteristic of persons gently born   
and bred1 and of persons moving in the  
higher rather than in the lower spheres 
of society4 ,and this is no doubt to a  
great extent true1 because of the more  
favourable surroundings of the former in
 early life4 ,but there is no reason why
 the poorest classes should not practise
 good manners towards each other as well
 as the richest4  ,men who toil with    
their hands1 equally with those who do  
not1 may respect themselves and respect 
one another2 and it is by their         
demeanour to each other--in other words1
 by their manners--that self-respect as 
well as mutual respect are indicated4   
,there is scarcely a moment in their    

lives1 the enjoyment of which might not 
be enhanced by kindliness of this       
sort--in the workshop1 in the street1 or
 at home4 ,the civil workman will       
exercise increased power amongst his    
class1 and gradually induce them to     
imitate him by his persistent           
steadiness1 civility1 and kindness4     
,thus ,benjamin ,franklin1 when a       
working-man1 is said to have reformed   
the habits of an entire workshop4  ,one 
may be polite and gentle with very      
little money in his purse4 ,politeness  
goes far1 yet costs nothing4 ,it is the 
cheapest of all commodities4 ,it is the 
humblest of the fine arts1 yet it is so 
useful and so pleasure-giving1 that it  
might almost be ranked amongst the      
humanities4  ,every nation may learn    
something of others2 and if there be one
 thing more than another that the       
,english working-class might afford to  
copy with advantage from their          
,continental neighbours1 it is their    
politeness4 ,the ,french and ,germans1  

of even the humblest classes1 are       
gracious in manner1 complaisant1        
cordial1 and well-bred4 ,the foreign    
workman lifts his cap and respectfully  
salutes his fellow-workman in passing4  
,there is no sacrifice of manliness in  
this1 but grace and dignity4 ,even the  
lowest poverty of the foreign workpeople
 is not misery1 simply because it is    
cheerful4 ,though not receiving one-half
 the income which our working-classes   
do1 they do not sink into wretchedness  
and drown their troubles in drink2 but  
contrive to make the best of life1 and  
to enjoy it even amidst poverty4  ,good 
taste is a true economist4 ,it may be   
practised on small means1 and sweeten   
the lot of labour as well as of ease4   
,it is all the more enjoyed1 indeed1    
when associated with industry and the   
performance of duty4 ,even the lot of   
poverty is elevated by taste4 ,it       
exhibits itself in the economies of the 
household4 ,it gives brightness and     
grace to the humblest dwelling4 ,it     

produces refinement1 it engenders       
goodwill1 and creates an atmosphere of  
cheerfulness4 ,thus good taste1         
associated with kindliness1 sympathy1   
and intelligence1 may elevate and adorn 
even the lowliest lot4  ,the first and  
best school of manners1 as of character1
 is always the ,home1 where woman is the
 teacher4 ,the manners of society at    
large are but the reflex of the manners 
of our collective homes1 neither better 
nor worse4 ,yet1 with all the           
disadvantages of ungenial homes1 men may
 practise self-culture of manner as of  
intellect1 and learn by good examples to
 cultivate a graceful and agreeable     
behaviour towards others4 ,most men are 
like so many gems in the rough1 which   
need polishing by contact with other and
 better natures1 to bring out their full
 beauty and lustre4 ,some have but one  
side polished1 sufficient only to show  
the delicate graining of the interior2  
but to bring out the full qualities of  
the gem needs the discipline of         

experience1 and contact with the best   
examples of character in the intercourse
 of daily life4  ,a good deal of the    
success of manner consists in tact1 and 
it is because women1 on the whole1 have 
greater tact than men1 that they prove  
its most influential teachers4 ,they    
have more self-restraint than men1 and  
are naturally more gracious and polite4 
,they possess an intuitive quickness and
 readiness of action1 have a keener     
insight into character1 and exhibit     
greater discrimination and address4 ,in 
matters of social detail1 aptness and   
dexterity come to them like nature2 and 
hence well-mannered men usually receive 
their best culture by mixing in the     
society of gentle and adroit women4     
,tact is an intuitive art of manner1    
which carries one through a difficulty  
better than either talent or knowledge4 
,talent1 says a public writer1 is power3
 tact is skill4 ,talent is weight3 tact 
is momentum4 ,talent knows what to do3  
tact knows how to do it4 ,talent makes a

 man respectable3 tact makes him        
respected4 ,talent is wealth3 tact is   
ready-money4  ,the difference between a 
man of quick tact and of no tact        
whatever was exemplified in an interview
 which once took place between ,lord    
,palmerston and ,mr4 ,behnes1 the       
sculptor4 ,at the last sitting which    
,lord ,palmerston gave him1 ,behnes     
opened the conversation with--,any news1
 my ,lord1 from ,france8 ,how do we     
stand with ,louis ,napoleon8 ,the       
,foreign ,secretary raised his eyebrows 
for an instant1 and quietly replied1    
,really1 ,mr4 ,behnes1 ,i don't know3 ,i
 have not seen the newspapers6 ,poor    
,behnes1 with many excellent qualities  
and much real talent1 was one of the    
many men who entirely missed their way  
in life through want of tact4  ,such is 
the power of manner1 combined with tact1
 that ,wilkes1 one of the ugliest of    
men1 used to say1 that in winning the   
graces of a lady1 there was not more    
than three days' difference between him 

and the handsomest man in ,england4     
,but this reference to ,wilkes reminds  
us that too much importance must not be 
attached to manner1 for it does not     
afford any genuine test of character4   
,the well-mannered man may1 like        
,wilkes1 be merely acting a part1 and   
that for an immoral purpose4 ,manner1   
like other fine arts1 gives pleasure1   
and is exceedingly agreeable to look    
upon2 but it may be assumed as a        
disguise1 as men assume a virtue though 
they have it not4 ,it is but the        
exterior sign of good conduct1 but may  
be no more than skin-deep4 ,the most    
highly-polished person may be thoroughly
 depraved in heart2 and his superfine   
manners may1 after all1 only consist in 
pleasing gestures and in fine phrases4  
,on the other hand1 it must be          
acknowledged that some of the richest   
and most generous natures have been     
wanting in the graces of courtesy and   
politeness4 ,as a rough rind sometimes  
covers the sweetest fruit1 so a rough   

exterior often conceals a kindly and    
hearty nature4 ,the blunt man may seem  
even rude in manner1 and yet1 at heart1 
be honest1 kind1 and gentle4  ,john     
,knox and ,martin ,luther were by no    
means distinguished for their urbanity4 
,they had work to do which needed strong
 and determined rather than             
well-mannered men4 ,indeed1 they were   
both thought to be unnecessarily harsh  
and violent in their manner4 ,and who   
art thou1 said ,mary ,queen of ,scots to
 ,knox1 that presumest to school the    
nobles and sovereign of this            
realm8--,madam1 replied ,knox1 a subject
 born within the same4 ,it is said that 
his boldness1 or roughness1 more than   
once made ,queen ,mary weep4 ,when      
,regent ,morton heard of this1 he said1 
,well1 'tis better that women should    
weep than bearded men4  ,as ,knox was   
retiring from the ,queen's presence on  
one occasion1 he overheard one of the   
royal attendants say to another1 ,he is 
not afraid6 ,turning round upon them1 he

 said3 ,and why should the pleasing face
 of a gentleman frighten me8 ,i have    
looked on the faces of angry men1 and   
yet have not been afraid beyond measure4
 ,when the ,reformer1 worn-out by excess
 of labour and anxiety1 was at length   
laid to his rest1 the ,regent1 looking  
down into the open grave1 exclaimed1 in 
words which made a strong impression    
from their aptness and truth--,there    
lies he who never feared the face of    
man6  ,luther also was thought by some  
to be a mere compound of violence and   
ruggedness4 ,but1 as in the case of     
,knox1 the times in which he lived were 
rude and violent2 and the work he had to
 do could scarcely have been            
accomplished with gentleness and        
suavity4 ,to rouse ,europe from its     
lethargy1 he had to speak and to write  
with force1 and even vehemence4 ,yet    
,luther's vehemence was only in words4  
,his apparently rude exterior covered a 
warm heart4 ,in private life he was     
gentle1 loving1 and affectionate4 ,he   

was simple and homely1 even to          
commonness4 ,fond of all common         
pleasures and enjoyments1 he was        
anything but an austere man1 or a bigot2
 for he was hearty1 genial1 and even    
jolly4 ,luther was the common people's  
hero in his lifetime1 and he remains so 
in ,germany to this day4  ,samuel       
,johnson was rude and often gruff in    
manner4 ,but he had been brought up in a
 rough school4 ,poverty in early life   
had made him acquainted with strange    
companions4 ,he had wandered in the     
streets with ,savage for nights         
together1 unable between them to raise  
money enough to pay for a bed4 ,when his
 indomitable courage and industry at    
length secured for him a footing in     
society1 he still bore upon him the     
scars of his early sorrows and          
struggles4 ,he was by nature strong and 
robust1 and his experience made him     
unaccommodating and self-asserting4     
,when he was once asked why he was not  
invited to dine out as ,garrick was1 he 

answered1 ,because great lords and      
ladies did not like to have their mouths
 stopped2 and ,johnson was a notorious  
mouth-stopper1 though what he said was  
always worth listening to4  ,johnson's  
companions spoke of him as ,ursa ,major2
 but1 as ,goldsmith generously said of  
him1 ,no man alive has a more tender    
heart2 he has nothing of the bear about 
him but his skin4 ,the kindliness of    
,johnson's nature was shown on one      
occasion by the manner in which he      
assisted a supposed lady in crossing    
,fleet ,street4 ,he gave her his arm1   
and led her across1 not observing that  
she was in liquor at the time4 ,but the 
spirit of the act was not the less kind 
on that account4 ,on the other hand1 the
 conduct of the bookseller on whom      
,johnson once called to solicit         
employment1 and who1 regarding his      
athletic but uncouth person1 told him he
 had better go buy a porter's knot and  
carry trunks1 in howsoever bland tones  
the advice might have been communicated1

 was simply brutal4  ,while captiousness
 of manner1 and the habit of disputing  
and contradicting everything said1 is   
chilling and repulsive1 the opposite    
habit of assenting to1 and sympathising 
with1 every statement made1 or emotion  
expressed1 is almost equally            
disagreeable4 ,it is unmanly1 and is    
felt to be dishonest4 ,it may seem      
difficult1 says ,richard ,sharp1 to     
steer always between bluntness and      
plain-dealing1 between giving merited   
praise and lavishing indiscriminate     
flattery2 but it is very                
easy--good-humour1 kindheartedness1 and 
perfect simplicity1 being all that are  
requisite to do what is right in the    
right way4 #ahc  ,at the same time1 many
 are unpolite--not because they mean to 
be so1 but because they are awkward1 and
 perhaps know no better4 ,thus1 when    
,gibbon had published the second and    
third volumes of his ',decline and      
,fall1' the ,duke of ,cumberland met him
 one day1 and accosted him with1 ,how do

 you do1 ,mr4 ,gibbon8 ,i see you are   
always ,,at ,,it in the old             
way--,,scribble1 ,,scribble1 ,,scribble6
 ,the ,duke probably intended to pay the
 author a compliment1 but did not know  
how better to do it1 than in this blunt 
and apparently rude way4  ,again1 many  
persons are thought to be stiff1        
reserved1 and proud1 when they are only 
shy4 ,shyness is characteristic of most 
people of ,teutonic race4 ,it has been  
styled the ,english mania1 but it       
pervades1 to a greater or less degree1  
all the ,northern nations4 ,the ordinary
 ,englishman1 when he travels abroad1   
carries his shyness with him4 ,he is    
stiff1 awkward1 ungraceful1             
undemonstrative1 and apparently         
unsympathetic2 and though he may assume 
a brusqueness of manner1 the shyness is 
there1 and cannot be wholly concealed4  
,the naturally graceful and intensely   
social ,french cannot understand such a 
character2 and the ,englishman is their 
standing joke--the subject of their most

 ludicrous caricatures4 ,george ,sand   
attributes the rigidity of the natives  
of ,albion to a stock of ,,fluide       
,,britannique which they carry about    
with them1 that renders them impassive  
under all circumstances1 and as         
impervious to the atmosphere of the     
regions they traverse as a mouse in the 
centre of an exhausted receiver4 #ahd   
,the average ,frenchman or ,irishman    
excels the average ,englishman1 ,german1
 or ,american in courtesy and ease of   
manner1 simply because it is his nature4
 ,they are more social and less         
self-dependent than men of ,teutonic    
origin1 more demonstrative and less     
reticent2 they are more communicative1  
conversational1 and freer in their      
intercourse with each other in all      
respects2 whilst men of ,german race are
 comparatively stiff1 reserved1 shy1 and
 awkward4 ,at the same time1 a people   
may exhibit ease1 gaiety1 and           
sprightliness of character1 and yet     
possess no deeper qualities calculated  

to inspire respect4 ,they may have every
 grace of manner1 and yet be heartless1 
frivolous1 selfish4 ,the character may  
be on the surface only1 and without any 
solid qualities for a foundation4       
,there can be no doubt as to which of   
the two sorts of people--the easy and   
graceful1 or the stiff and awkward--it  
is most agreeable to meet1 either in    
business1 in society1 or in the casual  
intercourse of life4 ,which make the    
fastest friends1 the truest men of their
 word1 the most conscientious performers
 of their duty1 is an entirely different
 matter4  ,the dry ,,gauche             
,englishman--to use the ,french phrase1 
,l',,anglais ,,empetre--is certainly a  
somewhat disagreeable person to meet at 
first4 ,he looks as if he had swallowed 
a poker4 ,he is shy himself1 and the    
cause of shyness in others4 ,he is      
stiff1 not because he is proud1 but     
because he is shy2 and he cannot shake  
it off1 even if he would4 ,indeed1 we   
should not be surprised to find that    

even the clever writer who describes the
 ,english ,philistine in all his        
enormity of awkward manner and absence  
of grace1 were himself as shy as a bat4 
,when two shy men meet1 they seem like a
 couple of icicles4 ,they sidle away and
 turn their backs on each other in a    
room1 or when travelling creep into the 
opposite corners of a railway-carriage4 
,when shy ,englishmen are about to start
 on a journey by railway1 they walk     
along the train1 to discover an empty   
compartment in which to bestow          
themselves2 and when once ensconced1    
they inwardly hate the next man who     
comes in4 ,so2 on entering the          
dining-room of their club1 each shy man 
looks out for an unoccupied table1 until
 sometimes--all the tables in the room  
are occupied by single diners4 ,all this
 apparent unsociableness is merely      
shyness--the national characteristic of 
the ,englishman4  ,the disciples of     
,confucius1 observes ,mr4 ,arthur       
,helps1 say that when in the presence of

 the prince1 his manner displayed       
,,respectful ,,uneasiness4 ,there could 
hardly be given any two words which more
 fitly describe the manner of most      
,englishmen when in society4 ,perhaps it
 is due to this feeling that ,sir ,henry
 ,taylor1 in his ',statesman1'          
recommends that1 in the management of   
interviews1 the minister should be as   
near to the door as possible2 and1      
instead of bowing his visitor out1 that 
he should take refuge1 at the end of an 
interview1 in the adjoining room4 ,timid
 and embarrassed men1 he says1 will sit 
as if they were rooted to the spot1 when
 they are conscious that they have to   
traverse the length of a room in their  
retreat4 ,in every case1 an interview   
will find a more easy and pleasing      
termination ,,when ,,the ,,door ,,is    
,,at ,,hand as the last words are       
spoken4 #ahe  ,the late ,prince ,albert1
 one of the gentlest and most amiable1  
was also one of the most retiring of    
men4 ,he struggled much against his     

sense of shyness1 but was never able    
either to conquer or conceal it4 ,his   
biographer1 in explaining its causes1   
says3 ,it was the shyness of a very     
delicate nature1 that is not sure it    
will please1 and is without the         
confidence and the vanity which often go
 to form characters that are outwardly  
more genial4 #ahf  ,but the ,prince     
shared this defect with some of the     
greatest of ,englishmen4 ,sir ,isaac    
,newton was probably the shyest man of  
his age4 ,he kept secret for a time some
 of his greatest discoveries1 for fear  
of the notoriety they might bring him4  
,his discovery of the ,binomial ,theorem
 and its most important applications1 as
 well as his still greater discovery of 
the ,law of ,gravitation1 were not      
published for years after they were     
made2 and when he communicated to       
,collins his solution of the theory of  
the moon's rotation round the earth1 he 
forbade him to insert his name in       
connection with it in the               

',philosophical ,transactions1' saying3 
,it would1 perhaps1 increase my         
acquaintance--the thing which ,i chiefly
 study to decline4  ,from all that can  
be learnt of ,shakspeare1 it is to be   
inferred that he was an exceedingly shy 
man4 ,the manner in which his plays were
 sent into the world--for it is not     
known that he edited or authorized the  
publication of a single one of them--and
 the dates at which they respectively   
appeared1 are mere matters of           
conjecture4 ,his appearance in his own  
plays in second and even third-rate     
parts--his indifference to reputation1  
and even his apparent aversion to be    
held in repute by his                   
contemporaries--his disappearance from  
,london #ahthe seat and centre of       
,english histrionic art so soon as he   
had realised a moderate competency--and 
his retirement about the age of forty1  
for the remainder of his days1 to a life
 of obscurity in a small town in the    
midland counties--all seem to unite in  

proving the shrinking nature of the man1
 and his unconquerable shyness4  ,it is 
also probable that1 besides being       
shy--and his shyness may1 like that of  
,byron1 have been increased by his      
limp--,shakspeare did not possess in any
 high degree the gift of hope4 ,it is a 
remarkable circumstance1 that whilst the
 great dramatist has1 in the course of  
his writings1 copiously illustrated all 
other gifts1 affections1 and virtues1   
the passages are very rare in which     
,hope is mentioned1 and then it is      
usually in a desponding and despairing  
tone1 as when he says3        ,the      
miserable hath no other medicine1 ,but  
only ,hope4  ,many of his sonnets       
breathe the spirit of despair and       
hopelessness4 #ahg ,he laments his      
lameness2 #ahh apologizes for his       
profession as an actor2 #ahi expresses  
his fear of trust in himself1 and his   
hopeless1 perhaps misplaced1 affection2 
#ahaj anticipates a coffin'd doom2 and  
utters his profoundly pathetic cry for  

restful death4  ,it might naturally be  
supposed that ,shakspeare's profession  
of an actor1 and his repeated           
appearances in public1 would speedily   
overcome his shyness1 did such exist4   
,but inborn shyness1 when strong1 is not
 so easily conquered4 #ahaa ,who could  
have believed that the late ,charles    
,mathews1 who entertained crowded houses
 night after night1 was naturally one of
 the shyest of men8 ,he would even make 
long circuits #ahlame though he was     
along the byelanes of ,london to avoid  
recognition4 ,his wife says of him1 that
 he looked sheepish and confused if     
recognised2 and that his eyes would     
fall1 and his colour would mount1 if he 
heard his name even whispered in passing
 along the streets4 #ahab  ,nor would it
 at first sight have been supposed that 
,lord ,byron was affected with shyness1 
and yet he was a victim to it2 his      
biographer relating that1 while on a    
visit to ,mrs4 ,pigot1 at ,southwell1   
when he saw strangers approaching1 he   

would instantly jump out of the window1 
and escape on to the lawn to avoid them4
  ,but a still more recent and striking 
instance is that of the late ,archbishop
 ,whately1 who1 in the early part of his
 life1 was painfully oppressed by the   
sense of shyness4 ,when at ,oxford1 his 
white rough coat and white hat obtained 
for him the soubriquet of ,the ,white   
,bear2 and his manners1 according to his
 own account of himself1 corresponded   
with the appellation4 ,he was directed1 
by way of remedy1 to copy the example of
 the best-mannered men he met in        
society2 but the attempt to do this only
 increased his shyness1 and he failed4  
,he found that he was all the while     
thinking of himself1 rather than of     
others2 whereas thinking of others1     
rather than of one's self1 is of the    
true essence of politeness4  ,finding   
that he was making no progress1 ,whately
 was driven to utter despair2 and then  
he said to himself3 ,why should ,i      
endure this torture all my life to no   

purpose8 ,i would bear it still if there
 was any success to be hoped for2 but   
since there is not1 ,i will die quietly1
 without taking any more doses4 ,i have 
tried my very utmost1 and find that ,i  
must be as awkward as a bear all my     
life1 in spite of it4 ,i will endeavour 
to think as little about it as a bear1  
and make up my mind to endure what can't
 be cured4 ,from this time forth he     
struggled to shake off all consciousness
 as to manner1 and to disregard censure 
as much as possible4 ,in adopting this  
course1 he says3 ,i succeeded beyond my 
expectations2 for ,i not only got rid of
 the personal suffering of shyness1 but 
also of most of those faults of manner  
which consciousness produces2 and       
acquired at once an easy and natural    
manner--careless1 indeed1 in the        
extreme1 from its originating in a stern
 defiance of opinion1 which ,i had      
convinced myself must be ever against   
me2 rough and awkward1 for smoothness   
and grace are quite out of my way1 and1 

of course1 tutorially pedantic2 but     
unconscious1 and therefore giving       
expression to that goodwill towards men 
which ,i really feel2 and these1 ,i     
believe1 are the main points4 #ahac     
,washington1 who was an ,englishman in  
his lineage1 was also one in his        
shyness4 ,he is described incidentally  
by ,mr4 ,josiah ,quincy1 as a little    
stiff in his person1 not a little formal
 in his manner1 and not particularly at 
ease in the presence of strangers4 ,he  
had the air of a country gentleman not  
accustomed to mix much in society1      
perfectly polite1 but not easy in his   
address and conversation1 and not       
graceful in his movements4  ,although we
 are not accustomed to think of modern  
,americans as shy1 the most             
distinguished ,american author of our   
time was probably the shyest of men4    
,nathaniel ,hawthorne was shy to the    
extent of morbidity4 ,we have observed  
him1 when a stranger entered the room   
where he was1 turn his back for the     

purpose of avoiding recognition4 ,and   
yet1 when the crust of his shyness was  
broken1 no man could be more cordial and
 genial than ,hawthorne4  ,we observe a 
remark in one of ,hawthorne's           
lately-published ',notebooks1' #ahad    
that on one occasion he met ,mr4 ,helps 
in society1 and found him cold4 ,and    
doubtless ,mr4 ,helps thought the same  
of him4 ,it was only the case of two shy
 men meeting1 each thinking the other   
stiff and reserved1 and parting before  
their mutual film of shyness had been   
removed by a little friendly            
intercourse4 ,before pronouncing a hasty
 judgment in such cases1 it would be    
well to bear in mind the motto of       
,helvetius1 which ,bentham says proved  
such a real treasure to him3 ,,pour     
,,aimer ,,les ,,hommes1 ,,il ,,faut     
,,attendre ,,peu4  ,we have thus far    
spoken of shyness as a defect4 ,but     
there is another way of looking at it2  
for even shyness has its bright side1   
and contains an element of good4 ,shy   

men and shy races are ungraceful and    
undemonstrative1 because1 as regards    
society at large1 they are comparatively
 unsociable4 ,they do not possess those 
elegances of manner1 acquired by free   
intercourse1 which distinguish the      
social races1 because their tendency is 
to shun society rather than to seek it4 
,they are shy in the presence of        
strangers1 and shy even in their own    
families4 ,they hide their affections   
under a robe of reserve1 and when they  
do give way to their feelings1 it is    
only in some very hidden inner-chamber4 
,and yet the feelings ,,are there1 and  
not the less healthy and genuine that   
they are not made the subject of        
exhibition to others4  ,it was not a    
little characteristic of the ancient    
,germans1 that the more social and      
demonstrative peoples by whom they were 
surrounded should have characterised    
them as the ,,niemec1 or ,dumb men4 ,and
 the same designation might equally     
apply to the modern ,english1 as        

compared1 for example1 with their       
nimbler1 more communicative and vocal1  
and in all respects more social         
neighbours1 the modern ,french and      
,irish4  ,but there is one              
characteristic which marks the ,english 
people1 as it did the races from which  
they have mainly sprung1 and that is    
their intense love of ,home4 ,give the  
,englishman a home1 and he is           
comparatively indifferent to society4   
,for the sake of a holding which he can 
call his own1 he will cross the seas1   
plant himself on the prairie or amidst  
the primeval forest1 and make for       
himself a home4 ,the solitude of the    
wilderness has no fears for him2 the    
society of his wife and family is       
sufficient1 and he cares for no other4  
,hence it is that the people of         
,germanic origin1 from whom the ,english
 and ,americans have alike sprung1 make 
the best of colonizers1 and are now     
rapidly extending themselves as         
emigrants and settlers in all parts of  

the habitable globe4  ,the ,french have 
never made any progress as colonizers1  
mainly because of their intense social  
instincts--the secret of their graces of
 manner1--and because they can never    
forget that they are ,frenchmen4 #ahae  
,it seemed at one time within the limits
 of probability that the ,french would  
occupy the greater part of the ,north   
,american continent4 ,from ,lower       
,canada their line of forts extended up 
the ,st4 ,lawrence1 and from ,fond du   
,lac on ,lake ,superior1 along the      
,river ,st4 ,croix1 all down the        
,mississippi1 to its mouth at ,new      
,orleans4 ,but the great1 self-reliant1 
industrious ,niemec1 from a fringe of   
settlements along the seacoast1 silently
 extended westward1 settling and        
planting themselves everywhere solidly  
upon the soil2 and nearly all that now  
remains of the original ,french         
occupation of ,america1 is the ,french  
colony of ,acadia1 in ,lower ,canada4   
,and even there we find one of the most 

striking illustrations of that intense  
sociability of the ,french which keeps  
them together1 and prevents their       
spreading over and planting themselves  
firmly in a new country1 as it is the   
instinct of the men of ,teutonic race to
 do4 ,while1 in ,upper ,canada1 the     
colonists of ,english and ,scotch       
descent penetrate the forest and the    
wilderness1 each settler living1 it may 
be1 miles apart from his nearest        
neighbour1 the ,lower ,canadians of     
,french descent continue clustered      
together in villages1 usually consisting
 of a line of houses on either side of  
the road1 behind which extend their long
 strips of farm-land1 divided and       
subdivided to an extreme tenuity4 ,they 
willingly submit to all the             
inconveniences of this method of farming
 for the sake of each other's society1  
rather than betake themselves to the    
solitary backwoods1 as ,english1        
,germans1 and ,americans so readily do4 
,indeed1 not only does the ,american    

backwoodsman become accustomed to       
solitude1 but he prefers it4 ,and in the
 ,western ,states1 when settlers come   
too near him1 and the country seems to  
become overcrowded1 he retreats before  
the advance of society1 and1 packing up 
his things in a waggon1 he sets out     
cheerfully1 with his wife and family1 to
 found for himself a new home in the    
,far ,west4  ,thus the ,teuton1 because 
of his very shyness1 is the true        
colonizer4 ,english1 ,scotch1 ,germans1 
and ,americans are alike ready to accept
 solitude1 provided they can but        
establish a home and maintain a family4 
,thus their comparative indifference to 
society has tended to spread this race  
over the earth1 to till and to subdue   
it2 while the intense social instincts  
of the ,french1 though issuing in much  
greater gracefulness of manner1 has     
stood in their way as colonizers2 so    
that1 in the countries in which they    
have planted themselves--as in ,algiers 
and elsewhere--they have remained little

 more than garrisons4 #ahaf  ,there are 
other qualities besides these1 which    
grow out of the comparative             
unsociableness of the ,englishman4 ,his 
shyness throws him back upon himself1   
and renders him self-reliant and        
self-dependent4 ,society not being      
essential to his happiness1 he takes    
refuge in reading1 in study1 in         
invention2 or he finds pleasure in      
industrial work1 and becomes the best of
 mechanics4 ,he does not fear to entrust
 himself to the solitude of the ocean1  
and he becomes a fisherman1 a sailor1 a 
discoverer4 ,since the early ,northmen  
scoured the northern seas1 discovered   
,america1 and sent their fleets along   
the shores of ,europe and up the        
,mediterranean1 the seamanship of the   
men of ,teutonic race has always been in
 the ascendant4  ,the ,english are      
inartistic for the same reason that they
 are unsociable4 ,they may make good    
colonists1 sailors1 and mechanics2 but  
they do not make good singers1 dancers1 

actors1 artistes1 or modistes4 ,they    
neither dress well1 act well1 speak     
well1 nor write well4 ,they want        
style--they want elegance4 ,what they   
have to do they do in a straightforward 
manner1 but without grace4 ,this was    
strikingly exhibited at an              
,international ,cattle ,exhibition held 
at ,paris a few years ago4 ,at the close
 of the ,exhibition1 the competitors    
came up with the prize animals to       
receive the prizes4 ,first came a gay   
and gallant ,spaniard1 a magnificent    
man1 beautifully dressed1 who received a
 prize of the lowest class with an air  
and attitude that would have become a   
grandee of the highest order4 ,then came
 ,frenchmen and ,italians1 full of      
grace1 politeness1 and                  
,,chic--themselves elegantly dressed1   
and their animals decorated to the horns
 with flowers and coloured ribbons      
harmoniously blended4 ,and last of all  
came the exhibitor who was to receive   
the first prize--a slouching man1       

plainly dressed1 with a pair of farmer's
 gaiters on1 and without even a flower  
in his buttonhole4 ,who is he8 asked the
 spectators4 ,why1 he is the            
,englishman1 was the reply4 ,the        
,englishman6--that the representative of
 a great country6 was the general       
exclamation4 ,but it was the ,englishman
 all over4 ,he was sent there1 not to   
exhibit himself1 but to show the best   
beast1 and he did it1 carrying away the 
first prize4 ,yet he would have been    
nothing the worse for the flower in his 
buttonhole4  ,to remedy this admitted   
defect of grace and want of artistic    
taste in the ,english people1 a school  
has sprung up amongst us for the more   
general diffusion of fine art4 ,the     
,beautiful has now its teachers and     
preachers1 and by some it is almost     
regarded in the light of a religion4    
,the ,beautiful is the ,good--,the      
,beautiful is the ,true--,the ,beautiful
 is the priest of the ,benevolent1 are  
among their texts4 ,it is believed that 

by the study of art the tastes of the   
people may be improved2 that by         
contemplating objects of beauty their   
nature will become purified2 and that by
 being thereby withdrawn from sensual   
enjoyments1 their character will be     
refined and elevated4  ,but though such 
culture is calculated to be elevating   
and purifying in a certain degree1 we   
must not expect too much from it4 ,grace
 is a sweetener and embellisher of life1
 and as such is worthy of cultivation4  
,music1 painting1 dancing1 and the fine 
arts1 are all sources of pleasure2 and  
though they may not be sensual1 yet they
 are sensuous1 and often nothing more4  
,the cultivation of a taste for beauty  
of form or colour1 of sound or attitude1
 has no necessary effect upon the       
cultivation of the mind or the          
development of the character4 ,the      
contemplation of fine works of art will 
doubtless improve the taste1 and excite 
admiration2 but a single noble action   
done in the sight of men will more      

influence the mind1 and stimulate the   
character to imitation1 than the sight  
of miles of statuary or acres of        
pictures4 ,for it is mind1 soul1 and    
heart--not taste or art--that make men  
great4  ,it is indeed doubtful whether  
the cultivation of art--which usually   
ministers to luxury--has done so much   
for human progress as is generally      
supposed4 ,it is even possible that its 
too exclusive culture may effeminate    
rather than strengthen the character1 by
 laying it more open to the temptations 
of the senses4 ,it is the nature of the 
imaginative temperament cultivated by   
the arts1 says ,sir ,henry ,taylor1 to  
undermine the courage1 and1 by abating  
strength of character1 to render men    
more easily subservient--,,sequaces1    
,,cereos1 ,,et ,,ad ,,mandata           
,,ductiles4 #ahag ,the gift of the      
artist greatly differs from that of the 
thinker2 his highest idea is to mould   
his subject--whether it be of painting1 
or music1 or literature--into that      

perfect grace of form in which thought  
#ah;it may not be of the deepest finds  
its apotheosis and immortality4  ,art   
has usually flourished most during the  
decadence of nations1 when it has been  
hired by wealth as the minister of      
luxury4 ,exquisite art and degrading    
corruption were contemporary in ,greece 
as well as in ,rome4 ,phidias and       
,iktinos had scarcely completed the     
,parthenon1 when the glory of ,athens   
had departed2 ,phidias died in prison2  
and the ,spartans set up in the city the
 memorials of their own triumph and of  
,athenian defeat4 ,it was the same in   
ancient ,rome1 where art was at its     
greatest height when the people were in 
their most degraded condition4 ,nero was
 an artist1 as well as ,domitian1 two of
 the greatest monsters of the ,empire4  
,if the ,beautiful had been the ,good1  
,commodus must have been one of the best
 of men4 ,but according to history he   
was one of the worst4  ,again1 the      
greatest period of modern ,roman art was

 that in which ,pope ,leo ,x4           
flourished1 of whose reign it has been  
said1 that profligacy and licentiousness
 prevailed amongst the people and       
clergy1 as they had done almost         
uncontrolled ever since the pontificate 
of ,alexander ,,vi4 ,in like manner1 the
 period at which art reached its highest
 point in the ,low ,countries was that  
which immediately succeeded the         
destruction of civil and religious      
liberty1 and the prostration of the     
national life under the despotism of    
,spain4 ,if art could elevate a nation1 
and the contemplation of ,the ,beautiful
 were calculated to make men ,the       
,good--then ,paris ought to contain a   
population of the wisest and best of    
human beings4 ,rome also is a great city
 of art2 and yet there1 the ,,virtus or 
valour of the ancient ,romans has       
characteristically degenerated into     
,,vertu1 or a taste for knicknacks2     
whilst1 according to recent accounts1   
the city itself is inexpressibly foul4  

#ahah  ,art would sometimes even appear 
to have a close connection with dirt2   
and it is said of ,mr4 ,ruskin1 that    
when searching for works of art in      
,venice1 his attendant in his           
explorations would sniff an ill-odour1  
and when it was strong would say1 ,now  
we are coming to something very old and 
fine6--meaning in art4 #ahai ,a little  
common education in cleanliness1 where  
it is wanting1 would probably be much   
more improving1 as well as wholesome1   
than any amount of education in fine    
art4 ,ruffles are all very well1 but it 
is folly to cultivate them to the       
neglect of the shirt4  ,whilst1         
therefore1 grace of manner1 politeness  
of behaviour1 elegance of demeanour1 and
 all the arts that contribute to make   
life pleasant and beautiful1 are worthy 
of cultivation1 it must not be at the   
expense of the more solid and enduring  
qualities of honesty1 sincerity1 and    
truthfulness4 ,the fountain of beauty   
must be in the heart2 more than in the  

eye1 and if art do not tend to produce  
beautiful life and noble practice1 it   
will be of comparatively little avail4  
,politeness of manner is not worth much1
 unless accompanied by polite action4   
,grace may be but skin-deep--very       
pleasant and attractive1 and yet very   
heartless4 ,art is a source of innocent 
enjoyment1 and an important aid to      
higher culture2 but unless it leads to  
higher culture1 it will probably be     
merely sensuous4 ,and when art is merely
 sensuous1 it is enfeebling and         
demoralizing rather than strengthening  
or elevating4 ,honest courage is of     
greater worth than any amount of grace2 
purity is better than elegance2 and     
cleanliness of body1 mind1 and heart1   
than any amount of fine art4  ,in fine1 
while the cultivation of the graces is  
not to be neglected1 it should ever be  
held in mind that there is something far
 higher and nobler to be aimed          
at--greater than pleasure1 greater than 
art1 greater than wealth1 greater than  

power1 greater than intellect1 greater  
than genius--and that is1 purity and    
excellence of character4 ,without a     
solid sterling basis of individual      
goodness1 all the grace1 elegance1 and  
art in the world would fail to save or  
to elevate a people4     ,,chapter      
,x--,,companionship ,,of ,,books4       
,books1 we know1       ,are a           
substantial world1 both pure and good1  
,round which1 with tendrils strong as   
flesh and blood1       ,our pastime and 
our happiness can grow4--,,wordsworth4  
,not only in the common speech of men1  
but in all art too--      which is or   
should be the concentrated and conserved
 essence      of what men can speak and 
show--,biography is almost the one      
thing needful --,,carlyle4        ,i    
read all biographies with intense       
interest4 ,even a man      without a    
heart1 like ,cavendish1 ,i think about1 
and read      about1 and dream about1   
and picture to myself in all            
possible ways1 till he grows into a     

living being beside me1      and ,i put 
my feet into his shoes1 and become for  
the time      ,cavendish1 and think as  
he thought1 and do as he did4           
--,,george ,,wilson4            ,my     
thoughts are with the dead2 with them   
,i live in long-past years2             
,their virtues love1 their faults       
condemn2             ,partake their     
hopes and fears2           ,and from    
their lessons seek and find             
,instruction with a humble              
mind4--,,southey4  ,a man may usually be
 known by the books he reads1 as well as
 by the company he keeps2 for there is a
 companionship of books as well as of   
men2 and one should always live in the  
best company1 whether it be of books or 
of men4  ,a good book may be among the  
best of friends4 ,it is the same to-day 
that it always was1 and it will never   
change4 ,it is the most patient and     
cheerful of companions4 ,it does not    
turn its back upon us in times of       
adversity or distress4 ,it always       

receives us with the same kindness2     
amusing and instructing us in youth1 and
 comforting and consoling us in age4    
,men often discover their affinity to   
each other by the mutual love they have 
for a book--just as two persons         
sometimes discover a friend by the      
admiration which both entertain for a   
third4 ,there is an old proverb1 ,love  
me1 love my dog4 ,but there is more     
wisdom in this3 ,love me1 love my book4 
,the book is a truer and higher bond of 
union4 ,men can think1 feel1 and        
sympathise with each other through their
 favourite author4 ,they live in him    
together1 and he in them4  ,books1 said 
,hazlitt1 wind into the heart2 the      
poet's verse slides into the current of 
our blood4 ,we read them when young1 we 
remember them when old4 ,we read there  
of what has happened to others2 we feel 
that it has happened to ourselves4 ,they
 are to be had everywhere cheap and     
good4 ,we breathe but the air of books4 
,we owe everything to their authors1 on 

this side barbarism4  ,a good book is   
often the best urn of a life1 enshrining
 the best thoughts of which that life   
was capable2 for the world of a man's   
life is1 for the most part1 but the     
world of his thoughts4 ,thus the best   
books are treasuries of good words and  
golden thoughts1 which1 remembered and  
cherished1 become our abiding companions
 and comforters4 ,they are never alone1 
said ,sir ,philip ,sidney1 that are     
accompanied by noble thoughts4 ,the good
 and true thought may in time of        
temptation be as an angel of mercy      
purifying and guarding the soul4 ,it    
also enshrines the germs of action1 for 
good words almost invariably inspire to 
good works4  ,thus ,sir ,henry ,lawrence
 prized above all other compositions    
,wordsworth's ',character of the ,happy 
,warrior1' which he endeavoured to      
embody in his own life4 ,it was ever    
before him as an exemplar4 ,he thought  
of it continually1 and often quoted it  
to others4 ,his biographer says3 ,he    

tried to conform his own life and to    
assimilate his own character to it2 and 
he succeeded1 as all men succeed who are
 truly in earnest4 #aia  ,books possess 
an essence of immortality4 ,they are by 
far the most lasting products of human  
effort4 ,temples crumble into ruin2     
pictures and statues decay2 but books   
survive4 ,time is of no account with    
great thoughts1 which are as fresh      
to-day as when they first passed through
 their authors' minds ages ago4 ,what   
was then said and thought still speaks  
to us as vividly as ever from the       
printed page4 ,the only effect of time  
has been to sift and winnow out the bad 
products2 for nothing in literature can 
long survive but what is really good4   
#aib  ,books introduce us into the best 
society2 they bring us into the presence
 of the greatest minds that have ever   
lived4 ,we hear what they said and did2 
we see them as if they were really      
alive2 we are participators in their    
thoughts2 we sympathise with them1 enjoy

 with them1 grieve with them2 their     
experience becomes ours1 and we feel as 
if we were in a measure actors with them
 in the scenes which they describe4     
,the great and good do not die1 even in 
this world4 ,embalmed in books their    
spirits walk abroad4 ,the book is a     
living voice4 ,it is an intellect to    
which one still listens4 ,hence we ever 
remain under the influence of the great 
men of old3           ,the dead but     
sceptred sovrans1 who still rule        
,our spirits from their urns4  ,the     
imperial intellects of the world are as 
much alive now as they were ages ago4   
,homer still lives2 and though his      
personal history is hidden in the mists 
of antiquity1 his poems are as fresh    
to-day as if they had been newly        
written4 ,plato still teaches his       
transcendent philosophy2 ,horace1       
,virgil1 and ,dante still sing as when  
they lived2 ,shakspeare is not dead3 his
 body was buried in #afaf1 but his mind 
is as much alive in ,england now1 and   

his thought as far-reaching1 as in the  
time of the ,tudors4  ,the humblest and 
poorest may enter the society of these  
great spirits without being thought     
intrusive4 ,all who can read have got   
the ,,entree4 ,would you                
laugh8--,cervantes or ,rabelais will    
laugh with you4 ,do you grieve8--there  
is ,thomas a ,kempis or ,jeremy ,taylor 
to grieve with and console you4 ,always 
it is to books1 and the spirits of great
 men embalmed in them1 that we turn1 for
 entertainment1 for instruction and     
solace--in joy and in sorrow1 as in     
prosperity and in adversity4  ,man      
himself is1 of all things in the world1 
the most interesting to man4 ,whatever  
relates to human life--its experiences1 
its joys1 its sufferings1 and its       
achievements--has usually attractions   
for him beyond all else4 ,each man is   
more or less interested in all other men
 as his fellow-creatures--as members of 
the great family of humankind2 and the  
larger a man's culture1 the wider is the

 range of his sympathies in all that    
affects the welfare of his race4  ,men's
 interest in each other as individuals  
manifests itself in a thousand ways--in 
the portraits which they paint1 in the  
busts which they carve1 in the          
narratives which they relate of each    
other4 ,man1 says ,emerson1 can paint1  
or make1 or think1 nothing but ,man4    
,most of all is this interest shown in  
the fascination which personal history  
possesses for him4 ,man s sociality of  
nature1 says ,carlyle1 evinces itself1  
in spite of all that can be said1 with  
abundance of evidence1 by this one fact1
 were there no other3 the unspeakable   
delight he takes in ,biography4  ,great1
 indeed1 is the human interest felt in  
biography6 ,what are all the novels that
 find such multitudes of readers1 but so
 many fictitious biographies8 ,what are 
the dramas that people crowd to see1 but
 so much acted biography8 ,strange that 
the highest genius should be employed on
 the fictitious biography1 and so much  

commonplace ability on the real6  ,yet  
the authentic picture of any human      
being's life and experience ought to    
possess an interest greatly beyond that 
which is fictitious1 inasmuch as it has 
the charm of reality4 ,every person may 
learn something from the recorded life  
of another2 and even comparatively      
trivial deeds and sayings may be        
invested with interest1 as being the    
outcome of the lives of such beings as  
we ourselves are4  ,the records of the  
lives of good men are especially useful4
 ,they influence our hearts1 inspire us 
with hope1 and set before us great      
examples4 ,and when men have done their 
duty through life in a great spirit1    
their influence will never wholly pass  
away4 ,the good life1 says ,george      
,herbert1 is never out of season4       
,goethe has said that there is no man so
 commonplace that a wise man may not    
learn something from him4 ,sir ,walter  
,scott could not travel in a coach      
without gleaning some information or    

discovering some new trait of character 
in his companions4 #aic ,dr4 ,johnson   
once observed that there was not a      
person in the streets but he should like
 to know his biography--his experiences 
of life1 his trials1 his difficulties1  
his successes1 and his failures4 ,how   
much more truly might this be said of   
the men who have made their mark in the 
world's history1 and have created for us
 that great inheritance of civilization 
of which we are the possessors6         
,whatever relates to such men--to their 
habits1 their manners1 their modes of   
living1 their personal history1 their   
conversation1 their maxims1 their       
virtues1 or their greatness--is always  
full of interest1 of instruction1 of    
encouragement1 and of example4  ,the    
great lesson of ,biography is to show   
what man can be and do at his best4 ,a  
noble life put fairly on record acts    
like an inspiration to others4 ,it      
exhibits what life is capable of being  
made4 ,it refreshes our spirit1         

encourages our hopes1 gives us new      
strength and courage and faith--faith in
 others as well as in ourselves4 ,it    
stimulates our aspirations1 rouses us to
 action1 and incites us to become       
co-partners with them in their work4 ,to
 live with such men in their            
biographies1 and to be inspired by their
 example1 is to live with the best of   
men1 and to mix in the best of company4 
,at the head of all biographies stands  
the ,great ,biography1 the ,book of     
,books4 ,and what is the ,bible1 the    
most sacred and impressive of all       
books--the educator of youth1 the guide 
of manhood1 and the consoler of age--but
 a series of biographies of great heroes
 and patriarchs1 prophets1 kings1 and   
judges1 culminating in the greatest     
biography of all1 the ,life embodied in 
the ,new ,testament8 ,how much have the 
great examples there set forth done for 
mankind6 ,how many have drawn from them 
their truest strength1 their highest    
wisdom1 their best nurture and          

admonition6 ,truly does a great ,roman  
,catholic writer describe the ,bible as 
a book whose words live in the ear like 
a music that can never be               
forgotten--like the sound of church     
bells which the convert hardly knows how
 he can forego4 ,its felicities often   
seem to be almost things rather than    
mere words4 ,it is part of the national 
mind1 and the anchor of national        
seriousness4 ,the memory of the dead    
passes into it1 ,the potent traditions  
of childhood are stereotyped in its     
verses4 ,the power of all the griefs and
 trials of man is hidden beneath its    
words4 ,it is the representative of his 
best moments1 and all that has been     
about him of soft1 and gentle1 and pure1
 and penitent1 and good1 speaks to him  
for ever out of his ,english ,bible4 ,it
 is his sacred thing1 which doubt has   
never dimmed and controversy never      
soiled4 ,in the length and breadth of   
the land there is not a ,protestant with
 one spark of religiousness about him   

whose spiritual biography is not in his 
,saxon ,bible4 #aid  ,it would1 indeed1 
be difficult to overestimate the        
influence which the lives of the great  
and good have exercised upon the        
elevation of human character4 ,the best 
biography1 says ,isaac ,disraeli1 is a  
reunion with human existence in its most
 excellent state4 ,indeed1 it is        
impossible for one to read the lives of 
good men1 much less inspired men1       
without being unconsciously lighted and 
lifted up in them1 and growing          
insensibly nearer to what they thought  
and did4 ,and even the lives of humbler 
persons1 of men of faithful and honest  
spirit1 who have done their duty in life
 well1 are not without an elevating     
influence upon the character of those   
who come after them4  ,history itself is
 best studied in biography4 ,indeed1    
history is biography--collective        
humanity as influenced and governed by  
individual men4 ,what is all history1   
says ,emerson1 but the work of ideas1 a 

record of the incomparable energy which 
his infinite aspirations infuse into    
man8 ,in its pages it is always persons 
we see more than principles4 ,historical
 events are interesting to us mainly in 
connection with the feelings1 the       
sufferings1 and interests of those by   
whom they are accomplished4 ,in history 
we are surrounded by men long dead1 but 
whose speech and whose deeds survive4   
,we almost catch the sound of their     
voices2 and what they did constitutes   
the interest of history4 ,we never feel 
personally interested in masses of men2 
but we feel and sympathise with the     
individual actors1 whose biographies    
afford the finest and most real touches 
in all great historical dramas4  ,among 
the great writers of the past1 probably 
the two that have been most influential 
in forming the characters of great men  
of action and great men of thought1 have
 been ,plutarch and ,montaigne--the one 
by presenting heroic models for         
imitation1 the other by probing         

questions of constant recurrence in     
which the human mind in all ages has    
taken the deepest interest4 ,and the    
works of both are for the most part cast
 in a biographic form1 their most       
striking illustrations consisting in the
 exhibitions of character and experience
 which they contain4  ,plutarch's       
',lives1' though written nearly eighteen
 hundred years ago1 like ,homer's       
',iliad1' still holds its ground as the 
greatest work of its kind4 ,it was the  
favourite book of ,montaigne2 and to    
,englishmen it possesses the special    
interest of having been ,shakspeare's   
principal authority in his great        
classical dramas4 ,montaigne pronounced 
,plutarch to be the greatest master in  
that kind of writing--the biographic2   
and he declared that he could no sooner 
cast an eye upon him but he purloined   
either a leg or a wing4  ,alfieri was   
first drawn with passion to literature  
by reading ,plutarch4 ,i read1 said he1 
the lives of ,timoleon1 ,caesar1        

,brutus1 ,pelopidas1 more than six      
times1 with cries1 with tears1 and with 
such transports1 that ,i was almost     
furious4444 ,every time that ,i met with
 one of the grand traits of these great 
men1 ,i was seized with such vehement   
agitation as to be unable to sit still4 
,plutarch was also a favourite with     
persons of such various minds as        
,schiller and ,benjamin ,franklin1      
,napoleon and ,madame ,roland4 ,the     
latter was so fascinated by the book    
that she carried it to church with her  
in the guise of a missal1 and read it   
surreptitiously during the service4  ,it
 has also been the nurture of heroic    
souls such as ,henry ,,iv4 of ,france1  
,turenne1 and the ,napiers4 ,it was one 
of ,sir ,william ,napier's favourite    
books when a boy4 ,his mind was early   
imbued by it with a passionate          
admiration for the great heroes of      
antiquity2 and its influence had1       
doubtless1 much to do with the formation
 of his character1 as well as the       

direction of his career in life4 ,it is 
related of him1 that in his last        
illness1 when feeble and exhausted1 his 
mind wandered back to ,plutarch's       
heroes2 and he descanted for hours to   
his son-in-law on the mighty deeds of   
,alexander1 ,hannibal1 and ,caesar4     
,indeed1 if it were possible to poll the
 great body of readers in all ages whose
 minds have been influenced and directed
 by books1 it is probable               
that--excepting always the ,bible--the  
immense majority of votes would be cast 
in favour of ,plutarch4  ,and how is it 
that ,plutarch has succeeded in exciting
 an interest which continues to attract 
and rivet the attention of readers of   
all ages and classes to this day8 ,in   
the first place1 because the subject of 
his work is great men1 who occupied a   
prominent place in the world's history1 
and because he had an eye to see and a  
pen to describe the more prominent      
events and circumstances in their lives4
 ,and not only so1 but he possessed the 

power of portraying the individual      
character of his heroes2 for it is the  
principle of individuality which gives  
the charm and interest to all biography4
 ,the most engaging side of great men is
 not so much what they do as what they  
are1 and does not depend upon their     
power of intellect but on their personal
 attractiveness4 ,thus1 there are men   
whose lives are far more eloquent than  
their speeches1 and whose personal      
character is far greater than their     
deeds4  ,it is also to be observed1 that
 while the best and most carefully-drawn
 of ,plutarch's portraits are of        
life-size1 many of them are little more 
than busts4 ,they are well-proportioned 
but compact1 and within such reasonable 
compass that the best of them--such as  
the lives of ,caesar and ,alexander--may
 be read in half an hour4 ,reduced to   
this measure1 they are1 however1 greatly
 more imposing than a lifeless          
,colossus1 or an exaggerated giant4     
,they are not overlaid by disquisition  

and description1 but the characters     
naturally unfold themselves4 ,montaigne1
 indeed1 complained of ,plutarch's      
brevity4 ,no doubt1 he added1 but his   
reputation is the better for it1 though 
in the meantime we are the worse4       
,plutarch would rather we should applaud
 his judgment than commend his          
knowledge1 and had rather leave us with 
an appetite to read more than glutted   
with what we have already read4 ,he knew
 very well that a man may say too much  
even on the best subjects4444 ,such as  
have lean and spare bodies stuff        
themselves out with clothes2 so they who
 are defective in matter1 endeavour to  
make amends with words4 #aie  ,plutarch 
possessed the art of delineating the    
more delicate features of mind and      
minute peculiarities of conduct1 as well
 as the foibles and defects of his      
heroes1 all of which is necessary to    
faithful and accurate portraiture4 ,to  
see him1 says ,montaigne1 pick out a    
light action in a man's life1 or a word1

 that does not seem to be of any        
importance1 is itself a whole discourse4
 ,he even condescends to inform us of   
such homely particulars as that         
,alexander carried his head affectedly  
on one side2 that ,alcibiades was a     
dandy1 and had a lisp1 which became him1
 giving a grace and persuasive turn to  
his discourse2 that ,cato had red hair  
and gray eyes1 and was a usurer and a   
screw1 selling off his old slaves when  
they became unfit for hard work2 that   
,caesar was bald and fond of gay dress2 
and that ,cicero #ailike ,lord ,brougham
 had involuntary twitchings of his nose4
  ,such minute particulars may by some  
be thought beneath the dignity of       
biography1 but ,plutarch thought them   
requisite for the due finish of the     
complete portrait which he set himself  
to draw2 and it is by small details of  
character--personal traits1 features1   
habits1 and characteristics--that we are
 enabled to see before us the men as    
they really lived4 ,plutarch's great    

merit consists in his attention to these
 little things1 without giving them     
undue preponderance1 or neglecting those
 which are of greater moment4 ,sometimes
 he hits off an individual trait by an  
anecdote1 which throws more light upon  
the character described than pages of   
rhetorical description would do4 ,in    
some cases1 he gives us the favourite   
maxim of his hero2 and the maxims of men
 often reveal their hearts4  ,then1 as  
to foibles1 the greatest of men are not 
visually symmetrical4 ,each has his     
defect1 his twist1 his craze2 and it is 
by his faults that the great man reveals
 his common humanity4 ,we may1 at a     
distance1 admire him as a demigod2 but  
as we come nearer to him1 we find that  
he is but a fallible man1 and our       
brother4 #aif  ,nor are the             
illustrations of the defects of great   
men without their uses2 for1 as ,dr4    
,johnson observed1 ,if nothing but the  
bright side of characters were shown1 we
 should sit down in despondency1 and    

think it utterly impossible to imitate  
them in anything4  ,plutarch1 himself   
justifies his method of portraiture by  
averring that his design was not to     
write histories1 but lives4 ,the most   
glorious exploits1 he says1 do not      
always furnish us with the clearest     
discoveries of virtue or of vice in men4
 ,sometimes a matter of much less       
moment1 an expression or a jest1 better 
informs us of their characters and      
inclinations than battles with the      
slaughter of tens of thousands1 and the 
greatest arrays of armies or sieges of  
cities4 ,therefore1 as portrait-painters
 are more exact in their lines and      
features of the face and the expression 
of the eyes1 in which the character is  
seen1 without troubling themselves about
 the other parts of the body1 so ,i must
 be allowed to give my more particular  
attention to the signs and indications  
of the souls of men2 and while ,i       
endeavour by these means to portray     
their lives1 ,i leave important events  

and great battles to be described by    
others4  ,things apparently trifling may
 stand for much in biography as well as 
history1 and slight circumstances may   
influence great results4 ,pascal has    
remarked1 that if ,cleopatra's nose had 
been shorter1 the whole face of the     
world would probably have been changed4 
,but for the amours of ,pepin the ,fat1 
the ,saracens might have overrun        
,europe2 as it was his illegitimate son1
 ,charles ,martel1 who overthrew them at
 ,tours1 and eventually drove them out  
of ,france4  ,that ,sir ,walter ,scott  
should have sprained his foot in running
 round the room when a child1 may seem  
unworthy of notice in his biography2 yet
 ',ivanhoe1' ',old ,mortality1' and all 
the ,waverley novels depended upon it4  
,when his son intimated a desire to     
enter the army1 ,scott wrote to         
,southey1 ,i have no title to combat a  
choice which would have been my own1 had
 not my lameness prevented4 ,so that1   
had not ,scott been lame1 he might have 

fought all through the ,peninsular ,war1
 and had his breast covered with medals2
 but we should probably have had none of
 those works of his which have made his 
name immortal1 and shed so much glory   
upon his country4 ,talleyrand also was  
kept out of the army1 for which he had  
been destined1 by his lameness2 but     
directing his attention to the study of 
books1 and eventually of men1 he at     
length took rank amongst the greatest   
diplomatists of his time4  ,byron's     
clubfoot had probably not a little to do
 with determining his destiny as a poet4
 ,had not his mind been embittered and  
made morbid by his deformity1 he might  
never have written a line--he might have
 been the noblest fop of his day4 ,but  
his misshapen foot stimulated his mind1 
roused his ardour1 threw him upon his   
own resources--and we know with what    
result4  ,so1 too1 of ,scarron1 to whose
 hunchback we probably owe his cynical  
verse2 and of ,pope1 whose satire was in
 a measure the outcome of his           

deformity--for he was1 as ,johnson      
described him1 protuberant behind and   
before4 ,what ,lord ,bacon said of      
deformity is doubtless1 to a great      
extent1 true4 ,whoever1 said he1 hath   
anything fixed in his person that doth  
induce contempt1 hath also a perpetual  
spur in himself to rescue and deliver   
himself from scorn2 therefore1 all      
deformed persons are extremely bold4    
,as in portraiture1 so in biography1    
there must be light and shade4 ,the     
portrait-painter does not pose his      
sitter so as to bring out his           
deformities2 nor does the biographer    
give undue prominence to the defects of 
the character he portrays4 ,not many men
 are so outspoken as ,cromwell was when 
he sat to ,cooper for his miniature3    
,paint me as ,i am1 said he1 warts and  
all4 ,yet1 if we would have a faithful  
likeness of faces and characters1 they  
must be painted as they are4 ,biography1
 said ,sir ,walter ,scott1 the most     
interesting of every species of         

composition1 loses all its interest with
 me when the shades and lights of the   
principal characters are not accurately 
and faithfully detailed4 ,i can no more 
sympathise with a mere eulogist1 than ,i
 can with a ranting hero on the stage4  
#aig  ,addison liked to know as much as 
possible about the person and character 
of his authors1 inasmuch as it increased
 the pleasure and satisfaction which he 
derived from the perusal of their books4
 ,what was their history1 their         
experience1 their temper and            
disposition8 ,did their lives resemble  
their books8 ,they thought nobly--did   
they act nobly8 ,should we not delight1 
says ,sir ,egerton ,brydges1 to have the
 frank story of the lives and feelings  
of ,wordsworth1 ,southey1 ,coleridge1   
,campbell1 ,rogers1 ,moore1 and ,wilson1
 related by themselves8--with whom they 
lived early2 how their bent took a      
decided course2 their likes and         
dislikes2 their difficulties and        
obstacles2 their tastes1 their passions2

 the rocks they were conscious of having
 split upon2 their regrets1 their       
complacencies1 and their                
self-justifications8 #aih  ,when ,mason 
was reproached for publishing the       
private letters of ,gray1 he answered1  
,would you always have my friends appear
 in full-dress8 ,johnson was of opinion 
that to write a man's life truly1 it is 
necessary that the biographer should    
have personally known him4 ,but this    
condition has been wanting in some of   
the best writers of biographies extant4 
#aii ,in the case of ,lord ,campbell1   
his personal intimacy with ,lords       
,lyndhurst and ,brougham seems to have  
been a positive disadvantage1 leading   
him to dwarf the excellences and to     
magnify the blots in their characters4  
,again1 ,johnson says3 ,if a man profess
 to write a life1 he must write it      
really as it was4 ,a man's              
peculiarities1 and even his vices1      
should be mentioned1 because they mark  
his character4 ,but there is always this

 difficulty1--that while minute details 
of conduct1 favourable or otherwise1 can
 best be given from personal knowledge1 
they cannot always be published1 out of 
regard for the living2 and when the time
 arrives when they may at length be     
told1 they are then no longer           
remembered4 ,johnson himself expressed  
this reluctance to tell all he knew of  
those poets who had been his            
contemporaries1 saying that he felt as  
if walking upon ashes under which the   
fire was not extinguished4  ,for this   
reason1 amongst others1 we rarely obtain
 an unvarnished picture of character    
from the near relatives of distinguished
 men2 and1 interesting though all       
autobiography is1 still less can we     
expect it from the men themselves4 ,in  
writing his own memoirs1 a man will not 
tell all that he knows about himself4   
,augustine was a rare exception1 but few
 there are who will1 as he did in his   
',confessions1' lay bare their innate   
viciousness1 deceitfulness1 and         

selfishness4 ,there is a ,highland      
proverb which says1 that if the best    
man's faults were written on his        
forehead he would pull his bonnet over  
his brow4 ,there is no man1 said        
,voltaire1 who has not something hateful
 in him--no man who has not some of the 
wild beast in him4 ,but there are few   
who will honestly tell us how they      
manage their wild beast4 ,rousseau      
pretended to unbosom himself in his     
',confessions2' but it is manifest that 
he held back far more than he revealed4 
,even ,chamfort1 one of the last men to 
fear what his contemporaries might think
 or say of him1 once observed3--,it     
seems to me impossible1 in the actual   
state of society1 for any man to exhibit
 his secret heart1 the details of his   
character as known to himself1 and1     
above all1 his weaknesses and his vices1
 to even his best friend4  ,an          
autobiography may be true so far as it  
goes2 but in communicating only part of 
the truth1 it may convey an impression  

that is really false4 ,it may be a      
disguise--sometimes it is an            
apology--exhibiting not so much what a  
man really was1 as what he would have   
liked to be4 ,a portrait in profile may 
be correct1 but who knows whether some  
scar on the off-cheek1 or some squint in
 the eye that is not seen1 might not    
have entirely altered the expression of 
the face if brought into sight8 ,scott1 
,moore1 ,southey1 all began             
autobiographies1 but the task of        
continuing them was doubtless felt to be
 too difficult as well as delicate1 and 
they were abandoned4  ,french literature
 is especially rich in a class of       
biographic memoirs1 of which we have few
 counterparts in ,english4 ,we refer to 
their ,,memoires ,,pour ,,servir1 such  
as those of ,sully1 ,de ,comines1       
,lauzun1 ,de ,retz1 ,de ,thou1          
,rochefoucalt1 c41 in which we have     
recorded an immense mass of minute and  
circumstantial information relative to  
many great personages of history4 ,they 

are full of anecdotes illustrative of   
life and character1 and of details which
 might be called frivolous1 but that    
they throw a flood of light on the      
social habits and general civilisation  
of the periods to which they relate4    
,the ,,memoires of ,saint-,simon are    
something more3 they are marvellous     
dissections of character1 and constitute
 the most extraordinary collection of   
anatomical biography that has ever been 
brought together4  ,saint-,simon might  
almost be regarded in the light of a    
posthumous court-spy of ,louis the      
,fourteenth4 ,he was possessed by a     
passion for reading character1 and      
endeavouring to decipher motives and    
intentions in the faces1 expressions1   
conversation1 and byplay of those about 
him4 ,i examine all my personages       
closely1 said he--watch their mouth1    
eyes1 and ears constantly4 ,and what he 
heard and saw he noted down with        
extraordinary vividness and dash4       
,acute1 keen1 and observant1 he pierced 

the masks of the courtiers1 and detected
 their secrets4 ,the ardour with which  
he prosecuted his favourite study of    
character seemed insatiable1 and even   
cruel4 ,the eager anatomist1 says       
,sainte-,beuve1 was not more ready to   
plunge the scalpel into the             
still-palpitating bosom in search of the
 disease that had baffled him4  ,la     
,bruyere possessed the same gift of     
accurate and penetrating observation of 
character4 ,he watched and studied      
everybody about him4 ,he sought to read 
their secrets2 and1 retiring to his     
chamber1 he deliberately painted their  
portraits1 returning to them from time  
to time to correct some prominent       
feature--hanging over them as fondly as 
an artist over some favourite           
study--adding trait to trait1 and touch 
to touch1 until at length the picture   
was complete and the likeness perfect4  
,it may be said that much of the        
interest of biography1 especially of the
 more familiar sort1 is of the nature of

 gossip2 as that of the ,,memoires      
,,pour ,,servir is of the nature of     
scandal1 which is no doubt true4 ,but   
both gossip and scandal illustrate the  
strength of the interest which men and  
women take in each other's personality2 
and which1 exhibited in the form of     
biography1 is capable of communicating  
the highest pleasure1 and yielding the  
best instruction4 ,indeed biography1    
because it is instinct of humanity1 is  
the branch of literature which--whether 
in the form of fiction1 of anecdotal    
recollection1 or of personal            
narrative--is the one that invariably   
commends itself to by far the largest   
class of readers4  ,there is no room for
 doubt that the surpassing interest     
which fiction1 whether in poetry or     
prose1 possesses for most minds1 arises 
mainly from the biographic element which
 it contains4 ,homer's ',iliad' owes its
 marvellous popularity to the genius    
which its author displayed in the       
portrayal of heroic character4 ,yet he  

does not so much describe his personages
 in detail as make them develope        
themselves by their actions4 ,there are 
in ,homer1 said ,dr4 ,johnson1 such     
characters of heroes and combination of 
qualities of heroes1 that the united    
powers of mankind ever since have not   
produced any but what are to be found   
there4  ,the genius of ,shakspeare also 
was displayed in the powerful           
delineation of character1 and the       
dramatic evolution of human passions4   
,his personages seem to be real--living 
and breathing before us4 ,so too with   
,cervantes1 whose ,sancho ,panza1 though
 homely and vulgar1 is intensely human4 
,the characters in ,le ,sage's ',gil    
,blas1' in ,goldsmith's ',vicar of      
,wakefield1' and in ,scott's marvellous 
muster-roll1 seem to us almost as real  
as persons whom we have actually known2 
and ,de ,foe's greatest works are but so
 many biographies1 painted in minute    
detail1 with reality so apparently      
stamped upon every page1 that it is     

difficult to believe his ,robinson      
,crusoe and ,colonel ,jack to have been 
fictitious instead of real persons4     
,though the richest romance lies        
enclosed in actual human life1 and      
though biography1 because it describes  
beings who have actually felt the joys  
and sorrows1 and experienced the        
difficulties and triumphs1 of real life1
 is capable of being made more          
attractive1 than the most perfect       
fictions ever woven1 it is remarkable   
that so few men of genius have been     
attracted to the composition of works of
 this kind4 ,great works of fiction     
abound1 but great biographies may be    
counted on the fingers4 ,it may be for  
the same reason that a great painter of 
portraits1 the late ,john ,philip1      
,r4,a41 explained his preference for    
subject-painting1 because1 said he1     
,portrait-painting does not pay4        
,biographic portraiture involves        
laborious investigation and careful     
collection of facts1 judicious rejection

 and skilful condensation1 as well as   
the art of presenting the character     
portrayed in the most attractive and    
lifelike form2 whereas1 in the work of  
fiction1 the writer's imagination is    
free to create and to portray character1
 without being trammelled by references1
 or held down by the actual details of  
real life4  ,there is1 indeed1 no want  
among us of ponderous but lifeless      
memoirs1 many of them little better than
 inventories1 put together with the help
 of the scissors as much as of the pen4 
,what ,constable said of the portraits  
of an inferior artist--,he takes all the
 bones and brains out of his            
heads--applies to a large class of      
portraiture1 written as well as painted4
 ,they have no more life in them than a 
piece of waxwork1 or a clothes-dummy at 
a tailor's door4 ,what we want is a     
picture of a man as he lived1 and lo6 we
 have an exhibition of the biographer   
himself4 ,we expect an embalmed heart1  
and we find only clothes4  ,there is    

doubtless as high art displayed in      
painting a portrait in words1 as there  
is in painting one in colours4 ,to do   
either well requires the seeing eye and 
the skilful pen or brush4 ,a common     
artist sees only the features of a face1
 and copies them2 but the great artist  
sees the living soul shining through the
 features1 and places it on the canvas4 
,johnson was once asked to assist the   
chaplain of a deceased bishop in writing
 a memoir of his lordship2 but when he  
proceeded to inquire for information1   
the chaplain could scarcely tell him    
anything4 ,hence ,johnson was led to    
observe that few people who have lived  
with a man know what to remark about    
him4  ,in the case of ,johnson's own    
life1 it was the seeing eye of ,boswell 
that enabled him to note and treasure up
 those minute details of habit and      
conversation in which so much of the    
interest of biography consists4         
,boswell1 because of his simple love and
 admiration of his hero1 succeeded where

 probably greater men would have failed4
 ,he descended to apparently            
insignificant1 but yet most             
characteristic1 particulars4 ,thus he   
apologizes for informing the reader that
 ,johnson1 when journeying1 carried in  
his hand a large ,english oak-stick3    
adding1 ,i remember ,dr4 ,adam ,smith1  
in his rhetorical lectures at ,glasgow1 
told us he was glad to know that ,milton
 wore latchets in his shoes instead of  
buckles4 ,boswell lets us know how      
,johnson looked1 what dress he wore1    
what was his talk1 what were his        
prejudices4 ,he painted him with all his
 scars1 and a wonderful portrait it     
is--perhaps the most complete picture of
 a great man ever limned in words4  ,but
 for the accident of the ,scotch        
advocate's intimacy with ,johnson1 and  
his devoted admiration of him1 the      
latter would not probably have stood    
nearly so high in literature as he now  
does4 ,it is in the pages of ,boswell   
that ,johnson really lives2 and but for 

,boswell1 he might have remained little 
more than a name4 ,others there are who 
have bequeathed great works to          
posterity1 but of whose lives next to   
nothing is known4 ,what would we not    
give to have a ,boswell's account of    
,shakspeare8 ,we positively know more of
 the personal history of ,socrates1 of  
,horace1 of ,cicero1 of ,augustine1 than
 we do of that of ,shakspeare4 ,we do   
not know what was his religion1 what    
were his politics1 what were his        
experiences1 what were his relations to 
his contemporaries4 ,the men of his own 
time do not seem to have recognised his 
greatness2 and ,ben ,jonson1 the court  
poet1 whose blank-verse ,shakspeare was 
content to commit to memory and recite  
as an actor1 stood higher in popular    
estimation4 ,we only know that he was a 
successful theatrical manager1 and that 
in the prime of life he retired to his  
native place1 where he died1 and had the
 honours of a village funeral4 ,the     
greater part of the biography which has 

been constructed respecting him has been
 the result1 not of contemporary        
observation or of record1 but of        
inference4 ,the best inner biography of 
the man is to be found in his sonnets4  
,men do not always take an accurate     
measure of their contemporaries4 ,the   
statesman1 the general1 the monarch of  
to-day fills all eyes and ears1 though  
to the next generation he may be as if  
he had never been4 ,and who is king     
to-day8 the painter ,greuze would ask of
 his daughter1 during the throes of the 
first ,french ,revolution1 when men1    
great for the time1 were suddenly thrown
 to the surface1 and as suddenly dropt  
out of sight again1 never to reappear4  
,and who is king to-day8 ,after all1    
,greuze would add1 ,citizen ,homer and  
,citizen ,raphael will outlive those    
great citizens of ours1 whose names ,i  
have never before heard of4 ,yet of the 
personal history of ,homer nothing is   
known1 and of ,raphael comparatively    
little4 ,even ,plutarch1 who wrote the  

lives of others3 so well1 has no        
biography1 none of the eminent ,roman   
writers who were his contemporaries     
having so much as mentioned his name4   
,and so of ,correggio1 who delineated   
the features of others so well1 there is
 not known to exist an authentic        
portrait4  ,there have been men who     
greatly influenced the life of their    
time1 whose reputation has been much    
greater with posterity than it was with 
their contemporaries4 ,of ,wickliffe1   
the patriarch of the ,reformation1 our  
knowledge is extremely small4 ,he was   
but as a voice crying in the wilderness4
 ,we do not really know who was the     
author of ',the ,imitation of           
,christ'--a book that has had an immense
 circulation1 and exercised a vast      
religious influence in all ,christian   
countries4 ,it is usually attributed to 
,thomas a ,kempis but there is reason to
 believe that he was merely its         
translator1 and the book that is really 
known to be his1 #aiaj is in all        

respects so inferior1 that it is        
difficult to believe that ',the         
,imitation' proceeded from the same pen4
 ,it is considered more probable that   
the real author was ,john ,gerson1      
,chancellor of the ,university of       
,paris1 a most learned and devout man1  
who died in #adbi4  ,some of the        
greatest men of genius have had the     
shortest biographies4 ,of ,plato1 one of
 the great fathers of moral philosophy1 
we have no personal account4 ,if he had 
wife and children1 we hear nothing of   
them4 ,about the life of ,aristotle     
there is the greatest diversity of      
opinion4 ,one says he was a ,jew2       
another1 that he only got his           
information from a ,jew3 one says he    
kept an apothecary's shop2 another1 that
 he was only the son of a physician3 one
 alleges that he was an atheist2        
another1 that he was a ,trinitarian1 and
 so forth4 ,but we know almost as little
 with respect to many men of            
comparatively modern times4 ,thus1 how  

little do we know of the lives of       
,spenser1 author of ',the ,faerie       
,queen1' and of ,butler1 the author of  
',hudibras1' beyond the fact that they  
lived in comparative obscurity1 and died
 in extreme poverty6 ,how little1       
comparatively1 do we know of the life of
 ,jeremy ,taylor1 the golden preacher1  
of whom we should like to have known so 
much6  ,the author of ',philip ,van     
,artevelde' has said that the world     
knows nothing of its greatest men4 ,and 
doubtless oblivion has enwrapt in its   
folds many great men who have done great
 deeds1 and been forgotten4 ,augustine  
speaks of ,romanianus as the greatest   
genius that ever lived1 and yet we know 
nothing of him but his name2 he is as   
much forgotten as the builders of the   
,pyramids4 ,gordiani's epitaph was      
written in five languages1 yet it       
sufficed not to rescue him from         
oblivion4  ,many1 indeed1 are the lives 
worthy of record that have remained     
unwritten4 ,men who have written books  

have been the most fortunate in this    
respect1 because they possess an        
attraction for literary men which those 
whose lives have been embodied in deeds 
do not possess4 ,thus there have been   
lives written of ,poets ,laureate who   
were mere men of their time1 and of     
their time only4 ,dr4 ,johnson includes 
some of them in his ',lives of the      
,poets1' such as ,edmund ,smith and     
others1 whose poems are now no longer   
known4 ,the lives of some men of        
letters--such as ,goldsmith1 ,swift1    
,sterne1 and ,steele--have been written 
again and again1 whilst great men of    
action1 men of science1 and men of      
industry1 are left without a record4    
#aiaa  ,we have said that a man may be  
known by the company he keeps in his    
books4 ,let us mention a few of the     
favourites of the best-known men4       
,plutarch's admirers have already been  
referred to4 ,montaigne also has been   
the companion of most meditative men4   
,although ,shakspeare must have studied 

,plutarch carefully1 inasmuch as he     
copied from him freely1 even to his very
 words1 it is remarkable that ,montaigne
 is the only book which we certainly    
know to have been in the poet's library2
 one of ,shakspeare's existing          
autographs having been found in a copy  
of ,florio's translation of ',the       
,essays1' which also contains1 on the   
flyleaf1 the autograph of ,ben ,jonson4 
,milton's favourite books were ,homer1  
,ovid1 and ,euripides4 ,the latter book 
was also the favourite of ,charles      
,james ,fox1 who regarded the study of  
it as especially useful to a public     
speaker4 ,on the other hand1 ,pitt took 
especial delight in ,milton--whom ,fox  
did not appreciate--taking pleasure in  
reciting1 from ',paradise ,lost1' the   
grand speech of ,belial before the      
assembled powers of ,pandemonium4       
,another of ,pitt's favourite books was 
,newton's ',principia4' ,again1 the     
,earl of ,chatham's favourite book was  
',barrow's ,sermons1' which he read so  

often as to be able to repeat them from 
memory2 while ,burke's companions were  
,demosthenes1 ,milton1 ,bolingbroke1 and
 ,young's ',night ,thoughts4'  ,curran's
 favourite was ,homer1 which he read    
through once a year4 ,virgil was another
 of his favourites2 his biographer1     
,phillips1 saying that he once saw him  
reading the ',aeneid' in the cabin of a 
,holyhead packet1 while every one about 
him was prostrate by seasickness4  ,of  
the poets1 ,dante's favourite was       
,virgil2 ,corneille's was ,lucan2       
,schiller's was ,shakspeare2 ,gray's was
 ,spenser2 whilst ,coleridge admired    
,collins and ,bowles4 ,dante himself was
 a favourite with most great poets1 from
 ,chaucer to ,byron and ,tennyson4 ,lord
 ,brougham1 ,macaulay1 and ,carlyle have
 alike admired and eulogized the great  
,italian4 ,the former advised the       
students at ,glasgow that1 next to      
,demosthenes1 the study of ,dante was   
the best preparative for the eloquence  
of the pulpit or the bar4 ,robert ,hall 

sought relief in ,dante from the racking
 pains of spinal disease2 and ,sydney   
,smith took to the same poet for comfort
 and solace in his old age4 ,it was     
characteristic of ,goethe that his      
favourite book should have been         
,spinoza's ',ethics1' in which he said  
he had found a peace and consolation    
such as he had been able to find in no  
other work4 #aiab  ,barrow's favourite  
was ,st4 ,chrysostom2 ,bossuet's was    
,homer4 ,bunyan's was the old legend of 
,sir ,bevis of ,southampton1 which in   
all probability gave him the first idea 
of his ',pilgrim's ,progress4' ,one of  
the best prelates that ever sat on the  
,english bench1 ,dr4 ,john ,sharp1      
said--,shakspeare and the ,bible have   
made me ,archbishop of ,york4 ,the two  
books which most impressed ,john ,wesley
 when a young man1 were ',the ,imitation
 of ,christ' and ,jeremy ,taylor's      
',holy ,living and ,dying4' ,yet ,wesley
 was accustomed to caution his young    
friends against overmuch reading4       

,beware you be not swallowed up in      
books1 he would say to them2 an ounce of
 love is worth a pound of knowledge4    
,wesley's own ,life has been a great    
favourite with many thoughtful readers4 
,coleridge says1 in his preface to      
,southey's ',life of ,wesley1' that it  
was more often in his hands than any    
other in his ragged book-regiment4 ,to  
this work1 and to the ,life of ,richard 
,baxter1 he says1 ,i was used to resort 
whenever sickness and languor made me   
feel the want of an old friend of whose 
company ,i could never be tired4 ,how   
many and many an hour of self-oblivion  
do ,i owe to this ,life of ,wesley2 and 
how often have ,i argued with it1       
questioned1 remonstrated1 been peevish1 
and asked pardon2 then again listened1  
and cried1 ',right6 ,excellent6' and in 
yet heavier hours entreated it1 as it   
were1 to continue talking to me2 for    
that ,i heard and listened1 and was     
soothed1 though ,i could make no reply6 
#aiac  ,soumet had only a very few hooks

 in his library1 but they were of the   
best--,homer1 ,virgil1 ,dante1 ,camoens1
 ,tasso1 and ,milton4 ,de ,quincey's    
favourite few were ,donne1              
,chillingworth1 ,jeremy ,taylor1        
,milton1 ,south1 ,barrow1 and ,sir      
,thomas ,browne4 ,he described these    
writers as a pleiad or constellation of 
seven golden stars1 such as in their    
class no literature can match1 and from 
whose works he would undertake to build 
up an entire body of philosophy4        
,frederick the ,great of ,prussia       
manifested his strong ,french leanings  
in his choice of books2 his principal   
favourites being ,bayle1 ,rousseau1     
,voltaire1 ,rollin1 ,fleury1            
,malebranche1 and one ,english          
author--,locke4 ,his especial favourite 
was ,bayle's ,dictionary1 which was the 
first book that laid hold of his mind2  
and he thought so highly of it1 that he 
himself made an abridgment and          
translation of it into ,german1 which   
was published4 ,it was a saying of      

,frederick's1 that books make up no     
small part of true happiness4 ,in his   
old age he said1 ,my latest passion will
 be for literature4  ,it seems odd that 
,marshal ,blucher's favourite book      
should have been ,klopstock's           
',messiah1' and ,napoleon ,buonaparte's 
favourites1 ,ossian's ',poems' and the  
',sorrows of ,werther4' ,but ,napoleon's
 range of reading was very extensive4   
,it included ,homer1 ,virgil1 ,tasso2   
novels of all countries2 histories of   
all times2 mathematics1 legislation1 and
 theology4 ,he detested what he called  
the bombast and tinsel of ,voltaire4    
,the praises of ,homer and ,ossian he   
was never wearied of sounding4 ,read    
again1 he said to an officer on board   
the ,,belleropho--read again the poet of
 ,achilles2 devour ,ossian4 ,those are  
the poets who lift up the soul1 and give
 to man a colossal greatness4 #aiad     
,the ,duke of ,wellington was an        
extensive reader2 his principal         
favourites were ,clarendon1 ,bishop     

,butler1 ,smith's ',wealth of ,nations1'
 ,hume1 the ,archduke ,charles1 ,leslie1
 and the ,bible4 ,he was also           
particularly interested by ,french and  
,english memoirs--more especially the   
,french ,,memoires ,,pour ,,servir of   
all kinds4 ,when at ,walmer1 ,mr4 ,gleig
 says1 the ,bible1 the ,prayer ,book1   
,taylor's ',holy ,living and ,dying1'   
and ,caesar's ',commentaries1' lay      
within the ,duke's reach2 and1 judging  
by the marks of use on them1 they must  
have been much read and often consulted4
  ,while books are among the best       
companions of old age1 they are often   
the best inspirers of youth4 ,the first 
book that makes a deep impression on a  
young man's mind1 often constitutes an  
epoch in his life4 ,it may fire the     
heart1 stimulate the enthusiasm1 and by 
directing his efforts into unexpected   
channels1 permanently influence his     
character4 ,the new book1 in which we   
form an intimacy with a new friend1     
whose mind is wiser and riper than our  

own1 may thus form an important         
starting-point in the history of a life4
 ,it may sometimes almost be regarded in
 the light of a new birth4  ,from the   
day when ,james ,edward ,smith was      
presented with his first botanical      
lesson-book1 and ,sir ,joseph ,banks    
fell in with ,gerard's ',herbal'--from  
the time when ,alfieri first read       
,plutarch1 and ,schiller made his first 
acquaintance with ,shakspeare1 and      
,gibbon devoured the first volume of    
',the ,universal ,history'--each dated  
an inspiration so exalted1 that they    
felt as if their real lives had only    
then begun4  ,in the earlier part of his
 youth1 ,la ,fontaine was distinguished 
for his idleness1 but hearing an ode by 
,malherbe read1 he is said to have      
exclaimed1 ,i too am a poet1 and his    
genius was awakened4 ,charles ,bossuet's
 mind was first fired to study by       
reading1 at an early age1 ,fontenelle's 
',eloges' of men of science4 ,another   
work of ,fontenelle's--',on the         

,plurality of ,worlds'--influenced the  
mind of ,lalande in making choice of a  
profession4 ,it is with pleasure1 says  
,lalande himself in a preface to the    
book1 which he afterwards edited1 that  
,i acknowledge my obligation to it for  
that devouring activity which its       
perusal first excited in me at the age  
of sixteen1 and which ,i have since     
retained4  ,in like manner1 ,lacepede   
was directed to the study of natural    
history by the perusal of ,buffon's     
',histoire ,naturelle1' which he found  
in his father's library1 and read over  
and over again until he almost knew it  
by heart4 ,goethe was greatly influenced
 by the reading of ,goldsmith's ',vicar 
of ,wakefield1' just at the critical    
moment of his mental development2 and he
 attributed to it much of his best      
education4 ,the reading of a prose      
',life of ,gotz vou ,berlichingen'      
afterwards stimulated him to delineate  
his character in a poetic form4 ,the    
figure of a rude1 well-meaning          

self-helper1 he said1 in a wild anarchic
 time1 excited my deepest sympathy4     
,keats was an insatiable reader when a  
boy2 but it was the perusal of the      
',faerie ,queen1' at the age of         
seventeen1 that first lit the fire of   
his genius4 ,the same poem is also said 
to have been the inspirer of ,cowley1   
who found a copy of it accidentally     
lying on the window of his mother's     
apartment2 and reading and admiring it1 
he became1 as he relates1 irrecoverably 
a poet4  ,coleridge speaks of the great 
influence which the poems of ,bowles had
 in forming his own mind4 ,the works of 
a past age1 says he1 seem to a young man
 to be things of another race2 but the  
writings of a contemporary possess a    
reality for him1 and inspire an actual  
friendship as of a man for a man4 ,his  
very admiration is the wind which fans  
and feeds his hope4 ,the poems          
themselves assume the properties of     
flesh and blood4 #aiae  ,but men have   
not merely been stimulated to undertake 

special literary pursuits by the perusal
 of particular books2 they have been    
also stimulated by them to enter upon   
particular lines of action in the       
serious business of life4 ,thus ,henry  
,martyn was powerfully influenced to    
enter upon his heroic career as a       
missionary by perusing the ,lives of    
,henry ,brainerd and ,dr4 ,carey1 who   
had opened up the furrows in which he   
went forth to sow the seed4  ,bentham   
has described the extraordinary         
influence which the perusal of          
',telemachus' exercised upon his mind in
 boyhood4 ,another book1 said he1 and of
 far higher character #aithan a         
collection of ,fairy ,tales1 to which he
 refers1 was placed in my hands4 ,it was
 ',telemachus4' ,in my own imagination1 
and at the age of six or seven1 ,i      
identified my own personality with that 
of the hero1 who seemed to me a model of
 perfect virtue2 and in my walk of life1
 whatever it may come to be1 why #aisaid
 ,i to myself every now and then--why   

should not ,i be a ,telemachus84444     
,that romance may be regarded as ,,the  
,,foundation-,,stone ,,of ,,my ,,whole  
,,character--the starting-post from     
whence my career of life commenced4 ,the
 first dawning in my mind of the        
',principles of ,utility' may1 ,i think1
 be traced to it4 #aiaf  ,cobbett's     
first favourite1 because his only book1 
which he bought for threepence1 was     
,swift's ',tale of a ,tub1' the repeated
 perusal of which had1 doubtless1 much  
to do with the formation of his pithy1  
straightforward1 and hard-hitting style 
of writing4 ,the delight with which     
,pope1 when a schoolboy1 read ,ogilvy's 
',homer' was1 most probably1 the origin 
of the ,english ',iliad2' as the ',percy
 ,reliques' fired the juvenile mind of  
,scott1 and stimulated him to enter upon
 the collection and composition of his  
',border ,ballads4' ,keightley's first  
reading of ',paradise ,lost1' when a    
boy1 led to his afterwards undertaking  
his ,life of the poet4 ,the reading1 he 

says1 of ',paradise ,lost' for the first
 time forms1 or should form1 an era in  
the life of every one possessed of taste
 and poetic feeling4 ,to my mind1 that  
time is ever present4444 ,ever since1   
the poetry of ,milton has formed my     
constant study--a source of delight in  
prosperity1 of strength and consolation 
in adversity4  ,good books are thus     
among the best of companions2 and1 by   
elevating the thoughts and aspirations1 
they act as preservatives against low   
associations4 ,a natural turn for       
reading and intellectual pursuits1 says 
,thomas ,hood1 probably preserved me    
from the moral shipwreck so apt to befal
 those who are deprived in early life of
 their parental pilotage4 ,my books kept
 me from the ring1 the dogpit1 the      
tavern1 the saloon4 ,the closet         
associate of ,pope and ,addison1 the    
mind accustomed to the noble though     
silent discourse of ,shakspeare and     
,milton1 will hardly seek or put up with
 low company and slaves4  ,it has been  

truly said1 that the best books are     
those which most resemble good actions4 
,they are purifying1 elevating1 and     
sustaining2 they enlarge and liberalize 
the mind2 they preserve it against      
vulgar worldliness2 they tend to produce
 highminded cheerfulness and equanimity 
of character2 they fashion1 and shape1  
and humanize the mind4 ,in the ,northern
 universities1 the schools in which the 
ancient classics are studied1 are       
appropriately styled ,the ,humanity     
,classes4 #aiag  ,erasmus1 the great    
scholar1 was even of opinion that books 
were the necessaries of life1 and       
clothes the luxuries2 and he frequently 
postponed buying the latter until he had
 supplied himself with the former4 ,his 
greatest favourites were the works of   
,cicero1 which he says he always felt   
himself the better for reading4 ,i can  
never1 he says1 read the works of       
,cicero on ',old ,age1' or              
',friendship1' or his ',tusculan        
,disputations1' without fervently       

pressing them to my lips1 without being 
penetrated with veneration for a mind   
little short of inspired by ,god        
himself4 ,it was the accidental perusal 
of ,cicero's ',hortensius' which first  
detached ,st4 ,augustine--until then a  
profligate and abandoned                
sensualist--from his immoral life1 and  
started him upon the course of inquiry  
and study which led to his becoming the 
greatest among the ,fathers of the      
,early ,church4 ,sir ,william ,jones    
made it a practice to read through1 once
 a year1 the writings of ,cicero1 whose 
life indeed1 says his biographer1 was   
the great exemplar of his own4  ,when   
the good old ,puritan ,baxter came to   
enumerate the valuable and delightful   
things of which death would deprive him1
 his mind reverted to the pleasures he  
had derived from books and study4 ,when 
,i die1 he said1 ,i must depart1 not    
only from sensual delights1 but from the
 more manly pleasures of my studies1    
knowledge1 and converse with many wise  

and godly men1 and from all my pleasure 
in reading1 hearing1 public and private 
exercises of religion1 and such like4 ,i
 must leave my library1 and turn over   
those pleasant books no more4 ,i must no
 more come among the living1 nor see the
 faces of my faithful friends1 nor be   
seen of man2 houses1 and cities1 and    
fields1 and countries1 gardens1 and     
walks1 will be as nothing to me4 ,i     
shall no more hear of the affairs of the
 world1 of man1 or wars1 or other news2 
nor see what becomes of that beloved    
interest of wisdom1 piety1 and peace1   
which ,i desire may prosper4  ,it is    
unnecessary to speak of the enormous    
moral influence which books have        
exercised upon the general civilization 
of mankind1 from the ,bible downwards4  
,they contain the treasured knowledge of
 the human race4 ,they are the record of
 all labours1 achievements1             
speculations1 successes1 and failures1  
in science1 philosophy1 religion1 and   
morals4 ,they have been the greatest    

motive powers in all times4 ,from the   
,gospel to the ,contrat ,social1 says   
,de ,bonald1 it is books that have made 
revolutions4 ,indeed1 a great book is   
often a greater thing than a great      
battle4 ,even works of fiction have     
occasionally exercised immense power on 
society4 ,thus ,rabelais in ,france1 and
 ,cervantes in ,spain1 overturned at the
 same time the dominion of monkery and  
chivalry1 employing no other weapons but
 ridicule1 the natural contrast of human
 terror4 ,the people laughed1 and felt  
reassured4 ,so ',telemachus' appeared1  
and recalled men back to the harmonies  
of nature4  ,poets1 says ,hazlitt1 are a
 longer-lived race than heroes3 they    
breathe more of the air of immortality4 
,they survive more entire in their      
thoughts and acts4 ,we have all that    
,virgil or ,homer did1 as much as if we 
had lived at the same time with them4   
,we can hold their works in our hands1  
or lay them on our pillows1 or put them 
to our lips4 ,scarcely a trace of what  

the others did is left upon the earth1  
so as to be visible to common eyes4 ,the
 one1 the dead authors1 are living men1 
still breathing and moving in their     
writings2 the others1 the conquerors of 
the world1 are but the ashes in an urn4 
,the sympathy #aiso to speak between    
thought and thought is more intimate and
 vital than that between thought and    
action4 ,thought is linked to thought as
 flame kindles into flame2 the tribute  
of admiration to the ,,manes of departed
 heroism is like burning incense in a   
marble monument4 ,words1 ideas1         
feelings1 with the progress of time     
harden into substances3 things1 bodies1 
actions1 moulder away1 or melt into a   
sound--into thin air4444 ,not only a    
man's actions are effaced and vanish    
with him2 his virtues and generous      
qualities die with him also4 ,his       
intellect only is immortal1 and         
bequeathed unimpaired to posterity4     
,words are the only things that last for
 ever4 #aiah     ,,chapter              

,,xi4--,,companionship ,,in ,,marriage4 
,kindness in women1 not their beauteous 
looks1           ,shall win my          
love4--,,shakspeare4       ,in the      
husband ,wisdom1 ,in the wife           
,gentleness4--,,george      ,,herbert4  
,if ,god had designed woman as man's    
master1 ,he would have      taken her   
from his head2 ,if as his slave1 ,he    
would have      taken her from his feet2
 but as ,he designed her for his        
companion and equal1 ,he took her from  
his side4--,,saint                      
,,augustine4--',,de ,,civitate ,,dei4'  
,who can find a virtuous woman8 for her 
price is far above      rubies4444 ,her 
husband is known in the gates1 and he   
sitteth      among the elders of the    
land4444 ,strength and honour are her   
clothing1 and she shall rejoice in time 
to come4 ,she openeth      her mouth    
with wisdom1 and in her tongue is the   
law of      kindness4 ,she looketh well 
to the ways of her husband1 and         
eateth not the bread of idleness4 ,her  

children arise up and      call her     
blessed2 her husband also1 and he       
praiseth her4--      ,,proverbs ,,of    
,,solomon4   ,,the character of men1 as 
of women1 is powerfully influenced by   
their companionship in all the stages of
 life4 ,we have already spoken of the   
influence of the mother in forming the  
character of her children4 ,she makes   
the moral atmosphere in which they live1
 and by which their minds and souls are 
nourished1 as their bodies are by the   
physical atmosphere they breathe4 ,and  
while woman is the natural cherisher of 
infancy and the instructor of childhood1
 she is also the guide and counsellor of
 youth1 and the confidant and companion 
of manhood1 in her various relations of 
mother1 sister1 lover1 and wife4 ,in    
short1 the influence of woman more or   
less affects1 for good or for evil1 the 
entire destinies of man4  ,the          
respective social functions and duties  
of men and women are clearly defined by 
nature4 ,god created man ,,and woman1   

each to do their proper work1 each to   
fill their proper sphere4 ,neither can  
occupy the position1 nor perform the    
functions1 of the other4 ,their several 
vocations are perfectly distinct4 ,woman
 exists on her own account1 as man does 
on his1 at the same time that each has  
intimate relations with the other4      
,humanity needs both for the purposes of
 the race1 and in every consideration of
 social progress both must necessarily  
be included4  ,though companions and    
equals1 yet1 as regards the measure of  
their powers1 they are unequal4 ,man is 
stronger1 more muscular1 and of rougher 
fibre2 woman is more delicate1          
sensitive1 and nervous4 ,the one excels 
in power of brain1 the other in         
qualities of heart2 and though the head 
may rule1 it is the heart that          
influences4 ,both are alike adapted for 
the respective functions they have to   
perform in life2 and to attempt to      
impose woman's work upon man would be   
quite as absurd as to attempt to impose 

man's work upon woman4 ,men are         
sometimes womanlike1 and women are      
sometimes manlike2 but these are only   
exceptions which prove the rule4        
,although man's qualities belong more to
 the head1 and woman's more to the      
heart--yet it is not less necessary that
 man's heart should be cultivated as    
well as his head1 and woman's head      
cultivated as well as her heart4 ,a     
heartless man is as much out-of-keeping 
in civilized society as a stupid and    
unintelligent woman4 ,the cultivation of
 all parts of the moral and intellectual
 nature is requisite to form the man or 
woman of healthy and well-balanced      
character4 ,without sympathy or         
consideration for others1 man were a    
poor1 stunted1 sordid1 selfish being2   
and without cultivated intelligence1 the
 most beautiful woman were little better
 than a well-dressed doll4  ,it used to 
be a favourite notion about woman1 that 
her weakness and dependency upon others 
constituted her principal claim to      

admiration4 ,if we were to form an image
 of dignity in a man1 said ,sir ,richard
 ,steele1 we should give him wisdom and 
valour1 as being essential to the       
character of manhood4 ,in like manner1  
if you describe a right woman in a      
laudable sense1 she should have gentle  
softness1 tender fear1 and all those    
parts of life which distinguish her from
 the other sex1 with some subordination 
to it1 but an inferiority which makes   
her lovely4 ,thus1 her weakness was to  
be cultivated1 rather than her strength2
 her folly1 rather than her wisdom4 ,she
 was to be a weak1 fearful1 tearful1    
characterless1 inferior creature1 with  
just sense enough to understand the soft
 nothings addressed to her by the       
superior sex4 ,she was to be educated as
 an ornamental appanage of man1 rather  
as an independent intelligence--or as a 
wife1 mother1 companion1 or friend4     
,pope1 in one of his ',moral ,essays1'  
asserts that most women have no         
characters at all2 and again he says3-- 

,ladies1 like variegated tulips1 show3  
',tis to their changes half their charms
 we owe1           ,fine by defect and  
delicately weak4  ,this satire          
characteristically occurs in the poet's 
',epistle to ,martha ,blount1' the      
housekeeper who so tyrannically ruled   
him2 and in the same verses he          
spitefully girds at ,lady ,mary ,wortley
 ,montague1 at whose feet he had thrown 
himself as a lover1 and been            
contemptuously rejected4 ,but ,pope was 
no judge of women1 nor was he even a    
very wise or tolerant judge of men4  ,it
 is still too much the practice to      
cultivate the weakness of woman rather  
than her strength1 and to render her    
attractive rather than self-reliant4    
,her sensibilities are developed at the 
expense of her health of body as well as
 of mind4 ,she lives1 moves1 and has her
 being in the sympathy of others4 ,she  
dresses that she may attract1 and is    
burdened with accomplishments that she  
may be chosen4 ,weak1 trembling1 and    

dependent1 she incurs the risk of       
becoming a living embodiment of the     
,italian proverb--so good that she is   
good for nothing4  ,on the other hand1  
the education of young men too often    
errs on the side of selfishness4 ,while 
the boy is incited to trust mainly to   
his own efforts in pushing his way in   
the world1 the girl is encouraged to    
rely almost entirely upon others4 ,he is
 educated with too exclusive reference  
to himself and she is educated with too 
exclusive reference to him4 ,he is      
taught to be self-reliant and           
self-dependent1 while she is taught to  
be distrustful of herself1 dependent1   
and self-sacrificing in all things4     
,thus1 the intellect of the one is      
cultivated at the expense of the        
affections1 and the affections of the   
other at the expense of the intellect4  
,it is unquestionable that the highest  
qualities of woman are displayed in her 
relationship to others1 through the     
medium of her affections4 ,she is the   

nurse whom nature has given to all      
humankind4 ,she takes charge of the     
helpless1 and nourishes and cherishes   
those we love4 ,she is the presiding    
genius of the fireside1 where she       
creates an atmosphere of serenity and   
contentment suitable for the nurture and
 growth of character in its best forms4 
,she is by her very constitution        
compassionate1 gentle1 patient1 and     
self-denying4 ,loving1 hopeful1         
trustful1 her eye sheds brightness      
everywhere4 ,it shines upon coldness and
 warms it1 upon suffering and relieves  
it1 upon sorrow and cheers it3--        
,her silver flow           ,of          
subtle-paced counsel in distress1       
,right to the heart and brain1 though   
undescried1           ,winning its way  
with extreme gentleness         ,through
 all the outworks of suspicion's pride4 
,woman has been styled the angel of the 
unfortunate4 ,she is ready to help the  
weak1 to raise the fallen1 to comfort   
the suffering4 ,it was characteristic of

 woman1 that she should have been the   
first to build and endow an hospital4   
,it has been said that wherever a human 
being is in suffering1 his sighs call a 
woman to his side4 ,when ,mungo ,park1  
lonely1 friendless1 and famished1 after 
being driven forth from an ,african     
village by the men1 was preparing to    
spend the night under a tree1 exposed to
 the rain and the wild beasts which     
there abounded1 a poor negro woman1     
returning from the labours of the field1
 took compassion upon him1 conducted him
 into her hut1 and there gave him food1 
succour1 and shelter4 #bja  ,but while  
the most characteristic qualities of    
woman are displayed through her         
sympathies and affections1 it is also   
necessary for her own happiness1 as a   
self-dependent being1 to develope and   
strengthen her character1 by due        
self-culture1 self-reliance1 and        
self-control4 ,it is not desirable1 even
 were it possible1 to close the         
beautiful avenues of the heart4         

,self-reliance of the best kind does not
 involve any limitation in the range of 
human sympathy4 ,but the happiness of   
woman1 as of man1 depends in a great    
measure upon her individual completeness
 of character4 ,and that self-dependence
 which springs from the due cultivation 
of the intellectual powers1 conjoined   
with a proper discipline of the heart   
and conscience1 will enable her to be   
more useful in life as well as happy2 to
 dispense blessings intelligently as    
well as to enjoy them2 and most of all  
those which spring from mutual          
dependence and social sympathy4  ,to    
maintain a high standard of purity in   
society1 the culture of both sexes must 
be in harmony1 and keep equal pace4 ,a  
pure womanhood must be accompanied by a 
pure manhood4 ,the same moral law       
applies alike to both4 ,it would be     
loosening the foundations of virtue1 to 
countenance the notion that because of a
 difference in sex1 man were at liberty 
to set morality at defiance1 and to do  

that with impunity1 which1 if done by a 
woman1 would stain her character for    
life4 ,to maintain a pure and virtuous  
condition of society1 therefore1 man as 
well as woman must be pure and virtuous2
 both alike shunning all acts impinging 
on the heart1 character1 and            
conscience--shunning them as poison1    
which1 once imbibed1 can never be       
entirely thrown out again1 but mentally 
embitters1 to a greater or less extent1 
the happiness of after-life4  ,and here 
we would venture to touch upon a        
delicate topic4 ,though it is one of    
universal and engrossing human interest1
 the moralist avoids it1 the educator   
shuns it1 and parents taboo it4 ,it is  
almost considered indelicate to refer to
 ,love as between the sexes2 and young  
persons are left to gather their only   
notions of it from the impossible       
love-stories that fill the shelves of   
circulating libraries4 ,this strong and 
absorbing feeling1 this ,,besoin        
,d',,aimer--which nature has for wise   

purposes made so strong in woman that it
 colours her whole life and history1    
though it may form but an episode in the
 life of man--is usually left to follow 
its own inclinations1 and to grow up for
 the most part unchecked1 without any   
guidance or direction whatever4         
,although nature spurns all formal rules
 and directions in affairs of love1 it  
might at all events be possible to      
implant in young minds such views of    
,character as should enable them to     
discriminate between the true and the   
false1 and to accustom them to hold in  
esteem those qualities of moral purity  
and integrity1 without which life is but
 a scene of folly and misery4 ,it may   
not be possible to teach young people to
 love wisely1 but they may at least be  
guarded by parental advice against the  
frivolous and despicable passions which 
so often usurp its name4 ,love1 it has  
been said1 in the common acceptation of 
the term1 is folly2 but love1 in its    
purity1 its loftiness1 its              

unselfishness1 is not only a            
consequence1 but a proof1 of our moral  
excellence4 ,the sensibility to moral   
beauty1 the forgetfulness of self in the
 admiration engendered by it1 all prove 
its claim to a high moral influence4 ,it
 is the triumph of the unselfish over   
the selfish part of our nature4  ,it is 
by means of this divine passion that the
 world is kept ever fresh and young4 ,it
 is the perpetual melody of humanity4   
,it sheds an effulgence upon youth1 and 
throws a halo round age4 ,it glorifies  
the present by the light it casts       
backward1 and it lightens the future by 
the beams it casts forward4 ,the love   
which is the outcome of esteem and      
admiration1 has an elevating and        
purifying effect on the character4 ,it  
tends to emancipate one from the slavery
 of self4 ,it is altogether unsordid2   
itself is its only price4 ,it inspires  
gentleness1 sympathy1 mutual faith1 and 
confidence4 ,true love also in a measure
 elevates the intellect4 ,all love      

renders wise in a degree1 says the poet 
,browning1 and the most gifted minds    
have been the sincerest lovers4 ,great  
souls make all affections great2 they   
elevate and consecrate all true         
delights4 ,the sentiment even brings to 
light qualities before lying dormant and
 unsuspected4 ,it elevates the          
aspirations1 expands the soul1 and      
stimulates the mental powers4 ,one of   
the finest compliments ever paid to a   
woman was that of ,steele1 when he said 
of ,lady ,elizabeth ,hastings1 that to  
have loved her was a liberal education4 
,viewed in this light1 woman is an      
educator in the highest sense1 because1 
above all other educators1 she educates 
humanly and lovingly4  ,it has been said
 that no man and no woman can be        
regarded as complete in their experience
 of life1 until they have been subdued  
into union with the world through their 
affections4 ,as woman is not woman until
 she has known love1 neither is man man4
 ,both are requisite to each other's    

completeness4 ,plato entertained the    
idea that lovers each sought a likeness 
in the other1 and that love was only the
 divorced half of the original human    
being entering into union with its      
counterpart4 ,but philosophy would here 
seem to be at fault1 for affection quite
 as often springs from unlikeness as    
from likeness in its object4  ,the true 
union must needs be one of mind as well 
as of heart1 and based on mutual esteem 
as well as mutual affection4 ,no true   
and enduring love1 says ,fichte1 can    
exist without esteem2 every other draws 
regret after it1 and is unworthy of any 
noble human soul4 ,one cannot really    
love the bad1 but always something that 
we esteem and respect as well as admire4
 ,in short1 true union must rest on     
qualities of character1 which rule in   
domestic as in public life4  ,but there 
is something far more than mere respect 
and esteem in the union between man and 
wife4 ,the feeling on which it rests is 
far deeper and tenderer--such1 indeed1  

as never exists between men or between  
women4 ,in matters of affection1 says   
,nathaniel ,hawthorne1 there is always  
an impassable gulf between man and man4 
,they can never quite grasp each other's
 hands1 and therefore man never derives 
any intimate help1 any heart-sustenance1
 from his brother man1 but from         
woman--his mother1 his sister1 or his   
wife4 #bjb  ,man enters a new world of  
joy1 and sympathy1 and human interest1  
through the porch of love4 ,he enters a 
new world in his home--the home of his  
own making--altogether different from   
the home of his boyhood1 where each day 
brings with it a succession of new joys 
and experiences4 ,he enters also1 it may
 be1 a new world of trials and sorrows1 
in which he often gathers his best      
culture and discipline4 ,family life1   
says ,sainte-,beuve1 may be full of     
thorns and cares2 but they are fruitful3
 all others are dry thorns4 ,and again3 
,if a man's home1 at a certain period of
 life1 does not contain children1 it    

will probably be found filled with      
follies or with vices4 #bjc  ,a life    
exclusively occupied in affairs of      
business insensibly tends to narrow and 
harden the character4 ,it is mainly     
occupied with self-watching for         
advantages1 and guarding against sharp  
practice on the part of others4 ,thus   
the character unconsciously tends to    
grow suspicious and ungenerous4 ,the    
best corrective of such influences is   
always the domestic2 by withdrawing the 
mind from thoughts that are wholly      
gainful1 by taking it out of its daily  
rut1 and bringing it back to the        
sanctuary of home for refreshment and   
rest3            ,that truest1 rarest   
light of social joy1           ,which   
gleams upon the man of many cares4      
,business1 says ,sir ,henry ,taylor1    
does but lay waste the approaches to the
 heart1 whilst marriage garrisons the   
fortress4 ,and however the head may be  
occupied1 by labours of ambition or of  
business--if the heart be not occupied  

by affection for others and sympathy    
with them--life1 though it may appear to
 the outer world to be a success1 will  
probably be no success at all1 but a    
failure4 #bjd  ,a man's real character  
will always be more visible in his      
household than anywhere else2 and his   
practical wisdom will be better         
exhibited by the manner in which he     
bears rule there1 than even in the      
larger affairs of business or public    
life4 ,his whole mind may be in his     
business2 but1 if he would be happy1 his
 whole heart must be in his home4 ,it is
 there that his genuine qualities most  
surely display themselves--there that he
 shows his truthfulness1 his love1 his  
sympathy1 his consideration for others1 
his uprightness1 his manliness--in a    
word1 his character4 ,if affection be   
not the governing principle in a        
household1 domestic life may be the most
 intolerable of despotisms4 ,without    
justice1 also1 there can be neither     
love1 confidence1 nor respect1 on which 

all true domestic rule is founded4      
,erasmus speaks of ,sir ,thomas ,more's 
home as a school and exercise of the    
,christian religion4 ,no wrangling1 no  
angry word was heard in it2 no one was  
idle2 every one did his duty with       
alacrity1 and not without a temperate   
cheerfulness4 ,sir ,thomas won all      
hearts to obedience by his gentleness4  
,he was a man clothed in household      
goodness2 and he ruled so gently and    
wisely1 that his home was pervaded by an
 atmosphere of love and duty4 ,he       
himself spoke of the hourly interchange 
of the smaller acts of kindness with the
 several members of his family1 as      
having a claim upon his time as strong  
as those other public occupations of his
 life which seemed to others so much    
more serious and important4  ,but the   
man whose affections are quickened by   
home-life1 does not confine his         
sympathies within that comparatively    
narrow sphere4 ,his love enlarges in the
 family1 and through the family it      

expands into the world4 ,love1 says     
,emerson1 is a fire that1 kindling its  
first embers in the narrow nook of a    
private bosom1 caught from a wandering  
spark out of another private heart1     
glows and enlarges until it warms and   
beams upon multitudes of men and women1 
upon the universal heart of all1 and so 
lights up the whole world and nature    
with its generous flames4  ,it is by the
 regimen of domestic affection that the 
heart of man is best composed and       
regulated4 ,the home is the woman's     
kingdom1 her state1 her world--where she
 governs by affection1 by kindness1 by  
the power of gentleness4 ,there is      
nothing which so settles the turbulence 
of a man's nature as his union in life  
with a highminded woman4 ,there he finds
 rest1 contentment1 and happiness--rest 
of brain and peace of spirit4 ,he will  
also often find in her his best         
counsellor1 for her instinctive tact    
will usually lead him right when his own
 unaided reason might be apt to go      

wrong4 ,the true wife is a staff to lean
 upon in times of trial and difficulty2 
and she is never wanting in sympathy and
 solace when distress occurs or fortune 
frowns4 ,in the time of youth1 she is a 
comfort and an ornament of man's life2  
and she remains a faithful helpmate in  
maturer years1 when life has ceased to  
be an anticipation1 and we live in its  
realities4  ,what a happy man must      
,edmund ,burke have been1 when he could 
say of his home1 ,every care vanishes   
the moment ,i enter under my own roof6  
,and ,luther1 a man full of human       
affection1 speaking of his wife1 said1  
,i would not exchange my poverty with   
her for all the riches of ,croesus      
without her4 ,of marriage he observed3  
,the utmost blessing that ,god can      
confer on a man is the possession of a  
good and pious wife1 with whom he may   
live in peace and tranquillity--to whom 
he may confide his whole possessions1   
even his life and welfare4 ,and again he
 said1 ,to rise betimes1 and to marry   

young1 are what no man ever repents of  
doing4  ,for a man to enjoy true repose 
and happiness in marriage1 he must have 
in his wife a soul-mate as well as a    
helpmate4 ,but it is not requisite that 
she should be merely a pale copy of     
himself4 ,a man no more desires in his  
wife a manly woman1 than the woman      
desires in her husband a feminine man4  
,a woman's best qualities do not reside 
in her intellect1 but in her affections4
 ,she gives refreshment by her          
sympathies1 rather than by her          
knowledge4 ,the brain-women1 says       
,oliver ,wendell ,holmes1 never interest
 us like the heart-women4 #bje ,men are 
often so wearied with themselves1 that  
they are rather predisposed to admire   
qualities and tastes in others different
 from their own4 ,if ,i were suddenly   
asked1 says ,mr4 ,helps1 to give a proof
 of the goodness of ,god to us1 ,i think
 ,i should say that it is most manifest 
in the exquisite difference ,he has made
 between the souls of men and women1 so 

as to create the possibility of the most
 comforting and charming companionship  
that the mind of man can imagine4 #bjf  
,but though no man may love a woman for 
her understanding1 it is not the less   
necessary for her to cultivate it on    
that account4 #bjg ,there may be        
difference in character1 but there must 
be harmony of mind and sentiment--two   
intelligent souls as well as two loving 
hearts3            ,two heads in        
council1 two beside the hearth1         
,two in the tangled business of the     
world1           ,two in the liberal    
offices of life4  ,there are few men who
 have written so wisely on the subject  
of marriage as ,sir ,henry ,taylor4     
,what he says about the influence of a  
happy union in its relation to          
successful statesmanship1 applies to all
 conditions of life4 ,the true wife1 he 
says1 should possess such qualities as  
will tend to make home as much as may be
 a place of repose4 ,to this end1 she   
should have sense enough or worth enough

 to exempt her husband as much as       
possible from the troubles of family    
management1 and more especially from all
 possibility of debt4 ,she should be    
pleasing to his eyes and to his taste3  
the taste goes deep into the nature of  
all men--love is hardly apart from it2  
and in a life of care and excitement1   
that home which is not the seat of love 
cannot be a place of repose2 rest for   
the brain1 and peace for the spirit1    
being only to be had through the        
softening of the affections4 ,he should 
look for a clear understanding1         
cheerfulness1 and alacrity of mind1     
rather than gaiety and brilliancy1 and  
for a gentle tenderness of disposition  
in preference to an impassioned nature4 
,lively talents are too stimulating in a
 tired man's house--passion is too      
disturbing4444                          
,her love should be       ,a love that  
clings not1 nor is exigent1             
,encumbers not the active purposes1     
,nor drains their source2 but profers   

with free grace       ,pleasure at      
pleasure touched1 at pleasure waived1   
,a washing of the weary traveller's     
feet1       ,a quenching of his thirst1 
a sweet repose1       ,alternate and    
preparative2 in groves       ,where1    
loving much the flower that loves the   
shade1       ,and loving much the shade 
that that flower loves1       ,he yet is
 unbewildered1 unenslaved1       ,thence
 starting light1 and pleasantly let go  
,when serious service calls4 #bjh  ,some
 persons are disappointed in marriage1  
because they expect too much from it2   
but many more1 because they do not bring
 into the co-partnership their fair     
share of cheerfulness1 kindliness1      
forbearance1 and common sense4 ,their   
imagination has perhaps pictured a      
condition never experienced on this side
 ,heaven2 and when real life comes1 with
 its troubles and cares1 there is a     
sudden waking-up as from a dream4 ,or   
they look for something approaching     
perfection in their chosen companion1   

and discover by experience that the     
fairest of characters have their        
weaknesses4 ,yet it is often the very   
imperfection of human nature1 rather    
than its perfection1 that makes the     
strongest claims on the forbearance and 
sympathy of others1 and1 in affectionate
 and sensible natures1 tends to produce 
the closest unions4  ,the golden rule of
 married life is1 ,bear and forbear4    
,marriage1 like government1 is a series 
of compromises4 ,one must give and take1
 refrain and restrain1 endure and be    
patient4 ,one may not be blind to       
another's failings1 but they may be     
borne with good-natured forbearance4 ,of
 all qualities1 good temper is the one  
that wears and works the best in married
 life4 ,conjoined with self-control1 it 
gives patience--the patience to bear and
 forbear1 to listen without retort1 to  
refrain until the angry flash has       
passed4 ,how true it is in marriage1    
that the soft answer turneth away wrath6
  ,burns the poet1 in speaking of the   

qualities of a good wife1 divided them  
into ten parts4 ,four of these he gave  
to good temper1 two to good sense1 one  
to wit1 one to beauty--such as a sweet  
face1 eloquent eyes1 a fine person1 a   
graceful carriage2 and the other two    
parts he divided amongst the other      
qualities belonging to or attending on a
 wife--such as fortune1 connections1    
education #bjthat is1 of a higher       
standard than ordinary1 family blood1   
c42 but he said3 ,divide those two      
degrees as you please1 only remember    
that all these minor proportions must be
 expressed by fractions1 for there is   
not any one of them that is entitled to 
the dignity of an integer4  ,it has been
 said that girls are very good at making
 nets1 but that it would be better still
 if they would learn to make cages4 ,men
 are often as easily caught as birds1   
but as difficult to keep4 ,if the wife  
cannot make her home bright and happy1  
so that it shall be the cleanest1       
sweetest1 cheerfulest place that her    

husband can find refuge in--a retreat   
from the toils and troubles of the outer
 world--then ,god help the poor man1 for
 he is virtually homeless6  ,no wise    
person will marry for beauty mainly4 ,it
 may exercise a powerful attraction in  
the first place1 but it is found to be  
of comparatively little consequence     
afterwards4 ,not that beauty of person  
is to be underestimated1 for1 other     
things being equal1 handsomeness of form
 and beauty of features are the outward 
manifestations of health4 ,but to marry 
a handsome figure without character1    
fine features unbeautified by sentiment 
or good-nature1 is the most deplorable  
of mistakes4 ,as even the finest        
landscape1 seen daily1 becomes          
monotonous1 so does the most beautiful  
face1 unless a beautiful nature shines  
through it4 ,the beauty of to-day       
becomes commonplace to-morrow2 whereas  
goodness1 displayed through the most    
ordinary features1 is perennially       
lovely4 ,moreover1 this kind of beauty  

improves with age1 and time ripens      
rather than destroys it4 ,after the     
first year1 married people rarely think 
of each other's features1 and whether   
they be classically beautiful or        
otherwise4 ,but they never fail to be   
cognisant of each other's temper4 ,when 
,i see a man1 says ,addison1 with a sour
 rivelled face1 ,i cannot forbear       
pitying his wife2 and when ,i meet with 
an open ingenuous countenance1 ,i think 
of the happiness of his friends1 his    
family1 and his relations4  ,we have    
given the views of the poet ,burns as to
 the qualities necessary in a good wife4
 ,let us add the advice given by ,lord  
,burleigh to his son1 embodying the     
experience of a wise statesman and      
practised man of the world4 ,when it    
shall please ,god1 said he1 to bring    
thee to man's estate1 use great         
providence and circumspection in        
choosing thy wife2 for from thence will 
spring all thy future good or evil4 ,and
 it is an action of thy life1 like unto 

a stratagem of war1 wherein a man can   
err but once4444 ,enquire diligently of 
her disposition1 and how her parents    
have been inclined in their youth4 #bji 
,let her not be poor1 how generous      
#bjwell-born soever2 for a man can buy  
nothing in the market with gentility4   
,nor choose a base and uncomely creature
 altogether for wealth2 for it will     
cause contempt in others1 and loathing  
in thee4 ,neither make choice of a      
dwarf1 or a fool2 for by the one thou   
shalt beget a race of pigmies1 while the
 other will be thy continual disgrace1  
and it will yirke #bj;irk thee to hear  
her talk4 ,for thou shalt find it to thy
 great grief1 that there is nothing more
 fulsome #bj;disgusting than a she-fool4
  ,a man's moral character is1          
necessarily1 powerfully influenced by   
his wife4 ,a lower nature will drag him 
down1 as a higher will lift him up4 ,the
 former will deaden his sympathies1     
dissipate his energies1 and distort his 
life2 while the latter1 by satisfying   

his affections1 will strengthen his     
moral nature1 and by giving him repose1 
tend to energise his intellect4 ,not    
only so1 but a woman of high principles 
will insensibly elevate the aims and    
purposes of her husband1 as one of low  
principles will unconsciously degrade   
them4 ,de ,tocqueville was profoundly   
impressed by this truth4 ,he entertained
 the opinion that man could have no such
 mainstay in life as the companionship  
of a wife of good temper and high       
principle4 ,he says that in the course  
of his life1 he had seen even weak men  
display real public virtue1 because they
 had by their side a woman of noble     
character1 who sustained them in their  
career1 and exercised a fortifying      
influence on their views of public duty2
 whilst1 on the contrary1 he had still  
oftener seen men of great and generous  
instincts transformed into vulgar       
self-seekers1 by contact with women of  
narrow natures1 devoted to an imbecile  
love of pleasure1 and from whose minds  

the grand motive of ,duty was altogether
 absent4  ,de ,tocqueville himself had  
the good fortune to be blessed with an  
admirable wife3 #bjaj and in his letters
 to his intimate friends1 he spoke most 
gratefully of the comfort and support he
 derived from her sustaining courage1   
her equanimity of temper1 and her       
nobility of character4 ,the more1       
indeed1 that ,de ,tocqueville saw of the
 world and of practical life1 the more  
convinced he became of the necessity of 
healthy domestic conditions for a man's 
growth in virtue and goodness4 #bjaa    
,especially did he regard marriage as of
 inestimable importance in regard to a  
man's true happiness2 and he was        
accustomed to speak of his own as the   
wisest action of his life4 ,many        
external circumstances of happiness1 he 
said1 have been granted to me4 ,but more
 than all1 ,i have to thank ,heaven for 
having bestowed on me true domestic     
happiness1 the first of human blessings4
 ,as ,i grow older1 the portion of my   

life which in my youth ,i used to look  
down upon1 every day becomes more       
important in my eyes1 and would now     
easily console me for the loss of all   
the rest4 ,and again1 writing to his    
bosom-friend1 ,de ,kergorlay1 he said3  
,of all the blessings which ,god has    
given to me1 the greatest of all in my  
eyes is to have lighted on ,marie4 ,you 
cannot imagine what she is in great     
trials4 ,usually so gentle1 she then    
becomes strong and energetic4 ,she      
watches me without my knowing it2 she   
softens1 calms1 and strengthens me in   
difficulties which disturb ,,me1 but    
leave her serene4 #bjab ,in another     
letter he says3 ,i cannot describe to   
you the happiness yielded in the long   
run by the habitual society of a woman  
in whose soul all that is good in your  
own is reflected naturally1 and even    
improved4 ,when ,i say or do a thing    
which seems to me to be perfectly right1
 ,i read immediately in ,marie's        
countenance an expression of proud      

satisfaction which elevates me4 ,and so1
 when my conscience reproaches me1 her  
face instantly clouds over4 ,although ,i
 have great power over her mind1 ,i see 
with pleasure that she awes me2 and so  
long as ,i love her as ,i do now1 ,i am 
sure that ,i shall never allow myself to
 be drawn into anything that is wrong4  
,in the retired life which ,de          
,tocqueville led as a literary          
man--political life being closed against
 him by the inflexible independence of  
his character--his health failed1 and he
 became ill1 irritable1 and querulous4  
,while proceeding with his last work1   
',l',ancien ,regime et la ,revolution1' 
he wrote3 ,after sitting at my desk for 
five or six hours1 ,i can write no      
longer2 the machine refuses to act4 ,i  
am in great want of rest1 and of a long 
rest4 ,if you add all the perplexities  
that besiege an author towards the end  
of his work1 you will be able to imagine
 a very wretched life4 ,i could not go  
on with my task if it were not for the  

refreshing calm of ,marie's             
companionship4 ,it would be impossible  
to find a disposition forming a happier 
contrast to my own4 ,in my perpetual    
irritability of body and mind1 she is a 
providential resource that never fails  
me4 #bjac  ,m4 ,guizot was1 in like     
manner1 sustained and encouraged1 amidst
 his many vicissitudes and              
disappointments1 by his noble wife4 ,if 
he was treated with harshness by his    
political enemies1 his consolation was  
in the tender affection which filled his
 home with sunshine4 ,though his public 
life was bracing and stimulating1 he    
felt1 nevertheless1 that it was cold and
 calculating1 and neither filled the    
soul nor elevated the character4 ,man   
longs for a happiness1 he says in his   
',memoires1' more complete and more     
tender than that which all the labours  
and triumphs of active exertion and     
public importance can bestow4 ,what ,i  
know to-day1 at the end of my race1 ,i  
have felt when it began1 and during its 

continuance4 ,even in the midst of great
 undertakings1 domestic affections form 
the basis of life2 and the most         
brilliant career has only superficial   
and incomplete enjoyments1 if a stranger
 to the happy ties of family and        
friendship4  ,the circumstances         
connected with ,m4 ,guizot's courtship  
and marriage are curious and            
interesting4 ,while a young man living  
by his pen in ,paris1 writing books1    
reviews1 and translations1 he formed a  
casual acquaintance with ,mademoiselle  
,pauline de ,meulan1 a lady of great    
ability1 then editor of the             
,,publiciste4 ,a severe domestic        
calamity having befallen her1 she fell  
ill1 and was unable for a time to carry 
on the heavy literary work connected    
with her journal4 ,at this juncture a   
letter without any signature reached her
 one day1 offering a supply of articles1
 which the writer hoped would be worthy 
of the reputation of the ,,publiciste4  
,the articles duly arrived1 were        

accepted1 and published4 ,they dealt    
with a great variety of subjects--art1  
literature1 theatricals1 and general    
criticism4 ,when the editor at length   
recovered from her illness1 the writer  
of the articles disclosed himself3 it   
was ,m4 ,guizot4 ,an intimacy sprang up 
between them1 which ripened into mutual 
affection1 and before long ,mademoiselle
 de ,meulan became his wife4  ,from that
 time forward1 she shared in all her    
husband's joys and sorrows1 as well as  
in many of his labours4 ,before they    
became united1 he asked her if she      
thought she should ever become dismayed 
at the vicissitudes of his destiny1     
which he then saw looming before him4   
,she replied that he might assure       
himself that she would always           
passionately enjoy his triumphs1 but    
never heave a sigh over his defeats4    
,when ,m4 ,guizot became first minister 
of ,louis ,philippe1 she wrote to a     
friend3 ,i now see my husband much less 
than ,i desire1 but still ,i see him4444

 ,if ,god spares us to each other1 ,i   
shall always be1 in the midst of every  
trial and apprehension1 the happiest of 
beings4 ,little more than six months    
after these words were written1 the     
devoted wife was laid in her grave2 and 
her sorrowing husband was left          
thenceforth to tread the journey of life
 alone4  ,burke was especially happy in 
his union with ,miss ,nugent1 a         
beautiful1 affectionate1 and highminded 
woman4 ,the agitation and anxiety of his
 public life was more than compensated  
by his domestic happiness1 which seems  
to have been complete4 ,it was a saying 
of ,burke1 thoroughly illustrative of   
his character1 that to love the little  
platoon we belong to in society is the  
germ of all public affections4 ,his     
description of his wife1 in her youth1  
is probably one of the finest           
word-portraits in the language3--  ,she 
is handsome2 but it is a beauty not     
arising from features1 from complexion1 
or from shape4 ,she has all three in a  

high degree1 but it is not by these she 
touches the heart2 it is all that       
sweetness of temper1 benevolence1       
innocence1 and sensibility1 which a face
 can express1 that forms her beauty4    
,she has a face that just raises your   
attention at first sight2 it grows on   
you every moment1 and you wonder it did 
no more than raise your attention at    
first4  ,her eyes have a mild light1 but
 they awe when she pleases2 they        
command1 like a good man out of office1 
not by authority1 but by virtue4  ,her  
stature is not tall2 she is not made to 
be the admiration of everybody1 but the 
happiness of one4  ,she has all the     
firmness that does not exclude delicacy2
 she has all the softness that does not 
imply weakness4  ,her voice is a soft   
low music--not formed to rule in public 
assemblies1 but to charm those who can  
distinguish a company from a crowd2 it  
has this advantage--,,you ,,must ,,come 
,,close ,,to ,,her ,,to ,,hear ,,it4    
,to describe her body describes her     

mind--one is the transcript of the      
other2 her understanding is not shown in
 the variety of matters it exerts itself
 on1 but in the goodness of the choice  
she makes4  ,she does not display it so 
much in saying or doing striking things1
 as in avoiding such as she ought not to
 say or do4  ,no person of so few years 
can know the world better2 no person was
 ever less corrupted by the knowledge of
 it4  ,her politeness flows rather from 
a natural disposition to oblige1 than   
from any rules on that subject1 and     
therefore never fails to strike those   
who understand good breeding and those  
who do not4  ,she has a steady and firm 
mind1 which takes no more from the      
solidity of the female character than   
the solidity of marble does from its    
polish and lustre4 ,she has such virtues
 as make us value the truly great of our
 own sex4 ,she has all the winning      
graces that make us love even the faults
 we see in the weak and beautiful1 in   
hers4  ,let us give1 as a companion     

picture1 the not less beautiful         
delineation of a husband1 that of       
,colonel ,hutchinson1 the ,commonwealth 
man1 by his widow4 ,shortly before his  
death1 he enjoined her not to grieve at 
the common rate of desolate women4 ,and1
 faithful to his injunction1 instead of 
lamenting his loss1 she indulged her    
noble sorrow in depicting her husband as
 he had lived4  ,they who dote on mortal
 excellences1 she says1 in her          
,introduction to the ',life1' when1 by  
the inevitable fate of all things frail1
 their adored idols are taken from them1
 may let loose the winds of passion to  
bring in a flood of sorrow1 whose ebbing
 tides carry away the dear memory of    
what they have lost2 and when comfort is
 essayed to such mourners1 commonly all 
objects are removed out of their view   
which may with their remembrance renew  
the grief2 and in time these remedies   
succeed1 and oblivion's curtain is by   
degrees drawn over the dead face2 and   
things less lovely are liked1 while they

 are not viewed together with that which
 was most excellent4 ,but ,i1 that am   
under a command not to grieve at the    
common rate of desolate women1 #bjad    
while ,i am studying which way to       
moderate my woe1 and if it were possible
 to augment my love1 ,i can for the     
present find out none more just to your 
dear father1 nor consolatory to myself1 
than the preservation of his memory1    
which ,i need not gild with such        
flattering commendations as hired       
preachers do equally give to the truly  
and titularly honourable4 ,a naked      
undressed narrative1 speaking the simple
 truth of him1 will deck him with more  
substantial glory1 than all the         
panegyrics the best pens could ever     
consecrate to the virtues of the best   
men4  ,the following is the wife's      
portrait of ,colonel ,hutchinson as a   
husband3--  ,for conjugal affection to  
his wife1 it was such in him as         
whosoever would draw out a rule of      
honour1 kindness1 and religion1 to be   

practised in that estate1 need no more  
but exactly draw out his example4 ,never
 man had a greater passion for a woman1 
nor a more honourable esteem of a wife3 
yet he was not uxorious1 nor remitted he
 that just rule which it was her honour 
to obey1 but managed the reins of       
government with such prudence and       
affection1 that she who could not       
delight in such an honourable and       
advantageable subjection1 must have     
wanted a reasonable soul4  ,he governed 
by persuasion1 which he never employed  
but to things honourable and profitable 
to herself2 he loved her soul and her   
honour more than her outside1 and yet he
 had ever for her person a constant     
indulgence1 exceeding the common        
temporary passion of the most uxorious  
fools4 ,if he esteemed her at a higher  
rate than she in herself could have     
deserved1 he was the author of that     
virtue he doated on1 while she only     
reflected his own glories upon him4 ,all
 that she was1 was ,,him1 while he was  

here1 and all that she is now1 at best1 
is but his pale shade4  ,so liberal was 
he to her1 and of so generous a temper1 
that he hated the mention of severed    
purses1 his estate being so much at her 
disposal that he never would receive an 
account of anything she expended4 ,so   
constant was he in his love1 that when  
she ceased to be young and lovely he    
began to show most fondness4 ,he loved  
her at such a kind and generous rate as 
words cannot express4 ,yet even this1   
which was the highest love he or any man
 could have1 was bounded by a superior3 
he loved her in the ,lord as his        
fellow-creature1 not his idol2 but in   
such a manner as showed that an         
affection1 founded on the just rules of 
duty1 far exceeds every way all the     
irregular passions in the world4 ,he    
loved ,god above her1 and all the other 
dear pledges of his heart1 and for his  
glory cheerfully resigned them4 #bjae   
,lady ,rachel ,russell is another of the
 women of history celebrated for her    

devotion and faithfulness as a wife4    
,she laboured and pleaded for her       
husband's release so long as she could  
do so with honour2 but when she saw that
 all was in vain1 she collected her     
courage1 and strove by her example to   
strengthen the resolution of her dear   
lord4 ,and when his last hour had nearly
 come1 and his wife and children waited 
to receive his parting embrace1 she1    
brave to the end1 that she might not add
 to his distress1 concealed the agony of
 her grief under a seeming composure2   
and they parted1 after a tender adieu1  
in silence4 ,after she had gone1 ,lord  
,william said1 ,now the bitterness of   
death is passed6 #bjaf  ,we have spoken 
of the influence of a wife upon a man's 
character4 ,there are few men strong    
enough to resist the influence of a     
lower character in a wife4 ,if she do   
not sustain and elevate what is highest 
in his nature1 she will speedily reduce 
him to her own level4 ,thus a wife may  
be the making or the unmaking of the    

best of men4 ,an illustration of this   
power is furnished in the life of       
,bunyan4 ,the profligate tinker had the 
good fortune to marry1 in early life1 a 
worthy young woman of good parentage4   
,my mercy1 he himself says1 was to light
 upon a wife whose father and mother    
were accounted godly4 ,this woman and   
,i1 though we came together as poor as  
poor might be #bjnot having so much     
household stuff as a dish or a spoon    
betwixt us both1 yet she had for her    
part1 ',the ,plain ,man's ,pathway to   
,heaven1' and ',the ,practice of        
,piety1' which her father had left her  
when he died4 ,and by reading these and 
other good books2 helped by the kindly  
influence of his wife1 ,bunyan was      
gradually reclaimed from his evil ways1 
and led gently into the paths of peace4 
,richard ,baxter1 the ,nonconformist    
divine1 was far advanced in life before 
he met the excellent woman who          
eventually became his wife4 ,he was too 
laboriously occupied in his vocation of 

minister to have any time to spare for  
courtship2 and his marriage was1 as in  
the case of ,calvin1 as much a matter of
 convenience as of love4 ,miss          
,charlton1 the lady of his choice1 was  
the owner of property in her own right2 
but lest it should be thought that      
,baxter married her for covetousness1 he
 requested1 first1 that she should give 
over to her relatives the principal part
 of her fortune1 and that he should have
 nothing that before her marriage was   
hers2 secondly1 that she should so      
arrange her affairs as that he might be 
entangled in no lawsuits2 and1 thirdly1 
that she should expect none of the time 
that his ministerial work might require4
 ,these several conditions the bride    
having complied with1 the marriage took 
place1 and proved a happy one4 ,we      
lived1 said ,baxter1 in inviolated love 
and mutual complacency1 sensible of the 
benefit of mutual help1 nearly nineteen 
years4 ,yet the life of ,baxter was one 
of great trials and troubles1 arising   

from the unsettled state of the times in
 which he lived4 ,he was hunted about   
from one part of the country to another1
 and for several years he had no settled
 dwelling-place4 ,the women1 he gently  
remarks in his ',life1' have most of    
that sort of trouble1 but my wife easily
 bore it all4 ,in the sixth year of his 
marriage ,baxter was brought before the 
magistrates at ,brentford1 for holding a
 conventicle at ,acton1 and was         
sentenced by them to be imprisoned in   
,clerkenwell ,gaol4 ,there he was joined
 by his wife1 who affectionately nursed 
him during his confinement4 ,she was    
never so cheerful a companion to me1 he 
says1 as in prison1 and was very much   
against me seeking to be released4 ,at  
length he was set at liberty by the     
judges of the ,court of ,common ,pleas1 
to whom he had appealed against the     
sentence of the magistrates4 ,at the    
death of ,mrs4 ,baxter1 after a very    
troubled yet happy and cheerful life1   
her husband left a touching portrait of 

the graces1 virtues1 and ,christian     
character of this excellent woman--one  
of the most charming things to be found 
in his works4  ,the noble ,count        
,zinzendorf was united to an equally    
noble woman1 who bore him up through    
life by her great spirit1 and sustained 
him in all his labours by her unfailing 
courage4 ,twenty-four years' experience 
has shown me1 he said1 that just the    
helpmate whom ,i have is the only one   
that could suit my vocation4 ,who else  
could have so carried through my family 
affairs8--who lived so spotlessly before
 the world8 ,who so wisely aided me in  
my rejection of a dry morality84444 ,who
 would1 like she1 without a murmur1 have
 seen her husband encounter such dangers
 by land and sea8--who undertaken with  
him1 and sustained1 such astonishing    
pilgrimages8 ,who1 amid such            
difficulties1 could have held up her    
head and supported me84444 ,and finally1
 who1 of all human beings1 could so well
 understand and interpret to others my  

inner and outer being as this one1 of   
such nobleness in her way of thinking1  
such great intellectual capacity1 and   
free from the theological perplexities  
that so often enveloped me8  ,one of the
 brave ,dr4 ,livingstone's greatest     
trials during his travels in ,south     
,africa was the death of his            
affectionate wife1 who had shared his   
dangers1 and accompanied him in so many 
of his wanderings4 ,in communicating the
 intelligence of her decease at         
,shupanga1 on the ,river ,zambesi1 to   
his friend ,sir ,roderick ,murchison1   
,dr4 ,livingstone said3 ,i must confess 
that this heavy stroke quite takes the  
heart out of me4 ,everything else that  
has happened only made me more          
determined to overcome all difficulties2
 but after this sad stroke ,i feel      
crushed and void of strength4 ,only     
three short months of her society1 after
 four years separation6 ,i married her  
for love1 and the longer ,i lived with  
her ,i loved her the more4 ,a good wife1

 and a good1 brave1 kindhearted mother  
was she1 deserving all the praises you  
bestowed upon her at our parting dinner1
 for teaching her own and the native    
children1 too1 at ,kolobeng4 ,i try to  
bow to the blow as from our ,heavenly   
,father1 who orders all things for      
us4444 ,i shall do my duty still1 but it
 is with a darkened horizon that ,i     
again set about it4  ,sir ,samuel       
,romilly left behind him1 in his        
,autobiography1 a touching picture of   
his wife1 to whom he attributed no small
 measure of the success and happiness   
that accompanied him through life4 ,for 
the last fifteen years1 he said1 my     
happiness has been the constant study of
 the most excellent of wives3 a woman in
 whom a strong understanding1 the       
noblest and most elevated sentiments1   
and the most courageous virtue1 are     
united to the warmest affection1 and to 
the utmost delicacy of mind and heart2  
and all these intellectual perfections  
are graced by the most splendid beauty  

that human eyes ever beheld4 #bjag      
,romilly's affection and admiration for 
this noble woman endured to the end2 and
 when she died1 the shock proved greater
 than his sensitive nature could bear4  
,sleep left his eyelids1 his mind became
 unhinged1 and three days after her     
death the sad event occurred which      
brought his own valued life to a close4 
#bjah  ,sir ,francis ,burdett1 to whom  
,romilly had been often politically     
opposed1 fell into such a state of      
profound melancholy on the death of his 
wife1 that he persistently refused      
nourishment of any kind1 and died before
 the removal of her remains from the    
house2 and husband and wife were laid   
side by side in the same grave4  ,it was
 grief for the loss of his wife that    
sent ,sir ,thomas ,graham into the army 
at the age of forty-three4 ,every one   
knows the picture of the newly-wedded   
pair by ,gainsborough--one of the most  
exquisite of that painter's works4 ,they
 lived happily together for eighteen    

years1 and then she died1 leaving him   
inconsolable4 ,to forget his            
sorrow--and1 as some thought1 to get rid
 of the weariness of his life without   
her--,graham joined ,lord ,hood as a    
volunteer1 and distinguished himself by 
the recklessness of his bravery at the  
siege of ,toulon4 ,he served all through
 the ,peninsular ,war1 first under ,sir 
,john ,moore1 and afterwards under      
,wellington2 rising through the various 
grades of the service1 until he rose to 
be second in command4 ,he was commonly  
known as the hero of ,barossa1 because  
of his famous victory at that place2 and
 he was eventually raised to the peerage
 as ,lord ,lynedoch1 ending his days    
peacefully at a very advanced age4 ,but 
to the last he tenderly cherished the   
memory of his dead wife1 to the love of 
whom he may be said to have owed all his
 glory4 ,never1 said ,sheridan of him1  
when pronouncing his eulogy in the      
,house of ,commons--never was there     
seated a loftier spirit in a braver     

heart4  ,and so have noble wives        
cherished the memory of their husbands4 
,there is a celebrated monument in      
,vienna1 erected to the memory of one of
 the best generals of the ,austrian     
army1 on which there is an inscription1 
setting forth his great services during 
the ,seven ,years' ,war1 concluding with
 the words1 ,,non ,,patria1 ,,nec       
,,imperator1 ,,sed ,,conjux ,,posuit4   
,when ,sir ,albert ,morton died1 his    
wife's grief was such that she shortly  
followed him1 and was laid by his side4 
,wotton's two lines on the event have   
been celebrated as containing a volume  
in seventeen words3            ,he first
 deceased2 she for a little tried       
,to live without him1 liked it not1 and 
died4  ,so1 when ,washington's wife was 
informed that her dear lord had suffered
 his last agony--had drawn his last     
breath1 and departed--she said3 ',tis   
well2 all is now over4 ,i shall soon    
follow him2 ,i have no more trials to   
pass through4  ,not only have women been

 the best companions1 friends1 and      
consolers1 but they have in many cases  
been the most effective helpers of their
 husbands in their special lines of     
work4 ,galvani was especially happy in  
his wife4 ,she was the daughter of      
,professor ,galeazzi2 and it is said to 
have been through her quick observation 
of the circumstance of the leg of a     
frog1 placed near an electrical machine1
 becoming convulsed when touched by a   
knife1 that her husband was first led to
 investigate the science which has since
 become identified with his name4       
,lavoisier's wife also was a woman of   
real scientific ability1 who not only   
shared in her husband's pursuits1 but   
even undertook the task of engraving the
 plates that accompanied his            
',elements4'  ,the late ,dr4 ,buckland  
had another true helper in his wife1 who
 assisted him with her pen1 prepared and
 mended his fossils1 and furnished many 
of the drawings and illustrations of his
 published works4 ,notwithstanding her  

devotion to her husband's pursuits1 says
 her son1 ,frank ,buckland1 in the      
preface to one of his father's works1   
she did not neglect the education of her
 children1 but occupied her mornings in 
superintending their instruction in     
sound and useful knowledge4 ,the        
sterling value of her labours they now1 
in after-life1 fully appreciate1 and    
feel most thankful that they were       
blessed with so good a mother4 #bjai  ,a
 still more remarkable instance of      
helpfulness in a wife is presented in   
the case of ,huber1 the ,geneva         
naturalist4 ,huber was blind from his   
seventeenth year1 and yet he found means
 to study and master a branch of natural
 history demanding the closest          
observation and the keenest eyesight4   
,it was through the eyes of his wife    
that his mind worked as if they had been
 his own4 ,she encouraged her husband's 
studies as a means of alleviating his   
privation1 which at length he came to   
forget2 and his life was as prolonged   

and happy as is usual with most         
naturalists4 ,he even went so far as to 
declare that he should be miserable were
 he to regain his eyesight4 ,i should   
not know1 he said1 to what extent a     
person in my situation could be beloved2
 besides1 to me my wife is always young1
 fresh1 and pretty1 which is no light   
matter4 ,huber's great work on ',bees'  
is still regarded as a masterpiece1     
embodying a vast amount of original     
observation on their habits and natural 
history4 ,indeed1 while reading his     
descriptions1 one would suppose that    
they were the work of a singularly      
keensighted man1 rather than of one who 
had been entirely blind for twenty-five 
years at the time at which he wrote     
them4  ,not less touching was the       
devotion of ,lady ,hamilton to the      
service of her husband1 the late ,sir   
,william ,hamilton1 ,professor of ,logic
 and ,metaphysics in the ,university of 
,edinburgh4 ,after he had been stricken 
by paralysis through overwork at the age

 of fifty-six1 she became hands1 eyes1  
mind1 and everything to him4 ,she       
identified herself with his work1 read  
and consulted books for him1 copied out 
and corrected his lectures1 and relieved
 him of all business which she felt     
herself competent to undertake4 ,indeed1
 her conduct as a wife was nothing short
 of heroic2 and it is probable that but 
for her devoted and more than wifely    
help1 and her rare practical ability1   
the greatest of her husband's works     
would never have seen the light4 ,he was
 by nature unmethodical and disorderly1 
and she supplied him with method and    
orderliness4 ,his temperament was       
studious but indolent1 while she was    
active and energetic4 ,she abounded in  
the qualities which he most lacked4 ,he 
had the genius1 to which her vigorous   
nature gave the force and impulse4      
,when ,sir ,william ,hamilton was       
elected to his ,professorship1 after a  
severe and even bitter contest1 his     
opponents1 professing to regard him as a

 visionary1 predicted that he could     
never teach a class of students1 and    
that his appointment would prove a total
 failure4 ,he determined1 with the help 
of his wife1 to justify the choice of   
his supporters1 and to prove that his   
enemies were false prophets4 ,having no 
stock of lectures on hand1 each lecture 
of the first course was written out day 
by day1 as it was to be delivered on the
 following morning4 ,his wife sat up    
with him night after night1 to write out
 a fair copy of the lectures from the   
rough sheets1 which he drafted in the   
adjoining room4 ,on some occasions1 says
 his biographer1 the subject of the     
lectures would prove less easily managed
 than on others2 and then ,sir ,william 
would be found writing as late as nine  
o'clock in the morning1 while his       
faithful but wearied amanuensis had     
fallen asleep on a sofa4 #bjbj          
,sometimes the finishing touches to the 
lecture were left to be given just      
before the class-hour4 ,thus helped1    

,sir ,william completed his course2 his 
reputation as a lecturer was            
established2 and he eventually became   
recognised throughout ,europe as one of 
the leading intellects of his time4     
#bjba  ,the woman who soothes anxiety by
 her presence1 who charms and allays    
irritability by her sweetness of temper1
 is a consoler as well as a true helper4
 ,niebuhr always spoke of his wife as a 
fellow-worker with him in this sense4   
,without the peace and consolation which
 be found in her society1 his nature    
would have fretted in comparative       
uselessness4 ,her sweetness of temper   
and her love1 said he1 raise me above   
the earth1 and in a manner separate me  
from this life4 ,but she was a helper in
 another and more direct way4 ,niebuhr  
was accustomed to discuss with his wife 
every historical discovery1 every       
political event1 every novelty in       
literature2 and it was mainly for her   
pleasure and approbation1 in the first  
instance1 that he laboured while        

preparing himself for the instruction of
 the world at large4  ,the wife of ,john
 ,stuart ,mill was another worthy helper
 of her husband1 though in a more       
abstruse department of study1 as we     
learn from his touching dedication of   
the treatise ',on ,liberty'3--,to the   
beloved and deplored memory of her who  
was the inspirer1 and in part the       
author1 of all that is best in my       
writings--the friend and wife1 whose    
exalted sense of truth and right was my 
strongest incitement1 and whose         
approbation was my chief reward1 ,i     
dedicate this volume4 ,not less touching
 is the testimony borne by another great
 living writer to the character of his  
wife1 in the inscription upon the       
tombstone of ,mrs4 ,carlyle in          
,haddington ,churchyard1 where are      
inscribed these words3--,in her bright  
existence1 she had more sorrows than are
 common1 but also a soft amiability1 a  
capacity of discernment1 and a noble    
loyalty of heart1 which are rare4 ,for  

forty years she was the true and loving 
helpmate of her husband1 and by act and 
word unweariedly forwarded him as none  
else could1 in all of worthy that he did
 or attempted4  ,the married life of    
,faraday was eminently happy4 ,in his   
wife he found1 at the same time1 a true 
helpmate and soul-mate4 ,she supported1 
cheered1 and strengthened him on his way
 through life1 giving him the clear     
contentment of a heart at ease4 ,in his 
diary he speaks of his marriage as a    
source of honour and happiness far      
exceeding all the rest4 ,after          
twentyeight years' experience1 he spoke 
of it as an event which1 more than any  
other1 had contributed to his earthly   
happiness and healthy state of mind4444 
,the union #bjsaid he has in nowise     
changed1 except only in the depth and   
strength of its character4 ,and for     
six-and-forty years did the union       
continue unbroken2 the love of the old  
man remaining as fresh1 as earnest1 as  
heart-whole1 as in the days of his      

impetuous youth4 ,in this case1 marriage
 was as--  ,a golden chain let down from
 heaven1 ,whose links are bright and    
even2 ,that falls like sleep on lovers1 
and combines ,the soft and sweetest     
minds ,in equal knots4  ,besides being a
 helper1 woman is emphatically a        
consoler4 ,her sympathy is unfailing4   
,she soothes1 cheers1 and comforts4     
,never was this more true than in the   
case of the wife of ,tom ,hood1 whose   
tender devotion to him1 during a life   
that was a prolonged illness1 is one of 
the most affecting things in biography4 
,a woman of excellent good sense1 she   
appreciated her husband's genius1 and1  
by encouragement and sympathy1 cheered  
and heartened him to renewed effort in  
many a weary struggle for life4 ,she    
created about him an atmosphere of hope 
and cheerfulness1 and nowhere did the   
sunshine of her love seem so bright as  
when lighting up the couch of her       
invalid husband4  ,nor was he           
unconscious of her worth4 ,in one of his

 letters to her1 when absent from his   
side1 ,hood said3 ,i never was anything1
 ,dearest1 till ,i knew you2 and ,i have
 been a better1 happier1 and more       
prosperous man ever since4 ,lay by that 
truth in lavender1 ,sweetest1 and remind
 me of it when ,i fail4 ,i am writing   
warmly and fondly1 but not without good 
cause4 ,first1 your own affectionate    
letter1 lately received2 next1 the      
remembrance of our dear children1       
pledges--what darling ones6--of our old 
familiar love2 then1 a delicious impulse
 to pour out the overflowings of my     
heart into yours2 and last1 not least1  
the knowledge that your dear eyes will  
read what my hand is now writing4       
,perhaps there is an afterthought that1 
whatever may befall me1 the wife of my  
bosom will have the acknowledgment of   
her tenderness1 worth1 excellence--all  
that is wifely or womanly1 from my pen4 
,in another letter1 also written to his 
wife during a brief absence1 there is a 
natural touch1 showing his deep         

affection for her3 ,i went and retraced 
our walk in the park1 and sat down on   
the same seat1 and felt happier and     
better4  ,but not only was ,mrs4 ,hood a
 consoler1 she was also a helper of her 
husband in his special work4 ,he had    
such confidence in her judgment1 that he
 read1 and re-read1 and corrected with  
her assistance all that he wrote4 ,many 
of his pieces were first dedicated to   
her2 and her ready memory often supplied
 him with the necessary references and  
quotations4 ,thus1 in the roll of noble 
wives of men of genius1 ,mrs4 ,hood will
 always be entitled to take a foremost  
place4  ,not less effective as a        
literary helper was ,lady ,napier1 the  
wife of ,sir ,william ,napier1 historian
 of the ,peninsular ,war4 ,she          
encouraged him to undertake the work1   
and without her help he would have      
experienced great difficulty in         
completing it4 ,she translated and      
epitomized the immense mass of original 
documents1 many of them in cipher1 on   

which it was in a great measure founded4
 ,when the ,duke of ,wellington was told
 of the art and industry she had        
displayed in deciphering ,king ,joseph's
 portfolio1 and the immense mass of     
correspondence taken at ,vittoria1 he at
 first would hardly believe it1         
adding--,i would have given #bj1jjj,l4  
to any person who could have done this  
for me in the ,peninsula4 ,sir ,william 
,napier's handwriting being almost      
illegible1 ,lady ,napier made out his   
rough interlined manuscript1 which he   
himself could scarcely read1 and wrote  
out a full fair copy for the printer2   
and all this vast labour she undertook  
and accomplished1 according to the      
testimony of her husband1 without having
 for a moment neglected the care and    
education of a large family4 ,when ,sir 
,william lay on his deathbed1 ,lady     
,napier was at the same time dangerously
 ill2 but she was wheeled into his room 
on a sofa1 and the two took their silent
 farewell of each other4 ,the husband   

died first2 in a few weeks the wife     
followed him1 and they sleep side by    
side in the same grave4  ,many other    
similar truehearted wives rise up in the
 memory1 to recite whose praises would  
more than fill up our remaining         
space--such as ,flaxman's wife1 ,ann    
,denham1 who cheered and encouraged her 
husband through life in the prosecution 
of his art1 accompanying him to ,rome1  
sharing in his labours and anxieties1   
and finally in his triumphs1 and to whom
 ,flaxman1 in the fortieth year of their
 married life1 dedicated his beautiful  
designs illustrative of ,faith1 ,hope1  
and ,charity1 in token of his deep and  
undimmed affection2--such as ,katherine 
,boutcher1 dark-eyed ,kate1 the wife of 
,william ,blake1 who believed her       
husband to be the first genius on earth1
 worked off the impressions of his      
plates and coloured them beautifully    
with her own hand1 bore with him in all 
his erratic ways1 sympathised with him  
in his sorrows and joys for forty-five  

years1 and comforted him until his dying
 hour--his last sketch1 made in his     
seventy-first year1 being a likeness of 
himself1 before making which1 seeing his
 wife crying by his side1 he said1      
,stay1 ,kate6 just keep as you are2 ,i  
will draw your portrait1 for you have   
ever been an angel to me2--such again as
 ,lady ,franklin1 the true and noble    
woman1 who never rested in her          
endeavours to penetrate the secret of   
the ,polar ,sea and prosecute the search
 for her long-lost husband--undaunted by
 failure1 and persevering in her        
determination with a devotion and       
singleness of purpose altogether        
unparalleled2--or such again as the wife
 of ,zimmermann1 whose intense          
melancholy she strove in vain to        
assuage1 sympathizing with him1         
listening to him1 and endeavouring to   
understand him--and to whom1 when on her
 deathbed1 about to leave him for ever1 
she addressed the touching words1 ,my   
poor ,zimmermann6 who will now          

understand thee8  ,wives have actively  
helped their husbands in other ways4    
,before ,weinsberg surrendered to its   
besiegers1 the women of the place asked 
permission of the captors to remove     
their valuables4 ,the permission was    
granted1 and shortly after1 the women   
were seen issuing from the gates        
carrying their husbands on their        
shoulders4 ,lord ,nithsdale owed his    
escape from prison to the address of his
 wife1 who changed garments with him1   
sending him forth in her stead1 and     
herself remaining prisoner1--an example 
which was successfully repeated by      
,madame de ,lavalette4  ,but the most   
remarkable instance of the release of a 
husband through the devotion of a wife1 
was that of the celebrated ,grotius4 ,he
 had lain for nearly twenty months in   
the strong fortress of ,loevestein1 near
 ,gorcum1 having been condemned by the  
government of the ,united ,provinces to 
perpetual imprisonment4 ,his wife1      
having been allowed to share his cell1  

greatly relieved his solitude4 ,she was 
permitted to go into the town twice a   
week1 and bring her husband books1 of   
which he required a large number to     
enable him to prosecute his studies4 ,at
 length a large chest was required to   
hold them4 ,this the sentries at first  
examined with great strictness1 but1    
finding that it only contained books    
#bj;amongst others ,arminian books and  
linen1 they at length gave up the       
search1 and it was allowed to pass out  
and in as a matter of course4 ,this led 
,grotius' wife to conceive the idea of  
releasing him2 and she persuaded him one
 day to deposit himself in the chest    
instead of the outgoing books4 ,when the
 two soldiers appointed to remove it    
took it up1 they felt it to be          
considerably heavier than usual1 and one
 of them asked1 jestingly1 ,have we got 
the ,arminian himself here8 to which the
 ready-witted wife replied1 ,yes1       
perhaps some ,arminian books4 ,the chest
 reached ,gorcum in safety2 the captive 

was released2 and ,grotius escaped      
across the frontier into ,brabant1 and  
afterwards into ,france1 where he was   
rejoined by his wife4  ,trial and       
suffering are the tests of married life4
 ,they bring out the real character1 and
 often tend to produce the closest      
union4 ,they may even be the spring of  
the purest happiness4 ,uninterrupted    
joy1 like uninterrupted success1 is not 
good for either man or woman4 ,when     
,heine's wife died1 he began to reflect 
upon the loss he had sustained4 ,they   
had both known poverty1 and struggled   
through it hand-in-hand2 and it was his 
greatest sorrow that she was taken from 
him at the moment when fortune was      
beginning to smile upon him1 but too    
late for her to share in his prosperity4
 ,alas ,i said he1 amongst my griefs    
must ,i reckon even her love--the       
strongest1 truest1 that ever inspired   
the heart of woman--which made me the   
happiest of mortals1 and yet was to me a
 fountain of a thousand distresses1     

inquietudes1 and cares8 ,to entire      
cheerfulness1 perhaps1 she never        
attained2 but for what unspeakable      
sweetness1 what exalted1 enrapturing    
joys1 is not love indebted to sorrow6   
,amidst growing anxieties1 with the     
torture of anguish in my heart1 ,i have 
been made1 even by the loss which caused
 me this anguish and these anxieties1   
inexpressibly happy6 ,when tears flowed 
over our cheeks1 did not a nameless1    
seldom-felt delight stream through my   
breast1 oppressed equally by joy and    
sorrow6  ,there is a degree of sentiment
 in ,german love which seems strange to 
,english readers1--such as we find      
depicted in the lives of ,novalis1 ,jung
 ,stilling1 ,fichte1 ,jean ,paul1 and   
others that might be named4 ,the ,german
 betrothal is a ceremony of almost equal
 importance to the marriage itself2 and 
in that state the sentiments are allowed
 free play1 whilst ,english lovers are  
restrained1 shy1 and as if ashamed of   
their feelings4 ,take1 for instance1 the

 case of ,herder1 whom his future wife  
first saw in the pulpit4 ,i heard1 she  
says1 the voice of an angel1 and soul's 
words such as ,i had never heard before4
 ,in the afternoon ,i saw him1 and      
stammered out my thanks to him2 from    
this time forth our souls were one4     
,they were betrothed long before their  
means would permit them to marry2 but at
 length they were united4 ,we were      
married1 says ,caroline1 the wife1 by   
the rose-light of a beautiful evening4  
,we were one heart1 one soul4 ,herder   
was equally ecstatic in his language4 ,i
 have a wife1 he wrote to ,jacobi1 that 
is the tree1 the consolation1 and the   
happiness of my life4 ,even in flying   
transient thoughts #bjwhich often       
surprise us1 we are one6  ,take1 again1 
the case of ,fichte1 in whose history   
his courtship and marriage form a       
beautiful episode4 ,he was a poor       
,german student1 living with a family at
 ,zurich in the capacity of tutor1 when 
he first made the acquaintance of       

,johanna ,maria ,hahn1 a niece of       
,klopstock4 ,her position in life was   
higher than that of ,fichte2            
nevertheless1 she regarded him with     
sincere admiration4 ,when ,fichte was   
about to leave ,zurich1 his troth       
plighted to her1 she1 knowing him to be 
very poor1 offered him a gift of money  
before setting out4 ,he was             
inexpressibly hurt by the offer1 and1 at
 first1 even doubted whether she could  
really love him2 but1 on second         
thoughts1 he wrote to her1 expressing   
his deep thanks1 but1 at the same time1 
the impossibility of his accepting such 
a gift from her4 ,he succeeded in       
reaching his destination1 though        
entirely destitute of means4 ,after a   
long and hard struggle with the world1  
extending over many years1 ,fichte was  
at length earning money enough to enable
 him to marry4 ,in one of his charming  
letters to his betrothed he said3--,and 
so1 dearest1 ,i solemnly devote myself  
to thee1 and thank thee that thou hast  

thought me not unworthy to be thy       
companion on the journey of life4444    
,there is no land of happiness here     
below--,i know it now--but a land of    
toil1 where every joy but strengthens us
 for greater labour4 ,hand-in-hand we   
shall traverse it1 and encourage and    
strengthen each other1 until our        
spirits--oh1 may it be together6--shall 
rise to the eternal fountain of all     
peace4  ,the married life of ,fichte was
 very happy4 ,his wife proved a true and
 highminded helpmate4 ,during the ,war  
of ,liberation she was assiduous in her 
attention to the wounded in the         
hospitals1 where she caught a malignant 
fever1 which nearly carried her off4    
,fichte himself caught the same disease1
 and was for a time completely          
prostrated2 but he lived for a few more 
years and died at the early age of      
fifty-two1 consumed by his own fire4    
,what a contrast does the courtship and 
married life of the blunt and practical 
,william ,cobbett present to the        

aesthetical and sentimental love of     
these highly refined ,germans6 ,not less
 honest1 not less true1 but1 as some    
would think1 comparatively coarse and   
vulgar4 ,when he first set eyes upon the
 girl that was afterwards to become his 
wife1 she was only thirteen years old1  
and he was twenty-one--a sergeant-major 
in a foot regiment stationed at ,st4    
,john's in ,new ,brunswick4 ,he was     
passing the door of her father's house  
one day in winter1 and saw the girl out 
in the snow1 scrubbing a washing-tub4   
,he said at once to himself1 ,that's the
 girl for me4 ,he made her acquaintance1
 and resolved that she should be his    
wife so soon as he could get discharged 
from the army4  ,on the eve of the      
girl's return to ,woolwich with her     
father1 who was a sergeant-major in the 
artillery1 ,cobbett sent her a hundred  
and fifty guineas which he had saved1 in
 order that she might be able to live   
without hard work until his return to   
,england4 ,the girl departed1 taking    

with her the money2 and five years later
 ,cobbett obtained his discharge4 ,on   
reaching ,london1 he made haste to call 
upon the sergeant-major's daughter4 ,i  
found1 he says1 my little girl a        
servant-of-all-work #bj;and hard work it
 was1 at five pounds a year1 in the     
house of a ,captain ,brisac2 and1       
without hardly saying a word about the  
matter1 she put into my hands the whole 
of my hundred and fifty guineas1        
unbroken4 ,admiration of her conduct was
 now added to love of her person1 and   
,cobbett shortly after married the girl1
 who proved an excellent wife4 ,he was1 
indeed1 never tired of speaking her     
praises1 and it was his pride to        
attribute to her all the comfort and    
much of the success of his after-life4  
,though ,cobbett was regarded by many in
 his lifetime as a coarse1 hard1        
practical man1 full of prejudices1 there
 was yet a strong undercurrent of poetry
 in his nature2 and1 while he declaimed 
against sentiment1 there were few men   

more thoroughly imbued with sentiment of
 the best kind4 ,he had the tenderest   
regard for the character of woman4 ,he  
respected her purity and her virtue1 and
 in his ',advice to ,young ,men1' he has
 painted the true womanly woman--the    
helpful1 cheerful1 affectionate         
wife--with a vividness and brightness1  
and1 at the same time1 a force of good  
sense1 that has never been surpassed by 
any ,english writer4 ,cobbett was       
anything but refined1 in the            
conventional sense of the word2 but he  
was pure1 temperate1 self-denying1      
industrious1 vigorous1 and energetic1 in
 an eminent degree4 ,many of his views  
were1 no doubt1 wrong1 but they were his
 own1 for he insisted on thinking for   
himself in everything4 ,though few men  
took a firmer grasp of the real than he 
did1 perhaps still fewer were more      
swayed by the ideal4 ,in word-pictures  
of his own emotions1 he is unsurpassed4 
,indeed1 ,cobbett might almost be       
regarded as one of the greatest prose   

poets of ,english real life4            
,,chapter ,,xii--,,the ,,discipline ,,of
 ,,experience4          ,i would the    
great would grow like thee4         ,who
 grewest not alone in power         ,and
 knowledge1 but by year and hour        
,in reverence and in                    
charity4--,,tennyson4        ,not to be 
unhappy is unhappynesse1       ,and     
misery not t'have known miserie2        
,for the best way unto discretion is    
,the way that leades us by adversitie2  
,and men are better shew'd what is      
amisse1       ,by th'expert finger of   
calamitie1       ,than they can be with 
all that fortune brings1       ,who     
never shewes them the true face of      
things4--,,daniel4        ,a lump of wo 
affliction is1       ,yet thence ,i     
borrow lumps of bliss2       ,though few
 can see a blessing in't1       ,it is  
my furnace and my mint4                 
--,,erskine',s ,,gospel ,,sonnets4      
,crosses grow anchors1 bear as thou     
shouldst so     ,thy cross1 and that    

cross grows an anchor too4--,,donne4    
,be the day weary1 or be the day long1  
,at length it ringeth to                
,evensong4--,,ancient ,,couplet4        
,practical wisdom is only to be learnt  
in the school of experience4 ,precepts  
and instructions are useful so far as   
they go1 but1 without the discipline of 
real life1 they remain of the nature of 
theory only4 ,the hard facts of         
existence have to be faced1 to give that
 touch of truth to character which can  
never be imparted by reading or tuition1
 but only by contact with the broad     
instincts of common men and women4  ,to 
be worth anything1 character must be    
capable of standing firm upon its feet  
in the world of daily work1 temptation1 
and trial2 and able to bear the         
wear-and-tear of actual life4           
,cloistered virtues do not count for    
much4 ,the life that rejoices in        
solitude may be only rejoicing in       
selfishness4 ,seclusion may indicate    
contempt for others2 though more usually

 it means indolence1 cowardice1 or      
self-indulgence4 ,to every human being  
belongs his fair share of manful toil   
and human duty2 and it cannot be shirked
 without loss to the individual himself1
 as well as to the community to which he
 belongs4 ,it is only by mixing in the  
daily life of the world1 and taking part
 in its affairs1 that practical         
knowledge can be acquired1 and wisdom   
learnt4 ,it is there that we find our   
chief sphere of duty1 that we learn the 
discipline of work1 and that we educate 
ourselves in that patience1 diligence1  
and endurance which shape and           
consolidate the character4 ,there we    
encounter the difficulties1 trials1 and 
temptations which1 according as we deal 
with them1 give a colour to our entire  
after-life2 and there1 too1 we become   
subject to the great discipline of      
suffering1 from which we learn far more 
than from the safe seclusion of the     
study or the cloister4  ,contact with   
others is also requisite to enable a man

 to know himself4 ,it is only by mixing 
freely in the world that one can form a 
proper estimate of his own capacity4    
,without such experience1 one is apt to 
become conceited1 puffed-up1 and        
arrogant2 at all events1 he will remain 
ignorant of himself1 though he may      
heretofore have enjoyed no other        
company4  ,swift once said3 ,it is an   
uncontroverted truth1 that no man ever  
made an ill-figure who understood his   
own talents1 nor a good one who mistook 
them4 ,many persons1 however1 are       
readier to take measure of the capacity 
of others than of themselves4 ,bring him
 to me1 said a certain ,dr4 ,tronchin1  
of ,geneva1 speaking of                 
,rousseau--,bring him to me1 that ,i may
 see whether he has got anything in     
him6--the probability being that        
,rousseau1 who knew himself better1 was 
much more likely to take measure of     
,tronchin than ,tronchin was to take    
measure of him4  ,a due amount of       
self-knowledge is1 therefore1 necessary 

for those who would ,,be anything or    
,,do anything in the world4 ,it is also 
one of the first essentials to the      
formation of distinct personal          
convictions4 ,frederic ,perthes once    
said to a young friend3 ,you know only  
too well what you ,,can do2 but till you
 have learned what you ,,cannot do1 you 
will neither accomplish anything of     
moment1 nor know inward peace4  ,any one
 who would profit by experience will    
never be above asking for help4 ,he who 
thinks himself already too wise to learn
 of others1 will never succeed in doing 
anything either good or great4 ,we have 
to keep our minds and hearts open1 and  
never be ashamed to learn1 with the     
assistance of those who are wiser and   
more experienced than ourselves4  ,the  
man made wise by experience endeavours  
to judge correctly of the thugs which   
come under his observation1 and form the
 subject of his daily life4 ,what we    
call common sense is1 for the most part1
 but the result of common experience    

wisely improved4 ,nor is great ability  
necessary to acquire it1 so much as     
patience1 accuracy1 and watchfulness4   
,hazlitt thought the most sensible      
people to be met with are intelligent   
men of business and of the world1 who   
argue from what they see and know1      
instead of spinning cobweb distinctions 
of what things ought to be4  ,for the   
same reason1 women often display more   
good sense than men1 having fewer       
pretensions1 and judging of things      
naturally1 by the involuntary impression
 they make on the mind4 ,their intuitive
 powers are quicker1 their perceptions  
more acute1 their sympathies more       
lively1 and their manners more adaptive 
to particular ends4 ,hence their greater
 tact as displayed in the management of 
others1 women of apparently slender     
intellectual powers often contriving to 
control and regulate the conduct of men 
of even the most impracticable nature4  
,pope paid a high compliment to the tact
 and good sense of ,mary1 ,queen of     

,william ,,iii41 when he described her  
as possessing1 not a science1 but       
#bawhat was worth all else prudence4    
,the whole of life may be regarded as a 
great school of experience1 in which men
 and women are the pupils4 ,as in a     
school1 many of the lessons learnt there
 must needs be taken on trust4 ,we may  
not understand them1 and may possibly   
think it hard that we have to learn     
them1 especially where the teachers are 
trials1 sorrows1 temptations1 and       
difficulties2 and yet we must not only  
accept their lessons1 but recognise them
 as being divinely appointed4  ,to what 
extent have the pupils profited by their
 experience in the school of life8 ,what
 advantage have they taken of their     
opportunities for learning8 ,what have  
they gained in discipline of heart and  
mind8--how much in growth of wisdom1    
courage1 self-control8 ,have they       
preserved their integrity amidst        
prosperity1 and enjoyed life in         
temperance and moderation8 ,or1 has life

 been with them a mere feast of         
selfishness1 without care or thought for
 others8 ,what have they learnt from    
trial and adversity8 ,have they learnt  
patience1 submission1 and trust in      
,god8--or have they learnt nothing but  
impatience1 querulousness1 and          
discontent8  ,the results of experience 
are1 of course1 only to be achieved by  
living2 and living is a question of     
time4 ,the man of experience learns to  
rely upon ,time as his helper4 ,time and
 ,i against any two1 was a maxim of     
,cardinal ,mazarin4 ,time has been      
described as a beautifier and as a      
consoler2 but it is also a teacher4 ,it 
is the food of experience1 the soil of  
wisdom4 ,it may be the friend or the    
enemy of youth2 and ,time will sit      
beside the old as a consoler or as a    
tormentor1 according as it has been used
 or misused1 and the past life has been 
well or ill spent4  ,time1 says ,george 
,herbert1 is the rider that breaks      
youth4 ,to the young1 how bright the new

 world looks6--how full of novelty1 of  
enjoyment1 of pleasure6 ,but as years   
pass1 we find the world to be a place of
 sorrow as well as of joy4 ,as we       
proceed through life1 many dark vistas  
open upon us--of toil1 suffering1       
difficulty1 perhaps misfortune and      
failure4 ,happy they who can pass       
through and amidst such trials with a   
firm mind and pure heart1 encountering  
trials with cheerfulness1 and standing  
erect beneath even the heaviest burden6 
,a little youthful ardour is a great    
help in life1 and is useful as an       
energetic motive power4 ,it is gradually
 cooled down by ,time1 no matter how    
glowing it has been1 while it is trained
 and subdued by experience4 ,but it is a
 healthy and hopeful indication of      
character1--to be encouraged in a right 
direction1 and not to be sneered down   
and repressed4 ,it is a sign of a       
vigorous unselfish nature1 as egotism is
 of a narrow and selfish one2 and to    
begin life with egotism and             

self-sufficiency is fatal to all breadth
 and vigour of character4 ,life1 in such
 a case1 would be like a year in which  
there was no spring4 ,without a generous
 seedtime1 there will be an unflowering 
summer and an unproductive harvest4 ,and
 youth is the springtime of life1 in    
which1 if there be not a fair share of  
enthusiasm1 little will be attempted1   
and still less done4 ,it also           
considerably helps the working quality1 
inspiring confidence and hope1 and      
carrying one through the dry details of 
business and duty with cheerfulness and 
joy4  ,it is the due admixture of       
romance and reality1 said ,sir ,henry   
,lawrence1 that best carries a man      
through life444 ,the quality of romance 
or enthusiasm is to be valued as an     
energy imparted to the human mind to    
prompt and sustain its noblest efforts4 
,sir ,henry always urged upon young men1
 not that they should repress           
enthusiasm1 but sedulously cultivate and
 direct the feeling1 as one implanted   

for wise and noble purposes4 ,when the  
two faculties of romance and reality1 he
 said1 are duly blended1 reality pursues
 a straight rough path to a desirable   
and practicable result2 while romance   
beguiles the road by pointing out its   
beauties--by bestowing a deep and       
practical conviction that1 even in this 
dark and material existence1 there may  
be found a joy with which a stranger    
intermeddleth not--a light that shineth 
more and more unto the perfect day4 #baa
  ,it was characteristic of ,joseph     
,lancaster1 when a boy of only fourteen 
years of age1 after reading ',clarkson  
on the ,slave ,trade1' to form the      
resolution of leaving his home and going
 out to the ,west ,indies to teach the  
poor blacks to read the ,bible4 ,and he 
actually set out with a ,bible and      
',pilgrim's ,progress' in his bundle1   
and only a few shillings in his purse4  
,he even succeeded in reaching the ,west
 ,indies1 doubtless very much at a loss 
how to set about his proposed work2 but 

in the meantime his distressed parents1 
having discovered whither he had gone1  
had him speedily brought back1 yet with 
his enthusiasm unabated2 and from that  
time forward he unceasingly devoted     
himself to the truly philanthropic work 
of educating the destitute poor4 #bab   
,there needs all the force that         
enthusiasm can give to enable a man to  
succeed in any great enterprise of life4
 ,without it1 the obstruction and       
difficulty he has to encounter on every 
side might compel him to succumb2 but   
with courage and perseverance1 inspired 
by enthusiasm1 a man feels strong enough
 to face any danger1 to grapple with any
 difficulty4 ,what an enthusiasm was    
that of ,columbus1 who1 believing in the
 existence of a new world1 braved the   
dangers of unknown seas2 and when those 
about him despaired and rose up against 
him1 threatening to cast him into the   
sea1 still stood firm upon his hope and 
courage until the great new world at    
length rose upon the horizon6  ,the     

brave man will not be baffled1 but tries
 and tries again until he succeeds4 ,the
 tree does not fall at the first stroke1
 but only by repeated strokes and after 
great labour4 ,we may see the visible   
success at which a man has arrived1 but 
forget the toil and suffering and peril 
through which it has been achieved4     
,when a friend of ,marshal ,lefevre was 
complimenting him on his possessions and
 good fortune1 the ,marshal said3 ,you  
envy me1 do you8 ,well1 you shall have  
these things at a better bargain than ,i
 had4 ,come into the court3 ,i'll fire  
at you with a gun twenty times at thirty
 paces1 and if ,i don't kill you1 all   
shall be your own4 ,what6 you won't6    
,very well2 recollect1 then1 that ,i    
have been shot at more than a thousand  
times1 and much nearer1 before ,i       
arrived at the state in which you now   
find me6  ,the apprenticeship of        
difficulty is one which the greatest of 
men have had to serve4 ,it is usually   
the best stimulus and discipline of     

character4 ,it often evokes powers of   
action that1 but for it1 would have     
remained dormant4 ,as comets are        
sometimes revealed by eclipses1 so      
heroes are brought to light by sudden   
calamity4 ,it seems as if1 in certain   
cases1 genius1 like iron struck by the  
flint1 needed the sharp and sudden blow 
of adversity to bring out the divine    
spark4 ,there are natures which blossom 
and ripen amidst trials1 which would    
only wither and decay in an atmosphere  
of ease and comfort4  ,thus it is good  
for men to be roused into action and    
stiffened into self-reliance by         
difficulty1 rather than to slumber away 
their lives in useless apathy and       
indolence4 #bac ,it is the struggle that
 is the condition of victory4 ,if there 
were no difficulties1 there would be no 
need of efforts2 if there were no       
temptations1 there would be no training 
in self-control1 and but little merit in
 virtue2 if there were no trial and     
suffering1 there would be no education  

in patience and resignation4 ,thus      
difficulty1 adversity1 and suffering are
 not all evil1 but often the best source
 of strength1 discipline1 and virtue4   
,for the same reason1 it is often of    
advantage for a man to be under the     
necessity of having to struggle with    
poverty and conquer it4 ,he who has     
battled1 says ,carlyle1 were it only    
with poverty and hard toil1 will be     
found stronger and more expert than he  
who could stay at home from the battle1 
concealed among the provision waggons1  
or even rest unwatchfully 'abiding by   
the stuff4'  ,scholars have found       
poverty tolerable compared with the     
privation of intellectual food4 ,riches 
weigh much more heavily upon the mind4  
,i cannot but choose say to ,poverty1   
said ,richter1 ,be welcome6 so that thou
 come not too late in life4 ,poverty1   
,horace tells us1 drove him to poetry1  
and poetry introduced him to ,varus and 
,virgil and ,maecenas4 ,obstacles1 says 
,michelet1 are great incentives4 ,i     

lived for whole years upon a ,virgil1   
and found myself well off4 ,an odd      
volume of ,racine1 purchased by chance  
at a stall on the quay1 created the poet
 of ,toulon4  ,the ,spaniards are even  
said to have meanly rejoiced the poverty
 of ,cervantes1 but for which they      
supposed the production of his great    
works might have been prevented4 ,when  
the ,archbishop of ,toledo visited the  
,french ambassador at ,madrid1 the      
gentlemen in the suite of the latter    
expressed their high admiration of the  
writings of the author of ',don         
,quixote1' and intimated their desire of
 becoming acquainted with one who had   
given them so much pleasure4 ,the answer
 they received was1 that ,cervantes had 
borne arms in the service of his        
country1 and was now old and poor4      
,what6 exclaimed one of the ,frenchmen1 
is not ,senor ,cervantes in good        
circumstances8 ,why is he not           
maintained1 then1 out of the public     
treasury8 ,heaven forbid6 was the reply1

 that his necessities should be ever    
relieved1 if it is those which make him 
write2 since it is his poverty that     
makes the world rich6 #bad  ,it is not  
prosperity so much as adversity1 not    
wealth so much as poverty1 that         
stimulates the perseverance of strong   
and healthy natures1 rouses their energy
 and developes their character4 ,burke  
said of himself3 ,i was not rocked1 and 
swaddled1 and dandled into a legislator4
 ',,nitor ,,in ,,adversum' is the motto 
for a man like you4 ,some men only      
require a great difficulty set in their 
way to exhibit the force of their       
character and genius2 and that          
difficulty once conquered becomes one of
 the greatest incentives to their       
further progress4  ,it is a mistake to  
suppose that men succeed through        
success2 they much oftener succeed      
through failure4 ,by far the best       
experience of men is made up of their   
remembered failures in dealing with     
others in the affairs of life4 ,such    

failures1 in sensible men1 incite to    
better self-management1 and greater tact
 and self-control1 as a means of        
avoiding them in the future4 ,ask the   
diplomatist1 and he will tell you that  
he has learned his art through being    
baffled1 defeated1 thwarted1 and        
circumvented1 far more than from having 
succeeded4 ,precept1 study1 advice1 and 
example could never have taught them so 
well as failure has done4 ,it has       
disciplined them experimentally1 and    
taught them what to do as well as what  
,,not to do--which is often still more  
important in diplomacy4  ,many have to  
make up their minds to encounter failure
 again and again before they succeed2   
but if they have pluck1 the failure will
 only serve to rouse their courage1 and 
stimulate them to renewed efforts4      
,talma1 the greatest of actors1 was     
hissed off the stage when he first      
appeared on it4 ,lacordaire1 one of the 
greatest preachers of modern times1 only
 acquired celebrity after repeated      

failures4 ,montalembert said of his     
first public appearance in the ,church  
of ,st4 ,roch3 ,he failed completely1   
and on coming out every one said1       
',though he may be a man of talent1 he  
will never be a preacher4' ,again and   
again he tried until he succeeded2 and  
only two years after his ,,debut1       
,lacordaire was preaching in ,notre     
,dame to audiences such as few ,french  
orators have addressed since the time of
 ,bossuet and ,massillon4  ,when ,mr4   
,cobden first appeared as a speaker1 at 
a public meeting in ,manchester1 he     
completely broke down1 and the chairman 
apologized for his failure4 ,sir ,james 
,graham and ,mr4 ,disraeli failed and   
were derided at first1 and only         
succeeded by dint of great labour and   
application4 ,at one time ,sir ,james   
,graham had almost given up public      
speaking in despair4 ,he said to his    
friend ,sir ,francis ,baring3 ,i have   
tried it every way--extempore1 from     
notes1 and committing all to memory--and

 ,i can't do it4 ,i don't know why it   
is1 but ,i am afraid ,i shall never     
succeed4 ,yet1 by dint of perseverance1 
,graham1 like ,disraeli1 lived to become
 one of the most effective and          
impressive of parliamentary speakers4   
,failures in one direction have         
sometimes had the effect of forcing the 
farseeing student to apply himself in   
another4 ,thus ,prideaux's failure as a 
candidate for the post of parish-clerk  
of ,ugboro1 in ,devon1 led to his       
applying himself to learning1 and to his
 eventual elevation to the bishopric of 
,worcester4 ,when ,boileau1 educated for
 the bar1 pleaded his first cause1 he   
broke down amidst shouts of laughter4   
,he next tried the pulpit1 and failed   
there too4 ,and then he tried poetry1   
and succeeded4 ,fontenelle and ,voltaire
 both failed at the bar4 ,so ,cowper1   
through his diffidence and shyness1     
broke down when pleading his first      
cause1 though he lived to revive the    
poetic art in ,england4 ,montesquieu and

 ,bentham both failed as lawyers1 and   
forsook the bar for more congenial      
pursuits--the latter leaving behind him 
a treasury of legislative procedure for 
all time4 ,goldsmith failed in passing  
as a surgeon2 but he wrote the          
',deserted ,village' and the ',vicar of 
,wakefield2' whilst ,addison failed as a
 speaker1 but succeeded in writing ',sir
 ,roger de ,coverley1' and his many     
famous papers in the ',spectator4'      
,even the privation of some important   
bodily sense1 such as sight or hearing1 
has not been sufficient to deter        
courageous men from zealously pursuing  
the struggle of life4 ,milton1 when     
struck by blindness1 still bore up and  
steered right onward4 ,his greatest     
works were produced during that period  
of his life in which he suffered        
most--when he was poor1 sick1 old1      
blind1 slandered1 and persecuted4  ,the 
lives of some of the greatest men have  
been a continuous struggle with         
difficulty and apparent defeat4 ,dante  

produced his greatest work in penury and
 exile4 ,banished from his native city  
by the local faction to which he was    
opposed1 his house was given up to      
plunder1 and he was sentenced in his    
absence to be burnt alive4 ,when        
informed by a friend that he might      
return to ,florence1 if he would consent
 to ask for pardon and absolution1 he   
replied3 ,no6 ,this is not the way that 
shall lead me back to my country4 ,i    
will return with hasty steps if you1 or 
any other1 can open to me a way that    
shall not derogate from the fame or the 
honour of ,dante2 but if by no such way 
,florence can be entered1 then to       
,florence ,i shall never return4 ,his   
enemies remaining implacable1 ,dante1   
after a banishment of twenty years1 died
 in exile4 ,they even pursued him after 
death1 when his book1 ',de ,monarchia1' 
was publicly burnt at ,bologna by order 
of the ,papal ,legate4  ,camoens also   
wrote his great poems mostly in         
banishment4 ,tired of solitude at       

,santarem1 he joined an expedition      
against the ,moors1 in which he         
distinguished himself by his bravery4   
,he lost an eye when boarding an enemy's
 ship in a sea-fight4 ,at ,goa1 in the  
,east ,indies1 he witnessed with        
indignation the cruelty practised by the
 ,portuguese on the natives1 and        
expostulated with the governor against  
it4 ,he was in consequence banished from
 the settlement1 and sent to ,china4 ,in
 the course of his subsequent adventures
 and misfortunes1 ,camoens suffered     
shipwreck1 escaping only with his life  
and the manuscript of his ',lusiad4'    
,persecution and hardship seemed        
everywhere to pursue him4 ,at ,macao he 
was thrown into prison4 ,escaping from  
it1 he set sail for ,lisbon1 where he   
arrived1 after sixteen years' absence1  
poor and friendless4 ,his ',lusiad1'    
which was shortly after published1      
brought him much fame1 but no money4    
,but for his old ,indian slave ,antonio1
 who begged for his master in the       

streets1 ,camoens must have perished4   
#bae ,as it was1 he died in a public    
almshouse1 worn out by disease and      
hardship4 ,an inscription was placed    
over his grave3--,here lies ,luis de    
,camoens3 he excelled all the poets of  
his time3 he lived poor and miserable2  
and he died so1 ,,mdlxxix4 ,this record1
 disgraceful but truthful1 has since    
been removed2 and a lying and pompous   
epitaph1 in honour of the great national
 poet of ,portugal1 has been substituted
 in its stead4  ,even ,michael ,angelo  
was exposed1 during the greater part of 
his life1 to the persecutions of the    
envious--vulgar nobles1 vulgar priests1 
and sordid men of every degree1 who     
could neither sympathise with him1 nor  
comprehend his genius4 ,when ,paul ,,iv4
 condemned some of his work in ',the    
,last ,judgment1' the artist observed   
that ,the ,pope would do better to      
occupy himself with correcting the      
disorders and indecencies which disgrace
 the world1 than with any such          

hypercriticisms upon his art4  ,tasso   
also was the victim of almost continual 
persecution and calumny4 ,after lying in
 a madhouse for seven years1 he became a
 wanderer over ,italy2 and when on his  
deathbed1 he wrote3 ,i will not complain
 of the malignity of fortune1 because ,i
 do not choose to speak of the          
ingratitude of men who have succeeded in
 dragging me to the tomb of a mendicant4
  ,but ,time brings about strange       
revenges4 ,the persecutors and the      
persecuted often change places2 it is   
the latter who are great--the former who
 are infamous4 ,even the names of the   
persecutors would probably long ago have
 been forgotten1 but for their          
connection with the history of the men  
whom they have persecuted4 ,thus1 who   
would now have known of ,duke ,alfonso  
of ,ferrara1 but for his imprisonment of
 ,tasso8 ,or1 who would have heard of   
the existence of the ,grand ,duke of    
,wurtemburg of some ninety years back1  
but for his petty persecution of        

,schiller8  ,science also has had its   
martyrs1 who have fought their way to   
light through difficulty1 persecution1  
and suffering4 ,we need not refer again 
to the cases of ,bruno1 ,galileo1 and   
others1 #baf persecuted because of the  
supposed heterodoxy of their views4 ,but
 there have been other unfortunates     
amongst men of science1 whose genius has
 been unable to save them from the fury 
of their enemies4 ,thus ,bailly1 the    
celebrated ,french astronomer #bawho had
 been mayor of ,paris1 and ,lavoisier1  
the great chemist1 were both guillotined
 in the first ,french ,revolution4 ,when
 the latter1 after being sentenced to   
death by the ,commune1 asked for a few  
days' respite1 to enable him to         
ascertain the result of some experiments
 he had made during his confinement1 the
 tribunal refused his appeal1 and       
ordered him for immediate execution--one
 of the judges saying1 that the         
,republic had no need of philosophers4  
,in ,england also1 about the same time1 

,dr4 ,priestley1 the father of modern   
chemistry1 had his house burnt over his 
head1 and his library destroyed1 amidst 
shouts of ,no philosophers6 and he fled 
from his native country to lay his bones
 in a foreign land4  ,the work of some  
of the greatest discoverers has been    
done in the midst of persecution1       
difficulty1 and suffering4 ,columbus1   
who discovered the ,new ,world and gave 
it as a heritage to the ,old1 was in his
 lifetime persecuted1 maligned1 and     
plundered by those whom he had enriched4
 ,mungo ,park's drowning agony in the   
,african river he had discovered1 but   
which he was not to live to describe2   
,clapperton's perishing of fever on the 
banks of the great lake1 in the heart of
 the same continent1 which was          
afterwards to be rediscovered and       
described by other explorers2           
,franklin's perishing in the snow--it   
might be after he had solved the        
long-sought problem of the ,north-west  
,passage--are among the most melancholy 

events in the history of enterprise and 
genius4  ,the case of ,flinders the     
navigator1 who suffered a six years'    
imprisonment in the ,isle of ,france1   
was one of peculiar hardship4 ,in #ahja1
 he set sail from ,england in the       
,,investigator1 on a voyage of discovery
 and survey1 provided with a ,french    
pass1 requiring all ,french governors   
#banotwithstanding that ,england and    
,france were at war to give him         
protection and succour in the sacred    
name of science4 ,in the course of his  
voyage he surveyed great part of        
,australia1 ,van ,diemen's ,land1 and   
the neighbouring islands4 ,the          
,,investigator1 being found leaky and   
rotten1 was condemned1 and the navigator
 embarked as passenger in the ,,porpoise
 for ,england1 to lay the results of his
 three years' labours before the        
,admiralty4 ,on the voyage home the     
,,porpoise was wrecked on a reef in the 
,south ,seas1 and ,flinders1 with part  
of the crew1 in an open boat1 made for  

,port ,jackson1 which they safely       
reached1 though distant from the scene  
of the wreck not less than #gej miles4  
,there he procured a small schooner1 the
 ,,cumberland1 no larger than a         
,gravesend sailing-boat1 and returned   
for the remainder of the crew1 who had  
been left on the reef4 ,having rescued  
them1 he set sail for ,england1 making  
for the ,isle of ,france1 which the     
,,cumberland reached in a sinking       
condition1 being a wretched little craft
 badly found4 ,to his surprise1 he was  
made a prisoner with all his crew1 and  
thrown into prison1 where he was treated
 with brutal harshness1 his ,french pass
 proving no protection to him4 ,what    
aggravated the horrors of ,flinders'    
confinement was1 that he knew that      
,baudin1 the ,french navigator1 whom he 
had encountered while making his survey 
of the ,australian coasts1 would reach  
,europe first1 and claim the merit of   
all the discoveries he had made4 ,it    
turned out as he had expected2 and while

 ,flinders was still imprisoned in the  
,isle of ,france1 the ,french ,atlas of 
the new discoveries was published1 all  
the points named by ,flinders and his   
precursors being named afresh4 ,flinders
 was at length liberated1 after six     
years' imprisonment1 his health         
completely broken2 but he continued     
correcting his maps1 and writing out his
 descriptions to the last4 ,he only     
lived long enough to correct his final  
sheet for the press1 and died on the    
very day that his work was published6   
,courageous men have often turned       
enforced solitude to account in         
executing works of great pith and       
moment4 ,it is in solitude that the     
passion for spiritual perfection best   
nurses itself4 ,the soul communes with  
itself in loneliness until its energy   
often becomes intense4 ,but whether a   
man profits by solitude or not will     
mainly depend upon his own temperament1 
training1 and character4 ,while1 in a   
large-natured man1 solitude will make   

the pure heart purer1 in the            
small-natured man it will only serve to 
make the hard heart still harder3 for   
though solitude may be the nurse of     
great spirits1 it is the torment of     
small ones4  ,it was in prison that     
,boetius wrote his ',consolations of    
,philosophy1' and ,grotius his          
',commentary on ,st4 ,matthew1' regarded
 as his masterwork in ,biblical         
,criticism4 ,buchanan composed his      
beautiful ',paraphrases on the ,psalms' 
while imprisoned in the cell of a       
,portuguese monastery4 ,campanella1 the 
,italian patriot monk1 suspected of     
treason1 was immured for twenty-seven   
years in a ,neapolitan dungeon1 during  
which1 deprived of the sun's light1 he  
sought higher light1 and there created  
his ',civitas ,solis1' which has been so
 often reprinted and reproduced in      
translations in most ,european          
languages4 ,during his thirteen years'  
imprisonment in the ,tower1 ,raleigh    
wrote his ',history of the ,world1' a   

project of vast extent1 of which he was 
only able to finish the first five      
books4 ,luther occupied his prison hours
 in the ,castle of ,wartburg in         
translating the ,bible1 and in writing  
the famous tracts and treatises with    
which he inundated all ,germany4  ,it   
was to the circumstance of ,john ,bunyan
 having been cast into gaol that we     
probably owe the ',pilgrim's ,progress4'
 ,he was thus driven in upon himself2   
having no opportunity for action1 his   
active mind found vent in earnest       
thinking and meditation2 and indeed1    
after his enlargement1 his life as an   
author virtually ceased4 ,his ',grace   
,abounding' and the ',holy ,war' were   
also written in prison4 ,bunyan lay in  
,bedford ,gaol1 with a few intervals of 
precarious liberty1 during not less than
 twelve years2 #bag and it was most     
probably to his prolonged imprisonment  
that we owe what ,macaulay has          
characterised as the finest allegory in 
the world4  ,all the political parties  

of the times in which ,bunyan lived1    
imprisoned their opponents when they had
 the opportunity and the power4         
,bunyan's prison experiences were       
principally in the time of ,charles     
,,ii4 ,but in the preceding reign of    
,charles ,i41 as well as during the     
,commonwealth1 illustrious prisoners    
were very numerous4 ,the prisoners of   
the former included ,sir ,john ,eliot1  
,hampden1 ,selden1 ,prynne #bah #ba;a   
most voluminous prison-writer1 and many 
more4 ,it was while under strict        
confinement in the ,tower1 that ,eliot  
composed his noble treatise1 ',the      
,monarchy of ,man4' ,george ,wither1 the
 poet1 was another prisoner of ,charles 
the ,first1 and it was while confined in
 the ,marshalsea that he wrote his      
famous ',satire to the ,king4' ,at the  
,restoration he was again imprisoned in 
,newgate1 from which he was transferred 
to the ,tower1 and he is supposed by    
some to have died there4  ,the          
,commonwealth also had its prisoners4   

,sir ,william ,davenant1 because of his 
loyalty1 was for some time confined a   
prisoner in ,cowes ,castle1 where he    
wrote the greater part of his poem of   
',gondibert'3 and it is said that his   
life was saved principally through the  
generous intercession of ,milton4 ,he   
lived to repay the debt1 and to save    
,milton's life when ,charles enjoyed his
 own again4 ,lovelace1 the poet and     
cavalier1 was also imprisoned by the    
,roundheads1 and was only liberated from
 the ,gatehouse on giving an enormous   
bail4 ,though he suffered and lost all  
for the ,stuarts1 he was forgotten by   
them at the ,restoration1 and died in   
extreme poverty4  ,besides ,wither and  
,bunyan1 ,charles ,,ii4 imprisoned      
,baxter1 ,harrington #bathe author of   
',oceana'1 ,penn1 and many more4 ,all   
these men solaced their prison hours    
with writing4 ,baxter wrote some of the 
most remarkable passages of his ',life  
and ,times' while lying in the ,king's  
,bench ,prison2 and ,penn wrote his ',no

 ,cross no ,crown' while imprisoned in  
the ,tower4 ,in the reign of ,queen     
,anne1 ,matthew ,prior was in           
confinement on a vamped-up charge of    
treason for two years1 during which he  
wrote his ',alma1 or ,progress of the   
,soul4'  ,since then1 political         
prisoners of eminence in ,england have  
been comparatively few in number4 ,among
 the most illustrious were ,de ,foe1    
who1 besides standing three times in the
 pillory1 spent much of his time in     
prison1 writing ',robinson ,crusoe'     
there1 and many of his best political   
pamphlets4 ,there also he wrote his     
',hymn to the ,pillory1' and corrected  
for the press a collection of his       
voluminous writings4 #bai ,smollett     
wrote his ',sir ,lancelot ,greaves' in  
prison1 while undergoing confinement for
 libel4 ,of recent prison-writers in    
,england1 the best known are ,james     
,montgomery1 who wrote his first volume 
of poems while a prisoner in ,york      
,castle2 and ,thomas ,cooper1 the       

,chartist1 who wrote his ',purgatory of 
,suicide' in ,stafford ,gaol4  ,silvio  
,pellico was one of the latest and most 
illustrious of the prison writers of    
,italy4 ,he lay confined in ,austrian   
gaols for ten years1 eight of which he  
passed in the ,castle of ,spielberg in  
,moravia4 ,it was there that he composed
 his charming ',memoirs1' the only      
materials for which were furnished by   
his fresh living habit of observation2  
and out of even the transient visits of 
his gaoler's daughter1 and the          
colourless events of his monotonous     
daily life1 he contrived to make for    
himself a little world of thought and   
healthy human interest4  ,kazinsky1 the 
great reviver of ,hungarian literature1 
spent seven years of his life in the    
dungeons of ,buda1 ,brunne1 ,kufstein1  
and ,munkacs1 during which he wrote a   
',diary of his ,imprisonment1' and      
amongst other things translated         
,sterno's ',sentimental ,journey2'      
whilst ,kossuth beguiled his two years' 

imprisonment at ,buda in studying       
,english1 so as to be able to read      
,shakspeare in the original4  ,men who1 
like these1 suffer the penalty of law1  
and seem to fail1 at least for a time1  
do not really fail4 ,many1 who have     
seemed to fail utterly1 have often      
exercised a more potent and enduring    
influence upon their race1 than those   
whose career has been a course of       
uninterupted success4 ,the character of 
a man does not depend on whether his    
efforts are immediately followed by     
failure or by success4 ,the martyr is   
not a failure if the truth for which he 
suffered acquires a fresh lustre through
 his sacrifice4 #baaj ,the patriot who  
lays down his life for his cause1 may   
thereby hasten its triumph2 and those   
who seem to throw their lives away in   
the van of a great movement1 often open 
a way for those who follow them1 and    
pass over their dead bodies to victory4 
,the triumph of a just cause may come   
late2 but when it does come1 it is due  

as much to those who failed in their    
first efforts1 as to those who succeeded
 in their last4  ,the example of a great
 death may be an inspiration to others1 
as well as the example of a good life4  
,a great act does not perish with the   
life of him who performs it1 but lives  
and grows up into like acts in those who
 survive the doer thereof and cherish   
his memory4 ,of some great men1 it might
 almost be said that they have not begun
 to live until they have died4  ,the    
names of the men who have suffered in   
the cause of religion1 of science1 and  
of truth1 are the men of all others     
whose memories are held in the greatest 
esteem and reverence by mankind4 ,they  
perished1 but their truth survived4     
,they seemed to fail1 and yet they      
eventually succeeded4 #baaa ,prisons may
 have held them1 but their thoughts were
 not to be confined by prison-walls4    
,they have burst through1 and defied the
 power of their persecutors4 ,it was    
,lovelace1 a prisoner1 who wrote3       

,stone walls do not a prison make1      
,nor iron bars a cage2           ,minds 
innocent and quiet take                 
,that for a hermitage4  ,it was a saying
 of ,milton that1 who best can suffer   
best can do4 ,the work of many of the   
greatest men1 inspired by duty1 has been
 done amidst suffering and trial and    
difficulty4 ,they have struggled against
 the tide1 and reached the shore        
exhausted1 only to grasp the sand and   
expire4 ,they have done their duty1 and 
been content to die4 ,but death hath no 
power over such men2 their hallowed     
memories still survive1 to soothe and   
purify and bless us4 ,life1 said        
,goethe1 to us all is suffering4 ,who   
save ,god alone shall call us to our    
reckoning8 ,let not reproaches fall on  
the departed4 ,not what they have failed
 in1 nor what they have suffered1 but   
what they have done1 ought to occupy the
 survivors4  ,thus1 it is not ease and  
facility that tries men1 and brings out 
the good that is in them1 so much as    

trial and difficulty4 ,adversity is the 
touchstone of character4 ,as some herbs 
need to be crushed to give forth their  
sweetest odour1 so some natures need to 
be tried by suffering to evoke the      
excellence that is in them4 ,hence      
trials often unmask virtues1 and bring  
to light hidden graces4 ,men apparently 
useless and purposeless1 when placed in 
positions of difficulty and             
responsibility1 have exhibited powers of
 character before unsuspected2 and where
 we before saw only pliancy and         
self-indulgence1 we now see strength1   
valour1 and self-denial4  ,as there are 
no blessings which may not be perverted 
into evils1 so there are no trials which
 may not be converted into blessings4   
,all depends on the manner in which we  
profit by them or otherwise4 ,perfect   
happiness is not to be looked for in    
this world4 ,if it could be secured1 it 
would be found profitless4 ,the         
hollowest of all gospels is the gospel  
of ease and comfort4 ,difficulty1 and   

even failure1 are far better teachers4  
,sir ,humphry ,davy said3 ,even in      
private life1 too much prosperity either
 injures the moral man1 and occasions   
conduct which ends in suffering2 or it  
is accompanied by the workings of envy1 
calumny1 and malevolence of others4     
,failure improves tempers and           
strengthens the nature4 ,even sorrow is 
in some mysterious way linked with joy  
and associated with tenderness4 ,john   
,bunyan once said how1 if it were       
lawful1 he could even pray for greater  
trouble1 for the greater comfort's sake4
 ,when surprise was expressed at the    
patience of a poor ,arabian woman under 
heavy affliction1 she said1 ,when we    
look on ,god's face we do not feel ,his 
hand4  ,suffering is doubtless as       
divinely appointed as joy1 while it is  
much more influential as a discipline of
 character4 ,it chastens and sweetens   
the nature1 teaches patience and        
resignation1 and promotes the deepest as
 well as the most exalted thought4 #baab

                        ,the best of men
       ,that e'er wore earth about ,him 
was a sufferer2       ,a soft1 meek1    
patient1 humble1 tranquil spirit        
,the first true gentleman that ever     
breathed4 #baac  ,suffering may be the  
appointed means by which the highest    
nature of man is to be disciplined and  
developed4 ,assuming happiness to be the
 end of being1 sorrow may be the        
indispensable condition through which it
 is to be reached4 ,hence ,st4 ,paul's  
noble paradox descriptive of the        
,christian life1--as chastened1 and not 
killed2 as sorrowful1 yet always        
rejoicing2 as poor1 yet making many     
rich2 as having nothing1 and yet        
possessing all things4  ,even pain is   
not all painful4 ,on one side it is     
related to suffering1 and on the other  
to happiness4 ,for pain is remedial as  
well as sorrowful4 ,suffering is a      
misfortune as viewed from the one side1 
and a discipline as viewed from the     
other4 ,but for suffering1 the best part

 of many men's nature would sleep a deep
 sleep4 ,indeed1 it might almost be said
 that pain and sorrow were the          
indispensable conditions of some men's  
success1 and the necessary means to     
evoke the highest development of their  
genius4 ,shelley has said of poets3     
,most wretched men are cradled into     
poetry by wrong1        ,they learn in  
suffering what they teach in song4      
,does any one suppose that ,burns would 
have sung as he did1 had he been rich1  
respectable1 and kept a gig2 or ,byron1 
if he had been a prosperous1            
happily-married ,lord ,privy ,seal or   
,postmaster-,general8  ,sometimes a     
heartbreak rouses an impassive nature to
 life4 ,what does he know1 said a sage1 
who has not suffered8 ,when ,dumas asked
 ,reboul1 ,what made you a poet8 his    
answer was1 ,suffering6 ,it was the     
death1 first of his wife1 and then of   
his child1 that drove him into solitude 
for the indulgence of his grief1 and    
eventually led him to seek and find     

relief in verse4 #baad ,it was also to a
 domestic affliction that we owe the    
beautiful writings of ,mrs4 ,gaskell4   
,it was as a recreation1 in the highest 
sense of the word1 says a recent writer1
 speaking from personal knowledge1 as an
 escape from the great void of a life   
from which a cherished presence had been
 taken1 that she began that series of   
exquisite creations which has served to 
multiply the number of our              
acquaintances1 and to enlarge even the  
circle of our friendships4 #baae  ,much 
of the best and most useful work done by
 men and women has been done amidst     
affliction--sometimes as a relief from  
it1 sometimes from a sense of duty      
overpowering personal sorrow4 ,if ,i had
 not been so great an invalid1 said ,dr4
 ,darwin to a friend1 ,i should not have
 done nearly so much work as ,i have    
been able to accomplish4 ,so ,dr4       
,donne1 speaking of his illnesses1 once 
said3 ,this advantage you and my other  
friends have by my frequent fevers is1  

that ,i am so much the oftener at the   
gates of ,heaven2 and by the solitude   
and close imprisonment they reduce me   
to1 ,i am so much the oftener at my     
prayers1 in which you and my other dear 
friends are not forgotten4  ,schiller   
produced his greatest tragedies in the  
midst of physical suffering almost      
amounting to torture4 ,handel was never 
greater than when1 warned by palsy of   
the approach of death1 and struggling   
with distress and suffering1 he sat down
 to compose the great works which have  
made his name immortal in music4 ,mozart
 composed his great operas1 and last of 
all his ',requiem1' when oppressed by   
debt1 and struggling with a fatal       
disease4 ,beethoven produced his        
greatest works amidst gloomy sorrow1    
when oppressed by almost total deafness4
 ,and poor ,schubert1 after his short   
but brilliant life1 laid it down at the 
early age of thirty-two2 his sole       
property at his death consisting of his 
manuscripts1 the clothes he wore1 and   

sixty-three florins in money4 ,some of  
,lamb's finest writings were produced   
amidst deep sorrow1 and ,hood's apparent
 gaiety often sprang from a suffering   
heart4 ,as he himself wrote1            
,there's not a string attuned to mirth1 
,but has its chord in melancholy4       
,again1 in science1 we have the noble   
instance of the suffering ,wollaston1   
even in the last stages of the mortal   
disease which afflicted him1 devoting   
his numbered hours to putting on record1
 by dictation1 the various discoveries  
and improvements he had made1 so that   
any knowledge he had acquired1          
calculated to benefit his               
fellow-creatures1 might not be lost4    
,afflictions often prove but blessings  
in disguise4 ,fear not the darkness1    
said the ,persian sage2 it conceals     
perhaps the springs of the waters of    
life4 ,experience is often bitter1 but  
wholesome2 only by its teaching can we  
learn to suffer and be strong4          
,character1 in its highest forms1 is    

disciplined by trial1 and made perfect  
through suffering4 ,even from the       
deepest sorrow1 the patient and         
thoughtful mind will gather richer      
wisdom than pleasure ever yielded4  ,the
 soul's dark cottage1 batter'd and      
decayed1 ,lets in new light through     
chinks that ,time has made4  ,consider1 
said ,jeremy ,taylor1 that sad          
accidents1 and a state of afflictions1  
is a school of virtue4 ,it reduces our  
spirits to soberness1 and our counsels  
to moderation2 it corrects levity1 and  
interrupts the confidence of sinning4444
 ,god1 who in mercy and wisdom governs  
the world1 would never have suffered so 
many sadnesses1 and have sent them1     
especially1 to the most virtuous and the
 wisest men1 but that ,he intends they  
should be the seminary of comfort1 the  
nursery of virtue1 the exercise of      
wisdom1 the trial of patience1 the      
venturing for a crown1 and the gate of  
glory4 #baaf  ,and again3--,no man is   
more miserable than he that hath no     

adversity4 ,that man is not tried1      
whether he be good or bad2 and ,god     
never crowns those virtues which are    
only ,,faculties and ,,dispositions2 but
 every act of virtue is an ingredient   
unto reward4 #baag  ,prosperity and     
success of themselves do not confer     
happiness2 indeed1 it not unfrequently  
happens that the least successful in    
life have the greatest share of true joy
 in it4 ,no man could have been more    
successful than ,goethe--possessed of   
splendid health1 honour1 power1 and     
sufficiency of this world's goods--and  
yet he confessed that he had not1 in the
 course of his life1 enjoyed five weeks 
of genuine pleasure4 ,so the ,caliph    
,abdalrahman1 in surveying his          
successful reign of fifty years1 found  
that he had enjoyed only fourteen days  
of pure and genuine happiness4 #baah    
,after this1 might it not be said that  
the pursuit of mere happiness is an     
illusion8  ,life1 all sunshine without  
shade1 all happiness without sorrow1 all

 pleasure without pain1 were not life at
 all--at least not human life4 ,take the
 lot of the happiest--it is a tangled   
yarn4 ,it is made up of sorrows and     
joys2 and the joys are all the sweeter  
because of the sorrows2 bereavements and
 blessings1 one following another1      
making us sad and blessed by turns4     
,even death itself makes life more      
loving2 it binds us more closely        
together while here4 ,dr4 ,thomas       
,browne has argued that death is one of 
the necessary conditions of human       
happiness2 and he supports his argument 
with great force and eloquence4 ,but    
when death comes into a household1 we do
 not philosophise--we only feel4 ,the   
eyes that are full of tears do not see2 
though in course of time they come to   
see more clearly and brightly than those
 that have never known sorrow4  ,the    
wise person gradually learns not to     
expect too much from life4 ,while he    
strives for success by worthy methods1  
he will be prepared for failures1 he    

will keep his mind open to enjoyment1   
but submit patiently to suffering4      
,wailings and complainings of life are  
never of any use2 only cheerful and     
continuous working in right paths are of
 real avail4  ,nor will the wise man    
expect too much from those about him4   
,if he would live at peace with others1 
he will bear and forbear4 ,and even the 
best have often foibles of character    
which have to be endured1 sympathised   
with1 and perhaps pitied4 ,who is       
perfect8 ,who does not suffer from some 
thorn in the flesh8 ,who does not stand 
in need of toleration1 of forbearance1  
of forgiveness8 ,what the poor          
imprisoned ,queen ,caroline ,matilda of 
,denmark wrote on her chapel-window     
ought to be the prayer of all1--,oh6    
keep me innocent6 make others great4    
,then1 how much does the disposition of 
every human being depend upon their     
innate constitution and their early     
surroundings2 the comfort or discomfort 
of the homes in which they have been    

brought up2 their inherited             
characteristics2 and the examples1 good 
or bad1 to which they have been exposed 
through life6 ,regard for such          
considerations should teach charity and 
forbearance to all men4  ,at the same   
time1 life will always be to a large    
extent what we ourselves make it4 ,each 
mind makes its own little world4 ,the   
cheerful mind makes it pleasant1 and the
 discontented mind makes it miserable4  
,my mind to me a kingdom is1 applies    
alike to the peasant as to the monarch4 
,the one may be in his heart a king1 as 
the other may be a slave4 ,life is for  
the most part but the mirror of our own 
individual selves4 ,our mind gives to   
all situations1 to all fortunes1 high or
 low1 their real characters4 ,to the    
good1 the world is good2 to the bad1 it 
is bad4 ,if our views of life be        
elevated--if we regard it as a sphere of
 useful effort1 of high living and high 
thinking1 of working for others' good as
 well as our own--it will be joyful1    

hopeful1 and blessed4 ,if1 on the       
contrary1 we regard it merely as        
affording opportunities for             
self-seeking1 pleasure1 and             
aggrandisement1 it will be full of toil1
 anxiety1 and disappointment4  ,there is
 much in life that1 while in this state1
 we can never comprehend4 ,there is1    
indeed1 a great deal of mystery in      
life--much that we see as in a glass    
darkly4 ,but though we may not apprehend
 the full meaning of the discipline of  
trial through which the best have to    
pass1 we must have faith in the         
completeness of the design of which our 
little individual lives form a part4    
,we have each to do our duty in that    
sphere of life in which we have been    
placed4 ,duty alone is true2 there is no
 true action but in its accomplishment4 
,duty is the end and aim of the highest 
life2 the truest pleasure of all is that
 derived from the consciousness of its  
fulfilment4 ,of all others1 it is the   
one that is most thoroughly satisfying1 

and the least accompanied by regret and 
disappointment4 ,in the words of ,george
 ,herbert1 the consciousness of duty    
performed gives us music at midnight4   
,and when we have done our work on      
earth--of necessity1 of labour1 of love1
 or of duty1--like the silkworm that    
spins its little cocoon and dies1 we too
 depart4 ,but1 short though our stay in 
life may be1 it is the appointed sphere 
in which each has to work out the great 
aim and end of his being to the best of 
his power2 and when that is done1 the   
accidents of the flesh will affect but  
little the immortality we shall at last 
put on3          ,therefore we can go   
die as sleep1 and trust                 
,half that we have                      
,unto an honest faithful grave2         
,making our pillows either down or dust6
     ,,footnotes3  ,footnote #aja3      
,sackville1 ,lord ,buckhurst1 ,lord     
,high ,treasurer under ,elizabeth and   
,james ,i4  ,footnote #ajb3 ',life of   
,perthes1' ii4 #bag4  ,footnote #ajc3   

,lockhart's ',life of ,scott4'          
,footnote #ajd3 ,debate on the ,petition
 of ,right1 ,a4,d4 #afbh4  ,footnote    
#aje3 ,the ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,farrer's      
',seekers after ,god1' p4 #bda4         
,footnote #ajf3 ',the ,statesman1' p4   
#cj4  ,footnote #ajg3 ',queen of the    
,air1' p4 #abg  ,footnote #ajh3 ,instead
 of saying that man is the creature of  
,circumstance1 it would be nearer the   
mark to say that man is the architect of
 ,circumstance4 ,it is ,character which 
builds an existence out of              
,circumstance4 ,our strength is measured
 by our plastic power4 ,from the same   
materials one man builds palaces1       
another hovels3 one warehouses1 another 
villas4 ,bricks and mortar are mortar   
and bricks1 until the architect can make
 them something else4 ,thus it is that  
in the same family1 in the same         
circumstances1 one man rears a stately  
edifice1 while his brother1 vacillating 
and incompetent1 lives for ever amid    
ruins3 the block of granite1 which was  

an obstacle on the pathway of the weak1 
becomes a stepping-stone on the pathway 
of the strong4--,g4 ,h4 ,lewes1 ,,life  
,,of ,,goethe4  ,footnote #aji3         
,introduction to ',the ,principal       
,speeches and ,addresses of ,h4,r4,h4   
the ,prince ,consort' #ajahfb1 pp4      
#ci-dj4  ,footnote #ajaj3 ,among the    
latest of these was ,napoleon the       
,great1 a man of abounding energy1 but  
destitute of principle4 ,he had the     
lowest opinion of his fellowmen4 ,men   
are hogs1 who feed on gold1 he once     
said3 ,well1 ,i throw them gold1 and    
lead them whithersoever ,i will4 ,when  
the ,abbe de ,pradt1 ,archbishop of     
,malines1 was setting out on his embassy
 to ,poland in #ahab1 ,napoleon's       
parting instruction to him was1 ,tenez  
bonne table et soignez les femmes1--of  
which ,benjamin ,constant said that such
 an observation1 addressed to a feeble  
priest of sixty1 shows ,buonaparte's    
profound contempt for the human race1   
without distinction of nation or sex4   

,footnote #ajaa3 ,condensed from ,sir   
,thomas ,overbury's ',characters'       
#ajafad4  ,footnote #ajab3 ',history of 
the ,peninsular ,war1' v4 #cai4--,napier
 mentions another striking illustration 
of the influence of personal qualities  
in young ,edward ,freer1 of the same    
regiment #ajthe #dcrd1 who1 when he fell
 at the age of nineteen1 at the ,battle 
of the ,nivelle1 had already seen more  
combats and sieges than he could count  
years4 ,so slight in person1 and of such
 surpassing beauty1 that the ,spaniards 
often thought him a girl disguised in   
man's clothing1 he was yet so vigorous1 
so active1 so brave1 that the most      
daring and experienced veterans watched 
his looks on the field of battle1 and1  
implicitly following where he led1      
would1 like children1 obey his slightest
 sign in the most difficult situations4 
,footnote #ajac3 ,when the dissolution  
of the ,union at one time seemed        
imminent1 and ,washington wished to     
retire into private life1 ,jefferson    

wrote to him1 urging his continuance in 
office4 ,the confidence of the whole    
,union1 he said1 centres in you4 ,your  
being at the helm will be more than an  
answer to every argument which can be   
used to alarm and lead the people in any
 quarter into violence and secession4444
 ,there is sometimes an eminence of     
character on which society has such     
peculiar claims as to control the       
predilection of the individual for a    
particular walk of happiness1 and       
restrain him to that alone arising from 
the present and future benedictions of  
mankind4 ,this seems to be your         
condition1 and the law imposed on you by
 ,providence in forming your character  
and fashioning the events on which it   
was to operate2 and it is to motives    
like these1 and not to personal         
anxieties of mine or others1 who have no
 right to call on you for sacrifices1   
that ,i appeal from your former         
determination1 and urge a revisal of it1
 on the ground of change in the aspect  

of things4--,sparks' ,life of           
,washington1 i4 #dhj4  ,footnote #ajad3 
,napier's ',history of the ,peninsular  
,war1' v4 #bbf4  ,footnote #ajae3 ,sir  
,w4 ,scott's ',history of ,scotland1'   
vol4 i4 chap4 xvi4  ,footnote #ajaf3    
,michelet's ',history of ,rome1' p4     
#cgd4  ,footnote #ajag3 ,erasmus so     
reverenced the character of ,socrates   
that he said1 when he considered his    
life and doctrines1 he was inclined to  
put him in the calendar of saints1 and  
to exclaim1 ,,sancte ,,socrates1 ,,ora  
,,pro ,,nobis4 7,holy ,socrates1 pray   
for us67  ,footnote #ajah3 ,honour to   
all the brave and true2 everlasting     
honour to ,john ,knox one of the truest 
of the true6 ,that1 in the moment while 
he and his cause1 amid civil broils1 in 
convulsion and confusion1 were still but
 struggling for life1 he sent the       
schoolmaster forth to all corners1 and  
said1 ',let the people be taught3' this 
is but one1 and1 and indeed1 an         
inevitable and comparatively            

inconsiderable item in his great message
 to men4 ,this message1 in its true     
compass1 was1 ',let men know that they  
are men created by ,god1 responsible to 
,god who work in any meanest moment of  
time what will last through eternity444'
 ,this great message ,knox did deliver1 
with a man's voice and strength2 and    
found a people to believe him4 ,of such 
an achievement1 were it to be made once 
only1 the results are immense4 ,thought1
 in such a country1 may change its form1
 but cannot go out2 the country has     
attained ,,majority thought1 and a      
certain manhood1 ready for all work that
 man can do1 endures there4444 ,the     
,scotch national character originated in
 many circumstances3 first of all1 in   
the ,saxon stuff there was to work on2  
but next1 and beyond all else except    
that1 is the ,presbyterian ,gospel of   
,john ,knox4--7,carlyle's               
,,miscellanies1 iv4 #aah47  ,footnote   
#ajai3 ,moore's ',life of ,byron1' #hvo4
 ed4 p4#dhd4--;,dante was a religious as

 well as a political reformer4 ,he was a
 reformer three hundred years before the
 ,reformation1 advocating the separation
 of the spiritual from the civil power1 
and declaring the temporal government of
 the ,pope to be a usurpation4 ,the     
following memorable words were written  
over five hundred and sixty years ago1  
while ,dante was still a member of the  
,roman ,catholic ,church3--,every       
,divine law is found in one or other of 
the two ,testaments2 but in neither can 
,i find that the care of temporal       
matters was given to the priesthood4 ,on
 the contrary1 ,i find that the first   
priests were removed from them by law1  
and the later priests1 by command of    
,christ1 to ,his disciples4--,,de       
,,monarchia1 lib4 iii4 cap4 xi4  ,dante 
also1 still clinging to 'the ,church he 
wished to reform1' thus anticipated the 
fundamental doctrine of the             
,reformation3-,before the ,church are   
the ,old and ,new ,testament2 after the 
,church are traditions4 ,it follows1    

then1 that the authority of the ,church 
depends1 not on traditions1 but         
traditions on the ,church4  ,footnote   
#ajbj3 ',blackwood's ,magazine1' ,june1 
#ahfc1 art4 ',girolamo ,savonarola4'    
,footnote #ajba3 ,one of the last       
passages in the ,diary of ,dr4 ,arnold1 
written the year before his death1 was  
as follows3--,it is the misfortune of   
,france that her 'past' cannot be loved 
or respected--her future and her present
 cannot be wedded to it2 yet how can the
 present yield fruit1 or the future have
 promise1 except their roots be fixed in
 the past8 ,the evil is infinite1 but   
the blame rests with those who made the 
past a dead thing1 out of which no      
healthful life could be                 
produced4--,,life1 ii4 #chg-h1 ,ed4     
#aheh4  ,footnote #ajbb3 ,a public      
orator lately spoke with contempt of the
 ,battle of ,marathon1 because only #aib
 perished on the side of the ,athenians1
 whereas by improved mechanism and      
destructive chemicals1 some #ej1jjj men 

or more may now be destroyed within a   
few hours4 ,yet the ,battle of          
,marathon1 and the heroism displayed in 
it1 will probably continue to be        
remembered when the gigantic butcheries 
of modern times have been forgotten4    
,footnote #aaa3 ,civic virtues1 unless  
they have their origin and consecration 
in private and domestic virtues1 are but
 the virtues of the theatre4 ,he who has
 not a loving heart for his child1      
cannot pretend to have any true love for
 humanity4--,jules ,simon's ,,le        
,,devoir4  ,footnote #aab3 ',levana2 or1
 ,the ,doctrine of ,education4'         
,footnote #aac3 ,speaking of the force  
of habit1 ,st4 ,augustine says in his   
',confessions' ,my will the enemy held1 
and thence had made a chain for me1 and 
bound me4 ,for of a froward will was a  
lust made2 and a lust served became     
custom2 and custom not resisted became  
necessity4 ,by which links1 as it were1 
joined together #aawhence ,i called it a
 chain a hard bondage held me           

enthralled4  ,footnote #aad3 ,mr4       
,tufnell1 in ',reports of ,inspectors of
 ,parochial ,school ,unions in ,england 
and ,wales1' #ahej4  ,footnote #aae3    
,see the letters #aa;,january #acth1    
#afth1 #ahth1 #bjth1 and #bcrd1 #agei1  
written by ,johnson to his mother when  
she was ninety1 and he himself was in   
his fiftieth year4--,crokers ,,boswell1 
#hvo4 ,ed4 pp4 #aac1 #aad4  ,footnote   
#aaf3 ,jared ,sparks' ',life of         
,washington4'  ,footnote #aag3          
,forster's ',eminent ,british           
,statesmen' #aa;,cabinet ,cyclop4 vi4   
#h4  ,footnote #aah3 ,the ,earl of      
,mornington1 composer of ',here in cool 
grot1' c4  ,footnote #aai3 ,robert      
,bell's ',life of ,canning1' p4 #cg4    
,footnote #aaaj3 ',life of ,curran1' by 
his son1 p4 #d4  ,footnote #aaaa3 ,the  
father of the ,wesleys had even         
determined at one time to abandon his   
wife because her conscience forbade her 
to assent to his prayers for the then   
reigning monarch1 and he was only saved 

from the consequences of his rash       
resolve by the accidental death of      
,william ,,iii4 ,he displayed the same  
overbearing disposition in dealing with 
his children2 forcing his daughter      
,mehetabel to marry1 against her will1 a
 man whom she did not love1 and who     
proved entirely unworthy of her4        
,footnote #aaab3 ,goethe himself        
says--,vom ,vater hab' ich die ,statur1 
,des ,lebens ernstes ,fuhren2 ,von      
,mutterchen die ,frohnatur ,und ,lust zu
 fabuliren4  ,footnote #aaac3 ,mrs4     
,grote's ',life of ,ary ,scheffer1' p4  
#aed4  ,footnote #aaad3 ,michelet1 ',on 
,priests1 ,women1 and ,families4'       
,footnote #aaae3 ,mrs4 ,byron is said to
 have died in a fit of passion1 brought 
on by reading her upholsterer's bills4  
,footnote #aaaf3 ,sainte-,beuve1        
',causeries du ,lundi1' i4 #bc4         
,footnote #aaag3 ,ibid4 i4 #bb4         
,footnote #aaah3 ,ibid4 #a4 #bc4        
,footnote #aaai3 ,that about one-third  
of all the children born in this country

 die under five years of age1 can only  
he attributable to ignorance of the     
natural laws1 ignorance of the human    
constitution1 and ignorance of the uses 
of pure air1 pure water1 and of the art 
of preparing and administering wholesome
 food4 ,there is no such mortality      
amongst the lower animals4  ,footnote   
#aabj3 ,beaumarchais' ',figaro1' which  
was received with such enthusiasm in    
,france shortly before the outbreak of  
the ,revolution1 may be regarded as a   
typical play2 it represented the average
 morality of the upper as well as the   
lower classes with respect to the       
relations between the sexes4 ,label men 
how you please1 says ,herbert ,spencer1 
with titles of 'upper' and 'middle' and 
'lower1' you cannot prevent them from   
being units of the same society1 acted  
upon by the same spirit of the age1     
moulded after the same type of          
character4 ,the mechanical law1 that    
action and reaction are equal1 has its  
moral analogue4 ,the deed of one man to 

another tends ultimately to produce a   
like effect upon both1 be the deed good 
or bad4 ,do but put them in             
relationship1 and no division into      
castes1 no differences of wealth1 can   
prevent men from assimilating4444 ,the  
same influences which rapidly adapt the 
individual to his society1 ensure1      
though by a slower process1 the general 
uniformity of a national character4444  
,and so long as the assimilating        
influences productive of it continue at 
work1 it is folly to suppose any one    
grade of a community can be morally     
different from the rest4 ,in whichever  
rank you see corruption1 be assured it  
equally pervades all ranks--be assured  
it is the symptom of a bad social       
diathesis4 ,whilst the virus of         
depravity exists in one part of the     
body-politic1 no other part can remain  
healthy4--,,social ,,statics1 chap4 xx4 
#g4  ,footnote #aaba3 ,some twenty-eight
 years since1 the author wrote and      
published the following passage1 not    

without practical knowledge of the      
subject2 and notwithstanding the great  
amelioration in the lot of              
factory-workers1 effected mainly through
 the noble efforts of ,lord             
,shaftesbury1 the description is still  
to a large extent true3--,the factory   
system1 however much it may have added  
to the wealth of the country1 has had a 
most deleterious effect on the domestic 
condition of the people4 ,it has invaded
 the sanctuary of home1 and broken up   
family and social ties4 ,it has taken   
the wife from the husband1 and the      
children from their parents4 ,especially
 has its tendency been to lower the     
character of woman4 ,the performance of 
domestic duties is her proper           
office1--the management of her          
household1 the rearing of her family1   
the economizing of the family means1 the
 supplying of the family wants4 ,but the
 factory takes her from all these       
duties4 ,homes become no longer homes4  
,children grow up uneducated and        

neglected4 ,the finer affections become 
blunted4 ,woman is no more the gentle   
wife1 companion1 and friend of man1 but 
his fellow-labourer and fellow-drudge4  
,she is exposed to influences which too 
often efface that modesty of thought and
 conduct which is one of the best       
safeguards of virtue4 ,without judgment 
or sound principles to guide them1      
factory-girls early acquire the feeling 
of independence4 ,ready to throw off the
 constraint imposed on them by their    
parents1 they leave their homes1 and    
speedily become initiated in the vices  
of their associates4 ,the atmosphere1   
physical as well as moral1 in which they
 live1 stimulates their animal          
appetites2 the influence of bad example 
becomes contagious among them and       
mischief is propagated far and          
wide4--,,the ,,union1 ,january1 #ahdc4  
,footnote #aabb3 ,a ,french satirist1   
pointing to the repeated ,,plebiscites  
and perpetual voting of late years1 and 
to the growing want of faith in anything

 but votes1 said1 in #ahgj1 that we     
seemed to be rapidly approaching the    
period when the only prayer of man and  
woman would be1 ,give us this day our   
daily vote6  ,footnote #aabc3 ,of       
primeval and necessary and absolute     
superiority1 the relation of the mother 
to the child is far more complete1      
though less seldom quoted as an example1
 than that of father and son4444 ,by    
,sir ,robert ,filmer1 the supposed      
necessary as well as absolute power of  
the father over his children1 was taken 
as the foundation and origin1 and thence
 justifying cause1 of the power of the  
monarch in every political state4 ,with 
more propriety he might have stated the 
absolute dominion of a woman as the only
 legitimate form of                     
government4--,,deontology1 ii4 #aha4    
,footnote #aba3 ',letters of ,sir       
,charles ,bell1' p4 #aj4 #abb3          
',autobiography of ,mary ,anne          
,schimmelpenninck1' p4 #agi4  ,footnote 
#abc3 ,dean ,stanley's ',life of ,dr4   

,arnold1' i4 #aea #ab;,ed4 #aheh4       
,footnote #abd3 ,lord ,cockburn's       
',memorials1' pp4 #be-f4  ,footnote     
#abe3 ,from a letter of ,canon ,moseley1
 read at a ,memorial ,meeting held      
shortly after the death of the late     
,lord ,herbert of ,lea4  ,footnote #abf3
 ,izaak ,walton's ',life of ,george     
,herbert4'  ,footnote #abg3 ,stanley's  
',life and ,letters of ,dr4 ,arnold1' i4
 #cc4  ,footnote #abh3 ,philip de       
,comines gives a curious illustration of
 the subservient1 though enforced1      
imitation of ,philip1 ,duke of          
,burgundy1 by his courtiers4 ,when that 
prince fell ill1 and had his head       
shaved1 he ordered that all his nobles1 
five hundred in number1 should in like  
manner shave their heads2 and one of    
them1 ,pierre de ,hagenbach1 to prove   
his devotion1 no sooner caught sight of 
an unshaven nobleman1 than he forthwith 
had him seized and carried off to the   
barber6--,philip de ,comines #ab;,bohn's
 ,ed41 p4 #bdc4  ,footnote #abi3        

',life1' i4 #cdd4  ,footnote #abaj3     
,introduction to ',the ,principal       
,speeches and ,addresses of ,h4,r4,h4   
the ,prince ,consort1' p4 #cc4          
,footnote #abaa3 ,speech at ,liverpool1 
#ahab4  ,footnote #aca3;,in the third   
chapter of his ,natural ,history1 ,pliny
 relates in what high honour agriculture
 was held in the earlier days of ,rome2 
how the divisions of land were measured 
by the quantity which could be ploughed 
by a yoke of oxen in a certain time     
#ac;,,jugerum1 in one day2 ,,actus1 at  
one spell2 how the greatest recompence  
to a general or valiant citizen was a   
,,jugerum2 how the earliest surnames    
were derived from agriculture           
7,pilumnus1 from ,,pilum1 the pestle for
 pounding corn2 ,piso1 from ,,piso1 to  
grind coin2 ,fabius1 from ,,faba1 a     
bean2 ,lentulus1 from ,,lens1 a lentil2 
,cicero1 from ,,cicer1 a chickpea2      
,babulcus1 from ,,bos1 c472 how the     
highest compliment was to call a man a  
good agriculturist1 or a good husbandman

 7,,locuples1 rich1 ,,loci ,,plenus1    
,,pecunia1 from ,,pecus1 c472 how the   
pasturing of cattle secretly by night   
upon unripe crops was a capital offence1
 punishable by hanging2 how the rural   
tribes held the foremost rank1 while    
those of the city had discredit thrown  
upon them as being an indolent race2 and
 how ,,gloriam ,,denique ,,ipsam1 ,a    
,,farris ,,honore1 ',,adoream'          
,,appellabant2 ,,adorea1 or ,glory1 the 
reward of valour1 being derived from    
,ador1 or spelt1 a kind of grain4       
,footnote #acb3 ',essay on ,government1'
 in ',encyclopaedia ,britannica4'       
,footnote #acc3 ,burton's ',anatomy of  
,melancholy1' ,part i41 ,mem4 #b1 ,sub4 
#f4  ,footnote #acd3 ,ibid4 ,end of     
concluding chapter4  ,footnote #ace3 ,it
 is characteristic of the ,hindoos to   
regard entire inaction as the most      
perfect state1 and to describe the      
,supreme ,being as ,the ,unmoveable4    
,footnote #acf3 ,lessing was so         
impressed with the conviction that      

stagnant satisfaction was fatal to man1 
that he went so far as to say3 ,if the  
,all-powerful ,being1 holding in one    
hand ,truth1 and in the other the search
 for ,truth1 said to me1 ',choose1' ,i  
would answer ,him1 ',o ,all-powerful1   
keep for ,thyself the ,truth2 but leave 
to me the search for it1 which is the   
better for me4' ,on the other hand1     
,bossuet said3 ,si je concevais une     
nature purement intelligente1 il me     
semble que je n'y mettrais qu'entendre  
et aimer la verite1 et que cela seul la 
rendrait heureux4  ,footnote #acg3 ,the 
late ,sir ,john ,patteson1 when in his  
seventieth year1 attended an annual     
ploughing-match dinner at ,feniton1     
,devon1 at which he thought it worth his
 while to combat the notion1 still too  
prevalent1 that because a man does not  
work merely with his bones and muscles1 
he is therefore not entitled to the     
appellation of a workingman4 ,in        
recollecting similar meetings to the    
present1 he said1 ,i remember my friend1

 ,john ,pyle1 rather throwing it in my  
teeth that ,i had not worked for        
nothing2 but ,i told him1 ',mr4 ,pyle1  
you do not know what you are talking    
about4 ,we are all workers4 ,the man who
 ploughs the field and who digs the     
hedge is a worker2 but there are other  
workers in other stations of life as    
well4 ,for myself1 ,i can say that ,i   
have been a worker ever since ,i have   
been a boy4'444 ,then ,i told him that  
the office of judge was by no means a   
sinecure1 for that a judge worked as    
hard as any man in the country4 ,he has 
to work at very difficult questions of  
law1 which are brought before him       
continually1 giving him great anxiety2  
and sometimes the lives of his          
fellow-creatures are placed in his      
hands1 and are dependent very much upon 
the manner in which he places the facts 
before the jury4 ,that is a matter of no
 little anxiety1 ,i can assure you4 ,let
 any man think as he will1 there is no  
man who has been through the ordeal for 

the length of time that ,i have1 but    
must feel conscious of the importance   
and gravity of the duty which is cast   
upon a judge4  ,footnote #ach3 ,lord    
,stanley's ,address to the ,students of 
,glasgow ,university1 on his            
installation as ,lord ,rector1 #ahfi4   
,footnote #aci3 ,writing to an abbot at 
,nuremberg1 who had sent him a store of 
turning-tools1 ,luther said3 ,i have    
made considerable progress in           
clockmaking1 and ,i am very much        
delighted at it1 for these drunken      
,saxons need to be constantly reminded  
of what the real time is2 not that they 
themselves care much about it1 for as   
long as their glasses are kept filled1  
they trouble themselves very little as  
to whether clocks1 or clockmakers1 or   
the time itself1 go right4--,michelet's 
,,luther #ac;,bogue ,ed41 p4 #bjj4      
,footnote #acaj3 ,life of ,perthes1 ii4 
#bj4  ,footnote #acaa3 ,lockhart's      
',life of ,scott' #achvo4 ,ed41 p4 #ddb4
  ,footnote #acab3 ,southey expresses   

the opinion in ',the ,doctor'1 that the 
character of a person may be better     
known by the letters which other persons
 write to him than by what he himself   
writes4  ,footnote #acac3 ',dissertation
 on the ,science of ,method4'  ,footnote
 #acad3 ,the following passage1 from a  
recent article in the ,,pall ,,mall     
,,gazette1 will commend itself to       
general aproval3--,there can be no      
question nowadays1 that application to  
work1 absorption in affairs1 contact    
with men1 and all the stress which      
business imposes on us1 gives a noble   
training to the intellect1 and splendid 
opportunity for discipline of character4
 ,it is an utterly low view of business 
which regards it as only a means of     
getting a living4 ,a man's business is  
his part of the world's work1 his share 
of the great activities which render    
society possible4 ,he may like it or    
dislike it1 but it is work1 and as such 
requires application1 self-denial1      
discipline4 ,it is his drill1 and he    

cannot be thorough in his occupation    
without putting himself into it1        
checking his fancies1 restraining his   
impulses1 and holding himself to the    
perpetual round of small                
details--without1 in fact1 submitting to
 his drill4 ,but the perpetual call on a
 man's readiness1 sell-control1 and     
vigour which business makes1 the        
constant appeal to the intellect1 the   
stress upon the will1 the necessity for 
rapid and responsible exercise of       
judgment--all these things constitute a 
high culture1 though not the highest4   
,it is a culture which strengthens and  
invigorates if it does not refine1 which
 gives force if not polish--the         
,,fortiter ,,in ,,re1 if not the        
,,suaviter ,,in ,,modo4 ,it makes strong
 men and ready men1 and men of vast     
capacity for affairs1 though it does not
 necessarily make refined men or        
gentlemen4  ,footnote #acae3 ,on the    
first publication of his ',despatches1' 
one of his friends said to him1 on      

reading the records of his ,indian      
campaigns3 ,it seems to me1 ,duke1 that 
your chief business in ,india was to    
procure rice and bullocks4 ,and so it   
was1 replied ,wellington3 for if ,i had 
rice and bullocks1 ,i had men2 and if ,i
 had men1 ,i knew ,i could beat the     
enemy4  ,footnote #acaf3 ,maria         
,edgeworth1 ',memoirs of ,r4 ,l4        
,edgeworth1' ii4 #id4  ,footnote #acag3 
,a friend of ,lord ,palmerston has      
communicated to us the following        
anecdote4 ,asking him one day when he   
considered a man to be in the prime of  
life1 his immediate reply was1          
,seventy-nine6 ,but1 he added1 with a   
twinkle in his eye1 as ,i have just     
entered my eightieth year1 perhaps ,i am
 myself a little past it4  ,footnote    
#acah3 ',reasons of ,church             
,government1' ,book ,,ii4  ,footnote    
#acai3 ,coleridge's advice to his young 
friends was much to the same effect4    
,with the exception of one extraordinary
 man1 he says1 ,i have never known an   

individual1 least of all an individual  
of genius1 healthy or happy without a   
profession3 i4e41 some regular          
employment which does not depend on the 
will of the moment1 and which can be    
carried on so far mechanically1 that an 
average quantum only of health1 spirits1
 and intellectual exertion are requisite
 to its faithful discharge4 ,three hours
 of leisure1 unalloyed by any alien     
anxiety1 and looked forward to with     
delight as a change and recreation1 will
 suffice to realise in literature a     
larger product of what is truly genial1 
than weeks of compulsion4444 ,if facts  
are required to prove the possibility of
 combining weighty performances in      
literature with full and independent    
employment1 the works of ,cicero and    
,xenophon1 among the ancients--of ,sir  
,thomas ,more1 ,bacon1 ,baxter1 or #acto
 refer at once to later and contemporary
 instances ,darwin and ,roscoe1 are at  
once decisive of the                    
question4--,,biographia ,,literaria1    

,chap4 xi4  ,footnote #acbj3 ,mr4       
,ricardo published his celebrated       
',theory of ,rent1' at the urgent       
recommendation of ,james ,mill #aclike  
his son1 a chief clerk in the ,india    
,house1 author of the ',history of      
,british ,india4' ,when the ',theory of 
,rent' was written1 ,ricardo was so     
dissatisfied with it that he wished to  
burn it2 but ,mr4 ,mill urged him to    
publish it1 and the book was a great    
success4  ,footnote #acba3 ,the late    
,sir ,john ,lubbock1 his father1 was    
also eminent as a mathematician and     
astronomer4  ,footnote #acbb3 ,thales1  
once inveighing in discourse against the
 pains and care men put themselves to1  
to become rich1 was answered by one in  
the company that he did like the fox1   
who found fault with what he could not  
obtain4 ,thereupon ,thales had a mind1  
for the jest's sake1 to show them the   
contrary2 and having upon this occasion 
for once made a muster of all his wits1 
wholly to employ them in the service of 

profit1 he set a traffic on foot1 which 
in one year brought him in so great     
riches1 that the most experienced in    
that trade could hardly in their whole  
lives1 with all their industry1 have    
raked so much together4 --,montaignes   
,,essays1 ,book ,i41 chap4 #bd4         
,footnote #acbc3 ,the understanding1    
says ,mr4 ,bailey1 that is accustomed to
 pursue a regular and connected train of
 ideas1 becomes in some measure         
incapacitated for those quick and       
versatile movements which are learnt in 
the commerce of the world1 and are      
indispensable to those who act a part in
 it4 ,deep thinking and practical       
talents require indeed habits of mind so
 essentially dissimilar1 that while a   
man is striving after the one1 he will  
be unavoidably in danger of losing the  
other4 ,thence1 he adds1 do we so often 
find men1 who are 'giants in the        
closet1' prove but 'children in the     
world4'--',essays on the ,formation and 
,publication of ,opinions1' pp4#bea-c4  

,footnote #acbd3 ,mr4 ,gladstone is as  
great an enthusiast in literature as    
,canning was4 ,it is related of him     
that1 while he was waiting in his       
committee-room at ,liverpool for the    
returns coming in on the day of the     
,south ,lancashire polling1 he occupied 
himself in proceeding with the          
translation of a work which he was then 
preparing for the press4  ,footnote     
#ada3 ,james ,russell ,lowell4          
,footnote #adb3 ,yet ,bacon himself had 
written1 ,i would rather believe all the
 faiths in the ,legend1 and the ,talmud1
 and the ,alcoran1 than that this       
universal frame is without a mind4      
,footnote #adc3 ,aubrey1 in his         
',natural ,history of ,wiltshire1'      
alluding to ,harvey1 says3 ,he told me  
himself that upon publishing that book  
he fell in his practice extremely4      
,footnote #add3 ,sir ,thomas ,more's    
first wife1 ,jane ,colt1 was originally 
a young country girl1 whom he himself   
instructed in letters1 and moulded to   

his own tastes and manners4 ,she died   
young1 leaving a son and three          
daughters1 of whom the noble ,margaret  
,roper most resembled ,more himself4    
,his second wife was ,alice ,middleton1 
a widow1 some seven years older than    
,more1 not beautiful--for he            
characterized her as ,,nec ,,bella1     
,,nec ,,puella--but a shrewd worldly    
woman1 not by any means disposed to     
sacrifice comfort and good cheer for    
considerations such as those which so   
powerfully influenced the mind of her   
husband4  ,footnote #ade3 ,before being 
beheaded1 ,eliot said1 ,death is but a  
little word2 but ''tis a great work to  
die4' ,in his ',prison ,thoughts' before
 his execution1 he wrote3 ,he that fears
 not to die1 fears nothing4444 ,there is
 a time to live1 and a time to die4 ,a  
good death is far better and more       
eligible than an ill life4 ,a wise man  
lives but so long as his life is worth  
more than his death4 ,the longer life is
 not always the better4  ,footnote #adf3

 ,mr4 ,j4 ,s4 ,mill1 in his book ',on   
,liberty1' describes the masses1 as     
collective mediocrity4 ,the initiation  
of all wise or noble things1 he says1   
comes1 and must come1 from              
individuals--generally at first from    
some one individual4 ,the honour and    
glory of the average man is that he is  
capable of following that imitation2    
that he can respond internally to wise  
and noble things1 and be led to them    
with his eyes open4444 ,in this age1 the
 mere example of nonconformity1 the mere
 refusal to bend the knee to custom1 is 
itself a service4 ,precisely because the
 tyranny of opinion is such as to make  
eccentricity a reproach1 it is          
desirable1 in order to break through    
that tyranny1 that people should be     
eccentric4 ,eccentricity has always     
abounded when and where strength of     
character has abounded2 and the amount  
of eccentricity in a society has        
generally been proportional to the      
amount of genius1 mental vigour1 and    

moral courage which it contained4 ,that 
so few now dare to be eccentric1 marks  
the chief danger of the time4--,pp4     
#abj-a4  ,footnote #adg3 ,mr4 ,arthur   
,helps1 in one of his thoughtful books1 
published in #ahde1 made some           
observations on this point1 which are   
not less applicable now4 ,he there said3
 it is a grievous thing to see          
literature made a vehicle for           
encouraging the enmity of class to      
class4 ,yet this1 unhappily1 is not     
unfrequent now4 ,some great man summed  
up the nature of ,french novels by      
calling them the ,literature of         
,despair2 the kind of writing that ,i   
deprecate may be called the ,literature 
of ,envy4444 ,such writers like to throw
 their influence1 as they might say1    
into the weaker scale4 ,but that is not 
the proper way of looking at the matter4
 ,i think1 if they saw the ungenerous   
nature of their proceedings1 that alone 
would stop them4 ,they should recollect 
that literature may fawn upon the masses

 as well as the aristocracy2 and in     
these days the temptation is in the     
former direction4 ,but what is most     
grievous in this kind of writing is the 
mischief it may do to the working-people
 themselves4 ,if you have their true    
welfare at heart1 you will not only care
 for their being fed and clothed1 but   
you will be anxious not to encourage    
unreasonable expectations in them--not  
to make them ungrateful or              
greedy-minded4 ,above all1 you will be  
solicitous to preserve some             
self-reliance in them4 ,you will be     
careful not to let them think that their
 condition can be wholly changed without
 exertion of their own4 ,you would not  
desire to have it so changed4 ,once     
elevate your ideal of what you wish to  
happen amongst the labouring population1
 and you will not easily admit anything 
in your writings that may injure their  
moral or their mental character1 even if
 you thought it might hasten some       
physical benefit for them4 ,that is the 

way to make your genius most serviceable
 to mankind4 ,depend upon it1 honest and
 bold things require to be said to the  
lower as well as the higher classes2 and
 the former are in these times much less
 likely to have1 such things addressed  
to them4-,claims of ,labour1 pp4 #bec-d4
  ,footnote #adh3 ',memoirs of ,colonel 
,hutchinson' #ad;,bohn's ,ed41 p4 #cb4  
,footnote #adi3 ,at a public meeting    
held at ,worcester1 in #ahfg1 in        
recognition of ,sir ,j4 ,pakington's    
services as ,chairman of ,quarter       
,sessions for a period of twenty-four   
years1 the following remarks1 made by   
,sir ,john on the occasion1 are just and
 valuable as they are modest3-,i am     
indebted for whatever measure of success
 ,i have attained in my public life1 to 
a combination of moderate abilities1    
with honesty of intention1 firmness of  
purpose1 and steadiness of conduct4 ,if 
,i were to offer advice to any young man
 anxious to make himself useful in      
public life1 ,i would sum up the results

 of my experience in three short        
rules--rules so simple that any man may 
understand them1 and so easy that any   
man may act upon them4 ,my first rule   
would be--leave it to others to judge of
 what duties you are capable1 and for   
what position you are fitted2 but never 
refuse to give your services in whatever
 capacity it may be the opinion of      
others who are competent to judge that  
you may benefit your neighbours or your 
country4 ,my second rule is--when you   
agree to undertake public duties1       
concentrate every energy and faculty in 
your possession with the determination  
to discharge those duties to the best of
 your ability4 ,lastly1 ,i would counsel
 you that1 in deciding on the line which
 you will take in public affairs1 you   
should be guided in your decision by    
that which1 after mature deliberation1  
you believe to be right1 and not by that
 which1 in the passing hour1 may happen 
to be fashionable or popular4  ,footnote
 #adaj3 ,the following illustration of  

one of his minute acts of kindness is   
given in his biography3--,he was one day
 taking a long country walk near        
,freshford1 when he met a little girl1  
about five years old1 sobbing over a    
broken bowl2 she had dropped and broken 
it in bringing it back from the field to
 which she had taken her father's dinner
 in it1 and she said she would be beaten
 on her return home for having broken   
it2 when1 with a sudden gleam of hope1  
she innocently looked up into his face1 
and said1 ',but yee can mend it1 can't  
ee8'  ,my father explained that he could
 not mend the bowl1 but the trouble he  
could1 by the gift of a sixpence to buy 
another4 ,however1 on opening his purse 
it was empty of silver1 and he had to   
make amends by promising to meet his    
little friend in the same spot at the   
same hour next day1 and to bring the    
sixpence with him1 bidding her1         
meanwhile1 tell her mother she had seen 
a gentleman who would bring her the     
money for the bowl next day4 ,the child1

 entirely trusting him1 went on her way 
comforted4 ,on his return home he found 
an invitation awaiting him to dine in   
,bath the following evening1 to meet    
some one whom he specially wished to    
see4 ,he hesitated for some little time1
 trying to calculate the possibility of 
giving the meeting to his little friend 
of the broken bowl and of still being in
 time for the dinner-party in ,bath2 but
 finding this could not be1 he wrote to 
decline accepting the invitation on the 
plea of 'a pre-engagement1' saying to   
us1 ',i cannot disappoint her1 she      
trusted me so implicitly4'  ,footnote   
#adaa3 ,miss ,florence ,nightingale has 
related the following incident as having
 occurred before ,sebastopol3--,i       
remember a sergeant who1 on picket1 the 
rest of the picket killed and himself   
battered about the head1 stumbled back  
to camp1 and on his way picked up a     
wounded man and brought him in on his   
shoulders to the lines1 where he fell   
down insensible4 ,when1 after many      

hours1 he recovered his senses1 ,i      
believe after trepanning1 his first     
words were to ask after his comrade1    
',is he alive8' ',comrade1 indeed2 yes1 
he's alive--it is the general4' ,at that
 moment the general1 though badly       
wounded1 appeared at the bedside4 ',oh1 
general1 it's you1 is it1 ,i brought in8
 ,i'm so glad2 ,i didn't know your      
honour4 ,but1 ----1 if ,i'd known it was
 you1 ,i'd have saved you all the same4'
 ,this is the true soldier's spirit4    
,in the same letter1 ,miss ,nightingale 
says3 ,england1 from her grand          
mercantile and commercial successes1 has
 been called sordid2 ,god knows she is  
not4 ,the simple courage1 the enduring  
patience1 the good sense1 the strength  
to suffer in silence--what nation shows 
more of this in war than is shown by her
 commonest soldier8 ,i have seen men    
dying of dysentery1 but scorning to     
report themselves sick lest they should 
thereby throw more labour on their      
comrades1 go down to the trenches and   

make the trenches their deathbed4 ,there
 is nothing in history to compare with  
it4444  ,say what men will1 there is    
something more truly ,christian in the  
man who gives his time1 his strength1   
his life1 if need be1 for something not 
himself--whether he call it his ,queen1 
his country1 or his colours--than in all
 the asceticism1 the fasts1 the         
humiliations1 and confessions which have
 ever been made3 and this spirit of     
giving one's life1 without calling it a 
sacrifice1 is found nowhere so truly as 
in ,england4  ,footnote #adab3 ,mrs4    
,grote's ',life of ,ary ,scheffer1' pp4 
#aed-e4  ,footnote #adac3 ,the          
sufferings of this noble woman1 together
 with those of her unfortunate husband1 
were touchingly described in a letter   
afterwards addressed by her to a female 
friend1 which was published some years  
ago at ,haarlem1 entitled1 ',gertrude   
von der ,wart2 or1 ,fidelity unto       
,death4' ,mrs4 ,hemans wrote a poem of  
great pathos and beauty1 commemorating  

the sad story in her ',records of       
,woman4'  ,footnote #aea3 ',social      
,statics1' p4 #ahe4  ,footnote #aeb3 ,in
 all cases1 says ,jeremy ,bentham1 when 
the power of the will can be exercised  
over the thoughts1 let those thoughts be
 directed towards happiness4 ,look out  
for the bright1 for the brightest side  
of things1 and keep your face constantly
 turned to it4444 ,a large part of      
existence is necessarily passed in      
inaction4 ,by day #aeto take an instance
 from the thousand in constant          
recurrence1 when in attendance on       
others1 and time is lost by being kept  
waiting2 by night when sleep is         
unwilling to close the eyelids1 the     
economy of happiness recommends the     
occupation of pleasurable thought4 ,in  
walking abroad1 or in resting at home1  
the mind cannot be vacant2 its thoughts 
may be useful1 useless1 or pernicious to
 happiness4 ,direct them aright2 the    
habit of happy thought will spring up   
like any other habit4 ,,deontology1 ii4 

#aje-f4  ,footnote #aec3 ,the following 
extract from a letter of ,m4 ,boyd1     
,esq41 is given by ,earl ,stanhope in   
his ',miscellanies'3--,there was a      
circumstance told me by the late ,mr4   
,christmas1 who for many years held an  
important official situation in the     
,bank of ,england4 ,he was1 ,i believe1 
in early life a clerk in the ,treasury1 
or one of the government offices1 and   
for some time acted for ,mr4 ,pitt as   
his confidential clerk1 or temporary    
private secretary4 ,christmas was one of
 the most obliging men ,i ever knew2    
and1 from the1 position he occupied1 was
 constantly exposed to interruptions1   
yet ,i never saw his temper in the least
 ruffled4 ,one day ,i found him more    
than usually engaged1 having a mass of  
accounts to prepare for one of the      
law-courts--still the same equanimity1  
and ,i could not resist the opportunity 
of asking the old gentleman the secret4 
',well1 ,mr4 ,boyd1 you shall know it4  
,mr4 ,pitt gave it to me3--,,not ,,to   

,,lose ,,my ,,temper1 ,,if ,,possible1  
,,at ,,any ,,time1 ,,and ,,never        
,,during ,,the ,,hours ,,of ,,business4 
,my labours here #ae;,bank of ,england  
commence at nine and end at three2 and1 
acting on the advice of the illustrious 
statesman1 ,i ,,never ,,lose ,,my       
,,temper ,,during ,,those ,,hours4'     
,footnote #aed3 ',strafford ,papers1' i4
 #hg4  ,footnote #aee3 ,jared ,sparks'  
',life of ,washington1' pp4 #g1 #ecd4   
,footnote #aef3 ,brialmont's ',life of  
,wellington4'  ,footnote #aeg3          
,professor ,tyndall1 on ',faraday as a  
,discoverer1' p4 #aef4  ,footnote #aeh3 
',life of ,perthes1' ii4 #baf4          
,footnote #aei3 ,lady ,elizabeth ,carew4
  ,footnote #aeaj3 ,francis ,horner1 in 
one of his letters1 says3 ,it is among  
the very sincere and zealous friends of 
liberty that you will find the most     
perfect specimens of wrongheadedness2   
men of a dissenting1 provincial cast of 
virtue--who #ae;according to one of     
,sharpe's favourite phrases ,,will drive

 a wedge the broad end foremost--utter  
strangers to all moderation in political
 business4--,francis ,horner's ,,life   
,,and ,,correspondence #aeahdc1 ii4     
#acc4  ,footnote #aeaa3 ,professor      
,tyndall on ',faraday as a ,discoverer1'
 pp4 #dj-a4  ,footnote #aeab3 ,yet      
,burke himself2 though capable of giving
 ,barry such excellent advice1 was by no
 means immaculate as regarded his own   
temper4 ,when he lay ill at             
,beaconsfield1 ,fox1 from whom he had   
become separated by political           
differences arising out of the ,french  
,revolution1 went down to see his old   
friend4 ,but ,burke would not grant him 
an interview2 he positively refused to  
see him4 ,on his return to town1 ,fox   
told his friend ,coke the result of his 
journey2 and when ,coke lamented        
,burke's obstinacy1 ,fox only replied1  
goodnaturedly3 ,ah6 never mind1 ,tom2 ,i
 always find every ,irishman has got a  
piece of potato in his head4 ,yet ,fox1 
with his usual generosity1 when he heard

 of ,burke's impending death1 wrote a   
most kind and cordial letter to ,mrs4   
,burke1 expressive of his grief and     
sympathy2 and when ,burke was no more1  
,fox was the first to propose that he   
should be interred with public honours  
in ,westminster ,abbey--which only      
,burke's own express wish1 that he      
should be buried at ,beaconsfield1      
prevented being carried out4  ,footnote 
#aeac3 ,when ,curran1 the ,irish        
barrister1 visited ,burns's cabin in    
#ahaj1 he found it converted into a     
public house1 and the landlord who      
showed it was drunk4 ,there1 said he1   
pointing to a corner on one side of the 
fire1 with a most ,,malapropos          
laugh-there is the very spot where      
,robert ,burns was born4 ,the genius and
 the fate of the man1 says ,curran1 were
 already heavy on my heart2 but the     
drunken laugh of the landlord gave me   
such a view of the rock on which he had 
foundered1 that ,i could not stand it1  
but burst into tears4  ,footnote #aead3 

,the chaplain of ,horsemongerlane ,gaol1
 in his annual report to the ,surrey    
justices1 thus states the result of his 
careful study of the causes of          
dishonesty3 ,from my experience of      
predatory crime1 founded upon careful   
study of the character of a great       
variety of prisoners1 ,i conclude that  
habitual dishonesty is to be referred   
neither to ignorance1 nor to            
drunkenness1 nor to poverty1 nor to     
overcrowding in towns1 nor to temptation
 from surrounding wealth--nor1 indeed1  
to any one of the many indirect causes  
to which it is sometimes referred--but  
mainly ,,to ,a ,,disposition ,,to       
,,acquire ,,property ,,with ,a ,,less   
,,degree ,,of ,,labour ,,than ,,ordinary
 ,,industry4 ,the italics are the       
author's4  ,footnote #aeae3 ,s4 ,c4     
,hall's ',memories4'  ,footnote #aeaf3  
,moore's ',life of ,byron1' #hvo4 ,ed41 
p4 #ahb4  ,footnote #aeag3 ,captain     
,basil ,hall records the following      
conversation with ,scott3-,it occurs to 

me1 ,i observed1 that people are apt to 
make too much fuss about the loss of    
fortune1 which is one of the smallest of
 the great evils of life1 and ought to  
be among the most tolerable4--,do you   
call it a small misfortune to be ruined 
in money-matters8 he asked4 ,it is not  
so painful1 at all events1 as the loss  
of friends4--,i grant that1 he said4 ,as
 the loss of character8--,true again4   
,as the loss of health8--,ay1 there you 
have me1 he muttered to himself1 in a   
tone so melancholy that ,i wished ,i had
 not spoken4 ,what is the loss of       
fortune to the loss of peace of mind8 ,i
 continued4 ,in short1 said he1         
playfully1 you will make it out that    
there is no harm in a man's being       
plunged over-head-and-ears in a debt he 
cannot remove4 ,much depends1 ,i think1 
on how it was incurred1 and what efforts
 are made to redeem it--at least1 if the
 sufferer be a rightminded man4 ,i hope 
it does1 he said1 cheerfully and        
firmly4--,,fragments ,,of ,,voyages     

,,and ,,travels1 #crd series1 pp4       
#cjh-i4  ,footnote #aeah3 ,these        
battles1 he wrote in his ,diary1 have   
been the death of many a man1 ,i think  
they will be mine4  ,footnote #aeai3    
,scott's ,diary1 ,december #agth1 #ahbg4
  ,footnote #afa3 ,from ,lovelace's     
lines to ,lucusta #af,lucy ,sacheverell1
 ',going to the ,wars4'  ,footnote #afb3
 ,amongst other great men of genius1    
,ariosto and ,michael ,angelo devoted to
 her their service and their muse4      
,footnote #afc3 ,see the ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4  
,farrar's admirable book1 entitled      
',seekers after ,god' #af,sunday        
,library4 ,the author there says3       
,epictetus was not a ,christian4 ,he has
 only once alluded to the ,christians in
 his works1 and then it is under the    
opprobrious title of ',galileans1' who  
practised a kind of insensibility in    
painful circumstances1 and an           
indifference to worldly interests1 which
 ,epictetus unjustly sets down to 'mere 
habit4' ,unhappily1 it was not granted  

to these heathen philosophers in any    
true sense to know what ,christianity   
was4 ,they thought that it was an       
attempt to imitate the results of       
philosophy1 without having passed       
through the necessary discipline4 ,they 
viewed it with suspicion1 they treated  
it with injustice4 ,and yet in          
,christianity1 and in ,christianity     
alone1 they would have found an ideal   
which would have surpassed their        
loftiest anticipations4  ,footnote #afd3
 ,sparks' ',life of ,washington1' pp4   
#ada-b4  ,footnote #afe3 ,wellington1   
like ,washington1 had to pay the penalty
 of his adherence to the cause he       
thought right1 in his loss of           
popularity4 ,he was mobbed in the       
streets of ,london1 and had his windows 
smashed by the mob1 while his wife lay  
dead in the house4 ,sir ,walter ,scott  
also was hooted and pelted at ,hawick by
 the people1 amidst cries of ,burke ,sir
 ,walter6  ,footnote #aff3 ,robertson's 
',life and ,letters1' ii4 #aeg4         

,footnote #afg3 ,we select the following
 passages from this remarkable report of
 ,baron ,stoffel1 as being of more than 
merely temporary interest3--,who that   
has lived here #af;,berlin will deny    
that the ,prussians are energetic1      
patriotic1 and teeming with youthful    
vigour2 that they are not corrupted by  
sensual pleasures1 but are manly1 have  
earnest convictions1 do not think it    
beneath them to reverence sincerely what
 is noble and lofty8 ,what a melancholy 
contrast does ,france offer in all this8
 ,having sneered at everything1 she has 
lost the faculty of respecting anything4
 ,virtue1 family life1 patriotism1      
honour1 religion1 are represented to a  
frivolous generation as fitting subjects
 of ridicule4 ,the theatres have become 
schools of shamelessness and obscenity4 
,drop by drop1 poison is instilled into 
the very core of an ignorant and        
enervated society1 which has neither the
 insight nor the energy left to amend   
its institutions1 nor--which would be   

the most necessary step to take--become 
better informed or more moral4 ,one     
after the other the fine qualities of   
the nation are dying out4 ,where is the 
generosity1 the loyalty1 the charm of   
our ,,esprit1 and our former elevation  
of soul8 ,if this goes on1 the time will
 come when this noble race of ,france   
will be known only by its faults4 ,and  
,france has no idea that while she is   
sinking1 more earnest nations are       
stealing the march upon her1 are        
distancing her on the road to progress1 
and are preparing for her a secondary   
position in the world4  ,i am afraid    
that these opinions will not be relished
 in ,france4 ,however correct1 they     
differ too much from what is usually    
said and asserted at home4 ,i should    
wish some enlightened and unprejudiced  
,frenchmen to come to ,prussia and make 
this country their study4 ,they would   
soon discover that they were living in  
the midst of a strong1 earnest1 and     
intelligent nation1 entirely destitute1 

it is true1 of noble and delicate       
feelings1 of all fascinating charms1 but
 endowed with every solid virtue1 and   
alike distinguished for untiring        
industry1 order1 and economy1 as well as
 for patriotism1 a strong sense of duty1
 and that consciousness of personal     
dignity which in their case is so       
happily blended with respect for        
authority and obedience to the law4     
,they would see a country with firm1    
sound1 and moral institutions1 whose    
upper classes are worthy of their rank1 
and1 by possessing the highest degree of
 culture1 devoting themselves to the    
service of the ,state1 setting an       
example of patriotism1 and knowing how  
to preserve the influence legitimately  
their own4 ,they would find a ,state    
with an excellent administration where  
everything is in its right place1 and   
where the most admirable order prevails 
in every branch of the social and       
political system4 ,prussia may be well  
compared to a massive structure of lofty

 proportions and astounding solidity1   
which1 though it has nothing to delight 
the eye or speak to the heart1 cannot   
but impress us with its grand symmetry1 
equally observable in its broad         
foundations as in its strong and        
sheltering roof4  ,and what is ,france8 
,what is ,french society in these latter
 days8 ,a hurly-burly of disorderly     
elements1 all mixed and jumbled         
together2 a country in which everybody  
claims the right to occupy the highest  
posts1 yet few remember that a man to be
 employed in a responsible position     
ought to have a well-balanced mind1     
ought to be strictly moral1 to know     
something of the world1 and possess     
certain intellectual powers2 a country  
in which the highest offices are        
frequently held by ignorant and         
uneducated persons1 who either boast    
some special talent1 or whose only claim
 is social position and some versatility
 and address4 ,what a baneful and       
degrading state of things6 ,and how     

natural that1 while it lasts1 ,france   
should be full of a people without a    
position1 without a calling1 who do not 
know what to do with themselves1 but are
 none the less eager to envy and malign 
every one who does4444  ,the ,french do 
not possess in any very marked degree   
the qualities required to render general
 conscription acceptable1 or to turn it 
to account4 ,conceited and egotistic as 
they are1 the people would object to an 
innovation whose invigorating force they
 are unable to comprehend1 and which    
cannot be carried out without virtues   
which they do not                       
possess--self-abnegation1 conscientious 
recognition of duty1 and a willingness  
to sacrifice personal interests to the  
loftier demands of the country4 ,as the 
character of individuals is only        
improved by experience1 most nations    
require a chastisement before they set  
about reorganising their political      
institutions4 ,so ,prussia wanted a     
,jena to make her the strong and healthy

 country she is4  ,footnote #afh3 ,yet  
even in ,de ,tocqueville's benevolent   
nature1 there was a pervading element of
 impatience4 ,in the very letter in     
which the above passage occurs1 he says3
 ,some persons try to be of use to men  
while they despise them1 and others     
because they love them4 ,in the services
 rendered by the first1 there is always 
something incomplete1 rough1 and        
contemptuous1 that inspires neither     
confidence nor gratitude4 ,i should like
 to belong to the second class1 but     
often ,i cannot4 ,i love mankind in     
general1 but ,i constantly meet with    
individuals whose baseness revolts me4  
,i struggle daily against a universal   
contempt for my fellow1                 
creatures4--,,memoirs ,,and ,,remains   
,,of ,,de ,,tocqueville1 vol4 i4 p4     
#hac4 ,footnote #af,letter to           
,kergorlay1 ,nov4 #acth1 #ahcc4         
,footnote #afi3 ,gleig's ',life of      
,wellington1' pp4 #cad1 #cae4  ,footnote
 #afaj3 ',life of ,arnold1' i4 #id4     

,footnote #afaa3 ,see the ',memoir of   
,george ,wilson1 ,m4,d41 ,f4,r4,s4,e4'  
,by his sister ,footnote #af;,edinburgh1
 #ahfj4  ,footnote #afab3 ,such cases   
are not unusual4 ,we personally knew a  
young lady1 a countrywoman of ,professor
 ,wilson1 afflicted by cancer in the    
breast1 who concealed the disease from  
her parents lest it should occasion them
 distress4 ,an operation became         
necessary2 and when the surgeons called 
for the purpose of performing it1 she   
herself answered the door1 received them
 with a cheerful countenance1 led them  
upstairs to her room1 and submitted to  
the knife2 and her parents knew nothing 
of the operation until it was all over4 
,but the disease had become too deeply  
seated for recovery1 and the noble      
self-denying girl died1 cheerful and    
uncomplaining to the end4  ,footnote    
#afac3 ,one night1 about eleven o'clock1
 ,keats returned home in a state of     
strange physical excitement--it might   
have appeared1 to those who did not know

 him1 one of fierce intoxication4 ,he   
told his friend he had been outside the 
stage-coach1 had received a severe      
chill1 was a little fevered1 but added1 
',i don't feel it now4' ,he was easily  
persuaded to go to bed1 and as he leapt 
into the cold sheets1 before his head   
was on the pillow1 he slightly coughed  
and said1 ',that is blood from my mouth2
 bring me the candle2 let me see this   
blood' ,he gazed steadfastly for some   
moments at the ruddy stain1 and then1   
looking in his friend's face with an    
expression of sudden calmness never to  
be forgotten1 said1 ',i know the colour 
of that blood--it is arterial blood4 ,i 
cannot be deceived in that colour2 that 
drop is my death-warrant4 ,i must       
die6'--,houghton's ,,life ,,of ,,keats1 
,ed4 #ahfg1 p4 #bhi4  ,in the case of   
,george ,wilson1 the bleeding was in the
 first instance from the stomach1 though
 he afterwards suffered from lung       
haemorrhage like ,keats4 ,wilson        
afterwards1 speaking of the ,lives of   

,lamb and ,keats1 which had just        
appeared1 said he had been reading them 
with great sadness4 ,there is1 said he1 
something in the noble brotherly love of
 ,charles to brighten1 and hallow1 and  
relieve that sadness2 but ,keats's      
deathbed is the blackness of midnight1  
unmitigated by one ray of light6        
,footnote #afad3 ,on the doctors1 who   
attended him in his first attack1       
mistaking the haemorrhage from the      
stomach for haemorrhage from the lungs1 
he wrote3 ,it would have been but poor  
consolation to have had as an epitaph3--
        ,here lies ,george ,wilson1     
,overtaken by ,nemesis2       ,he died  
not of ,haemoptysis1         ,but of    
,haematemesis4  ,footnote #afae3        
',memoir1' p4 #dbg4  ,footnote #aga3    
,jeremy ,taylor's ',holy ,living4'      
,footnote #agb3 ',michelet's ',life of  
,luther1' pp4 #daa-ab4  ,footnote #agc3 
,sir ,john ,kaye's ',lives of ,indian   
,officers4'  ,footnote #agd3            
',deontology1' pp4 #acj-a1 #add4        

,footnote #age3 ',letters and ,essays1' 
p4 #fg4  ,footnote #agf3 ',beauties of  
,st4 ,francis de ,sales4'  ,footnote    
#agg3 ,ibid4  ,footnote #agh3 ',life of 
,perthes1' ii4 #ddi4  ,footnote #agi3   
,moore's ',life of ,byron1' #hvo4 ,ed41 
p4 #dhc4  ,footnote #aha3 ,locke thought
 it of greater importance that an       
educator of youth should be well-bred   
and well-tempered1 than that he should  
be either a thorough classicist or man  
of science4 ,writing to ,lord           
,peterborough on his son's education1   
,locke said3 ,your ,lordship would have 
your son's tutor a thorough scholar1 and
 ,i think it not much matter whether he 
be any scholar or no3 if he but         
understand ,latin well1 and have a      
general scheme of the sciences1 ,i think
 that enough4 ,but ,i would have him    
,,well-,,bred and ,,well-,,tempered4    
,footnote #ahb3 ,mrs4 ,hutchinson's     
',memoir of the ,life of                
,lieut4-,colonel ,hutchinson1' p4 #cb4  
,footnote #ahc3 ',letters and ,essays1' 

p4 #ei4  ,footnote #ahd3 ',lettres d'un 
,voyageur4'  ,footnote #ahe3 ,sir ,henry
 ,taylor's ',statesman1' p4 #ei4        
,footnote #ahf3 ,introduction to the    
',principal ,speeches and ,addresses of 
,his ,royal ,highness the ,prince       
,consort1' #ahfb4  ,footnote #ahg3      
,when in disgrace with fortune and men's
 eyes1        ,i all alone beween my    
outcast state1     ,and troubled deaf   
heaven with my bootless cries1          
,and look upon myself and curse my fate2
     ,,wishing ,,me ,,like ,,to ,,one   
,,more ,,rich ,,in ,,hope1              
,featured like him1 like him with       
friends possessed1     ,desiring this   
man's art1 and that man's scope1        
,with what ,i most enjoy1 contented     
least2     ,yet in these thoughts1      
,,myself ,,almost ,,despising1          
,haply ,i think on thee1 c4--,,sonnet   
,,xxix4      ,so ,i1 ,,made ,,lame by   
sorrow's dearest spite1 c4--,,sonnet    
,,xxxvi  ,footnote #ahh3 ,and strength1 
by ,,limping sway disabled1 c4--,,sonnet

 ,,lxvi4      ,speak of ,,my ,,lameness1
 and ,i straight will halt4--,,sonnet   
,,lxxxix4  ,footnote #ahi3       ,alas6 
'tis true1 ,i have gone here and there1 
,and ,,made ,,myself ,a ,,motley ,,to   
,,the ,,view1      ,gored mine own      
thoughts1 sold cheap what is most dear1 
,made old offences of affections new1   
c4--,,sonnet ,,cx4       ,oh1 for my    
sake do you with fortune chide6         
,the guilty goddess of my harmful deeds1
      ,that did not better for my life  
provide1        ,,than ,,public ,,means1
 ,,which ,,public ,,manners ,,breed2    
,thence comes it that my name receives a
 brand1        ,and almost thence my    
nature is subdued1      ,to what it     
works in like the dyer's hand1          
c4--,,sonnet ,,cxi4  ,footnote #ahaj3   
,in our two loves there is but one      
respect1          ,though in our loves a
 separable spite1      ,which though it 
alter not loves sole effect2            
,yet doth it steal sweet hours from     
love's delight1      ,i may not evermore

 acknowledge thee1         ,lest ,,my   
,,bewailed ,,guilt ,,should ,,do ,,thee 
,,shame4--,,sonnet ,,xxxvi4  ,footnote  
#ahaa3 ,it is related of ,garrick1 that 
when subpoenaed on ,baretti's trial1 and
 required to give his evidence before   
the court--though he had been accustomed
 for thirty years to act with the       
greatest self-possession in the presence
 of thousands--he became so perplexed   
and confused1 that he was actually sent 
from the witness-box by the judge1 as a 
man from whom no evidence could be      
obtained4  ,footnote #ahab3 ,mrs4       
,mathews' ',life and ,correspondence of 
,charles ,mathews1' #ah;,ed4 #ahfj3 p4  
#bcb4  ,footnote #ahac3 ,archbishop     
,whately's ',commonplace ,book4'        
,footnote #ahad3 ,emerson is said to    
have had ,nathaniel ,hawthorne in his   
mind when writing the following passage 
in his ',society and ,solitude3'--,the  
most agreeable compliment you could pay 
him was1 to imply that you had not      
observed him in a house or a street     

where you had met him4 ,whilst he       
suffered at being seen where he was1 he 
consoled himself with the delicious     
thought of the inconceivable number of  
places where he was not4 ,all he wished 
of his tailor was to provide that sober 
mean of colour and cut which would never
 detain the eye for a moment4444 ,he had
 a remorse1 running to despair1 of his  
social ,,gaucheries1 and walked miles   
and miles to get the twitchings out of  
his face1 and the starts and shrugs out 
of his arms and shoulders4 ',god may    
forgive sins1' he said1 'but awkwardness
 has no forgiveness in heaven or earth4'
  ,footnote #ahae3 ,in a series of      
clever articles in the ,,revue ,,des    
,,deux ,,mondes1 entitled1 ',six mille  
,lieues a toute ,vapeur1' giving a      
description of his travels in ,north    
,america1 ,maurice ,sand keenly observed
 the comparatively anti-social          
proclivities of the ,american compared  
with the ,frenchman4 ,the one1 he says1 
is inspired by the spirit of            

individuality1 the other by the spirit  
of society4 ,in ,america he sees the    
individual absorbing society2 as in     
,france he sees society absorbing the   
individual4 ,ce peuple ,anglo-,saxon1 he
 says1 qui trouvait devant lui la terre1
 l'instrument de travail1 sinon         
inepuisable1 du mons inepuise1 s'est mis
 a l'exploiter sous l'inspiration de    
l'egoisme2 et nous autres ,francais1    
nous n'avons rien su en faire1 parceque 
,,nous ,,ne ,,pouvons ,,rien ,,dans     
,l',,isolement4444 ,l',americain        
supporte la solitude avec un stoicisme  
admirable1 mais effrayant2 il ne l'aime 
pas1 il ne songe qu'a la detruire4444   
,le ,francais est tout autre4 ,il aime  
son parent1 son ami1 son compagnon1 et  
jusqu'a son voisin d'omnibus ou de      
theatre1 si sa figure lui est           
sympathetique4 ,pourquoi8 ,parce qu'il  
le regarde et cherche son ame1 parce    
qu'il vit dans son semblable autant     
qu'en lui-meme4 ,quand il est longtemps 
seul1 il deperit1 et quand il est       

toujours seul1 it meurt4  ,all this is  
perfectly true1 and it explains why the 
comparatively unsociable ,germans1      
,english1 and ,americans1 are spreading 
over the earth1 while the intensely     
sociable ,frenchmen1 unable to enjoy    
life without each other's society1      
prefer to stay at home1 and ,france     
fails to extend itself beyond ,france4  
,footnote #ahaf3 ,the ,irish have1 in   
many respects1 the same strong social   
instincts as the ,french4 ,in the       
,united ,states they cluster naturally  
in the towns1 where they have their     
,irish ,quarters1 as in ,england4 ,they 
are even more ,irish there than at home1
 and can no more forget that they are   
,irishmen than the ,french can that they
 are ,frenchmen4 ,i deliberately assert1
 says ,mr4 ,maguire1 in his recent work 
on ',the ,irish in ,america1' that it is
 not within the power of language to    
describe adequately1 much less to       
exaggerate1 the evils consequent on the 
unhappy tendency of the ,irish to       

congregate in the large towns of        
,america4 ,it is this intense socialism 
of the ,irish that keeps them in a      
comparatively hand-to-mouth condition in
 all the ,states of the ,union4         
,footnote #ahag3 ',the ,statesman1' p4  
#ce4  ,footnote #ahah3 ,nathaniel       
,hawthorne1 in his ',first ,impressions 
of ,france and ,italy1' says his opinion
 of the uncleanly character of the      
modern ,romans is so unfavourable that  
he hardly knows how to express it ,but  
the fact is that through the ,forum1 and
 everywhere out of the commonest        
foot-track and roadway1 you must look   
well to your steps4444 ,perhaps there is
 something in the minds of the people of
 these countries that enables them to   
dissever small ugliness from great      
sublimity and beauty4 ,they spit upon   
the glorious pavement of ,st4 ,peter's1 
and wherever else they like2 they place 
paltry-looking wooden confessionals     
beneath its sublime arches1 and ornament
 them with cheap little coloured prints 

of the ,crucifixion2 they hang tin      
hearts1 and other tinsel and trumpery1  
at the gorgeous shrines of the saints1  
in chapels that are encrusted with gems1
 or marbles almost as precious2 they put
 pasteboard statues of saints beneath   
the dome of the ,pantheon2--in short1   
they let the sublime and the ridiculous 
come close together1 and are not in the 
least troubled by the proximity4        
,footnote #ahai3 ,edwin ,chadwick's     
',address to the ,economic ,science and 
,statistic ,section1' ,british          
,association #ah,meeting1 #ahfb4        
,footnote #aia3 ',kaye's ',lives of     
,indian ,officers4'  ,footnote #aib3    
,emerson1 in his ',society and          
,solitude1' says ,in contemporaries1 it 
is not so easy to distinguish between   
notoriety and fame4 ,be sure1 then1 to  
read no mean books4 ,shun the spawn of  
the press or the gossip of the hour4444 
,the three practical rules ,i have to   
offer are these3--#a4 ,never read a book
 that is not a year old2 #b4 ,never read

 any but famed books2 #c4 ,never read   
any but what you like4 ,lord ,lytton's  
maxim is3 ,in science1 read by          
preference the newest books2 in         
literature1 the oldest4  ,footnote #aic3
 ,a friend of ,sir ,walter ,scott1 who  
had the same habit1 and prided himself  
on his powers of conversation1 one day  
tried to draw out a fellow-passenger who
 sat beside him on the outside of a     
coach1 but with indifferent success4 ,at
 length the conversationalist descended 
to expostulation4 ,i have talked to you1
 my friend1 said he1 on all the ordinary
 subjects--literature1 farming1         
merchandise1 gaming1 game-laws1         
horse-races1 suits at law1 politics1 and
 swindling1 and blasphemy1 and          
philosophy3 is there any one subject    
that you will favour me by opening upon8
 ,the wight writhed his countenance into
 a grin3 ,sir1 said he1 can you say     
anything clever about ,,bend-,,leather8 
,as might be expected1 the              
conversationalist was completely        

nonplussed4  ,footnote #aid3 ,coleridge1
 in his ',lay ,sermon1' points out1 as a
 fact of history1 how large a part of   
our present knowledge and civilization  
is owing1 directly or indirectly1 to the
 ,bible2 that the ,bible has been the   
main lever by which the moral and       
intellectual character of ,europe has   
been raised to its present comparative  
height2 and he specifies the marked and 
prominent difference of this book from  
the works which it is the fashion to    
quote as guides and authorities in      
morals1 politics1 and history4 ,in the  
,bible1 he says1 every agent appears and
 acts as a self-substituting individual3
 each has a life of its own1 and yet all
 are in life4 ,the elements of necessity
 and freewill are reconciled in the     
higher power of an omnipresent          
,providence1 that predestinates the     
whole in the moral freedom of the       
integral parts4 ,of this the ,bible     
never suffers us to lose sight4 ,the    
root is never detached from the ground1 

it is ,god everywhere2 and all creatures
 conform to ,his decrees--the righteous 
by performance of the law1 the          
disobedient by the sufferance of the    
penalty4  ,footnote #aie3 ,montaigne's  
,essay #ai;,book ,i4 chap4 xxv4--',of   
the ,education of ,children4'  ,footnote
 #aif3 ,tant il est vrai1 says          
,voltaire1 que les hommes1 qui sont     
audessus des autres par les talents1    
s'en ,,rapprochent ,,presque ,,toujours 
,,par ,,les ,,faiblesses2 car pourquoi  
les talents nous mettraient-ils         
audessous de l'humanite4--,,vie ,,de    
,,moliere4  ,footnote #aig3 ',life1'    
#hvo ,ed41 p4 #ajb4  ,footnote #aih3    
',autobiography of ,sir ,egerton        
,brydges1 ,bart41' vol4 i4 p4 #ia4      
,footnote #aii3 ,it was wanting in      
,plutarch1 in ,southey #ai',life of     
,nelson'1 and in ,forster #ai',life of  
,goldsmith'2 yet it must be acknowledged
 that personal knowledge gives the      
principal charm to ,tacitus's           
',agricola1' ,roper's ',life of ,more1' 

,johnson's ',lives of ,savage and       
,pope1' ,boswell's ',johnson1'          
,lockhart's ',scott1' ,carlyle's        
',sterling1' and ,moore's ',byron1'     
,footnote #aiaj3 ,the ',dialogus        
,novitiorum de ,contemptu ,mundi4'      
,footnote #aiaa3 ,the ,life of ,sir     
,charles ,bell1 one of our greatest     
physiologists1 was left to be written by
 ,amedee ,pichot1 a ,frenchman2 and     
though ,sir ,charles ,bell's letters to 
his brother have since been published1  
his ,life still remains to be written4  
,it may also be added that the best     
,life of ,goethe has been written by an 
,englishman1 and the best ,life of      
,frederick the ,great by a ,scotchman4  
,footnote #aiab3 ,it is not a little    
remarkable that the pious               
,schleiermacher should have concurred in
 opinion with ,goethe as to the merits  
of ,spinoza1 though he was a man        
excommunicated by the ,jews1 to whom he 
belonged1 and denounced by the          
,christians as a man little better than 

an atheist4 ,the ,great ,spirit of the  
world1 says ,schleiermacher1 in his     
,,rede ,,uber ,,die ,,religion1         
penetrated the holy but repudiated      
,spinoza2 the ,infinite was his         
beginning and his end2 the universe his 
only and eternal love4 ,he was filled   
with religion and religious feeling3 and
 therefore is it that he stands alone   
unapproachable1 the master in his art1  
but elevated above the profane world1   
without adherents1 and without even     
citizenship4  ,cousin also says of      
,spinoza3--,the author whom this        
pretended atheist most resembles is the 
unknown author of ',the ,imitation of   
,jesus ,christ4'  ,footnote #aiac3      
,preface to ,southeys ',life of ,wesley'
 #aiahfd4  ,footnote #aiad3 ,napoleon   
also read ,milton carefully1 and it has 
been related of him by ,sir ,colin      
,campbell1 who resided with ,napoleon at
 ,elba1 that when speaking of the       
,battle of ,austerlitz1 he said that a  
particular disposition of his artillery1

 which1 in its results1 had a decisive  
effect in winning the battle1 was       
suggested to his mind by the            
recollection of four lines in ,milton4  
,the lines occur in the sixth book1 and 
are descriptive of ,satan's artifice    
during the war with ,heaven4            
,in hollow cube        ,training his    
devilish engin'ry1 impal'd        ,on   
every side ,,with ,,shadowing           
,,squadrons ,,deep        ,,to ,,hide   
,,the ,,fraud4  ,the indubitable fact1  
says ,mr4 ,edwards1 in his book ',on    
,libraries1' that these lines have a    
certain appositeness to an important    
manoeuvre at ,austerlitz1 gives an      
independent interest to the story2 but  
it is highly imaginative to ascribe the 
victory to that manoeuvre4 ,and for the 
other preliminaries of the tale1 it is  
unfortunate that ,napoleon had learned a
 good deal about war long before he had 
learned anything about ,milton4         
,footnote #aiae3 ',biographia           
,literaria1' chap4 i4  ,footnote #aiaf3 

,sir ,john ,bowring's ',memoirs of      
,bentham1' p4 #aj4  ,footnote #aiag3    
,notwithstanding recent censures of     
classical studies as a useless waste of 
time1 there can be no doubt that they   
give the highest finish to intellectual 
culture4 ,the ancient classics contain  
the most consummate models of literary  
art2 and the greatest writers have been 
their most diligent students4 ,classical
 culture was the instrument with which  
,erasmus and the ,reformers purified    
,europe4 ,it distinguished the great    
patriots of the seventeenth century2 and
 it has ever since characterised our    
greatest statesmen4 ,i know not how it  
is1 says an ,english writer1 but their  
commerce with the ancients appears to me
 to produce1 in those who constantly    
practise it1 a steadying and composing  
effect upon their judgment1 not of      
literary works only1 but of men and     
events in general4 ,they are like       
persons who have had a weighty and      
impressive experience2 they are more    

truly than others under the empire of   
facts1 and more independent of the      
language current among those with whom  
they live4  ,footnote #aiah3 ,hazlitt's 
,,table ,,talk3 ',on ,thought and       
,action4'  ,footnote #bja3 ,mungo ,park 
declared that he was more affected by   
this incident than by any other that    
befel him in the course of his travels4 
,as he lay down to sleep on the mat     
spread for him on the floor of the hut1 
his benefactress called to the female   
part of the family to resume their task 
of spinning cotton1 in which they       
continued employed far into the night4  
,they lightened their labour with songs1
 says the traveller1 one of which was   
composed extempore1 for ,i was myself   
the subject of it2 it was sung by one of
 the young women1 the rest joining in a 
chorus4 ,the air was sweet and          
plaintive1 and the words1 literally     
translated1 were these3 ',the winds     
roared1 and the rains fell4 ,the poor   
white man1 faint and weary1 came and sat

 under our tree4 ,he has no mother to   
bring him milk1 no wife to grind his    
corn4' ,chorus--',let us pity the white 
man1 no mother has he6' ,trifling as    
this recital may appear1 to a person in 
my situation the circumstance was       
affecting in the highest degree4 ,i was 
so oppressed by such unexpected         
kindness1 that sleep fled before my     
eyes4  ,footnote #bjb3 ',transformation1
 or ,monte ,beni4'  ,footnote #bjc3     
',portraits ,contemporains1' iii4 #eai4 
,footnote #bjd3 ,mr4 ,arthur ,helps1 in 
one of his ,essays1 has wisely said3    
,you observe a man becoming day by day  
richer1 or advancing in station1 or     
increasing in professional reputation1  
and you set him down as a successful man
 in life4 ,but if his home is an        
ill-regulated one1 where no links of    
affection extend throughout the         
family--whose former domestics #bj;and  
he has had more of them than he can well
 remember look back upon their sojourn  
with him as one unblessed by kind words 

or deeds--,i contend that that man has  
not been successful4 ,whatever good     
fortune he may have in the world1 it is 
to be remembered that he has always left
 one important fortress untaken behind  
him4 ,that man's life does not surely   
read well whose benevolence has found no
 central home4 ,it may have sent forth  
rays in various directions1 but there   
should have been a warm focus of        
love--that home-nest which is formed    
round a good mans heart4--,,claims ,,of 
,,labour4  ,footnote #bje3 ,the red     
heart sends all its instincts up to the 
white brain1 to be analysed1 chilled1   
blanched1 and so become pure            
reason--which is just exactly what we do
 ,,not want of women as women4 ,the     
current should run the other way4 ,the  
nice1 calm1 cold thought1 which1 in     
women1 shapes itself so rapidly that    
they hardly know it as thought1 should  
always travel to the lips ,,via the     
heart4 ,it does so in those women whom  
all love and admire4444 ,the brain-women

 never interest us like the heart-women2
 white roses please less than           
red4--,,the ,,professor ,,at ,,the      
,,breakfast ,,table1 by ,oliver ,wendell
 ,holmes4  ,footnote #bjf3 ',the ,war   
and ,general ,culture1' #ahga4          
,footnote #bjg3 ,depend upon it1 men set
 more value on the cultivated minds than
 on the accomplishments of women1 which 
they are rarely able to appreciate4 ,it 
is a common error1 but it is an error1  
that literature unfits women for the    
everyday business of life4 ,it is not so
 with men4 ,you see those of the most   
cultivated minds constantly devoting    
their time and attention to the most    
homely objects4 ,literature gives women 
a real and proper weight in society1 but
 then they must use it with             
discretion4--,,the ,,rev4 ,,sydney      
,,smith4  ,footnote #bjh3 ',the         
,statesman1' pp4 #gc-ge4  ,footnote     
#bji3 ,fuller1 the ,church historian1   
with his usual homely mother-wit1       
speaking of the choice of a wife1 said  

briefly1 ,take the daughter of a good   
mother4  ,footnote #bjaj3 ,she was an   
,englishwoman--a ,miss ,motley4 ,it     
maybe mentioned that amongst other      
distinguished ,frenchmen who have       
married ,english wives1 were ,sismondi1 
,alfred de ,vigny1 and ,lamartine4      
,footnote #bjaa3 ,plus je roule dans ce 
monde1 et plus je suis amene a penser   
qu'il n'y a que le bonheur domestique   
qui signifie quelque chose4--,,oeuvres  
,,et ,,correspondence4  ,footnote #bjab3
 ,de ,tocqueville's ',memoir and        
,remains1' vol4 i4 p4 #djh4  ,footnote  
#bjac3 ,de ,tocqueville's ',memoir and  
,remains1' vol4 ii4 p4 #dh4  ,footnote  
#bjad3 ,colonel ,hutchinson was an      
uncompromising republican1 thoroughly   
brave1 highminded1 and pious4 ,at the   
,restoration1 he was discharged from    
,parliament1 and from all offices of    
state for ever4 ,he retired to his      
estate at ,owthorp1 near ,nottingham1   
but was shortly after arrested and      
imprisoned in the ,tower4 ,from thence  

he was removed to ,sandown ,castle1 near
 ,deal1 where he lay for eleven months1 
and died on ,september #aath1 #affd4    
,the wife petitioned for leave to share 
his prison1 but was refused4 ,when he   
felt himself dying1 knowing the deep    
sorrow which his death would occasion to
 his wife1 he left this message1 which  
was conveyed to her3 ,let her1 as she is
 above other women1 show herself on this
 occasion a good ,christian1 and above  
the pitch of ordinary women4 ,hence the 
wife's allusion to her husband's command
 in the above passage4  ,footnote #bjae3
 ,mrs4 ,lucy ,hutchinson to her children
 concerning their father3 ',memoirs of  
the ,life of ,col4 ,hutchinson'         
#bj;,bohn's ,ed41 pp4 #bi-cj4  ,footnote
 #bjaf3 ,on the ,declaration of         
,american ,independence1 the first ,john
 ,adams1 afterwards ,president of the   
,united ,states1 bought a copy of the   
',life and ,letters of ,lady ,russell1' 
and presented it to his wife1 with an   
express intent and desire #bj;as stated 

by himself1 that she should consider it 
a mirror in which to contemplate        
herself2 for1 at that time1 ,i thought  
it extremely probable1 from the daring  
and dangerous career ,i was determined  
to run1 that she would one day find     
herself in the situation of ,lady       
,russell1 her husband without a head3   
,speaking of his wife in connection with
 the fact1 ,mr4 ,adams added3 ,like     
,lady ,russell1 she never1 by word or   
look1 discouraged me from running all   
hazards for the salvation of my         
country's liberties4 ,she was willing to
 share with me1 and that her children   
should share with us both1 in all the   
dangerous consequences we had to hazard4
  ,footnote #bjag3 ',memoirs of the     
,life of ,sir ,samuel ,romily1' vol4 i4 
p4 #da4  ,footnote #bjah3 ,it is a      
singular circumstance that in the parish
 church of ,st4 ,bride1 ,fleet ,street1 
there is a tablet on the wall with an   
inscription to the memory of ,isaac     
,romilly1 ,f4,r4,s41 who died in #agei1 

of a broken heart1 seven days after the 
decease of a beloved wife--,,chambers'  
,,book ,,of ,,days1 vol4 ii4 p4 #eci4   
,footnote #bjai3 ,mr4 ,frank ,buckland  
says ,during the long period that ,dr4  
,buckland was engaged in writing the    
book which ,i now have the honour of    
editing1 my mother sat up night after   
night1 for weeks and months             
consecutively1 writing to my father's   
dictation2 and this often till the sun's
 rays1 shining through the shutters at  
early morn1 warned the husband to cease 
from thinking1 and the wife to rest her 
weary hand4 ,not only with her pen did  
she render material assistance1 but her 
natural talent in the use of her pencil 
enabled her to give accurate            
illustrations and finished drawings1    
many of which are perpetuated in ,dr4   
,buckland's works4 ,she was also        
particularly clever and neat in mending 
broken fossils2 and there are many      
specimens in the ,oxford ,museum1 now   
exhibiting their natural forms and      

beauty1 which were restored by her      
perseverance to shape from a mass of    
broken and almost comminuted fragments4 
,footnote #bjbj3 ,veitch's ',memoirs of 
,sir ,william ,hamilton4'  ,footnote    
#bjba3 ,the following extract from ,mr4 
,veitch's biography will give one an    
idea of the extraordinary labours of    
,lady ,hamilton1 to whose unfailing     
devotion to the service of her husband  
the world of intellect has been so much 
indebted3 ,the number of pages in her   
handwriting1 says ,mr4 ,veitch1--filled 
with abstruse metaphysical matter1      
original and quoted1 bristling with     
proportional and syllogistic            
formulae--that are still preserved1 is  
perfectly marvellous4 ,everything that  
was sent to the press1 and all the      
courses of lectures1 were written by    
her1 either to dictation1 or from a     
copy4 ,this work she did in the truest  
spirit of love and devotion4 ,she had a 
power1 moreover1 of keeping her husband 
up to what he had to do4 ,she contended 

wisely against a sort of energetic      
indolence which characterised him1 and  
which1 while he was always labouring1   
made him apt to put aside the task      
actually before him--sometimes diverted 
by subjects of inquiry suggested in the 
course of study on the matter in hand1  
sometimes discouraged by the difficulty 
of reducing to order the immense mass of
 materials he had accumulated in        
connection with it4 ,then her resolution
 and cheerful disposition sustained and 
refreshed him1 and never more so than   
when1 during the last twelve years of   
his life1 his bodily strength was       
broken1 and his spirit1 though languid1 
yet ceased not from mental toil4 ,the   
truth is1 that ,sir ,william's marriage1
 his comparatively limited              
circumstances1 and the character of his 
wife1 supplied to a nature that would   
have been contented to spend its mighty 
energies in work that brought no reward 
but in the doing of it1 and that might  
never have been made publicly known or  

available1 the practical force and      
impulse which enabled him to accomplish 
what he actually did in literature and  
philosophy4 ,it was this influence1     
without doubt1 which saved him from     
utter absorption in his world of rare1  
noble1 and elevated1 but                
ever-increasingly unattainable ideas4   
,but for it1 the serene sea of abstract 
thought might have held him becalmed for
 life2 and in the absence of all        
utterance of definite knowledge of his  
conclusions1 the world might have been  
left to an ignorant and mysterious      
wonder about the unprofitable scholar4  
,footnote #baa3 ',calcutta ,review1'    
article on ',romance and ,reality of    
,indian ,life4'  ,footnote #bab3 ,joseph
 ,lancaster was only twenty years of age
 when #ba;in #agih3 he opened his first 
school in a spare room in his father's  
house1 which was soon filled with the   
destitute children of the neighbourhood4
 ,the room was shortly found too small  
for the numbers seeking admission1 and  

one place after another was hired1 until
 at length ,lancaster had a special     
building erected1 capable of            
accommodating a thousand pupils2 outside
 of which was placed the following      
notice3--,all that will1 may send their 
children here1 and have them educated   
freely2 and those that do not wish to   
have education for nothing1 may pay for 
it if they please4 ,thus ,joseph        
,lancaster was the precursor of our     
present system of ,national ,education4 
,footnote #bac3 ,a great musician once  
said of a promising but passionless     
cantatrice--,she sings well1 but she    
wants something1 and in that something  
everything4 ,if ,i were single1 ,i would
 court her2 ,i would marry her2 ,i would
 maltreat her2 ,i would break her heart2
 and in six months she would be the     
greatest singer in                      
,europe6--,,blackwood',s ,,magazine4    
,footnote #bad3 ,prescot's ',essays1'   
art4 ,cervantes4  ,footnote #bae3 ,a    
cavalier1 named ,ruy de ,camera1 having 

called upon ,camoens to furnish a       
poetical version of the seven           
penitential psalms1 the poet1 raising   
his head from his miserable pallet1 and 
pointing to his faithful slave1         
exclaimed3 ,alas6 when ,i was a poet1 ,i
 was young1 and happy1 and blest with   
the love of ladies2 but now1 ,i am a    
forlorn deserted wretch6 ,see--there    
stands my poor ,antonio1 vainly         
supplicating ,,fourpence to purchase a  
little coals4 ,i have not them to give  
him6 ,the cavalier1 ,sousa quaintly     
relates1 in his ',life of ,camoens1'    
closed his heart and his purse1 and     
quitted the room4 ,such were the        
grandees of ,portugal6--,lord           
,strangford's ,,remarks ,,on ,,the      
,,life ,,and ,,writings ,,of ,,camoens1 
#ahbd4  ,footnote #baf3 ,see chapter v4 
p4 #abe4  ,footnote #bag3 ,a ,quaker    
called on ,bunyan one day with a message
 from the ,lord1 saying he had been to  
half the gaols of ,england1 and was glad
 at last to have found him4 ,to which   

,bunyan replied3 ,if the ,lord sent     
thee1 you would not have needed to take 
so much trouble to find me out1 for ,he 
knew that ,i have been in ,bedford ,gaol
 these seven years past4  ,footnote     
#bah3 ,prynne1 besides standing in the  
pillory and having his ears cut off1 was
 imprisoned by turns in the ,tower1     
,mont ,orgueil #ba;,jersey1 ,dunster    
,castle1 ,taunton ,castle1 and          
,pendennis ,castle4 ,he after-wards     
pleaded zealously for the ,restoration1 
and was made ,keeper of the ,records by 
,charles ,,ii4 ,it has been computed    
that ,prynne wrote1 compiled1 and       
printed about eight quarto pages for    
every working-day of his life1 from his 
reaching man's estate to the day of his 
death4 ,though his books were for the   
most part appropriated by the           
trunkmakers1 they now command almost    
fabulous prices1 chiefly because of     
their rarity4  ,footnote #bai3 ,he also 
projected his ',review' in prison--the  
first periodical of the kind1 which     

pointed the way to the host of          
',tatlers1' ',guardians1' and           
',spectators1' which followed it4 ,the  
',review' consisted of #ajb numbers1    
forming nine quarto volumes1 all of     
which were written by ,de ,foe himself1 
while engaged in other and various      
labours4  ,footnote #baaj3 ,a passage in
 the ,earl of ,carlisles ,lecture on    
,pope--',heaven was made for those who  
have failed in this world'--struck me   
very forcibly several years ago when ,i 
read it in a newspaper1 and became a    
rich vein of thought1 in which ,i often 
quarried1 especially when the sentence  
was interpreted by the ,cross1 which was
 failure apparently4--,,life ,,and      
,,letters ,,of ,,robertson #baof        
,brighton1 ii4 #id4  ,footnote #baaa3   
,not all who seem to fail1 have failed  
indeed2       ,not all who fail have    
therefore worked in vain3       ,for all
 our acts to many issues lead2          
,and out of earnest purpose1 pure and   
plain1       ,enforced by honest toil of

 hand or brain1       ,the ,lord will   
fashion1 in ,his own good time1         
#ba;,be this the labourer's             
proudly-humble creed1       ,such ends  
as1 to ,his wisdom1 fitliest chime      
,with ,his vast love's eternal          
harmonies4       ,there is no failure   
for the good and wise3       ,what      
though thy seed should fall by the      
wayside       ,and the birds snatch     
it2--yet the birds are fed2       ,or   
they may bear it far across the tide1   
,to give rich harvests after thou art   
dead4                       ,,politics  
,,for ,,the ,,people1 #ahdh4  ,footnote 
#baab3 ,what is it1 says ,mr4 ,helps1   
that promotes the most and the deepest  
thought in the human race8 ,it is not   
learning2 it is not the conduct of      
business2 it is not even the impulse of 
the affections4 ,it is suffering2 and   
that1 perhaps1 is the reason why there  
is so much suffering in the world4 ,the 
angel who went down to trouble the      
waters and to make them healing1 was    

not1 perhaps1 entrusted with so great a 
boon as the angel who benevolently      
inflicted upon the sufferers the disease
 from which they suffered4--,,brevia4   
,footnote #baac3 ,these lines were      
written by ,deckar1 in a spirit of      
boldness equal to its piety4 ,hazlitt   
has or said of them1 that they ought to 
embalm his memory to every one who has a
 sense either of religion1 or           
philosophy1 or humanity1 or true genius4
  ,footnote #baad3 ,reboul1 originally a
 baker of ,nismes1 was the author of    
many beautiful poems--amongst others1 of
 the exquisite piece known in this      
country by its ,english translation1    
entitled ',the ,angel and the ,child4'  
,footnote #baae3 ',cornhill ,magazine1' 
vol4 xvi4 p4 #cbb4  ,footnote #baaf3    
',holy ,living and ,dying1' ch4 ii4     
sect4 #f4  ,footnote #baag3 ,ibid41 ch4 
iii4 sect4 #f4  ,footnote #baah3        
,gibbon's ',decline and ,fall of the    
,roman ,empire1' vol4 x4 p4 #dj4