,picture3 ,cover 7somewhat battered7 ,,self ,,help ,,with ,,illustrations ,,of ,,conduct ,,and ,,perseverance4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,by ,,samuel ,,smiles1 ,,ll4,d41 ,,author ,,of 8,,lives ,,of ,,the ,,engineers10 ,,etc4 99 99 99 99 99 8,this above all1--,to thine own self be true2 ,and it must follow1 as the night the day1 ,then canst not then be false to any man40 ,,shakespeare4 8,might ,i give counsel to any young man1 ,i would say to him1 try to frequent the company of your betters4 ,in books and in life1 that is the most wholesome society2 learn to admire rightly2 the great pleasure of life is that4 ,note what great men admired2 they admired great things2 narrow spirits admire basely and worship meanly40--,w4 ,m4 ,,thackeray4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,popular ,,edition4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,london3 ,,john ,,murray1 ,,albemarle ,,street4 #ahig4 ,,preface4 ,,this is a revised edition of a book which has already been received with considerable favour at home and abroad4 ,it has been reprinted in various forms in ,america2 translations have appeared in ,dutch and ,french1 and others are about to appear in ,german and ,danish4 ,the book has1 doubtless1 proved attractive to readers in different countries by reason of the variety of anecdotal illustrations of life and character which it contains1 and the interest which all more or less feel in the labours1 the trials1 the struggles1 and the achievements of others4 ,no one can be better aware than the author1 of its fragmentary character1 arising from the manner in which it was for the most part originally composed1--having been put together principally from jottings made during many years1--intended as readings for young men1 and without any view to publication4 ,the appearance of this edition has furnished an opportunity for pruning the volume of some superfluous matter1 and introducing various new illustrations1 which will probably be found of general interest4 ,in one respect the title of the book1 which it is now too late to alter1 has proved unfortunate1 as it has led some1 who have judged it merely by the title1 to suppose that it consists of a eulogy of selfishness3 the very opposite of what it really is1--or at least of what the author intended it to be4 ,although its chief object unquestionably is to stimulate youths to apply themselves diligently to right pursuits1--sparing neither labour1 pains1 nor self-denial in prosecuting them1--and to rely upon their own efforts in life1 rather than depend upon the help or patronage of others1 it will also be found1 from the examples given of literary and scientific men1 artists1 inventors1 educators1 philanthropists1 missionaries1 and martyrs1 that the duty of helping one's self in the highest sense involves the helping of one's neighbours4 ,it has also been objected to the book that too much notice is taken in it of men who have succeeded in life by helping themselves1 and too little of the multitude of men who have failed4 8,why should not ,failure10 it has been asked1 8have its ,plutarch as well as ,success80 ,there is1 indeed1 no reason why ,failure should not have its ,plutarch1 except that a record of mere failure would probably be found excessively depressing as well as uninstructive reading4 ,it is1 however1 shown in the following pages that ,failure is the best discipline of the true worker1 by stimulating him to renewed efforts1 evoking his best powers1 and carrying him onward in self-culture1 self-control1 and growth in knowledge and wisdom4 ,viewed in this light1 ,failure1 conquered by ,perseverance1 is always full of interest and instruction1 and this we have endeavoured to illustrate by many examples4 ,as for ,failure per se1 although it may be well to find consolations for it at the close of life1 there is reason to doubt whether it is an object that ought to be set before youth at the beginning of it4 ,indeed1 8how not to do it0 is of all things the easiest learnt3 it needs neither teaching1 effort1 self-denial1 industry1 patience1 perseverance1 nor judgment4 ,besides1 readers do not care to know about the general who lost his battles1 the engineer whose engines blew up1 the architect who designed only deformities1 the painter who never got beyond daubs1 the schemer who did not invent his machine1 the merchant who could not keep out of the ,gazette4 ,it is true1 the best of men may fail1 in the best of causes4 ,but even these best of men did not try to fail1 or regard their failure as meritorious2 on the contrary1 they tried to succeed1 and looked upon failure as misfortune4 ,failure in any good cause is1 however1 honourable1 whilst success in any bad cause is merely infamous4 ,at the same time success in the good cause is unquestionably better than failure4 ,but it is not the result in any case that is to be regarded so much as the aim and the effort1 the patience1 the courage1 and the endeavour with which desirable and worthy objects are pursued2-- 8',tis not in mortals to command success2 ,we will do more--deserve it40 ,the object of the book briefly is1 to re-inculcate these old-fashioned but wholesome lessons--which perhaps cannot be too often urged1--that youth must work in order to enjoy1--that nothing creditable can be accomplished without application and diligence1--that the student must not be daunted by difficulties1 but conquer them by patience and perseverance1--and that1 above all1 he must seek elevation of character1 without which capacity is worthless and worldly success is naught4 ,if the author has not succeeded in illustrating these lessons1 he can only say that he has failed in his object4 ,among the new passages introduced in the present edition1 may be mentioned the following3--,illustrious ,foreigners of humble origin 7pp4 #aj-ab71 ,french ,generals and ,marshals risen from the ranks 7#ad71 ,de ,tocqueville and ,mutual ,help 7#bd71 ,william ,lee1 ,m4,a41 and the ,stocking-loom 7#db71 ,john ,heathcoat1 ,m4,p41 and the ,bobbin-net machine 7#dg71 ,jacquard and his ,loom 7#ee71 ,vaucanson 7#eh71 ,joshua ,heilmann and the ,combing-machine 7#fb71 ,bernard ,palissy and his struggles 7#fi71 ,bttgher1 discoverer of ,hard ,porcelain 7#hj71 ,count de ,buffon as ,student 7#ajd71 ,cuvier 7#abh71 ,ambrose ,par 7#acd71 ,claud ,lorraine 7#afj71 ,jacques ,callot 7#afb71 ,benvenuto ,cellini 7#afd71 ,nicholas ,poussin 7#afh71 ,ary ,scheffer 7#aga71 the ,strutts of ,belper 7#bad71 ,francis ,xavier 7#bch71 ,napoleon as a man of business 7#bgf71 ,intrepidity of ,deal ,boatmen 7#djj71 besides numerous other passages which it is unnecessary to specify4 ,london1 ,may1 #ahff4 ,,introduction ,,to ,,the ,,first ,,edition4 ,,the origin of this book may be briefly told4 ,some fifteen years since1 the author was requested to deliver an address before the members of some evening classes1 which had been formed in a northern town for mutual improvement1 under the following circumstances3-- ,two or three young men of the humblest rank resolved to meet in the winter evenings1 for the purpose of improving themselves by exchanging knowledge with each other4 ,their first meetings were held in the room of a cottage in which one of the members lived2 and1 as others shortly joined them1 the place soon became inconveniently filled4 ,when summer set in1 they adjourned to the cottage garden outside2 and the classes were then held in the open air1 round a little boarded hut used as a garden-house1 in which those who officiated as teachers set the sums1 and gave forth the lessons of the evening4 ,when the weather was fine1 the youths might be seen1 until a late hour1 hanging round the door of the hut like a cluster of bees2 but sometimes a sudden shower of rain would dash the sums from their slates1 and disperse them for the evening unsatisfied4 ,winter1 with its cold nights1 was drawing near1 and what were they to do for shelter8 ,their numbers had by this time so increased1 that no room of an ordinary cottage could accommodate them4 ,though they were for the most part young men earning comparatively small weekly wages1 they resolved to incur the risk of hiring a room2 and1 on making inquiry1 they found a large dingy apartment to let1 which had been used as a temporary ,cholera ,hospital4 ,no tenant could be found for the place1 which was avoided as if the plague still clung to it4 ,but the mutual improvement youths1 nothing daunted1 hired the cholera room at so much a week1 lit it up1 placed a few benches and a deal table in it1 and began their winter classes4 ,the place soon presented a busy and cheerful appearance in the evenings4 ,the teaching may have been1 as no doubt it was1 of a very rude and imperfect sort2 but it was done with a will4 ,those who knew a little taught those who knew less--improving themselves while they improved the others2 and1 at all events1 setting before them a good working example4 ,thus these youths--and there were also grown men amongst them--proceeded to teach themselves and each other1 reading and writing1 arithmetic and geography2 and even mathematics1 chemistry1 and some of the modern languages4 ,about a hundred young men had thus come together1 when1 growing ambitious1 they desired to have lectures delivered to them2 and then it was that the author became acquainted with their proceedings4 ,a party of them waited on him1 for the purpose of inviting him to deliver an introductory address1 or1 as they expressed it1 8to talk to them a bit20 prefacing the request by a modest statement of what they had done and what they were doing4 ,he could not fail to be touched by the admirable self-helping spirit which they had displayed2 and1 though entertaining but slight faith in popular lecturing1 he felt that a few words of encouragement1 honestly and sincerely uttered1 might not be without some good effect4 ,and in this spirit he addressed them on more than one occasion1 citing examples of what other men had done1 as illustrations of what each might1 in a greater or less degree1 do for himself2 and pointing out that their happiness and well-being as individuals in after life1 must necessarily depend mainly upon themselves--upon their own diligent self-culture1 self-discipline1 and self-control--and1 above all1 on that honest and upright performance of individual duty1 which is the glory of manly character4 ,there was nothing in the slightest degree new or original in this counsel1 which was as old as the ,proverbs of ,solomon1 and possibly quite as familiar4 ,but old-fashioned though the advice may have been1 it was welcomed4 ,the youths went forward in their course2 worked on with energy and resolution2 and1 reaching manhood1 they went forth in various directions into the world1 where many of them now occupy positions of trust and usefulness4 ,several years after the incidents referred to1 the subject was unexpectedly recalled to the author's recollection by an evening visit from a young man--apparently fresh from the work of a foundry--who explained that he was now an employer of labour and a thriving man2 and he was pleased to remember with gratitude the words spoken in all honesty to him and to his fellow-pupils years before1 and even to attribute some measure of his success in life to the endeavours which he had made to work up to their spirit4 ,the author's personal interest having in this way been attracted to the subject of ,self-,help1 he was accustomed to add to the memoranda from which he had addressed these young men2 and to note down occasionally in his leisure evening moments1 after the hours of business1 the results of such reading1 observation1 and experience of life1 as he conceived to bear upon it4 ,one of the most prominent illustrations cited in his earlier addresses1 was that of ,george ,stephenson1 the engineer2 and the original interest of the subject1 as well as the special facilities and opportunities which the author possessed for illustrating ,mr4 ,stephenson's life and career1 induced him to prosecute it at his leisure1 and eventually to publish his biography4 ,the present volume is written in a similar spirit1 as it has been similar in its origin4 ,the illustrative sketches of character introduced1 are1 however1 necessarily less elaborately treated--being busts rather than full-length portraits1 and1 in many of the cases1 only some striking feature has been noted2 the lives of individuals1 as indeed of nations1 often concentrating their lustre and interest in a few passages4 ,such as the book is1 the author now leaves it in the hands of the reader2 in the hope that the lessons of industry1 perseverance1 and self-culture1 which it contains1 will be found useful and instructive1 as well as generally interesting4 ,london1 ,september1 #ahei4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,self-,,help--,,national ,,and ,,individual4 ,spirit of ,self-,help--,institutions and men--,government a ,page reflex of the individualism of a nation--,csarism and #a-bf ,self-,help--,william ,dargan on ,independence--,patient labourers in all ranks--,self-,help a feature in the ,english character--,power of example and of work in practical education--,value of biographies--,great men belong to no exclusive class or rank--,illustrious men sprung from the ranks--,shakespeare--,various humble origin of many eminent men--,distinguished astronomers--,eminent sons of clergymen--,of attorneys--,illustrious foreigners of humble origin--,vauquelin1 the chemist--,promotions from the ranks in the ,french army--,instances of persevering application and energy--,joseph ,brotherton--,w4 ,j4 ,fox--,w4 ,s4 ,lindsay--,william ,jackson--,richard ,cobden--,diligence indispensable to usefulness and distinction--,the wealthier ranks not all idlers--,examples--,military men--,philosophers--,men of science--,politicians--,literary men--,sir ,robert ,peel--,lord ,brougham--,lytton--,disraeli--,wordswor th on self-reliance--,de ,tocqueville3 his industry and recognition of the help of others--,men their own best helpers ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,leaders ,,of ,,industry--,,inventors ,,and ,,producers4 ,industry of the ,english people--,work the best #bg-ff educator--,hugh ,miller--,poverty and toil not insurmountable obstacles--,working men as inventors--,invention of the steam-engine--,james ,watt3 his industry and habit of attention--,matthew ,boulton--,applications of the steam-engine--,the ,cotton manufacture--,the early inventors--,paul and ,highs--,arkwright3 his early life--,barber1 inventor and manufacturer--,his influence and character--,the ,peels of ,south ,lancashire--,the founder of the family--,the first ,sir ,robert ,peel1 cotton-printer--,lady ,peel--,rev4 ,william ,lee1 inventor of the stocking-frame--,dies abroad in misery--,james ,lee--,the ,nottingham lace manufacture--,john ,heathcoat1 inventor of the bobbin-net machine--,his early life1 his ingenuity1 and plodding perseverance--,invention of his machine--,anecdote of ,lord ,lyndhurst--,progress of the lace-trade--,heathcoat's machines destroyed by the ,luddites--,his character--,jacquard3 his inventions and adventures--,vaucanson3 his mechanical genius1 improvements in silk manufacture--,jacquard improves ,vaucanson's machine--,the ,jacquard loom adopted--,joshua ,heilmann1 inventor of the combing-machine--,history of the invention--,its value ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,three ,,great ,,potters--,,pallissy1 ,b,,ttgher1 ,,wedgwood4 ,ancient pottery--,etruscan ware--,luca della ,robbia1 the #fg-ic ,florentine sculptor3 re-discovers the art of enamelling--,bernard ,pallissy3 sketch of his life and labours--,inflamed by the sight of an ,italian cup--,his search after the secret of the enamel--,his experiments during years of unproductive toil--,his personal and family privations--,indomitable perseverance1 burns his furniture to heat the furnace1 and success at last--,reduced to destitution--,condemned to death1 and release--,his writings--,dies in the ,bastille--,john ,frederick ,bttgher1 the ,berlin #8gold cook'--,his trick in alchemy and consequent troubles--,flight into ,saxony--,his detention at ,dresden--,discovers how to make red and white porcelain--,the manufacture taken up by the ,saxon ,government--,bttgher treated as a prisoner and a slave--,his unhappy end--,the ,svres porcelain manufactory--,josiah ,wedgwood1 the ,english potter--,early state of ,english earthenware manufacture--,wedgwood's indefatigable industry1 skill1 and perseverance--,his success--,the ,barberini vase--,wedgwood a national benefactor--,industrial heroes ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,application ,,and ,,perseverance4 ,great results attained by simple means--,fortune favours #id-aag the industrious--8,genius is patience0--,newton and ,kepler--,industry of eminent men--,power acquired by repeated effort--,anecdote of ,sir ,robert ,peel's cultivation of memory--,facility comes by practice--,importance of patience--,cheerfulness--,sydney ,smith--,dr4 ,hook--,hope an important element in character--,carey the missionary--,anecdote of ,dr4 ,young--,anecdote of ,audubon the ornithologist--,anecdote of ,mr4 ,carlyle and his ,,ms4 of the #8,french ,revolution'--,perseverance of ,watt and ,stephenson--,perseverance displayed in the discovery of the ,nineveh marbles by ,rawlinson and ,layard--,comte de ,buffon as student--,his continuous and unremitting labours--,sir ,walter ,scott's perseverance--,john ,britton--,loudon--,samuel ,drew--,joseph ,hume ,,chapter ,v4 ,,helps ,,and ,,opportunities--,,scientific ,,pursuits4 ,no great result achieved by accident--,newton's #aah-aec discoveries--,dr4 ,young--,habit of observing with intelligence--,galileo--,inventions of ,brown1 ,watt1 and ,brunel1 accidentally suggested--,philosophy in little things--,apollonius ,pergus and conic sections--,franklin and ,galvani--,discovery of steam power--,opportunities seized or made--,simple and rude tools of great workers--,lee and ,stone's opportunities for learning--,sir ,walter ,scott's--,dr4 ,priestly--,sir ,humphry ,davy--,faraday--,davy and ,coleridge--,cuvier--,dalton's industry--,examples of improvement of time--,daguesseau and ,bentham--,melancthon and ,baxter--,writing down observations--,great note-makers--,dr4 ,pye ,smith--,john ,hunter3 his patient study of little things--,his great labours--,ambrose ,par the ,french surgeon--,harvey--,jenner--,sir ,charles ,bell--,dr4 ,marshall ,hall--,sir ,william ,herschel--,william ,smith the geologist3 his discoveries1 his geological map--,hugh ,miller3 his observant faculties--,john ,brown and ,robert ,dick1 geologists--,sir ,roderick ,murchison1 his industry and attainments ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,workers ,,in ,,art4 ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds on the power of industry in #aed-bja art--,humble origin of eminent artists--,acquisition of wealth not the ruling motive with artists--,michael ,angelo on riches--,patient labours of ,michael ,angelo and ,titian--,west's early success a disadvantage--,richard ,wilson and ,zuccarelli--,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 ,blake1 ,bird1 ,gainsborough1 and ,hogarth1 as boy artists--,hogarth a keen observer--,banks and ,mulready--,claude ,lorraine and ,turner3 their indefatigable industry--,perrier and ,jacques ,callot and their visits to ,rome--,callot and the gipsies--,benvenuto ,cellini1 goldsmith and musician3 his ambition to excel--,casting of his statue of ,perseus--,nicolas ,poussin1 a sedulous student and worker--,duquesnoi--,poussin's fame--,ary ,scheffer3 his hindrances and success--,john ,flaxman3 his genius and perseverance--,his brave wife--,their visit to ,rome--,francis ,chantrey3 his industry and energy--,david ,wilkie and ,william ,etty1 unflagging workers--,privations endured by artists--,martin--,pugin--,george ,kemp1 architect of the ,scott monument--,john ,gibson1 ,robert ,thorburn1 ,noel ,paton--,james ,sharples the blacksmith artist3 his autobiography--,industry of musicians--,handel1 ,haydn1 ,beethoven1 ,bach1 ,meyerbeer--,dr4 ,arne--,william ,jackson the self-taught composer ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,industry ,,and ,,the ,,peerage4 ,the peerage fed from the industrial ranks--,fall of old #bjb-bbb families3 ,bohuns1 ,mortimers1 and ,plantagenets--,the peerage comparatively modern--,peerages originating with traders and merchants--,richard ,foley1 nailmaker1 founder of the ,foley peerage--,adventurous career of ,william ,phipps1 founder of the ,normanby peerage3 his recovery of sunken treasure--,sir ,william ,petty1 founder of the ,lansdowne peerage--,jedediah ,strutt1 founder of the ,belper peerage--,william and ,edward ,strutt--,naval and ,military peers--,peerages founded by lawyers--,lords ,tenterden and ,campbell--,lord ,eldon3 his early struggles and eventual success--,baron ,langdale--,rewards of perseverance ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,energy ,,and ,,courage4 ,energy characteristic of the ,teutonic race--,the #bbc-bfb foundations of strength of character--,force of purpose--,concentration--,courageous working--,words of ,hugh ,miller and ,fowell ,buxton--,power and freedom of will--,words of ,lamennais--,suwarrow--,napoleon and 8glory0--,wellington and 8duty0--,promptitude in action--,energy displayed by the ,british in ,india--,warren ,hastings--,sir ,charles ,napier3 his adventure with the ,indian swordsman--,the rebellion in ,india--,the ,lawrences--,nicholson--,the siege of ,delhi--,captain ,hodson--,missionary labourers--,francis ,xavier's missions in the ,east--,john ,williams--,dr4 ,livingstone--,john ,howard--,jonas ,hanway3 his career--,the philanthropic labours of ,granville ,sharp--,position of slaves in ,england--,result of ,sharp's efforts--,clarkson's labours--,fowell ,buxton3 his resolute purpose and energy--,abolition of slavery ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,men ,,of ,,business4 ,hazlitt's definition of the man of business--,the chief #bfc-bhi requisite qualities--,men of genius men of business--,shakespeare1 ,chaucer1 ,spenser1 ,milton1 ,newton1 ,cowper1 ,wordsworth1 ,scott1 ,ricardo1 ,grote1 ,j4 ,s4 ,mill--,labour and application necessary to success--,lord ,melbourne's advice--,the school of difficulty a good school--,conditions of success in ,law--,the industrious architect--,the salutary influence of work--,consequences of contempt for arithmetic--,dr4 ,johnson on the alleged injustice of 8the world0--,washington ,irving's views--,practical qualities necessary in business--,importance of accuracy--,charles ,james ,fox--,method--,richard ,cecil and ,de ,witt3 their despatch of business--,value of time--,sir ,walter ,scott's advice--,promptitude--,economy of time--,punctuality--,firmness--,tact--,n apoleon and ,wellington as men of business--,napoleon's attention to details--,the #8,napoleon ,correspondence'--,wellington's business faculty--,wellington in the ,peninsula--8,honesty the best policy0--,trade tries character--,dishonest gains--,david ,barclay a model man of business ,,chapter ,x4 ,,money--,,its ,,use ,,and ,,abuse4 ,the right use of money a test of wisdom--,the virtue of #bij-cac self-denial--,self-imposed taxes--,economy necessary to independence--,helplessness of the improvident--,frugality an important public question--,counsels of ,richard ,cobden and ,john ,bright--,the bondage of the improvident--,independence attainable by working men--,francis ,horner's advice from his father--,robert ,burns--,living within the means--,bacon's maxim--,wasters--,running into debt--,haydon's debts--,fichte--,dr4 ,johnson on debt--,john ,locke--,the ,duke of ,wellington on debt--,washington--,earl ,st4 ,vincent3 his protested bill--,joseph ,hume on living too high--,ambition after gentility--,napier's order to his officers in ,india--,resistance to temptation--,hugh ,miller's case--,high standard of life necessary--,proverbs on money-making and thrift--,thomas ,wright and the reclamation of criminals--,mere money-making--,john ,foster--,riches no proof of worth--,all honest industry honourable--,the power of money over-estimated--,joseph ,brotherton--,true ,respectability--,lord ,collingwood ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,self-,,culture--,,facilities ,,and ,,difficulties4 ,sir ,w4 ,scott and ,sir ,b4 ,brodie on self-culture--,dr4 #cad-cei ,arnold's spirit--,active employment salutary--,malthus's advice to his son--,importance of physical health--,hodson1 of 8,hodson's ,horse0--,dr4 ,channing--,early labour--,training in use of tools--,healthiness of great men--,sir ,walter ,scott's athletic sports--,barrow1 ,fuller1 ,clarke--,labour conquers all things--,words of ,chatterton1 ,ferguson1 ,stone1 ,drew--,well-directed labour--,opinions of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 ,fowell ,buxton1 ,dr4 ,ross1 ,f4 ,horner1 ,loyola1 and ,lord ,st4 ,leonards--,thoroughness1 accuracy1 decision1 and promptitude--,the virtue of patient labour--,the mischievous effects of 8cramming0 in labour-saving processes and multifarious reading--,the right use of knowledge--,books may impart learning1 but well-applied knowledge and experience only exhibit wisdom--,the ,magna ,charta men--,brindley1 ,stephenson1 ,hunter1 and others1 not book-learned yet great--,self-respect--,jean ,paul ,richter--,knowledge as a means of rising--,base views of the value of knowledge--,ideas of ,bacon and ,southey--,douglas ,jerrold on comic literature--,danger of immoderate love of pleasure--,benjamin ,constant3 his high thinking and low living--,thierry3 his noble character--,coleridge and ,southey--,robert ,nicoll on ,coleridge--,charles ,james ,fox on perseverance--,the wisdom and strength acquired through failure--,hunter1 ,rossini1 ,davy1 ,mendelssohn--,the uses of difficulty and adversity--,lyndhurst1 ,d',alembert1 ,carissimi1 ,reynolds1 and ,henry ,clay on persistency--,curran on honest poverty--,struggles with difficulties3 ,alexander ,murray1 ,william ,chambers1 ,cobbet--,the ,french stonemason turned ,professor--,sir ,samuel ,romilly as a self-cultivator--,john ,leyden's perseverance--,professor ,lee3 his perseverance and his attainments as a linguist--,late learners3 ,spelman1 ,franklin1 ,dryden1 ,scott1 ,boccaccio1 ,arnold1 and others--,illustrious dunces3 ,generals ,grant1 ,stonewall ,jackson1 ,john ,howard1 ,davy1 and others--,story of a dunce--,success depends on perseverance ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,example--,,models4 ,example a potent instructor--,influence of #cfj-cha conduct--,parental example--,all acts have their train of consequences--,disraeli on ,cobden--,words of ,babbage--,human responsibility--,every person owes a good example to others--,doing1 not saying--,mrs4 ,chisholm--,dr4 ,guthrie and ,john ,pounds--,good models of conduct--,the company of our betters--,francis ,horner's views on personal intercourse--,the ,marquis of ,lansdowne and ,malesherbes--,fowell ,buxton and the ,gurney family--,personal influence of ,john ,sterling--,influence of artistic genius upon others--,example of the brave an inspiration to the timid--,biography valuable as forming high models of character--,lives influenced by biography--,romilly1 ,franklin1 ,drew1 ,alfieri1 ,loyola1 ,wolff1 ,horner1 ,reynolds--,examples of cheerfulness--,dr4 ,arnold's influence over others--,career of ,sir ,john ,sinclair ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,character--,,the ,,true ,,gentleman4 ,character a man's best possession--,character of ,francis #chb-djh ,horner--,franklin--,character is power--,the higher qualities of character--,lord ,erskine's rules of conduct--,a high standard of life necessary--,truthfulness--,wellington's character of ,peel--,be what you seem--,integrity and honesty of action--,importance of habits--,habits constitute character--,growth of habit in youth--,words of ,robertson of ,brighton--,manners and morals--,civility and kindness--,anecdote of ,abernethy--,true politeness--,great-hearted men of no exclusive rank or class--,william and ,charles ,grant1 the 8,brothers ,cheeryble0--,the true gentleman--,lord ,edward ,fitzgerald--,honour1 probity1 rectitude--,the gentleman will not be bribed--,anecdotes of ,hanway1 ,wellington1 ,wellesley1 and ,sir ,c4 ,napier--,the poor in purse may be rich in spirit--,a noble peasant--,intrepidity of ,deal boatmen--,anecdotes of the ,emperor of ,austria and of two ,english navvies--,truth makes the success of the gentleman--,courage and gentleness--,gentlemen in ,india--,outram1 ,henry ,lawrence--,lord ,clyde--,the private soldiers at ,agra--,the wreck of the ,birkenhead--,use of power1 the test of the ,gentleman--,sir ,ralph ,abercrombie--,fuller's character of ,sir ,francis ,drake ,,chapter ,i4 ,,self-,,help--,,national ,,and ,,individual4 8,the worth of a ,state1 in the long run1 is the worth of the individuals composing it40--,j4 ,s4 ,mill4 8,we put too much faith in systems1 and look too little to men40--,b4 ,disraeli4 8,,heaven helps those who help themselves0 is a well-tried maxim1 embodying in a small compass the results of vast human experience4 ,the spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual2 and1 exhibited in the lives of many1 it constitutes the true source of national vigour and strength4 ,help from without is often enfeebling in its effects1 but help from within invariably invigorates4 ,whatever is done for men or classes1 to a certain extent takes away the stimulus and necessity of doing for themselves2 and where men are subjected to over-guidance and over-government1 the inevitable tendency is to render them comparatively helpless4 ,even the best institutions can give a man no active help4 ,perhaps the most they can do is1 to leave him free to develop himself and improve his individual condition4 ,but in all times men have been prone to believe that their happiness and well-being were to be secured by means of institutions rather than by their own conduct4 ,hence the value of legislation as an agent in human advancement has usually been much over-estimated4 ,to constitute the millionth part of a ,legislature1 by voting for one or two men once in three or five years1 however conscientiously this duty may be performed1 can exercise but little active influence upon any man's life and character4 ,moreover1 it is every day becoming more clearly understood1 that the function of ,government is negative and restrictive1 rather than positive and active2 being resolvable principally into protection--protection of life1 liberty1 and property4 ,laws1 wisely administered1 will secure men in the enjoyment of the fruits of their labour1 whether of mind or body1 at a comparatively small personal sacrifice2 but no laws1 however stringent1 can make the idle industrious1 the thriftless provident1 or the drunken sober4 ,such reforms can only be effected by means of individual action1 economy1 and self-denial2 by better habits1 rather than by greater rights4 ,the ,government of a nation itself is usually found to be but the reflex of the individuals composing it4 ,the ,government that is ahead of the people will inevitably be dragged down to their level1 as the ,government that is behind them will in the long run be dragged up4 ,in the order of nature1 the collective character of a nation will as surely find its befitting results in its law and government1 as water finds its own level4 ,the noble people will be nobly ruled1 and the ignorant and corrupt ignobly4 ,indeed all experience serves to prove that the worth and strength of a ,state depend far less upon the form of its institutions than upon the character of its men4 ,for the nation is only an aggregate of individual conditions1 and civilization itself is but a question of the personal improvement of the men1 women1 and children of whom society is composed4 ,national progress is the sum of individual industry1 energy1 and uprightness1 as national decay is of individual idleness1 selfishness1 and vice4 ,what we are accustomed to decry as great social evils1 will1 for the most part1 be found to be but the outgrowth of man's own perverted life2 and though we may endeavour to cut them down and extirpate them by means of ,law1 they will only spring up again with fresh luxuriance in some other form1 unless the conditions of personal life and character are radically improved4 ,if this view be correct1 then it follows that the highest patriotism and philanthropy consist1 not so much in altering laws and modifying institutions1 as in helping and stimulating men to elevate and improve themselves by their own free and independent individual action4 ,it may be of comparatively little consequence how a man is governed from without1 whilst everything depends upon how he governs himself from within4 ,the greatest slave is not he who is ruled by a despot1 great though that evil be1 but he who is the thrall of his own moral ignorance1 selfishness1 and vice4 ,nations who are thus enslaved at heart cannot be freed by any mere changes of masters or of institutions2 and so long as the fatal delusion prevails1 that liberty solely depends upon and consists in government1 so long will such changes1 no matter at what cost they may be effected1 have as little practical and lasting result as the shifting of the figures in a phantasmagoria4 ,the solid foundations of liberty must rest upon individual character2 which is also the only sure guarantee for social security and national progress4 ,john ,stuart ,mill truly observes that 8even despotism does not produce its worst effects so long as individuality exists under it2 and whatever crushes individuality is despotism1 by whatever name it be called40 ,old fallacies as to human progress are constantly turning up4 ,some call for ,csars1 others for ,nationalities1 and others for ,acts of ,parliament4 ,we are to wait for ,csars1 and when they are found1 8happy the people who recognise and follow them40 #d ,this doctrine shortly means1 everything for the people1 nothing by them1--a doctrine which1 if taken as a guide1 must1 by destroying the free conscience of a community1 speedily prepare the way for any form of despotism4 ,csarism is human idolatry in its worst form--a worship of mere power1 as degrading in its effects as the worship of mere wealth would be4 ,a far healthier doctrine to inculcate among the nations would be that of ,self-,help2 and so soon as it is thoroughly understood and carried into action1 ,csarism will be no more4 ,the two principles are directly antagonistic2 and what ,victor ,hugo said of the ,pen and the ,sword alike applies to them1 8,ceci tuera cela40 ,this will kill that4 ,the power of ,nationalities and ,acts of ,parliament is also a prevalent superstition4 ,what ,william ,dargan1 one of ,ireland's truest patriots1 said at the closing of the first ,dublin ,industrial ,exhibition1 may well be quoted now4 8,to tell the truth10 he said1 8,i never heard the word independence mentioned that my own country and my own fellow townsmen did not occur to my mind4 ,i have heard a great deal about the independence that we were to get from this1 that1 and the other place1 and of the great expectations we were to have from persons from other countries coming amongst us4 ,whilst ,i value as much as any man the great advantages that must result to us from that intercourse1 ,i have always been deeply impressed with the feeling that our industrial independence is dependent upon ourselves4 ,i believe that with simple industry and careful exactness in the utilization of our energies1 we never had a fairer chance nor a brighter prospect than the present4 ,we have made a step1 but perseverance is the great agent of success2 and if we but go on zealously1 ,i believe in my conscience that in a short period we shall arrive at a position of equal comfort1 of equal happiness1 and of equal independence1 with that of any other people40 ,all nations have been made what they are by the thinking and the working of many generations of men4 ,patient and persevering labourers in all ranks and conditions of life1 cultivators of the soil and explorers of the mine1 inventors and discoverers1 manufacturers1 mechanics and artisans1 poets1 philosophers1 and politicians1 all have contributed towards the grand result1 one generation building upon another's labours1 and carrying them forward to still higher stages4 ,this constant succession of noble workers--the artisans of civilisation--has served to create order out of chaos in industry1 science1 and art2 and the living race has thus1 in the course of nature1 become the inheritor of the rich estate provided by the skill and industry of our forefathers1 which is placed in our hands to cultivate1 and to hand down1 not only unimpaired but improved1 to our successors4 ,the spirit of self-help1 as exhibited in the energetic action of individuals1 has in all times been a marked feature in the ,english character1 and furnishes the true measure of our power as a nation4 ,rising above the heads of the mass1 there were always to be found a series of individuals distinguished beyond others1 who commanded the public homage4 ,but our progress has also been owing to multitudes of smaller and less known men4 ,though only the generals' names may be remembered in the history of any great campaign1 it has been in a great measure through the individual valour and heroism of the privates that victories have been won4 ,and life1 too1 is 8a soldiers' battle10--men in the ranks having in all times been amongst the greatest of workers4 ,many are the lives of men unwritten1 which have nevertheless as powerfully influenced civilisation and progress as the more fortunate ,great whose names are recorded in biography4 ,even the humblest person1 who sets before his fellows an example of industry1 sobriety1 and upright honesty of purpose in life1 has a present as well as a future influence upon the well-being of his country2 for his life and character pass unconsciously into the lives of others1 and propagate good example for all time to come4 ,daily experience shows that it is energetic individualism which produces the most powerful effects upon the life and action of others1 and really constitutes the best practical education4 ,schools1 academies1 and colleges1 give but the merest beginnings of culture in comparison with it4 ,far more influential is the life-education daily given in our homes1 in the streets1 behind counters1 in workshops1 at the loom and the plough1 in counting-houses and manufactories1 and in the busy haunts of men4 ,this is that finishing instruction as members of society1 which ,schiller designated 8the education of the human race10 consisting in action1 conduct1 self-culture1 self-control1--all that tends to discipline a man truly1 and fit him for the proper performance of the duties and business of life1--a kind of education not to be learnt from books1 or acquired by any amount of mere literary training4 ,with his usual weight of words ,bacon observes1 that 8,studies teach not their own use2 but that is a wisdom without them1 and above them1 won by observation20 a remark that holds true of actual life1 as well as of the cultivation of the intellect itself4 ,for all experience serves to illustrate and enforce the lesson1 that a man perfects himself by work more than by reading1--that it is life rather than literature1 action rather than study1 and character rather than biography1 which tend perpetually to renovate mankind4 ,biographies of great1 but especially of good men1 are nevertheless most instructive and useful1 as helps1 guides1 and incentives to others4 ,some of the best are almost equivalent to gospels--teaching high living1 high thinking1 and energetic action for their own and the world's good4 ,the valuable examples which they furnish of the power of self-help1 of patient purpose1 resolute working1 and steadfast integrity1 issuing in the formation of truly noble and manly character1 exhibit in language not to be misunderstood1 what it is in the power of each to accomplish for himself2 and eloquently illustrate the efficacy of self-respect and self-reliance in enabling men of even the humblest rank to work out for themselves an honourable competency and a solid reputation4 ,great men of science1 literature1 and art--apostles of great thoughts and lords of the great heart--have belonged to no exclusive class nor rank in life4 ,they have come alike from colleges1 workshops1 and farmhouses1--from the huts of poor men and the mansions of the rich4 ,some of ,god's greatest apostles have come from 8the ranks40 ,the poorest have sometimes taken the highest places2 nor have difficulties apparently the most insuperable proved obstacles in their way4 ,those very difficulties1 in many instances1 would ever seem to have been their best helpers1 by evoking their powers of labour and endurance1 and stimulating into life faculties which might otherwise have lain dormant4 ,the instances of obstacles thus surmounted1 and of triumphs thus achieved1 are indeed so numerous1 as almost to justify the proverb that 8with ,will one can do anything40 ,take1 for instance1 the remarkable fact1 that from the barber's shop came ,jeremy ,taylor1 the most poetical of divines2 ,sir ,richard ,arkwright1 the inventor of the spinning-jenny and founder of the cotton manufacture2 ,lord ,tenterden1 one of the most distinguished of ,lord ,chief ,justices2 and ,turner1 the greatest among landscape painters4 ,no one knows to a certainty what ,shakespeare was2 but it is unquestionable that he sprang from a humble rank4 ,his father was a butcher and grazier2 and ,shakespeare himself is supposed to have been in early life a woolcomber2 whilst others aver that he was an usher in a school and afterwards a scrivener's clerk4 ,he truly seems to have been 8not one1 but all mankind's epitome40 ,for such is the accuracy of his sea phrases that a naval writer alleges that he must have been a sailor2 whilst a clergyman infers1 from internal evidence in his writings1 that he was probably a parson's clerk2 and a distinguished judge of horse-flesh insists that he must have been a horse-dealer4 ,shakespeare was certainly an actor1 and in the course of his life 8played many parts10 gathering his wonderful stores of knowledge from a wide field of experience and observation4 ,in any event1 he must have been a close student and a hard worker2 and to this day his writings continue to exercise a powerful influence on the formation of ,english character4 ,the common class of day labourers has given us ,brindley the engineer1 ,cook the navigator1 and ,burns the poet4 ,masons and bricklayers can boast of ,ben ,jonson1 who worked at the building of ,lincoln's ,inn1 with a trowel in his hand and a book in his pocket1 ,edwards and ,telford the engineers1 ,hugh ,miller the geologist1 and ,allan ,cunningham the writer and sculptor2 whilst among distinguished carpenters we find the names of ,inigo ,jones the architect1 ,harrison the chronometer-maker1 ,john ,hunter the physiologist1 ,romney and ,opie the painters1 ,professor ,lee the ,orientalist1 and ,john ,gibson the sculptor4 ,from the weaver class have sprung ,simson the mathematician1 ,bacon the sculptor1 the two ,milners1 ,adam ,walker1 ,john ,foster1 ,wilson the ornithologist1 ,dr4 ,livingstone the missionary traveller1 and ,tannahill the poet4 ,shoemakers have given us ,sir ,cloudesley ,shovel the great ,admiral1 ,sturgeon the electrician1 ,samuel ,drew the essayist1 ,gifford the editor of the #8,quarterly ,review1' ,bloomfield the poet1 and ,william ,carey the missionary2 whilst ,morrison1 another laborious missionary1 was a maker of shoe-lasts4 ,within the last few years1 a profound naturalist has been discovered in the person of a shoemaker at ,banff1 named ,thomas ,edwards1 who1 while maintaining himself by his trade1 has devoted his leisure to the study of natural science in all its branches1 his researches in connexion with the smaller crustace having been rewarded by the discovery of a new species1 to which the name of 8,praniza ,edwardsii0 has been given by naturalists4 ,nor have tailors been undistinguished4 ,john ,stow1 the historian1 worked at the trade during some part of his life4 ,jackson1 the painter1 made clothes until he reached manhood4 ,the brave ,sir ,john ,hawkswood1 who so greatly distinguished himself at ,poictiers1 and was knighted by ,edward ,,iii4 for his valour1 was in early life apprenticed to a ,london tailor4 ,admiral ,hobson1 who broke the boom at ,vigo in #agjb1 belonged to the same calling4 ,he was working as a tailor's apprentice near ,bonchurch1 in the ,isle of ,wight1 when the news flew through the village that a squadron of men-of-war was sailing off the island4 ,he sprang from the shopboard1 and ran down with his comrades to the beach1 to gaze upon the glorious sight4 ,the boy was suddenly inflamed with the ambition to be a sailor2 and springing into a boat1 he rowed off to the squadron1 gained the admiral's ship1 and was accepted as a volunteer4 ,years after1 he returned to his native village full of honours1 and dined off bacon and eggs in the cottage where he had worked as an apprentice4 ,but the greatest tailor of all is unquestionably ,andrew ,johnson1 the present ,president of the ,united ,states--a man of extraordinary force of character and vigour of intellect4 ,in his great speech at ,washington1 when describing himself as having begun his political career as an alderman1 and run through all the branches of the legislature1 a voice in the crowd cried1 8,from a tailor up40 ,it was characteristic of ,johnson to take the intended sarcasm in good part1 and even to turn it to account4 8,some gentleman says ,i have been a tailor4 ,that does not disconcert me in the least2 for when ,i was a tailor ,i had the reputation of being a good one1 and making close fits2 ,i was always punctual with my customers1 and always did good work40 ,cardinal ,wolsey1 ,de ,foe1 ,akenside1 and ,kirke ,white were the sons of butchers2 ,bunyan was a tinker1 and ,joseph ,lancaster a basket-maker4 ,among the great names identified with the invention of the steam-engine are those of ,newcomen1 ,watt1 and ,stephenson2 the first a blacksmith1 the second a maker of mathematical instruments1 and the third an engine-fireman4 ,huntingdon the preacher was originally a coalheaver1 and ,bewick1 the father of wood-engraving1 a coalminer4 ,dodsley was a footman1 and ,holcroft a groom4 ,baffin the navigator began his seafaring career as a man before the mast1 and ,sir ,cloudesley ,shovel as a cabin-boy4 ,herschel played the oboe in a military band4 ,chantrey was a journeyman carver1 ,etty a journeyman printer1 and ,sir ,thomas ,lawrence the son of a tavern-keeper4 ,michael ,faraday1 the son of a blacksmith1 was in early life apprenticed to a bookbinder1 and worked at that trade until he reached his twenty-second year3 he now occupies the very first rank as a philosopher1 excelling even his master1 ,sir ,humphry ,davy1 in the art of lucidly expounding the most difficult and abstruse points in natural science4 ,among those who have given the greatest impulse to the sublime science of astronomy1 we find ,copernicus1 the son of a ,polish baker2 ,kepler1 the son of a ,german public-house keeper1 and himself the 8garon de cabaret20 d',alembert1 a foundling picked up one winter's night on the steps of the church of ,st4 ,jean le ,rond at ,paris1 and brought up by the wife of a glazier2 and ,newton and ,laplace1 the one the son of a small freeholder near ,grantham1 the other the son of a poor peasant of ,beaumont-en-,auge1 near ,honfleur4 ,notwithstanding their comparatively adverse circumstances in early life1 these distinguished men achieved a solid and enduring reputation by the exercise of their genius1 which all the wealth in the world could not have purchased4 ,the very possession of wealth might indeed have proved an obstacle greater even than the humble means to which they were born4 ,the father of ,lagrange1 the astronomer and mathematician1 held the office of ,treasurer of ,war at ,turin2 but having ruined himself by speculations1 his family were reduced to comparative poverty4 ,to this circumstance ,lagrange was in after life accustomed partly to attribute his own fame and happiness4 8,had ,i been rich10 said he1 8,i should probably not have become a mathematician40 ,the sons of clergymen and ministers of religion generally1 have particularly distinguished themselves in our country's history4 ,amongst them we find the names of ,drake and ,nelson1 celebrated in naval heroism2 of ,wollaston1 ,young1 ,playfair1 and ,bell1 in science2 of ,wren1 ,reynolds1 ,wilson1 and ,wilkie1 in art2 of ,thurlow and ,campbell1 in law2 and of ,addison1 ,thomson1 ,goldsmith1 ,coleridge1 and ,tennyson1 in literature4 ,lord ,hardinge1 ,colonel ,edwardes1 and ,major ,hodson1 so honourably known in ,indian warfare1 were also the sons of clergymen4 ,indeed1 the empire of ,england in ,india was won and held chiefly by men of the middle class--such as ,clive1 ,warren ,hastings1 and their successors--men for the most part bred in factories and trained to habits of business4 ,among the sons of attorneys we find ,edmund ,burke1 ,smeaton the engineer1 ,scott and ,wordsworth1 and ,lords ,somers1 ,hardwick1 and ,dunning4 ,sir ,william ,blackstone was the posthumous son of a silk-mercer4 ,lord ,gifford's father was a grocer at ,dover2 ,lord ,denman's a physician2 judge ,talfourd's a country brewer2 and ,lord ,chief ,baron ,pollock's a celebrated saddler at ,charing ,cross4 ,layard1 the discoverer of the monuments of ,nineveh1 was an articled clerk in a ,london solicitor's office2 and ,sir ,william ,armstrong1 the inventor of hydraulic machinery and of the ,armstrong ordnance1 was also trained to the law and practised for some time as an attorney4 ,milton was the son of a ,london scrivener1 and ,pope and ,southey were the sons of linendrapers4 ,professor ,wilson was the son of a ,paisley manufacturer1 and ,lord ,macaulay of an ,african merchant4 ,keats was a druggist1 and ,sir ,humphry ,davy a country apothecary's apprentice4 ,speaking of himself1 ,davy once said1 8,what ,i am ,i have made myself3 ,i say this without vanity1 and in pure simplicity of heart40 ,richard ,owen1 the ,newton of ,natural ,history1 began life as a midshipman1 and did not enter upon the line of scientific research in which he has since become so distinguished1 until comparatively late in life4 ,he laid the foundations of his great knowledge while occupied in cataloguing the magnificent museum accumulated by the industry of ,john ,hunter1 a work which occupied him at the ,college of ,surgeons during a period of about ten years4 ,foreign not less than ,english biography abounds in illustrations of men who have glorified the lot of poverty by their labours and their genius4 ,in ,art we find ,claude1 the son of a pastrycook2 ,geefs1 of a baker2 ,leopold ,robert1 of a watchmaker2 and ,haydn1 of a wheelwright2 whilst ,daguerre was a scene-painter at the ,opera4 ,the father of ,gregory ,,vii4 was a carpenter2 of ,sextus ,v41 a shepherd2 and of ,adrian ,,vi41 a poor bargeman4 ,when a boy1 ,adrian1 unable to pay for a light by which to study1 was accustomed to prepare his lessons by the light of the lamps in the streets and the church porches1 exhibiting a degree of patience and industry which were the certain forerunners of his future distinction4 ,of like humble origin were ,hauy1 the mineralogist1 who was the son of a weaver of ,saint-,just2 ,hautefeuille1 the mechanician1 of a baker at ,orleans2 ,joseph ,fourier1 the mathematician1 of a tailor at ,auxerre2 ,durand1 the architect1 of a ,paris shoemaker2 and ,gesner1 the naturalist1 of a skinner or worker in hides1 at ,zurich4 ,this last began his career under all the disadvantages attendant on poverty1 sickness1 and domestic calamity2 none of which1 however1 were sufficient to damp his courage or hinder his progress4 ,his life was indeed an eminent illustration of the truth of the saying1 that those who have most to do and are willing to work1 will find the most time4 ,pierre ,ramus was another man of like character4 ,he was the son of poor parents in ,picardy1 and when a boy was employed to tend sheep4 ,but not liking the occupation he ran away to ,paris4 ,after encountering much misery1 he succeeded in entering the ,college of ,navarre as a servant4 ,the situation1 however1 opened for him the road to learning1 and he shortly became one of the most distinguished men of his time4 ,the chemist ,vauquelin was the son of a peasant of ,saint-,andr-d',herbetot1 in the ,calvados4 ,when a boy at school1 though poorly clad1 he was full of bright intelligence2 and the master1 who taught him to read and write1 when praising him for his diligence1 used to say1 8,go on1 my boy2 work1 study1 ,colin1 and one day you will go as well dressed as the parish churchwarden60 ,a country apothecary who visited the school1 admired the robust boy's arms1 and offered to take him into his laboratory to pound his drugs1 to which ,vauquelin assented1 in the hope of being able to continue his lessons4 ,but the apothecary would not permit him to spend any part of his time in learning2 and on ascertaining this1 the youth immediately determined to quit his service4 ,he therefore left ,saint-,andr and took the road for ,paris with his havresac on his back4 ,arrived there1 he searched for a place as apothecary's boy1 but could not find one4 ,worn out by fatigue and destitution1 ,vauquelin fell ill1 and in that state was taken to the hospital1 where he thought he should die4 ,but better things were in store for the poor boy4 ,he recovered1 and again proceeded in his search of employment1 which he at length found with an apothecary4 ,shortly after1 he became known to ,fourcroy the eminent chemist1 who was so pleased with the youth that he made him his private secretary2 and many years after1 on the death of that great philosopher1 ,vauquelin succeeded him as ,professor of ,chemistry4 ,finally1 in #ahbi1 the electors of the district of ,calvados appointed him their representative in the ,chamber of ,deputies1 and he re-entered in triumph the village which he had left so many years before1 so poor and so obscure4 ,england has no parallel instances to show1 of promotions from the ranks of the army to the highest military offices2 which have been so common in ,france since the first ,revolution4 8,la carrire ouverte aux talents0 has there received many striking illustrations1 which would doubtless be matched among ourselves were the road to promotion as open4 ,hoche1 ,humbert1 and ,pichegru1 began their respective careers as private soldiers4 ,hoche1 while in the ,king's army1 was accustomed to embroider waistcoats to enable him to earn money wherewith to purchase books on military science4 ,humbert was a scapegrace when a youth2 at sixteen he ran away from home1 and was by turns servant to a tradesman at ,nancy1 a workman at ,lyons1 and a hawker of rabbit skins4 ,in #agib1 he enlisted as a volunteer2 and in a year he was general of brigade4 ,kleber1 ,lefvre1 ,suchet1 ,victor1 ,lannes1 ,soult1 ,massena1 ,st4 ,cyr1 ,d',erlon1 ,murat1 ,augereau1 ,bessires1 and ,ney1 all rose from the ranks4 ,in some cases promotion was rapid1 in others it was slow4 ,saint ,cyr1 the son of a tanner of ,toul1 began life as an actor1 after which he enlisted in the ,chasseurs1 and was promoted to a captaincy within a year4 ,victor1 ,duc de ,belluno1 enlisted in the ,artillery in #agha3 during the events preceding the ,revolution he was discharged2 but immediately on the outbreak of war he re-enlisted1 and in the course of a few months his intrepidity and ability secured his promotion as ,adjutant-,major and chief of battalion4 ,murat1 8le beau sabreur10 was the son of a village innkeeper in ,perigord1 where he looked after the horses4 ,he first enlisted in a regiment of ,chasseurs1 from which he was dismissed for insubordination3 but again enlisting1 he shortly rose to the rank of ,colonel4 ,ney enlisted at eighteen in a hussar regiment1 and gradually advanced step by step3 ,kleber soon discovered his merits1 surnaming him 8,the ,indefatigable10 and promoted him to be ,adjutant-,general when only twenty-five4 ,on the other hand1 ,soult #ae was six years from the date of his enlistment before he reached the rank of sergeant4 ,but ,soult's advancement was rapid compared with that of ,massena1 who served for fourteen years before he was made sergeant2 and though he afterwards rose successively1 step by step1 to the grades of ,colonel1 ,general of ,division1 and ,marshal1 he declared that the post of sergeant was the step which of all others had cost him the most labour to win4 ,similar promotions from the ranks1 in the ,french army1 have continued down to our own day4 ,changarnier entered the ,king's bodyguard as a private in #ahae4 ,marshal ,bugeaud served four years in the ranks1 after which he was made an officer4 ,marshal ,randon1 the present ,french ,minister of ,war1 began his military career as a drummer boy2 and in the portrait of him in the gallery at ,versailles1 his hand rests upon a drum-head1 the picture being thus painted at his own request4 ,instances such as these inspire ,french soldiers with enthusiasm for their service1 as each private feels that he may possibly carry the baton of a marshal in his knapsack4 ,the instances of men1 in this and other countries1 who1 by dint of persevering application and energy1 have raised themselves from the humblest ranks of industry to eminent positions of usefulness and influence in society1 are indeed so numerous that they have long ceased to be regarded as exceptional4 ,looking at some of the more remarkable1 it might almost be said that early encounter with difficulty and adverse circumstances was the necessary and indispensable condition of success4 ,the ,british ,house of ,commons has always contained a considerable number of such self-raised men--fitting representatives of the industrial character of the people2 and it is to the credit of our ,legislature that they have been welcomed and honoured there4 ,when the late ,joseph ,brotherton1 member for ,salford1 in the course of the discussion on the ,ten ,hours ,bill1 detailed with true pathos the hardships and fatigues to which he had been subjected when working as a factory boy in a cotton mill1 and described the resolution which he had then formed1 that if ever it was in his power he would endeavour to ameliorate the condition of that class1 ,sir ,james ,graham rose immediately after him1 and declared1 amidst the cheers of the ,house1 that he did not before know that ,mr4 ,brotherton's origin had been so humble1 but that it rendered him more proud than he had ever before been of the ,house of ,commons1 to think that a person risen from that condition should be able to sit side by side1 on equal terms1 with the hereditary gentry of the land4 ,the late ,mr4 ,fox1 member for ,oldham1 was accustomed to introduce his recollections of past times with the words1 8when ,i was working as a weaver boy at ,norwich20 and there are other members of parliament1 still living1 whose origin has been equally humble4 ,mr4 ,lindsay1 the well-known ship owner1 until recently member for ,sunderland1 once told the simple story of his life to the electors of ,weymouth1 in answer to an attack made upon him by his political opponents4 ,he had been left an orphan at fourteen1 and when he left ,glasgow for ,liverpool to push his way in the world1 not being able to pay the usual fare1 the captain of the steamer agreed to take his labour in exchange1 and the boy worked his passage by trimming the coals in the coal hole4 ,at ,liverpool he remained for seven weeks before he could obtain employment1 during which time he lived in sheds and fared hardly2 until at last he found shelter on board a ,west ,indiaman4 ,he entered as a boy1 and before he was nineteen1 by steady good conduct he had risen to the command of a ship4 ,at twenty-three he retired from the sea1 and settled on shore1 after which his progress was rapid 8he had prospered10 he said1 8by steady industry1 by constant work1 and by ever keeping in view the great principle of doing to others as you would be done by40 ,the career of ,mr4 ,william ,jackson1 of ,birkenhead1 the present member for ,north ,derbyshire1 bears considerable resemblance to that of ,mr4 ,lindsay4 ,his father1 a surgeon at ,lancaster1 died1 leaving a family of eleven children1 of whom ,william ,jackson was the seventh son4 ,the elder boys had been well educated while the father lived1 but at his death the younger members had to shift for themselves4 ,william1 when under twelve years old1 was taken from school1 and put to hard work at a ship's side from six in the morning till nine at night4 ,his master falling ill1 the boy was taken into the counting-house1 where he had more leisure4 ,this gave him an opportunity of reading1 and having obtained access to a set of the #8,encyclopdia ,britannica1' he read the volumes through from ,a to ,z1 partly by day1 but chiefly at night4 ,he afterwards put himself to a trade1 was diligent1 and succeeded in it4 ,now he has ships sailing on almost every sea1 and holds commercial relations with nearly every country on the globe4 ,among like men of the same class may be ranked the late ,richard ,cobden1 whose start in life was equally humble4 ,the son of a small farmer at ,midhurst in ,sussex1 he was sent at an early age to ,london and employed as a boy in a warehouse in the ,city4 ,he was diligent1 well conducted1 and eager for information4 ,his master1 a man of the old school1 warned him against too much reading2 but the boy went on in his own course1 storing his mind with the wealth found in books4 ,he was promoted from one position of trust to another--became a traveller for his house--secured a large connection1 and eventually started in business as a calico printer at ,manchester4 ,taking an interest in public questions1 more especially in popular education1 his attention was gradually drawn to the subject of the ,corn ,laws1 to the repeal of which he may be said to have devoted his fortune and his life4 ,it may be mentioned as a curious fact that the first speech he delivered in public was a total failure4 ,but he had great perseverance1 application1 and energy2 and with persistency and practice1 he became at length one of the most persuasive and effective of public speakers1 extorting the disinterested eulogy of even ,sir ,robert ,peel himself4 ,m4 ,drouyn de ,lhuys1 the ,french ,ambassador1 has eloquently said of ,mr4 ,cobden1 that he was 8a living proof of what merit1 perseverance1 and labour can accomplish2 one of the most complete examples of those men who1 sprung from the humblest ranks of society1 raise themselves to the highest rank in public estimation by the effect of their own worth and of their personal services2 finally1 one of the rarest examples of the solid qualities inherent in the ,english character40 ,in all these cases1 strenuous individual application was the price paid for distinction2 excellence of any sort being invariably placed beyond the reach of indolence4 ,it is the diligent hand and head alone that maketh rich--in self-culture1 growth in wisdom1 and in business4 ,even when men are born to wealth and high social position1 any solid reputation which they may individually achieve can only be attained by energetic application2 for though an inheritance of acres may be bequeathed1 an inheritance of knowledge and wisdom cannot4 ,the wealthy man may pay others for doing his work for him1 but it is impossible to get his thinking done for him by another1 or to purchase any kind of self-culture4 ,indeed1 the doctrine that excellence in any pursuit is only to be achieved by laborious application1 holds as true in the case of the man of wealth as in that of ,drew and ,gifford1 whose only school was a cobbler's stall1 or ,hugh ,miller1 whose only college was a ,cromarty stone quarry4 ,riches and ease1 it is perfectly clear1 are not necessary for man's highest culture1 else had not the world been so largely indebted in all times to those who have sprung from the humbler ranks4 ,an easy and luxurious existence does not train men to effort or encounter with difficulty2 nor does it awaken that consciousness of power which is so necessary for energetic and effective action in life4 ,indeed1 so far from poverty being a misfortune1 it may1 by vigorous self-help1 be converted even into a blessing2 rousing a man to that struggle with the world in which1 though some may purchase ease by degradation1 the right-minded and true-hearted find strength1 confidence1 and triumph4 ,bacon says1 8,men seem neither to understand their riches nor their strength3 of the former they believe greater things than they should2 of the latter much less4 ,self-reliance and self-denial will teach a man to drink out of his own cistern1 and eat his own sweet bread1 and to learn and labour truly to get his living1 and carefully to expend the good things committed to his trust40 ,riches are so great a temptation to ease and self-indulgence1 to which men are by nature prone1 that the glory is all the greater of those who1 born to ample fortunes1 nevertheless take an active part in the work of their generation--who 8scorn delights and live laborious days40 ,it is to the honour of the wealthier ranks in this country that they are not idlers2 for they do their fair share of the work of the state1 and usually take more than their fair share of its dangers4 ,it was a fine thing said of a subaltern officer in the ,peninsular campaigns1 observed trudging alone through mud and mire by the side of his regiment1 8,there goes #ae1jjjl4 a year60 and in our own day1 the bleak slopes of ,sebastopol and the burning soil of ,india have borne witness to the like noble self-denial and devotion on the part of our gentler classes2 many a gallant and noble fellow1 of rank and estate1 having risked his life1 or lost it1 in one or other of those fields of action1 in the service of his country4 ,nor have the wealthier classes been undistinguished in the more peaceful pursuits of philosophy and science4 ,take1 for instance1 the great names of ,bacon1 the father of modern philosophy1 and of ,worcester1 ,boyle1 ,cavendish1 ,talbot1 and ,rosse1 in science4 ,the last named may be regarded as the great mechanic of the peerage2 a man who1 if he had not been born a peer1 would probably have taken the highest rank as an inventor4 ,so thorough is his knowledge of smith-work that he is said to have been pressed on one occasion to accept the foremanship of a large workshop1 by a manufacturer to whom his rank was unknown4 ,the great ,rosse telescope1 of his own fabrication1 is certainly the most extraordinary instrument of the kind that has yet been constructed4 ,but it is principally in the departments of politics and literature that we find the most energetic labourers amongst our higher classes4 ,success in these lines of action1 as in all others1 can only be achieved through industry1 practice1 and study2 and the great ,minister1 or parliamentary leader1 must necessarily be amongst the very hardest of workers4 ,such was ,palmerston2 and such are ,derby and ,russell1 ,disraeli and ,gladstone4 ,these men have had the benefit of no ,ten ,hours ,bill1 but have often1 during the busy season of ,parliament1 worked 8double shift10 almost day and night4 ,one of the most illustrious of such workers in modern times was unquestionably the late ,sir ,robert ,peel4 ,he possessed in an extraordinary degree the power of continuous intellectual labour1 nor did he spare himself4 ,his career1 indeed1 presented a remarkable example of how much a man of comparatively moderate powers can accomplish by means of assiduous application and indefatigable industry4 ,during the forty years that he held a seat in ,parliament1 his labours were prodigious4 ,he was a most conscientious man1 and whatever he undertook to do1 he did thoroughly4 ,all his speeches bear evidence of his careful study of everything that had been spoken or written on the subject under consideration4 ,he was elaborate almost to excess2 and spared no pains to adapt himself to the various capacities of his audience4 ,withal1 he possessed much practical sagacity1 great strength of purpose1 and power to direct the issues of action with steady hand and eye4 ,in one respect he surpassed most men3 his principles broadened and enlarged with time2 and age1 instead of contracting1 only served to mellow and ripen his nature4 ,to the last he continued open to the reception of new views1 and1 though many thought him cautious to excess1 he did not allow himself to fall into that indiscriminating admiration of the past1 which is the palsy of many minds similarly educated1 and renders the old age of many nothing but a pity4 ,the indefatigable industry of ,lord ,brougham has become almost proverbial4 ,his public labours have extended over a period of upwards of sixty years1 during which he has ranged over many fields--of law1 literature1 politics1 and science1--and achieved distinction in them all4 ,how he contrived it1 has been to many a mystery4 ,once1 when ,sir ,samuel ,romilly was requested to undertake some new work1 he excused himself by saying that he had no time2 8but10 he added1 8go with it to that fellow ,brougham1 he seems to have time for everything40 ,the secret of it was1 that he never left a minute unemployed2 withal he possessed a constitution of iron4 ,when arrived at an age at which most men would have retired from the world to enjoy their hard-earned leisure1 perhaps to doze away their time in an easy chair1 ,lord ,brougham commenced and prosecuted a series of elaborate investigations as to the laws of ,light1 and he submitted the results to the most scientific audiences that ,paris and ,london could muster4 ,about the same time1 he was passing through the press his admirable sketches of the #8,men of ,science and ,literature of the ,reign of ,george ,,iii41' and taking his full share of the law business and the political discussions in the ,house of ,lords4 ,sydney ,smith once recommended him to confine himself to only the transaction of so much business as three strong men could get through4 ,but such was ,brougham's love of work--long become a habit--that no amount of application seems to have been too great for him2 and such was his love of excellence1 that it has been said of him that if his station in life had been only that of a shoe-black1 he would never have rested satisfied until he had become the best shoe-black in ,england4 ,another hard-working man of the same class is ,sir ,e4 ,bulwer ,lytton4 ,few writers have done more1 or achieved higher distinction in various walks--as a novelist1 poet1 dramatist1 historian1 essayist1 orator1 and politician4 ,he has worked his way step by step1 disdainful of ease1 and animated throughout by the ardent desire to excel4 ,on the score of mere industry1 there are few living ,english writers who have written so much1 and none that have produced so much of high quality4 ,the industry of ,bulwer is entitled to all the greater praise that it has been entirely self-imposed4 ,to hunt1 and shoot1 and live at ease1--to frequent the clubs and enjoy the opera1 with the variety of ,london visiting and sight-seeing during the 8season10 and then off to the country mansion1 with its well-stocked preserves1 and its thousand delightful out-door pleasures1--to travel abroad1 to ,paris1 ,vienna1 or ,rome1--all this is excessively attractive to a lover of pleasure and a man of fortune1 and by no means calculated to make him voluntarily undertake continuous labour of any kind4 ,yet these pleasures1 all within his reach1 ,bulwer must1 as compared with men born to similar estate1 have denied himself in assuming the position and pursuing the career of a literary man4 ,like ,byron1 his first effort was poetical 7#8,weeds and ,wild ,flowers'71 and a failure4 ,his second was a novel 7#8,falkland'71 and it proved a failure too4 ,a man of weaker nerve would have dropped authorship2 but ,bulwer had pluck and perseverance2 and he worked on1 determined to succeed4 ,he was incessantly industrious1 read extensively1 and from failure went courageously onwards to success4 #8,pelham' followed #8,falkland' within a year1 and the remainder of ,bulwer's literary life1 now extending over a period of thirty years1 has been a succession of triumphs4 ,mr4 ,disraeli affords a similar instance of the power of industry and application in working out an eminent public career4 ,his first achievements were1 like ,bulwer's1 in literature2 and he reached success only through a succession of failures4 ,his #8,wondrous ,tale of ,alroy' and #8,revolutionary ,epic' were laughed at1 and regarded as indications of literary lunacy4 ,but he worked on in other directions1 and his #8,coningsby1' #8,sybil1' and #8,tancred1' proved the sterling stuff of which he was made4 ,as an orator too1 his first appearance in the ,house of ,commons was a failure4 ,it was spoken of as 8more screaming than an ,adelphi farce40 ,though composed in a grand and ambitious strain1 every sentence was hailed with 8loud laughter40 #8,hamlet' played as a comedy were nothing to it4 ,but he concluded with a sentence which embodied a prophecy4 ,writhing under the laughter with which his studied eloquence had been received1 he exclaimed1 8,i have begun several times many things1 and have succeeded in them at last4 ,i shall sit down now1 but the time will come when you will hear me40 ,the time did come2 and how ,disraeli succeeded in at length commanding the attention of the first assembly of gentlemen in the world1 affords a striking illustration of what energy and determination will do2 for ,disraeli earned his position by dint of patient industry4 ,he did not1 as many young men do1 having once failed1 retire dejected1 to mope and whine in a corner1 but diligently set himself to work4 ,he carefully unlearnt his faults1 studied the character of his audience1 practised sedulously the art of speech1 and industriously filled his mind with the elements of parliamentary knowledge4 ,he worked patiently for success2 and it came1 but slowly3 then the ,house laughed with him1 instead of at him4 ,the recollection of his early failure was effaced1 and by general consent he was at length admitted to be one of the most finished and effective of parliamentary speakers4 ,although much may be accomplished by means of individual industry and energy1 as these and other instances set forth in the following pages serve to illustrate1 it must at the same time be acknowledged that the help which we derive from others in the journey of life is of very great importance4 ,the poet ,wordsworth has well said that 8these two things1 contradictory though they may seem1 must go together--manly dependence and manly independence1 manly reliance and manly self-reliance40 ,from infancy to old age1 all are more or less indebted to others for nurture and culture2 and the best and strongest are usually found the readiest to acknowledge such help4 ,take1 for example1 the career of the late ,alexis de ,tocqueville1 a man doubly well-born1 for his father was a distinguished peer of ,france1 and his mother a grand-daughter of ,malesherbes4 ,through powerful family influence1 he was appointed ,judge ,auditor at ,versailles when only twenty-one2 but probably feeling that he had not fairly won the position by merit1 he determined to give it up and owe his future advancement in life to himself alone4 8,a foolish resolution10 some will say2 but ,de ,tocqueville bravely acted it out4 ,he resigned his appointment1 and made arrangements to leave ,france for the purpose of travelling through the ,united ,states1 the results of which were published in his great book on #8,democracy in ,america4' ,his friend and travelling companion1 ,gustave de ,beaumont1 has described his indefatigable industry during this journey4 8,his nature10 he says1 8was wholly averse to idleness1 and whether he was travelling or resting1 his mind was always at work4 4 4 4 ,with ,alexis1 the most agreeable conversation was that which was the most useful4 ,the worst day was the lost day1 or the day ill spent2 the least loss of time annoyed him40 ,tocqueville himself wrote to a friend--8,there is no time of life at which one can wholly cease from action1 for effort without one's self1 and still more effort within1 is equally necessary1 if not more so1 when we grow old1 as it is in youth4 ,i compare man in this world to a traveller journeying without ceasing towards a colder and colder region2 the higher he goes1 the faster he ought to walk4 ,the great malady of the soul is cold4 ,and in resisting this formidable evil1 one needs not only to be sustained by the action of a mind employed1 but also by contact with one's fellows in the business of life40 #be ,notwithstanding de ,tocqueville's decided views as to the necessity of exercising individual energy and self-dependence1 no one could be more ready than he was to recognise the value of that help and support for which all men are indebted to others in a greater or less degree4 ,thus1 he often acknowledged1 with gratitude1 his obligations to his friends ,de ,kergorlay and ,stofells1--to the former for intellectual assistance1 and to the latter for moral support and sympathy4 ,to ,de ,kergorlay he wrote--8,thine is the only soul in which ,i have confidence1 and whose influence exercises a genuine effect upon my own4 ,many others have influence upon the details of my actions1 but no one has so much influence as thou on the origination of fundamental ideas1 and of those principles which are the rule of conduct40 ,de ,tocqueville was not less ready to confess the great obligations which he owed to his wife1 ,marie1 for the preservation of that temper and frame of mind which enabled him to prosecute his studies with success4 ,he believed that a noble-minded woman insensibly elevated the character of her husband1 while one of a grovelling nature as certainly tended to degrade it4 #bf ,in fine1 human character is moulded by a thousand subtle influences2 by example and precept2 by life and literature2 by friends and neighbours2 by the world we live in as well as by the spirits of our forefathers1 whose legacy of good words and deeds we inherit4 ,but great1 unquestionably1 though these influences are acknowledged to be1 it is nevertheless equally clear that men must necessarily be the active agents of their own well-being and well-doing2 and that1 however much the wise and the good may owe to others1 they themselves must in the very nature of things be their own best helpers4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,leaders ,,of ,,industry--,,inventors ,,and ,,producers4 8,le travail et la ,science sont dsormais les matres du monde40--,de ,salvandy4 8,deduct all that men of the humbler classes have done for ,england in the way of inventions only1 and see where she would have been but for them40--,arthur ,helps4 ,,one of the most strongly-marked features of the ,english people is their spirit of industry1 standing out prominent and distinct in their past history1 and as strikingly characteristic of them now as at any former period4 ,it is this spirit1 displayed by the commons of ,england1 which has laid the foundations and built up the industrial greatness of the empire4 ,this vigorous growth of the nation has been mainly the result of the free energy of individuals1 and it has been contingent upon the number of hands and minds from time to time actively employed within it1 whether as cultivators of the soil1 producers of articles of utility1 contrivers of tools and machines1 writers of books1 or creators of works of art4 ,and while this spirit of active industry has been the vital principle of the nation1 it has also been its saving and remedial one1 counteracting from time to time the effects of errors in our laws and imperfections in our constitution4 ,the career of industry which the nation has pursued1 has also proved its best education4 ,as steady application to work is the healthiest training for every individual1 so is it the best discipline of a state4 ,honourable industry travels the same road with duty2 and ,providence has closely linked both with happiness4 ,the gods1 says the poet1 have placed labour and toil on the way leading to the ,elysian fields4 ,certain it is that no bread eaten by man is so sweet as that earned by his own labour1 whether bodily or mental4 ,by labour the earth has been subdued1 and man redeemed from barbarism2 nor has a single step in civilization been made without it4 ,labour is not only a necessity and a duty1 but a blessing3 only the idler feels it to be a curse4 ,the duty of work is written on the thews and muscles of the limbs1 the mechanism of the hand1 the nerves and lobes of the brain--the sum of whose healthy action is satisfaction and enjoyment4 ,in the school of labour is taught the best practical wisdom2 nor is a life of manual employment1 as we shall hereafter find1 incompatible with high mental culture4 ,hugh ,miller1 than whom none knew better the strength and the weakness belonging to the lot of labour1 stated the result of his experience to be1 that ,work1 even the hardest1 is full of pleasure and materials for self-improvement4 ,he held honest labour to be the best of teachers1 and that the school of toil is the noblest of schools--save only the ,christian one1--that it is a school in which the ability of being useful is imparted1 the spirit of independence learnt1 and the habit of persevering effort acquired4 ,he was even of opinion that the training of the mechanic1--by the exercise which it gives to his observant faculties1 from his daily dealing with things actual and practical1 and the close experience of life which he acquires1--better fits him for picking his way along the journey of life1 and is more favourable to his growth as a ,man1 emphatically speaking1 than the training afforded by any other condition4 ,the array of great names which we have already cursorily cited1 of men springing from the ranks of the industrial classes1 who have achieved distinction in various walks of life--in science1 commerce1 literature1 and art--shows that at all events the difficulties interposed by poverty and labour are not insurmountable4 ,as respects the great contrivances and inventions which have conferred so much power and wealth upon the nation1 it is unquestionable that for the greater part of them we have been indebted to men of the humblest rank4 ,deduct what they have done in this particular line of action1 and it will be found that very little indeed remains for other men to have accomplished4 ,inventors have set in motion some of the greatest industries of the world4 ,to them society owes many of its chief necessaries1 comforts1 and luxuries2 and by their genius and labour daily life has been rendered in all respects more easy as well as enjoyable4 ,our food1 our clothing1 the furniture of our homes1 the glass which admits the light to our dwellings at the same time that it excludes the cold1 the gas which illuminates our streets1 our means of locomotion by land and by sea1 the tools by which our various articles of necessity and luxury are fabricated1 have been the result of the labour and ingenuity of many men and many minds4 ,mankind at large are all the happier for such inventions1 and are every day reaping the benefit of them in an increase of individual well-being as well as of public enjoyment4 ,though the invention of the working steam-engine--the king of machines--belongs1 comparatively speaking1 to our own epoch1 the idea of it was born many centuries ago4 ,like other contrivances and discoveries1 it was effected step by step--one man transmitting the result of his labours1 at the time apparently useless1 to his successors1 who took it up and carried it forward another stage1--the prosecution of the inquiry extending over many generations4 ,thus the idea promulgated by ,hero of ,alexandria was never altogether lost2 but1 like the grain of wheat hid in the hand of the ,egyptian mummy1 it sprouted and again grew vigorously when brought into the full light of modern science4 ,the steam-engine was nothing1 however1 until it emerged from the state of theory1 and was taken in hand by practical mechanics2 and what a noble story of patient1 laborious investigation1 of difficulties encountered and overcome by heroic industry1 does not that marvellous machine tell of6 ,it is indeed1 in itself1 a monument of the power of self-help in man4 ,grouped around it we find ,savary1 the military engineer2 ,newcomen1 the ,dartmouth blacksmith2 ,cawley1 the glazier2 ,potter1 the engine-boy2 ,smeaton1 the civil engineer2 and1 towering above all1 the laborious1 patient1 never-tiring ,james ,watt1 the mathematical-instrument maker4 ,watt was one of the most industrious of men2 and the story of his life proves1 what all experience confirms1 that it is not the man of the greatest natural vigour and capacity who achieves the highest results1 but he who employs his powers with the greatest industry and the most carefully disciplined skill--the skill that comes by labour1 application1 and experience4 ,many men in his time knew far more than ,watt1 but none laboured so assiduously as he did to turn all that he did know to useful practical purposes4 ,he was1 above all things1 most persevering in the pursuit of facts4 ,he cultivated carefully that habit of active attention on which all the higher working qualities of the mind mainly depend4 ,indeed1 ,mr4 ,edgeworth entertained the opinion1 that the difference of intellect in men depends more upon the early cultivation of this habit of attention1 than upon any great disparity between the powers of one individual and another4 ,even when a boy1 ,watt found science in his toys4 ,the quadrants lying about his father's carpenter's shop led him to the study of optics and astronomy2 his ill health induced him to pry into the secrets of physiology2 and his solitary walks through the country attracted him to the study of botany and history4 ,while carrying on the business of a mathematical-instrument maker1 he received an order to build an organ2 and1 though without an ear for music1 he undertook the study of harmonics1 and successfully constructed the instrument4 ,and1 in like manner1 when the little model of ,newcomen's steam-engine1 belonging to the ,university of ,glasgow1 was placed in his hands to repair1 he forthwith set himself to learn all that was then known about heat1 evaporation1 and condensation1--at the same time plodding his way in mechanics and the science of construction1--the results of which he at length embodied in his condensing steam-engine4 ,for ten years he went on contriving and inventing--with little hope to cheer him1 and with few friends to encourage him4 ,he went on1 meanwhile1 earning bread for his family by making and selling quadrants1 making and mending fiddles1 flutes1 and musical instruments2 measuring mason-work1 surveying roads1 superintending the construction of canals1 or doing anything that turned up1 and offered a prospect of honest gain4 ,at length1 ,watt found a fit partner in another eminent leader of industry--,matthew ,boulton1 of ,birmingham2 a skilful1 energetic1 and far-seeing man1 who vigorously undertook the enterprise of introducing the condensing-engine into general use as a working power2 and the success of both is now matter of history4 #ca ,many skilful inventors have from time to time added new power to the steam-engine2 and1 by numerous modifications1 rendered it capable of being applied to nearly all the purposes of manufacture--driving machinery1 impelling ships1 grinding corn1 printing books1 stamping money1 hammering1 planing1 and turning iron2 in short1 of performing every description of mechanical labour where power is required4 ,one of the most useful modifications in the engine was that devised by ,trevithick1 and eventually perfected by ,george ,stephenson and his son1 in the form of the railway locomotive1 by which social changes of immense importance have been brought about1 of even greater consequence1 considered in their results on human progress and civilization1 than the condensing-engine of ,watt4 ,one of the first grand results of ,watt's invention1--which placed an almost unlimited power at the command of the producing classes1--was the establishment of the cotton-manufacture4 ,the person most closely identified with the foundation of this great branch of industry was unquestionably ,sir ,richard ,arkwright1 whose practical energy and sagacity were perhaps even more remarkable than his mechanical inventiveness4 ,his originality as an inventor has indeed been called in question1 like that of ,watt and ,stephenson4 ,arkwright probably stood in the same relation to the spinning-machine that ,watt did to the steam-engine and ,stephenson to the locomotive4 ,he gathered together the scattered threads of ingenuity which already existed1 and wove them1 after his own design1 into a new and original fabric4 ,though ,lewis ,paul1 of ,birmingham1 patented the invention of spinning by rollers thirty years before ,arkwright1 the machines constructed by him were so imperfect in their details1 that they could not be profitably worked1 and the invention was practically a failure4 ,another obscure mechanic1 a reed-maker of ,leigh1 named ,thomas ,highs1 is also said to have invented the water-frame and spinning-jenny2 but they1 too1 proved unsuccessful4 ,when the demands of industry are found to press upon the resources of inventors1 the same idea is usually found floating about in many minds2--such has been the case with the steam-engine1 the safety-lamp1 the electric telegraph1 and other inventions4 ,many ingenious minds are found labouring in the throes of invention1 until at length the master mind1 the strong practical man1 steps forward1 and straightway delivers them of their idea1 applies the principle successfully1 and the thing is done4 ,then there is a loud outcry among all the smaller contrivers1 who see themselves distanced in the race2 and hence men such as ,watt1 ,stephenson1 and ,arkwright1 have usually to defend their reputation and their rights as practical and successful inventors4 ,richard ,arkwright1 like most of our great mechanicians1 sprang from the ranks4 ,he was born in ,preston in #agcb4 ,his parents were very poor1 and he was the youngest of thirteen children4 ,he was never at school3 the only education he received he gave to himself2 and to the last he was only able to write with difficulty4 ,when a boy1 he was apprenticed to a barber1 and after learning the business1 he set up for himself in ,bolton1 where he occupied an underground cellar1 over which he put up the sign1 8,come to the subterraneous barber--he shaves for a penny40 ,the other barbers found their customers leaving them1 and reduced their prices to his standard1 when ,arkwright1 determined to push his trade1 announced his determination to give 8,a clean shave for a halfpenny40 ,after a few years he quitted his cellar1 and became an itinerant dealer in hair4 ,at that time wigs were worn1 and wig-making formed an important branch of the barbering business4 ,arkwright went about buying hair for the wigs4 ,he was accustomed to attend the hiring fairs throughout ,lancashire resorted to by young women1 for the purpose of securing their long tresses2 and it is said that in negotiations of this sort he was very successful4 ,he also dealt in a chemical hair dye1 which he used adroitly1 and thereby secured a considerable trade4 ,but he does not seem1 notwithstanding his pushing character1 to have done more than earn a bare living4 ,the fashion of wig-wearing having undergone a change1 distress fell upon the wig-makers2 and ,arkwright1 being of a mechanical turn1 was consequently induced to turn machine inventor or 8conjurer10 as the pursuit was then popularly termed4 ,many attempts were made about that time to invent a spinning-machine1 and our barber determined to launch his little bark on the sea of invention with the rest4 ,like other self-taught men of the same bias1 he had already been devoting his spare time to the invention of a perpetual-motion machine2 and from that the transition to a spinning-machine was easy4 ,he followed his experiments so assiduously that he neglected his business1 lost the little money he had saved1 and was reduced to great poverty4 ,his wife--for he had by this time married--was impatient at what she conceived to be a wanton waste of time and money1 and in a moment of sudden wrath she seized upon and destroyed his models1 hoping thus to remove the cause of the family privations4 ,arkwright was a stubborn and enthusiastic man1 and he was provoked beyond measure by this conduct of his wife1 from whom he immediately separated4 ,in travelling about the country1 ,arkwright had become acquainted with a person named ,kay1 a clockmaker at ,warrington1 who assisted him in constructing some of the parts of his perpetual-motion machinery4 ,it is supposed that he was informed by ,kay of the principle of spinning by rollers2 but it is also said that the idea was first suggested to him by accidentally observing a red-hot piece of iron become elongated by passing between iron rollers4 ,however this may be1 the idea at once took firm possession of his mind1 and he proceeded to devise the process by which it was to be accomplished1 ,kay being able to tell him nothing on this point4 ,arkwright now abandoned his business of hair collecting1 and devoted himself to the perfecting of his machine1 a model of which1 constructed by ,kay under his directions1 he set up in the parlour of the ,free ,grammar ,school at ,preston4 ,being a burgess of the town1 he voted at the contested election at which ,general ,burgoyne was returned2 but such was his poverty1 and such the tattered state of his dress1 that a number of persons subscribed a sum sufficient to have him put in a state fit to appear in the poll-room4 ,the exhibition of his machine in a town where so many workpeople lived by the exercise of manual labour proved a dangerous experiment2 ominous growlings were heard outside the school-room from time to time1 and ,arkwright1--remembering the fate of ,kay1 who was mobbed and compelled to fly from ,lancashire because of his invention of the fly-shuttle1 and of poor ,hargreaves1 whose spinning-jenny had been pulled to pieces only a short time before by a ,blackburn mob1--wisely determined on packing up his model and removing to a less dangerous locality4 ,he went accordingly to ,nottingham1 where he applied to some of the local bankers for pecuniary assistance2 and the ,messrs4 ,wright consented to advance him a sum of money on condition of sharing in the profits of the invention4 ,the machine1 however1 not being perfected so soon as they had anticipated1 the bankers recommended ,arkwright to apply to ,messrs4 ,strutt and ,need1 the former of whom was the ingenious inventor and patentee of the stocking-frame4 ,mr4 ,strutt at once appreciated the merits of the invention1 and a partnership was entered into with ,arkwright1 whose road to fortune was now clear4 ,the patent was secured in the name of 8,richard ,arkwright1 of ,nottingham1 clockmaker10 and it is a circumstance worthy of note1 that it was taken out in #agfi1 the same year in which ,watt secured the patent for his steam-engine4 ,a cotton-mill was first erected at ,nottingham1 driven by horses2 and another was shortly after built1 on a much larger scale1 at ,cromford1 in ,derbyshire1 turned by a water-wheel1 from which circumstance the spinning-machine came to be called the water-frame4 ,arkwright's labours1 however1 were1 comparatively speaking1 only begun4 ,he had still to perfect all the working details of his machine4 ,it was in his hands the subject of constant modification and improvement1 until eventually it was rendered practicable and profitable in an eminent degree4 ,but success was only secured by long and patient labour3 for some years1 indeed1 the speculation was disheartening and unprofitable1 swallowing up a very large amount of capital without any result4 ,when success began to appear more certain1 then the ,lancashire manufacturers fell upon ,arkwright's patent to pull it in pieces1 as the ,cornish miners fell upon ,boulton and ,watt to rob them of the profits of their steam-engine4 ,arkwright was even denounced as the enemy of the working people2 and a mill which he built near ,chorley was destroyed by a mob in the presence of a strong force of police and military4 ,the ,lancashire men refused to buy his materials1 though they were confessedly the best in the market4 ,then they refused to pay patent-right for the use of his machines1 and combined to crush him in the courts of law4 ,to the disgust of right-minded people1 ,arkwright's patent was upset4 ,after the trial1 when passing the hotel at which his opponents were staying1 one of them said1 loud enough to be heard by him1 8,well1 we've done the old shaver at last20 to which he coolly replied1 8,never mind1 ,i've a razor left that will shave you all40 ,he established new mills in ,lancashire1 ,derbyshire1 and at ,new ,lanark1 in ,scotland4 ,the mills at ,cromford also came into his hands at the expiry of his partnership with ,strutt1 and the amount and the excellence of his products were such1 that in a short time he obtained so complete a control of the trade1 that the prices were fixed by him1 and he governed the main operations of the other cotton-spinners4 ,arkwright was a man of great force of character1 indomitable courage1 much worldly shrewdness1 with a business faculty almost amounting to genius4 ,at one period his time was engrossed by severe and continuous labour1 occasioned by the organising and conducting of his numerous manufactories1 sometimes from four in the morning till nine at night4 ,at fifty years of age he set to work to learn ,english grammar1 and improve himself in writing and orthography4 ,after overcoming every obstacle1 he had the satisfaction of reaping the reward of his enterprise4 ,eighteen years after he had constructed his first machine1 he rose to such estimation in ,derbyshire that he was appointed ,high ,sheriff of the county1 and shortly after ,george ,,iii4 conferred upon him the honour of knighthood4 ,he died in #agib4 ,be it for good or for evil1 ,arkwright was the founder in ,england of the modern factory system1 a branch of industry which has unquestionably proved a source of immense wealth to individuals and to the nation4 ,all the other great branches of industry in ,britain furnish like examples of energetic men of business1 the source of much benefit to the neighbourhoods in which they have laboured1 and of increased power and wealth to the community at large4 ,amongst such might be cited the ,strutts of ,belper2 the ,tennants of ,glasgow2 the ,marshalls and ,gotts of ,leeds2 the ,peels1 ,ashworths1 ,birleys1 ,fieldens1 ,ashtons1 ,heywoods1 and ,ainsworths of ,south ,lancashire1 some of whose descendants have since become distinguished in connection with the political history of ,england4 ,such pre-eminently were the ,peels of ,south ,lancashire4 ,the founder of the ,peel family1 about the middle of last century1 was a small yeoman1 occupying the ,hole ,house ,farm1 near ,blackburn1 from which he afterwards removed to a house situated in ,fish ,lane in that town4 ,robert ,peel1 as he advanced in life1 saw a large family of sons and daughters growing up about him2 but the land about ,blackburn being somewhat barren1 it did not appear to him that agricultural pursuits offered a very encouraging prospect for their industry4 ,the place had1 however1 long been the seat of a domestic manufacture--the fabric called 8,blackburn greys10 consisting of linen weft and cotton warp1 being chiefly made in that town and its neighbourhood4 ,it was then customary--previous to the introduction of the factory system--for industrious yeomen with families to employ the time not occupied in the fields in weaving at home2 and ,robert ,peel accordingly began the domestic trade of calico-making4 ,he was honest1 and made an honest article2 thrifty and hardworking1 and his trade prospered4 ,he was also enterprising1 and was one of the first to adopt the carding cylinder1 then recently invented4 ,but ,robert ,peel's attention was principally directed to the printing of calico--then a comparatively unknown art--and for some time he carried on a series of experiments with the object of printing by machinery4 ,the experiments were secretly conducted in his own house1 the cloth being ironed for the purpose by one of the women of the family4 ,it was then customary1 in such houses as the ,peels1 to use pewter plates at dinner4 ,having sketched a figure or pattern on one of the plates1 the thought struck him that an impression might be got from it in reverse1 and printed on calico with colour4 ,in a cottage at the end of the farm-house lived a woman who kept a calendering machine1 and going into her cottage1 he put the plate with colour rubbed into the figured part and some calico over it1 through the machine1 when it was found to leave a satisfactory impression4 ,such is said to have been the origin of roller printing on calico4 ,robert ,peel shortly perfected his process1 and the first pattern he brought out was a parsley leaf2 hence he is spoken of in the neighbourhood of ,blackburn to this day as 8,parsley ,peel40 ,the process of calico printing by what is called the mule machine--that is1 by means of a wooden cylinder in relief1 with an engraved copper cylinder--was afterwards brought to perfection by one of his sons1 the head of the firm of ,messrs4 ,peel and ,co41 of ,church4 ,stimulated by his success1 ,robert ,peel shortly gave up farming1 and removing to ,brookside1 a village about two miles from ,blackburn1 he devoted himself exclusively to the printing business4 ,there1 with the aid of his sons1 who were as energetic as himself1 he successfully carried on the trade for several years2 and as the young men grew up towards manhood1 the concern branched out into various firms of ,peels1 each of which became a centre of industrial activity and a source of remunerative employment to large numbers of people4 ,from what can now be learnt of the character of the original and untitled ,robert ,peel1 he must have been a remarkable man--shrewd1 sagacious1 and far-seeing4 ,but little is known of him excepting from traditions and the sons of those who knew him are fast passing away4 ,his son1 ,sir ,robert1 thus modestly spoke of him3--8,my father may be truly said to have been the founder of our family2 and he so accurately appreciated the importance of commercial wealth in a national point of view1 that he was often heard to say that the gains to individuals were small compared with the national gains arising from trade40 ,sir ,robert ,peel1 the first baronet and the second manufacturer of the name1 inherited all his father's enterprise1 ability1 and industry4 ,his position1 at starting in life1 was little above that of an ordinary working man2 for his father1 though laying the foundations of future prosperity1 was still struggling with the difficulties arising from insufficient capital4 ,when ,robert was only twenty years of age1 he determined to begin the business of cotton-printing1 which he had by this time learnt from his father1 on his own account4 ,his uncle1 ,james ,haworth1 and ,william ,yates of ,blackburn1 joined him in his enterprise2 the whole capital which they could raise amongst them amounting to only about #ejjl41 the principal part of which was supplied by ,william ,yates4 ,the father of the latter was a householder in ,blackburn1 where he was well known and much respected2 and having saved money by his business1 he was willing to advance sufficient to give his son a start in the lucrative trade of cotton-printing1 then in its infancy4 ,robert ,peel1 though comparatively a mere youth1 supplied the practical knowledge of the business2 but it was said of him1 and proved true1 that he 8carried an old head on young shoulders40 ,a ruined corn-mill1 with its adjoining fields1 was purchased for a comparatively small sum1 near the then insignificant town of ,bury1 where the works long after continued to be known as 8,the ,ground20 and a few wooden sheds having been run up1 the firm commenced their cotton-printing business in a very humble way in the year #aggj1 adding to it that of cotton-spinning a few years later4 ,the frugal style in which the partners lived may be inferred from the following incident in their early career4 ,william ,yates1 being a married man with a family1 commenced housekeeping on a small scale1 and1 to oblige ,peel1 who was single1 he agreed to take him as a lodger4 ,the sum which the latter first paid for board and lodging was only #hs4 a week2 but ,yates1 considering this too little1 insisted on the weekly payment being increased a shilling1 to which ,peel at first demurred1 and a difference between the partners took place1 which was eventually compromised by the lodger paying an advance of sixpence a week4 ,william ,yates's eldest child was a girl named ,ellen1 and she very soon became an especial favourite with the young lodger4 ,on returning from his hard day's work at 8,the ,ground10 he would take the little girl upon his knee1 and say to her1 8,nelly1 thou bonny little dear1 wilt be my wife80 to which the child would readily answer 8,yes10 as any child would do4 8,then ,i'll wait for thee1 ,nelly2 ,i'll wed thee1 and none else40 ,and ,robert ,peel did wait4 ,as the girl grew in beauty towards womanhood1 his determination to wait for her was strengthened2 and after the lapse of ten years--years of close application to business and rapidly increasing prosperity--,robert ,peel married ,ellen ,yates when she had completed her seventeenth year2 and the pretty child1 whom her mother's lodger and father's partner had nursed upon his knee1 became ,mrs4 ,peel1 and eventually ,lady ,peel1 the mother of the future ,prime ,minister of ,england4 ,lady ,peel was a noble and beautiful woman1 fitted to grace any station in life4 ,she possessed rare powers of mind1 and was1 on every emergency1 the high-souled and faithful counsellor of her husband4 ,for many years after their marriage1 she acted as his amanuensis1 conducting the principal part of his business correspondence1 for ,mr4 ,peel himself was an indifferent and almost unintelligible writer4 ,she died in #ahjc1 only three years after the ,baronetcy had been conferred upon her husband4 ,it is said that ,london fashionable life--so unlike what she had been accustomed to at home--proved injurious to her health2 and old ,mr4 ,yates afterwards used to say1 8if ,robert hadn't made our ,nelly a #8,lady1' she might ha' been living yet40 ,the career of ,yates1 ,peel1 ,co41 was throughout one of great and uninterrupted prosperity4 ,sir ,robert ,peel himself was the soul of the firm2 to great energy and application uniting much practical sagacity1 and first-rate mercantile abilities--qualities in which many of the early cotton-spinners were exceedingly deficient4 ,he was a man of iron mind and frame1 and toiled unceasingly4 ,in short1 he was to cotton printing what ,arkwright was to cotton-spinning1 and his success was equally great4 ,the excellence of the articles produced by the firm secured the command of the market1 and the character of the firm stood pre-eminent in ,lancashire4 ,besides greatly benefiting ,bury1 the partnership planted similar extensive works in the neighbourhood1 on the ,irwell and the ,roch2 and it was cited to their honour1 that1 while they sought to raise to the highest perfection the quality of their manufactures1 they also endeavoured1 in all ways1 to promote the well-being and comfort of their workpeople2 for whom they contrived to provide remunerative employment even in the least prosperous times4 ,sir ,robert ,peel readily appreciated the value of all new processes and inventions2 in illustration of which we may allude to his adoption of the process for producing what is called resist work in calico printing4 ,this is accomplished by the use of a paste1 or resist1 on such parts of the cloth as were intended to remain white4 ,the person who discovered the paste was a traveller for a ,london house1 who sold it to ,mr4 ,peel for an inconsiderable sum4 ,it required the experience of a year or two to perfect the system and make it practically useful2 but the beauty of its effect1 and the extreme precision of outline in the pattern produced1 at once placed the ,bury establishment at the head of all the factories for calico printing in the country4 ,other firms1 conducted with like spirit1 were established by members of the same family at ,burnley1 ,foxhill bank1 and ,altham1 in ,lancashire2 ,salley ,abbey1 in ,yorkshire2 and afterwards at ,burton-on-,trent1 in ,staffordshire2 these various establishments1 whilst they brought wealth to their proprietors1 setting an example to the whole cotton trade1 and training up many of the most successful printers and manufacturers in ,lancashire4 ,among other distinguished founders of industry1 the ,rev4 ,william ,lee1 inventor of the ,stocking ,frame1 and ,john ,heathcoat1 inventor of the ,bobbin-net ,machine1 are worthy of notice1 as men of great mechanical skill and perseverance1 through whose labours a vast amount of remunerative employment has been provided for the labouring population of ,nottingham and the adjacent districts4 ,the accounts which have been preserved of the circumstances connected with the invention of the ,stocking ,frame are very confused1 and in many respects contradictory1 though there is no doubt as to the name of the inventor4 ,this was ,william ,lee1 born at ,woodborough1 a village some seven miles from ,nottingham1 about the year #aefc4 ,according to some accounts1 he was the heir to a small freehold1 while according to others he was a poor scholar1 #dc;a and had to struggle with poverty from his earliest years4 ,he entered as a sizar at ,christ ,college1 ,cambridge1 in ,may1 #aegi1 and subsequently removed to ,st4 ,john's1 taking his degree of ,b4,a4 in #aehb-c4 ,it is believed that he commenced ,m4,a4 in #aehf2 but on this point there appears to be some confusion in the records of the ,university4 ,the statement usually made that he was expelled for marrying contrary to the statutes1 is incorrect1 as he was never a ,fellow of the ,university1 and therefore could not be prejudiced by taking such a step4 ,at the time when ,lee invented the ,stocking ,frame he was officiating as curate of ,calverton1 near ,nottingham2 and it is alleged by some writers that the invention had its origin in disappointed affection4 ,the curate is said to have fallen deeply in love with a young lady of the village1 who failed to reciprocate his affections2 and when he visited her1 she was accustomed to pay much more attention to the process of knitting stockings and instructing her pupils in the art1 than to the addresses of her admirer4 ,this slight is said to have created in his mind such an aversion to knitting by hand1 that he formed the determination to invent a machine that should supersede it and render it a gainless employment4 ,for three years he devoted himself to the prosecution of the invention1 sacrificing everything to his new idea4 ,at the prospect of success opened before him1 he abandoned his curacy1 and devoted himself to the art of stocking making by machinery4 ,this is the version of the story given by ,henson #dc;b on the authority of an old stocking-maker1 who died in ,collins's ,hospital1 ,nottingham1 aged ninety-two1 and was apprenticed in the town during the reign of ,queen ,anne4 ,it is also given by ,deering and ,blackner as the traditional account in the neighbourhood1 and it is in some measure borne out by the arms of the ,london ,company of ,frame-,work ,knitters1 which consists of a stocking frame without the wood-work1 with a clergyman on one side and a woman on the other as supporters4 #dd ,whatever may have been the actual facts as to the origin of the invention of the ,stocking ,loom1 there can be no doubt as to the extraordinary mechanical genius displayed by its inventor4 ,that a clergyman living in a remote village1 whose life had for the most part been spent with books1 should contrive a machine of such delicate and complicated movements1 and at once advance the art of knitting from the tedious process of linking threads in a chain of loops by three skewers in the fingers of a woman1 to the beautiful and rapid process of weaving by the stocking frame1 was indeed an astonishing achievement1 which may be pronounced almost unequalled in the history of mechanical invention4 ,lee's merit was all the greater1 as the handicraft arts were then in their infancy1 and little attention had as yet been given to the contrivance of machinery for the purposes of manufacture4 ,he was under the necessity of extemporising the parts of his machine as he best could1 and adopting various expedients to overcome difficulties as they arose4 ,his tools were imperfect1 and his materials imperfect2 and he had no skilled workmen to assist him4 ,according to tradition1 the first frame he made was a twelve gauge1 without lead sinkers1 and it was almost wholly of wood2 the needles being also stuck in bits of wood4 ,one of ,lee's principal difficulties consisted in the formation of the stitch1 for want of needle eyes2 but this he eventually overcame by forming eyes to the needles with a three-square file4 #de ,at length1 one difficulty after another was successfully overcome1 and after three years' labour the machine was sufficiently complete to be fit for use4 ,the quondam curate1 full of enthusiasm for his art1 now began stocking weaving in the village of ,calverton1 and he continued to work there for several years1 instructing his brother ,james and several of his relations in the practice of the art4 ,having brought his frame to a considerable degree of perfection1 and being desirous of securing the patronage of ,queen ,elizabeth1 whose partiality for knitted silk stockings was well known1 ,lee proceeded to ,london to exhibit the loom before her ,majesty4 ,he first showed it to several members of the court1 among others to ,sir ,william 7afterwards ,lord7 ,hunsdon1 whom he taught to work it with success2 and ,lee was1 through their instrumentality1 at length admitted to an interview with the ,queen1 and worked the machine in her presence4 ,elizabeth1 however1 did not give him the encouragement that he had expected2 and she is said to have opposed the invention on the ground that it was calculated to deprive a large number of poor people of their employment of hand knitting4 ,lee was no more successful in finding other patrons1 and considering himself and his invention treated with contempt1 he embraced the offer made to him by ,sully1 the sagacious minister of ,henry ,,iv41 to proceed to ,rouen and instruct the operatives of that town--then one of the most important manufacturing centres of ,france--in the construction and use of the stocking-frame4 ,lee accordingly transferred himself and his machines to ,france1 in #afje1 taking with him his brother and seven workmen4 ,he met with a cordial reception at ,rouen1 and was proceeding with the manufacture of stockings on a large scale--having nine of his frames in full work1--when unhappily ill fortune again overtook him4 ,henry ,,iv41 his protector1 on whom he had relied for the rewards1 honours1 and promised grant of privileges1 which had induced ,lee to settle in ,france1 was murdered by the fanatic ,ravaillac2 and the encouragement and protection which had heretofore been extended to him were at once withdrawn4 ,to press his claims at court1 ,lee proceeded to ,paris2 but being a protestant as well as a foreigner1 his representations were treated with neglect2 and worn out with vexation and grief1 this distinguished inventor shortly after died at ,paris1 in a state of extreme poverty and distress4 ,lee's brother1 with seven of the workmen1 succeeded in escaping from ,france with their frames1 leaving two behind4 ,on ,james ,lee's return to ,nottinghamshire1 he was joined by one ,ashton1 a miller of ,thoroton1 who had been instructed in the art of frame-work knitting by the inventor himself before he left ,england4 ,these two1 with the workmen and their frames1 began the stocking manufacture at ,thoroton1 and carried it on with considerable success4 ,the place was favourably situated for the purpose1 as the sheep pastured in the neighbouring district of ,sherwood yielded a kind of wool of the longest staple4 ,ashton is said to have introduced the method of making the frames with lead sinkers1 which was a great improvement4 ,the number of looms employed in different parts of ,england gradually increased2 and the machine manufacture of stockings eventually became an important branch of the national industry4 ,one of the most important modifications in the ,stocking-,frame was that which enabled it to be applied to the manufacture of lace on a large scale4 ,in #aggg1 two workmen1 ,frost and ,holmes1 were both engaged in making point-net by means of the modifications they had introduced in the stocking-frame2 and in the course of about thirty years1 so rapid was the growth of this branch of production that #aejj point-net frames were at work1 giving employment to upwards of #ae1jjj people4 ,owing1 however1 to the war1 to change of fashion1 and to other circumstances1 the ,nottingham lace manufacture rapidly fell off2 and it continued in a decaying state until the invention of the ,bobbin-net ,machine by ,john ,heathcoat1 late ,m4,p4 for ,tiverton1 which had the effect of at once re-establishing the manufacture on solid foundations4 ,john ,heathcoat was the youngest son of a respectable small farmer at ,duffield1 ,derbyshire1 where he was born in #aghc4 ,when at school he made steady and rapid progress1 but was early removed from it to be apprenticed to a frame-smith near ,loughborough4 ,the boy soon learnt to handle tools with dexterity1 and he acquired a minute knowledge of the parts of which the stocking-frame was composed1 as well as of the more intricate warp-machine4 ,at his leisure he studied how to introduce improvements in them1 and his friend1 ,mr4 ,bazley1 ,m4,p41 states that as early as the age of sixteen1 he conceived the idea of inventing a machine by which lace might be made similar to ,buckingham or ,french lace1 then all made by hand4 ,the first practical improvement he succeeded in introducing was in the warp-frame1 when1 by means of an ingenious apparatus1 he succeeded in producing 8mitts0 of a lacy appearance1 and it was this success which determined him to pursue the study of mechanical lace-making4 ,the stocking-frame had already1 in a modified form1 been applied to the manufacture of point-net lace1 in which the mesh was looped as in a stocking1 but the work was slight and frail1 and therefore unsatisfactory4 ,many ingenious ,nottingham mechanics had1 during a long succession of years1 been labouring at the problem of inventing a machine by which the mesh of threads should be twisted round each other on the formation of the net4 ,some of these men died in poverty1 some were driven insane1 and all alike failed in the object of their search4 ,the old warp-machine held its ground4 ,when a little over twenty-one years of age1 ,heathcoat went to ,nottingham1 where he readily found employment1 for which he soon received the highest remuneration1 as a setter-up of hosiery and warp-frames1 and was much respected for his talent for invention1 general intelligence1 and the sound and sober principles that governed his conduct4 ,he also continued to pursue the subject on which his mind had before been occupied1 and laboured to compass the contrivance of a twist traverse-net machine4 ,he first studied the art of making the ,buckingham or pillow-lace by hand1 with the object of effecting the same motions by mechanical means4 ,it was a long and laborious task1 requiring the exercise of great perseverance and ingenuity4 ,his master1 ,elliot1 described him at that time as inventive1 patient1 self-denying1 and taciturn1 undaunted by failures and mistakes1 full of resources and expedients1 and entertaining the most perfect confidence that his application of mechanical principles would eventually be crowned with success4 ,it is difficult to describe in words an invention so complicated as the bobbin-net machine4 ,it was1 indeed1 a mechanical pillow for making lace1 imitating in an ingenious manner the motions of the lace-maker's fingers in intersecting or tying the meshes of the lace upon her pillow4 ,on analysing the component parts of a piece of hand-made lace1 ,heathcoat was enabled to classify the threads into longitudinal and diagonal4 ,he began his experiments by fixing common pack-threads lengthwise on a sort of frame for the warp1 and then passing the weft threads between them by common plyers1 delivering them to other plyers on the opposite side2 then1 after giving them a sideways motion and twist1 the threads were repassed back between the next adjoining cords1 the meshes being thus tied in the same way as upon pillows by hand4 ,he had then to contrive a mechanism that should accomplish all these nice and delicate movements1 and to do this cost him no small amount of mental toil4 ,long after he said1 8,the single difficulty of getting the diagonal threads to twist in the allotted space was so great that if it had now to be done1 ,i should probably not attempt its accomplishment40 ,his next step was to provide thin metallic discs1 to be used as bobbins for conducting the threads backwards and forwards through the warp4 ,these discs1 being arranged in carrier-frames placed on each side of the warp1 were moved by suitable machinery so as to conduct the threads from side to side in forming the lace4 ,he eventually succeeded in working out his principle with extraordinary skill and success2 and1 at the age of twenty-four1 he was enabled to secure his invention by a patent4 ,during this time his wife was kept in almost as great anxiety as himself1 for she well knew of his trials and difficulties while he was striving to perfect his invention4 ,many years after they had been successfully overcome1 the conversation which took place one eventful evening was vividly remembered4 8,well10 said the anxious wife1 8will it work80 8,no10 was the sad answer2 8,i have had to take it all to pieces again40 ,though he could still speak hopefully and cheerfully1 his poor wife could restrain her feelings no longer1 but sat down and cried bitterly4 ,she had1 however1 only a few more weeks to wait1 for success long laboured for and richly deserved1 came at last1 and a proud and happy man was ,john ,heathcoat when he brought home the first narrow strip of bobbin-net made by his machine1 and placed it in the hands of his wife4 ,as in the case of nearly all inventions which have proved productive1 ,heathcoat's rights as a patentee were disputed1 and his claims as an inventor called in question4 ,on the supposed invalidity of the patent1 the lace-makers boldly adopted the bobbin-net machine1 and set the inventor at defiance4 ,but other patents were taken out for alleged improvements and adaptations2 and it was only when these new patentees fell out and went to law with each other that ,heathcoat's rights became established4 ,one lace-manufacturer having brought an action against another for an alleged infringement of his patent1 the jury brought in a verdict for the defendant1 in which the judge concurred1 on the ground that both the machines in question were infringements of ,heathcoat's patent4 ,it was on the occasion of this trial1 8,boville v4 ,moore10 that ,sir ,john ,copley 7afterwards ,lord ,lyndhurst71 who was retained for the defence in the interest of ,mr4 ,heathcoat1 learnt to work the bobbin-net machine in order that he might master the details of the invention4 ,on reading over his brief1 he confessed that he did not quite understand the merits of the case2 but as it seemed to him to be one of great importance1 he offered to go down into the country forthwith and study the machine until he understood it2 8and then10 said he1 8,i will defend you to the best of my ability40 ,he accordingly put himself into that night's mail1 and went down to ,nottingham to get up his case as perhaps counsel never got it up before4 ,next morning the learned sergeant placed himself in a lace-loom1 and he did not leave it until he could deftly make a piece of bobbin-net with his own hands1 and thoroughly understood the principle as well as the details of the machine4 ,when the case came on for trial1 the learned sergeant was enabled to work the model on the table with such case and skill1 and to explain the precise nature of the invention with such felicitous clearness1 as to astonish alike judge1 jury1 and spectators2 and the thorough conscientiousness and mastery with which he handled the case had no doubt its influence upon the decision of the court4 ,after the trial was over1 ,mr4 ,heathcoat1 on inquiry1 found about six hundred machines at work after his patent1 and he proceeded to levy royalty upon the owners of them1 which amounted to a large sum4 ,but the profits realised by the manufacturers of lace were very great1 and the use of the machines rapidly extended2 while the price of the article was reduced from five pounds the square yard to about five pence in the course of twenty-five years4 ,during the same period the average annual returns of the lace-trade have been at least four millions sterling1 and it gives remunerative employment to about #aej1jjj workpeople4 ,to return to the personal history of ,mr4 ,heathcoat4 ,in #ahji we find him established as a lace-manufacturer at ,loughborough1 in ,leicestershire4 ,there he carried on a prosperous business for several years1 giving employment to a large number of operatives1 at wages varying from #el4 to #ajl4 a week4 ,notwithstanding the great increase in the number of hands employed in lace-making through the introduction of the new machines1 it began to be whispered about among the workpeople that they were superseding labour1 and an extensive conspiracy was formed for the purpose of destroying them wherever found4 ,as early as the year #ahaa disputes arose between the masters and men engaged in the stocking and lace trades in the south-western parts of ,nottinghamshire and the adjacent parts of ,derbyshire and ,leicestershire1 the result of which was the assembly of a mob at ,sutton1 in ,ashfield1 who proceeded in open day to break the stocking and lace-frames of the manufacturers4 ,some of the ringleaders having been seized and punished1 the disaffected learnt caution2 but the destruction of the machines was nevertheless carried on secretly wherever a safe opportunity presented itself4 ,as the machines were of so delicate a construction that a single blow of a hammer rendered them useless1 and as the manufacture was carried on for the most part in detached buildings1 often in private dwellings remote from towns1 the opportunities of destroying them were unusually easy4 ,in the neighbourhood of ,nottingham1 which was the focus of turbulence1 the machine-breakers organized themselves in regular bodies1 and held nocturnal meetings at which their plans were arranged4 ,probably with the view of inspiring confidence1 they gave out that they were under the command of a leader named ,ned ,ludd1 or ,general ,ludd1 and hence their designation of ,luddites4 ,under this organization machine-breaking was carried on with great vigour during the winter of #ahaa1 occasioning great distress1 and throwing large numbers of workpeople out of employment4 ,meanwhile1 the owners of the frames proceeded to remove them from the villages and lone dwellings in the country1 and brought them into warehouses in the towns for their better protection4 ,the ,luddites seem to have been encouraged by the lenity of the sentences pronounced on such of their confederates as had been apprehended and tried2 and1 shortly after1 the mania broke out afresh1 and rapidly extended over the northern and midland manufacturing districts4 ,the organization became more secret2 an oath was administered to the members binding them to obedience to the orders issued by the heads of the confederacy2 and the betrayal of their designs was decreed to be death4 ,all machines were doomed by them to destruction1 whether employed in the manufacture of cloth1 calico1 or lace2 and a reign of terror began which lasted for years4 ,in ,yorkshire and ,lancashire mills were boldly attacked by armed rioters1 and in many cases they were wrecked or burnt2 so that it became necessary to guard them by soldiers and yeomanry4 ,the masters themselves were doomed to death2 many of them were assaulted1 and some were murdered4 ,at length the law was vigorously set in motion2 numbers of the misguided ,luddites were apprehended2 some were executed2 and after several years' violent commotion from this cause1 the machine-breaking riots were at length quelled4 ,among the numerous manufacturers whose works were attacked by the ,luddites1 was the inventor of the bobbin-net machine himself4 ,one bright sunny day1 in the summer of #ahaf1 a body of rioters entered his factory at ,loughborough with torches1 and set fire to it1 destroying thirty-seven lace-machines1 and above #aj1jjjl4 worth of property4 ,ten of the men were apprehended for the felony1 and eight of them were executed4 ,mr4 ,heathcoat made a claim upon the county for compensation1 and it was resisted2 but the ,court of ,queen's ,bench decided in his favour1 and decreed that the county must make good his loss of #aj1jjjl4 ,the magistrates sought to couple with the payment of the damage the condition that ,mr4 ,heathcoat should expend the money in the county of ,leicester2 but to this he would not assent1 having already resolved on removing his manufacture elsewhere4 ,at ,tiverton1 in ,devonshire1 he found a large building which had been formerly used as a woollen manufactory2 but the ,tiverton cloth trade having fallen into decay1 the building remained unoccupied1 and the town itself was generally in a very poverty-stricken condition4 ,mr4 ,heathcoat bought the old mill1 renovated and enlarged it1 and there recommenced the manufacture of lace upon a larger scale than before2 keeping in full work as many as three hundred machines1 and employing a large number of artisans at good wages4 ,not only did he carry on the manufacture of lace1 but the various branches of business connected with it--yarn-doubling1 silk-spinning1 net-making1 and finishing4 ,he also established at ,tiverton an iron-foundry and works for the manufacture of agricultural implements1 which proved of great convenience to the district4 ,it was a favourite idea of his that steam power was capable of being applied to perform all the heavy drudgery of life1 and he laboured for a long time at the invention of a steam-plough4 ,in #ahcb he so far completed his invention as to be enabled to take out a patent for it2 and ,heathcoat's steam-plough1 though it has since been superseded by ,fowler's1 was considered the best machine of the kind that had up to that time been invented4 ,mr4 ,heathcoat was a man of great natural gifts4 ,he possessed a sound understanding1 quick perception1 and a genius for business of the highest order4 ,with these he combined uprightness1 honesty1 and integrity--qualities which are the true glory of human character4 ,himself a diligent self-educator1 he gave ready encouragement to deserving youths in his employment1 stimulating their talents and fostering their energies4 ,during his own busy life1 he contrived to save time to master ,french and ,italian1 of which he acquired an accurate and grammatical knowledge4 ,his mind was largely stored with the results of a careful study of the best literature1 and there were few subjects on which he had not formed for himself shrewd and accurate views4 ,the two thousand workpeople in his employment regarded him almost as a father1 and he carefully provided for their comfort and improvement4 ,prosperity did not spoil him1 as it does so many2 nor close his heart against the claims of the poor and struggling1 who were always sure of his sympathy and help4 ,to provide for the education of the children of his workpeople1 he built schools for them at a cost of about #fjjjl4 ,he was also a man of singularly cheerful and buoyant disposition1 a favourite with men of all classes and most admired and beloved by those who knew him best4 ,in #ahca the electors of ,tiverton1 of which town ,mr4 ,heathcoat had proved himself so genuine a benefactor1 returned him to represent them in ,parliament1 and he continued their member for nearly thirty years4 ,during a great part of that time he had ,lord ,palmerston for his colleague1 and the noble lord1 on more than one public occasion1 expressed the high regard which he entertained for his venerable friend4 ,on retiring from the representation in #ahei1 owing to advancing age and increasing infirmities1 thirteen hundred of his workmen presented him with a silver inkstand and gold pen1 in token of their esteem4 ,he enjoyed his leisure for only two more years1 dying in ,january1 #ahfa1 at the age of seventy-seven1 and leaving behind him a character for probity1 virtue1 manliness1 and mechanical genius1 of which his descendants may well be proud4 ,we next turn to a career of a very different kind1 that of the illustrious but unfortunate ,jacquard1 whose life also illustrates in a remarkable manner the influence which ingenious men1 even of the humblest rank1 may exercise upon the industry of a nation4 ,jacquard was the son of a hard-working couple of ,lyons1 his father being a weaver1 and his mother a pattern reader4 ,they were too poor to give him any but the most meagre education4 ,when he was of age to learn a trade1 his father placed him with a book-binder4 ,an old clerk1 who made up the master's accounts1 gave ,jacquard some lessons in mathematics4 ,he very shortly began to display a remarkable turn for mechanics1 and some of his contrivances quite astonished the old clerk1 who advised ,jacquard's father to put him to some other trade1 in which his peculiar abilities might have better scope than in bookbinding4 ,he was accordingly put apprentice to a cutler2 but was so badly treated by his master1 that he shortly afterwards left his employment1 on which he was placed with a type-founder4 ,his parents dying1 ,jacquard found himself in a measure compelled to take to his father's two looms1 and carry on the trade of a weaver4 ,he immediately proceeded to improve the looms1 and became so engrossed with his inventions that he forgot his work1 and very soon found himself at the end of his means4 ,he then sold the looms to pay his debts1 at the same time that he took upon himself the burden of supporting a wife4 ,he became still poorer1 and to satisfy his creditors1 he next sold his cottage4 ,he tried to find employment1 but in vain1 people believing him to be an idler1 occupied with mere dreams about his inventions4 ,at length he obtained employment with a line-maker of ,bresse1 whither he went1 his wife remaining at ,lyons1 earning a precarious living by making straw bonnets4 ,we hear nothing further of ,jacquard for some years1 but in the interval he seems to have prosecuted his improvement in the drawloom for the better manufacture of figured fabrics2 for1 in #agij1 he brought out his contrivance for selecting the warp threads1 which1 when added to the loom1 superseded the services of a draw-boy4 ,the adoption of this machine was slow but steady1 and in ten years after its introduction1 #djjj of them were found at work in ,lyons4 ,jacquard's pursuits were rudely interrupted by the ,revolution1 and1 in #agib1 we find him fighting in the ranks of the ,lyonnaise ,volunteers against the ,army of the ,convention under the command of ,dubois ,cranc4 ,the city was taken2 ,jacquard fled and joined the ,army of the ,rhine1 where he rose to the rank of sergeant4 ,he might have remained a soldier1 but that1 his only son having been shot dead at his side1 he deserted and returned to ,lyons to recover his wife4 ,he found her in a garret still employed at her old trade of straw-bonnet making4 ,while living in concealment with her1 his mind reverted to the inventions over which he had so long brooded in former years2 but he had no means wherewith to prosecute them4 ,jacquard found it necessary1 however1 to emerge from his hiding-place and try to find some employment4 ,he succeeded in obtaining it with an intelligent manufacturer1 and while working by day he went on inventing by night4 ,it had occurred to him that great improvements might still be introduced in looms for figured goods1 and he incidentally mentioned the subject one day to his master1 regretting at the same time that his limited means prevented him from carrying out his ideas4 ,happily his master appreciated the value of the suggestions1 and with laudable generosity placed a sum of money at his disposal1 that he might prosecute the proposed improvements at his leisure4 ,in three months ,jacquard had invented a loom to substitute mechanical action for the irksome and toilsome labour of the workman4 ,the loom was exhibited at the ,exposition of ,national ,industry at ,paris in #ahja1 and obtained a bronze medal4 ,jacquard was further honoured by a visit at ,lyons from the ,minister ,carnot1 who desired to congratulate him in person on the success of his invention4 ,in the following year the ,society of ,arts in ,london offered a prize for the invention of a machine for manufacturing fishing-nets and boarding-netting for ships4 ,jacquard heard of this1 and while walking one day in the fields according to his custom1 he turned the subject over in his mind1 and contrived the plan of a machine for the purpose4 ,his friend1 the manufacturer1 again furnished him with the means of carrying out his idea1 and in three weeks ,jacquard had completed his invention4 ,jacquard's achievement having come to the knowledge of the ,prefect of the ,department1 he was summoned before that functionary1 and1 on his explanation of the working of the machine1 a report on the subject was forwarded to the ,emperor4 ,the inventor was forthwith summoned to ,paris with his machine1 and brought into the presence of the ,emperor1 who received him with the consideration due to his genius4 ,the interview lasted two hours1 during which ,jacquard1 placed at his ease by the ,emperor's affability1 explained to him the improvements which he proposed to make in the looms for weaving figured goods4 ,the result was1 that he was provided with apartments in the ,conservatoire des ,arts et ,mtiers1 where he had the use of the workshop during his stay1 and was provided with a suitable allowance for his maintenance4 ,installed in the ,conservatoire1 ,jacquard proceeded to complete the details of his improved loom4 ,he had the advantage of minutely inspecting the various exquisite pieces of mechanism contained in that great treasury of human ingenuity4 ,among the machines which more particularly attracted his attention1 and eventually set him upon the track of his discovery1 was a loom for weaving flowered silk1 made by ,vaucanson the celebrated automaton-maker4 ,vaucanson was a man of the highest order of constructive genius4 ,the inventive faculty was so strong in him that it may almost be said to have amounted to a passion1 and could not be restrained4 ,the saying that the poet is born1 not made1 applies with equal force to the inventor1 who1 though indebted1 like the other1 to culture and improved opportunities1 nevertheless contrives and constructs new combinations of machinery mainly to gratify his own instinct4 ,this was peculiarly the case with ,vaucanson2 for his most elaborate works were not so much distinguished for their utility as for the curious ingenuity which they displayed4 ,while a mere boy attending ,sunday conversations with his mother1 he amused himself by watching1 through the chinks of a partition wall1 part of the movements of a clock in the adjoining apartment4 ,he endeavoured to understand them1 and by brooding over the subject1 after several months he discovered the principle of the escapement4 ,from that time the subject of mechanical invention took complete possession of him4 ,with some rude tools which he contrived1 he made a wooden clock that marked the hours with remarkable exactness2 while he made for a miniature chapel the figures of some angels which waved their wings1 and some priests that made several ecclesiastical movements4 ,with the view of executing some other automata he had designed1 he proceeded to study anatomy1 music1 and mechanics1 which occupied him for several years4 ,the sight of the ,flute-player in the ,gardens of the ,tuileries inspired him with the resolution to invent a similar figure that should play2 and after several years' study and labour1 though struggling with illness1 he succeeded in accomplishing his object4 ,he next produced a ,flageolet-player1 which was succeeded by a ,duck--the most ingenious of his contrivances1--which swam1 dabbled1 drank1 and quacked like a real duck4 ,he next invented an asp1 employed in the tragedy of #8,cloptre1' which hissed and darted at the bosom of the actress4 ,vaucanson1 however1 did not confine himself merely to the making of automata4 ,by reason of his ingenuity1 ,cardinal de ,fleury appointed him inspector of the silk manufactories of ,france2 and he was no sooner in office1 than with his usual irrepressible instinct to invent1 he proceeded to introduce improvements in silk machinery4 ,one of these was his mill for thrown silk1 which so excited the anger of the ,lyons operatives1 who feared the loss of employment through its means1 that they pelted him with stones and had nearly killed him4 ,he nevertheless went on inventing1 and next produced a machine for weaving flowered silks1 with a contrivance for giving a dressing to the thread1 so as to render that of each bobbin or skein of an equal thickness4 ,when ,vaucanson died in #aghb1 after a long illness1 he bequeathed his collection of machines to the ,queen1 who seems to have set but small value on them1 and they were shortly after dispersed4 ,but his machine for weaving flowered silks was happily preserved in the ,conservatoire des ,arts et ,mtiers1 and there ,jacquard found it among the many curious and interesting articles in the collection4 ,it proved of the utmost value to him1 for it immediately set him on the track of the principal modification which he introduced in his improved loom4 ,one of the chief features of ,vaucanson's machine was a pierced cylinder which1 according to the holes it presented when revolved1 regulated the movement of certain needles1 and caused the threads of the warp to deviate in such a manner as to produce a given design1 though only of a simple character4 ,jacquard seized upon the suggestion with avidity1 and1 with the genius of the true inventor1 at once proceeded to improve upon it4 ,at the end of a month his weaving-machine was completed4 ,to the cylinder of ,vancanson1 he added an endless piece of pasteboard pierced with a number of holes1 through which the threads of the warp were presented to the weaver2 while another piece of mechanism indicated to the workman the colour of the shuttle which he ought to throw4 ,thus the drawboy and the reader of designs were both at once superseded4 ,the first use ,jacquard made of his new loom was to weave with it several yards of rich stuff which he presented to the ,empress ,josephine4 ,napoleon was highly gratified with the result of the inventor's labours1 and ordered a number of the looms to be constructed by the best workmen1 after ,jacquard's model1 and presented to him2 after which he returned to ,lyons4 ,there he experienced the frequent fate of inventors4 ,he was regarded by his townsmen as an enemy1 and treated by them as ,kay1 ,hargreaves1 and ,arkwright had been in ,lancashire4 ,the workmen looked upon the new loom as fatal to their trade1 and feared lest it should at once take the bread from their mouths4 ,a tumultuous meeting was held on the ,place des ,terreaux1 when it was determined to destroy the machines4 ,this was however prevented by the military4 ,but ,jacquard was denounced and hanged in effigy4 ,the #8,conseil des prud'hommes' in vain endeavoured to allay the excitement1 and they were themselves denounced4 ,at length1 carried away by the popular impulse1 the prud'hommes1 most of whom had been workmen and sympathized with the class1 had one of ,jacquard's looms carried off and publicly broken in pieces4 ,riots followed1 in one of which ,jacquard was dragged along the quay by an infuriated mob intending to drown him1 but he was rescued4 ,the great value of the ,jacquard loom1 however1 could not be denied1 and its success was only a question of time4 ,jacquard was urged by some ,english silk manufacturers to pass over into ,england and settle there4 ,but notwithstanding the harsh and cruel treatment he had received at the hands of his townspeople1 his patriotism was too strong to permit him to accept their offer4 ,the ,english manufacturers1 however1 adopted his loom4 ,then it was1 and only then1 that ,lyons1 threatened to be beaten out of the field1 adopted it with eagerness2 and before long the ,jacquard machine was employed in nearly all kinds of weaving4 ,the result proved that the fears of the workpeople had been entirely unfounded4 ,instead of diminishing employment1 the ,jacquard loom increased it at least tenfold4 ,the number of persons occupied in the manufacture of figured goods in ,lyons1 was stated by ,m4 ,leon ,faucher to have been #fj1jjj in #ahcc2 and that number has since been considerably increased4 ,as for ,jacquard himself1 the rest of his life passed peacefully1 excepting that the workpeople who dragged him along the quay to drown him were shortly after found eager to bear him in triumph along the same route in celebration of his birthday4 ,but his modesty would not permit him to take part in such a demonstration4 ,the ,municipal ,council of ,lyons proposed to him that he should devote himself to improving his machine for the benefit of the local industry1 to which ,jacquard agreed in consideration of a moderate pension1 the amount of which was fixed by himself4 ,after perfecting his invention accordingly1 he retired at sixty to end his days at ,oullins1 his father's native place4 ,it was there that he received1 in #ahbj1 the decoration of the ,legion of ,honour2 and it was there that he died and was buried in #ahcd4 ,a statue was erected to his memory1 but his relatives remained in poverty2 and twenty years after his death1 his two nieces were under the necessity of selling for a few hundred francs the gold medal bestowed upon their uncle by ,louis ,,xviii4 8,such10 says a ,french writer1 8was the gratitude of the manufacturing interests of ,lyons to the man to whom it owes so large a portion of its splendour40 ,it would be easy to extend the martyrology of inventors1 and to cite the names of other equally distinguished men who have1 without any corresponding advantage to themselves1 contributed to the industrial progress of the age1--for it has too often happened that genius has planted the tree1 of which patient dulness has gathered the fruit2 but we will confine ourselves for the present to a brief account of an inventor of comparatively recent date1 by way of illustration of the difficulties and privations which it is so frequently the lot of mechanical genius to surmount4 ,we allude to ,joshua ,heilmann1 the inventor of the ,combing ,machine4 ,heilmann was born in #agif at ,mulhouse1 the principal seat of the ,alsace cotton manufacture4 ,his father was engaged in that business2 and ,joshua entered his office at fifteen4 ,he remained there for two years1 employing his spare time in mechanical drawing4 ,he afterwards spent two years in his uncle's banking-house in ,paris1 prosecuting the study of mathematics in the evenings4 ,some of his relatives having established a small cotton-spinning factory at ,mulhouse1 young ,heilmann was placed with ,messrs4 ,tissot and ,rey1 at ,paris1 to learn the practice of that firm4 ,at the same time he became a student at the ,conservatoire des ,arts et ,mtiers1 where he attended the lectures1 and studied the machines in the museum4 ,he also took practical lessons in turning from a toymaker4 ,after some time1 thus diligently occupied1 he returned to ,alsace1 to superintend the construction of the machinery for the new factory at ,vieux-,thann1 which was shortly finished and set to work4 ,the operations of the manufactory were1 however1 seriously affected by a commercial crisis which occurred1 and it passed into other hands1 on which ,heilmann returned to his family at ,mulhouse4 ,he had in the mean time been occupying much of his leisure with inventions1 more particularly in connection with the weaving of cotton and the preparation of the staple for spinning4 ,one of his earliest contrivances was an embroidering-machine1 in which twenty needles were employed1 working simultaneously2 and he succeeded in accomplishing his object after about six months' labour4 ,for this invention1 which he exhibited at the ,exposition of #ahcd1 he received a gold medal1 and was decorated with the ,legion of ,honour4 ,other inventions quickly followed--an improved loom1 a machine for measuring and folding fabrics1 an improvement of the 8bobbin and fly frames0 of the ,english spinners1 and a weft winding-machine1 with various improvements in the machinery for preparing1 spinning1 and weaving silk and cotton4 ,one of his most ingenious contrivances was his loom for weaving simultaneously two pieces of velvet or other piled fabric1 united by the pile common to both1 with a knife and traversing apparatus for separating the two fabrics when woven4 ,but by far the most beautiful and ingenious of his inventions was the combing-machine1 the history of which we now proceed shortly to describe4 ,heilmann had for some years been diligently studying the contrivance of a machine for combing long-stapled cotton1 the ordinary carding-machine being found ineffective in preparing the raw material for spinning1 especially the finer sorts of yarn1 besides causing considerable waste4 ,to avoid these imperfections1 the cotton-spinners of ,alsace offered a prize of #ejjj francs for an improved combing-machine1 and ,heilmann immediately proceeded to compete for the reward4 ,he was not stimulated by the desire of gain1 for he was comparatively rich1 having acquired a considerable fortune by his wife4 ,it was a saying of his that 8one will never accomplish great things who is constantly asking himself1 how much gain will this bring me80 ,what mainly impelled him was the irrepressible instinct of the inventor1 who no sooner has a mechanical problem set before him than he feels impelled to undertake its solution4 ,the problem in this case was1 however1 much more difficult than he had anticipated4 ,the close study of the subject occupied him for several years1 and the expenses in which he became involved in connection with it were so great1 that his wife's fortune was shortly swallowed up1 and he was reduced to poverty1 without being able to bring his machine to perfection4 ,from that time he was under the necessity of relying mainly on the help of his friends to enable him to prosecute the invention4 ,while still struggling with poverty and difficulties1 ,heilmann's wife died1 believing her husband ruined2 and shortly after he proceeded to ,england and settled for a time at ,manchester1 still labouring at his machine4 ,he had a model made for him by the eminent machine-makers1 ,sharpe1 ,roberts1 and ,company2 but still he could not make it work satisfactorily1 and he was at length brought almost to the verge of despair4 ,he returned to ,france to visit his family1 still pursuing his idea1 which had obtained complete possession of his mind4 ,while sitting by his hearth one evening1 meditating upon the hard fate of inventors and the misfortunes in which their families so often become involved1 he found himself almost unconsciously watching his daughters coming their long hair and drawing it out at full length between their fingers4 ,the thought suddenly struck him that if he could successfully imitate in a machine the process of combing out the longest hair and forcing back the short by reversing the action of the comb1 it might serve to extricate him from his difficulty4 ,it may be remembered that this incident in the life of ,heilmann has been made the subject of a beautiful picture by ,mr4 ,elmore1 ,r4,a41 which was exhibited at the ,royal ,academy ,exhibition of #ahfb4 ,upon this idea he proceeded1 introduced the apparently simple but really most intricate process of machine-combing1 and after great labour he succeeded in perfecting the invention4 ,the singular beauty of the process can only be appreciated by those who have witnessed the machine at work1 when the similarity of its movements to that of combing the hair1 which suggested the invention1 is at once apparent4 ,the machine has been described as 8acting with almost the delicacy of touch of the human fingers40 ,it combs the lock of cotton at both ends1 places the fibres exactly parallel with each other1 separates the long from the short1 and unites the long fibres in one sliver and the short ones in another4 ,in fine1 the machine not only acts with the delicate accuracy of the human fingers1 but apparently with the delicate intelligence of the human mind4 ,the chief commercial value of the invention consisted in its rendering the commoner sorts of cotton available for fine spinning4 ,the manufacturers were thereby enabled to select the most suitable fibres for high-priced fabrics1 and to produce the finer sorts of yarn in much larger quantities4 ,it became possible by its means to make thread so fine that a length of #ccd miles might be spun from a single pound weight of the prepared cotton1 and1 worked up into the finer sorts of lace1 the original shilling's worth of cotton-wool1 before it passed into the hands of the consumer1 might thus be increased to the value of between #cjjl4 and #djjl4 sterling4 ,the beauty and utility of ,heilmann's invention were at once appreciated by the ,english cotton-spinners4 ,six ,lancashire firms united and purchased the patent for cotton-spinning for ,england for the sum of #cj1jjjl42 the wool-spinners paid the same sum for the privilege of applying the process to wool2 and the ,messrs4 ,marshall1 of ,leeds1 #bj1jjjl4 for the privilege of applying it to flax4 ,thus wealth suddenly flowed in upon poor ,heilmann at last4 ,but he did not live to enjoy it4 ,scarcely had his long labours been crowned by success than he died1 and his son1 who had shared in his privations1 shortly followed him4 ,it is at the price of lives such as these that the wonders of civilisation are achieved4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,he ,,great ,,potters--,,palissy1 ,b,,ttgher1 ,,wedgwood4 8,patience is the finest and worthiest part of fortitude1 and the rarest too 4 4 4 ,patience lies at the root of all pleasures1 as well as of all powers4 ,hope herself ceases to be happiness when ,impatience companions her40--,john ,ruskin4 8,il y a vingt et cinq ans passez qu'il ne me fut monstr une coupe de terre1 tourne et esmaille d'une telle beaut que 4 4 4 dslors1 sans avoir esgard que je n'avois nulle connoissance des terres argileuses1 je me mis a chercher les maux1 comme un homme qui taste en tnbres40--,bernard ,palissy4 ,,it so happens that the history of ,pottery furnishes some of the most remarkable instances of patient perseverance to be found in the whole range of biography4 ,of these we select three of the most striking1 as exhibited in the lives of ,bernard ,palissy1 the ,frenchman2 ,johann ,friedrich ,bttgher1 the ,german2 and ,josiah ,wedgwood1 the ,englishman4 ,though the art of making common vessels of clay was known to most of the ancient nations1 that of manufacturing enamelled earthenware was much less common4 ,it was1 however1 practised by the ancient ,etruscans1 specimens of whose ware are still to be found in antiquarian collections4 ,but it became a lost art1 and was only recovered at a comparatively recent date4 ,the ,etruscan ware was very valuable in ancient times1 a vase being worth its weight in gold in the time of ,augustus4 ,the ,moors seem to have preserved amongst them a knowledge of the art1 which they were found practising in the island of ,majorca when it was taken by the ,pisans in #aaae4 ,among the spoil carried away were many plates of ,moorish earthenware1 which1 in token of triumph1 were embedded in the walls of several of the ancient churches of ,pisa1 where they are to be seen to this day4 ,about two centuries later the ,italians began to make an imitation enamelled ware1 which they named ,majolica1 after the ,moorish place of manufacture4 ,the reviver or re-discoverer of the art of enamelling in ,italy was ,luca della ,robbia1 a ,florentine sculptor4 ,vasari describes him as a man of indefatigable perseverance1 working with his chisel all day and practising drawing during the greater part of the night4 ,he pursued the latter art with so much assiduity1 that when working late1 to prevent his feet from freezing with the cold1 he was accustomed to provide himself with a basket of shavings1 in which he placed them to keep himself warm and enable him to proceed with his drawings4 8,nor10 says ,vasari1 8am ,i in the least astonished at this1 since no man ever becomes distinguished in any art whatsoever who does not early begin to acquire the power of supporting heat1 cold1 hunger1 thirst1 and other discomforts2 whereas those persons deceive themselves altogether who suppose that when taking their ease and surrounded by all the enjoyments of the world they may still attain to honourable distinction1--for it is not by sleeping1 but by waking1 watching1 and labouring continually1 that proficiency is attained and reputation acquired40 ,but ,luca1 notwithstanding all his application and industry1 did not succeed in earning enough money by sculpture to enable him to live by the art1 and the idea occurred to him that he might nevertheless be able to pursue his modelling in some material more facile and less dear than marble4 ,hence it was that he began to make his models in clay1 and to endeavour by experiment so to coat and bake the clay as to render those models durable4 ,after many trials he at length discovered a method of covering the clay with a material1 which1 when exposed to the intense heat of a furnace1 became converted into an almost imperishable enamel4 ,he afterwards made the further discovery of a method of imparting colour to the enamel1 thus greatly adding to its beauty4 ,the fame of ,luca's work extended throughout ,europe1 and specimens of his art became widely diffused4 ,many of them were sent into ,france and ,spain1 where they were greatly prized4 ,at that time coarse brown jars and pipkins were almost the only articles of earthenware produced in ,france2 and this continued to be the case1 with comparatively small improvement1 until the time of ,palissy--a man who toiled and fought against stupendous difficulties with a heroism that sheds a glow almost of romance over the events of his chequered life4 ,bernard ,palissy is supposed to have been born in the south of ,france1 in the diocese of ,agen1 about the year #aeaj4 ,his father was probably a worker in glass1 to which trade ,bernard was brought up4 ,his parents were poor people--too poor to give him the benefit of any school education4 8,i had no other books10 said he afterwards1 8than heaven and earth1 which are open to all40 ,he learnt1 however1 the art of glass-painting1 to which he added that of drawing1 and afterwards reading and writing4 ,when about eighteen years old1 the glass trade becoming decayed1 ,palissy left his father's house1 with his wallet on his back1 and went out into the world to search whether there was any place in it for him4 ,he first travelled towards ,gascony1 working at his trade where he could find employment1 and occasionally occupying part of his time in land-measuring4 ,then he travelled northwards1 sojourning for various periods at different places in ,france1 ,flanders1 and ,lower ,germany4 ,thus ,palissy occupied about ten more years of his life1 after which he married1 and ceased from his wanderings1 settling down to practise glass-painting and land-measuring at the small town of ,saintes1 in the ,lower ,charente4 ,there children were born to him2 and not only his responsibilities but his expenses increased1 while1 do what he could1 his earnings remained too small for his needs4 ,it was therefore necessary for him to bestir himself4 ,probably he felt capable of better things than drudging in an employment so precarious as glass-painting2 and hence he was induced to turn his attention to the kindred art of painting and enamelling earthenware4 ,yet on this subject he was wholly ignorant2 for he had never seen earth baked before he began his operations4 ,he had therefore everything to learn by himself1 without any helper4 ,but he was full of hope1 eager to learn1 of unbounded perseverance and inexhaustible patience4 ,it was the sight of an elegant cup of ,italian manufacture--most probably one of ,luca della ,robbia's make--which first set ,palissy a-thinking about the new art4 ,a circumstance so apparently insignificant would have produced no effect upon an ordinary mind1 or even upon ,palissy himself at an ordinary time2 but occurring as it did when he was meditating a change of calling1 he at once became inflamed with the desire of imitating it4 ,the sight of this cup disturbed his whole existence2 and the determination to discover the enamel with which it was glazed thenceforward possessed him like a passion4 ,had he been a single man he might have travelled into ,italy in search of the secret2 but he was bound to his wife and his children1 and could not leave them2 so he remained by their side groping in the dark in the hope of finding out the process of making and enamelling earthenware4 ,at first he could merely guess the materials of which the enamel was composed2 and he proceeded to try all manner of experiments to ascertain what they really were4 ,he pounded all the substances which he supposed were likely to produce it4 ,then he bought common earthen pots1 broke them into pieces1 and1 spreading his compounds over them1 subjected them to the heat of a furnace which he erected for the purpose of baking them4 ,his experiments failed2 and the results were broken pots and a waste of fuel1 drugs1 time1 and labour4 ,women do not readily sympathise with experiments whose only tangible effect is to dissipate the means of buying clothes and food for their children2 and ,palissy's wife1 however dutiful in other respects1 could not be reconciled to the purchase of more earthen pots1 which seemed to her to be bought only to be broken4 ,yet she must needs submit2 for ,palissy had become thoroughly possessed by the determination to master the secret of the enamel1 and would not leave it alone4 ,for many successive months and years ,palissy pursued his experiments4 ,the first furnace having proved a failure1 he proceeded to erect another out of doors4 ,there he burnt more wood1 spoiled more drugs and pots1 and lost more time1 until poverty stared him and his family in the face4 8,thus10 said he1 8,i fooled away several years1 with sorrow and sighs1 because ,i could not at all arrive at my intention40 ,in the intervals of his experiments he occasionally worked at his former callings1 painting on glass1 drawing portraits1 and measuring land2 but his earnings from these sources were very small4 ,at length he was no longer able to carry on his experiments in his own furnace because of the heavy cost of fuel2 but he bought more potsherds1 broke them up as before into three or four hundred pieces1 and1 covering them with chemicals1 carried them to a tile-work a league and a half distant from ,saintes1 there to be baked in an ordinary furnace4 ,after the operation he went to see the pieces taken out2 and1 to his dismay1 the whole of the experiments were failures4 ,but though disappointed1 he was not yet defeated2 for he determined on the very spot to 8begin afresh40 ,his business as a land-measurer called him away for a brief season from the pursuit of his experiments4 ,in conformity with an edict of the ,state1 it became necessary to survey the salt-marshes in the neighbourhood of ,saintes for the purpose of levying the land-tax4 ,palissy was employed to make this survey1 and prepare the requisite map4 ,the work occupied him some time1 and he was doubtless well paid for it2 but no sooner was it completed than he proceeded1 with redoubled zeal1 to follow up his old investigations 8in the track of the enamels40 ,he began by breaking three dozen new earthen pots1 the pieces of which he covered with different materials which he had compounded1 and then took them to a neighbouring glass-furnace to be baked4 ,the results gave him a glimmer of hope4 ,the greater heat of the glass-furnace had melted some of the compounds2 but though ,palissy searched diligently for the white enamel he could find none4 ,for two more years he went on experimenting without any satisfactory result1 until the proceeds of his survey of the salt-marshes having become nearly spent1 he was reduced to poverty again4 ,but he resolved to make a last great effort2 and he began by breaking more pots than ever4 ,more than three hundred pieces of pottery covered with his compounds were sent to the glass-furnace2 and thither he himself went to watch the results of the baking4 ,four hours passed1 during which he watched2 and then the furnace was opened4 ,the material on one only of the three hundred pieces of potsherd had melted1 and it was taken out to cool4 ,as it hardened1 it grew white-white and polished6 ,the piece of potsherd was covered with white enamel1 described by ,palissy as 8singularly beautiful60 ,and beautiful it must no doubt have been in his eyes after all his weary waiting4 ,he ran home with it to his wife1 feeling himself1 as he expressed it1 quite a new creature4 ,but the prize was not yet won--far from it4 ,the partial success of this intended last effort merely had the effect of luring him on to a succession of further experiments and failures4 ,in order that he might complete the invention1 which he now believed to be at hand1 he resolved to build for himself a glass-furnace near his dwelling1 where he might carry on his operations in secret4 ,he proceeded to build the furnace with his own hands1 carrying the bricks from the brick-field upon his back4 ,he was bricklayer1 labourer1 and all4 ,from seven to eight more months passed4 ,at last the furnace was built and ready for use4 ,palissy had in the mean time fashioned a number of vessels of clay in readiness for the laying on of the enamel4 ,after being subjected to a preliminary process of baking1 they were covered with the enamel compound1 and again placed in the furnace for the grand crucial experiment4 ,although his means were nearly exhausted1 ,palissy had been for some time accumulating a great store of fuel for the final effort2 and he thought it was enough4 ,at last the fire was lit1 and the operation proceeded4 ,all day he sat by the furnace1 feeding it with fuel4 ,he sat there watching and feeding all through the long night4 ,but the enamel did not melt4 ,the sun rose upon his labours4 ,his wife brought him a portion of the scanty morning meal1--for he would not stir from the furnace1 into which he continued from time to time to heave more fuel4 ,the second day passed1 and still the enamel did not melt4 ,the sun set1 and another night passed4 ,the pale1 haggard1 unshorn1 baffled yet not beaten ,palissy sat by his furnace eagerly looking for the melting of the enamel4 ,a third day and night passed--a fourth1 a fifth1 and even a sixth1--yes1 for six long days and nights did the unconquerable ,palissy watch and toil1 fighting against hope2 and still the enamel would not melt4 ,it then occurred to him that there might be some defect in the materials for the enamel--perhaps something wanting in the flux2 so he set to work to pound and compound fresh materials for a new experiment4 ,thus two or three more weeks passed4 ,but how to buy more pots8--for those which he had made with his own hands for the purposes of the first experiment were by long baking irretrievably spoilt for the purposes of a second4 ,his money was now all spent2 but he could borrow4 ,his character was still good1 though his wife and the neighbours thought him foolishly wasting his means in futile experiments4 ,nevertheless he succeeded4 ,he borrowed sufficient from a friend to enable him to buy more fuel and more pots1 and he was again ready for a further experiment4 ,the pots were covered with the new compound1 placed in the furnace1 and the fire was again lit4 ,it was the last and most desperate experiment of the whole4 ,the fire blazed up2 the heat became intense2 but still the enamel did not melt4 ,the fuel began to run short6 ,how to keep up the fire8 ,there were the garden palings3 these would burn4 ,they must be sacrificed rather than that the great experiment should fail4 ,the garden palings were pulled up and cast into the furnace4 ,they were burnt in vain6 ,the enamel had not yet melted4 ,ten minutes more heat might do it4 ,fuel must be had at whatever cost4 ,there remained the household furniture and shelving4 ,a crashing noise was heard in the house2 and amidst the screams of his wife and children1 who now feared ,palissy's reason was giving way1 the tables were seized1 broken up1 and heaved into the furnace4 ,the enamel had not melted yet6 ,there remained the shelving4 ,another noise of the wrenching of timber was heard within the house2 and the shelves were torn down and hurled after the furniture into the fire4 ,wife and children then rushed from the house1 and went frantically through the town1 calling out that poor ,palissy had gone mad1 and was breaking up his very furniture for firewood6 #gd ,for an entire month his shirt had not been off his back1 and he was utterly worn out--wasted with toil1 anxiety1 watching1 and want of food4 ,he was in debt1 and seemed on the verge of ruin4 ,but he had at length mastered the secret2 for the last great burst of heat had melted the enamel4 ,the common brown household jars1 when taken out of the furnace after it had become cool1 were found covered with a white glaze6 ,for this he could endure reproach1 contumely1 and scorn1 and wait patiently for the opportunity of putting his discovery into practice as better days came round4 ,palissy next hired a potter to make some earthen vessels after designs which he furnished2 while he himself proceeded to model some medallions in clay for the purpose of enamelling them4 ,but how to maintain himself and his family until the wares were made and ready for sale8 ,fortunately there remained one man in ,saintes who still believed in the integrity1 if not in the judgment1 of ,palissy--an inn-keeper1 who agreed to feed and lodge him for six months1 while he went on with his manufacture4 ,as for the working potter whom he had hired1 ,palissy soon found that he could not pay him the stipulated wages4 ,having already stripped his dwelling1 he could but strip himself2 and he accordingly parted with some of his clothes to the potter1 in part payment of the wages which he owed him4 ,palissy next erected an improved furnace1 but he was so unfortunate as to build part of the inside with flints4 ,when it was heated1 these flints cracked and burst1 and the spicul were scattered over the pieces of pottery1 sticking to them4 ,though the enamel came out right1 the work was irretrievably spoilt1 and thus six more months' labour was lost4 ,persons were found willing to buy the articles at a low price1 notwithstanding the injury they had sustained2 but ,palissy would not sell them1 considering that to have done so would be to 8decry and abate his honour20 and so he broke in pieces the entire batch4 8,nevertheless10 says he1 8hope continued to inspire me1 and ,i held on manfully2 sometimes1 when visitors called1 ,i entertained them with pleasantry1 while ,i was really sad at heart4 4 4 4 ,worst of all the sufferings ,i had to endure1 were the mockeries and persecutions of those of my own household1 who were so unreasonable as to expect me to execute work without the means of doing so4 ,for years my furnaces were without any covering or protection1 and while attending them ,i have been for nights at the mercy of the wind and the rain1 without help or consolation1 save it might be the wailing of cats on the one side and the howling of dogs on the other4 ,sometimes the tempest would beat so furiously against the furnaces that ,i was compelled to leave them and seek shelter within doors4 ,drenched by rain1 and in no better plight than if ,i had been dragged through mire1 ,i have gone to lie down at midnight or at daybreak1 stumbling into the house without a light1 and reeling from one side to another as if ,i had been drunken1 but really weary with watching and filled with sorrow at the loss of my labour after such long toiling4 ,but alas6 my home proved no refuge2 for1 drenched and besmeared as ,i was1 ,i found in my chamber a second persecution worse than the first1 which makes me even now marvel that ,i was not utterly consumed by my many sorrows40 ,at this stage of his affairs1 ,palissy became melancholy and almost hopeless1 and seems to have all but broken down4 ,he wandered gloomily about the fields near ,saintes1 his clothes hanging in tatters1 and himself worn to a skeleton4 ,in a curious passage in his writings he describes how that the calves of his legs had disappeared and were no longer able with the help of garters to hold up his stockings1 which fell about his heels when he walked4 #gg ,the family continued to reproach him for his recklessness1 and his neighbours cried shame upon him for his obstinate folly4 ,so he returned for a time to his former calling2 and after about a year's diligent labour1 during which he earned bread for his household and somewhat recovered his character among his neighbours1 he again resumed his darling enterprise4 ,but though he had already spent about ten years in the search for the enamel1 it cost him nearly eight more years of experimental plodding before he perfected his invention4 ,he gradually learnt dexterity and certainty of result by experience1 gathering practical knowledge out of many failures4 ,every mishap was a fresh lesson to him1 teaching him something new about the nature of enamels1 the qualities of argillaceous earths1 the tempering of clays1 and the construction and management of furnaces4 ,at last1 after about sixteen years' labour1 ,palissy took heart and called himself ,potter4 ,these sixteen years had been his term of apprenticeship to the art2 during which he had wholly to teach himself1 beginning at the very beginning4 ,he was now able to sell his wares and thereby maintain his family in comfort4 ,but he never rested satisfied with what he had accomplished4 ,he proceeded from one step of improvement to another2 always aiming at the greatest perfection possible4 ,he studied natural objects for patterns1 and with such success that the great ,buffon spoke of him as 8so great a naturalist as ,nature only can produce40 ,his ornamental pieces are now regarded as rare gems in the cabinets of virtuosi1 and sell at almost fabulous prices4 #gh ,the ornaments on them are for the most part accurate models from life1 of wild animals1 lizards1 and plants1 found in the fields about ,saintes1 and tastefully combined as ornaments into the texture of a plate or vase4 ,when ,palissy had reached the height of his art he styled himself 8,ouvrier de ,terre et ,inventeur des ,rustics ,figulines40 ,we have not1 however1 come to an end of the sufferings of ,palissy1 respecting which a few words remain to be said4 ,being a ,protestant1 at a time when religious persecution waxed hot in the south of ,france1 and expressing his views without fear1 he was regarded as a dangerous heretic4 ,his enemies having informed against him1 his house at ,saintes was entered by the officers of 8justice10 and his workshop was thrown open to the rabble1 who entered and smashed his pottery1 while he himself was hurried off by night and cast into a dungeon at ,bordeaux1 to wait his turn at the stake or the scaffold4 ,he was condemned to be burnt2 but a powerful noble1 the ,constable de ,montmorency1 interposed to save his life--not because he had any special regard for ,palissy or his religion1 but because no other artist could be found capable of executing the enamelled pavement for his magnificent chteau then in course of erection at ,ecouen1 about four leagues from ,paris4 ,by his influence an edict was issued appointing ,palissy ,inventor of ,rustic ,figulines to the ,king and to the ,constable1 which had the effect of immediately removing him from the jurisdiction of ,bourdeaux4 ,he was accordingly liberated1 and returned to his home at ,saintes only to find it devastated and broken up4 ,his workshop was open to the sky1 and his works lay in ruins4 ,shaking the dust of ,saintes from his feet he left the place never to return to it1 and removed to ,paris to carry on the works ordered of him by the ,constable and the ,queen ,mother1 being lodged in the ,tuileries #gi while so occupied4 ,besides carrying on the manufacture of pottery1 with the aid of his two sons1 ,palissy1 during the latter part of his life1 wrote and published several books on the potter's art1 with a view to the instruction of his countrymen1 and in order that they might avoid the many mistakes which he himself had made4 ,he also wrote on agriculture1 on fortification1 and natural history1 on which latter subject he even delivered lectures to a limited number of persons4 ,he waged war against astrology1 alchemy1 witchcraft1 and like impostures4 ,this stirred up against him many enemies1 who pointed the finger at him as a heretic1 and he was again arrested for his religion and imprisoned in the ,bastille4 ,he was now an old man of seventy-eight1 trembling on the verge of the grave1 but his spirit was as brave as ever4 ,he was threatened with death unless he recanted2 but he was as obstinate in holding to his religion as he had been in hunting out the secret of the enamel4 ,the king1 ,henry ,,iii41 even went to see him in prison to induce him to abjure his faith4 8,my good man10 said the ,king1 8you have now served my mother and myself for forty-five years4 ,we have put up with your adhering to your religion amidst fires and massacres3 now ,i am so pressed by the ,guise party as well as by my own people1 that ,i am constrained to leave you in the hands of your enemies1 and to-morrow you will be burnt unless you become converted40 8,sire10 answered the unconquerable old man1 8,i am ready to give my life for the glory of ,god4 ,you have said many times that you have pity on me2 and now ,i have pity on you1 who have pronounced the words ,i am constrained6 ,it is not spoken like a king1 sire2 it is what you1 and those who constrain you1 the ,guisards and all your people1 can never effect upon me1 for ,i know how to die40 #hj;a ,palissy did indeed die shortly after1 a martyr1 though not at the stake4 ,he died in the ,bastille1 after enduring about a year's imprisonment1--there peacefully terminating a life distinguished for heroic labour1 extraordinary endurance1 inflexible rectitude1 and the exhibition of many rare and noble virtues4 #hj;b ,the life of ,john ,frederick ,bttgher1 the inventor of hard porcelain1 presents a remarkable contrast to that of ,palissy2 though it also contains many points of singular and almost romantic interest4 ,bttgher was born at ,schleiz1 in the ,voightland1 in #afhe1 and at twelve years of age was placed apprentice with an apothecary at ,berlin4 ,he seems to have been early fascinated by chemistry1 and occupied most of his leisure in making experiments4 ,these for the most part tended in one direction--the art of converting common on metals into gold4 ,at the end of several years1 ,bttgher pretended to have discovered the universal solvent of the alchemists1 and professed that he had made gold by its means4 ,he exhibited its powers before his master1 the apothecary ,zrn1 and by some trick or other succeeded in making him and several other witnesses believe that he had actually converted copper into gold4 ,the news spread abroad that the apothecary's apprentice had discovered the grand secret1 and crowds collected about the shop to get a sight of the wonderful young 8gold-cook40 ,the king himself expressed a wish to see and converse with him1 and when ,frederick ,i4 was presented with a piece of the gold pretended to have been converted from copper1 he was so dazzled with the prospect of securing an infinite quantity of it--,prussia being then in great straits for money--that he determined to secure ,bttgher and employ him to make gold for him within the strong fortress of ,spandau4 ,but the young apothecary1 suspecting the king's intention1 and probably fearing detection1 at once resolved on flight1 and he succeeded in getting across the frontier into ,saxony4 ,a reward of a thousand thalers was offered for ,bttgher's apprehension1 but in vain4 ,he arrived at ,wittenberg1 and appealed for protection to the ,elector of ,saxony1 ,frederick ,augustus ,i4 7,king of ,poland71 surnamed 8the ,strong40 ,frederick was himself very much in want of money at the time1 and he was overjoyed at the prospect of obtaining gold in any quantity by the aid of the young alchemist4 ,bttgher was accordingly conveyed in secret to ,dresden1 accompanied by a royal escort4 ,he had scarcely left ,wittenberg when a battalion of ,prussian grenadiers appeared before the gates demanding the gold-maker's extradition4 ,but it was too late3 ,bttgher had already arrived in ,dresden1 where he was lodged in the ,golden ,house1 and treated with every consideration1 though strictly watched and kept under guard4 ,the ,elector1 however1 must needs leave him there for a time1 having to depart forthwith to ,poland1 then almost in a state of anarchy4 ,but1 impatient for gold1 he wrote ,bttgher from ,warsaw1 urging him to communicate the secret1 so that he himself might practise the art of commutation4 ,the young 8gold-cook10 thus pressed1 forwarded to ,frederick a small phial containing 8a reddish fluid10 which1 it was asserted1 changed all metals1 when in a molten state1 into gold4 ,this important phial was taken in charge by the ,prince ,frst von ,frstenburg1 who1 accompanied by a regiment of ,guards1 hurried with it to ,warsaw4 ,arrived there1 it was determined to make immediate trial of the process4 ,the ,king and the ,prince locked themselves up in a secret chamber of the palace1 girt themselves about with leather aprons1 and like true 8gold-cooks0 set to work melting copper in a crucible and afterwards applying to it the red fluid of ,bttgher4 ,but the result was unsatisfactory2 for notwithstanding all that they could do1 the copper obstinately remained copper4 ,on referring to the alchemist's instructions1 however1 the ,king found that1 to succeed with the process1 it was necessary that the fluid should be used 8in great purity of heart20 and as his ,majesty was conscious of having spent the evening in very bad company he attributed the failure of the experiment to that cause4 ,a second trial was followed by no better results1 and then the ,king became furious2 for he had confessed and received absolution before beginning the second experiment4 ,frederick ,augustus now resolved on forcing ,bttgher to disclose the golden secret1 as the only means of relief from his urgent pecuniary difficulties4 ,the alchemist1 hearing of the royal intention1 again determined to fly4 ,he succeeded in escaping his guard1 and1 after three days' travel1 arrived at ,ens in ,austria1 where he thought himself safe4 ,the agents of the ,elector were1 however1 at his heels2 they had tracked him to the 8,golden ,stag10 which they surrounded1 and seizing him in his bed1 notwithstanding his resistance and appeals to the ,austrian authorities for help1 they carried him by force to ,dresden4 ,from this time he was more strictly watched than ever1 and he was shortly after transferred to the strong fortress of ,kningstein4 ,it was communicated to him that the royal exchequer was completely empty1 and that ten regiments of ,poles in arrears of pay were waiting for his gold4 ,the ,king himself visited him1 and told him in a severe tone that if he did not at once proceed to make gold1 he would be hung6 78,thu mir zurecht1 ,bttgher1 sonst lass ich dich hangen074 ,years passed1 and still ,bttgher made no gold2 but he was not hung4 ,it was reserved for him to make a far more important discovery than the conversion of copper into gold1 namely1 the conversion of clay into porcelain4 ,some rare specimens of this ware had been brought by the ,portuguese from ,china1 which were sold for more than their weight in gold4 ,bttgher was first induced to turn his attention to the subject by ,walter von ,tschirnhaus1 a maker of optical instruments1 also an alchemist4 ,tschirnhaus was a man of education and distinction1 and was held in much esteem by ,prince ,frstenburg as well as by the ,elector4 ,he very sensibly said to ,bttgher1 still in fear of the gallows--8,if you can't make gold1 try and do something else2 make porcelain40 ,the alchemist acted on the hint1 and began his experiments1 working night and day4 ,he prosecuted his investigations for a long time with great assiduity1 but without success4 ,at length some red clay1 brought to him for the purpose of making his crucibles1 set him on the right track4 ,he found that this clay1 when submitted to a high temperature1 became vitrified and retained its shape2 and that its texture resembled that of porcelain1 excepting in colour and opacity4 ,he had in fact accidentally discovered red porcelain1 and he proceeded to manufacture it and sell it as porcelain4 ,bttgher was1 however1 well aware that the white colour was an essential property of true porcelain2 and he therefore prosecuted his experiments in the hope of discovering the secret4 ,several years thus passed1 but without success2 until again accident stood his friend1 and helped him to a knowledge of the art of making white porcelain4 ,one day1 in the year #agjg1 he found his perruque unusually heavy1 and asked of his valet the reason4 ,the answer was1 that it was owing to the powder with which the wig was dressed1 which consisted of a kind of earth then much used for hair powder4 ,bttgher's quick imagination immediately seized upon the idea4 ,this white earthy powder might possibly be the very earth of which he was in search--at all events the opportunity must not be let slip of ascertaining what it really was4 ,he was rewarded for his painstaking care and watchfulness2 for he found1 on experiment1 that the principal ingredient of the hair-powder consisted of kaolin1 the want of which had so long formed an insuperable difficulty in the way of his inquiries4 ,the discovery1 in ,bttgher's intelligent hands1 led to great results1 and proved of far greater importance than the discovery of the philosopher's stone would have been4 ,in ,october1 #agjg1 he presented his first piece of porcelain to the ,elector1 who was greatly pleased with it2 and it was resolved that ,bttgher should be furnished with the means necessary for perfecting his invention4 ,having obtained a skilled workman from ,delft1 he began to turn porcelain with great success4 ,he now entirely abandoned alchemy for pottery1 and inscribed over the door of his workshop this distich3-- 8,es machte ,gott1 der grosse ,schpfer1 ,aus einem ,goldmacher einen ,tpfer40 #hd ,bttgher1 however1 was still under strict surveillance1 for fear lest he should communicate his secret to others or escape the ,elector's control4 ,the new workshops and furnaces which were erected for him1 were guarded by troops night and day1 and six superior officers were made responsible for the personal security of the potter4 ,bttgher's further experiments with his new furnaces proving very successful1 and the porcelain which he manufactured being found to fetch large prices1 it was next determined to establish a ,royal ,manufactory of porcelain4 ,the manufacture of delft ware was known to have greatly enriched ,holland4 ,why should not the manufacture of porcelain equally enrich the ,elector8 ,accordingly1 a decree went forth1 dated the #bcrd of ,january1 #agaj1 for the establishment of 8a large manufactory of porcelain0 at the ,albrechtsburg in ,meissen4 ,in this decree1 which was translated into ,latin1 ,french1 and ,dutch1 and distributed by the ,ambassadors of the ,elector at all the ,european ,courts1 ,frederick ,augustus set forth that to promote the welfare of ,saxony1 which had suffered much through the ,swedish invasion1 he had 8directed his attention to the subterranean treasures 7unterirdischen ,schtze70 of the country1 and having employed some able persons in the investigation1 they had succeeded in manufacturing 8a sort of red vessels 7eine ,art rother ,gefsse7 far superior to the ,indian terra sigillata20 #he as also 8coloured ware and plates 7buntes ,geschirr und ,tafeln7 which may be cut1 ground1 and polished1 and are quite equal to ,indian vessels10 and finally that 8specimens of white porcelain 7,proben von weissem ,porzellan70 had already been obtained1 and it was hoped that this quality1 too1 would soon be manufactured in considerable quantities4 ,the royal decree concluded by inviting 8foreign artists and handicraftmen0 to come to ,saxony and engage as assistants in the new factory1 at high wages1 and under the patronage of the ,king4 ,this royal edict probably gives the best account of the actual state of ,bttgher's invention at the time4 ,it has been stated in ,german publications that ,bttgher1 for the great services rendered by him to the ,elector and to ,saxony1 was made ,manager of the ,royal ,porcelain ,works1 and further promoted to the dignity of ,baron4 ,doubtless he deserved these honours2 but his treatment was of an altogether different character1 for it was shabby1 cruel1 and inhuman4 ,two royal officials1 named ,matthieu and ,nehmitz1 were put over his head as directors of the factory1 while he himself only held the position of foreman of potters1 and at the same time was detained the ,king's prisoner4 ,during the erection of the factory at ,meissen1 while his assistance was still indispensable1 he was conducted by soldiers to and from ,dresden2 and even after the works were finished1 he was locked up nightly in his room4 ,all this preyed upon his mind1 and in repeated letters to the ,king he sought to obtain mitigation of his fate4 ,some of these letters are very touching4 8,i will devote my whole soul to the art of making porcelain10 he writes on one occasion1 8,i will do more than any inventor ever did before2 only give me liberty1 liberty60 ,to these appeals1 the ,king turned a deaf ear4 ,he was ready to spend money and grant favours2 but liberty he would not give4 ,he regarded ,bttgher as his slave4 ,in this position1 the persecuted man kept on working for some time1 till1 at the end of a year or two1 he grew negligent4 ,disgusted with the world and with himself1 he took to drinking4 ,such is the force of example1 that it no sooner became known that ,bttgher had betaken himself to this vice1 than the greater number of the workmen at the ,meissen factory became drunkards too4 ,quarrels and fightings without end were the consequence1 so that the troops were frequently called upon to interfere and keep peace among the 8,porzellanern10 as they were nicknamed4 ,after a while1 the whole of them1 more than three hundred1 were shut up in the ,albrechtsburg1 and treated as prisoners of state4 ,bttgher at last fell seriously ill1 and in ,may1 #agac1 his dissolution was hourly expected4 ,the ,king1 alarmed at losing so valuable a slave1 now gave him permission to take carriage exercise under a guard2 and1 having somewhat recovered1 he was allowed occasionally to go to ,dresden4 ,in a letter written by the ,king in ,april1 #agad1 ,bttgher was promised his full liberty2 but the offer came too late4 ,broken in body and mind1 alternately working and drinking1 though with occasional gleams of nobler intention1 and suffering under constant ill-health1 the result of his enforced confinement1 ,bttgher lingered on for a few years more1 until death freed him from his sufferings on the #acth ,march1 #agai1 in the thirty-fifth year of his age4 ,he was buried at night--as if he had been a dog--in the ,johannis ,cemetery of ,meissen4 ,such was the treatment and such the unhappy end1 of one of ,saxony's greatest benefactors4 ,the porcelain manufacture immediately opened up an important source of public revenue1 and it became so productive to the ,elector of ,saxony1 that his example was shortly after followed by most ,european monarchs4 ,although soft porcelain had been made at ,st4 ,cloud fourteen years before ,bttgher's discovery1 the superiority of the hard porcelain soon became generally recognised4 ,its manufacture was begun at ,svres in #aggj1 and it has since almost entirely superseded the softer material4 ,this is now one of the most thriving branches of ,french industry1 of which the high quality of the articles produced is certainly indisputable4 ,the career of ,josiah ,wedgwood1 the ,english potter1 was less chequered and more prosperous than that of either ,palissy or ,bttgher1 and his lot was cast in happier times4 ,down to the middle of last century ,england was behind most other nations of the first order in ,europe in respect of skilled industry4 ,although there were many potters in ,staffordshire--and ,wedgwood himself belonged to a numerous clan of potters of the same name--their productions were of the rudest kind1 for the most part only plain brown ware1 with the patterns scratched in while the clay was wet4 ,the principal supply of the better articles of earthenware came from ,delft in ,holland1 and of drinking stone pots from ,cologne4 ,two foreign potters1 the brothers ,elers from ,nuremberg1 settled for a time in ,staffordshire1 and introduced an improved manufacture1 but they shortly after removed to ,chelsea1 where they confined themselves to the manufacture of ornamental pieces4 ,no porcelain capable of resisting a scratch with a hard point had yet been made in ,england2 and for a long time the 8white ware0 made in ,staffordshire was not white1 but of a dirty cream colour4 ,such1 in a few words1 was the condition of the pottery manufacture when ,josiah ,wedgwood was born at ,burslem in #agcj4 ,by the time that he died1 sixty-four years later1 it had become completely changed4 ,by his energy1 skill1 and genius1 he established the trade upon a new and solid foundation2 and1 in the words of his epitaph1 8converted a rude and inconsiderable manufacture into an elegant art and an important branch of national commerce40 ,josiah ,wedgwood was one of those indefatigable men who from time to time spring from the ranks of the common people1 and by their energetic character not only practically educate the working population in habits of industry1 but by the example of diligence and perseverance which they set before them1 largely influence the public activity in all directions1 and contribute in a great degree to form the national character4 ,he was1 like ,arkwright1 the youngest of a family of thirteen children4 ,his grandfather and granduncle were both potters1 as was also his father who died when he was a mere boy1 leaving him a patrimony of twenty pounds4 ,he had learned to read and write at the village school2 but on the death of his father he was taken from it and set to work as a 8thrower0 in a small pottery carried on by his elder brother4 ,there he began life1 his working life1 to use his own words1 8at the lowest round of the ladder10 when only eleven years old4 ,he was shortly after seized by an attack of virulent smallpox1 from the effects of which he suffered during the rest of his life1 for it was followed by a disease in the right knee1 which recurred at frequent intervals1 and was only got rid of by the amputation of the limb many years later4 ,mr4 ,gladstone1 in his eloquent loge on ,wedgwood recently delivered at ,burslem1 well observed that the disease from which he suffered was not improbably the occasion of his subsequent excellence4 8,it prevented him from growing up to be the active1 vigorous ,english workman1 possessed of all his limbs1 and knowing right well the use of them2 but it put him upon considering whether1 as he could not be that1 he might not be something else1 and something greater4 ,it sent his mind inwards2 it drove him to meditate upon the laws and secrets of his art4 ,the result was1 that he arrived at a perception and a grasp of them which might1 perhaps1 have been envied1 certainly have been owned1 by an ,athenian potter40 #hi ,when he had completed his apprenticeship with his brother1 ,josiah joined partnership with another workman1 and carried on a small business in making knife-hafts1 boxes1 and sundry articles for domestic use4 ,another partnership followed1 when he proceeded to make melon table plates1 green pickle leaves1 candlesticks1 snuffboxes1 and such like articles2 but he made comparatively little progress until he began business on his own account at ,burslem in the year #agei4 ,there he diligently pursued his calling1 introducing new articles to the trade1 and gradually extending his business4 ,what he chiefly aimed at was to manufacture cream-coloured ware of a better quality than was then produced in ,staffordshire as regarded shape1 colour1 glaze1 and durability4 ,to understand the subject thoroughly1 he devoted his leisure to the study of chemistry2 and he made numerous experiments on fluxes1 glazes1 and various sorts of clay4 ,being a close inquirer and accurate observer1 he noticed that a certain earth containing silica1 which was black before calcination1 became white after exposure to the heat of a furnace4 ,this fact1 observed and pondered on1 led to the idea of mixing silica with the red powder of the potteries1 and to the discovery that the mixture becomes white when calcined4 ,he had but to cover this material with a vitrification of transparent glaze1 to obtain one of the most important products of fictile art--that which1 under the name of ,english earthenware1 was to attain the greatest commercial value and become of the most extensive utility4 ,wedgwood was for some time much troubled by his furnaces1 though nothing like to the same extent that ,palissy was2 and he overcame his difficulties in the same way--by repeated experiments and unfaltering perseverance4 ,his first attempts at making porcelain for table use was a succession of disastrous failures1--the labours of months being often destroyed in a day4 ,it was only after a long series of trials1 in the course of which he lost time1 money1 and labour1 that he arrived at the proper sort of glaze to be used2 but he would not be denied1 and at last he conquered success through patience4 ,the improvement of pottery became his passion1 and was never lost sight of for a moment4 ,even when he had mastered his difficulties1 and become a prosperous man--manufacturing white stone ware and cream-coloured ware in large quantities for home and foreign use--he went forward perfecting his manufactures1 until1 his example extending in all directions1 the action of the entire district was stimulated1 and a great branch of ,british industry was eventually established on firm foundations4 ,he aimed throughout at the highest excellence1 declaring his determination 8to give over manufacturing any article1 whatsoever it might be1 rather than to degrade it40 ,wedgwood was cordially helped by many persons of rank and influence2 for1 working in the truest spirit1 he readily commanded the help and encouragement of other true workers4 ,he made for ,queen ,charlotte the first royal table-service of ,english manufacture1 of the kind afterwards called 8,queen's-ware10 and was appointed ,royal ,potter2 a title which he prized more than if he had been made a baron4 ,valuable sets of porcelain were entrusted to him for imitation1 in which he succeeded to admiration4 ,sir ,william ,hamilton lent him specimens of ancient art from ,herculaneum1 of which he produced accurate and beautiful copies4 ,the ,duchess of ,portland outbid him for the ,barberini ,vase when that article was offered for sale4 ,he bid as high as seventeen hundred guineas for it3 her grace secured it for eighteen hundred2 but when she learnt ,wedgwood's object she at once generously lent him the vase to copy4 ,he produced fifty copies at a cost of about #bejjl41 and his expenses were not covered by their sale2 but he gained his object1 which was to show that whatever had been done1 that ,english skill and energy could and would accomplish4 ,wedgwood called to his aid the crucible of the chemist1 the knowledge of the antiquary1 and the skill of the artist4 ,he found out ,flaxman when a youth1 and while he liberally nurtured his genius drew from him a large number of beautiful designs for his pottery and porcelain2 converting them by his manufacture into objects of taste and excellence1 and thus making them instrumental in the diffusion of classical art amongst the people4 ,by careful experiment and study he was even enabled to rediscover the art of painting on porcelain or earthenware vases and similar articles--an art practised by the ancient ,etruscans1 but which had been lost since the time of ,pliny4 ,he distinguished himself by his own contributions to science1 and his name is still identified with the ,pyrometer which he invented4 ,he was an indefatigable supporter of all measures of public utility2 and the construction of the ,trent and ,mersey ,canal1 which completed the navigable communication between the eastern and western sides of the island1 was mainly due to his public-spirited exertions1 allied to the engineering skill of ,brindley4 ,the road accommodation of the district being of an execrable character1 he planned and executed a turnpike-road through the ,potteries1 ten miles in length4 ,the reputation he achieved was such that his works at ,burslem1 and subsequently those at ,etruria1 which he founded and built1 became a point of attraction to distinguished visitors from all parts of ,europe4 ,the result of ,wedgwood's labours was1 that the manufacture of pottery1 which he found in the very lowest condition1 became one of the staples of ,england2 and instead of importing what we needed for home use from abroad1 we became large exporters to other countries1 supplying them with earthenware even in the face of enormous prohibitory duties on articles of ,british produce4 ,wedgwood gave evidence as to his manufactures before ,parliament in #aghe1 only some thirty years after he had begun his operations2 from which it appeared1 that instead of providing only casual employment to a small number of inefficient and badly remunerated workmen1 about #bj1jjj persons then derived their bread directly from the manufacture of earthenware1 without taking into account the increased numbers to which it gave employment in coal-mines1 and in the carrying trade by land and sea1 and the stimulus which it gave to employment in many ways in various parts of the country4 ,yet1 important as had been the advances made in his time1 ,mr4 ,wedgwood was of opinion that the manufacture was but in its infancy1 and that the improvements which he had effected were of but small amount compared with those to which the art was capable of attaining1 through the continued industry and growing intelligence of the manufacturers1 and the natural facilities and political advantages enjoyed by ,great ,britain2 an opinion which has been fully borne out by the progress which has since been effected in this important branch of industry4 ,in #aheb not fewer than #hd1jjj1jjj pieces of pottery were exported from ,england to other countries1 besides what were made for home use4 ,but it is not merely the quantity and value of the produce that is entitled to consideration1 but the improvement of the condition of the population by whom this great branch of industry is conducted4 ,when ,wedgwood began his labours1 the ,staffordshire district was only in a half-civilized state4 ,the people were poor1 uncultivated1 and few in number4 ,when ,wedgwood's manufacture was firmly established1 there was found ample employment at good wages for three times the number of population2 while their moral advancement had kept pace with their material improvement4 ,men such as these are fairly entitled to take rank as the ,industrial ,heroes of the civilized world4 ,their patient self-reliance amidst trials and difficulties1 their courage and perseverance in the pursuit of worthy objects1 are not less heroic of their kind than the bravery and devotion of the soldier and the sailor1 whose duty and pride it is heroically to defend what these valiant leaders of industry have so heroically achieved4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,application ,,and ,,perseverance4 8,rich are the diligent1 who can command ,time1 nature's stock6 and could his hour-glass fall1 ,would1 as for seed of stars1 stoop for the sand1 ,and1 by incessant labour1 gather all40--,d',avenant4 8,allez en avant1 et la foi vous viendra60--,d',alembert4 ,,the greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means1 and the exercise of ordinary qualities4 ,the common life of every day1 with its cares1 necessities1 and duties1 affords ample opportunity for acquiring experience of the best kind2 and its most beaten paths provide the true worker with abundant scope for effort and room for self-improvement4 ,the road of human welfare lies along the old highway of steadfast well-doing2 and they who are the most persistent1 and work in the truest spirit1 will usually be the most successful4 ,fortune has often been blamed for her blindness2 but fortune is not so blind as men are4 ,those who look into practical life will find that fortune is usually on the side of the industrious1 as the winds and waves are on the side of the best navigators4 ,in the pursuit of even the highest branches of human inquiry1 the commoner qualities are found the most useful--such as common sense1 attention1 application1 and perseverance4 ,genius may not be necessary1 though even genius of the highest sort does not disdain the use of these ordinary qualities4 ,the very greatest men have been among the least believers in the power of genius1 and as worldly wise and persevering as successful men of the commoner sort4 ,some have even defined genius to be only common sense intensified4 ,a distinguished teacher and president of a college spoke of it as the power of making efforts4 ,john ,foster held it to be the power of lighting one's own fire4 ,buffon said of genius 8it is patience40 ,newton's was unquestionably a mind of the very highest order1 and yet1 when asked by what means he had worked out his extraordinary discoveries1 he modestly answered1 8,by always thinking unto them40 ,at another time he thus expressed his method of study3 8,i keep the subject continually before me1 and wait till the first dawnings open slowly by little and little into a full and clear light40 ,it was in ,newton's case1 as in every other1 only by diligent application and perseverance that his great reputation was achieved4 ,even his recreation consisted in change of study1 laying down one subject to take up another4 ,to ,dr4 ,bentley he said3 8,if ,i have done the public any service1 it is due to nothing but industry and patient thought40 ,so ,kepler1 another great philosopher1 speaking of his studies and his progress1 said3 8,as in ,virgil1 #8,fama mobilitate viget1 vires acquirit eundo1' so it was with me1 that the diligent thought on these things was the occasion of still further thinking2 until at last ,i brooded with the whole energy of my mind upon the subject40 ,the extraordinary results effected by dint of sheer industry and perseverance1 have led many distinguished men to doubt whether the gift of genius be so exceptional an endowment as it is usually supposed to be4 ,thus ,voltaire held that it is only a very slight line of separation that divides the man of genius from the man of ordinary mould4 ,beccaria was even of opinion that all men might be poets and orators1 and ,reynolds that they might be painters and sculptors4 ,if this were really so1 that stolid ,englishman might not have been so very far wrong after all1 who1 on ,canova's death1 inquired of his brother whether it was 8his intention to carry on the business60 ,locke1 ,helvetius1 and ,diderot believed that all men have an equal aptitude for genius1 and that what some are able to effect1 under the laws which regulate the operations of the intellect1 must also be within the reach of others who1 under like circumstances1 apply themselves to like pursuits4 ,but while admitting to the fullest extent the wonderful achievements of labour1 and recognising the fact that men of the most distinguished genius have invariably been found the most indefatigable workers1 it must nevertheless be sufficiently obvious that1 without the original endowment of heart and brain1 no amount of labour1 however well applied1 could have produced a ,shakespeare1 a ,newton1 a ,beethoven1 or a ,michael ,angelo4 ,dalton1 the chemist1 repudiated the notion of his being 8a genius10 attributing everything which he had accomplished to simple industry and accumulation4 ,john ,hunter said of himself1 8,my mind is like a beehive2 but full as it is of buzz and apparent confusion1 it is yet full of order and regularity1 and food collected with incessant industry from the choicest stores of nature40 ,we have1 indeed1 but to glance at the biographies of great men to find that the most distinguished inventors1 artists1 thinkers1 and workers of all kinds1 owe their success1 in a great measure1 to their indefatigable industry and application4 ,they were men who turned all things to gold--even time itself4 ,disraeli the elder held that the secret of success consisted in being master of your subject1 such mastery being attainable only through continuous application and study4 ,hence it happens that the men who have most moved the world1 have not been so much men of genius1 strictly so called1 as men of intense mediocre abilities1 and untiring perseverance2 not so often the gifted1 of naturally bright and shining qualities1 as those who have applied themselves diligently to their work1 in whatsoever line that might lie4 8,alas60 said a widow1 speaking of her brilliant but careless son1 8he has not the gift of continuance40 ,wanting in perseverance1 such volatile natures are outstripped in the race of life by the diligent and even the dull4 8,che va piano1 va longano1 e va lontano10 says the ,italian proverb3 ,who goes slowly1 goes long1 and goes far4 ,hence1 a great point to be aimed at is to get the working quality well trained4 ,when that is done1 the race will be found comparatively easy4 ,we must repeat and again repeat2 facility will come with labour4 ,not even the simplest art can be accomplished without it2 and what difficulties it is found capable of achieving6 ,it was by early discipline and repetition that the late ,sir ,robert ,peel cultivated those remarkable1 though still mediocre powers1 which rendered him so illustrious an ornament of the ,british ,senate4 ,when a boy at ,drayton ,manor1 his father was accustomed to set him up at table to practise speaking extempore2 and he early accustomed him to repeat as much of the ,sunday's sermon as he could remember4 ,little progress was made at first1 but by steady perseverance the habit of attention became powerful1 and the sermon was at length repeated almost verbatim4 ,when afterwards replying in succession to the arguments of his parliamentary opponents--an art in which he was perhaps unrivalled--it was little surmised that the extraordinary power of accurate remembrance which he displayed on such occasions had been originally trained under the discipline of his father in the parish church of ,drayton4 ,it is indeed marvellous what continuous application will effect in the commonest of things4 ,it may seem a simple affair to play upon a violin2 yet what a long and laborious practice it requires6 ,giardini said to a youth who asked him how long it would take to learn it1 8,twelve hours a day for twenty years together40 ,industry1 it is said1 fait l'ours danser4 ,the poor figurante must devote years of incessant toil to her profitless task before she can shine in it4 ,when ,taglioni was preparing herself for her evening exhibition1 she would1 after a severe two hours' lesson from her father1 fall down exhausted1 and had to be undressed1 sponged1 and resuscitated totally unconscious4 ,the agility and bounds of the evening were insured only at a price like this4 ,progress1 however1 of the best kind1 is comparatively slow4 ,great results cannot be achieved at once2 and we must be satisfied to advance in life as we walk1 step by step4 ,de ,maistre says that 8to know how to wait is the great secret of success40 ,we must sow before we can reap1 and often have to wait long1 content meanwhile to look patiently forward in hope2 the fruit best worth waiting for often ripening the slowest4 ,but 8time and patience10 says the ,eastern proverb1 8change the mulberry leaf to satin40 ,to wait patiently1 however1 men must work cheerfully4 ,cheerfulness is an excellent working quality1 imparting great elasticity to the character4 ,as a bishop has said1 8,temper is nine-tenths of ,christianity20 so are cheerfulness and diligence nine-tenths of practical wisdom4 ,they are the life and soul of success1 as well as of happiness2 perhaps the very highest pleasure in life consisting in clear1 brisk1 conscious working2 energy1 confidence1 and every other good quality mainly depending upon it4 ,sydney ,smith1 when labouring as a parish priest at ,foston-le-,clay1 in ,yorkshire1--though he did not feel himself to be in his proper element1--went cheerfully to work in the firm determination to do his best4 8,i am resolved10 he said1 8to like it1 and reconcile myself to it1 which is more manly than to feign myself above it1 and to send up complaints by the post of being thrown away1 and being desolate1 and such like trash40 ,so ,dr4 ,hook1 when leaving ,leeds for a new sphere of labour said1 8,wherever ,i may be1 ,i shall1 by ,god's blessing1 do with my might what my hand findeth to do2 and if ,i do not find work1 ,i shall make it40 ,labourers for the public good especially1 have to work long and patiently1 often uncheered by the prospect of immediate recompense or result4 ,the seeds they sow sometimes lie hidden under the winter's snow1 and before the spring comes the husbandman may have gone to his rest4 ,it is not every public worker who1 like ,rowland ,hill1 sees his great idea bring forth fruit in his life-time4 ,adam ,smith sowed the seeds of a great social amelioration in that dingy old ,university of ,glasgow where he so long laboured1 and laid the foundations of his #8,wealth of ,nations2' but seventy years passed before his work bore substantial fruits1 nor indeed are they all gathered in yet4 ,nothing can compensate for the loss of hope in a man3 it entirely changes the character4 8,how can ,i work--how can ,i be happy10 said a great but miserable thinker1 8when ,i have lost all hope80 ,one of the most cheerful and courageous1 because one of the most hopeful of workers1 was ,carey1 the missionary4 ,when in ,india1 it was no uncommon thing for him to weary out three pundits1 who officiated as his clerks1 in one day1 he himself taking rest only in change of employment4 ,carey1 the son of a shoe-maker1 was supported in his labours by ,ward1 the son of a carpenter1 and ,marsham1 the son of a weaver4 ,by their labours1 a magnificent college was erected at ,serampore2 sixteen flourishing stations were established2 the ,bible was translated into sixteen languages1 and the seeds were sown of a beneficent moral revolution in ,british ,india4 ,carey was never ashamed of the humbleness of his origin4 ,on one occasion1 when at the ,governor-,general's table he over-heard an officer opposite him asking another1 loud enough to be heard1 whether ,carey had not once been a shoemaker3 8,no1 sir10 exclaimed ,carey immediately2 8only a cobbler40 ,an eminently characteristic anecdote has been told of his perseverance as a boy4 ,when climbing a tree one day1 his foot slipped1 and he fell to the ground1 breaking his leg by the fall4 ,he was confined to his bed for weeks1 but when he recovered and was able to walk without support1 the very first thing he did was to go and climb that tree4 ,carey had need of this sort of dauntless courage for the great missionary work of his life1 and nobly and resolutely he did it4 ,it was a maxim of ,dr4 ,young1 the philosopher1 that 8,any man can do what any other man has done20 and it is unquestionable that he himself never recoiled from any trials to which he determined to subject himself4 ,it is related of him1 that the first time he mounted a horse1 he was in company with the grandson of ,mr4 ,barclay of ,ury1 the well-known sportsman2 when the horseman who preceded them leapt a high fence4 ,young wished to imitate him1 but fell off his horse in the attempt4 ,without saying a word1 he remounted1 made a second effort1 and was again unsuccessful1 but this time he was not thrown further than on to the horse's neck1 to which he clung4 ,at the third trial1 he succeeded1 and cleared the fence4 ,the story of ,timour the ,tartar learning a lesson of perseverance under adversity from the spider is well known4 ,not less interesting is the anecdote of ,audubon1 the ,american ornithologist1 as related by himself3 8,an accident10 he says1 8which happened to two hundred of my original drawings1 nearly put a stop to my researches in ornithology4 ,i shall relate it1 merely to show how far enthusiasm--for by no other name can ,i call my perseverance--may enable the preserver of nature to surmount the most disheartening difficulties4 ,i left the village of ,henderson1 in ,kentucky1 situated on the banks of the ,ohio1 where ,i resided for several years1 to proceed to ,philadelphia on business4 ,i looked to my drawings before my departure1 placed them carefully in a wooden box1 and gave them in charge of a relative1 with injunctions to see that no injury should happen to them4 ,my absence was of several months2 and when ,i returned1 after having enjoyed the pleasures of home for a few days1 ,i inquired after my box1 and what ,i was pleased to call my treasure4 ,the box was produced and opened2 but reader1 feel for me--a pair of ,norway rats had taken possession of the whole1 and reared a young family among the gnawed bits of paper1 which1 but a month previous1 represented nearly a thousand inhabitants of air6 ,the burning beat which instantly rushed through my brain was too great to be endured without affecting my whole nervous system4 ,i slept for several nights1 and the days passed like days of oblivion--until the animal powers being recalled into action through the strength of my constitution1 ,i took up my gun1 my notebook1 and my pencils1 and went forth to the woods as gaily as if nothing had happened4 ,i felt pleased that ,i might now make better drawings than before2 and1 ere a period not exceeding three years had elapsed1 my portfolio was again filled40 ,the accidental destruction of ,sir ,isaac ,newton's papers1 by his little dog #8,diamond' upsetting a lighted taper upon his desk1 by which the elaborate calculations of many years were in a moment destroyed1 is a well-known anecdote1 and need not be repeated3 it is said that the loss caused the philosopher such profound grief that it seriously injured his health1 and impaired his understanding4 ,an accident of a somewhat similar kind happened to the ,,ms4 of ,mr4 ,carlyle's first volume of his #8,french ,revolution4' ,he had lent the ,,ms4 to a literary neighbour to peruse4 ,by some mischance1 it had been left lying on the parlour floor1 and become forgotten4 ,weeks ran on1 and the historian sent for his work1 the printers being loud for 8copy40 ,inquiries were made1 and it was found that the maid-of-all-work1 finding what she conceived to be a bundle of waste paper on the floor1 had used it to light the kitchen and parlour fires with6 ,such was the answer returned to ,mr4 ,carlyle2 and his feelings may be imagined4 ,there was1 however1 no help for him but to set resolutely to work to re-write the book2 and he turned to and did it4 ,he had no draft1 and was compelled to rake up from his memory facts1 ideas1 and expressions1 which had been long since dismissed4 ,the composition of the book in the first instance had been a work of pleasure2 the re-writing of it a second time was one of pain and anguish almost beyond belief4 ,that he persevered and finished the volume under such circumstances1 affords an instance of determination of purpose which has seldom been surpassed4 ,the lives of eminent inventors are eminently illustrative of the same quality of perseverance4 ,george ,stephenson1 when addressing young men1 was accustomed to sum up his best advice to them1 in the words1 8,do as ,i have done--persevere40 ,he had worked at the improvement of his locomotive for some fifteen years before achieving his decisive victory at ,rainhill2 and ,watt was engaged for some thirty years upon the condensing-engine before he brought it to perfection4 ,but there are equally striking illustrations of perseverance to be found in every other branch of science1 art1 and industry4 ,perhaps one of the most interesting is that connected with the disentombment of the ,nineveh marbles1 and the discovery of the long-lost cuneiform or arrow-headed character in which the inscriptions on them are written--a kind of writing which had been lost to the world since the period of the ,macedonian conquest of ,persia4 ,an intelligent cadet of the ,east ,india ,company1 stationed at ,kermanshah1 in ,persia1 had observed the curious cuneiform inscriptions on the old monuments in the neighbourhood--so old that all historical traces of them had been lost1--and amongst the inscriptions which he copied was that on the celebrated rock of ,behistun--a perpendicular rock rising abruptly some #agjj feet from the plain1 the lower part bearing inscriptions for the space of about #cjj feet in three languages--,persian1 ,scythian1 and ,assyrian4 ,comparison of the known with the unknown1 of the language which survived with the language that had been lost1 enabled this cadet to acquire some knowledge of the cuneiform character1 and even to form an alphabet4 ,mr4 7afterwards ,sir ,henry7 ,rawlinson sent his tracings home for examination4 ,no professors in colleges as yet knew anything of the cuneiform character2 but there was a ci-devant clerk of the ,east ,india ,house--a modest unknown man of the name of ,norris--who had made this little-understood subject his study1 to whom the tracings were submitted2 and so accurate was his knowledge1 that1 though he had never seen the ,behistun rock1 he pronounced that the cadet had not copied the puzzling inscription with proper exactness4 ,rawlinson1 who was still in the neighbourhood of the rock1 compared his copy with the original1 and found that ,norris was right2 and by further comparison and careful study the knowledge of the cuneiform writing was thus greatly advanced4 ,but to make the learning of these two self-taught men of avail1 a third labourer was necessary in order to supply them with material for the exercise of their skill4 ,such a labourer presented himself in the person of ,austen ,layard1 originally an articled clerk in the office of a ,london solicitor4 ,one would scarcely have expected to find in these three men1 a cadet1 an ,india-,house clerk1 and a lawyer's clerk1 the discoverers of a forgotten language1 and of the buried history of ,babylon2 yet it was so4 ,layard was a youth of only twenty-two1 travelling in the ,east1 when he was possessed with a desire to penetrate the regions beyond the ,euphrates4 ,accompanied by a single companion1 trusting to his arms for protection1 and1 what was better1 to his cheerfulness1 politeness1 and chivalrous bearing1 he passed safely amidst tribes at deadly war with each other2 and1 after the lapse of many years1 with comparatively slender means at his command1 but aided by application and perseverance1 resolute will and purpose1 and almost sublime patience1--borne up throughout by his passionate enthusiasm for discovery and research1--he succeeded in laying bare and digging up an amount of historical treasures1 the like of which has probably never before been collected by the industry of any one man4 ,not less than two miles of bas-reliefs were thus brought to light by ,mr4 ,layard4 ,the selection of these valuable antiquities1 now placed in the ,british ,museum1 was found so curiously corroborative of the scriptural records of events which occurred some three thousand years ago1 that they burst upon the world almost like a new revelation4 ,and the story of the disentombment of these remarkable works1 as told by ,mr4 ,layard himself in his #8,monuments of ,nineveh1' will always be regarded as one of the most charming and unaffected records which we possess of individual enterprise1 industry1 and energy4 ,the career of the ,comte de ,buffon presents another remarkable illustration of the power of patient industry as well as of his own saying1 that 8,genius is patience40 ,notwithstanding the great results achieved by him in natural history1 ,buffon1 when a youth1 was regarded as of mediocre talents4 ,his mind was slow in forming itself1 and slow in reproducing what it had acquired4 ,he was also constitutionally indolent2 and being born to good estate1 it might be supposed that he would indulge his liking for ease and luxury4 ,instead of which1 he early formed the resolution of denying himself pleasure1 and devoting himself to study and self-culture4 ,regarding time as a treasure that was limited1 and finding that he was losing many hours by lying a-bed in the mornings1 he determined to break himself of the habit4 ,he struggled hard against it for some time1 but failed in being able to rise at the hour he had fixed4 ,he then called his servant1 ,joseph1 to his help1 and promised him the reward of a crown every time that he succeeded in getting him up before six4 ,at first1 when called1 ,buffon declined to rise--pleaded that he was ill1 or pretended anger at being disturbed2 and on the ,count at length getting up1 ,joseph found that he had earned nothing but reproaches for having permitted his master to lie a-bed contrary to his express orders4 ,at length the valet determined to earn his crown2 and again and again he forced ,buffon to rise1 notwithstanding his entreaties1 expostulations1 and threats of immediate discharge from his service4 ,one morning ,buffon was unusually obstinate1 and ,joseph found it necessary to resort to the extreme measure of dashing a basin of ice-cold water under the bed-clothes1 the effect of which was instantaneous4 ,by the persistent use of such means1 ,buffon at length conquered his habit2 and he was accustomed to say that he owed to ,joseph three or four volumes of his ,natural ,history4 ,for forty years of his life1 ,buffon worked every morning at his desk from nine till two1 and again in the evening from five till nine4 ,his diligence was so continuous and so regular that it became habitual4 ,his biographer has said of him1 8,work was his necessity2 his studies were the charm of his life2 and towards the last term of his glorious career he frequently said that he still hoped to be able to consecrate to them a few more years40 ,he was a most conscientious worker1 always studying to give the reader his best thoughts1 expressed in the very best manner4 ,he was never wearied with touching and retouching his compositions1 so that his style may be pronounced almost perfect4 ,he wrote the #8,epoques de la ,nature' not fewer than eleven times before he was satisfied with it2 although he had thought over the work about fifty years4 ,he was a thorough man of business1 most orderly in everything2 and he was accustomed to say that genius without order lost three-fourths of its power4 ,his great success as a writer was the result mainly of his painstaking labour and diligent application4 8,buffon10 observed ,madame ,necker1 8strongly persuaded that genius is the result of a profound attention directed to a particular subject1 said that he was thoroughly wearied out when composing his first writings1 but compelled himself to return to them and go over them carefully again1 even when he thought he had already brought them to a certain degree of perfection2 and that at length he found pleasure instead of weariness in this long and elaborate correction40 ,it ought also to be added that ,buffon wrote and published all his great works while afflicted by one of the most painful diseases to which the human frame is subject4 ,literary life affords abundant illustrations of the same power of perseverance2 and perhaps no career is more instructive1 viewed in this light1 than that of ,sir ,walter ,scott4 ,his admirable working qualities were trained in a lawyer's office1 where he pursued for many years a sort of drudgery scarcely above that of a copying clerk4 ,his daily dull routine made his evenings1 which were his own1 all the more sweet2 and he generally devoted them to reading and study4 ,he himself attributed to his prosaic office discipline that habit of steady1 sober diligence1 in which mere literary men are so often found wanting4 ,as a copying clerk he was allowed #c;d4 for every page containing a certain number of words2 and he sometimes1 by extra work1 was able to copy as many as #abj pages in twenty-four hours1 thus earning some #cjs42 out of which he would occasionally purchase an odd volume1 otherwise beyond his means4 ,during his after-life ,scott was wont to pride himself upon being a man of business1 and he averred1 in contradiction to what he called the cant of sonneteers1 that there was no necessary connection between genius and an aversion or contempt for the common duties of life4 ,on the contrary1 he was of opinion that to spend some fair portion of every day in any matter-of-fact occupation was good for the higher faculties themselves in the upshot4 ,while afterwards acting as clerk to the ,court of ,session in ,edinburgh1 he performed his literary work chiefly before breakfast1 attending the court during the day1 where he authenticated registered deeds and writings of various kinds4 ,on the whole1 says ,lockhart1 8it forms one of the most remarkable features in his history1 that throughout the most active period of his literary career1 he must have devoted a large proportion of his hours1 during half at least of every year1 to the conscientious discharge of professional duties40 ,it was a principle of action which he laid down for himself1 that he must earn his living by business1 and not by literature4 ,on one occasion he said1 8,i determined that literature should be my staff1 not my crutch1 and that the profits of my literary labour1 however convenient otherwise1 should not1 if ,i could help it1 become necessary to my ordinary expenses40 ,his punctuality was one of the most carefully cultivated of his habits1 otherwise it had not been possible for him to get through so enormous an amount of literary labour4 ,he made it a rule to answer every letter received by him on the same day1 except where inquiry and deliberation were requisite4 ,nothing else could have enabled him to keep abreast with the flood of communications that poured in upon him and sometimes put his good nature to the severest test4 ,it was his practice to rise by five o'clock1 and light his own fire4 ,he shaved and dressed with deliberation1 and was seated at his desk by six o'clock1 with his papers arranged before him in the most accurate order1 his works of reference marshalled round him on the floor1 while at least one favourite dog lay watching his eye1 outside the line of books4 ,thus by the time the family assembled for breakfast1 between nine and ten1 he had done enough--to use his own words--to break the neck of the day's work4 ,but with all his diligent and indefatigable industry1 and his immense knowledge1 the result of many years' patient labour1 ,scott always spoke with the greatest diffidence of his own powers4 ,on one occasion he said1 8,throughout every part of my career ,i have felt pinched and hampered by my own ignorance40 ,such is true wisdom and humility2 for the more a man really knows1 the less conceited he will be4 ,the student at ,trinity ,college who went up to his professor to take leave of him because he had 8finished his education10 was wisely rebuked by the professor's reply1 8,indeed6 ,i am only beginning mine40 ,the superficial person who has obtained a smattering of many things1 but knows nothing well1 may pride himself upon his gifts2 but the sage humbly confesses that 8all he knows is1 that he knows nothing10 or like ,newton1 that he has been only engaged in picking shells by the sea shore1 while the great ocean of truth lies all unexplored before him4 ,the lives of second-rate literary men furnish equally remarkable illustrations of the power of perseverance4 ,the late ,john ,britton1 author of #8,the ,beauties of ,england and ,wales1' and of many valuable architectural works1 was born in a miserable cot in ,kingston1 ,wiltshire4 ,his father had been a baker and maltster1 but was ruined in trade and became insane while ,britton was yet a child4 ,the boy received very little schooling1 but a great deal of bad example1 which happily did not corrupt him4 ,he was early in life set to labour with an uncle1 a tavern-keeper in ,clerkenwell1 under whom he bottled1 corked1 and binned wine for more than five years4 ,his health failing him1 his uncle turned him adrift in the world1 with only two guineas1 the fruits of his five years' service1 in his pocket4 ,during the next seven years of his life he endured many vicissitudes and hardships4 ,yet he says1 in his autobiography1 8in my poor and obscure lodgings1 at eighteenpence a week1 ,i indulged in study1 and often read in bed during the winter evenings1 because ,i could not afford a fire40 ,travelling on foot to ,bath1 he there obtained an engagement as a cellarman1 but shortly after we find him back in the metropolis again almost penniless1 shoeless1 and shirtless4 ,he succeeded1 however1 in obtaining employment as a cellarman at the ,london ,tavern1 where it was his duty to be in the cellar from seven in the morning until eleven at night4 ,his health broke down under this confinement in the dark1 added to the heavy work2 and he then engaged himself1 at fifteen shillings a week1 to an attorney1--for he had been diligently cultivating the art of writing during the few spare minutes that he could call his own4 ,while in this employment1 he devoted his leisure principally to perambulating the bookstalls1 where he read books by snatches which he could not buy1 and thus picked up a good deal of odd knowledge4 ,then he shifted to another office1 at the advanced wages of twenty shillings a week1 still reading and studying4 ,at twenty-eight he was able to write a book1 which he published under the title of #8,the ,enterprising ,adventures of ,pizarro2' and from that time until his death1 during a period of about fifty-five years1 ,britton was occupied in laborious literary occupation4 ,the number of his published works is not fewer than eighty-seven2 the most important being #8,the ,cathedral ,antiquities of ,england1' in fourteen volumes1 a truly magnificent work2 itself the best monument of ,john ,britton's indefatigable industry4 ,london1 the landscape gardener1 was a man of somewhat similar character1 possessed of an extraordinary working power4 ,the son of a farmer near ,edinburgh1 he was early inured to work4 ,his skill in drawing plans and making sketches of scenery induced his father to train him for a landscape gardener4 ,during his apprenticeship he sat up two whole nights every week to study2 yet he worked harder during the day than any labourer4 ,in the course of his night studies he learnt ,french1 and before he was eighteen he translated a life of ,abelard for an ,encyclopdia4 ,he was so eager to make progress in life1 that when only twenty1 while working as a gardener in ,england1 he wrote down in his note-book1 8,i am now twenty years of age1 and perhaps a third part of my life has passed away1 and yet what have ,i done to benefit my fellow men80 an unusual reflection for a youth of only twenty4 ,from ,french he proceeded to learn ,german1 and rapidly mastered that language4 ,having taken a large farm1 for the purpose of introducing ,scotch improvements in the art of agriculture1 he shortly succeeded in realising a considerable income4 ,the continent being thrown open at the end of the war1 he travelled abroad for the purpose of inquiring into the system of gardening and agriculture in other countries4 ,he twice repeated his journeys1 and the results were published in his ,encyclopdias1 which are among the most remarkable works of their kind1--distinguished for the immense mass of useful matter which they contain1 collected by an amount of industry and labour which has rarely been equalled4 ,the career of ,samuel ,drew is not less remarkable than any of those which we have cited4 ,his father was a hard-working labourer of the parish of ,st4 ,austell1 in ,cornwall4 ,though poor1 he contrived to send his two sons to a penny-a-week school in the neighbourhood4 ,jabez1 the elder1 took delight in learning1 and made great progress in his lessons2 but ,samuel1 the younger1 was a dunce1 notoriously given to mischief and playing truant4 ,when about eight years old he was put to manual labour1 earning three-halfpence a day as a buddle-boy at a tin mine4 ,at ten he was apprenticed to a shoemaker1 and while in this employment he endured much hardship1--living1 as he used to say1 8like a toad under a harrow40 ,he often thought of running away and becoming a pirate1 or something of the sort1 and he seems to have grown in recklessness as he grew in years4 ,in robbing orchards he was usually a leader2 and1 as he grew older1 he delighted to take part in any poaching or smuggling adventure4 ,when about seventeen1 before his apprenticeship was out1 he ran away1 intending to enter on board a man-of-war2 but1 sleeping in a hay-field at night cooled him a little1 and he returned to his trade4 ,drew next removed to the neighbourhood of ,plymouth to work at his shoemaking business1 and while at ,cawsand he won a prize for cudgel-playing1 in which he seems to have been an adept4 ,while living there1 he had nearly lost his life in a smuggling exploit which he had joined1 partly induced by the love of adventure1 and partly by the love of gain1 for his regular wages were not more than eight shillings a-week4 ,one night1 notice was given throughout ,crafthole1 that a smuggler was off the coast1 ready to land her cargo2 on which the male population of the place--nearly all smugglers--made for the shore4 ,one party remained on the rocks to make signals and dispose of the goods as they were landed2 and another manned the boats1 ,drew being of the latter party4 ,the night was intensely dark1 and very little of the cargo had been landed1 when the wind rose1 with a heavy sea4 ,the men in the boats1 however1 determined to persevere1 and several trips were made between the smuggler1 now standing farther out to sea1 and the shore4 ,one of the men in the boat in which ,drew was1 had his hat blown off by the wind1 and in attempting to recover it1 the boat was upset4 ,three of the men were immediately drowned2 the others clung to the boat for a time1 but finding it drifting out to sea1 they took to swimming4 ,they were two miles from land1 and the night was intensely dark4 ,after being about three hours in the water1 ,drew reached a rock near the shore1 with one or two others1 where he remained benumbed with cold till morning1 when he and his companions were discovered and taken off1 more dead than alive4 ,a keg of brandy from the cargo just landed was brought1 the head knocked in with a hatchet1 and a bowlfull of the liquid presented to the survivors2 and1 shortly after1 ,drew was able to walk two miles through deep snow1 to his lodgings4 ,this was a very unpromising beginning of a life2 and yet this same ,drew1 scapegrace1 orchard-robber1 shoemaker1 cudgel-player1 and smuggler1 outlived the recklessness of his youth and became distinguished as a minister of the ,gospel and a writer of good books4 ,happily1 before it was too late1 the energy which characterised him was turned into a more healthy direction1 and rendered him as eminent in usefulness as he had before been in wickedness4 ,his father again took him back to ,st4 ,austell1 and found employment for him as a journeyman shoemaker4 ,perhaps his recent escape from death had tended to make the young man serious1 as we shortly find him attracted by the forcible preaching of ,dr4 ,adam ,clarke1 a minister of the ,wesleyan ,methodists4 ,his brother having died about the same time1 the impression of seriousness was deepened2 and thenceforward he was an altered man4 ,he began anew the work of education1 for he had almost forgotten how to read and write2 and even after several years' practice1 a friend compared his writing to the traces of a spider dipped in ink set to crawl upon paper4 ,speaking of himself1 about that time1 ,drew afterwards said1 8,the more ,i read1 the more ,i felt my own ignorance2 and the more ,i felt my ignorance1 the more invincible became my energy to surmount it4 ,every leisure moment was now employed in reading one thing or another4 ,having to support myself by manual labour1 my time for reading was but little1 and to overcome this disadvantage1 my usual method was to place a book before me while at meat1 and at every repast ,i read five or six pages40 ,the perusal of ,locke's #8,essay on the ,understanding' gave the first metaphysical turn to his mind4 8,it awakened me from my stupor10 said he1 8and induced me to form a resolution to abandon the grovelling views which ,i had been accustomed to entertain40 ,drew began business on his own account1 with a capital of a few shillings2 but his character for steadiness was such that a neighbouring miller offered him a loan1 which was accepted1 and1 success attending his industry1 the debt was repaid at the end of a year4 ,he started with a determination to 8owe no man anything10 and he held to it in the midst of many privations4 ,often he went to bed supperless1 to avoid rising in debt4 ,his ambition was to achieve independence by industry and economy1 and in this he gradually succeeded4 ,in the midst of incessant labour1 he sedulously strove to improve his mind1 studying astronomy1 history1 and metaphysics4 ,he was induced to pursue the latter study chiefly because it required fewer books to consult than either of the others4 8,it appeared to be a thorny path10 he said1 8but ,i determined1 nevertheless1 to enter1 and accordingly began to tread it40 ,added to his labours in shoemaking and metaphysics1 ,drew became a local preacher and a class leader4 ,he took an eager interest in politics1 and his shop became a favourite resort with the village politicians4 ,and when they did not come to him1 he went to them to talk over public affairs4 ,this so encroached upon his time that he found it necessary sometimes to work until midnight to make up for the hours lost during the day4 ,his political fervour become the talk of the village4 ,while busy one night hammering away at a shoe-sole1 a little boy1 seeing a light in the shop1 put his mouth to the keyhole of the door1 and called out in a shrill pipe1 8,shoemaker6 shoe-maker6 work by night and run about by day60 ,a friend1 to whom ,drew afterwards told the story1 asked1 8,and did not you run after the boy1 and strap him80 8,no1 no10 was the reply2 8had a pistol been fired off at my ear1 ,i could not have been more dismayed or confounded4 ,i dropped my work1 and said to myself1 #8,true1 true6 but you shall never have that to say of me again4' ,to me that cry was as the voice of ,god1 and it has been a word in season throughout my life4 ,i learnt from it not to leave till to-morrow the work of to-day1 or to idle when ,i ought to be working40 ,from that moment ,drew dropped politics1 and stuck to his work1 reading and studying in his spare hours3 but he never allowed the latter pursuit to interfere with his business1 though it frequently broke in upon his rest4 ,he married1 and thought of emigrating to ,america2 but he remained working on4 ,his literary taste first took the direction of poetical composition2 and from some of the fragments which have been preserved1 it appears that his speculations as to the immateriality and immortality of the soul had their origin in these poetical musings4 ,his study was the kitchen1 where his wife's bellows served him for a desk2 and he wrote amidst the cries and cradlings of his children4 ,paine's #8,age of ,reason' having appeared about this time and excited much interest1 he composed a pamphlet in refutation of its arguments1 which was published4 ,he used afterwards to say that it was the #8,age of ,reason' that made him an author4 ,various pamphlets from his pen shortly appeared in rapid succession1 and a few years later1 while still working at shoemaking1 he wrote and published his admirable #8,essay on the ,immateriality and ,immortality of the ,human ,soul1' which he sold for twenty pounds1 a great sum in his estimation at the time4 ,the book went through many editions1 and is still prized4 ,drew was in no wise puffed up by his success1 as many young authors are1 but1 long after he had become celebrated as a writer1 used to be seen sweeping the street before his door1 or helping his apprentices to carry in the winter's coals4 ,nor could he1 for some time1 bring himself to regard literature as a profession to live by4 ,his first care was1 to secure an honest livelihood by his business1 and to put into the 8lottery of literary success10 as he termed it1 only the surplus of his time4 ,at length1 however1 he devoted himself wholly to literature1 more particularly in connection with the ,wesleyan body2 editing one of their magazines1 and superintending the publication of several of their denominational works4 ,he also wrote in the #8,eclectic ,review1' and compiled and published a valuable history of his native county1 ,cornwall1 with numerous other works4 ,towards the close of his career1 he said of himself1--8,raised from one of the lowest stations in society1 ,i have endeavoured through life to bring my family into a state of respectability1 by honest industry1 frugality1 and a high regard for my moral character4 ,divine providence has smiled on my exertions1 and crowned my wishes with success40 ,the late ,joseph ,hume pursued a very different career1 but worked in an equally persevering spirit4 ,he was a man of moderate parts1 but of great industry and unimpeachable honesty of purpose4 ,the motto of his life was 8,perseverance10 and well1 he acted up to it4 ,his father dying while he was a mere child1 his mother opened a small shop in ,montrose1 and toiled hard to maintain her family and bring them up respectably4 ,joseph she put apprentice to a surgeon1 and educated for the medical profession4 ,having got his diploma1 he made several voyages to ,india as ship's surgeon1 #aae and afterwards obtained a cadetship in the ,company's service4 ,none worked harder1 or lived more temperately1 than he did1 and1 securing the confidence of his superiors1 who found him a capable man in the performance of his duty1 they gradually promoted him to higher offices4 ,in #ahjc he was with the division of the army under ,general ,powell1 in the ,mahratta war2 and the interpreter having died1 ,hume1 who had meanwhile studied and mastered the native languages1 was appointed in his stead4 ,he was next made chief of the medical staff4 ,but as if this were not enough to occupy his full working power1 he undertook in addition the offices of paymaster and post-master1 and filled them satisfactorily4 ,he also contracted to supply the commissariat1 which he did with advantage to the army and profit to himself4 ,after about ten years' unremitting labour1 he returned to ,england with a competency2 and one of his first acts was to make provision for the poorer members of his family4 ,but ,joseph ,hume was not a man to enjoy the fruits of his industry in idleness4 ,work and occupation had become necessary for his comfort and happiness4 ,to make himself fully acquainted with the actual state of his own country1 and the condition of the people1 he visited every town in the kingdom which then enjoyed any degree of manufacturing celebrity4 ,he afterwards travelled abroad for the purpose of obtaining a knowledge of foreign states4 ,returned to ,england1 he entered ,parliament in #ahab1 and continued a member of that assembly1 with a short interruption1 for a period of about thirty-four years4 ,his first recorded speech was on the subject of public education1 and throughout his long and honourable career he took an active and earnest interest in that and all other questions calculated to elevate and improve the condition of the people--criminal reform1 savings-banks1 free trade1 economy and retrenchment1 extended representation1 and such like measures1 all of which he indefatigably promoted4 ,whatever subject he undertook1 he worked at with all his might4 ,he was not a good speaker1 but what he said was believed to proceed from the lips of an honest1 single-minded1 accurate man4 ,if ridicule1 as ,shaftesbury says1 be the test of truth1 ,joseph ,hume stood the test well4 ,no man was more laughed at1 but there he stood perpetually1 and literally1 8at his post40 ,he was usually beaten on a division1 but the influence which he exercised was nevertheless felt1 and many important financial improvements were effected by him even with the vote directly against him4 ,the amount of hard work which he contrived to get through was something extraordinary4 ,he rose at six1 wrote letters and arranged his papers for parliament2 then1 after breakfast1 he received persons on business1 sometimes as many as twenty in a morning4 ,the ,house rarely assembled without him1 and though the debate might be prolonged to two or three o'clock in the morning1 his name was seldom found absent from the division4 ,in short1 to perform the work which he did1 extending over so long a period1 in the face of so many ,administrations1 week after week1 year after year1--to be outvoted1 beaten1 laughed at1 standing on many occasions almost alone1--to persevere in the face of every discouragement1 preserving his temper unruffled1 never relaxing in his energy or his hope1 and living to see the greater number of his measures adopted with acclamation1 must be regarded as one of the most remarkable illustrations of the power of human perseverance that biography can exhibit4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,helps ,,and ,,opportunities--,,scientific ,,pursuits4 8,neither the naked hand1 nor the understanding1 left to itself1 can do much2 the work is accomplished by instruments and helps1 of which the need is not less for the understanding than the hand40--,bacon4 8,opportunity has hair in front1 behind she is bald2 if you seize her by the forelock you may hold her1 but1 if suffered to escape1 not ,jupiter himself can catch her again40--,from the ,latin4 ,,accident does very little towards the production of any great result in life4 ,though sometimes what is called 8a happy hit0 may be made by a bold venture1 the common highway of steady industry and application is the only safe road to travel4 ,it is said of the landscape painter ,wilson1 that when he had nearly finished a picture in a tame1 correct manner1 he would step back from it1 his pencil fixed at the end of a long stick1 and after gazing earnestly on the work1 he would suddenly walk up and by a few bold touches give a brilliant finish to the painting4 ,but it will not do for every one who would produce an effect1 to throw his brush at the canvas in the hope of producing a picture4 ,the capability of putting in these last vital touches is acquired only by the labour of a life2 and the probability is1 that the artist who has not carefully trained himself beforehand1 in attempting to produce a brilliant effect at a dash1 will only produce a blotch4 ,sedulous attention and painstaking industry always mark the true worker4 ,the greatest men are not those who 8despise the day of small things10 but those who improve them the most carefully4 ,michael ,angelo was one day explaining to a visitor at his studio1 what he had been doing at a statue since his previous visit4 8,i have retouched this part--polished that--softened this feature--brought out that muscle--given some expression to this lip1 and more energy to that limb40 8,but these are trifles10 remarked the visitor4 8,it may be so10 replied the sculptor1 8but recollect that trifles make perfection1 and perfection is no trifle40 ,so it was said of ,nicholas ,poussin1 the painter1 that the rule of his conduct was1 that 8whatever was worth doing at all was worth doing well20 and when asked1 late in life1 by his friend ,vigneul de ,marville1 by what means he had gained so high a reputation among the painters of ,italy1 ,poussin emphatically answered1 8,because ,i have neglected nothing40 ,although there are discoveries which are said to have been made by accident1 if carefully inquired into1 it will be found that there has really been very little that was accidental about them4 ,for the most part1 these so-called accidents have only been opportunities1 carefully improved by genius4 ,the fall of the apple at ,newton's feet has often been quoted in proof of the accidental character of some discoveries4 ,but ,newton's whole mind had already been devoted for years to the laborious and patient investigation of the subject of gravitation2 and the circumstance of the apple falling before his eyes was suddenly apprehended only as genius could apprehend it1 and served to flash upon him the brilliant discovery then opening to his sight4 ,in like manner1 the brilliantly-coloured soap-bubbles blown from a common tobacco pipe--though 8trifles light as air0 in most eyes--suggested to ,dr4 ,young his beautiful theory of 8interferences10 and led to his discovery relating to the diffraction of light4 ,although great men are popularly supposed only to deal with great things1 men such as ,newton and ,young were ready to detect the significance of the most familiar and simple facts2 their greatness consisting mainly in their wise interpretation of them4 ,the difference between men consists1 in a great measure1 in the intelligence of their observation4 ,the ,russian proverb says of the non-observant man1 8,he goes through the forest and sees no firewood40 8,the wise man's eyes are in his head10 says ,solomon1 8but the fool walketh in darkness40 8,sir10 said ,johnson1 on one occasion1 to a fine gentleman just returned from ,italy1 8some men will learn more in the ,hampstead stage than others in the tour of ,europe40 ,it is the mind that sees as well as the eye4 ,where unthinking gazers observe nothing1 men of intelligent vision penetrate into the very fibre of the phenomena presented to them1 attentively noting differences1 making comparisons1 and recognizing their underlying idea4 ,many before ,galileo had seen a suspended weight swing before their eyes with a measured beat2 but he was the first to detect the value of the fact4 ,one of the vergers in the cathedral at ,pisa1 after replenishing with oil a lamp which hung from the roof1 left it swinging to and fro2 and ,galileo1 then a youth of only eighteen1 noting it attentively1 conceived the idea of applying it to the measurement of time4 ,fifty years of study and labour1 however1 elapsed1 before he completed the invention of his ,pendulum1--the importance of which1 in the measurement of time and in astronomical calculations1 can scarcely be overrated4 ,in like manner1 ,galileo1 having casually heard that one ,lippershey1 a ,dutch spectacle-maker1 had presented to ,count ,maurice of ,nassau an instrument by means of which distant objects appeared nearer to the beholder1 addressed himself to the cause of such a phenomenon1 which led to the invention of the telescope1 and proved the beginning of the modern science of astronomy4 ,discoveries such as these could never have been made by a negligent observer1 or by a mere passive listener4 ,while ,captain 7afterwards ,sir ,samuel7 ,brown was occupied in studying the construction of bridges1 with the view of contriving one of a cheap description to be thrown across the ,tweed1 near which he lived1 he was walking in his garden one dewy autumn morning1 when he saw a tiny spider's net suspended across his path4 ,the idea immediately occurred to him1 that a bridge of iron ropes or chains might be constructed in like manner1 and the result was the invention of his ,suspension ,bridge4 ,so ,james ,watt1 when consulted about the mode of carrying water by pipes under the ,clyde1 along the unequal bed of the river1 turned his attention one day to the shell of a lobster presented at table2 and from that model he invented an iron tube1 which1 when laid down1 was found effectually to answer the purpose4 ,sir ,isambert ,brunel took his first lessons in forming the ,thames ,tunnel from the tiny shipworm3 he saw how the little creature perforated the wood with its well-armed head1 first in one direction and then in another1 till the archway was complete1 and then daubed over the roof and sides with a kind of varnish2 and by copying this work exactly on a large scale1 ,brunel was at length enabled to construct his shield and accomplish his great engineering work4 ,it is the intelligent eye of the careful observer which gives these apparently trivial phenomena their value4 ,so trifling a matter as the sight of seaweed floating past his ship1 enabled ,columbus to quell the mutiny which arose amongst his sailors at not discovering land1 and to assure them that the eagerly sought ,new ,world was not far off4 ,there is nothing so small that it should remain forgotten2 and no fact1 however trivial1 but may prove useful in some way or other if carefully interpreted4 ,who could have imagined that the famous 8chalk cliffs of ,albion0 had been built up by tiny insects--detected only by the help of the microscope--of the same order of creatures that have gemmed the sea with islands of coral6 ,and who that contemplates such extraordinary results1 arising from infinitely minute operations1 will venture to question the power of little things8 ,it is the close observation of little things which is the secret of success in business1 in art1 in science1 and in every pursuit in life4 ,human knowledge is but an accumulation of small facts1 made by successive generations of men1 the little bits of knowledge and experience carefully treasured up by them growing at length into a mighty pyramid4 ,though many of these facts and observations seemed in the first instance to have but slight significance1 they are all found to have their eventual uses1 and to fit into their proper places4 ,even many speculations seemingly remote1 turn out to be the basis of results the most obviously practical4 ,in the case of the conic sections discovered by ,apollonius ,pergus1 twenty centuries elapsed before they were made the basis of astronomy--a science which enables the modern navigator to steer his way through unknown seas and traces for him in the heavens an unerring path to his appointed haven4 ,and had not mathematicians toiled for so long1 and1 to uninstructed observers1 apparently so fruitlessly1 over the abstract relations of lines and surfaces1 it is probable that but few of our mechanical inventions would have seen the light4 ,when ,franklin made his discovery of the identity of lightning and electricity1 it was sneered at1 and people asked1 8,of what use is it80 ,to which his reply was1 8,what is the use of a child8 ,it may become a man60 ,when ,galvani discovered that a frog's leg twitched when placed in contact with different metals1 it could scarcely have been imagined that so apparently insignificant a fact could have led to important results4 ,yet therein lay the germ of the ,electric ,telegraph1 which binds the intelligence of continents together1 and1 probably before many years have elapsed1 will 8put a girdle round the globe40 ,so too1 little bits of stone and fossil1 dug out of the earth1 intelligently interpreted1 have issued in the science of geology and the practical operations of mining1 in which large capitals are invested and vast numbers of persons profitably employed4 ,the gigantic machinery employed in pumping our mines1 working our mills and manufactures1 and driving our steam-ships and locomotives1 in like manner depends for its supply of power upon so slight an agency as little drops of water expanded by heat1--that familiar agency called steam1 which we see issuing from that common tea-kettle spout1 but which1 when put up within an ingeniously contrived mechanism1 displays a force equal to that of millions of horses1 and contains a power to rebuke the waves and set even the hurricane at defiance4 ,the same power at work within the bowels of the earth has been the cause of those volcanoes and earthquakes which have played so mighty a part in the history of the globe4 ,it is said that the ,marquis of ,worcester's attention was first accidentally directed to the subject of steam power1 by the tight cover of a vessel containing hot water having been blown off before his eyes1 when confined a prisoner in the ,tower4 ,he published the result of his observations in his #8,century of ,inventions1' which formed a sort of text-book for inquirers into the powers of steam for a time1 until ,savary1 ,newcomen1 and others1 applying it to practical purposes1 brought the steam-engine to the state in which ,watt found it when called upon to repair a model of ,newcomen's engine1 which belonged to the ,university of ,glasgow4 ,this accidental circumstance was an opportunity for ,watt1 which he was not slow to improve2 and it was the labour of his life to bring the steam-engine to perfection4 ,this art of seizing opportunities and turning even accidents to account1 bending them to some purpose is a great secret of success4 ,dr4 ,johnson has defined genius to be 8a mind of large general powers accidentally determined in some particular direction40 ,men who are resolved to find a way for themselves1 will always find opportunities enough2 and if they do not lie ready to their hand1 they will make them4 ,it is not those who have enjoyed the advantages of colleges1 museums1 and public galleries1 that have accomplished the most for science and art2 nor have the greatest mechanics and inventors been trained in mechanics' institutes4 ,necessity1 oftener than facility1 has been the mother of invention2 and the most prolific school of all has been the school of difficulty4 ,some of the very best workmen have had the most indifferent tools to work with4 ,but it is not tools that make the workman1 but the trained skill and perseverance of the man himself4 ,indeed it is proverbial that the bad workman never yet had a good tool4 ,some one asked ,opie by what wonderful process he mixed his colours4 8,i mix them with my brains1 sir10 was his reply4 ,it is the same with every workman who would excel4 ,ferguson made marvellous things--such as his wooden clock1 that accurately measured the hours--by means of a common penknife1 a tool in everybody's hand2 but then everybody is not a ,ferguson4 ,a pan of water and two thermometers were the tools by which ,dr4 ,black discovered latent heat2 and a prism1 a lens1 and a sheet of pasteboard enabled ,newton to unfold the composition of light and the origin of colours4 ,an eminent foreign savant once called upon ,dr4 ,wollaston1 and requested to be shown over his laboratories in which science had been enriched by so many important discoveries1 when the doctor took him into a little study1 and1 pointing to an old tea-tray on the table1 containing a few watch-glasses1 test papers1 a small balance1 and a blowpipe1 said1 8,there is all the laboratory that ,i have60 ,stothard learnt the art of combining colours by closely studying butterflies' wings3 he would often say that no one knew what he owed to these tiny insects4 ,a burnt stick and a barn door served ,wilkie in lieu of pencil and canvas4 ,bewick first practised drawing on the cottage walls of his native village1 which he covered with his sketches in chalk2 and ,benjamin ,west made his first brushes out of the cat's tail4 ,ferguson laid himself down in the fields at night in a blanket1 and made a map of the heavenly bodies by means of a thread with small beads on it stretched between his eye and the stars4 ,franklin first robbed the thundercloud of its lightning by means of a kite made with two cross sticks and a silk handkerchief4 ,watt made his first model of the condensing steam-engine out of an old anatomist's syringe1 used to inject the arteries previous to dissection4 ,gifford worked his first problems in mathematics1 when a cobbler's apprentice1 upon small scraps of leather1 which he beat smooth for the purpose2 whilst ,rittenhouse1 the astronomer1 first calculated eclipses on his plough handle4 ,the most ordinary occasions will furnish a man with opportunities or suggestions for improvement1 if he be but prompt to take advantage of them4 ,professor ,lee was attracted to the study of ,hebrew by finding a ,bible in that tongue in a synagogue1 while working as a common carpenter at the repairs of the benches4 ,he became possessed with a desire to read the book in the original1 and1 buying a cheap second-hand copy of a ,hebrew grammar1 he set to work and learnt the language for himself4 ,as ,edmund ,stone said to the ,duke of ,argyle1 in answer to his grace's inquiry how he1 a poor gardener's boy1 had contrived to be able to read ,newton's ,principia in ,latin1 8,one needs only to know the twenty-four letters of the alphabet in order to learn everything else that one wishes40 ,application and perseverance1 and the diligent improvement of opportunities1 will do the rest4 ,sir ,walter ,scott found opportunities for self-improvement in every pursuit1 and turned even accidents to account4 ,thus it was in the discharge of his functions as a writer's apprentice that he first visited the ,highlands1 and formed those friendships among the surviving heroes of #agde which served to lay the foundation of a large class of his works4 ,later in life1 when employed as quartermaster of the ,edinburgh ,light ,cavalry1 he was accidentally disabled by the kick of a horse1 and confined for some time to his house2 but ,scott was a sworn enemy to idleness1 and he forthwith set his mind to work4 ,in three days he had composed the first canto of #8,the ,lay of the ,last ,minstrel1' which he shortly after finished1--his first great original work4 ,the attention of ,dr4 ,priestley1 the discoverer of so many gases1 was accidentally drawn to the subject of chemistry through his living in the neighbourhood of a brewery4 ,when visiting the place one day1 he noted the peculiar appearances attending the extinction of lighted chips in the gas floating over the fermented liquor4 ,he was forty years old at the time1 and knew nothing of chemistry4 ,he consulted books to ascertain the cause1 but they told him little1 for as yet nothing was known on the subject4 ,then he began to experiment1 with some rude apparatus of his own contrivance4 ,the curious results of his first experiments led to others1 which in his hands shortly became the science of pneumatic chemistry4 ,about the same time1 ,scheele was obscurely working in the same direction in a remote ,swedish village2 and he discovered several new gases1 with no more effective apparatus at his command than a few apothecaries' phials and pigs' bladders4 ,sir ,humphry ,davy1 when an apothecary's apprentice1 performed his first experiments with instruments of the rudest description4 ,he extemporised the greater part of them himself1 out of the motley materials which chance threw in his way1--the pots and pans of the kitchen1 and the phials and vessels of his master's surgery4 ,it happened that a ,french ship was wrecked off the ,land's ,end1 and the surgeon escaped1 bearing with him his case of instruments1 amongst which was an old-fashioned glyster apparatus2 this article he presented to ,davy1 with whom he had become acquainted4 ,the apothecary's apprentice received it with great exultation1 and forthwith employed it as a part of a pneumatic apparatus which he contrived1 afterwards using it to perform the duties of an air-pump in one of his experiments on the nature and sources of heat4 ,in like manner ,professor ,faraday1 ,sir ,humphry ,davy's scientific successor1 made his first experiments in electricity by means of an old bottle1 while he was still a working bookbinder4 ,and it is a curious fact that ,faraday was first attracted to the study of chemistry by hearing one of ,sir ,humphry ,davy's lectures on the subject at the ,royal ,institution4 ,a gentleman1 who was a member1 calling one day at the shop where ,faraday was employed in binding books1 found him poring over the article 8,electricity0 in an ,encyclopdia placed in his hands to bind4 ,the gentleman1 having made inquiries1 found that the young bookbinder was curious about such subjects1 and gave him an order of admission to the ,royal ,institution1 where he attended a course of four lectures delivered by ,sir ,humphry4 ,he took notes of them1 which he showed to the lecturer1 who acknowledged their scientific accuracy1 and was surprised when informed of the humble position of the reporter4 ,faraday then expressed his desire to devote himself to the prosecution of chemical studies1 from which ,sir ,humphry at first endeavoured to dissuade him3 but the young man persisting1 he was at length taken into the ,royal ,institution as an assistant2 and eventually the mantle of the brilliant apothecary's boy fell upon the worthy shoulders of the equally brilliant bookbinder's apprentice4 ,the words which ,davy entered in his note-book1 when about twenty years of age1 working in ,dr4 ,beddoes' laboratory at ,bristol1 were eminently characteristic of him3 8,i have neither riches1 nor power1 nor birth to recommend me2 yet if ,i live1 ,i trust ,i shall not be of less service to mankind and my friends1 than if ,i had been born with all these advantages40 ,davy possessed the capability1 as ,faraday does1 of devoting the whole power of his mind to the practical and experimental investigation of a subject in all its bearings2 and such a mind will rarely fail1 by dint of mere industry and patient thinking1 in producing results of the highest order4 ,coleridge said of ,davy1 8,there is an energy and elasticity in his mind1 which enables him to seize on and analyze all questions1 pushing them to their legitimate consequences4 ,every subject in ,davy's mind has the principle of vitality4 ,living thoughts spring up like turf under his feet40 ,davy1 on his part1 said of ,coleridge1 whose abilities he greatly admired1 8,with the most exalted genius1 enlarged views1 sensitive heart1 and enlightened mind1 he will be the victim of a want of order1 precision1 and regularity40 ,the great ,cuvier was a singularly accurate1 careful1 and industrious observer4 ,when a boy1 he was attracted to the subject of natural history by the sight of a volume of ,buffon which accidentally fell in his way4 ,he at once proceeded to copy the drawings1 and to colour them after the descriptions given in the text4 ,while still at school1 one of his teachers made him a present of #8,linnus's ,system of ,nature2' and for more than ten years this constituted his library of natural history4 ,at eighteen he was offered the situation of tutor in a family residing near ,fcamp1 in ,normandy4 ,living close to the sea-shore1 he was brought face to face with the wonders of marine life4 ,strolling along the sands one day1 he observed a stranded cuttlefish4 ,he was attracted by the curious object1 took it home to dissect1 and thus began the study of the mollusc1 in the pursuit of which he achieved so distinguished a reputation4 ,he had no books to refer to1 excepting only the great book of ,nature which lay open before him4 ,the study of the novel and interesting objects which it daily presented to his eyes made a much deeper impression on his mind than any written or engraved descriptions could possibly have done4 ,three years thus passed1 during which he compared the living species of marine animals with the fossil remains found in the neighbourhood1 dissected the specimens of marine life that came under his notice1 and1 by careful observation1 prepared the way for a complete reform in the classification of the animal kingdom4 ,about this time ,cuvier became known to the learned ,abb ,teissier1 who wrote to ,jussieu and other friends in ,paris on the subject of the young naturalist's inquiries1 in terms of such high commendation1 that ,cuvier was requested to send some of his papers to the ,society of ,natural ,history2 and he was shortly after appointed assistant-superintendent at the ,jardin des ,plantes4 ,in the letter written by ,teissier to ,jussieu1 introducing the young naturalist to his notice1 he said1 8,you remember that it was ,i who gave ,delambre to the ,academy in another branch of science3 this also will be a ,delambre40 ,we need scarcely add that the prediction of ,teissier was more than fulfilled4 ,it is not accident1 then1 that helps a man in the world so much as purpose and persistent industry4 ,to the feeble1 the sluggish and purposeless1 the happiest accidents avail nothing1--they pass them by1 seeing no meaning in them4 ,but it is astonishing how much can be accomplished if we are prompt to seize and improve the opportunities for action and effort which are constantly presenting themselves4 ,watt taught himself chemistry and mechanics while working at his trade of a mathematical-instrument maker1 at the same time that he was learning ,german from a ,swiss dyer4 ,stephenson taught himself arithmetic and mensuration while working as an engineman during the night shifts2 and when he could snatch a few moments in the intervals allowed for meals during the day1 he worked his sums with a bit of chalk upon the sides of the colliery waggons4 ,dalton's industry was the habit of his life4 ,he began from his boyhood1 for he taught a little village-school when he was only about twelve years old1--keeping the school in winter1 and working upon his father's farm in summer4 ,he would sometimes urge himself and companions to study by the stimulus of a bet1 though bred a ,quaker2 and on one occasion1 by his satisfactory solution of a problem1 he won as much as enabled him to buy a winter's store of candles4 ,he continued his meteorological observations until a day or two before he died1--having made and recorded upwards of #bjj1jjj in the course of his life4 ,with perseverance1 the very odds and ends of time may be worked up into results of the greatest value4 ,an hour in every day withdrawn from frivolous pursuits would1 if profitably employed1 enable a person of ordinary capacity to go far towards mastering a science4 ,it would make an ignorant man a well-informed one in less than ten years4 ,time should not be allowed to pass without yielding fruits1 in the form of something learnt worthy of being known1 some good principle cultivated1 or some good habit strengthened4 ,dr4 ,mason ,good translated ,lucretius while riding in his carriage in the streets of ,london1 going the round of his patients4 ,dr4 ,darwin composed nearly all his works in the same way while driving about in his 8sulky0 from house to house in the country1--writing down his thoughts on little scraps of paper1 which he carried about with him for the purpose4 ,hale wrote his #8,contemplations' while travelling on circuit4 ,dr4 ,burney learnt ,french and ,italian while travelling on horseback from one musical pupil to another in the course of his profession4 ,kirke ,white learnt ,greek while walking to and from a lawyer's office2 and we personally know a man of eminent position who learnt ,latin and ,french while going messages as an errand-boy in the streets of ,manchester4 ,daguesseau1 one of the great ,chancellors of ,france1 by carefully working up his odd bits of time1 wrote a bulky and able volume in the successive intervals of waiting for dinner1 and ,madame de ,genlis composed several of her charming volumes while waiting for the princess to whom she gave her daily lessons4 ,elihu ,burritt attributed his first success in self-improvement1 not to genius1 which he disclaimed1 but simply to the careful employment of those invaluable fragments of time1 called 8odd moments40 ,while working and earning his living as a blacksmith1 he mastered some eighteen ancient and modern languages1 and twenty-two ,european dialects4 ,what a solemn and striking admonition to youth is that inscribed on the dial at ,all ,souls1 ,oxford--8,pereunt et imputantur0--the hours perish1 and are laid to our charge4 ,time is the only little fragment of ,eternity that belongs to man2 and1 like life1 it can never be recalled4 8,in the dissipation of worldly treasure10 says ,jackson of ,exeter1 8the frugality of the future may balance the extravagance of the past2 but who can say1 #8,i will take from minutes to-morrow to compensate for those ,i have lost to-day'80 ,melancthon noted down the time lost by him1 that he might thereby reanimate his industry1 and not lose an hour4 ,an ,italian scholar put over his door an inscription intimating that whosoever remained there should join in his labours4 8,we are afraid10 said some visitors to ,baxter1 8that we break in upon your time40 8,to be sure you do10 replied the disturbed and blunt divine4 ,time was the estate out of which these great workers1 and all other workers1 formed that rich treasury of thoughts and deeds which they have left to their successors4 ,the mere drudgery undergone by some men in carrying on their undertakings has been something extraordinary1 but the drudgery they regarded as the price of success4 ,addison amassed as much as three folios of manuscript materials before he began his #8,spectator4' ,newton wrote his #8,chronology' fifteen times over before he was satisfied with it2 and ,gibbon wrote out his #8,memoir' nine times4 ,hale studied for many years at the rate of sixteen hours a day1 and when wearied with the study of the law1 he would recreate himself with philosophy and the study of the mathematics4 ,hume wrote thirteen hours a day while preparing his #8,history of ,england4' ,montesquieu1 speaking of one part of his writings1 said to a friend1 8,you will read it in a few hours2 but ,i assure you it has cost me so much labour that it has whitened my hair40 ,the practice of writing down thoughts and facts for the purpose of holding them fast and preventing their escape into the dim region of forgetfulness1 has been much resorted to by thoughtful and studious men4 ,lord ,bacon left behind him many manuscripts entitled 8,sudden thoughts set down for use40 ,erskine made great extracts from ,burke2 and ,eldon copied ,coke upon ,littleton twice over with his own hand1 so that the book became1 as it were1 part of his own mind4 ,the late ,dr4 ,pye ,smith1 when apprenticed to his father as a bookbinder1 was accustomed to make copious memoranda of all the books he read1 with extracts and criticisms4 ,this indomitable industry in collecting materials distinguished him through life1 his biographer describing him as 8always at work1 always in advance1 always accumulating40 ,these note-books afterwards proved1 like ,richter's 8quarries10 the great storehouse from which he drew his illustrations4 ,the same practice characterized the eminent ,john ,hunter1 who adopted it for the purpose of supplying the defects of memory2 and he was accustomed thus to illustrate the advantages which one derives from putting one's thoughts in writing3 8,it resembles10 he said1 8a tradesman taking stock1 without which he never knows either what he possesses or in what he is deficient40 ,john ,hunter--whose observation was so keen that ,abernethy was accustomed to speak of him as 8the ,argus-eyed0--furnished an illustrious example of the power of patient industry4 ,he received little or no education till he was about twenty years of age1 and it was with difficulty that he acquired the arts of reading and writing4 ,he worked for some years as a common carpenter at ,glasgow1 after which he joined his brother ,william1 who had settled in ,london as a lecturer and anatomical demonstrator4 ,john entered his dissecting-room as an assistant1 but soon shot ahead of his brother1 partly by virtue of his great natural ability1 but mainly by reason of his patient application and indefatigable industry4 ,he was one of the first in this country to devote himself assiduously to the study of comparative anatomy1 and the objects he dissected and collected took the eminent ,professor ,owen no less than ten years to arrange4 ,the collection contains some twenty thousand specimens1 and is the most precious treasure of the kind that has ever been accumulated by the industry of one man4 ,hunter used to spend every morning from sunrise until eight o'clock in his museum2 and throughout the day he carried on his extensive private practice1 performed his laborious duties as surgeon to ,st4 ,george's ,hospital and deputy surgeon-general to the army2 delivered lectures to students1 and superintended a school of practical anatomy at his own house2 finding leisure1 amidst all1 for elaborate experiments on the animal economy1 and the composition of various works of great scientific importance4 ,to find time for this gigantic amount of work1 he allowed himself only four hours of sleep at night1 and an hour after dinner4 ,when once asked what method he had adopted to insure success in his undertakings1 he replied1 8,my rule is1 deliberately to consider1 before ,i commence1 whether the thing be practicable4 ,if it be not practicable1 ,i do not attempt it4 ,if it be practicable1 ,i can accomplish it if ,i give sufficient pains to it2 and having begun1 ,i never stop till the thing is done4 ,to this rule ,i owe all my success40 ,hunter occupied a great deal of his time in collecting definite facts respecting matters which1 before his day1 were regarded as exceedingly trivial4 ,thus it was supposed by many of his contemporaries that he was only wasting his time and thought in studying so carefully as he did the growth of a deer's horn4 ,but ,hunter was impressed with the conviction that no accurate knowledge of scientific facts is without its value4 ,by the study referred to1 he learnt how arteries accommodate themselves to circumstances1 and enlarge as occasion requires2 and the knowledge thus acquired emboldened him1 in a case of aneurism in a branch artery1 to tie the main trunk where no surgeon before him had dared to tie it1 and the life of his patient was saved4 ,like many original men1 he worked for a long time as it were underground1 digging and laying foundations4 ,he was a solitary and self-reliant genius1 holding on his course without the solace of sympathy or approbation1--for but few of his contemporaries perceived the ultimate object of his pursuits4 ,but like all true workers1 he did not fail in securing his best reward--that which depends less upon others than upon one's self--the approval of conscience1 which in a right-minded man invariably follows the honest and energetic performance of duty4 ,ambrose ,par1 the great ,french surgeon1 was another illustrious instance of close observation1 patient application1 and indefatigable perseverance4 ,he was the son of a barber at ,laval1 in ,maine1 where he was born in #aeji4 ,his parents were too poor to send him to school1 but they placed him as foot-boy with the cur of the village1 hoping that under that learned man he might pick up an education for himself4 ,but the cur kept him so busily employed in grooming his mule and in other menial offices that the boy found no time for learning4 ,while in his service1 it happened that the celebrated lithotomist1 ,cotot1 came to ,laval to operate on one of the cur's ecclesiastical brethren4 ,par was present at the operation1 and was so much interested by it that he is said to have from that time formed the determination of devoting himself to the art of surgery4 ,leaving the cur's household service1 ,par apprenticed himself to a barber-surgeon named ,vialot1 under whom he learnt to let blood1 draw teeth1 and perform the minor operations4 ,after four years' experience of this kind1 he went to ,paris to study at the school of anatomy and surgery1 meanwhile maintaining himself by his trade of a barber4 ,he afterwards succeeded in obtaining an appointment as assistant at the ,htel ,dieu1 where his conduct was so exemplary1 and his progress so marked1 that the chief surgeon1 ,goupil1 entrusted him with the charge of the patients whom he could not himself attend to4 ,after the usual course of instruction1 ,par was admitted a master barber-surgeon1 and shortly after was appointed to a charge with the ,french army under ,montmorenci in ,piedmont4 ,par was not a man to follow in the ordinary ruts of his profession1 but brought the resources of an ardent and original mind to bear upon his daily work1 diligently thinking out for himself the rationale of diseases and their befitting remedies4 ,before his time the wounded suffered much more at the hands of their surgeons than they did at those of their enemies4 ,to stop bleeding from gunshot wounds1 the barbarous expedient was resorted to of dressing them with boiling oil4 ,hmorrhage was also stopped by searing the wounds with a red-hot iron2 and when amputation was necessary1 it was performed with a red-hot knife4 ,at first ,par treated wounds according to the approved methods2 but1 fortunately1 on one occasion1 running short of boiling oil1 he substituted a mild and emollient application4 ,he was in great fear all night lest he should have done wrong in adopting this treatment2 but was greatly relieved next morning on finding his patients comparatively comfortable1 while those whose wounds had been treated in the usual way were writhing in torment4 ,such was the casual origin of one of ,par's greatest improvements in the treatment of gun-shot wounds2 and he proceeded to adopt the emollient treatment in all future cases4 ,another still more important improvement was his employment of the ligature in tying arteries to stop hmorrhage1 instead of the actual cautery4 ,par1 however1 met with the usual fate of innovators and reformers4 ,his practice was denounced by his surgical brethren as dangerous1 unprofessional1 and empirical2 and the older surgeons banded themselves together to resist its adoption4 ,they reproached him for his want of education1 more especially for his ignorance of ,latin and ,greek2 and they assailed him with quotations from ancient writers1 which he was unable either to verify or refute4 ,but the best answer to his assailants was the success of his practice4 ,the wounded soldiers called out everywhere for ,par1 and he was always at their service3 he tended them carefully and affectionately2 and he usually took leave of them with the words1 8,i have dressed you2 may ,god cure you40 ,after three years' active service as army-surgeon1 ,par returned to ,paris with such a reputation that he was at once appointed surgeon in ordinary to the ,king4 ,when ,metz was besieged by the ,spanish army1 under ,charles ,v41 the garrison suffered heavy loss1 and the number of wounded was very great4 ,the surgeons were few and incompetent1 and probably slew more by their bad treatment than the ,spaniards did by the sword4 ,the ,duke of ,guise1 who commanded the garrison1 wrote to the ,king imploring him to send ,par to his help4 ,the courageous surgeon at once set out1 and1 after braving many dangers 7to use his own words1 8d'estre pendu1 estrangl ou mis en pices071 he succeeded in passing the enemy's lines1 and entered ,metz in safety4 ,the ,duke1 the generals1 and the captains gave him an affectionate welcome2 while the soldiers1 when they heard of his arrival1 cried1 8,we no longer fear dying of our wounds2 our friend is among us40 ,in the following year ,par was in like manner with the besieged in the town of ,hesdin1 which shortly fell before the ,duke of ,savoy1 and he was taken prisoner4 ,but having succeeded in curing one of the enemy's chief officers of a serious wound1 he was discharged without ransom1 and returned in safety to ,paris4 ,the rest of his life was occupied in study1 in self-improvement1 in piety1 and in good deeds4 ,urged by some of the most learned among his contemporaries1 he placed on record the results of his surgical experience1 in twenty-eight books1 which were published by him at different times4 ,his writings are valuable and remarkable chiefly on account of the great number of facts and cases contained in them1 and the care with which he avoids giving any directions resting merely upon theory unsupported by observation4 ,par continued1 though a ,protestant1 to hold the office of surgeon in ordinary to the ,king2 and during the ,massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew he owed his life to the personal friendship of ,charles ,,ix41 whom he had on one occasion saved from the dangerous effects of a wound inflicted by a clumsy surgeon in performing the operation of venesection4 ,brantme1 in his #8,mmoires1' thus speaks of the ,king's rescue of ,par on the night of ,saint ,bartholomew--8,he sent to fetch him1 and to remain during the night in his chamber and wardrobe-room1 commanding him not to stir1 and saying that it was not reasonable that a man who had preserved the lives of so many people should himself be massacred40 ,thus ,par escaped the horrors of that fearful night1 which he survived for many years1 and was permitted to die in peace1 full of age and honours4 ,harvey was as indefatigable a labourer as any we have named4 ,he spent not less than eight long years of investigation and research before he published his views of the circulation of the blood4 ,he repeated and verified his experiments again and again1 probably anticipating the opposition he would have to encounter from the profession on making known his discovery4 ,the tract in which he at length announced his views1 was a most modest one1--but simple1 perspicuous1 and conclusive4 ,it was nevertheless received with ridicule1 as the utterance of a crack-brained impostor4 ,for some time1 he did not make a single convert1 and gained nothing but contumely and abuse4 ,he had called in question the revered authority of the ancients2 and it was even averred that his views were calculated to subvert the authority of the ,scriptures and undermine the very foundations of morality and religion4 ,his little practice fell away1 and he was left almost without a friend4 ,this lasted for some years1 until the great truth1 held fast by ,harvey amidst all his adversity1 and which had dropped into many thoughtful minds1 gradually ripened by further observation1 and after a period of about twenty-five years1 it became generally recognised as an established scientific truth4 ,the difficulties encountered by ,dr4 ,jenner in promulgating and establishing his discovery of vaccination as a preventive of small-pox1 were even greater than those of ,harvey4 ,many1 before him1 had witnessed the cow-pox1 and had heard of the report current among the milkmaids in ,gloucestershire1 that whoever had taken that disease was secure against small-pox4 ,it was a trifling1 vulgar rumour1 supposed to have no significance whatever2 and no one had thought it worthy of investigation1 until it was accidentally brought under the notice of ,jenner4 ,he was a youth1 pursuing his studies at ,sodbury1 when his attention was arrested by the casual observation made by a country girl who came to his master's shop for advice4 ,the small-pox was mentioned1 when the girl said1 8,i can't take that disease1 for ,i have had cow-pox40 ,the observation immediately riveted ,jenner's attention1 and he forthwith set about inquiring and making observations on the subject4 ,his professional friends1 to whom he mentioned his views as to the prophylactic virtues of cow-pox1 laughed at him1 and even threatened to expel him from their society1 if he persisted in harassing them with the subject4 ,in ,london he was so fortunate as to study under ,john ,hunter1 to whom he communicated his views4 ,the advice of the great anatomist was thoroughly characteristic3 8,don't think1 but try2 be patient1 be accurate40 ,jenner's courage was supported by the advice1 which conveyed to him the true art of philosophical investigation4 ,he went back to the country to practise his profession and make observations and experiments1 which he continued to pursue for a period of twenty years4 ,his faith in his discovery was so implicit that he vaccinated his own son on three several occasions4 ,at length he published his views in a quarto of about seventy pages1 in which he gave the details of twenty-three cases of successful vaccination of individuals1 to whom it was found afterwards impossible to communicate the small-pox either by contagion or inoculation4 ,it was in #agih that this treatise was published2 though he had been working out his ideas since the year #agge1 when they had begun to assume a definite form4 ,how was the discovery received8 ,first with indifference1 then with active hostility4 ,jenner proceeded to ,london to exhibit to the profession the process of vaccination and its results2 but not a single medical man could be induced to make trial of it1 and after fruitlessly waiting for nearly three months1 he returned to his native village4 ,he was even caricatured and abused for his attempt to 8bestialize0 his species by the introduction into their systems of diseased matter from the cow's udder4 ,vaccination was denounced from the pulpit as 8diabolical40 ,it was averred that vaccinated children became 8ox-faced10 that abscesses broke out to 8indicate sprouting horns10 and that the countenance was gradually 8transmuted into the visage of a cow1 the voice into the bellowing of bulls40 ,vaccination1 however1 was a truth1 and notwithstanding the violence of the opposition1 belief in it spread slowly4 ,in one village1 where a gentleman tried to introduce the practice1 the first persons who permitted themselves to be vaccinated were absolutely pelted and driven into their houses if they appeared out of doors4 ,two ladies of title--,lady ,ducie and the ,countess of ,berkeley--to their honour be it remembered--had the courage to vaccinate their children2 and the prejudices of the day were at once broken through4 ,the medical profession gradually came round1 and there were several who even sought to rob ,dr4 ,jenner of the merit of the discovery1 when its importance came to be recognised4 ,jenner's cause at last triumphed1 and he was publicly honoured and rewarded4 ,in his prosperity he was as modest as he had been in his obscurity4 ,he was invited to settle in ,london1 and told that he might command a practice of #aj1jjjl4 a year4 ,but his answer was1 8,no6 ,in the morning of my days ,i have sought the sequestered and lowly paths of life--the valley1 and not the mountain1--and now1 in the evening of my days1 it is not meet for me to hold myself up as an object for fortune and for fame40 ,during ,jenner's own life-time the practice of vaccination became adopted all over the civilized world2 and when he died1 his title as a ,benefactor of his kind was recognised far and wide4 ,cuvier has said1 8,if vaccine were the only discovery of the epoch1 it would serve to render it illustrious for ever2 yet it knocked twenty times in vain at the doors of the ,academies40 ,not less patient1 resolute1 and persevering was ,sir ,charles ,bell in the prosecution of his discoveries relating to the nervous system4 ,previous to his time1 the most confused notions prevailed as to the functions of the nerves1 and this branch of study was little more advanced than it had been in the times of ,democritus and ,anaxagoras three thousand years before4 ,sir ,charles ,bell1 in the valuable series of papers the publication of which was commenced in #ahba1 took an entirely original view of the subject1 based upon a long series of careful1 accurate1 and oft-repeated experiments4 ,elaborately tracing the development of the nervous system up from the lowest order of animated being1 to man--the lord of the animal kingdom1--he displayed it1 to use his own words1 8as plainly as if it were written in our mother-tongue40 ,his discovery consisted in the fact1 that the spinal nerves are double in their function1 and arise by double roots from the spinal marrow1--volition being conveyed by that part of the nerves springing from the one root1 and sensation by the other4 ,the subject occupied the mind of ,sir ,charles ,bell for a period of forty years1 when1 in #ahdj1 he laid his last paper before the ,royal ,society4 ,as in the cases of ,harvey and ,jenner1 when he had lived down the ridicule and opposition with which his views were first received1 and their truth came to be recognised1 numerous claims for priority in making the discovery were set up at home and abroad4 ,like them1 too1 he lost practice by the publication of his papers2 and he left it on record that1 after every step in his discovery1 he was obliged to work harder than ever to preserve his reputation as a practitioner4 ,the great merits of ,sir ,charles ,bell were1 however1 at length fully recognised2 and ,cuvier himself1 when on his death-bed1 finding his face distorted and drawn to one side1 pointed out the symptom to his attendants as a proof of the correctness of ,sir ,charles ,bell's theory4 ,an equally devoted pursuer of the same branch of science was the late ,dr4 ,marshall ,hall1 whose name posterity will rank with those of ,harvey1 ,hunter1 ,jenner1 and ,bell4 ,during the whole course of his long and useful life he was a most careful and minute observer2 and no fact1 however apparently insignificant1 escaped his attention4 ,his important discovery of the diastaltic nervous system1 by which his name will long be known amongst scientific men1 originated in an exceedingly simple circumstance4 ,when investigating the pneumonic circulation in the ,triton1 the decapitated object lay upon the table2 and on separating the tail and accidentally pricking the external integument1 he observed that it moved with energy1 and became contorted into various forms4 ,he had not touched a muscle or a muscular nerve2 what then was the nature of these movements8 ,the same phenomena had probably been often observed before1 but ,dr4 ,hall was the first to apply himself perseveringly to the investigation of their causes2 and he exclaimed on the occasion1 8,i will never rest satisfied until ,i have found all this out1 and made it clear40 ,his attention to the subject was almost incessant2 and it is estimated that in the course of his life he devoted not less than #be1jjj hours to its experimental and chemical investigation4 ,he was at the same time carrying on an extensive private practice1 and officiating as lecturer at ,st4 ,thomas's ,hospital and other ,medical ,schools4 ,it will scarcely be credited that the paper in which he embodied his discovery was rejected by the ,royal ,society1 and was only accepted after the lapse of seventeen years1 when the truth of his views had become acknowledged by scientific men both at home and abroad4 ,the life of ,sir ,william ,herschel affords another remarkable illustration of the force of perseverance in another branch of science4 ,his father was a poor ,german musician1 who brought up his four sons to the same calling4 ,william came over to ,england to seek his fortune1 and he joined the band of the ,durham ,militia1 in which he played the oboe4 ,the regiment was lying at ,doncaster1 where ,dr4 ,miller first became acquainted with ,herschel1 having heard him perform a solo on the violin in a surprising manner4 ,the ,doctor entered into conversation with the youth1 and was so pleased with him1 that he urged him to leave the militia and take up his residence at his house for a time4 ,herschel did so1 and while at ,doncaster was principally occupied in violin-playing at concerts1 availing himself of the advantages of ,dr4 ,miller's library to study at his leisure hours4 ,a new organ having been built for the parish church of ,halifax1 an organist was advertised for1 on which ,herschel applied for the office1 and was selected4 ,leading the wandering life of an artist1 he was next attracted to ,bath1 where he played in the ,pump-room band1 and also officiated as organist in the ,octagon chapel4 ,some recent discoveries in astronomy having arrested his mind1 and awakened in him a powerful spirit of curiosity1 he sought and obtained from a friend the loan of a two-foot ,gregorian telescope4 ,so fascinated was the poor musician by the science1 that he even thought of purchasing a telescope1 but the price asked by the ,london optician was so alarming1 that he determined to make one4 ,those who know what a reflecting telescope is1 and the skill which is required to prepare the concave metallic speculum which forms the most important part of the apparatus1 will be able to form some idea of the difficulty of this undertaking4 ,nevertheless1 ,herschel succeeded1 after long and painful labour1 in completing a five-foot reflector1 with which he had the gratification of observing the ring and satellites of ,saturn4 ,not satisfied with his triumph1 he proceeded to make other instruments in succession1 of seven1 ten1 and even twenty feet4 ,in constructing the seven-foot reflector1 he finished no fewer than two hundred specula before he produced one that would bear any power that was applied to it1--a striking instance of the persevering laboriousness of the man4 ,while gauging the heavens with his instruments1 he continued patiently to earn his bread by piping to the fashionable frequenters of the ,pump-room4 ,so eager was he in his astronomical observations1 that he would steal away from the room during an interval of the performance1 give a little turn at his telescope1 and contentedly return to his oboe4 ,thus working away1 ,herschel discovered the ,georgium ,sidus1 the orbit and rate of motion of which he carefully calculated1 and sent the result to the ,royal ,society2 when the humble oboe player found himself at once elevated from obscurity to fame4 ,he was shortly after appointed ,astronomer ,royal1 and by the kindness of ,george ,,iii4 was placed in a position of honourable competency for life4 ,he bore his honours with the same meekness and humility which had distinguished him in the days of his obscurity4 ,so gentle and patient1 and withal so distinguished and successful a follower of science under difficulties1 perhaps cannot be found in the entire history of biography4 ,the career of ,william ,smith1 the father of ,english geology1 though perhaps less known1 is not less interesting and instructive as an example of patient and laborious effort1 and the diligent cultivation of opportunities4 ,he was born in #agfi1 the son of a yeoman farmer at ,churchill1 in ,oxfordshire4 ,his father dying when he was but a child1 he received a very sparing education at the village school1 and even that was to a considerable extent interfered with by his wandering and somewhat idle habits as a boy4 ,his mother having married a second time1 he was taken in charge by an uncle1 also a farmer1 by whom he was brought up4 ,though the uncle was by no means pleased with the boy's love of wandering about1 collecting 8poundstones10 8pundips10 and other stony curiosities which lay scattered about the adjoining land1 he yet enabled him to purchase a few of the necessary books wherewith to instruct himself in the rudiments of geometry and surveying2 for the boy was already destined for the business of a land-surveyor4 ,one of his marked characteristics1 even as a youth1 was the accuracy and keenness of his observation2 and what he once clearly saw he never forgot4 ,he began to draw1 attempted to colour1 and practised the arts of mensuration and surveying1 all without regular instruction2 and by his efforts in self-culture1 he shortly became so proficient1 that he was taken on as assistant to a local surveyor of ability in the neighbourhood4 ,in carrying on his business he was constantly under the necessity of traversing ,oxfordshire and the adjoining counties4 ,one of the first things he seriously pondered over1 was the position of the various soils and strata that came under his notice on the lands which he surveyed or travelled over2 more especially the position of the red earth in regard to the lias and superincumbent rocks4 ,the surveys of numerous collieries which he was called upon to make1 gave him further experience2 and already1 when only twenty-three years of age1 he contemplated making a model of the strata of the earth4 ,while engaged in levelling for a proposed canal in ,gloucestershire1 the idea of a general law occurred to him relating to the strata of that district4 ,he conceived that the strata lying above the coal were not laid horizontally1 but inclined1 and in one direction1 towards the east2 resembling1 on a large scale1 8the ordinary appearance of superposed slices of bread and butter40 ,the correctness of this theory he shortly after confirmed by observations of the strata in two parallel valleys1 the 8red ground10 8lias10 and 8freestone0 or 8oolite10 being found to come down in an eastern direction1 and to sink below the level1 yielding place to the next in succession4 ,he was shortly enabled to verify the truth of his views on a larger scale1 having been appointed to examine personally into the management of canals in ,england and ,wales4 ,during his journeys1 which extended from ,bath to ,newcastle-on-,tyne1 returning by ,shropshire and ,wales1 his keen eyes were never idle for a moment4 ,he rapidly noted the aspect and structure of the country through which he passed with his companions1 treasuring up his observations for future use4 ,his geologic vision was so acute1 that though the road along which he passed from ,york to ,newcastle in the post chaise was from five to fifteen miles distant from the hills of chalk and oolite on the east1 he was satisfied as to their nature1 by their contours and relative position1 and their ranges on the surface in relation to the lias and 8red ground0 occasionally seen on the road4 ,the general results of his observation seem to have been these4 ,he noted that the rocky masses of country in the western parts of ,england generally inclined to the east and south-east2 that the red sandstones and marls above the coal measures passed beneath the lias1 clay1 and limestone1 that these again passed beneath the sands1 yellow limestones and clays1 forming the table-land of the ,cotswold ,hills1 while these in turn passed beneath the great chalk deposits occupying the eastern parts of ,england4 ,he further observed1 that each layer of clay1 sand1 and limestone held its own peculiar classes of fossils2 and pondering much on these things1 he at length came to the then unheard-of conclusion1 that each distinct deposit of marine animals1 in these several strata1 indicated a distinct sea-bottom1 and that each layer of clay1 sand1 chalk1 and stone1 marked a distinct epoch of time in the history of the earth4 ,this idea took firm possession of his mind1 and he could talk and think of nothing else4 ,at canal boards1 at sheep-shearings1 at county meetings1 and at agricultural associations1 #8,strata ,smith1' as he came to be called1 was always running over with the subject that possessed him4 ,he had indeed made a great discovery1 though he was as yet a man utterly unknown in the scientific world4 ,he proceeded to project a map of the stratification of ,england2 but was for some time deterred from proceeding with it1 being fully occupied in carrying out the works of the ,somersetshire coal canal1 which engaged him for a period of about six years4 ,he continued1 nevertheless1 to be unremitting in his observation of facts2 and he became so expert in apprehending the internal structure of a district and detecting the lie of the strata from its external configuration1 that he was often consulted respecting the drainage of extensive tracts of land1 in which1 guided by his geological knowledge1 he proved remarkably successful1 and acquired an extensive reputation4 ,one day1 when looking over the cabinet collection of fossils belonging to the ,rev4 ,samuel ,richardson1 at ,bath1 ,smith astonished his friend by suddenly disarranging his classification1 and re-arranging the fossils in their stratigraphical order1 saying--8,these came from the blue lias1 these from the over-lying sand and freestone1 these from the fuller's earth1 and these from the ,bath building stone40 ,a new light flashed upon ,mr4 ,richardson's mind1 and he shortly became a convert to and believer in ,william ,smith's doctrine4 ,the geologists of the day were not1 however1 so easily convinced2 and it was scarcely to be tolerated that an unknown land-surveyor should pretend to teach them the science of geology4 ,but ,william ,smith had an eye and mind to penetrate deep beneath the skin of the earth2 he saw its very fibre and skeleton1 and1 as it were1 divined its organization4 ,his knowledge of the strata in the neighbourhood of ,bath was so accurate1 that one evening1 when dining at the house of the ,rev4 ,joseph ,townsend1 he dictated to ,mr4 ,richardson the different strata according to their order of succession in descending order1 twenty-three in number1 commencing with the chalk and descending in continuous series down to the coal1 below which the strata were not then sufficiently determined4 ,to this was added a list of the more remarkable fossils which had been gathered in the several layers of rock4 ,this was printed and extensively circulated in #ahja4 ,he next determined to trace out the strata through districts as remote from ,bath as his means would enable him to reach4 ,for years he journeyed to and fro1 sometimes on foot1 sometimes on horseback1 riding on the tops of stage coaches1 often making up by night-travelling the time he had lost by day1 so as not to fail in his ordinary business engagements4 ,when he was professionally called away to any distance from home--as1 for instance1 when travelling from ,bath to ,holkham1 in ,norfolk1 to direct the irrigation and drainage of ,mr4 ,coke's land in that county--he rode on horseback1 making frequent detours from the road to note the geological features of the country which he traversed4 ,for several years he was thus engaged in his journeys to distant quarters in ,england and ,ireland1 to the extent of upwards of ten thousand miles yearly2 and it was amidst this incessant and laborious travelling1 that he contrived to commit to paper his fast-growing generalizations on what he rightly regarded as a new science4 ,no observation1 howsoever trivial it might appear1 was neglected1 and no opportunity of collecting fresh facts was overlooked4 ,whenever he could1 he possessed himself of records of borings1 natural and artificial sections1 drew them to a constant scale of eight yards to the inch1 and coloured them up4 ,of his keenness of observation take the following illustration4 ,when making one of his geological excursions about the country near ,woburn1 as he was drawing near to the foot of the ,dunstable chalk hills1 he observed to his companion1 8,if there be any broken ground about the foot of these hills1 we may find shark's teeth20 and they had not proceeded far1 before they picked up six from the white bank of a new fence-ditch4 ,as he afterwards said of himself1 8,the habit of observation crept on me1 gained a settlement in my mind1 became a constant associate of my life1 and started up in activity at the first thought of a journey2 so that ,i generally went off well prepared with maps1 and sometimes with contemplations on its objects1 or on those on the road1 reduced to writing before it commenced4 ,my mind was1 therefore1 like the canvas of a painter1 well prepared for the first and best impressions40 ,notwithstanding his courageous and indefatigable industry1 many circumstances contributed to prevent the promised publication of ,william ,smith's #8,map of the ,strata of ,england and ,wales1' and it was not until #ahad that he was enabled1 by the assistance of some friends1 to give to the world the fruits of his twenty years' incessant labour4 ,to prosecute his inquiries1 and collect the extensive series of facts and observations requisite for his purpose1 he had to expend the whole of the profits of his professional labours during that period2 and he even sold off his small property to provide the means of visiting remoter parts of the island4 ,meanwhile he had entered on a quarrying speculation near ,bath1 which proved unsuccessful1 and he was under the necessity of selling his geological collection 7which was purchased by the ,british ,museum71 his furniture and library1 reserving only his papers1 maps1 and sections1 which were useless save to himself4 ,he bore his losses and misfortunes with exemplary fortitude2 and amidst all1 he went on working with cheerful courage and untiring patience4 ,he died at ,northampton1 in ,august1 #ahci1 while on his way to attend the meeting of the ,british ,association at ,birmingham4 ,it is difficult to speak in terms of too high praise of the first geological map of ,england1 which we owe to the industry of this courageous man of science4 ,an accomplished writer says of it1 8,it was a work so masterly in conception and so correct in general outline1 that in principle it served as a basis not only for the production of later maps of the ,british ,islands1 but for geological maps of all other parts of the world1 wherever they have been undertaken4 ,in the apartments of the ,geological ,society ,smith's map may yet be seen--a great historical document1 old and worn1 calling for renewal of its faded tints4 ,let any one conversant with the subject compare it with later works on a similar scale1 and he will find that in all essential features it will not suffer by the comparison--the intricate anatomy of the ,silurian rocks of ,wales and the north of ,england by ,murchison and ,sedgwick being the chief additions made to his great generalizations40 #adi ,the genius of the ,oxfordshire surveyor did not fail to be duly recognised and honoured by men of science during his lifetime4 ,in #ahca the ,geological ,society of ,london awarded to him the ,wollaston medal1 8in consideration of his being a great original discoverer in ,english geology1 and especially for his being the first in this country to discover and to teach the identification of strata1 and to determine their succession by means of their imbedded fossils40 ,william ,smith1 in his simple1 earnest way1 gained for himself a name as lasting as the science he loved so well4 ,to use the words of the writer above quoted1 8,till the manner as well as the fact of the first appearance of successive forms of life shall be solved1 it is not easy to surmise how any discovery can be made in geology equal in value to that which we owe to the genius of ,william ,smith40 ,hugh ,miller was a man of like observant faculties1 who studied literature as well as science with zeal and success4 ,the book in which he has told the story of his life1 7#8,my ,schools and ,schoolmasters'71 is extremely interesting1 and calculated to be eminently useful4 ,it is the history of the formation of a truly noble character in the humblest condition of life2 and inculcates most powerfully the lessons of self-help1 self-respect1 and self-dependence4 ,while ,hugh was but a child1 his father1 who was a sailor1 was drowned at sea1 and he was brought up by his widowed mother4 ,he had a school training after a sort1 but his best teachers were the boys with whom he played1 the men amongst whom he worked1 the friends and relatives with whom he lived4 ,he read much and miscellaneously1 and picked up odd sorts of knowledge from many quarters1--from workmen1 carpenters1 fishermen and sailors1 and above all1 from the old boulders strewed along the shores of the ,cromarty ,frith4 ,with a big hammer which had belonged to his great-grandfather1 an old buccaneer1 the boy went about chipping the stones1 and accumulating specimens of mica1 porphyry1 garnet1 and such like4 ,sometimes he had a day in the woods1 and there1 too1 the boy's attention was excited by the peculiar geological curiosities which came in his way4 ,while searching among the rocks on the beach1 he was sometimes asked1 in irony1 by the farm servants who came to load their carts with sea-weed1 whether he 8was gettin' siller in the stanes10 but was so unlucky as never to be able to answer in the affirmative4 ,when of a suitable age he was apprenticed to the trade of his choice--that of a working stonemason2 and he began his labouring career in a quarry looking out upon the ,cromarty ,frith4 ,this quarry proved one of his best schools4 ,the remarkable geological formations which it displayed awakened his curiosity4 ,the bar of deep-red stone beneath1 and the bar of pale-red clay above1 were noted by the young quarryman1 who even in such unpromising subjects found matter for observation and reflection4 ,where other men saw nothing1 he detected analogies1 differences1 and peculiarities1 which set him a-thinking4 ,he simply kept his eyes and his mind open2 was sober1 diligent1 and persevering2 and this was the secret of his intellectual growth4 ,his curiosity was excited and kept alive by the curious organic remains1 principally of old and extinct species of fishes1 ferns1 and ammonites1 which were revealed along the coast by the washings of the waves1 or were exposed by the stroke of his mason's hammer4 ,he never lost sight of the subject2 but went on accumulating observations and comparing formations1 until at length1 many years afterwards1 when no longer a working mason1 he gave to the world his highly interesting work on the ,old ,red ,sandstone1 which at once established his reputation as a scientific geologist4 ,but this work was the fruit of long years of patient observation and research4 ,as he modestly states in his autobiography1 8the only merit to which ,i lay claim in the case is that of patient research--a merit in which whoever wills may rival or surpass me2 and this humble faculty of patience1 when rightly developed1 may lead to more extraordinary developments of idea than even genius itself40 ,the late ,john ,brown1 the eminent ,english geologist1 was1 like ,miller1 a stonemason in his early life1 serving an apprenticeship to the trade at ,colchester1 and afterwards working as a journeyman mason at ,norwich4 ,he began business as a builder on his own account at ,colchester1 where by frugality and industry he secured a competency4 ,it was while working at his trade that his attention was first drawn to the study of fossils and shells2 and he proceeded to make a collection of them1 which afterwards grew into one of the finest in ,england4 ,his researches along the coasts of ,essex1 ,kent1 and ,sussex brought to light some magnificent remains of the elephant and rhinoceros1 the most valuable of which were presented by him to the ,british ,museum4 ,during the last few years of his life he devoted considerable attention to the study of the ,foraminifera in chalk1 respecting which he made several interesting discoveries4 ,his life was useful1 happy1 and honoured2 and he died at ,stanway1 in ,essex1 in ,november #ahei1 at the ripe age of eighty years4 ,not long ago1 ,sir ,roderick ,murchison discovered at ,thurso1 in the far north of ,scotland1 a profound geologist1 in the person of a baker there1 named ,robert ,dick4 ,when ,sir ,roderick called upon him at the bakehouse in which he baked and earned his bread1 ,robert ,dick delineated to him1 by means of flour upon the board1 the geographical features and geological phenomena of his native county1 pointing out the imperfections in the existing maps1 which he had ascertained by travelling over the country in his leisure hours4 ,on further inquiry1 ,sir ,roderick ascertained that the humble individual before him was not only a capital baker and geologist1 but a first-rate botanist4 8,i found10 said the ,president of the ,geographical ,society1 8to my great humiliation that the baker knew infinitely more of botanical science1 ay1 ten times more1 than ,i did2 and that there were only some twenty or thirty specimens of flowers which he had not collected4 ,some he had obtained as presents1 some he had purchased1 but the greater portion had been accumulated by his industry1 in his native county of ,caithness2 and the specimens were all arranged in the most beautiful order1 with their scientific names affixed40 ,sir ,roderick ,murchison himself is an illustrious follower of these and kindred branches of science4 ,a writer in the #8,quarterly ,review' cites him as a 8singular instance of a man who1 having passed the early part of his life as a soldier1 never having had the advantage1 or disadvantage as the case might have been1 of a scientific training1 instead of remaining a fox-hunting country gentleman1 has succeeded by his own native vigour and sagacity1 untiring industry and zeal1 in making for himself a scientific reputation that is as wide as it is likely to be lasting4 ,he took first of all an unexplored and difficult district at home1 and1 by the labour of many years1 examined its rock-formations1 classed them in natural groups1 assigned to each its characteristic assemblage of fossils1 and was the first to decipher two great chapters in the world's geological history1 which must always henceforth carry his name on their title-page4 ,not only so1 but he applied the knowledge thus acquired to the dissection of large districts1 both at home and abroad1 so as to become the geological discoverer of great countries which had formerly been #8terr incognit4'0 ,but ,sir ,roderick ,murchison is not merely a geologist4 ,his indefatigable labours in many branches of knowledge have contributed to render him among the most accomplished and complete of scientific men4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,workers ,,in ,,art4 8,if what shone afar so grand1 ,turn to nothing in thy hand1 ,on again2 the virtue lies ,in struggle1 not the prize40--,r4 ,m4 ,milnes4 8,excelle1 et tu vivras40--,joubert4 ,,excellence in art1 as in everything else1 can only be achieved by dint of painstaking labour4 ,there is nothing less accidental than the painting of a fine picture or the chiselling of a noble statue4 ,every skilled touch of the artist's brush or chisel1 though guided by genius1 is the product of unremitting study4 ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds was such a believer in the force of industry1 that he held that artistic excellence1 8however expressed by genius1 taste1 or the gift of heaven1 may be acquired40 ,writing to ,barry he said1 8,whoever is resolved to excel in painting1 or indeed any other art1 must bring all his mind to bear upon that one object from the moment that he rises till he goes to bed40 ,and on another occasion he said1 8,those who are resolved to excel must go to their work1 willing or unwilling1 morning1 noon1 and night3 they will find it no play1 but very hard labour40 ,but although diligent application is no doubt absolutely necessary for the achievement of the highest distinction in art1 it is equally true that without the inborn genius1 no amount of mere industry1 however well applied1 will make an artist4 ,the gift comes by nature1 but is perfected by self-culture1 which is of more avail than all the imparted education of the schools4 ,some of the greatest artists have had to force their way upward in the face of poverty and manifold obstructions4 ,illustrious instances will at once flash upon the reader's mind4 ,claude ,lorraine1 the pastrycook2 ,tintoretto1 the dyer2 the two ,caravaggios1 the one a colour-grinder1 the other a mortar-carrier at the ,vatican2 ,salvator ,rosa1 the associate of bandits2 ,giotto1 the peasant boy2 ,zingaro1 the gipsy2 ,cavedone1 turned out of doors to beg by his father2 ,canova1 the stone-cutter2 these1 and many other well-known artists1 succeeded in achieving distinction by severe study and labour1 under circumstances the most adverse4 ,nor have the most distinguished artists of our own country been born in a position of life more than ordinarily favourable to the culture of artistic genius4 ,gainsborough and ,bacon were the sons of cloth-workers2 ,barry was an ,irish sailor boy1 and ,maclise a banker's apprentice at ,cork2 ,opie and ,romney1 like ,inigo ,jones1 were carpenters2 ,west was the son of a small ,quaker farmer in ,pennsylvania2 ,northcote was a watchmaker1 ,jackson a tailor1 and ,etty a printer2 ,reynolds1 ,wilson1 and ,wilkie1 were the sons of clergymen2 ,lawrence was the son of a publican1 and ,turner of a barber4 ,several of our painters1 it is true1 originally had some connection with art1 though in a very humble way1--such as ,flaxman1 whose father sold plaster casts2 ,bird1 who ornamented tea-trays2 ,martin1 who was a coach-painter2 ,wright and ,gilpin1 who were ship-painters2 ,chantrey1 who was a carver and gilder2 and ,david ,cox1 ,stanfield1 and ,roberts1 who were scene-painters4 ,it was not by luck or accident that these men achieved distinction1 but by sheer industry and hard work4 ,though some achieved wealth1 yet this was rarely1 if ever1 the ruling motive4 ,indeed1 no mere love of money could sustain the efforts of the artist in his early career of self-denial and application4 ,the pleasure of the pursuit has always been its best reward2 the wealth which followed but an accident4 ,many noble-minded artists have preferred following the bent of their genius1 to chaffering with the public for terms4 ,spagnoletto verified in his life the beautiful fiction of ,xenophon1 and after he had acquired the means of luxury1 preferred withdrawing himself from their influence1 and voluntarily returned to poverty and labour4 ,when ,michael ,angelo was asked his opinion respecting a work which a painter had taken great pains to exhibit for profit1 he said1 8,i think that he will be a poor fellow so long as he shows such an extreme eagerness to become rich40 ,like ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 ,michael ,angelo was a great believer in the force of labour2 and he held that there was nothing which the imagination conceived1 that could not be embodied in marble1 if the hand were made vigorously to obey the mind4 ,he was himself one of the most indefatigable of workers2 and he attributed his power of studying for a greater number of hours than most of his contemporaries1 to his spare habits of living4 ,a little bread and wine was all he required for the chief part of the day when employed at his work2 and very frequently he rose in the middle of the night to resume his labours4 ,on these occasions1 it was his practice to fix the candle1 by the light of which he chiselled1 on the summit of a paste-board cap which he wore4 ,sometimes he was too wearied to undress1 and he slept in his clothes1 ready to spring to his work so soon as refreshed by sleep4 ,he had a favourite device of an old man in a go-cart1 with an hour-glass upon it bearing the inscription1 ,ancora imparo6 ,still ,i am learning4 ,titian1 also1 was an indefatigable worker4 ,his celebrated 8,pietro ,martire0 was eight years in hand1 and his 8,last ,supper0 seven4 ,in his letter to ,charles ,v4 he said1 8,i send your ,majesty the #8,last ,supper' after working at it almost daily for seven years--dopo sette anni lavorandovi quasi continuamente40 ,few think of the patient labour and long training involved in the greatest works of the artist4 ,they seem easy and quickly accomplished1 yet with how great difficulty has this ease been acquired4 8,you charge me fifty sequins10 said the ,venetian nobleman to the sculptor1 8for a bust that cost you only ten days' labour40 8,you forget10 said the artist1 8that ,i have been thirty years learning to make that bust in ten days40 ,once when ,domenichino was blamed for his slowness in finishing a picture which was bespoken1 he made answer1 8,i am continually painting it within myself40 ,it was eminently characteristic of the industry of the late ,sir ,augustus ,callcott1 that he made not fewer than forty separate sketches in the composition of his famous picture of 8,rochester40 ,this constant repetition is one of the main conditions of success in art1 as in life itself4 ,no matter how generous nature has been in bestowing the gift of genius1 the pursuit of art is nevertheless a long and continuous labour4 ,many artists have been precocious1 but without diligence their precocity would have come to nothing4 ,the anecdote related of ,west is well known4 ,when only seven years old1 struck with the beauty of the sleeping infant of his eldest sister whilst watching by its cradle1 he ran to seek some paper and forthwith drew its portrait in red and black ink4 ,the little incident revealed the artist in him1 and it was found impossible to draw him from his bent4 ,west might have been a greater painter1 had he not been injured by too early success3 his fame1 though great1 was not purchased by study1 trials1 and difficulties1 and it has not been enduring4 ,richard ,wilson1 when a mere child1 indulged himself with tracing figures of men and animals on the walls of his father's house1 with a burnt stick4 ,he first directed his attention to portrait painting2 but when in ,italy1 calling one day at the house of ,zucarelli1 and growing weary with waiting1 he began painting the scene on which his friend's chamber window looked4 ,when ,zucarelli arrived1 he was so charmed with the picture1 that he asked if ,wilson had not studied landscape1 to which he replied that he had not4 8,then1 ,i advise you10 said the other1 8to try2 for you are sure of great success40 ,wilson adopted the advice1 studied and worked hard1 and became our first great ,english landscape painter4 ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 when a boy1 forgot his lessons1 and took pleasure only in drawing1 for which his father was accustomed to rebuke him4 ,the boy was destined for the profession of physic1 but his strong instinct for art could not be repressed1 and he became a painter4 ,gainsborough went sketching1 when a schoolboy1 in the woods of ,sudbury2 and at twelve he was a confirmed artist3 he was a keen observer and a hard worker1--no picturesque feature of any scene he had once looked upon1 escaping his diligent pencil4 ,william ,blake1 a hosier's son1 employed himself in drawing designs on the backs of his father's shop-bills1 and making sketches on the counter4 ,edward ,bird1 when a child only three or four years old1 would mount a chair and draw figures on the walls1 which he called ,french and ,english soldiers4 ,a box of colours was purchased for him1 and his father1 desirous of turning his love of art to account1 put him apprentice to a maker of tea-trays6 ,out of this trade he gradually raised himself1 by study and labour1 to the rank of a ,royal ,academician4 ,hogarth1 though a very dull boy at his lessons1 took pleasure in making drawings of the letters of the alphabet1 and his school exercises were more remarkable for the ornaments with which he embellished them1 than for the matter of the exercises themselves4 ,in the latter respect he was beaten by all the blockheads of the school1 but in his adornments he stood alone4 ,his father put him apprentice to a silversmith1 where he learnt to draw1 and also to engrave spoons and forks with crests and ciphers4 ,from silver-chasing1 he went on to teach himself engraving on copper1 principally griffins and monsters of heraldry1 in the course of which practice he became ambitious to delineate the varieties of human character4 ,the singular excellence which he reached in this art1 was mainly the result of careful observation and study4 ,he had the gift1 which he sedulously cultivated1 of committing to memory the precise features of any remarkable face1 and afterwards reproducing them on paper2 but if any singularly fantastic form or outr face came in his way1 he would make a sketch of it on the spot1 upon his thumb-nail1 and carry it home to expand at his leisure4 ,everything fantastical and original had a powerful attraction for him1 and he wandered into many out-of-the-way places for the purpose of meeting with character4 ,by this careful storing of his mind1 he was afterwards enabled to crowd an immense amount of thought and treasured observation into his works4 ,hence it is that ,hogarth's pictures are so truthful a memorial of the character1 the manners1 and even the very thoughts of the times in which he lived4 ,true painting1 he himself observed1 can only be learnt in one school1 and that is kept by ,nature4 ,but he was not a highly cultivated man1 except in his own walk4 ,his school education had been of the slenderest kind1 scarcely even perfecting him in the art of spelling2 his self-culture did the rest4 ,for a long time he was in very straitened circumstances1 but nevertheless worked on with a cheerful heart4 ,poor though he was1 he contrived to live within his small means1 and he boasted1 with becoming pride1 that he was 8a punctual paymaster40 ,when he had conquered all his difficulties and become a famous and thriving man1 he loved to dwell upon his early labours and privations1 and to fight over again the battle which ended so honourably to him as a man and so gloriously as an artist4 8,i remember the time10 said he on one occasion1 8when ,i have gone moping into the city with scarce a shilling1 but as soon as ,i have received ten guineas there for a plate1 ,i have returned home1 put on my sword1 and sallied out with all the confidence of a man who had thousands in his pockets40 8,industry and perseverance0 was the motto of the sculptor ,banks1 which he acted on himself1 and strongly recommended to others4 ,his well-known kindness induced many aspiring youths to call upon him and ask for his advice and assistance2 and it is related that one day a boy called at his door to see him with this object1 but the servant1 angry at the loud knock he had given1 scolded him1 and was about sending him away1 when ,banks overhearing her1 himself went out4 ,the little boy stood at the door with some drawings in his hand4 8,what do you want with me80 asked the sculptor4 8,i want1 sir1 if you please1 to be admitted to draw at the ,academy40 ,banks explained that he himself could not procure his admission1 but he asked to look at the boy's drawings4 ,examining them1 he said1 8,time enough for the ,academy1 my little man6 go home--mind your schooling--try to make a better drawing of the ,apollo--and in a month come again and let me see it40 ,the boy went home--sketched and worked with redoubled diligence--and1 at the end of the month1 called again on the sculptor4 ,the drawing was better2 but again ,banks sent him back1 with good advice1 to work and study4 ,in a week the boy was again at his door1 his drawing much improved2 and ,banks bid him be of good cheer1 for if spared he would distinguish himself4 ,the boy was ,mulready2 and the sculptor's augury was amply fulfilled4 ,the fame of ,claude ,lorraine is partly explained by his indefatigable industry4 ,born at ,champagne1 in ,lorraine1 of poor parents1 he was first apprenticed to a pastrycook4 ,his brother1 who was a wood-carver1 afterwards took him into his shop to learn that trade4 ,having there shown indications of artistic skill1 a travelling dealer persuaded the brother to allow ,claude to accompany him to ,italy4 ,he assented1 and the young man reached ,rome1 where he was shortly after engaged by ,agostino ,tassi1 the landscape painter1 as his house-servant4 ,in that capacity ,claude first learnt landscape painting1 and in course of time he began to produce pictures4 ,we next find him making the tour of ,italy1 ,france1 and ,germany1 occasionally resting by the way to paint landscapes1 and thereby replenish his purse4 ,on returning to ,rome he found an increasing demand for his works1 and his reputation at length became ,european4 ,he was unwearied in the study of nature in her various aspects4 ,it was his practice to spend a great part of his time in closely copying buildings1 bits of ground1 trees1 leaves1 and such like1 which he finished in detail1 keeping the drawings by him in store for the purpose of introducing them in his studied landscapes4 ,he also gave close attention to the sky1 watching it for whole days from morning till night1 and noting the various changes occasioned by the passing clouds and the increasing and waning light4 ,by this constant practice he acquired1 although it is said very slowly1 such a mastery of hand and eye as eventually secured for him the first rank among landscape painters4 ,turner1 who has been styled 8the ,english ,claude10 pursued a career of like laborious industry4 ,he was destined by his father for his own trade of a barber1 which he carried on in ,london1 until one day the sketch which the boy had made of a coat of arms on a silver salver having attracted the notice of a customer whom his father was shaving1 the latter was urged to allow his son to follow his bias1 and he was eventually permitted to follow art as a profession4 ,like all young artists1 ,turner had many difficulties to encounter1 and they were all the greater that his circumstances were so straitened4 ,but he was always willing to work1 and to take pains with his work1 no matter how humble it might be4 ,he was glad to hire himself out at half-a-crown a night to wash in skies in ,indian ink upon other people's drawings1 getting his supper into the bargain4 ,thus he earned money and acquired expertness4 ,then he took to illustrating guide-books1 almanacs1 and any sort of books that wanted cheap frontispieces4 8,what could ,i have done better80 said he afterwards2 8it was first-rate practice40 ,he did everything carefully and conscientiously1 never slurring over his work because he was ill-remunerated for it4 ,he aimed at learning as well as living2 always doing his best1 and never leaving a drawing without having made a step in advance upon his previous work4 ,a man who thus laboured was sure to do much2 and his growth in power and grasp of thought was1 to use ,ruskin's words1 8as steady as the increasing light of sunrise40 ,but ,turner's genius needs no panegyric2 his best monument is the noble gallery of pictures bequeathed by him to the nation1 which will ever be the most lasting memorial of his fame4 ,to reach ,rome1 the capital of the fine arts1 is usually the highest ambition of the art student4 ,but the journey to ,rome is costly1 and the student is often poor4 ,with a will resolute to overcome difficulties1 ,rome may however at last be reached4 ,thus ,franois ,perrier1 an early ,french painter1 in his eager desire to visit the ,eternal ,city1 consented to act as guide to a blind vagrant4 ,after long wanderings he reached the ,vatican1 studied and became famous4 ,not less enthusiasm was displayed by ,jacques ,callot in his determination to visit ,rome4 ,though opposed by his father in his wish to be an artist1 the boy would not be baulked1 but fled from home to make his way to ,italy4 ,having set out without means1 he was soon reduced to great straits2 but falling in with a band of gipsies1 he joined their company1 and wandered about with them from one fair to another1 sharing in their numerous adventures4 ,during this remarkable journey ,callot picked up much of that extraordinary knowledge of figure1 feature1 and character which he afterwards reproduced1 sometimes in such exaggerated forms1 in his wonderful engravings4 ,when ,callot at length reached ,florence1 a gentleman1 pleased with his ingenious ardour1 placed him with an artist to study2 but he was not satisfied to stop short of ,rome1 and we find him shortly on his way thither4 ,at ,rome he made the acquaintance of ,porigi and ,thomassin1 who1 on seeing his crayon sketches1 predicted for him a brilliant career as an artist4 ,but a friend of ,callot's family having accidentally encountered him1 took steps to compel the fugitive to return home4 ,by this time he had acquired such a love of wandering that he could not rest2 so he ran away a second time1 and a second time he was brought back by his elder brother1 who caught him at ,turin4 ,at last the father1 seeing resistance was in vain1 gave his reluctant consent to ,callot's prosecuting his studies at ,rome4 ,thither he went accordingly2 and this time he remained1 diligently studying design and engraving for several years1 under competent masters4 ,on his way back to ,france1 he was encouraged by ,cosmo ,,ii4 to remain at ,florence1 where he studied and worked for several years more4 ,on the death of his patron he returned to his family at ,nancy1 where1 by the use of his burin and needle1 he shortly acquired both wealth and fame4 ,when ,nancy was taken by siege during the civil wars1 ,callot was requested by ,richelieu to make a design and engraving of the event1 but the artist would not commemorate the disaster which had befallen his native place1 and he refused point-blank4 ,richelieu could not shake his resolution1 and threw him into prison4 ,there ,callot met with some of his old friends the gipsies1 who had relieved his wants on his first journey to ,rome4 ,when ,louis ,,xiii4 heard of his imprisonment1 he not only released him1 but offered to grant him any favour he might ask4 ,callot immediately requested that his old companions1 the gipsies1 might be set free and permitted to beg in ,paris without molestation4 ,this odd request was granted on condition that ,callot should engrave their portraits1 and hence his curious book of engravings entitled 8,the ,beggars40 ,louis is said to have offered ,callot a pension of #cjjj livres provided he would not leave ,paris2 but the artist was now too much of a ,bohemian1 and prized his liberty too highly to permit him to accept it2 and he returned to ,nancy1 where he worked till his death4 ,his industry may be inferred from the number of his engravings and etchings1 of which he left not fewer than #afjj4 ,he was especially fond of grotesque subjects1 which he treated with great skill2 his free etchings1 touched with the graver1 being executed with especial delicacy and wonderful minuteness4 ,still more romantic and adventurous was the career of ,benvenuto ,cellini1 the marvellous gold worker1 painter1 sculptor1 engraver1 engineer1 and author4 ,his life1 as told by himself1 is one of the most extraordinary autobiographies ever written4 ,giovanni ,cellini1 his father1 was one of the ,court musicians to ,lorenzo de ,medici at ,florence2 and his highest ambition concerning his son ,benvenuto was that he should become an expert player on the flute4 ,but ,giovanni having lost his appointment1 found it necessary to send his son to learn some trade1 and he was apprenticed to a goldsmith4 ,the boy had already displayed a love of drawing and of art2 and1 applying himself to his business1 he soon became a dexterous workman4 ,having got mixed up in a quarrel with some of the townspeople1 he was banished for six months1 during which period he worked with a goldsmith at ,sienna1 gaining further experience in jewellery and gold-working4 ,his father still insisting on his becoming a flute-player1 ,benvenuto continued to practise on the instrument1 though he detested it4 ,his chief pleasure was in art1 which he pursued with enthusiasm4 ,returning to ,florence1 he carefully studied the designs of ,leonardo da ,vinci and ,michael ,angelo2 and1 still further to improve himself in gold-working1 he went on foot to ,rome1 where he met with a variety of adventures4 ,he returned to ,florence with the reputation of being a most expert worker in the precious metals1 and his skill was soon in great request4 ,but being of an irascible temper1 he was constantly getting into scrapes1 and was frequently under the necessity of flying for his life4 ,thus he fled from ,florence in the disguise of a friar1 again taking refuge at ,sienna1 and afterwards at ,rome4 ,during his second residence in ,rome1 ,cellini met with extensive patronage1 and he was taken into the ,pope's service in the double capacity of goldsmith and musician4 ,he was constantly studying and improving himself by acquaintance with the works of the best masters4 ,he mounted jewels1 finished enamels1 engraved seals1 and designed and executed works in gold1 silver1 and bronze1 in such a style as to excel all other artists4 ,whenever he heard of a goldsmith who was famous in any particular branch1 he immediately determined to surpass him4 ,thus it was that he rivalled the medals of one1 the enamels of another1 and the jewellery of a third2 in fact1 there was not a branch of his business that he did not feel impelled to excel in4 ,working in this spirit1 it is not so wonderful that ,cellini should have been able to accomplish so much4 ,he was a man of indefatigable activity1 and was constantly on the move4 ,at one time we find him at ,florence1 at another at ,rome2 then he is at ,mantua1 at ,rome1 at ,naples1 and back to ,florence again2 then at ,venice1 and in ,paris1 making all his long journeys on horseback4 ,he could not carry much luggage with him2 so1 wherever he went1 he usually began by making his own tools4 ,he not only designed his works1 but executed them himself1--hammered and carved1 and cast and shaped them with his own hands4 ,indeed1 his works have the impress of genius so clearly stamped upon them1 that they could never have been designed by one person1 and executed by another4 ,the humblest article--a buckle for a lady's girdle1 a seal1 a locket1 a brooch1 a ring1 or a button--became in his hands a beautiful work of art4 ,cellini was remarkable for his readiness and dexterity in handicraft4 ,one day a surgeon entered the shop of ,raffaello del ,moro1 the goldsmith1 to perform an operation on his daughter's hand4 ,on looking at the surgeon's instruments1 ,cellini1 who was present1 found them rude and clumsy1 as they usually were in those days1 and he asked the surgeon to proceed no further with the operation for a quarter of an hour4 ,he then ran to his shop1 and taking a piece of the finest steel1 wrought out of it a beautifully finished knife1 with which the operation was successfully performed4 ,among the statues executed by ,cellini1 the most important are the silver figure of ,jupiter1 executed at ,paris for ,francis ,i41 and the ,perseus1 executed in bronze for the ,grand ,duke ,cosmo of ,florence4 ,he also executed statues in marble of ,apollo1 ,hyacinthus1 ,narcissus1 and ,neptune4 ,the extraordinary incidents connected with the casting of the ,perseus were peculiarly illustrative of the remarkable character of the man4 ,the ,grand ,duke having expressed a decided opinion that the model1 when shown to him in wax1 could not possibly be cast in bronze1 ,cellini was immediately stimulated by the predicted impossibility1 not only to attempt1 but to do it4 ,he first made the clay model1 baked it1 and covered it with wax1 which he shaped into the perfect form of a statue4 ,then coating the wax with a sort of earth1 he baked the second covering1 during which the wax dissolved and escaped1 leaving the space between the two layers for the reception of the metal4 ,to avoid disturbance1 the latter process was conducted in a pit dug immediately under the furnace1 from which the liquid metal was to be introduced by pipes and apertures into the mould prepared for it4 ,cellini had purchased and laid in several loads of pine-wood1 in anticipation of the process of casting1 which now began4 ,the furnace was filled with pieces of brass and bronze1 and the fire was lit4 ,the resinous pine-wood was soon in such a furious blaze1 that the shop took fire1 and part of the roof was burnt2 while at the same time the wind blowing and the rain filling on the furnace1 kept down the heat1 and prevented the metals from melting4 ,for hours ,cellini struggled to keep up the heat1 continually throwing in more wood1 until at length he became so exhausted and ill1 that he feared he should die before the statue could be cast4 ,he was forced to leave to his assistants the pouring in of the metal when melted1 and betook himself to his bed4 ,while those about him were condoling with him in his distress1 a workman suddenly entered the room1 lamenting that 8,poor ,benvenuto's work was irretrievably spoiled60 ,on hearing this1 ,cellini immediately sprang from his bed and rushed to the workshop1 where he found the fire so much gone down that the metal had again become hard4 ,sending across to a neighbour for a load of young oak which had been more than a year in drying1 he soon had the fire blazing again and the metal melting and glittering4 ,the wind was1 however1 still blowing with fury1 and the rain falling heavily2 so1 to protect himself1 ,cellini had some tables with pieces of tapestry and old clothes brought to him1 behind which he went on hurling the wood into the furnace4 ,a mass of pewter was thrown in upon the other metal1 and by stirring1 sometimes with iron and sometimes with long poles1 the whole soon became completely melted4 ,at this juncture1 when the trying moment was close at hand1 a terrible noise as of a thunderbolt was heard1 and a glittering of fire flashed before ,cellini's eyes4 ,the cover of the furnace had burst1 and the metal began to flow6 ,finding that it did not run with the proper velocity1 ,cellini rushed into the kitchen1 bore away every piece of copper and pewter that it contained--some two hundred porringers1 dishes1 and kettles of different kinds--and threw them into the furnace4 ,then at length the metal flowed freely1 and thus the splendid statue of ,perseus was cast4 ,the divine fury of genius in which ,cellini rushed to his kitchen and stripped it of its utensils for the purposes of his furnace1 will remind the reader of the like act of ,pallissy in breaking up his furniture for the purpose of baking his earthenware4 ,excepting1 however1 in their enthusiasm1 no two men could be less alike in character4 ,cellini was an ,ishmael against whom1 according to his own account1 every man's hand was turned4 ,but about his extraordinary skill as a workman1 and his genius as an artist1 there cannot be two opinions4 ,much less turbulent was the career of ,nicolas ,poussin1 a man as pure and elevated in his ideas of art as he was in his daily life1 and distinguished alike for his vigour of intellect1 his rectitude of character1 and his noble simplicity4 ,he was born in a very humble station1 at ,andeleys1 near ,rouen1 where his father kept a small school4 ,the boy had the benefit of his parent's instruction1 such as it was1 but of that he is said to have been somewhat negligent1 preferring to spend his time in covering his lesson-books and his slate with drawings4 ,a country painter1 much pleased with his sketches1 besought his parents not to thwart him in his tastes4 ,the painter agreed to give ,poussin lessons1 and he soon made such progress that his master had nothing more to teach him4 ,becoming restless1 and desirous of further improving himself1 ,poussin1 at the age of #ah1 set out for ,paris1 painting signboards on his way for a maintenance4 ,at ,paris a new world of art opened before him1 exciting his wonder and stimulating his emulation4 ,he worked diligently in many studios1 drawing1 copying1 and painting pictures4 ,after a time1 he resolved1 if possible1 to visit ,rome1 and set out on his journey2 but he only succeeded in getting as far as ,florence1 and again returned to ,paris4 ,a second attempt which he made to reach ,rome was even less successful2 for this time he only got as far as ,lyons4 ,he was1 nevertheless1 careful to take advantage of all opportunities for improvement which came in his way1 and continued as sedulous as before in studying and working4 ,thus twelve years passed1 years of obscurity and toil1 of failures and disappointments1 and probably of privations4 ,at length ,poussin succeeded in reaching ,rome4 ,there he diligently studied the old masters1 and especially the ancient statues1 with whose perfection he was greatly impressed4 ,for some time he lived with the sculptor ,duquesnoi1 as poor as himself1 and assisted him in modelling figures after the antique4 ,with him he carefully measured some of the most celebrated statues in ,rome1 more particularly the #8,antinous3' and it is supposed that this practice exercised considerable influence on the formation of his future style4 ,at the same time he studied anatomy1 practised drawing from the life1 and made a great store of sketches of postures and attitudes of people whom he met1 carefully reading at his leisure such standard books on art as he could borrow from his friends4 ,during all this time he remained very poor1 satisfied to be continually improving himself4 ,he was glad to sell his pictures for whatever they would bring4 ,one1 of a prophet1 he sold for eight livres2 and another1 the #8,plague of the ,philistines1' he sold for #fj crowns--a picture afterwards bought by ,cardinal de ,richelieu for a thousand4 ,to add to his troubles1 he was stricken by a cruel malady1 during the helplessness occasioned by which the ,chevalier del ,posso assisted him with money4 ,for this gentleman ,poussin afterwards painted the #8,rest in the ,desert1' a fine picture1 which far more than repaid the advances made during his illness4 ,the brave man went on toiling and learning through suffering4 ,still aiming at higher things1 he went to ,florence and ,venice1 enlarging the range of his studies4 ,the fruits of his conscientious labour at length appeared in the series of great pictures which he now began to produce1--his #8,death of ,germanicus1' followed by #8,extreme ,unction1' the #8,testament of ,eudamidas1' the #8,manna1' and the #8,abduction of the ,sabines4' ,the reputation of ,poussin1 however1 grew but slowly4 ,he was of a retiring disposition and shunned society4 ,people gave him credit for being a thinker much more than a painter4 ,when not actually employed in painting1 he took long solitary walks in the country1 meditating the designs of future pictures4 ,one of his few friends while at ,rome was ,claude ,lorraine1 with whom he spent many hours at a time on the terrace of ,la ,trinit-du-,mont1 conversing about art and antiquarianism4 ,the monotony and the quiet of ,rome were suited to his taste1 and1 provided he could earn a moderate living by his brush1 he had no wish to leave it4 ,but his fame now extended beyond ,rome1 and repeated invitations were sent him to return to ,paris4 ,he was offered the appointment of principal painter to the ,king4 ,at first he hesitated2 quoted the ,italian proverb1 ,chi sta bene non si muove2 said he had lived fifteen years in ,rome1 married a wife there1 and looked forward to dying and being buried there4 ,urged again1 he consented1 and returned to ,paris4 ,but his appearance there awakened much professional jealousy1 and he soon wished himself back in ,rome again4 ,while in ,paris he painted some of his greatest works--his #8,saint ,xavier1' the #8,baptism1' and the #8,last ,supper4' ,he was kept constantly at work4 ,at first he did whatever he was asked to do1 such as designing frontispieces for the royal books1 more particularly a ,bible and a ,virgil1 cartoons for the ,louvre1 and designs for tapestry2 but at length he expostulated3--8,it is impossible for me10 he said to ,m4 de ,chanteloup1 8to work at the same time at frontispieces for books1 at a ,virgin1 at a picture of the ,congregation of ,st4 ,louis1 at the various designs for the gallery1 and1 finally1 at designs for the royal tapestry4 ,i have only one pair of hands and a feeble head1 and can neither be helped nor can my labours be lightened by another40 ,annoyed by the enemies his success had provoked and whom he was unable to conciliate1 he determined1 at the end of less than two years' labour in ,paris1 to return to ,rome4 ,again settled there in his humble dwelling on ,mont ,pincio1 he employed himself diligently in the practice of his art during the remaining years of his life1 living in great simplicity and privacy4 ,though suffering much from the disease which afflicted him1 he solaced himself by study1 always striving after excellence4 8,in growing old10 he said1 8,i feel myself becoming more and more inflamed with the desire of surpassing myself and reaching the highest degree of perfection40 ,thus toiling1 struggling1 and suffering1 ,poussin spent his later years4 ,he had no children2 his wife died before him2 all his friends were gone3 so that in his old age he was left absolutely alone in ,rome1 so full of tombs1 and died there in #affe1 bequeathing to his relatives at ,andeleys the savings of his life1 amounting to about #ajjj crowns2 and leaving behind him1 as a legacy to his race1 the great works of his genius4 ,the career of ,ary ,scheffer furnishes one of the best examples in modern times of a like high-minded devotion to art4 ,born at ,dordrecht1 the son of a ,german artist1 he early manifested an aptitude for drawing and painting1 which his parents encouraged4 ,his father dying while he was still young1 his mother resolved1 though her means were but small1 to remove the family to ,paris1 in order that her son might obtain the best opportunities for instruction4 ,there young ,scheffer was placed with ,gurin the painter4 ,but his mother's means were too limited to permit him to devote himself exclusively to study4 ,she had sold the few jewels she possessed1 and refused herself every indulgence1 in order to forward the instruction of her other children4 ,under such circumstances1 it was natural that ,ary should wish to help her2 and by the time he was eighteen years of age he began to paint small pictures of simple subjects1 which met with a ready sale at moderate prices4 ,he also practised portrait painting1 at the same time gathering experience and earning honest money4 ,he gradually improved in drawing1 colouring1 and composition4 ,the #8,baptism' marked a new epoch in his career1 and from that point he went on advancing1 until his fame culminated in his pictures illustrative of #8,faust1' his #8,francisca de ,rimini1' #8,christ the ,consoler1' the #8,holy ,women1' #8,st4 ,monica and ,st4 ,augustin1' and many other noble works4 8,the amount of labour1 thought1 and attention10 says ,mrs4 ,grote1 8which ,scheffer brought to the production of the #8,francisca1' must have been enormous4 ,in truth1 his technical education having been so imperfect1 he was forced to climb the steep of art by drawing upon his own resources1 and thus1 whilst his hand was at work1 his mind was engaged in meditation4 ,he had to try various processes of handling1 and experiments in colouring2 to paint and repaint1 with tedious and unremitting assiduity4 ,but ,nature had endowed him with that which proved in some sort an equivalent for shortcomings of a professional kind4 ,his own elevation of character1 and his profound sensibility1 aided him in acting upon the feelings of others through the medium of the pencil40 #agc ,one of the artists whom ,scheffer most admired was ,flaxman2 and he once said to a friend1 8,if ,i have unconsciously borrowed from any one in the design of the #8,francisca1' it must have been from something ,i had seen among ,flaxman's drawings40 ,john ,flaxman was the son of a humble seller of plaster casts in ,new ,street1 ,covent ,garden4 ,when a child1 he was such an invalid that it was his custom to sit behind his father's shop counter propped by pillows1 amusing himself with drawing and reading4 ,a benevolent clergyman1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,matthews1 calling at the shop one day1 saw the boy trying to read a book1 and on inquiring what it was1 found it to be a ,cornelius ,nepos1 which his father had picked up for a few pence at a bookstall4 ,the gentleman1 after some conversation with the boy1 said that was not the proper book for him to read1 but that he would bring him one4 ,the next day he called with translations of ,homer and #8,don ,quixote1' which the boy proceeded to read with great avidity4 ,his mind was soon filled with the heroism which breathed through the pages of the former1 and1 with the stucco ,ajaxes and ,achilleses about him1 ranged along the shop shelves1 the ambition took possession of him1 that he too would design and embody in poetic forms those majestic heroes4 ,like all youthful efforts1 his first designs were crude4 ,the proud father one day showed some of them to ,roubilliac the sculptor1 who turned from them with a contemptuous 8pshaw60 ,but the boy had the right stuff in him2 he had industry and patience2 and he continued to labour incessantly at his books and drawings4 ,he then tried his young powers in modelling figures in plaster of ,paris1 wax1 and clay4 ,some of these early works are still preserved1 not because of their merit1 but because they are curious as the first healthy efforts of patient genius4 ,it was long before the boy could walk1 and he only learnt to do so by hobbling along upon crutches4 ,at length he became strong enough to walk without them4 ,the kind ,mr4 ,matthews invited him to his house1 where his wife explained ,homer and ,milton to him4 ,they helped him also in his self-culture--giving him lessons in ,greek and ,latin1 the study of which he prosecuted at home4 ,by dint of patience and perseverance1 his drawing improved so much that he obtained a commission from a lady1 to execute six original drawings in black chalk of subjects in ,homer4 ,his first commission6 ,what an event in the artist's life6 ,a surgeon's first fee1 a lawyer's first retainer1 a legislator's first speech1 a singer's first appearance behind the foot-lights1 an author's first book1 are not any of them more full of interest to the aspirant for fame than the artist's first commission4 ,the boy at once proceeded to execute the order1 and he was both well praised and well paid for his work4 ,at fifteen ,flaxman entered a pupil at the ,royal ,academy4 ,notwithstanding his retiring disposition1 he soon became known among the students1 and great things were expected of him4 ,nor were their expectations disappointed3 in his fifteenth year he gained the silver prize1 and next year he became a candidate for the gold one4 ,everybody prophesied that he would carry off the medal1 for there was none who surpassed him in ability and industry4 ,yet he lost it1 and the gold medal was adjudged to a pupil who was not afterwards heard of4 ,this failure on the part of the youth was really of service to him2 for defeats do not long cast down the resolute-hearted1 but only serve to call forth their real powers4 8,give me time10 said he to his father1 8and ,i will yet produce works that the ,academy will be proud to recognise40 ,he redoubled his efforts1 spared no pains1 designed and modelled incessantly1 and made steady if not rapid progress4 ,but meanwhile poverty threatened his father's household2 the plaster-cast trade yielded a very bare living2 and young ,flaxman1 with resolute self-denial1 curtailed his hours of study1 and devoted himself to helping his father in the humble details of his business4 ,he laid aside his ,homer to take up the plaster-trowel4 ,he was willing to work in the humblest department of the trade so that his father's family might be supported1 and the wolf kept from the door4 ,to this drudgery of his art he served a long apprenticeship2 but it did him good4 ,it familiarised him with steady work1 and cultivated in him the spirit of patience4 ,the discipline may have been hard1 but it was wholesome4 ,happily1 young ,flaxman's skill in design had reached the knowledge of ,josiah ,wedgwood1 who sought him out for the purpose of employing him to design improved patterns of china and earthenware4 ,it may seem a humble department of art for such a genius as ,flaxman to work in2 but it really was not so4 ,an artist may be labouring truly in his vocation while designing a common teapot or water-jug4 ,articles in daily use amongst the people1 which are before their eyes at every meal1 may be made the vehicles of education to all1 and minister to their highest culture4 ,the most ambitious artist way thus confer a greater practical benefit on his countrymen than by executing an elaborate work which he may sell for thousands of pounds to be placed in some wealthy man's gallery where it is hidden away from public sight4 ,before ,wedgwood's time the designs which figured upon our china and stoneware were hideous both in drawing and execution1 and he determined to improve both4 ,flaxman did his best to carry out the manufacturer's views4 ,he supplied him from time to time with models and designs of various pieces of earthenware1 the subjects of which were principally from ancient verse and history4 ,many of them are still in existence1 and some are equal in beauty and simplicity to his after designs for marble4 ,the celebrated ,etruscan vases1 specimens of which were to be found in public museums and in the cabinets of the curious1 furnished him with the best examples of form1 and these he embellished with his own elegant devices4 ,stuart's #8,athens1' then recently published1 furnished him with specimens of the purest-shaped ,greek utensils2 of these he adopted the best1 and worked them into new shapes of elegance and beauty4 ,flaxman then saw that he was labouring in a great work--no less than the promotion of popular education2 and he was proud1 in after life1 to allude to his early labours in this walk1 by which he was enabled at the same time to cultivate his love of the beautiful1 to diffuse a taste for art among the people1 and to replenish his own purse1 while he promoted the prosperity of his friend and benefactor4 ,at length1 in the year #aghb1 when twenty-seven years of age1 he quitted his father's roof and rented a small house and studio in ,wardour ,street1 ,soho2 and what was more1 he married--,ann ,denman was the name of his wife--and a cheerful1 bright-souled1 noble woman she was4 ,he believed that in marrying her he should be able to work with an intenser spirit2 for1 like him1 she had a taste for poetry and art2 and besides was an enthusiastic admirer of her husband's genius4 ,yet when ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds--himself a bachelor--met ,flaxman shortly after his marriage1 he said to him1 8,so1 ,flaxman1 ,i am told you are married2 if so1 sir1 ,i tell you you are ruined for an artist40 ,flaxman went straight home1 sat down beside his wife1 took her hand in his1 and said1 8,ann1 ,i am ruined for an artist40 8,how so1 ,john8 ,how has it happened8 and who has done it80 8,it happened10 he replied1 8in the church1 and ,ann ,denman has done it40 ,he then told her of ,sir ,joshua's remark--whose opinion was well known1 and had often been expressed1 that if students would excel they must bring the whole powers of their mind to bear upon their art1 from the moment they rose until they went to bed2 and also1 that no man could be a great artist unless he studied the grand works of ,raffaelle1 ,michael ,angelo1 and others1 at ,rome and ,florence4 8,and ,i10 said ,flaxman1 drawing up his little figure to its full height1 8,i would be a great artist40 8,and a great artist you shall be10 said his wife1 8and visit ,rome too1 if that be really necessary to make you great40 8,but how80 asked ,flaxman4 8,work and economise10 rejoined the brave wife2 8,i will never have it said that ,ann ,denman ruined ,john ,flaxman for an artist40 ,and so it was determined by the pair that the journey to ,rome was to be made when their means would admit4 8,i will go to ,rome10 said ,flaxman1 8and show the ,president that wedlock is for a man's good rather than his harm2 and you1 ,ann1 shall accompany me40 ,patiently and happily the affectionate couple plodded on during five years in their humble little home in ,wardour ,street1 always with the long journey to ,rome before them4 ,it was never lost sight of for a moment1 and not a penny was uselessly spent that could be saved towards the necessary expenses4 ,they said no word to any one about their project2 solicited no aid from the ,academy2 but trusted only to their own patient labour and love to pursue and achieve their object4 ,during this time ,flaxman exhibited very few works4 ,he could not afford marble to experiment in original designs2 but he obtained frequent commissions for monuments1 by the profits of which he maintained himself4 ,he still worked for ,wedgwood1 who was a prompt paymaster2 and1 on the whole1 he was thriving1 happy1 and hopeful4 ,his local respectability was even such as to bring local honours and local work upon him2 for he was elected by the ratepayers to collect the watch-rate for the ,parish of ,st4 ,anne1 when he might be seen going about with an ink-bottle suspended from his button-hole1 collecting the money4 ,at length ,flaxman and his wife having accumulated a sufficient store of savings1 set out for ,rome4 ,arrived there1 he applied himself diligently to study1 maintaining himself1 like other poor artists1 by making copies from the antique4 ,english visitors sought his studio1 and gave him commissions2 and it was then that he composed his beautiful designs illustrative of ,homer1 schylus1 and ,dante4 ,the price paid for them was moderate--only fifteen shillings a-piece2 but ,flaxman worked for art as well as money2 and the beauty of the designs brought him other friends and patrons4 ,he executed ,cupid and ,aurora for the munificent ,thomas ,hope1 and the ,fury of ,athamas for the ,earl of ,bristol4 ,he then prepared to return to ,england1 his taste improved and cultivated by careful study2 but before he left ,italy1 the ,academies of ,florence and ,carrara recognised his merit by electing him a member4 ,his fame had preceded him to ,london1 where he soon found abundant employment4 ,while at ,rome he had been commissioned to execute his famous monument in memory of ,lord ,mansfield1 and it was erected in the north transept of ,westminster ,abbey shortly after his return4 ,it stands there in majestic grandeur1 a monument to the genius of ,flaxman himself--calm1 simple1 and severe4 ,no wonder that ,banks1 the sculptor1 then in the heyday of his fame1 exclaimed when he saw it1 8,this little man cuts us all out60 ,when the members of the ,royal ,academy heard of ,flaxman's return1 and especially when they had an opportunity of seeing and admiring his portrait-statue of ,mansfield1 they were eager to have him enrolled among their number4 ,he allowed his name to be proposed in the candidates' list of associates1 and was immediately elected4 ,shortly after1 he appeared in an entirely new character4 ,the little boy who had begun his studies behind the plaster-cast-seller's shop-counter in ,new ,street1 ,covent ,garden1 was now a man of high intellect and recognised supremacy in art1 to instruct students1 in the character of ,professor of ,sculpture to the ,royal ,academy6 ,and no man better deserved to fill that distinguished office2 for none is so able to instruct others as he who1 for himself and by his own efforts1 has learnt to grapple with and overcome difficulties4 ,after a long1 peaceful1 and happy life1 ,flaxman found himself growing old4 ,the loss which he sustained by the death of his affectionate wife ,ann1 was a severe shock to him2 but he survived her several years1 during which he executed his celebrated 8,shield of ,achilles10 and his noble 8,archangel ,michael vanquishing ,satan10--perhaps his two greatest works4 ,chantrey was a more robust man2--somewhat rough1 but hearty in his demeanour2 proud of his successful struggle with the difficulties which beset him in early life2 and1 above all1 proud of his independence4 ,he was born a poor man's child1 at ,norton1 near ,sheffield4 ,his father dying when he was a mere boy1 his mother married again4 ,young ,chantrey used to drive an ass laden with milk-cans across its back into the neighbouring town of ,sheffield1 and there serve his mother's customers with milk4 ,such was the humble beginning of his industrial career2 and it was by his own strength that he rose from that position1 and achieved the highest eminence as an artist4 ,not taking kindly to his step-father1 the boy was sent to trade1 and was first placed with a grocer in ,sheffield4 ,the business was very distasteful to him2 but1 passing a carver's shop window one day1 his eye was attracted by the glittering articles it contained1 and1 charmed with the idea of being a carver1 he begged to be released from the grocery business with that object4 ,his friends consented1 and he was bound apprentice to the carver and gilder for seven years4 ,his new master1 besides being a carver in wood1 was also a dealer in prints and plaster models2 and ,chantrey at once set about imitating both1 studying with great industry and energy4 ,all his spare hours were devoted to drawing1 modelling1 and self-improvement1 and he often carried his labours far into the night4 ,before his apprenticeship was out--at the ace of twenty-one--he paid over to his master the whole wealth which he was able to muster--a sum of #ejl4--to cancel his indentures1 determined to devote himself to the career of an artist4 ,he then made the best of his way to ,london1 and with characteristic good sense1 sought employment as an assistant carver1 studying painting and modelling at his bye-hours4 ,among the jobs on which he was first employed as a journeyman carver1 was the decoration of the dining-room of ,mr4 ,rogers1 the poet--a room in which he was in after years a welcome visitor2 and he usually took pleasure in pointing out his early handywork to the guests whom he met at his friend's table4 ,returning to ,sheffield on a professional visit1 he advertised himself in the local papers as a painter of portraits in crayons and miniatures1 and also in oil4 ,for his first crayon portrait he was paid a guinea by a cutler2 and for a portrait in oil1 a confectioner paid him as much as #el4 and a pair of top boots6 ,chantrey was soon in ,london again to study at the ,royal ,academy2 and next time he returned to ,sheffield he advertised himself as ready to model plaster busts of his townsmen1 as well as paint portraits of them4 ,he was even selected to design a monument to a deceased vicar of the town1 and executed it to the general satisfaction4 ,when in ,london he used a room over a stable as a studio1 and there he modelled his first original work for exhibition4 ,it was a gigantic head of ,satan4 ,towards the close of ,chantrey's life1 a friend passing through his studio was struck by this model lying in a corner4 8,that head10 said the sculptor1 8was the first thing that ,i did after ,i came to ,london4 ,i worked at it in a garret with a paper cap on my head2 and as ,i could then afford only one candle1 ,i stuck that one in my cap that it might move along with me1 and give me light whichever way ,i turned40 ,flaxman saw and admired this head at the ,academy ,exhibition1 and recommended ,chantrey for the execution of the busts of four admirals1 required for the ,naval ,asylum at ,greenwich4 ,this commission led to others1 and painting was given up4 ,but for eight years before1 he had not earned #el4 by his modelling4 ,his famous head of ,horne ,tooke was such a success that1 according to his own account1 it brought him commissions amounting to #ab1jjjl4 ,chantrey had now succeeded1 but he had worked hard1 and fairly earned his good fortune4 ,he was selected from amongst sixteen competitors to execute the statue of ,george ,,iii4 for the city of ,london4 ,a few years later1 he produced the exquisite monument of the ,sleeping ,children1 now in ,lichfield ,cathedral1--a work of great tenderness and beauty2 and thenceforward his career was one of increasing honour1 fame1 and prosperity4 ,his patience1 industry1 and steady perseverance were the means by which he achieved his greatness4 ,nature endowed him with genius1 and his sound sense enabled him to employ the precious gift as a blessing4 ,he was prudent and shrewd1 like the men amongst whom he was born2 the pocket-book which accompanied him on his ,italian tour containing mingled notes on art1 records of daily expenses1 and the current prices of marble4 ,his tastes were simple1 and he made his finest subjects great by the mere force of simplicity4 ,his statue of ,watt1 in ,handsworth church1 seems to us the very consummation of art2 yet it is perfectly artless and simple4 ,his generosity to brother artists in need was splendid1 but quiet and unostentatious4 ,he left the principal part of his fortune to the ,royal ,academy for the promotion of ,british art4 ,the same honest and persistent industry was throughout distinctive of the career of ,david ,wilkie4 ,the son of a ,scotch minister1 he gave early indications of an artistic turn2 and though he was a negligent and inapt scholar1 he was a sedulous drawer of faces and figures4 ,a silent boy1 he already displayed that quiet concentrated energy of character which distinguished him through life4 ,he was always on the look-out for an opportunity to draw1--and the walls of the manse1 or the smooth sand by the river side1 were alike convenient for his purpose4 ,any sort of tool would serve him2 like ,giotto1 he found a pencil in a burnt stick1 a prepared canvas in any smooth stone1 and the subject for a picture in every ragged mendicant he met4 ,when he visited a house1 he generally left his mark on the walls as an indication of his presence1 sometimes to the disgust of cleanly housewives4 ,in short1 notwithstanding the aversion of his father1 the minister1 to the 8sinful0 profession of painting1 ,wilkie's strong propensity was not to be thwarted1 and he became an artist1 working his way manfully up the steep of difficulty4 ,though rejected on his first application as a candidate for admission to the ,scottish ,academy1 at ,edinburgh1 on account of the rudeness and inaccuracy of his introductory specimens1 he persevered in producing better1 until he was admitted4 ,but his progress was slow4 ,he applied himself diligently to the drawing of the human figure1 and held on with the determination to succeed1 as if with a resolute confidence in the result4 ,he displayed none of the eccentric humour and fitful application of many youths who conceive themselves geniuses1 but kept up the routine of steady application to such an extent that he himself was afterwards accustomed to attribute his success to his dogged perseverance rather than to any higher innate power4 8,the single element10 he said1 8in all the progressive movements of my pencil was persevering industry40 ,at ,edinburgh he gained a few premiums1 thought of turning his attention to portrait painting1 with a view to its higher and more certain remuneration1 but eventually went boldly into the line in which he earned his fame1--and painted his ,pitlessie ,fair4 ,what was bolder still1 he determined to proceed to ,london1 on account of its presenting so much wider a field for study and work2 and the poor ,scotch lad arrived in town1 and painted his ,village ,politicians while living in a humble lodging on eighteen shillings a week4 ,notwithstanding the success of this picture1 and the commissions which followed it1 ,wilkie long continued poor4 ,the prices which his works realized were not great1 for he bestowed upon them so much time and labour1 that his earnings continued comparatively small for many years4 ,every picture was carefully studied and elaborated beforehand2 nothing was struck off at a heat2 many occupied him for years--touching1 retouching1 and improving them until they finally passed out of his hands4 ,as with ,reynolds1 his motto was 8,work6 work6 work60 and1 like him1 he expressed great dislike for talking artists4 ,talkers may sow1 but the silent reap4 8,let us be doing something10 was his oblique mode of rebuking the loquacious and admonishing the idle4 ,he once related to his friend ,constable that when he studied at the ,scottish ,academy1 ,graham1 the master of it1 was accustomed to say to the students1 in the words of ,reynolds1 8,if you have genius1 industry will improve it2 if you have none1 industry will supply its place40 8,so10 said ,wilkie1 8,i was determined to be very industrious1 for ,i knew ,i had no genius40 ,he also told ,constable that when ,linnell and ,burnett1 his fellow-students in ,london1 were talking about art1 he always contrived to get as close to them as he could to hear all they said1 8for10 said he1 8they know a great deal1 and ,i know very little40 ,this was said with perfect sincerity1 for ,wilkie was habitually modest4 ,one of the first things that he did with the sum of thirty pounds which he obtained from ,lord ,mansfield for his ,village ,politicians1 was to buy a present--of bonnets1 shawls1 and dresses--for his mother and sister at home1 though but little able to afford it at the time4 ,wilkie's early poverty had trained him in habits of strict economy1 which were1 however1 consistent with a noble liberality1 as appears from sundry passages in the ,autobiography of ,abraham ,raimbach the engraver4 ,william ,etty was another notable instance of unflagging industry and indomitable perseverance in art4 ,his father was a ginger-bread and spicemaker at ,york1 and his mother--a woman of considerable force and originality of character--was the daughter of a ropemaker4 ,the boy early displayed a love of drawing1 covering walls1 floors1 and tables with specimens of his skill2 his first crayon being a farthing's worth of chalk1 and this giving place to a piece of coal or a bit of charred stick4 ,his mother1 knowing nothing of art1 put the boy apprentice to a trade--that of a printer4 ,but in his leisure hours he went on with the practice of drawing2 and when his time was out he determined to follow his bent--he would be a painter and nothing else4 ,fortunately his uncle and elder brother were able and willing to help him on in his new career1 and they provided him with the means of entering as pupil at the ,royal ,academy4 ,we observe1 from ,leslie's ,autobiography1 that ,etty was looked upon by his fellow students as a worthy but dull1 plodding person1 who would never distinguish himself4 ,but he had in him the divine faculty of work1 and diligently plodded his way upward to eminence in the highest walks of art4 ,many artists have had to encounter privations which have tried their courage and endurance to the utmost before they succeeded4 ,what number may have sunk under them we can never know4 ,martin encountered difficulties in the course of his career such as perhaps fall to the lot of few4 ,more than once he found himself on the verge of starvation while engaged on his first great picture4 ,it is related of him that on one occasion he found himself reduced to his last shilling--a bright shilling--which he had kept because of its very brightness1 but at length he found it necessary to exchange it for bread4 ,he went to a baker's shop1 bought a loaf1 and was taking it away1 when the baker snatched it from him1 and tossed back the shilling to the starving painter4 ,the bright shilling had failed him in his hour of need--it was a bad one6 ,returning to his lodgings1 he rummaged his trunk for some remaining crust to satisfy his hunger4 ,upheld throughout by the victorious power of enthusiasm1 he pursued his design with unsubdued energy4 ,he had the courage to work on and to wait2 and when1 a few days after1 he found an opportunity to exhibit his picture1 he was from that time famous4 ,like many other great artists1 his life proves that1 in despite of outward circumstances1 genius1 aided by industry1 will be its own protector1 and that fame1 though she comes late1 will never ultimately refuse her favours to real merit4 ,the most careful discipline and training after academic methods will fail in making an artist1 unless he himself take an active part in the work4 ,like every highly cultivated man1 he must be mainly self-educated4 ,when ,pugin1 who was brought up in his father's office1 had learnt all that he could learn of architecture according to the usual formulas1 he still found that he had learned but little2 and that he must begin at the beginning1 and pass through the discipline of labour4 ,young ,pugin accordingly hired himself out as a common carpenter at ,covent ,garden ,theatre--first working under the stage1 then behind the flys1 then upon the stage itself4 ,he thus acquired a familiarity with work1 and cultivated an architectural taste1 to which the diversity of the mechanical employment about a large operatic establishment is peculiarly favourable4 ,when the theatre closed for the season1 he worked a sailing-ship between ,london and some of the ,french ports1 carrying on at the same time a profitable trade4 ,at every opportunity he would land and make drawings of any old building1 and especially of any ecclesiastical structure which fell in his way4 ,afterwards he would make special journeys to the ,continent for the same purpose1 and returned home laden with drawings4 ,thus he plodded and laboured on1 making sure of the excellence and distinction which he eventually achieved4 ,a similar illustration of plodding industry in the same walk is presented in the career of ,george ,kemp1 the architect of the beautiful ,scott ,monument at ,edinburgh4 ,he was the son of a poor shepherd1 who pursued his calling on the southern slope of the ,pentland ,hills4 ,amidst that pastoral solitude the boy had no opportunity of enjoying the contemplation of works of art4 ,it happened1 however1 that in his tenth year he was sent on a message to ,roslin1 by the farmer for whom his father herded sheep1 and the sight of the beautiful castle and chapel there seems to have made a vivid and enduring impression on his mind4 ,probably to enable him to indulge his love of architectural construction1 the boy besought his father to let him be a joiner2 and he was accordingly put apprentice to a neighbouring village carpenter4 ,having served his time1 he went to ,galashiels to seek work4 ,as he was plodding along the valley of the ,tweed with his tools upon his back1 a carriage overtook him near ,elibank ,tower2 and the coachman1 doubtless at the suggestion of his master1 who was seated inside1 having asked the youth how far he had to walk1 and learning that he was on his way to ,galashiels1 invited him to mount the box beside him1 and thus to ride thither4 ,it turned out that the kindly gentleman inside was no other than ,sir ,walter ,scott1 then travelling on his official duty as ,sheriff of ,selkirkshire4 ,whilst working at ,galashiels1 ,kemp had frequent opportunities of visiting ,melrose1 ,dryburgh1 and ,jedburgh ,abbeys1 which he studied carefully4 ,inspired by his love of architecture1 he worked his way as a carpenter over the greater part of the north of ,england1 never omitting an opportunity of inspecting and making sketches of any fine ,gothic building4 ,on one occasion1 when working in ,lancashire1 he walked fifty miles to ,york1 spent a week in carefully examining the ,minster1 and returned in like manner on foot4 ,we next find him in ,glasgow1 where he remained four years1 studying the fine cathedral there during his spare time4 ,he returned to ,england again1 this time working his way further south2 studying ,canterbury1 ,winchester1 ,tintern1 and other well-known structures4 ,in #ahbd he formed the design of travelling over ,europe with the same object1 supporting himself by his trade4 ,reaching ,boulogne1 he proceeded by ,abbeville and ,beauvais to ,paris1 spending a few weeks making drawings and studies at each place4 ,his skill as a mechanic1 and especially his knowledge of mill-work1 readily secured him employment wherever he went2 and he usually chose the site of his employment in the neighbourhood of some fine old ,gothic structure1 in studying which he occupied his leisure4 ,after a year's working1 travel1 and study abroad1 he returned to ,scotland4 ,he continued his studies1 and became a proficient in drawing and perspective3 ,melrose was his favourite ruin2 and he produced several elaborate drawings of the building1 one of which1 exhibiting it in a 8restored0 state1 was afterwards engraved4 ,he also obtained employment as a modeller of architectural designs2 and made drawings for a work begun by an ,edinburgh engraver1 after the plan of ,britton's #8,cathedral ,antiquities4' ,this was a task congenial to his tastes1 and he laboured at it with an enthusiasm which ensured its rapid advance2 walking on foot for the purpose over half ,scotland1 and living as an ordinary mechanic1 whilst executing drawings which would have done credit to the best masters in the art4 ,the projector of the work having died suddenly1 the publication was however stopped1 and ,kemp sought other employment4 ,few knew of the genius of this man--for he was exceedingly taciturn and habitually modest--when the ,committee of the ,scott ,monument offered a prize for the best design4 ,the competitors were numerous--including some of the greatest names in classical architecture2 but the design unanimously selected was that of ,george ,kemp1 who was working at ,kilwinning ,abbey in ,ayrshire1 many miles off1 when the letter reached him intimating the decision of the committee4 ,poor ,kemp6 ,shortly after this event he met an untimely death1 and did not live to see the first result of his indefatigable industry and self-culture embodied in stone1--one of the most beautiful and appropriate memorials ever erected to literary genius4 ,john ,gibson was another artist full of a genuine enthusiasm and love for his art1 which placed him high above those sordid temptations which urge meaner natures to make time the measure of profit4 ,he was born at ,gyffn1 near ,conway1 in ,north ,wales--the son of a gardener4 ,he early showed indications of his talent by the carvings in wood which he made by means of a common pocket knife2 and his father1 noting the direction of his talent1 sent him to ,liverpool and bound him apprentice to a cabinet-maker and wood-carver4 ,he rapidly improved at his trade1 and some of his carvings were much admired4 ,he was thus naturally led to sculpture1 and when eighteen years old he modelled a small figure of ,time in wax1 which attracted considerable notice4 ,the ,messrs4 ,franceys1 sculptors1 of ,liverpool1 having purchased the boy's indentures1 took him as their apprentice for six years1 during which his genius displayed itself in many original works4 ,from thence he proceeded to ,london1 and afterwards to ,rome2 and his fame became ,european4 ,robert ,thorburn1 the ,royal ,academician1 like ,john ,gibson1 was born of poor parents4 ,his father was a shoe-maker at ,dumfries4 ,besides ,robert there were two other sons2 one of whom is a skilful carver in wood4 ,one day a lady called at the shoemaker's and found ,robert1 then a mere boy1 engaged in drawing upon a stool which served him for a table4 ,she examined his work1 and observing his abilities1 interested herself in obtaining for him some employment in drawing1 and enlisted in his behalf the services of others who could assist him in prosecuting the study of art4 ,the boy was diligent1 pains-taking1 staid1 and silent1 mixing little with his companions1 and forming but few intimacies4 ,about the year #ahcj1 some gentlemen of the town provided him with the means of proceeding to ,edinburgh1 where he was admitted a student at the ,scottish ,academy4 ,there he had the advantage of studying under competent masters1 and the progress which he made was rapid4 ,from ,edinburgh he removed to ,london1 where1 we understand1 he had the advantage of being introduced to notice under the patronage of the ,duke of ,buccleuch4 ,we need scarcely say1 however1 that of whatever use patronage may have been to ,thorburn in giving him an introduction to the best circles1 patronage of no kind could have made him the great artist that he unquestionably is1 without native genius and diligent application4 ,noel ,paton1 the well-known painter1 began his artistic career at ,dunfermline and ,paisley1 as a drawer of patterns for table-cloths and muslin embroidered by hand2 meanwhile working diligently at higher subjects1 including the drawing of the human figure4 ,he was1 like ,turner1 ready to turn his hand to any kind of work1 and in #ahdj1 when a mere youth1 we find him engaged1 among his other labours1 in illustrating the #8,renfrewshire ,annual4' ,he worked his way step by step1 slowly yet surely2 but he remained unknown until the exhibition of the prize cartoons painted for the houses of ,parliament1 when his picture of the ,spirit of ,religion 7for which he obtained one of the first prizes7 revealed him to the world as a genuine artist2 and the works which he has since exhibited--such as the #8,reconciliation of ,oberon and ,titania1' #8,home1' and #8,the bluidy ,tryste'--have shown a steady advance in artistic power and culture4 ,another striking exemplification of perseverance and industry in the cultivation of art in humble life is presented in the career of ,james ,sharples1 a working blacksmith at ,blackburn4 ,he was born at ,wakefield in ,yorkshire1 in #ahbe1 one of a family of thirteen children4 ,his father was a working ironfounder1 and removed to ,bury to follow his business4 ,the boys received no school education1 but were all sent to work as soon as they were able2 and at about ten ,james was placed in a foundry1 where he was employed for about two years as smithy-boy4 ,after that he was sent into the engine-shop where his father worked as engine-smith4 ,the boy's employment was to heat and carry rivets for the boiler-makers4 ,though his hours of labour were very long--often from six in the morning until eight at night--his father contrived to give him some little teaching after working hours2 and it was thus that he partially learned his letters4 ,an incident occurred in the course of his employment among the boiler-makers1 which first awakened in him the desire to learn drawing4 ,he had occasionally been employed by the foreman to hold the chalked line with which he made the designs of boilers upon the floor of the workshop2 and on such occasions the foreman was accustomed to hold the line1 and direct the boy to make the necessary dimensions4 ,james soon became so expert at this as to be of considerable service to the foreman2 and at his leisure hours at home his great delight was to practise drawing designs of boilers upon his mother's floor4 ,on one occasion1 when a female relative was expected from ,manchester to pay the family a visit1 and the house had been made as decent as possible for her reception1 the boy1 on coming in from the foundry in the evening1 began his usual operations upon the floor4 ,he had proceeded some way with his design of a large boiler in chalk1 when his mother arrived with the visitor1 and to her dismay found the boy unwashed and the floor chalked all over4 ,the relative1 however1 professed to be pleased with the boy's industry1 praised his design1 and recommended his mother to provide 8the little sweep10 as she called him1 with paper and pencils4 ,encouraged by his elder brother1 he began to practise figure and landscape drawing1 making copies of lithographs1 but as yet without any knowledge of the rules of perspective and the principles of light and shade4 ,he worked on1 however1 and gradually acquired expertness in copying4 ,at sixteen1 he entered the ,bury ,mechanic's ,institution in order to attend the drawing class1 taught by an amateur who followed the trade of a barber4 ,there he had a lesson a week during three months4 ,the teacher recommended him to obtain from the library ,burnet's #8,practical ,treatise on ,painting2' but as he could not yet read with ease1 he was under the necessity of getting his mother1 and sometimes his elder brother1 to read passages from the book for him while he sat by and listened4 ,feeling hampered by his ignorance of the art of reading1 and eager to master the contents of ,burnet's book1 he ceased attending the drawing class at the ,institute after the first quarter1 and devoted himself to learning reading and writing at home4 ,in this he soon succeeded2 and when he again entered the ,institute and took out #8,burnet' a second time1 he was not only able to read it1 but to make written extracts for further use4 ,so ardently did he study the volume1 that he used to rise at four o'clock in the morning to read it and copy out passages2 after which he went to the foundry at six1 worked until six and sometimes eight in the evening2 and returned home to enter with fresh zest upon the study of ,burnet1 which he continued often until a late hour4 ,parts of his nights were also occupied in drawing and making copies of drawings4 ,on one of these--a copy of ,leonardo da ,vinci's 8,last ,supper0--he spent an entire night4 ,he went to bed indeed1 but his mind was so engrossed with the subject that he could not sleep1 and rose again to resume his pencil4 ,he next proceeded to try his hand at painting in oil1 for which purpose he procured some canvas from a draper1 stretched it on a frame1 coated it over with white lead1 and began painting on it with colours bought from a house-painter4 ,but his work proved a total failure2 for the canvas was rough and knotty1 and the paint would not dry4 ,in his extremity he applied to his old teacher1 the barber1 from whom he first learnt that prepared canvas was to be had1 and that there were colours and varnishes made for the special purpose of oil-painting4 ,as soon therefore1 as his means would allow1 he bought a small stock of the necessary articles and began afresh1--his amateur master showing him how to paint2 and the pupil succeeded so well that he excelled the master's copy4 ,his first picture was a copy from an engraving called 8,sheep-shearing10 and was afterwards sold by him for half-a-crown4 ,aided by a shilling ,guide to ,oil-painting1 he went on working at his leisure hours1 and gradually acquired a better knowledge of his materials4 ,he made his own easel and palette1 palette-knife1 and paint-chest2 he bought his paint1 brushes1 and canvas1 as he could raise the money by working over-time4 ,this was the slender fund which his parents consented to allow him for the purpose2 the burden of supporting a very large family precluding them from doing more4 ,often he would walk to ,manchester and back in the evenings to buy two or three shillings' worth of paint and canvas1 returning almost at midnight1 after his eighteen miles' walk1 sometimes wet through and completely exhausted1 but borne up throughout by his inexhaustible hope and invincible determination4 ,the further progress of the self-taught artist is best narrated in his own words1 as communicated by him in a letter to the author3-- 8,the next pictures ,i painted10 he says1 8were a ,landscape by ,moonlight1 a ,fruitpiece1 and one or two others2 after which ,i conceived the idea of painting #8,the ,forge4' ,i had for some time thought about it1 but had not attempted to embody the conception in a drawing4 ,i now1 however1 made a sketch of the subject upon paper1 and then proceeded to paint it on canvas4 ,the picture simply represents the interior of a large workshop such as ,i have been accustomed to work in1 although not of any particular shop4 ,it is1 therefore1 to this extent1 an original conception4 ,having made an outline of the subject1 ,i found that1 before ,i could proceed with it successfully1 a knowledge of anatomy was indispensable to enable me accurately to delineate the muscles of the figures4 ,my brother ,peter came to my assistance at this juncture1 and kindly purchased for me ,flaxman's #8,anatomical studies1'--a work altogether beyond my means at the time1 for it cost twenty-four shillings4 ,this book ,i looked upon as a great treasure1 and ,i studied it laboriously1 rising at three o'clock in the morning to draw after it1 and occasionally getting my brother ,peter to stand for me as a model at that untimely hour4 ,although ,i gradually improved myself by this practice1 it was some time before ,i felt sufficient confidence to go on with my picture4 ,i also felt hampered by my want of knowledge of perspective1 which ,i endeavoured to remedy by carefully studying ,brook ,taylor's #8,principles2' and shortly after ,i resumed my painting4 ,while engaged in the study of perspective at home1 ,i used to apply for and obtain leave to work at the heavier kinds of smith work at the foundry1 and for this reason--the time required for heating the heaviest iron work is so much longer than that required for heating the lighter1 that it enabled me to secure a number of spare minutes in the course of the day1 which ,i carefully employed in making diagrams in perspective upon the sheet iron casing in front of the hearth at which ,i worked40 ,thus assiduously working and studying1 ,james ,sharples steadily advanced in his knowledge of the principles of art1 and acquired greater facility in its practice4 ,some eighteen months after the expiry of his apprenticeship he painted a portrait of his father1 which attracted considerable notice in the town2 as also did the picture of 8,the ,forge10 which he finished soon after4 ,his success in portrait-painting obtained for him a commission from the foreman of the shop to paint a family group1 and ,sharples executed it so well that the foreman not only paid him the agreed price of eighteen pounds1 but thirty shillings to boot4 ,while engaged on this group he ceased to work at the foundry1 and he had thoughts of giving up his trade altogether and devoting himself exclusively to painting4 ,he proceeded to paint several pictures1 amongst others a head of ,christ1 an original conception1 life-size1 and a view of ,bury2 but not obtaining sufficient employment at portraits to occupy his time1 or give him the prospect of a steady income1 he had the good sense to resume his leather apron1 and go on working at his honest trade of a blacksmith2 employing his leisure hours in engraving his picture of 8,the ,forge10 since published4 ,he was induced to commence the engraving by the following circumstance4 ,a ,manchester picture-dealer1 to whom he showed the painting1 let drop the observation1 that in the hands of a skilful engraver it would make a very good print4 ,sharples immediately conceived the idea of engraving it himself1 though altogether ignorant of the art4 ,the difficulties which he encountered and successfully overcame in carrying out his project are thus described by himself3-- 8,i had seen an advertisement of a ,sheffield steel-plate maker1 giving a list of the prices at which he supplied plates of various sizes1 and1 fixing upon one of suitable dimensions1 ,i remitted the amount1 together with a small additional sum for which ,i requested him to send me a few engraving tools4 ,i could not specify the articles wanted1 for ,i did not then know anything about the process of engraving4 ,however1 there duly arrived with the plate three or four gravers and an etching needle2 the latter ,i spoiled before ,i knew its use4 ,while working at the plate1 the ,amalgamated ,society of ,engineers offered a premium for the best design for an emblematical picture1 for which ,i determined to compete1 and ,i was so fortunate as to win the prize4 ,shortly after this ,i removed to ,blackburn1 where ,i obtained employment at ,messrs4 ,yates'1 engineers1 as an engine-smith2 and continued to employ my leisure time in drawing1 painting1 and engraving1 as before4 ,with the engraving ,i made but very slow progress1 owing to the difficulties ,i experienced from not possessing proper tools4 ,i then determined to try to make some that would suit my purpose1 and after several failures ,i succeeded in making many that ,i have used in the course of my engraving4 ,i was also greatly at a loss for want of a proper magnifying glass1 and part of the plate was executed with no other assistance of this sort than what my father's spectacles afforded1 though ,i afterwards succeeded in obtaining a proper magnifier1 which was of the utmost use to me4 ,an incident occurred while ,i was engraving the plate1 which had almost caused me to abandon it altogether4 ,it sometimes happened that ,i was obliged to lay it aside for a considerable time1 when other work pressed2 and in order to guard it against rust1 ,i was accustomed to rub over the graven parts with oil4 ,but on examining the plate after one of such intervals1 ,i found that the oil had become a dark sticky substance extremely difficult to get out4 ,i tried to pick it out with a needle1 but found that it would almost take as much time as to engrave the parts afresh4 ,i was in great despair at this1 but at length hit upon the expedient of boiling it in water containing soda1 and afterwards rubbing the engraved parts with a tooth-brush2 and to my delight found the plan succeeded perfectly4 ,my greatest difficulties now over1 patience and perseverance were all that were needed to bring my labours to a successful issue4 ,i had neither advice nor assistance from any one in finishing the plate4 ,if1 therefore1 the work possess any merit1 ,i can claim it as my own2 and if in its accomplishment ,i have contributed to show what can be done by persevering industry and determination1 it is all the honour ,i wish to lay claim to40 ,it would be beside our purpose to enter upon any criticism of 8,the ,forge0 as an engraving2 its merits having been already fully recognised by the art journals4 ,the execution of the work occupied ,sharples's leisure evening hours during a period of five years2 and it was only when he took the plate to the printer that he for the first time saw an engraved plate produced by any other man4 ,to this unvarnished picture of industry and genius1 we add one other trait1 and it is a domestic one4 8,i have been married seven years10 says he1 8and during that time my greatest pleasure1 after ,i have finished my daily labour at the foundry1 has been to resume my pencil or graver1 frequently until a late hour of the evening1 my wife meanwhile sitting by my side and reading to me from some interesting book10--a simple but beautiful testimony to the thorough common sense as well as the genuine right-heartedness of this most interesting and deserving workman4 ,the same industry and application which we have found to be necessary in order to acquire excellence in painting and sculpture1 are equally required in the sister art of music--the one being the poetry of form and colour1 the other of the sounds of nature4 ,handel was an indefatigable and constant worker2 he was never cast down by defeat1 but his energy seemed to increase the more that adversity struck him4 ,when a prey to his mortifications as an insolvent debtor1 he did not give way for a moment1 but in one year produced his #8,saul1' #8,israel1' the music for ,dryden's #8,ode1' his #8,twelve ,grand ,concertos1' and the opera of #8,jupiter in ,argos1' among the finest of his works4 ,as his biographer says of him1 8,he braved everything1 and1 by his unaided self1 accomplished the work of twelve men40 ,haydn1 speaking of his art1 said1 8,it consists in taking up a subject and pursuing it40 8,work10 said ,mozart1 8is my chief pleasure40 ,beethoven's favourite maxim was1 8,the barriers are not erected which can say to aspiring talents and industry1 #8,thus far and no farther4'0 ,when ,moscheles submitted his score of #8,fidelio' for the pianoforte to ,beethoven1 the latter found written at the bottom of the last page1 8,finis1 with ,god's help40 ,beethoven immediately wrote underneath1 8,o man6 help thyself60 ,this was the motto of his artistic life4 ,john ,sebastian ,bach said of himself1 8,i was industrious2 whoever is equally sedulous1 will be equally successful40 ,but there is no doubt that ,bach was born with a passion for music1 which formed the mainspring of his industry1 and was the true secret of his success4 ,when a mere youth1 his elder brother1 wishing to turn his abilities in another direction1 destroyed a collection of studies which the young ,sebastian1 being denied candles1 had copied by moonlight2 proving the strong natural bent of the boy's genius4 ,of ,meyerbeer1 ,bayle thus wrote from ,milan in #ahbj3--8;,he is a man of some talent1 but no genius2 he lives solitary1 working fifteen hours a day at music40 ,years passed1 and ,meyerbeer's hard work fully brought out his genius1 as displayed in his #8,roberto1' #8,huguenots1' #8,prophte1' and other works1 confessedly amongst the greatest operas which have been produced in modern times4 ,although musical composition is not an art in which ,englishmen have as yet greatly distinguished themselves1 their energies having for the most part taken other and more practical directions1 we are not without native illustrations of the power of perseverance in this special pursuit4 ,arne was an upholsterer's son1 intended by his father for the legal profession2 but his love of music was so great1 that he could not be withheld from pursuing it4 ,while engaged in an attorney's office1 his means were very limited1 but1 to gratify his tastes1 he was accustomed to borrow a livery and go into the gallery of the ,opera1 then appropriated to domestics4 ,unknown to his father he made great progress with the violin1 and the first knowledge his father had of the circumstance was when accidentally calling at the house of a neighbouring gentleman1 to his surprise and consternation he found his son playing the leading instrument with a party of musicians4 ,this incident decided the fate of ,arne4 ,his father offered no further opposition to his wishes2 and the world thereby lost a lawyer1 but gained a musician of much taste and delicacy of feeling1 who added many valuable works to our stores of ,english music4 ,the career of the late ,william ,jackson1 author of #8,the ,deliverance of ,israel1' an oratorio which has been successfully performed in the principal towns of his native county of ,york1 furnishes an interesting illustration of the triumph of perseverance over difficulties in the pursuit of musical science4 ,he was the son of a miller at ,masham1 a little town situated in the valley of the ,yore1 in the north-west corner of ,yorkshire4 ,musical taste seems to have been hereditary in the family1 for his father played the fife in the band of the ,masham ,volunteers1 and was a singer in the parish choir4 ,his grandfather also was leading singer and ringer at ,masham ,church2 and one of the boy's earliest musical treats was to be present at the bell pealing on ,sunday mornings4 ,during the service1 his wonder was still more excited by the organist's performance on the barrel-organ1 the doors of which were thrown open behind to let the sound fully into the church1 by which the stops1 pipes1 barrels1 staples1 keyboard1 and jacks1 were fully exposed1 to the wonderment of the little boys sitting in the gallery behind1 and to none more than our young musician4 ,at eight years of age he began to play upon his father's old fife1 which1 however1 would not sound ,d2 but his mother remedied the difficulty by buying for him a one-keyed flute2 and shortly after1 a gentleman of the neighbourhood presented him with a flute with four silver keys4 ,as the boy made no progress with his 8book learning10 being fonder of cricket1 fives1 and boxing1 than of his school lessons--the village schoolmaster giving him up as 8a bad job0--his parents sent him off to a school at ,pateley ,bridge4 ,while there he found congenial society in a club of village choral singers at ,brighouse ,gate1 and with them he learnt the sol-fa-ing gamut on the old ,english plan4 ,he was thus well drilled in the reading of music1 in which he soon became a proficient4 ,his progress astonished the club1 and he returned home full of musical ambition4 ,he now learnt to play upon his father's old piano1 but with little melodious result2 and he became eager to possess a finger-organ1 but had no means of procuring one4 ,about this time1 a neighbouring parish clerk had purchased1 for an insignificant sum1 a small disabled barrel-organ1 which had gone the circuit of the northern counties with a show4 ,the clerk tried to revive the tones of the instrument1 but failed2 at last he bethought him that he would try the skill of young ,jackson1 who had succeeded in making some alterations and improvements in the hand-organ of the parish church4 ,he accordingly brought it to the lad's house in a donkey cart1 and in a short time the instrument was repaired1 and played over its old tunes again1 greatly to the owner's satisfaction4 ,the thought now haunted the youth that he could make a barrel-organ1 and he determined to do so4 ,his father and he set to work1 and though without practice in carpentering1 yet1 by dint of hard labour and after many failures1 they at last succeeded2 and an organ was constructed which played ten tunes very decently1 and the instrument was generally regarded as a marvel in the neighbourhood4 ,young ,jackson was now frequently sent for to repair old church organs1 and to put new music upon the barrels which he added to them4 ,all this he accomplished to the satisfaction of his employers1 after which he proceeded with the construction of a four-stop finger-organ1 adapting to it the keys of an old harpsichord4 ,this he learnt to play upon1--studying #8,callcott's ,thorough ,bass' in the evening1 and working at his trade of a miller during the day2 occasionally also tramping about the country as a 8cadger10 with an ass and a cart4 ,during summer he worked in the fields1 at turnip-time1 hay-time1 and harvest1 but was never without the solace of music in his leisure evening hours4 ,he next tried his hand at musical composition1 and twelve of his anthems were shown to the late ,mr4 ,camidge1 of ,york1 as 8the production of a miller's lad of fourteen40 ,mr4 ,camidge was pleased with them1 marked the objectionable passages1 and returned them with the encouraging remark1 that they did the youth great credit1 and that he must 8go on writing40 ,a village band having been set on foot at ,masham1 young ,jackson joined it1 and was ultimately appointed leader4 ,he played all the instruments by turns1 and thus acquired a considerable practical knowledge of his art3 he also composed numerous tunes for the band4 ,a new finger-organ having been presented to the parish church1 he was appointed the organist4 ,he now gave up his employment as a journeyman miller1 and commenced tallow-chandling1 still employing his spare hours in the study of music4 ,in #ahci he published his first anthem--#8,for joy let fertile valleys sing2' and in the following year he gained the first prize from the ,huddersfield ,glee ,club1 for his #8,sisters of the ,lea4' ,his other anthem #8,god be merciful to us1' and the #ajcrd ,psalm1 written for a double chorus and orchestra1 are well known4 ,in the midst of these minor works1 ,jackson proceeded with the composition of his oratorio1--#8,the ,deliverance of ,israel from ,babylon4' ,his practice was1 to jot down a sketch of the ideas as they presented themselves to his mind1 and to write them out in score in the evenings1 after he had left his work in the candle-shop4 ,his oratorio was published in parts1 in the course of #ahdd-e1 and he published the last chorus on his twenty-ninth birthday4 ,the work was exceedingly well received1 and has been frequently performed with much success in the northern towns4 ,mr4 ,jackson eventually settled as a professor of music at ,bradford1 where he contributed in no small degree to the cultivation of the musical taste of that town and its neighbourhood4 ,some years since he had the honour of leading his fine company of ,bradford choral singers before ,her ,majesty at ,buckingham ,palace2 on which occasion1 as well as at the ,crystal ,palace1 some choral pieces of his composition1 were performed with great effect4 #bja ,such is a brief outline of the career of a self-taught musician1 whose life affords but another illustration of the power of self-help1 and the force of courage and industry in enabling a man to surmount and overcome early difficulties and obstructions of no ordinary kind4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,industry ,,and ,,the ,,peerage4 8,he either fears his fate too much1 ,or his deserts are small1 ,that dares not put it to the touch1 ,to gain or lose it all40--,marquis of ,montrose4 8,he hath put down the mighty from their seats2 and exalted them of low degree40--,st4 ,luke4 ,,we have already referred to some illustrious ,commoners raised from humble to elevated positions by the power of application and industry2 and we might point to even the ,peerage itself as affording equally instructive examples4 ,one reason why the ,peerage of ,england has succeeded so well in holding its own1 arises from the fact that1 unlike the peerages of other countries1 it has been fed1 from time to time1 by the best industrial blood of the country--the very 8liver1 heart1 and brain of ,britain40 ,like the fabled ,antus1 it has been invigorated and refreshed by touching its mother earth1 and mingling with that most ancient order of nobility--the working order4 ,the blood of all men flows from equally remote sources2 and though some are unable to trace their line directly beyond their grandfathers1 all are nevertheless justified in placing at the head of their pedigree the great progenitors of the race1 as ,lord ,chesterfield did when he wrote1 8,,adam de ,stanhope--,,eve de ,stanhope40 ,no class is ever long stationary4 ,the mighty fall1 and the humble are exalted4 ,new families take the place of the old1 who disappear among the ranks of the common people4 ,burke's #8,vicissitudes of ,families' strikingly exhibit this rise and fall of families1 and show that the misfortunes which overtake the rich and noble are greater in proportion than those which overwhelm the poor4 ,this author points out that of the twenty-five barons selected to enforce the observance of ,magna ,charta1 there is not now in the ,house of ,peers a single male descendant4 ,civil wars and rebellions ruined many of the old nobility and dispersed their families4 ,yet their descendants in many cases survive1 and are to be found among the ranks of the people4 ,fuller wrote in his #8,worthies1' that 8some who justly hold the surnames of ,bohuns1 ,mortimers1 and ,plantagenets1 are hid in the heap of common men40 ,thus ,burke shows that two of the lineal descendants of the ,earl of ,kent1 sixth son of ,edward ,i41 were discovered in a butcher and a toll-gatherer2 that the great grandson of ,margaret ,plantagenet1 daughter of the ,duke of ,clarance1 sank to the condition of a cobbler at ,newport1 in ,shropshire2 and that among the lineal descendants of the ,duke of ,gloucester1 son of ,edward ,,iii41 was the late sexton of ,st4 ,george's1 ,hanover ,square4 ,it is understood that the lineal descendant of ,simon de ,montfort1 ,england's premier baron1 is a saddler in ,tooley ,street4 ,one of the descendants of the 8,proud ,percys10 a claimant of the title of ,duke of ,northumberland1 was a ,dublin trunk-maker2 and not many years since one of the claimants for the title of ,earl of ,perth presented himself in the person of a labourer in a ,northumberland coal-pit4 ,hugh ,miller1 when working as a stone-mason near ,edinburgh1 was served by a hodman1 who was one of the numerous claimants for the earldom of ,crauford--all that was wanted to establish his claim being a missing marriage certificate2 and while the work was going on1 the cry resounded from the walls many times in the day1 of--8,john1 ,yearl ,crauford1 bring us anither hod o'lime40 ,one of ,oliver ,cromwell's great grandsons was a grocer on ,snow ,hill1 and others of his descendants died in great poverty4 ,many barons of proud names and titles have perished1 like the sloth1 upon their family tree1 after eating up all the leaves2 while others have been overtaken by adversities which they have been unable to retrieve1 and sunk at last into poverty and obscurity4 ,such are the mutabilities of rank and fortune4 ,the great bulk of our peerage is comparatively modern1 so far as the titles go2 but it is not the less noble that it has been recruited to so large an extent from the ranks of honourable industry4 ,in olden times1 the wealth and commerce of ,london1 conducted as it was by energetic and enterprising men1 was a prolific source of peerages4 ,thus1 the earldom of ,cornwallis was founded by ,thomas ,cornwallis1 the ,cheapside merchant2 that of ,essex by ,william ,capel1 the draper2 and that of ,craven by ,william ,craven1 the merchant tailor4 ,the modern ,earl of ,warwick is not descended from the 8,king-maker10 but from ,william ,greville1 the woolstapler2 whilst the modern dukes of ,northumberland find their head1 not in the ,percies1 but in ,hugh ,smithson1 a respectable ,london apothecary4 ,the founders of the families of ,dartmouth1 ,radnor1 ,ducie1 and ,pomfret1 were respectively a skinner1 a silk manufacturer1 a merchant tailor1 and a ,calais merchant2 whilst the founders of the peerages of ,tankerville1 ,dormer1 and ,coventry1 were mercers4 ,the ancestors of ,earl ,romney1 and ,lord ,dudley and ,ward1 were goldsmiths and jewellers2 and ,lord ,dacres was a banker in the reign of ,charles ,i41 as ,lord ,overstone is in that of ,queen ,victoria4 ,edward ,osborne1 the founder of the ,dukedom of ,leeds1 was apprentice to ,william ,hewet1 a rich clothworker on ,london ,bridge1 whose only daughter he courageously rescued from drowning1 by leaping into the ,thames after her1 and eventually married4 ,among other peerages founded by trade are those of ,fitzwilliam1 ,leigh1 ,petre1 ,cowper1 ,darnley1 ,hill1 and ,carrington4 ,the founders of the houses of ,foley and ,normanby were remarkable men in many respects1 and1 as furnishing striking examples of energy of character1 the story of their lives is worthy of preservation4 ,the father of ,richard ,foley1 the founder of the family1 was a small yeoman living in the neighbourhood of ,stourbridge in the time of ,charles ,i4 ,that place was then the centre of the iron manufacture of the midland districts1 and ,richard was brought up to work at one of the branches of the trade--that of nail-making4 ,he was thus a daily observer of the great labour and loss of time caused by the clumsy process then adopted for dividing the rods of iron in the manufacture of nails4 ,it appeared that the ,stourbridge nailers were gradually losing their trade in consequence of the importation of nails from ,sweden1 by which they were undersold in the market4 ,it became known that the ,swedes were enabled to make their nails so much cheaper1 by the use of splitting mills and machinery1 which had completely superseded the laborious process of preparing the rods for nail-making then practised in ,england4 ,richard ,foley1 having ascertained this much1 determined to make himself master of the new process4 ,he suddenly disappeared from the neighbourhood of ,stourbridge1 and was not heard of for several years4 ,no one knew whither he had gone1 not even his own family2 for he had not informed them of his intention1 lest he should fail4 ,he had little or no money in his pocket1 but contrived to get to ,hull1 where he engaged himself on board a ship bound for a ,swedish port1 and worked his passage there4 ,the only article of property which he possessed was his fiddle1 and on landing in ,sweden he begged and fiddled his way to the ,dannemora mines1 near ,upsala4 ,he was a capital musician1 as well as a pleasant fellow1 and soon ingratiated himself with the iron-workers4 ,he was received into the works1 to every part of which he had access2 and he seized the opportunity thus afforded him of storing his mind with observations1 and mastering1 as he thought1 the mechanism of iron splitting4 ,after a continued stay for this purpose1 he suddenly disappeared from amongst his kind friends the miners--no one knew whither4 ,returned to ,england1 he communicated the results of his voyage to ,mr4 ,knight and another person at ,stourbridge1 who had sufficient confidence in him to advance the requisite funds for the purpose of erecting buildings and machinery for splitting iron by the new process4 ,but when set to work1 to the great vexation and disappointment of all1 and especially of ,richard ,foley1 it was found that the machinery would not act--at all events it would not split the bars of iron4 ,again ,foley disappeared4 ,it was thought that shame and mortification at his failure had driven him away for ever4 ,not so6 ,foley had determined to master this secret of iron-splitting1 and he would yet do it4 ,he had again set out for ,sweden1 accompanied by his fiddle as before1 and found his way to the iron works1 where he was joyfully welcomed by the miners2 and1 to make sure of their fiddler1 they this time lodged him in the very splitting-mill itself4 ,there was such an apparent absence of intelligence about the man1 except in fiddle-playing1 that the miners entertained no suspicions as to the object of their minstrel1 whom they thus enabled to attain the very end and aim of his life4 ,he now carefully examined the works1 and soon discovered the cause of his failure4 ,he made drawings or tracings of the machinery as well as he could1 though this was a branch of art quite new to him2 and after remaining at the place long enough to enable him to verify his observations1 and to impress the mechanical arrangements clearly and vividly on his mind1 he again left the miners1 reached a ,swedish port1 and took ship for ,england4 ,a man of such purpose could not but succeed4 ,arrived amongst his surprised friends1 he now completed his arrangements1 and the results were entirely successful4 ,by his skill and his industry he soon laid the foundations of a large fortune1 at the same time that he restored the business of an extensive district4 ,he himself continued1 during his life1 to carry on his trade1 aiding and encouraging all works of benevolence in his neighbourhood4 ,he founded and endowed a school at ,stourbridge2 and his son ,thomas 7a great benefactor of ,kidderminster71 who was ,high ,sheriff of ,worcestershire in the time of 8,the ,rump10 founded and endowed an hospital1 still in existence1 for the free education of children at ,old ,swinford4 ,all the early ,foleys were ,puritans4 ,richard ,baxter seems to have been on familiar and intimate terms with various members of the family1 and makes frequent mention of them in his #8,life and ,times4' ,thomas ,foley1 when appointed high sheriff of the county1 requested ,baxter to preach the customary sermon before him2 and ,baxter in his #8,life' speaks of him as 8of so just and blameless dealing1 that all men he ever had to do with magnified his great integrity and honesty1 which were questioned by none40 ,the family was ennobled in the reign of ,charles the ,second4 ,william ,phipps1 the founder of the ,mulgrave or ,normanby family1 was a man quite as remarkable in his way as ,richard ,foley4 ,his father was a gunsmith--a robust ,englishman settled at ,woolwich1 in ,maine1 then forming part of our ,english colonies in ,america4 ,he was born in #afea1 one of a family of not fewer than twenty-six children 7of whom twenty-one were sons71 whose only fortune lay in their stout hearts and strong arms4 ,william seems to have had a dash of the ,danish-sea blood in his veins1 and did not take kindly to the quiet life of a shepherd in which he spent his early years4 ,by nature bold and adventurous1 he longed to become a sailor and roam through the world4 ,he sought to join some ship2 but not being able to find one1 he apprenticed himself to a shipbuilder1 with whom he thoroughly learnt his trade1 acquiring the arts of reading and writing during his leisure hours4 ,having completed his apprenticeship and removed to ,boston1 he wooed and married a widow of some means1 after which he set up a little shipbuilding yard of his own1 built a ship1 and1 putting to sea in her1 he engaged in the lumber trade1 which he carried on in a plodding and laborious way for the space of about ten years4 ,it happened that one day1 whilst passing through the crooked streets of old ,boston1 he overheard some sailors talking to each other of a wreck which had just taken place off the ,bahamas2 that of a ,spanish ship1 supposed to have much money on board4 ,his adventurous spirit was at once kindled1 and getting together a likely crew without loss of time1 he set sail for the ,bahamas4 ,the wreck being well in-shore1 he easily found it1 and succeeded in recovering a great deal of its cargo1 but very little money2 and the result was1 that he barely defrayed his expenses4 ,his success had been such1 however1 as to stimulate his enterprising spirit2 and when he was told of another and far more richly laden vessel which had been wrecked near ,port de la ,plata more than half a century before1 he forthwith formed the resolution of raising the wreck1 or at all events of fishing up the treasure4 ,being too poor1 however1 to undertake such an enterprise without powerful help1 he set sail for ,england in the hope that he might there obtain it4 ,the fame of his success in raising the wreck off the ,bahamas had already preceded him4 ,he applied direct to the ,government4 ,by his urgent enthusiasm1 he succeeded in overcoming the usual inertia of official minds2 and ,charles ,,ii4 eventually placed at his disposal the 8,rose ,algier10 a ship of eighteen guns and ninety-five men1 appointing him to the chief command4 ,phipps then set sail to find the ,spanish ship and fish up the treasure4 ,he reached the coast of ,hispaniola in safety2 but how to find the sunken ship was the great difficulty4 ,the fact of the wreck was more than fifty years old2 and ,phipps had only the traditionary rumours of the event to work upon4 ,there was a wide coast to explore1 and an outspread ocean without any trace whatever of the argosy which lay somewhere at its bottom4 ,but the man was stout in heart and full of hope4 ,he set his seamen to work to drag along the coast1 and for weeks they went on fishing up sea-weed1 shingle1 and bits of rock4 ,no occupation could be more trying to seamen1 and they began to grumble one to another1 and to whisper that the man in command had brought them on a fool's errand4 ,at length the murmurers gained head1 and the men broke into open mutiny4 ,a body of them rushed one day on to the quarter-deck1 and demanded that the voyage should be relinquished4 ,phipps1 however1 was not a man to be intimidated2 he seized the ringleaders1 and sent the others back to their duty4 ,it became necessary to bring the ship to anchor close to a small island for the purpose of repairs2 and1 to lighten her1 the chief part of the stores was landed4 ,discontent still increasing amongst the crew1 a new plot was laid amongst the men on shore to seize the ship1 throw ,phipps overboard1 and start on a piratical cruize against the ,spaniards in the ,south ,seas4 ,but it was necessary to secure the services of the chief ship carpenter1 who was consequently made privy to the pilot4 ,this man proved faithful1 and at once told the captain of his danger4 ,summoning about him those whom he knew to be loyal1 ,phipps had the ship's guns loaded which commanded the shore1 and ordered the bridge communicating with the vessel to be drawn up4 ,when the mutineers made their appearance1 the captain hailed them1 and told the men he would fire upon them if they approached the stores 7still on land71--when they drew back2 on which ,phipps had the stores reshipped under cover of his guns4 ,the mutineers1 fearful of being left upon the barren island1 threw down their arms and implored to be permitted to return to their duty4 ,the request was granted1 and suitable precautions were taken against future mischief4 ,phipps1 however1 took the first opportunity of landing the mutinous part of the crew1 and engaging other men in their places2 but1 by the time that he could again proceed actively with his explorations1 he found it absolutely necessary to proceed to ,england for the purpose of repairing the ship4 ,he had now1 however1 gained more precise information as to the spot where the ,spanish treasure ship had sunk2 and1 though as yet baffled1 he was more confident than ever of the eventual success of his enterprise4 ,returned to ,london1 ,phipps reported the result of his voyage to the ,admiralty1 who professed to be pleased with his exertions2 but he had been unsuccessful1 and they would not entrust him with another king's ship4 ,james ,,ii4 was now on the throne1 and the ,government was in trouble2 so ,phipps and his golden project appealed to them in vain4 ,he next tried to raise the requisite means by a public subscription4 ,at first he was laughed at2 but his ceaseless importunity at length prevailed1 and after four years' dinning of his project into the ears of the great and influential--during which time he lived in poverty--he at length succeeded4 ,a company was formed in twenty shares1 the ,duke of ,albermarle1 son of ,general ,monk1 taking the chief interest in it1 and subscribing the principal part of the necessary fund for the prosecution of the enterprise4 ,like ,foley1 ,phipps proved more fortunate in his second voyage than in his first4 ,the ship arrived without accident at ,port de la ,plata1 in the neighbourhood of the reef of rocks supposed to have been the scene of the wreck4 ,his first object was to build a stout boat capable of carrying eight or ten oars1 in constructing which ,phipps used the adze himself4 ,it is also said that he constructed a machine for the purpose of exploring the bottom of the sea similar to what is now known as the ,diving ,bell4 ,such a machine was found referred to in books1 but ,phipps knew little of books1 and may be said to have re-invented the apparatus for his own use4 ,he also engaged ,indian divers1 whose feats of diving for pearls1 and in submarine operations1 were very remarkable4 ,the tender and boat having been taken to the reef1 the men were set to work1 the diving bell was sunk1 and the various modes of dragging the bottom of the sea were employed continuously for many weeks1 but without any prospect of success4 ,phipps1 however1 held on valiantly1 hoping almost against hope4 ,at length1 one day1 a sailor1 looking over the boat's side down into the clear water1 observed a curious sea-plant growing in what appeared to be a crevice of the rock2 and he called upon an ,indian diver to go down and fetch it for him4 ,on the red man coming up with the weed1 he reported that a number of ships guns were lying in the same place4 ,the intelligence was at first received with incredulity1 but on further investigation it proved to be correct4 ,search was made1 and presently a diver came up with a solid bar of silver in his arms4 ,when ,phipps was shown it1 he exclaimed1 8,thanks be to ,god6 we are all made men40 ,diving bell and divers now went to work with a will1 and in a few days1 treasure was brought up to the value of about #cjj1jjj1 with which ,phipps set sail for ,england4 ,on his arrival1 it was urged upon the king that he should seize the ship and its cargo1 under the pretence that ,phipps1 when soliciting his ,majesty's permission1 had not given accurate information respecting the business4 ,but the king replied1 that he knew ,phipps to be an honest man1 and that he and his friends should divide the whole treasure amongst them1 even though he had returned with double the value4 ,phipps's share was about #bj1jjj1 and the king1 to show his approval of his energy and honesty in conducting the enterprise1 conferred upon him the honour of knighthood4 ,he was also made ,high ,sheriff of ,new ,england2 and during the time he held the office1 he did valiant service for the mother country and the colonists against the ,french1 by expeditions against ,port ,royal and ,quebec4 ,he also held the post of ,governor of ,massachusetts1 from which he returned to ,england1 and died in ,london in #afie4 ,phipps throughout the latter part of his career1 was not ashamed to allude to the lowness of his origin1 and it was matter of honest pride to him that he had risen from the condition of common ship carpenter to the honours of knighthood and the government of a province4 ,when perplexed with public business1 he would often declare that it would be easier for him to go back to his broad axe again4 ,he left behind him a character for probity1 honesty1 patriotism1 and courage1 which is certainly not the least noble inheritance of the house of ,normanby4 ,william ,petty1 the founder of the house of ,lansdowne1 was a man of like energy and public usefulness in his day4 ,he was the son of a clothier in humble circumstances1 at ,romsey1 in ,hampshire1 where he was born in #afbc4 ,in his boyhood he obtained a tolerable education at the grammar school of his native town2 after which he determined to improve himself by study at the ,university of ,caen1 in ,normandy4 ,whilst there he contrived to support himself unassisted by his father1 carrying on a sort of small pedler's trade with 8a little stock of merchandise40 ,returning to ,england1 he had himself bound apprentice to a sea captain1 who 8drubbed him with a rope's end0 for the badness of his sight4 ,he left the navy in disgust1 taking to the study of medicine4 ,when at ,paris he engaged in dissection1 during which time he also drew diagrams for ,hobbes1 who was then writing his treatise on ,optics4 ,he was reduced to such poverty that he subsisted for two or three weeks entirely on walnuts4 ,but again he began to trade in a small way1 turning an honest penny1 and he was enabled shortly to return to ,england with money in his pocket4 ,being of an ingenious mechanical turn1 we find him taking out a patent for a letter-copying machine4 ,he began to write upon the arts and sciences1 and practised chemistry and physic with such success that his reputation shortly became considerable4 ,associating with men of science1 the project of forming a ,society for its prosecution was discussed1 and the first meetings of the infant ,royal ,society were held at his lodgings4 ,at ,oxford he acted for a time as deputy to the anatomical professor there1 who had a great repugnance to dissection4 ,in #afeb his industry was rewarded by the appointment of physician to the army in ,ireland1 whither he went2 and whilst there he was the medical attendant of three successive lords-lieutenant1 ,lambert1 ,fleetwood1 and ,henry ,cromwell4 ,large grants of forfeited land having been awarded to the ,puritan soldiery1 ,petty observed that the lands were very inaccurately measured2 and in the midst of his many avocations he undertook to do the work himself4 ,his appointments became so numerous and lucrative that he was charged by the envious with corruption1 and removed from them all2 but he was again taken into favour at the ,restoration4 ,petty was a most indefatigable contriver1 inventor1 and organizer of industry4 ,one of his inventions was a double-bottomed ship1 to sail against wind and tide4 ,he published treatises on dyeing1 on naval philosophy1 on woollen cloth manufacture1 on political arithmetic1 and many other subjects4 ,he founded iron works1 opened lead mines1 and commenced a pilchard fishery and a timber trade2 in the midst of which he found time to take part in the discussions of the ,royal ,society1 to which he largely contributed4 ,he left an ample fortune to his sons1 the eldest of whom was created ,baron ,shelburne4 ,his will was a curious document1 singularly illustrative of his character2 containing a detail of the principal events of his life1 and the gradual advancement of his fortune4 ,his sentiments on pauperism are characteristic3 8,as for legacies for the poor10 said he1 8,i am at a stand2 as for beggars by trade and election1 ,i give them nothing2 as for impotents by the hand of ,god1 the public ought to maintain them2 as for those who have been bred to no calling nor estate1 they should be put upon their kindred20 4 4 4 8wherefore ,i am contented that ,i have assisted all my poor relations1 and put many into a way of getting their own bread2 have laboured in public works2 and by inventions have sought out real objects of charity2 and ,i do hereby conjure all who partake of my estate1 from time to time1 to do the same at their peril4 ,nevertheless to answer custom1 and to take the surer side1 ,i give #bjl4 to the most wanting of the parish wherein ,i die40 ,he was interred in the fine old ,norman church of ,romsey--the town wherein he was born a poor man's son--and on the south side of the choir is still to be seen a plain slab1 with the inscription1 cut by an illiterate workman1 8,here ,layes ,sir ,william ,petty40 ,another family1 ennobled by invention and trade in our own day1 is that of ,strutt of ,belper4 ,their patent of nobility was virtually secured by ,jedediah ,strutt in #ageh1 when he invented his machine for making ribbed stockings1 and thereby laid the foundations of a fortune which the subsequent bearers of the name have largely increased and nobly employed4 ,the father of ,jedediah was a farmer and malster1 who did but little for the education of his children2 yet they all prospered4 ,jedediah was the second son1 and when a boy assisted his father in the work of the farm4 ,at an early age he exhibited a taste for mechanics1 and introduced several improvements in the rude agricultural implements of the period4 ,on the death of his uncle he succeeded to a farm at ,blackwall1 near ,normanton1 long in the tenancy of the family1 and shortly after he married ,miss ,wollatt1 the daughter of a ,derby hosier4 ,having learned from his wife's brother that various unsuccessful attempts had been made to manufacture ribbed-stockings1 he proceeded to study the subject with a view to effect what others had failed in accomplishing4 ,he accordingly obtained a stocking-frame1 and after mastering its construction and mode of action1 he proceeded to introduce new combinations1 by means of which he succeeded in effecting a variation in the plain looped-work of the frame1 and was thereby enabled to turn out 8ribbed0 hosiery4 ,having secured a patent for the improved machine1 he removed to ,derby1 and there entered largely on the manufacture of ribbed-stockings1 in which he was very successful4 ,he afterwards joined ,arkwright1 of the merits of whose invention he fully satisfied himself1 and found the means of securing his patent1 as well as erecting a large cotton-mill at ,cranford1 in ,derbyshire4 ,after the expiry of the partnership with ,arkwright1 the ,strutts erected extensive cotton-mills at ,milford1 near ,belper1 which worthily gives its title to the present head of the family4 ,the sons of the founder were1 like their father1 distinguished for their mechanical ability4 ,thus ,william ,strutt1 the eldest1 is said to have invented a self-acting mule1 the success of which was only prevented by the mechanical skill of that day being unequal to its manufacture4 ,edward1 the son of ,william1 was a man of eminent mechanical genius1 having early discovered the principle of suspension-wheels for carriages3 he had a wheelbarrow and two carts made on the principle1 which were used on his farm near ,belper4 ,it may be added that the ,strutts have throughout been distinguished for their noble employment of the wealth which their industry and skill have brought them2 that they have sought in all ways to improve the moral and social condition of the work-people in their employment2 and that they have been liberal donors in every good cause--of which the presentation1 by ,mr4 ,joseph ,strutt1 of the beautiful park or ,arboretum at ,derby1 as a gift to the townspeople for ever1 affords only one of many illustrations4 ,the concluding words of the short address which he delivered on presenting this valuable gift are worthy of being quoted and remembered3--8,as the sun has shone brightly on me through life1 it would be ungrateful in me not to employ a portion of the fortune ,i possess in promoting the welfare of those amongst whom ,i live1 and by whose industry ,i have been aided in its organisation40 ,no less industry and energy have been displayed by the many brave men1 both in present and past times1 who have earned the peerage by their valour on land and at sea4 ,not to mention the older feudal lords1 whose tenure depended upon military service1 and who so often led the van of the ,english armies in great national encounters1 we may point to ,nelson1 ,st4 ,vincent1 and ,lyons--to ,wellington1 ,hill1 ,hardinge1 ,clyde1 and many more in recent times1 who have nobly earned their rank by their distinguished services4 ,but plodding industry has far oftener worked its way to the peerage by the honourable pursuit of the legal profession1 than by any other4 ,no fewer than seventy ,british peerages1 including two dukedoms1 have been founded by successful lawyers4 ,mansfield and ,erskine were1 it is true1 of noble family2 but the latter used to thank ,god that out of his own family he did not know a lord4 #baf ,the others were1 for the most part1 the sons of attorneys1 grocers1 clergymen1 merchants1 and hardworking members of the middle class4 ,out of this profession have sprung the peerages of ,howard and ,cavendish1 the first peers of both families having been judges2 those of ,aylesford1 ,ellenborough1 ,guildford1 ,shaftesbury1 ,hardwicke1 ,cardigan1 ,clarendon1 ,camden1 ,ellesmere1 ,rosslyn2 and others nearer our own day1 such as ,tenterden1 ,eldon1 ,brougham1 ,denman1 ,truro1 ,lyndhurst1 ,st4 ,leonards1 ,cranworth1 ,campbell1 and ,chelmsford4 ,lord ,lyndhurst's father was a portrait painter1 and that of ,st4 ,leonards a perfumer and hairdresser in ,burlington ,street4 ,young ,edward ,sugden was originally an errand-boy in the office of the late ,mr4 ,groom1 of ,henrietta ,street1 ,cavendish ,square1 a certificated conveyancer2 and it was there that the future ,lord ,chancellor of ,ireland obtained his first notions of law4 ,the origin of the late ,lord ,tenterden was perhaps the humblest of all1 nor was he ashamed of it2 for he felt that the industry1 study1 and application1 by means of which he achieved his eminent position1 were entirely due to himself4 ,it is related of him1 that on one occasion he took his son ,charles to a little shed1 then standing opposite the western front of ,canterbury ,cathedral1 and pointing it out to him1 said1 8,charles1 you see this little shop2 ,i have brought you here on purpose to show it you4 ,in that shop your grandfather used to shave for a penny3 that is the proudest reflection of my life40 ,when a boy1 ,lord ,tenterden was a singer in the ,cathedral1 and it is a curious circumstance that his destination in life was changed by a disappointment4 ,when he and ,mr4 ,justice ,richards were going the ,home ,circuit together1 they went to service in the cathedral2 and on ,richards commending the voice of a singing man in the choir1 ,lord ,tenterden said1 8,ah6 that is the only man ,i ever envied6 ,when at school in this town1 we were candidates for a chorister's place1 and he obtained it40 ,not less remarkable was the rise to the same distinguished office of ,lord ,chief ,justice1 of the rugged ,kenyon and the robust ,ellenborough2 nor was he a less notable man who recently held the same office--the astute ,lord ,campbell1 late ,lord ,chancellor of ,england1 son of a parish minister in ,fifeshire4 ,for many years he worked hard as a reporter for the press1 while diligently preparing himself for the practice of his profession4 ,it is said of him1 that at the beginning of his career1 he was accustomed to walk from county town to county town when on circuit1 being as yet too poor to afford the luxury of posting4 ,but step by step he rose slowly but surely to that eminence and distinction which ever follow a career of industry honourably and energetically pursued1 in the legal1 as in every other profession4 ,there have been other illustrious instances of ,lords ,chancellors who have plodded up the steep of fame and honour with equal energy and success4 ,the career of the late ,lord ,eldon is perhaps one of the most remarkable examples4 ,he was the son of a ,newcastle coal-fitter2 a mischievous rather than a studious boy2 a great scapegrace at school1 and the subject of many terrible thrashings1--for orchard-robbing was one of the favourite exploits of the future ,lord ,chancellor4 ,his father first thought of putting him apprentice to a grocer1 and afterwards had almost made up his mind to bring him up to his own trade of a coal-fitter4 ,but by this time his eldest son ,william 7afterwards ,lord ,stowell7 who had gained a scholarship at ,oxford1 wrote to his father1 8,send ,jack up to me1 ,i can do better for him40 ,john was sent up to ,oxford accordingly1 where1 by his brother's influence and his own application1 he succeeded in obtaining a fellowship4 ,but when at home during the vacation1 he was so unfortunate--or rather so fortunate1 as the issue proved--as to fall in love2 and running across the ,border with his eloped bride1 he married1 and as his friends thought1 ruined himself for life4 ,he had neither house nor home when he married1 and had not yet earned a penny4 ,he lost his fellowship1 and at the same time shut himself out from preferment in the ,church1 for which he had been destined4 ,he accordingly turned his attention to the study of the law4 ,to a friend he wrote1 8,i have married rashly2 but it is my determination to work hard to provide for the woman ,i love40 ,john ,scott came up to ,london1 and took a small house in ,cursitor ,lane1 where he settled down to the study of the law4 ,he worked with great diligence and resolution2 rising at four every morning and studying till late at night1 binding a wet towel round his head to keep himself awake4 ,too poor to study under a special pleader1 he copied out three folio volumes from a manuscript collection of precedents4 ,long after1 when ,lord ,chancellor1 passing down ,cursitor ,lane one day1 he said to his secretary1 8,here was my first perch3 many a time do ,i recollect coming down this street with sixpence in my hand to buy sprats for supper40 ,when at length called to the bar1 he waited long for employment4 ,his first year's earnings amounted to only nine shillings4 ,for four years he assiduously attended the ,london ,courts and the ,northern ,circuit1 with little better success4 ,even in his native town1 he seldom had other than pauper cases to defend4 ,the results were indeed so discouraging1 that he had almost determined to relinquish his chance of ,london business1 and settle down in some provincial town as a country barrister4 ,his brother ,william wrote home1 8,business is dull with poor ,jack1 very dull indeed60 ,but as he had escaped being a grocer1 a coal-fitter1 and a country parson so did he also escape being a country lawyer4 ,an opportunity at length occurred which enabled ,john ,scott to exhibit the large legal knowledge which he had so laboriously acquired4 ,in a case in which he was engaged1 he urged a legal point against the wishes both of the attorney and client who employed him4 ,the ,master of the ,rolls decided against him1 but on an appeal to the ,house of ,lords1 ,lord ,thurlow reversed the decision on the very point that ,scott had urged4 ,on leaving the ,house that day1 a solicitor tapped him on the shoulder and said1 8,young man1 your bread and butter's cut for life40 ,and the prophecy proved a true one4 ,lord ,mansfield used to say that he knew no interval between no business and #cjjjl4 a-year1 and ,scott might have told the same story2 for so rapid was his progress1 that in #aghc1 when only thirty-two1 he was appointed ,king's ,counsel1 was at the head of the ,northern ,circuit1 and sat in ,parliament for the borough of ,weobley4 ,it was in the dull but unflinching drudgery of the early part of his career that he laid the foundation of his future success4 ,he won his spurs by perseverance1 knowledge1 and ability1 diligently cultivated4 ,he was successively appointed to the offices of solicitor and attorney-general1 and rose steadily upwards to the highest office that the ,crown had to bestow--that of ,lord ,chancellor of ,england1 which he held for a quarter of a century4 ,henry ,bickersteth was the son of a surgeon at ,kirkby ,lonsdale1 in ,westmoreland1 and was himself educated to that profession4 ,as a student at ,edinburgh1 he distinguished himself by the steadiness with which he worked1 and the application which he devoted to the science of medicine4 ,returned to ,kirkby ,lonsdale1 he took an active part in his father's practice2 but he had no liking for the profession1 and grew discontented with the obscurity of a country town4 ,he went on1 nevertheless1 diligently improving himself1 and engaged on speculations in the higher branches of physiology4 ,in conformity with his own wish1 his father consented to send him to ,cambridge1 where it was his intention to take a medical degree with the view of practising in the metropolis4 ,close application to his studies1 however1 threw him out of health1 and with a view to re-establishing his strength he accepted the appointment of travelling physician to ,lord ,oxford4 ,while abroad he mastered ,italian1 and acquired a great admiration for ,italian literature1 but no greater liking for medicine than before4 ,on the contrary1 he determined to abandon it2 but returning to ,cambridge1 he took his degree2 and that he worked hard may be inferred from the fact that he was senior wrangler of his year4 ,disappointed in his desire to enter the army1 he turned to the bar1 and entered a student of the ,inner ,temple4 ,he worked as hard at law as he had done at medicine4 ,writing to his father1 he said1 8,everybody says to me1 #8,you are certain of success in the end--only persevere2' and though ,i don't well understand how this is to happen1 ,i try to believe it as much as ,i can1 and ,i shall not fail to do everything in my power40 ,at twenty-eight he was called to the bar1 and had every step in life yet to make4 ,his means were straitened1 and he lived upon the contributions of his friends4 ,for years he studied and waited4 ,still no business came4 ,he stinted himself in recreation1 in clothes1 and even in the necessaries of life2 struggling on indefatigably through all4 ,writing home1 he 8confessed that he hardly knew how he should be able to struggle on till he had fair time and opportunity to establish himself40 ,after three years' waiting1 still without success1 he wrote to his friends that rather than be a burden upon them longer1 he was willing to give the matter up and return to ,cambridge1 8where he was sure of support and some profit40 ,the friends at home sent him another small remittance1 and he persevered4 ,business gradually came in4 ,acquitting himself creditably in small matters1 he was at length entrusted with cases of greater importance4 ,he was a man who never missed an opportunity1 nor allowed a legitimate chance of improvement to escape him4 ,his unflinching industry soon began to tell upon his fortunes2 a few more years and he was not only enabled to do without assistance from home1 but he was in a position to pay back with interest the debts which he had incurred4 ,the clouds had dispersed1 and the after career of ,henry ,bickersteth was one of honour1 of emolument1 and of distinguished fame4 ,he ended his career as ,master of the ,rolls1 sitting in the ,house of ,peers as ,baron ,langdale4 ,his life affords only another illustration of the power of patience1 perseverance1 and conscientious working1 in elevating the character of the individual1 and crowning his labours with the most complete success4 ,such are a few of the distinguished men who have honourably worked their way to the highest position1 and won the richest rewards of their profession1 by the diligent exercise of qualities in many respects of an ordinary character1 but made potent by the force of application and industry4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,energy ,,and ,,courage4 8,a cur vaillant rien d'impossible40--,jacques ,cur4 8,den ,muthigen gehrt die ,welt40--,german ,proverb4 8,in every work that he began 4 4 4 he did it with all his heart1 and prospered40--,,ii4 ,chron4 xxxi4 #ba4 ,,there is a famous speech recorded of an old ,norseman1 thoroughly characteristic of the ,teuton4 8,i believe neither in idols nor demons10 said he1 8,i put my sole trust in my own strength of body and soul40 ,the ancient crest of a pickaxe with the motto of 8,either ,i will find a way or make one10 was an expression of the same sturdy independence which to this day distinguishes the descendants of the ,northmen4 ,indeed nothing could be more characteristic of the ,scandinavian mythology1 than that it had a god with a hammer4 ,a man's character is seen in small matters2 and from even so slight a test as the mode in which a man wields a hammer1 his energy may in some measure be inferred4 ,thus an eminent ,frenchman hit off in a single phrase the characteristic quality of the inhabitants of a particular district1 in which a friend of his proposed to settle and buy land4 8,beware10 said he1 8of making a purchase there2 ,i know the men of that department2 the pupils who come from it to our veterinary school at ,paris do nor strike hard upon the anvil2 they want energy2 and you will not get a satisfactory return on any capital you may invest there40 ,a fine and just appreciation of character1 indicating the thoughtful observer2 and strikingly illustrative of the fact that it is the energy of the individual men that gives strength to a ,state1 and confers a value even upon the very soil which they cultivate4 ,as the ,french proverb has it3 8,tant vaut l'homme1 tant vaut sa terre40 ,the cultivation of this quality is of the greatest importance2 resolute determination in the pursuit of worthy objects being the foundation of all true greatness of character4 ,energy enables a man to force his way through irksome drudgery and dry details1 and carries him onward and upward in every station in life4 ,it accomplishes more than genius1 with not one-half the disappointment and peril4 ,it is not eminent talent that is required to ensure success in any pursuit1 so much as purpose1--not merely the power to achieve1 but the will to labour energetically and perseveringly4 ,hence energy of will may be defined to be the very central power of character in a man--in a word1 it is the ,man himself4 ,it gives impulse to his every action1 and soul to every effort4 ,true hope is based on it1--and it is hope that gives the real perfume to life4 ,there is a fine heraldic motto on a broken helmet in ,battle ,abbey1 8,l'espoir est ma force10 which might be the motto of every man's life4 8,woe unto him that is fainthearted10 says the son of ,sirach4 ,there is1 indeed1 no blessing equal to the possession of a stout heart4 ,even if a man fail in his efforts1 it will be a satisfaction to him to enjoy the consciousness of having done his best4 ,in humble life nothing can be more cheering and beautiful than to see a man combating suffering by patience1 triumphing in his integrity1 and who1 when his feet are bleeding and his limbs failing him1 still walks upon his courage4 ,mere wishes and desires but engender a sort of green sickness in young minds1 unless they are promptly embodied in act and deed4 ,it will not avail merely to wait as so many do1 8until ,blucher comes up10 but they must struggle on and persevere in the mean time1 as ,wellington did4 ,the good purpose once formed must be carried out with alacrity and without swerving4 ,in most conditions of life1 drudgery and toil are to be cheerfully endured as the best and most wholesome discipline4 8,in life10 said ,ary ,scheffer1 8nothing bears fruit except by labour of mind or body4 ,to strive and still strive--such is life2 and in this respect mine is fulfilled2 but ,i dare to say1 with just pride1 that nothing has ever shaken my courage4 ,with a strong soul1 and a noble aim1 one can do what one wills1 morally speaking40 ,hugh ,miller said the only school in which he was properly taught was 8that world-wide school in which toil and hardship are the severe but noble teachers40 ,he who allows his application to falter1 or shirks his work on frivolous pretexts1 is on the sure road to ultimate failure4 ,let any task be undertaken as a thing not possible to be evaded1 and it will soon come to be performed with alacrity and cheerfulness4 ,charles ,,ix4 of ,sweden was a firm believer in the power of will1 even in youth4 ,laying his hand on the head of his youngest son when engaged on a difficult task1 he exclaimed1 8,he shall do it6 he shall do it60 ,the habit of application becomes easy in time1 like every other habit4 ,thus persons with comparatively moderate powers will accomplish much1 if they apply themselves wholly and indefatigably to one thing at a time4 ,fowell ,buxton placed his confidence in ordinary means and extraordinary application2 realizing the scriptural injunction1 8,whatsoever thy hand findeth to do1 do it with all thy might20 and he attributed his own success in life to his practice of 8being a whole man to one thing at a time40 ,nothing that is of real worth can be achieved without courageous working4 ,man owes his growth chiefly to that active striving of the will1 that encounter with difficulty1 which we call effort2 and it is astonishing to find how often results apparently impracticable are thus made possible4 ,an intense anticipation itself transforms possibility into reality2 our desires being often but the precursors of the things which we are capable of performing4 ,on the contrary1 the timid and hesitating find everything impossible1 chiefly because it seems so4 ,it is related of a young ,french officer1 that he used to walk about his apartment exclaiming1 8,i will be ,marshal of ,france and a great general40 ,his ardent desire was the presentiment of his success2 for the young officer did become a distinguished commander1 and he died a ,marshal of ,france4 ,mr4 ,walker1 author of the #8,original1' had so great a faith in the power of will1 that he says on one occasion he determined to be well1 and he was so4 ,this may answer once2 but1 though safer to follow than many prescriptions1 it will not always succeed4 ,the power of mind over body is no doubt great1 but it may be strained until the physical power breaks down altogether4 ,it is related of ,muley ,moluc1 the ,moorish leader1 that1 when lying ill1 almost worn out by an incurable disease1 a battle took place between his troops and the ,portuguese2 when1 starting from his litter at the great crisis of the fight1 he rallied his army1 led them to victory1 and instantly afterwards sank exhausted and expired4 ,it is will1--force of purpose1--that enables a man to do or be whatever he sets his mind on being or doing4 ,a holy man was accustomed to say1 8,whatever you wish1 that you are3 for such is the force of our will1 joined to the ,divine1 that whatever we wish to be1 seriously1 and with a true intention1 that we become4 ,no one ardently wishes to be submissive1 patient1 modest1 or liberal1 who does not become what he wishes40 ,the story is told of a working carpenter1 who was observed one day planing a magistrate's bench which he was repairing1 with more than usual carefulness2 and when asked the reason1 he replied1 8,because ,i wish to make it easy against the time when ,i come to sit upon it myself40 ,and singularly enough1 the man actually lived to sit upon that very bench as a magistrate4 ,whatever theoretical conclusions logicians may have formed as to the freedom of the will1 each individual feels that practically he is free to choose between good and evil--that he is not as a mere straw thrown upon the water to mark the direction of the current1 but that he has within him the power of a strong swimmer1 and is capable of striking out for himself1 of buffeting with the waves1 and directing to a great extent his own independent course4 ,there is no absolute constraint upon our volitions1 and we feel and know that we are not bound1 as by a spell1 with reference to our actions4 ,it would paralyze all desire of excellence were we to think otherwise4 ,the entire business and conduct of life1 with its domestic rules1 its social arrangements1 and its public institutions1 proceed upon the practical conviction that the will is free4 ,without this where would be responsibility8--and what the advantage of teaching1 advising1 preaching1 reproof1 and correction8 ,what were the use of laws1 were it not the universal belief1 as it is the universal fact1 that men obey them or not1 very much as they individually determine8 ,in every moment of our life1 conscience is proclaiming that our will is free4 ,it is the only thing that is wholly ours1 and it rests solely with ourselves individually1 whether we give it the right or the wrong direction4 ,our habits or our temptations are not our masters1 but we of them4 ,even in yielding1 conscience tells us we might resist2 and that were we determined to master them1 there would not be required for that purpose a stronger resolution than we know ourselves to be capable of exercising4 8,you are now at the age10 said ,lamennais once1 addressing a gay youth1 8at which a decision must be formed by you2 a little later1 and you may have to groan within the tomb which you yourself have dug1 without the power of rolling away the stone4 ,that which the easiest becomes a habit in us is the will4 ,learn then to will strongly and decisively2 thus fix your floating life1 and leave it no longer to be carried hither and thither1 like a withered leaf1 by every wind that blows40 ,buxton held the conviction that a young man might be very much what he pleased1 provided he formed a strong resolution and held to it4 ,writing to one of his sons1 he said to him1 8,you are now at that period of life1 in which you must make a turn to the right or the left4 ,you must now give proofs of principle1 determination1 and strength of mind2 or you must sink into idleness1 and acquire the habits and character of a desultory1 ineffective young man2 and if once you fall to that point1 you will find it no easy matter to rise again4 ,i am sure that a young man may be very much what he pleases4 ,in my own case it was so4 4 4 4 ,much of my happiness1 and all my prosperity in life1 have resulted from the change ,i made at your age4 ,if you seriously resolve to be energetic and industrious1 depend upon it that you will for your whole life have reason to rejoice that you were wise enough to form and to act upon that determination40 ,as will1 considered without regard to direction1 is simply constancy1 firmness1 perseverance1 it will be obvious that everything depends upon right direction and motives4 ,directed towards the enjoyment of the senses1 the strong will may be a demon1 and the intellect merely its debased slave2 but directed towards good1 the strong will is a king1 and the intellect the minister of man's highest well-being4 8,where there is a will there is a way10 is an old and true saying4 ,he who resolves upon doing a thing1 by that very resolution often scales the barriers to it1 and secures its achievement4 ,to think we are able1 is almost to be so--to determine upon attainment is frequently attainment itself4 ,thus1 earnest resolution has often seemed to have about it almost a savour of omnipotence4 ,the strength of ,suwarrow's character lay in his power of willing1 and1 like most resolute persons1 he preached it up as a system4 8,you can only half will10 he would say to people who failed4 ,like ,richelieu and ,napoleon1 he would have the word 8impossible0 banished from the dictionary4 8,i don't know10 8,i can't10 and 8impossible10 were words which he detested above all others4 8,learn6 ,do6 ,try60 he would exclaim4 ,his biographer has said of him1 that he furnished a remarkable illustration of what may be effected by the energetic development and exercise of faculties1 the germs of which at least are in every human heart4 ,one of ,napoleon's favourite maxims was1 8,the truest wisdom is a resolute determination40 ,his life1 beyond most others1 vividly showed what a powerful and unscrupulous will could accomplish4 ,he threw his whole force of body and mind direct upon his work4 ,imbecile rulers and the nations they governed went down before him in succession4 ,he was told that the ,alps stood in the way of his armies--8,there shall be no ,alps10 he said1 and the road across the ,simplon was constructed1 through a district formerly almost inaccessible4 8,impossible10 said he1 8is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools40 ,he was a man who toiled terribly2 sometimes employing and exhausting four secretaries at a time4 ,he spared no one1 not even himself4 ,his influence inspired other men1 and put a new life into them4 8,i made my generals out of mud10 he said4 ,but all was of no avail2 for ,napoleon's intense selfishness was his ruin1 and the ruin of ,france1 which he left a prey to anarchy4 ,his life taught the lesson that power1 however energetically wielded1 without beneficence1 is fatal to its possessor and its subjects2 and that knowledge1 or knowingness1 without goodness1 is but the incarnate principle of ,evil4 ,our own ,wellington was a far greater man4 ,not less resolute1 firm1 and persistent1 but more self-denying1 conscientious1 and truly patriotic4 ,napoleon's aim was 8,glory20 ,wellington's watchword1 like ,nelson's1 was 8,duty40 ,the former word1 it is said1 does not once occur in his despatches2 the latter often1 but never accompanied by any high-sounding professions4 ,the greatest difficulties could neither embarrass nor intimidate ,wellington2 his energy invariably rising in proportion to the obstacles to be surmounted4 ,the patience1 the firmness1 the resolution1 with which he bore through the maddening vexations and gigantic difficulties of the ,peninsular campaigns1 is1 perhaps1 one of the sublimest things to be found in history4 ,in ,spain1 ,wellington not only exhibited the genius of the general1 but the comprehensive wisdom of the statesman4 ,though his natural temper was irritable in the extreme1 his high sense of duty enabled him to restrain it2 and to those about him his patience seemed absolutely inexhaustible4 ,his great character stands untarnished by ambition1 by avarice1 or any low passion4 ,though a man of powerful individuality1 he yet displayed a great variety of endowment4 ,the equal of ,napoleon in generalship1 he was as prompt1 vigorous1 and daring as ,clive2 as wise a statesman as ,cromwell2 and as pure and high-minded as ,washington4 ,the great ,wellington left behind him an enduring reputation1 founded on toilsome campaigns won by skilful combination1 by fortitude which nothing could exhaust1 by sublime daring1 and perhaps by still sublimer patience4 ,energy usually displays itself in promptitude and decision4 ,when ,ledyard the traveller was asked by the ,african ,association when he would be ready to set out for ,africa1 he immediately answered1 8,to-morrow morning40 ,blucher's promptitude obtained for him the cognomen of 8,marshal ,forwards0 throughout the ,prussian army4 ,when ,john ,jervis1 afterwards ,earl ,st4 ,vincent1 was asked when he would be ready to join his ship1 he replied1 8,directly40 ,and when ,sir ,colin ,campbell1 appointed to the command of the ,indian army1 was asked when he could set out1 his answer was1 8,to-morrow10--an earnest of his subsequent success4 ,for it is rapid decision1 and a similar promptitude in action1 such as taking instant advantage of an enemy's mistakes1 that so often wins battles4 8,at ,arcola10 said ,napoleon1 8,i won the battle with twenty-five horsemen4 ,i seized a moment of lassitude1 gave every man a trumpet1 and gained the day with this handful4 ,two armies are two bodies which meet and endeavour to frighten each other3 a moment of panic occurs1 and that moment must be turned to advantage40 8,every moment lost10 said he at another time1 8gives an opportunity for misfortune20 and he declared that he beat the ,austrians because they never knew the value of time3 while they dawdled1 he overthrew them4 ,india has1 during the last century1 been a great field for the display of ,british energy4 ,from ,clive to ,havelock and ,clyde there is a long and honourable roll of distinguished names in ,indian legislation and warfare1--such as ,wellesley1 ,metcalfe1 ,outram1 ,edwardes1 and the ,lawrences4 ,another great but sullied name is that of ,warren ,hastings--a man of dauntless will and indefatigable industry4 ,his family was ancient and illustrious2 but their vicissitudes of fortune and ill-requited loyalty in the cause of the ,stuarts1 brought them to poverty1 and the family estate at ,daylesford1 of which they had been lords of the manor for hundreds of years1 at length passed from their hands4 ,the last ,hastings of ,daylesford had1 however1 presented the parish living to his second son2 and it was in his house1 many years later1 that ,warren ,hastings1 his grandson1 was born4 ,the boy learnt his letters at the village school1 on the same bench with the children of the peasantry4 ,he played in the fields which his fathers had owned2 and what the loyal and brave ,hastings of ,daylesford had been1 was ever in the boy's thoughts4 ,his young ambition was fired1 and it is said that one summer's day1 when only seven years old1 as he laid him down on the bank of the stream which flowed through the domain1 he formed in his mind the resolution that he would yet recover possession of the family lands4 ,it was the romantic vision of a boy2 yet he lived to realize it4 ,the dream became a passion1 rooted in his very life2 and he pursued his determination through youth up to manhood1 with that calm but indomitable force of will which was the most striking peculiarity of his character4 ,the orphan boy became one of the most powerful men of his time2 he retrieved the fortunes of his line2 bought back the old estate1 and rebuilt the family mansion4 8,when1 under a tropical sun10 says ,macaulay1 8he ruled fifty millions of ,asiatics1 his hopes1 amidst all the cares of war1 finance1 and legislation1 still pointed to ,daylesford4 ,and when his long public life1 so singularly chequered with good and evil1 with glory and obloquy1 had at length closed for ever1 it was to ,daylesford that he retired to die40 ,sir ,charles ,napier was another ,indian leader of extraordinary courage and determination4 ,he once said of the difficulties with which he was surrounded in one of his campaigns1 8,they only make my feet go deeper into the ground40 ,his battle of ,meeanee was one of the most extraordinary feats in history4 ,with #bjjj men1 of whom only #djj were ,europeans1 he encountered an army of #ce1jjj hardy and well-armed ,beloochees4 ,it was an act1 apparently1 of the most daring temerity1 but the general had faith in himself and in his men4 ,he charged the ,belooch centre up a high bank which formed their rampart in front1 and for three mortal hours the battle raged4 ,each man of that small force1 inspired by the chief1 became for the time a hero4 ,the ,beloochees1 though twenty to one1 were driven back1 but with their faces to the foe4 ,it is this sort of pluck1 tenacity1 and determined perseverance which wins soldiers' battles1 and1 indeed1 every battle4 ,it is the one neck nearer that wins the race and shows the blood2 it is the one march more that wins the campaign2 the five minutes' more persistent courage that wins the fight4 ,though your force be less than another's1 you equal and outmaster your opponent if you continue it longer and concentrate it more4 ,the reply of the ,spartan father1 who said to his son1 when complaining that his sword was too short1 8,add a step to it10 is applicable to everything in life4 ,napier took the right method of inspiring his men with his own heroic spirit4 ,he worked as hard as any private in the ranks4 8,the great art of commanding10 he said1 8is to take a fair share of the work4 ,the man who leads an army cannot succeed unless his whole mind is thrown into his work4 ,the more trouble1 the more labour must be given2 the more danger1 the more pluck must be shown1 till all is overpowered40 ,a young officer who accompanied him in his campaign in the ,cutchee ,hills1 once said1 8,when ,i see that old man incessantly on his horse1 how can ,i be idle who am young and strong8 ,i would go into a loaded cannon's mouth if he ordered me40 ,this remark1 when repeated to ,napier1 he said was ample reward for his toils4 ,the anecdote of his interview with the ,indian juggler strikingly illustrates his cool courage as well as his remarkable simplicity and honesty of character4 ,on one occasion1 after the ,indian battles1 a famous juggler visited the camp and performed his feats before the ,general1 his family1 and staff4 ,among other performances1 this man cut in two with a stroke of his sword a lime or lemon placed in the hand of his assistant4 ,napier thought there was some collusion between the juggler and his retainer4 ,to divide by a sweep of the sword on a man's hand so small an object without touching the flesh he believed to be impossible1 though a similar incident is related by ,scott in his romance of the #8,talisman4' ,to determine the point1 the ,general offered his own hand for the experiment1 and he stretched out his right arm4 ,the juggler looked attentively at the hand1 and said he would not make the trial4 8,i thought ,i would find you out60 exclaimed ,napier4 8,but stop10 added the other1 8let me see your left hand40 ,the left hand was submitted1 and the man then said firmly1 8,if you will hold your arm steady ,i will perform the feat40 8,but why the left hand and not the right80 8,because the right hand is hollow in the centre1 and there is a risk of cutting off the thumb2 the left is high1 and the danger will be less40 ,napier was startled4 8,i got frightened10 he said2 8,i saw it was an actual feat of delicate swordsmanship1 and if ,i had not abused the man as ,i did before my staff1 and challenged him to the trial1 ,i honestly acknowledge ,i would have retired from the encounter4 ,however1 ,i put the lime on my hand1 and held out my arm steadily4 ,the juggler balanced himself1 and1 with a swift stroke cut the lime in two pieces4 ,i felt the edge of the sword on my hand as if a cold thread had been drawn across it4 ,so much 7he added7 for the brave swordsmen of ,india1 whom our fine fellows defeated at ,meeanee40 ,the recent terrible struggle in ,india has served to bring out1 perhaps more prominently than any previous event in our history1 the determined energy and self-reliance of the national character4 ,although ,english officialism may often drift stupidly into gigantic blunders1 the men of the nation generally contrive to work their way out of them with a heroism almost approaching the sublime4 ,in ,may1 #aheg1 when the revolt burst upon ,india like a thunder-clap1 the ,british forces had been allowed to dwindle to their extreme minimum1 and were scattered over a wide extent of country1 many of them in remote cantonments4 ,the ,bengal regiments1 one after another1 rose against their officers1 broke away1 and rushed to ,delhi4 ,province after province was lapped in mutiny and rebellion2 and the cry for help rose from east to west4 ,everywhere the ,english stood at bay in small detachments1 beleaguered and surrounded1 apparently incapable of resistance4 ,their discomfiture seemed so complete1 and the utter ruin of the ,british cause in ,india so certain1 that it might be said of them then1 as it had been said before1 8,these ,english never know when they are beaten40 ,according to rule1 they ought then and there to have succumbed to inevitable fate4 ,while the issue of the mutiny still appeared uncertain1 ,holkar1 one of the native princes1 consulted his astrologer for information4 ,the reply was1 8,if all the ,europeans save one are slain1 that one will remain to fight and reconquer40 ,in their very darkest moment--even where1 as at ,lucknow1 a mere handful of ,british soldiers1 civilians1 and women1 held out amidst a city and province in arms against them--there was no word of despair1 no thought of surrender4 ,though cut off from all communication with their friends for months1 and not knowing whether ,india was lost or held1 they never ceased to have perfect faith in the courage and devotedness of their countrymen4 ,they knew that while a body of men of ,english race held together in ,india1 they would not be left unheeded to perish4 ,they never dreamt of any other issue but retrieval of their misfortune and ultimate triumph2 and if the worst came to the worst1 they could but fall at their post1 and die in the performance of their duty4 ,need we remind the reader of the names of ,havelock1 ,inglis1 ,neill1 and ,outram--men of truly heroic mould--of each of whom it might with truth be said that he had the heart of a chevalier1 the soul of a believer1 and the temperament of a martyr4 ,montalembert has said of them that 8they do honour to the human race40 ,but throughout that terrible trial almost all proved equally great--women1 civilians and soldiers--from the general down through all grades to the private and bugleman4 ,the men were not picked3 they belonged to the same ordinary people whom we daily meet at home--in the streets1 in workshops1 in the fields1 at clubs2 yet when sudden disaster fell upon them1 each and all displayed a wealth of personal resources and energy1 and became as it were individually heroic4 8,not one of them10 says ,montalembert1 8shrank or trembled--all1 military and civilians1 young and old1 generals and soldiers1 resisted1 fought1 and perished with a coolness and intrepidity which never faltered4 ,it is in this circumstance that shines out the immense value of public education1 which invites the ,englishman from his youth to make use of his strength and his liberty1 to associate1 resist1 fear nothing1 to be astonished at nothing1 and to save himself1 by his own sole exertions1 from every sore strait in life40 ,it has been said that ,delhi was taken and ,india saved by the personal character of ,sir ,john ,lawrence4 ,the very name of 8,lawrence0 represented power in the ,north-,west ,provinces4 ,his standard of duty1 zeal1 and personal effort1 was of the highest2 and every man who served under him seemed to be inspired by his spirit4 ,it was declared of him that his character alone was worth an army4 ,the same might be said of his brother ,sir ,henry1 who organised the ,punjaub force that took so prominent a part in the capture of ,delhi4 ,both brothers inspired those who were about them with perfect love and confidence4 ,both possessed that quality of tenderness1 which is one of the true elements of the heroic character4 ,both lived amongst the people1 and powerfully influenced them for good4 ,above all as ,col4 ,edwardes says1 8they drew models on young fellows' minds1 which they went forth and copied in their several administrations3 they sketched a faith1 and begot a school1 which are both living things at this day40 ,sir ,john ,lawrence had by his side such men as ,montgomery1 ,nicholson1 ,cotton1 and ,edwardes1 as prompt1 decisive1 and high-souled as himself4 ,john ,nicholson was one of the finest1 manliest1 and noblest of men--8every inch a hakim10 the natives said of him--8a tower of strength10 as he was characterised by ,lord ,dalhousie4 ,in whatever capacity he acted he was great1 because he acted with his whole strength and soul4 ,a brotherhood of fakeers--borne away by their enthusiastic admiration of the man--even began the worship of ,nikkil ,seyn3 he had some of them punished for their folly1 but they continued their worship nevertheless4 ,of his sustained energy and persistency an illustration may be cited in his pursuit of the #eeth ,sepoy mutineers1 when he was in the saddle for twenty consecutive hours1 and travelled more than seventy miles4 ,when the enemy set up their standard at ,delhi1 ,lawrence and ,montgomery1 relying on the support of the people of the ,punjaub1 and compelling their admiration and confidence1 strained every nerve to keep their own province in perfect order1 whilst they hurled every available soldier1 ,european and ,sikh1 against that city4 ,sir ,john wrote to the commander-in-chief to 8hang on to the rebels' noses before ,delhi10 while the troops pressed on by forced marches under ,nicholson1 8the tramp of whose war-horse might be heard miles off10 as was afterwards said of him by a rough ,sikh who wept over his grave4 ,the siege and storming of ,delhi was the most illustrious event which occurred in the course of that gigantic struggle1 although the leaguer of ,lucknow1 during which the merest skeleton of a ,british regiment--the #cbnd--held out1 under the heroic ,inglis1 for six months against two hundred thousand armed enemies1 has perhaps excited more intense interest4 ,at ,delhi1 too1 the ,british were really the besieged1 though ostensibly the besiegers2 they were a mere handful of men 8in the open0--not more than #c1gjj bayonets1 ,european and native--and they were assailed from day to day by an army of rebels numbering at one time as many as #ge1jjj men1 trained to ,european discipline by ,english officers1 and supplied with all but exhaustless munitions of war4 ,the heroic little band sat down before the city under the burning rays of a tropical sun4 ,death1 wounds1 and fever failed to turn them from their purpose4 ,thirty times they were attacked by overwhelming numbers1 and thirty times did they drive back the enemy behind their defences4 ,as ,captain ,hodson--himself one of the bravest there--has said1 8,i venture to aver that no other nation in the world would have remained here1 or avoided defeat if they had attempted to do so40 ,never for an instant did these heroes falter at their work2 with sublime endurance they held on1 fought on1 and never relaxed until1 dashing through the 8imminent deadly breach10 the place was won1 and the ,british flag was again unfurled on the walls of ,delhi4 ,all were great--privates1 officers1 and generals4 ,common soldiers who had been inured to a life of hardship1 and young officers who had been nursed in luxurious homes1 alike proved their manhood1 and emerged from that terrible trial with equal honour4 ,the native strength and soundness of the ,english race1 and of manly ,english training and discipline1 were never more powerfully exhibited2 and it was there emphatically proved that the ,men of ,england are1 after all1 its greatest products4 ,a terrible price was paid for this great chapter in our history1 but if those who survive1 and those who come after1 profit by the lesson and example1 it may not have been purchased at too great a cost4 ,but not less energy and courage have been displayed in ,india and the ,east by men of various nations1 in other lines of action more peaceful and beneficent than that of war4 ,and while the heroes of the sword are remembered1 the heroes of the gospel ought not to be forgotten4 ,from ,xavier to ,martyn and ,williams1 there has been a succession of illustrious missionary labourers1 working in a spirit of sublime self-sacrifice1 without any thought of worldly honour1 inspired solely by the hope of seeking out and rescuing the lost and fallen of their race4 ,borne up by invincible courage and never-failing patience1 these men have endured privations1 braved dangers1 walked through pestilence1 and borne all toils1 fatigues1 and sufferings1 yet held on their way rejoicing1 glorying even in martyrdom itself4 ,of these one of the first and most illustrious was ,francis ,xavier4 ,born of noble lineage1 and with pleasure1 power1 and honour within his reach1 he proved by his life that there are higher objects in the world than rank1 and nobler aspirations than the accumulation of wealth4 ,he was a true gentleman in manners and sentiment2 brave1 honourable1 generous2 easily led1 yet capable of leading2 easily persuaded1 yet himself persuasive2 a most patient1 resolute and energetic man4 ,at the age of twenty-two he was earning his living as a public teacher of philosophy at the ,university of ,paris4 ,there ,xavier became the intimate friend and associate of ,loyola1 and shortly afterwards he conducted the pilgrimage of the first little band of proselytes to ,rome4 ,when ,john ,,iii4 of ,portugal resolved to plant ,christianity in the ,indian territories subject to his influence1 ,bobadilla was first selected as his missionary2 but being disabled by illness1 it was found necessary to make another selection1 and ,xavier was chosen4 ,repairing his tattered cassock1 and with no other baggage than his breviary1 he at once started for ,lisbon and embarked for the ,east4 ,the ship in which he set sail for ,goa had the ,governor on board1 with a reinforcement of a thousand men for the garrison of the place4 ,though a cabin was placed at his disposal1 ,xavier slept on deck throughout the voyage with his head on a coil of ropes1 messing with the sailors4 ,by ministering to their wants1 inventing innocent sports for their amusement1 and attending them in their sickness1 he wholly won their hearts1 and they regarded him with veneration4 ,arrived at ,goa1 ,xavier was shocked at the depravity of the people1 settlers as well as natives2 for the former had imported the vices without the restraints of civilization1 and the latter had only been too apt to imitate their bad example4 ,passing along the streets of the city1 sounding his handbell as he went1 he implored the people to send him their children to be instructed4 ,he shortly succeeded in collecting a large number of scholars1 whom he carefully taught day by day1 at the same time visiting the sick1 the lepers1 and the wretched of all classes1 with the object of assuaging their miseries1 and bringing them to the ,truth4 ,no cry of human suffering which reached him was disregarded4 ,hearing of the degradation and misery of the pearl fishers of ,manaar1 he set out to visit them1 and his bell again rang out the invitation of mercy4 ,he baptized and he taught1 but the latter he could only do through interpreters4 ,his most eloquent teaching was his ministration to the wants and the sufferings of the wretched4 ,on he went1 his hand-bell sounding along the coast of ,comorin1 among the towns and villages1 the temples and the bazaars1 summoning the natives to gather about him and be instructed4 ,he had translations made of the ,catechism1 the ,apostles' ,creed1 the ,commandments1 the ,lord's ,prayer1 and some of the devotional offices of the ,church4 ,committing these to memory in their own tongue he recited them to the children1 until they had them by heart2 after which he sent them forth to teach the words to their parents and neighbours4 ,at ,cape ,comorin1 he appointed thirty teachers1 who under himself presided over thirty ,christian ,churches1 though the ,churches were but humble1 in most cases consisting only of a cottage surmounted by a cross4 ,thence he passed to ,travancore1 sounding his way from village to village1 baptizing until his hands dropped with weariness1 and repeating his formulas until his voice became almost inaudible4 ,according to his own account1 the success of his mission surpassed his highest expectations4 ,his pure1 earnest1 and beautiful life1 and the irresistible eloquence of his deeds1 made converts wherever he went2 and by sheer force of sympathy1 those who saw him and listened to him insensibly caught a portion of his ardour4 ,burdened with the thought that 8the harvest is great and the labourers are few10 ,xavier next sailed to ,malacca and ,japan1 where he found himself amongst entirely new races speaking other tongues4 ,the most that he could do here was to weep and pray1 to smooth the pillow and watch by the sick-bed1 sometimes soaking the sleeve of his surplice in water1 from which to squeeze out a few drops and baptize the dying4 ,hoping all things1 and fearing nothing1 this valiant soldier of the truth was borne onward throughout by faith and energy4 8,whatever form of death or torture10 said he1 8awaits me1 ,i am ready to suffer it ten thousand times for the salvation of a single soul40 ,he battled with hunger1 thirst1 privations and dangers of all kinds1 still pursuing his mission of love1 unresting and unwearying4 ,at length1 after eleven years' labour1 this great good man1 while striving to find a way into ,china1 was stricken with fever in the ,island of ,sanchian1 and there received his crown of glory4 ,a hero of nobler mould1 more pure1 self-denying1 and courageous1 has probably never trod this earth4 ,other missionaries have followed ,xavier in the same field of work1 such as ,schwartz1 ,carey1 and ,marshman in ,india2 ,gutzlaff and ,morrison in ,china2 ,williams in the ,south ,seas2 ,campbell1 ,moffatt and ,livingstone in ,africa4 ,john ,williams1 the martyr of ,erromanga1 was originally apprenticed to a furnishing ironmonger4 ,though considered a dull boy1 he was handy at his trade1 in which he acquired so much skill that his master usually entrusted him with any blacksmiths work that required the exercise of more than ordinary care4 ,he was also fond of bell-hanging and other employments which took him away from the shop4 ,a casual sermon which he heard gave his mind a serious bias1 and he became a ,sunday-school teacher4 ,the cause of missions having been brought under his notice at some of his society's meetings1 he determined to devote himself to this work4 ,his services were accepted by the ,london ,missionary ,society2 and his master allowed him to leave the ironmonger's shop before the expiry of his indentures4 ,the islands of the ,pacific ,ocean were the principal scene of his labours--more particularly ,huahine in ,tahiti1 ,raiatea1 and ,rarotonga4 ,like the ,apostles he worked with his hands1--at blacksmith work1 gardening1 shipbuilding2 and he endeavoured to teach the islanders the art of civilised life1 at the same time that he instructed them in the truths of religion4 ,it was in the course of his indefatigable labours that he was massacred by savages on the shore of ,erromanga--none worthier than he to wear the martyr's crown4 ,the career of ,dr4 ,livingstone is one of the most interesting of all4 ,he has told the story of his life in that modest and unassuming manner which is so characteristic of the man himself4 ,his ancestors were poor but honest ,highlanders1 and it is related of one of them1 renowned in his district for wisdom and prudence1 that when on his death-bed he called his children round him and left them these words1 the only legacy he had to bequeath--8,in my life-time10 said he1 8,i have searched most carefully through all the traditions ,i could find of our family1 and ,i never could discover that there was a dishonest man among our forefathers3 if1 therefore1 any of you or any of your children should take to dishonest ways1 it will not be because it runs in our blood2 it does not belong to you3 ,i leave this precept with you--,be honest40 ,at the age of ten ,livingstone was sent to work in a cotton factory near ,glasgow as a 8piecer40 ,with part of his first week's wages he bought a ,latin grammar1 and began to learn that language1 pursuing the study for years at a night school4 ,he would sit up conning his lessons till twelve or later1 when not sent to bed by his mother1 for he had to be up and at work in the factory every morning by six4 ,in this way he plodded through ,virgil and ,horace1 also reading extensively all books1 excepting novels1 that came in his way1 but more especially scientific works and books of travels4 ,he occupied his spare hours1 which were but few1 in the pursuit of botany1 scouring the neighbourhood to collect plants4 ,he even carried on his reading amidst the roar of the factory machinery1 so placing the book upon the spinning jenny which he worked that he could catch sentence after sentence as he passed it4 ,in this way the persevering youth acquired much useful knowledge2 and as he grew older1 the desire possessed him of becoming a missionary to the heathen4 ,with this object he set himself to obtain a medical education1 in order the better to be qualified for the work4 ,he accordingly economised his earnings1 and saved as much money as enabled him to support himself while attending the ,medical and ,greek classes1 as well as the ,divinity ,lectures1 at ,glasgow1 for several winters1 working as a cotton spinner during the remainder of each year4 ,he thus supported himself1 during his college career1 entirely by his own earnings as a factory workman1 never having received a farthing of help from any other source4 8,looking back now10 he honestly says1 8at that life of toil1 ,i cannot but feel thankful that it formed such a material part of my early education2 and1 were it possible1 ,i should like to begin life over again in the same lowly style1 and to pass through the same hardy training40 ,at length he finished his medical curriculum1 wrote his ,latin thesis1 passed his examinations1 and was admitted a licentiate of the ,faculty of ,physicians and ,surgeons4 ,at first he thought of going to ,china1 but the war then waging with that country prevented his following out the idea2 and having offered his services to the ,london ,missionary ,society1 he was by them sent out to ,africa1 which he reached in #ahdj4 ,he had intended to proceed to ,china by his own efforts2 and he says the only pang he had in going to ,africa at the charge of the ,london ,missionary ,society was1 because 8it was not quite agreeable to one accustomed to work his own way to become1 in a manner1 dependent upon others40 ,arrived in ,africa he set to work with great zeal4 ,he could not brook the idea of merely entering upon the labours of others1 but cut out a large sphere of independent work1 preparing himself for it by undertaking manual labour in building and other handicraft employment1 in addition to teaching1 which1 he says1 8made me generally as much exhausted and unfit for study in the evenings as ever ,i had been when a cotton-spinner40 ,whilst labouring amongst the ,bechuanas1 he dug canals1 built houses1 cultivated fields1 reared cattle1 and taught the natives to work as well as worship4 ,when he first started with a party of them on foot upon a long journey1 he overheard their observations upon his appearance and powers--8,he is not strong10 said they2 8he is quite slim1 and only appears stout because he puts himself into those bags 7trowsers73 he will soon knock up40 ,this caused the missionary's ,highland blood to rise1 and made him despise the fatigue of keeping them all at the top of their speed for days together1 until he heard them expressing proper opinions of his pedestrian powers4 ,what he did in ,africa1 and how he worked1 may be learnt from his own #8,missionary ,travels1' one of the most fascinating books of its kind that has ever been given to the public4 ,one of his last known acts is thoroughly characteristic of the man4 ,the #8,birkenhead' steam launch1 which he took out with him to ,africa1 having proved a failure1 he sent home orders for the construction of another vessel at an estimated cost of #bjjjl4 ,this sum he proposed to defray out of the means which he had set aside for his children arising from the profits of his books of travels4 8,the children must make it up themselves10 was in effect his expression in sending home the order for the appropriation of the money4 ,the career of ,john ,howard was throughout a striking illustration of the same power of patient purpose4 ,his sublime life proved that even physical weakness could remove mountains in the pursuit of an end recommended by duty4 ,the idea of ameliorating the condition of prisoners engrossed his whole thoughts and possessed him like a passion2 and no toil1 nor danger1 nor bodily suffering could turn him from that great object of his life4 ,though a man of no genius and but moderate talent1 his heart was pure and his will was strong4 ,even in his own time he achieved a remarkable degree of success2 and his influence did not die with him1 for it has continued powerfully to affect not only the legislation of ,england1 but of all civilised nations1 down to the present hour4 ,jonas ,hanway was another of the many patient and persevering men who have made ,england what it is--content simply to do with energy the work they have been appointed to do1 and go to their rest thankfully when it is done-- 8,leaving no memorial but a world ,made better by their lives40 ,he was born in #agab1 at ,portsmouth1 where his father1 a storekeeper in the dockyard1 being killed by an accident1 he was left an orphan at an early age4 ,his mother removed with her children to ,london1 where she had them put to school1 and struggled hard to bring them up respectably4 ,at seventeen ,jonas was sent to ,lisbon to be apprenticed to a merchant1 where his close attention to business1 his punctuality1 and his strict honour and integrity1 gained for him the respect and esteem of all who knew him4 ,returning to ,london in #agdc1 he accepted the offer of a partnership in an ,english mercantile house at ,st4 ,petersburg engaged in the ,caspian trade1 then in its infancy4 ,hanway went to ,russia for the purpose of extending the business2 and shortly after his arrival at the capital he set out for ,persia1 with a caravan of ,english bales of cloth making twenty carriage loads4 ,at ,astracan he sailed for ,astrabad1 on the south-eastern shore of the ,caspian2 but he had scarcely landed his bales1 when an insurrection broke out1 his goods were seized1 and though he afterwards recovered the principal part of them1 the fruits of his enterprise were in a great measure lost4 ,a plot was set on foot to seize himself and his party2 so he took to sea and1 after encountering great perils1 reached ,ghilan in safety4 ,his escape on this occasion gave him the first idea of the words which he afterwards adopted as the motto of his life--8,never ,despair40 ,he afterwards resided in ,st4 ,petersburg for five years1 carrying on a prosperous business4 ,but a relative having left him some property1 and his own means being considerable1 he left ,russia1 and arrived in his native country in #agee4 ,his object in returning to ,england was1 as he himself expressed it1 8to consult his own health 7which was extremely delicate71 and do as much good to himself and others as he was able40 ,the rest of his life was spent in deeds of active benevolence and usefulness to his fellow men4 ,he lived in a quiet style1 in order that he might employ a larger share of his income in works of benevolence4 ,one of the first public improvements to which he devoted himself was that of the highways of the metropolis1 in which he succeeded to a large extent4 ,the rumour of a ,french invasion being prevalent in #agee1 ,mr4 ,hanway turned his attention to the best mode of keeping up the supply of seamen4 ,he summoned a meeting of merchants and shipowners at the ,royal ,exchange1 and there proposed to them to form themselves into a society for fitting out landsmen volunteers and boys1 to serve on board the king's ships4 ,the proposal was received with enthusiasm3 a society was formed1 and officers were appointed1 ,mr4 ,hanway directing its entire operations4 ,the result was the establishment in #agef of ,the ,marine ,society1 an institution which has proved of much national advantage1 and is to this day of great and substantial utility4 ,within six years from its formation1 #edea boys and #dghg landsmen volunteers had been trained and fitted out by the society and added to the navy1 and to this day it is in active operation1 about #fjj poor boys1 after a careful education1 being annually apprenticed as sailors1 principally in the merchant service4 ,mr4 ,hanway devoted the other portions of his spare time to improving or establishing important public institutions in the metropolis4 ,from an early period he took an active interest in the ,foundling ,hospital1 which had been started by ,thomas ,coram many years before1 but which1 by encouraging parents to abandon their children to the charge of a charity1 was threatening to do more harm than good4 ,he determined to take steps to stem the evil1 entering upon the work in the face of the fashionable philanthropy of the time2 but by holding to his purpose he eventually succeeded in bringing the charity back to its proper objects2 and time and experience have proved that he was right4 ,the ,magdalen ,hospital was also established in a great measure through ,mr4 ,hanway's exertions4 ,but his most laborious and persevering efforts were in behalf of the infant parish poor4 ,the misery and neglect amidst which the children of the parish poor then grew up1 and the mortality which prevailed amongst them1 were frightful2 but there was no fashionable movement on foot to abate the suffering1 as in the case of the foundlings4 ,so ,jonas ,hanway summoned his energies to the task4 ,alone and unassisted he first ascertained by personal inquiry the extent of the evil4 ,he explored the dwellings of the poorest classes in ,london1 and visited the poorhouse sick wards1 by which he ascertained the management in detail of every workhouse in and near the metropolis4 ,he next made a journey into ,france and through ,holland1 visiting the houses for the reception of the poor1 and noting whatever he thought might be adopted at home with advantage4 ,he was thus employed for five years2 and on his return to ,england he published the results of his observations4 ,the consequence was that many of the workhouses were reformed and improved4 ,in #agfa he obtained an ,act obliging every ,london parish to keep an annual register of all the infants received1 discharged1 and dead2 and he took care that the ,act should work1 for he himself superintended its working with indefatigable watchfulness4 ,he went about from workhouse to workhouse in the morning1 and from one member of parliament to another in the afternoon1 for day after day1 and for year after year1 enduring every rebuff1 answering every objection1 and accommodating himself to every humour4 ,at length1 after a perseverance hardly to be equalled1 and after nearly ten years' labour1 he obtained another ,act1 at his sole expense 7#g ,geo4 ,,iii4 c4 #ci71 directing that all parish infants belonging to the parishes within the bills of mortality should not be nursed in the workhouses1 but be sent to nurse a certain number of miles out of town1 until they were six years old1 under the care of guardians to be elected triennially4 ,the poor people called this 8the ,act for keeping children alive20 and the registers for the years which followed its passing1 as compared with those which preceded it1 showed that thousands of lives had been preserved through the judicious interference of this good and sensible man4 ,wherever a philanthropic work was to be done in ,london1 be sure that ,jonas ,hanway's hand was in it4 ,one of the first ,acts for the protection of chimney-sweepers' boys was obtained through his influence4 ,a destructive fire at ,montreal1 and another at ,bridgetown1 ,barbadoes1 afforded him the opportunity for raising a timely subscription for the relief of the sufferers4 ,his name appeared in every list1 and his disinterestedness and sincerity were universally recognized4 ,but he was not suffered to waste his little fortune entirely in the service of others4 ,five leading citizens of ,london1 headed by ,mr4 ,hoare1 the banker1 without ,mr4 ,hanway's knowledge1 waited on ,lord ,bute1 then prime minister1 in a body1 and in the names of their fellow-citizens requested that some notice might be taken of this good man's disinterested services to his country4 ,the result was1 his appointment shortly after1 as one of the commissioners for victualling the navy4 ,towards the close of his life ,mr4 ,hanway's health became very feeble1 and although he found it necessary to resign his office at the ,victualling ,board1 he could not be idle2 but laboured at the establishment of ,sunday ,schools1--a movement then in its infancy1--or in relieving poor blacks1 many of whom wandered destitute about the streets of the metropolis1--or1 in alleviating the sufferings of some neglected and destitute class of society4 ,notwithstanding his familiarity with misery in all its shapes1 he was one of the most cheerful of beings2 and1 but for his cheerfulness he could never1 with so delicate a frame1 have got through so vast an amount of self-imposed work4 ,he dreaded nothing so much as inactivity4 ,though fragile1 he was bold and indefatigable2 and his moral courage was of the first order4 ,it may be regarded as a trivial matter to mention that he was the first who ventured to walk the streets of ,london with an umbrella over his head4 ,but let any modern ,london merchant venture to walk along ,cornhill in a peaked ,chinese hat1 and he will find it takes some degree of moral courage to persevere in it4 ,after carrying an umbrella for thirty years1 ,mr4 ,hanway saw the article at length come into general use4 ,hanway was a man of strict honour1 truthfulness1 and integrity2 and every word he said might be relied upon4 ,he had so great a respect1 amounting almost to a reverence1 for the character of the honest merchant1 that it was the only subject upon which he was ever seduced into a eulogium4 ,he strictly practised what he professed1 and both as a merchant1 and afterwards as a commissioner for victualling the navy1 his conduct was without stain4 ,he would not accept the slightest favour of any sort from a contractor2 and when any present was sent to him whilst at the ,victualling ,office1 he would politely return it1 with the intimation that 8he had made it a rule not to accept anything from any person engaged with the office40 ,when he found his powers failing1 he prepared for death with as much cheerfulness as he would have prepared himself for a journey into the country4 ,he sent round and paid all his tradesmen1 took leave of his friends1 arranged his affairs1 had his person neatly disposed of1 and parted with life serenely and peacefully in his #gdth year4 ,the property which he left did not amount to two thousand pounds1 and1 as he had no relatives who wanted it1 he divided it amongst sundry orphans and poor persons whom he had befriended during his lifetime4 ,such1 in brief1 was the beautiful life of ,jonas ,hanway1--as honest1 energetic1 hard-working1 and true-hearted a man as ever lived4 ,the life of ,granville ,sharp is another striking example of the same power of individual energy--a power which was afterwards transfused into the noble band of workers in the cause of ,slavery ,abolition1 prominent among whom were ,clarkson1 ,wilberforce1 ,buxton1 and ,brougham4 ,but1 giants though these men were in this cause1 ,granville ,sharp was the first1 and perhaps the greatest of them all1 in point of perseverance1 energy1 and intrepidity4 ,he began life as apprentice to a linen-draper on ,tower ,hill2 but1 leaving that business after his apprenticeship was out1 he next entered as a clerk in the ,ordnance ,office2 and it was while engaged in that humble occupation that he carried on in his spare hours the work of ,negro ,emancipation4 ,he was always1 even when an apprentice1 ready to undertake any amount of volunteer labour where a useful purpose was to be served4 ,thus1 while learning the linen-drapery business1 a fellow apprentice who lodged in the same house1 and was a ,unitarian1 led him into frequent discussions on religious subjects4 ,the ,unitarian youth insisted that ,granville's ,trinitarian misconception of certain passages of ,scripture arose from his want of acquaintance with the ,greek tongue2 on which he immediately set to work in his evening hours1 and shortly acquired an intimate knowledge of ,greek4 ,a similar controversy with another fellow-apprentice1 a ,jew1 as to the interpretation of the prophecies1 led him in like manner to undertake and overcome the difficulties of ,hebrew4 ,but the circumstance which gave the bias and direction to the main labours of his life originated in his generosity and benevolence4 ,his brother ,william1 a surgeon in ,mincing ,lane1 gave gratuitous advice to the poor1 and amongst the numerous applicants for relief at his surgery was a poor ,african named ,jonathan ,strong4 ,it appeared that the negro had been brutally treated by his master1 a ,barbadoes lawyer then in ,london1 and became lame1 almost blind1 and unable to work2 on which his owner1 regarding him as of no further value as a chattel1 cruelly turned him adrift into the streets to starve4 ,this poor man1 a mass of disease1 supported himself by begging for a time1 until he found his way to ,william ,sharp1 who gave him some medicine1 and shortly after got him admitted to ,st4 ,bartholomew's hospital1 where he was cured4 ,on coming out of the hospital1 the two brothers supported the negro in order to keep him off the streets1 but they had not the least suspicion at the time that any one had a claim upon his person4 ,they even succeeded in obtaining a situation for ,strong with an apothecary1 in whose service he remained for two years2 and it was while he was attending his mistress behind a hackney coach1 that his former owner1 the ,barbadoes lawyer1 recognized him1 and determined to recover possession of the slave1 again rendered valuable by the restoration of his health4 ,the lawyer employed two of the ,lord ,mayor's officers to apprehend ,strong1 and he was lodged in the ,compter1 until he could be shipped off to the ,west ,indies4 ,the negro1 bethinking him in his captivity of the kind services which ,granville ,sharp had rendered him in his great distress some years before1 despatched a letter to him requesting his help4 ,sharp had forgotten the name of ,strong1 but he sent a messenger to make inquiries1 who returned saying that the keepers denied having any such person in their charge4 ,his suspicions were roused1 and he went forthwith to the prison1 and insisted upon seeing ,jonathan ,strong4 ,he was admitted1 and recognized the poor negro1 now in custody as a recaptured slave4 ,mr4 ,sharp charged the master of the prison at his own peril not to deliver up ,strong to any person whatever1 until he had been carried before the ,lord ,mayor1 to whom ,sharp immediately went1 and obtained a summons against those persons who had seized and imprisoned ,strong without a warrant4 ,the parties appeared before the ,lord ,mayor accordingly1 and it appeared from the proceedings that ,strong's former master had already sold him to a new one1 who produced the bill of sale and claimed the negro as his property4 ,as no charge of offence was made against ,strong1 and as the ,lord ,mayor was incompetent to deal with the legal question of ,strong's liberty or otherwise1 he discharged him1 and the slave followed his benefactor out of court1 no one daring to touch him4 ,the man's owner immediately gave ,sharp notice of an action to recover possession of his negro slave1 of whom he declared he had been robbed4 ,about that time 7#agfg71 the personal liberty of the ,englishman1 though cherished as a theory1 was subject to grievous infringements1 and was almost daily violated4 ,the impressment of men for the sea service was constantly practised1 and1 besides the press-gangs1 there were regular bands of kidnappers employed in ,london and all the large towns of the kingdom1 to seize men for the ,east ,india ,company's service4 ,and when the men were not wanted for ,india1 they were shipped off to the planters in the ,american colonies4 ,negro slaves were openly advertised for sale in the ,london and ,liverpool newspapers4 ,rewards were offered for recovering and securing fugitive slaves1 and conveying them down to certain specified ships in the river4 ,the position of the reputed slave in ,england was undefined and doubtful4 ,the judgments which had been given in the courts of law were fluctuating and various1 resting on no settled principle4 ,although it was a popular belief that no slave could breathe in ,england1 there were legal men of eminence who expressed a directly contrary opinion4 ,the lawyers to whom ,mr4 ,sharp resorted for advice1 in defending himself in the action raised against him in the case of ,jonathan ,strong1 generally concurred in this view1 and he was further told by ,jonathan ,strong's owner1 that the eminent ,lord ,chief ,justice ,mansfield1 and all the leading counsel1 were decidedly of opinion that the slave1 by coming into ,england1 did not become free1 but might legally be compelled to return again to the plantations4 ,such information would have caused despair in a mind less courageous and earnest than that of ,granville ,sharp2 but it only served to stimulate his resolution to fight the battle of the negroes' freedom1 at least in ,england4 8,forsaken10 he said1 8by my professional defenders1 ,i was compelled1 through the want of regular legal assistance1 to make a hopeless attempt at self-defence1 though ,i was totally unacquainted either with the practice of the law or the foundations of it1 having never opened a law book 7except the ,bible7 in my life1 until that time1 when ,i most reluctantly undertook to search the indexes of a law library1 which my bookseller had lately purchased40 ,the whole of his time during the day was occupied with the business of the ordnance department1 where he held the most laborious post in the office2 he was therefore under the necessity of conducting his new studies late at night or early in the morning4 ,he confessed that he was himself becoming a sort of slave4 ,writing to a clerical friend to excuse himself for delay in replying to a letter1 he said1 8,i profess myself entirely incapable of holding a literary correspondence4 ,what little time ,i have been able to save from sleep at night1 and early in the morning1 has been necessarily employed in the examination of some points of law1 which admitted of no delay1 and yet required the most diligent researches and examination in my study40 ,mr4 ,sharp gave up every leisure moment that he could command during the next two years1 to the close study of the laws of ,england affecting personal liberty1--wading through an immense mass of dry and repulsive literature1 and making extracts of all the most important ,acts of ,parliament1 decisions of the courts1 and opinions of eminent lawyers1 as he went along4 ,in this tedious and protracted inquiry he had no instructor1 nor assistant1 nor adviser4 ,he could not find a single lawyer whose opinion was favourable to his undertaking4 ,the results of his inquiries were1 however1 as gratifying to himself1 as they were surprising to the gentlemen of the law4 8,god be thanked10 he wrote1 8there is nothing in any ,english law or statute--at least that ,i am able to find out--that can justify the enslaving of others40 ,he had planted his foot firm1 and now he doubted nothing4 ,he drew up the result of his studies in a summary form2 it was a plain1 clear1 and manly statement1 entitled1 #8,on the ,injustice of ,tolerating ,slavery in ,england2' and numerous copies1 made by himself1 were circulated by him amongst the most eminent lawyers of the time4 ,strong's owner1 finding the sort of man he had to deal with1 invented various pretexts for deferring the suit against ,sharp1 and at length offered a compromise1 which was rejected4 ,granville went on circulating his manuscript tract among the lawyers1 until at length those employed against ,jonathan ,strong were deterred from proceeding further1 and the result was1 that the plaintiff was compelled to pay treble costs for not bringing forward his action4 ,the tract was then printed in #agfi4 ,in the mean time other cases occurred of the kidnapping of negroes in ,london1 and their shipment to the ,west ,indies for sale4 ,wherever ,sharp could lay hold of any such case1 he at once took proceedings to rescue the negro4 ,thus the wife of one ,hylas1 an ,african1 was seized1 and despatched to ,barbadoes2 on which ,sharp1 in the name of ,hylas1 instituted legal proceedings against the aggressor1 obtained a verdict with damages1 and ,hylas's wife was brought back to ,england free4 ,another forcible capture of a negro1 attended with great cruelty1 having occurred in #aggj1 he immediately set himself on the track of the aggressors4 ,an ,african1 named ,lewis1 was seized one dark night by two watermen employed by the person who claimed the negro as his property1 dragged into the water1 hoisted into a boat1 where he was gagged1 and his limbs were tied2 and then rowing down river1 they put him on board a ship bound for ,jamaica1 where he was to be sold for a slave upon his arrival in the island4 ,the cries of the poor negro had1 however1 attracted the attention of some neighbours2 one of whom proceeded direct to ,mr4 ,granville ,sharp1 now known as the negro's friend1 and informed him of the outrage4 ,sharp immediately got a warrant to bring back ,lewis1 and he proceeded to ,gravesend1 but on arrival there the ship had sailed for the ,downs4 ,a writ of ,habeas ,corpus was obtained1 sent down to ,spithead1 and before the ship could leave the shores of ,england the writ was served4 ,the slave was found chained to the main-mast bathed in tears1 casting mournful looks on the land from which he was about to be torn4 ,he was immediately liberated1 brought back to ,london1 and a warrant was issued against the author of the outrage4 ,the promptitude of head1 heart1 and hand1 displayed by ,mr4 ,sharp in this transaction could scarcely have been surpassed1 and yet he accused himself of slowness4 ,the case was tried before ,lord ,mansfield--whose opinion1 it will be remembered1 had already been expressed as decidedly opposed to that entertained by ,granville ,sharp4 ,the judge1 however1 avoided bringing the question to an issue1 or offering any opinion on the legal question as to the slave's personal liberty or otherwise1 but discharged the negro because the defendant could bring no evidence that ,lewis was even nominally his property4 ,the question of the personal liberty of the negro in ,england was therefore still undecided2 but in the mean time ,mr4 ,sharp continued steady in his benevolent course1 and by his indefatigable exertions and promptitude of action1 many more were added to the list of the rescued4 ,at length the important case of ,james ,somerset occurred2 a case which is said to have been selected1 at the mutual desire of ,lord ,mansfield and ,mr4 ,sharp1 in order to bring the great question involved to a clear legal issue4 ,somerset had been brought to ,england by his master1 and left there4 ,afterwards his master sought to apprehend him and send him off to ,jamaica1 for sale4 ,mr4 ,sharp1 as usual1 at once took the negro's case in hand1 and employed counsel to defend him4 ,lord ,mansfield intimated that the case was of such general concern1 that he should take the opinion of all the judges upon it4 ,mr4 ,sharp now felt that he would have to contend with all the force that could be brought against him1 but his resolution was in no wise shaken4 ,fortunately for him1 in this severe struggle1 his exertions had already begun to tell3 increasing interest was taken in the question1 and many eminent legal gentlemen openly declared themselves to be upon his side4 ,the cause of personal liberty1 now at stake1 was fairly tried before ,lord ,mansfield1 assisted by the three justices1--and tried on the broad principle of the essential and constitutional right of every man in ,england to the liberty of his person1 unless forfeited by the law4 ,it is unnecessary here to enter into any account of this great trial2 the arguments extended to a great length1 the cause being carried over to another term1--when it was adjourned and re-adjourned1--but at length judgment was given by ,lord ,mansfield1 in whose powerful mind so gradual a change had been worked by the arguments of counsel1 based mainly on ,granville ,sharp's tract1 that he now declared the court to be so clearly of one opinion1 that there was no necessity for referring the case to the twelve judges4 ,he then declared that the claim of slavery never can be supported2 that the power claimed never was in use in ,england1 nor acknowledged by the law2 therefore the man ,james ,somerset must be discharged4 ,by securing this judgment ,granville ,sharp effectually abolished the ,slave ,trade until then carried on openly in the streets of ,liverpool and ,london4 ,but he also firmly established the glorious axiom1 that as soon as any slave sets his foot on ,english ground1 that moment he becomes free2 and there can be no doubt that this great decision of ,lord ,mansfield was mainly owing to ,mr4 ,sharp's firm1 resolute1 and intrepid prosecution of the cause from the beginning to the end4 ,it is unnecessary further to follow the career of ,granville ,sharp4 ,he continued to labour indefatigably in all good works4 ,he was instrumental in founding the colony of ,sierra ,leone as an asylum for rescued negroes4 ,he laboured to ameliorate the condition of the native ,indians in the ,american colonies4 ,he agitated the enlargement and extension of the political rights of the ,english people2 and he endeavoured to effect the abolition of the impressment of seamen4 ,granville held that the ,british seamen1 as well as the ,african negro1 was entitled to the protection of the law2 and that the fact of his choosing a seafaring life did not in any way cancel his rights and privileges as an ,englishman--first amongst which he ranked personal freedom4 ,mr4 ,sharp also laboured1 but ineffectually1 to restore amity between ,england and her colonies in ,america2 and when the fratricidal war of the ,american ,revolution was entered on1 his sense of integrity was so scrupulous that1 resolving not in any way to be concerned in so unnatural a business1 he resigned his situation at the ,ordnance ,office4 ,to the last he held to the great object of his life--the abolition of slavery4 ,to carry on this work1 and organize the efforts of the growing friends of the cause1 the ,society for the ,abolition of ,slavery was founded1 and new men1 inspired by ,sharp's example and zeal1 sprang forward to help him4 ,his energy became theirs1 and the self-sacrificing zeal in which he had so long laboured single-handed1 became at length transfused into the nation itself4 ,his mantle fell upon ,clarkson1 upon ,wilberforce1 upon ,brougham1 and upon ,buxton1 who laboured as he had done1 with like energy and stedfastness of purpose1 until at length slavery was abolished throughout the ,british dominions4 ,but though the names last mentioned may be more frequently identified with the triumph of this great cause1 the chief merit unquestionably belongs to ,granville ,sharp4 ,he was encouraged by none of the world's huzzas when he entered upon his work4 ,he stood alone1 opposed to the opinion of the ablest lawyers and the most rooted prejudices of the times2 and alone he fought out1 by his single exertions1 and at his individual expense1 the most memorable battle for the constitution of this country and the liberties of ,british subjects1 of which modern times afford a record4 ,what followed was mainly the consequence of his indefatigable constancy4 ,he lighted the torch which kindled other minds1 and it was handed on until the illumination became complete4 ,before the death of ,granville ,sharp1 ,clarkson had already turned his attention to the question of ,negro ,slavery4 ,he had even selected it for the subject of a college ,essay2 and his mind became so possessed by it that he could not shake it off4 ,the spot is pointed out near ,wade's ,mill1 in ,hertfordshire1 where1 alighting from his horse one day1 he sat down disconsolate on the turf by the road side1 and after long thinking1 determined to devote himself wholly to the work4 ,he translated his ,essay from ,latin into ,english1 added fresh illustrations1 and published it4 ,then fellow labourers gathered round him4 ,the ,society for ,abolishing the ,slave ,trade1 unknown to him1 had already been formed1 and when he heard of it he joined it4 ,he sacrificed all his prospects in life to prosecute this cause4 ,wilberforce was selected to lead in parliament2 but upon ,clarkson chiefly devolved the labour of collecting and arranging the immense mass of evidence offered in support of the abolition4 ,a remarkable instance of ,clarkson's sleuth-hound sort of perseverance may be mentioned4 ,the abettors of slavery1 in the course of their defence of the system1 maintained that only such negroes as were captured in battle were sold as slaves1 and if not so sold1 then they were reserved for a still more frightful doom in their own country4 ,clarkson knew of the slave-hunts conducted by the slave-traders1 but had no witnesses to prove it4 ,where was one to be found8 ,accidentally1 a gentleman whom he met on one of his journeys informed him of a young sailor1 in whose company he had been about a year before1 who had been actually engaged in one of such slave-hunting expeditions4 ,the gentleman did not know his name1 and could but indefinitely describe his person4 ,he did not know where he was1 further than that he belonged to a ship of war in ordinary1 but at what port he could not tell4 ,with this mere glimmering of information1 ,clarkson determined to produce this man as a witness4 ,he visited personally all the seaport towns where ships in ordinary lay2 boarded and examined every ship without success1 until he came to the very last port1 and found the young man1 his prize1 in the very last ship that remained to be visited4 ,the young man proved to be one of his most valuable and effective witnesses4 ,during several years ,clarkson conducted a correspondence with upwards of four hundred persons1 travelling more than thirty-five thousand miles during the same time in search of evidence4 ,he was at length disabled and exhausted by illness1 brought on by his continuous exertions2 but he was not borne from the field until his zeal had fully awakened the public mind1 and excited the ardent sympathies of all good men on behalf of the slave4 ,after years of protracted struggle1 the slave trade was abolished4 ,but still another great achievement remained to be accomplished--the abolition of slavery itself throughout the ,british dominions4 ,and here again determined energy won the day4 ,of the leaders in the cause1 none was more distinguished than ,fowell ,buxton1 who took the position formerly occupied by ,wilberforce in the ,house of ,commons4 ,buxton was a dull1 heavy boy1 distinguished for his strong self-will1 which first exhibited itself in violent1 domineering1 and headstrong obstinacy4 ,his father died when he was a child2 but fortunately he had a wise mother1 who trained his will with great care1 constraining him to obey1 but encouraging the habit of deciding and acting for himself in matters which might safely be left to him4 ,his mother believed that a strong will1 directed upon worthy objects1 was a valuable manly quality if properly guided1 and she acted accordingly4 ,when others about her commented on the boy's self-will1 she would merely say1 8,never mind--he is self-willed now--you will see it will turn out well in the end40 ,fowell learnt very little at school1 and was regarded as a dunce and an idler4 ,he got other boys to do his exercises for him1 while he romped and scrambled about4 ,he returned home at fifteen1 a great1 growing1 awkward lad1 fond only of boating1 shooting1 riding1 and field sports1--spending his time principally with the gamekeeper1 a man possessed of a good heart1--an intelligent observer of life and nature1 though he could neither read nor write4 ,buxton had excellent raw material in him1 but he wanted culture1 training1 and development4 ,at this juncture of his life1 when his habits were being formed for good or evil1 he was happily thrown into the society of the ,gurney family1 distinguished for their fine social qualities not less than for their intellectual culture and public-spirited philanthropy4 ,this intercourse with the ,gurneys1 he used afterwards to say1 gave the colouring to his life4 ,they encouraged his efforts at self-culture2 and when he went to the ,university of ,dublin and gained high honours there1 the animating passion in his mind1 he said1 8was to carry back to them the prizes which they prompted and enabled me to win40 ,he married one of the daughters of the family1 and started in life1 commencing as a clerk to his uncles ,hanbury1 the ,london brewers4 ,his power of will1 which made him so difficult to deal with as a boy1 now formed the backbone of his character1 and made him most indefatigable and energetic in whatever he undertook4 ,he threw his whole strength and bulk right down upon his work2 and the great giant--8,elephant ,buxton0 they called him1 for he stood some six feet four in height--became one of the most vigorous and practical of men4 8,i could brew10 he said1 8one hour1--do mathematics the next1--and shoot the next1--and each with my whole soul40 ,there was invincible energy and determination in whatever he did4 ,admitted a partner1 he became the active manager of the concern2 and the vast business which he conducted felt his influence through every fibre1 and prospered far beyond its previous success4 ,nor did he allow his mind to lie fallow1 for he gave his evenings diligently to self-culture1 studying and digesting ,blackstone1 ,montesquieu1 and solid commentaries on ,english law4 ,his maxims in reading were1 8never to begin a book without finishing it20 8never to consider a book finished until it is mastered20 and 8to study everything with the whole mind40 ,when only thirty-two1 ,buxton entered parliament1 and at once assumed that position of influence there1 of which every honest1 earnest1 well-informed man is secure1 who enters that assembly of the first gentlemen in the world4 ,the principal question to which he devoted himself was the complete emancipation of the slaves in the ,british colonies4 ,he himself used to attribute the interest which he early felt in this question to the influence of ,priscilla ,gurney1 one of the ,earlham family1--a woman of a fine intellect and warm heart1 abounding in illustrious virtues4 ,when on her deathbed1 in #ahba1 she repeatedly sent for ,buxton1 and urged him 8to make the cause of the slaves the great object of his life40 ,her last act was to attempt to reiterate the solemn charge1 and she expired in the ineffectual effort4 ,buxton never forgot her counsel2 he named one of his daughters after her2 and on the day on which she was married from his house1 on the #ast of ,august1 #ahcd1--the day of ,negro emancipation--after his ,priscilla had been manumitted from her filial service1 and left her father's home in the company of her husband1 ,buxton sat down and thus wrote to a friend3 8,the bride is just gone2 everything has passed off to admiration2 and there is not a slave in the ,british colonies60 ,buxton was no genius--not a great intellectual leader nor discoverer1 but mainly an earnest1 straightforward1 resolute1 energetic man4 ,indeed1 his whole character is most forcibly expressed in his own words1 which every young man might well stamp upon his soul3 8,the longer ,i live10 said he1 8the more ,i am certain that the great difference between men1 between the feeble and the powerful1 the great and the insignificant1 is energy--invincible determination--a purpose once fixed1 and then death or victory6 ,that quality will do anything that can be done in this world2 and no talents1 no circumstances1 no opportunities1 will make a two-legged creature a ,man without it40 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,men ,,of ,,business4 8,seest thou a man diligent in his business8 he shall stand before kings40--,proverbs of ,solomon4 8,that man is but of the lower part of the world that is not brought up to business and affairs40--,owen ,feltham4 ,,hazlitt1 in one of his clever essays1 represents the man of business as a mean sort of person put in a go-cart1 yoked to a trade or profession2 alleging that all he has to do is1 not to go out of the beaten track1 but merely to let his affairs take their own course4 8,the great requisite10 he says1 8for the prosperous management of ordinary business is the want of imagination1 or of any ideas but those of custom and interest on the narrowest scale40 #bfc ,but nothing could be more one-sided1 and in effect untrue1 than such a definition4 ,of course1 there are narrow-minded men of business1 as there are narrow-minded scientific men1 literary men1 and legislators2 but there are also business men of large and comprehensive minds1 capable of action on the very largest scale4 ,as ,burke said in his speech on the ,india ,bill1 he knew statesmen who were pedlers1 and merchants who acted in the spirit of statesmen4 ,if we take into account the qualities necessary for the successful conduct of any important undertaking1--that it requires special aptitude1 promptitude of action on emergencies1 capacity for organizing the labours often of large numbers of men1 great tact and knowledge of human nature1 constant self-culture1 and growing experience in the practical affairs of life1--it must1 we think1 be obvious that the school of business is by no means so narrow as some writers would have us believe4 ,mr4 ,helps had gone much nearer the truth when he said that consummate men of business are as rare almost as great poets1--rarer1 perhaps1 than veritable saints and martyrs4 ,indeed1 of no other pursuit can it so emphatically be said1 as of this1 that 8,business makes men40 ,it has1 however1 been a favourite fallacy with dunces in all times1 that men of genius are unfitted for business1 as well as that business occupations unfit men for the pursuits of genius4 ,the unhappy youth who committed suicide a few years since because he had been 8born to be a man and condemned to be a grocer10 proved by the act that his soul was not equal even to the dignity of grocery4 ,for it is not the calling that degrades the man1 but the man that degrades the calling4 ,all work that brings honest gain is honourable1 whether it be of hand or mind4 ,the fingers may be soiled1 yet the heart remain pure2 for it is not material so much as moral dirt that defiles--greed far more than grime1 and vice than verdigris4 ,the greatest have not disdained to labour honestly and usefully for a living1 though at the same time aiming after higher things4 ,thales1 the first of the seven sages1 ,solon1 the second founder of ,athens1 and ,hyperates1 the mathematician1 were all traders4 ,plato1 called the ,divine by reason of the excellence of his wisdom1 defrayed his travelling expenses in ,egypt by the profits derived from the oil which he sold during his journey4 ,spinoza maintained himself by polishing glasses while he pursued his philosophical investigations4 ,linnus1 the great botanist1 prosecuted his studies while hammering leather and making shoes4 ,shakespeare was a successful manager of a theatre--perhaps priding himself more upon his practical qualities in that capacity than on his writing of plays and poetry4 ,pope was of opinion that ,shakespeare's principal object in cultivating literature was to secure an honest independence4 ,indeed he seems to have been altogether indifferent to literary reputation4 ,it is not known that he superintended the publication of a single play1 or even sanctioned the printing of one2 and the chronology of his writings is still a mystery4 ,it is certain1 however1 that he prospered in his business1 and realized sufficient to enable him to retire upon a competency to his native town of ,stratford-upon-,avon4 ,chaucer was in early life a soldier1 and afterwards an effective ,commissioner of ,customs1 and ,inspector of ,woods and ,crown ,lands4 ,spencer was ,secretary to the ,lord ,deputy of ,ireland1 was afterwards ,sheriff of ,cork1 and is said to have been shrewd and attentive in matters of business4 ,milton1 originally a schoolmaster1 was elevated to the post of ,secretary to the ,council of ,state during the ,commonwealth2 and the extant ,order-book of the ,council1 as well as many of ,milton's letters which are preserved1 give abundant evidence of his activity and usefulness in that office4 ,sir ,isaac ,newton proved himself an efficient ,master of the ,mint2 the new coinage of #afid having been carried on under his immediate personal superintendence4 ,cowper prided himself upon his business punctuality1 though he confessed that he 8never knew a poet1 except himself1 who was punctual in anything40 ,but against this we may set the lives of ,wordsworth and ,scott--the former a distributor of stamps1 the latter a clerk to the ,court of ,session1--both of whom1 though great poets1 were eminently punctual and practical men of business4 ,david ,ricardo1 amidst the occupations of his daily business as a ,london stock-jobber1 in conducting which he acquired an ample fortune1 was able to concentrate his mind upon his favourite subject--on which he was enabled to throw great light--the principles of political economy2 for he united in himself the sagacious commercial man and the profound philosopher4 ,baily1 the eminent astronomer1 was another stockbroker2 and ,allen1 the chemist1 was a silk manufacturer4 ,we have abundant illustrations1 in our own day1 of the fact that the highest intellectual power is not incompatible with the active and efficient performance of routine duties4 ,grote1 the great historian of ,greece1 was a ,london banker4 ,and it is not long since ,john ,stuart ,mill1 one of our greatest living thinkers1 retired from the ,examiner's department of the ,east ,india ,company1 carrying with him the admiration and esteem of his fellow officers1 not on account of his high views of philosophy1 but because of the high standard of efficiency which he had established in his office1 and the thoroughly satisfactory manner in which he had conducted the business of his department4 ,the path of success in business is usually the path of common sense4 ,patient labour and application are as necessary here as in the acquisition of knowledge or the pursuit of science4 ,the old ,greeks said1 8to become an able man in any profession1 three things are necessary--nature1 study1 and practice40 ,in business1 practice1 wisely and diligently improved1 is the great secret of success4 ,some may make what are called 8lucky hits10 but like money earned by gambling1 such 8hits0 may only serve to lure one to ruin4 ,bacon was accustomed to say that it was in business as in ways--the nearest way was commonly the foulest1 and that if a man would go the fairest way he must go somewhat about4 ,the journey may occupy a longer time1 but the pleasure of the labour involved by it1 and the enjoyment of the results produced1 will be more genuine and unalloyed4 ,to have a daily appointed task of even common drudgery to do makes the rest of life feel all the sweeter4 ,the fable of the labours of ,hercules is the type of all human doing and success4 ,every youth should be made to feel that his happiness and well-doing in life must necessarily rely mainly on himself and the exercise of his own energies1 rather than upon the help and patronage of others4 ,the late ,lord ,melbourne embodied a piece of useful advice in a letter which he wrote to ,lord ,john ,russell1 in reply to an application for a provision for one of ,moore the poet's sons3 8,my dear ,john10 he said1 8,i return you ,moore's letter4 ,i shall be ready to do what you like about it when we have the means4 ,i think whatever is done should be done for ,moore himself4 ,this is more distinct1 direct1 and intelligible4 ,making a small provision for young men is hardly justifiable2 and it is of all things the most prejudicial to themselves4 ,they think what they have much larger than it really is2 and they make no exertion4 ,the young should never hear any language but this3 #8,you have your own way to make1 and it depends upon your own exertions whether you starve or not4' ,believe me1 c41 ,,melbourne40 ,practical industry1 wisely and vigorously applied1 always produces its due effects4 ,it carries a man onward1 brings out his individual character1 and stimulates the action of others4 ,all may not rise equally1 yet each1 on the whole1 very much according to his deserts4 8,though all cannot live on the piazza10 as the ,tuscan proverb has it1 8every one may feel the sun40 ,on the whole1 it is not good that human nature should have the road of life made too easy4 ,better to be under the necessity of working hard and faring meanly1 than to have everything done ready to our hand and a pillow of down to repose upon4 ,indeed1 to start in life with comparatively small means seems so necessary as a stimulus to work1 that it may almost be set down as one of the conditions essential to success in life4 ,hence1 an eminent judge1 when asked what contributed most to success at the bar1 replied1 8,some succeed by great talent1 some by high connexions1 some by miracle1 but the majority by commencing without a shilling40 ,we have heard of an architect of considerable accomplishments1--a man who had improved himself by long study1 and travel in the classical lands of the ,east1--who came home to commence the practice of his profession4 ,he determined to begin anywhere1 provided he could be employed2 and he accordingly undertook a business connected with dilapidations1--one of the lowest and least remunerative departments of the architect's calling4 ,but he had the good sense not to be above his trade1 and he had the resolution to work his way upward1 so that he only got a fair start4 ,one hot day in ,july a friend found him sitting astride of a house roof occupied with his dilapidation business4 ,drawing his hand across his perspiring countenance1 he exclaimed1 8,here's a pretty business for a man who has been all over ,greece60 ,however1 he did his work1 such as it was1 thoroughly and well2 he persevered until he advanced by degrees to more remunerative branches of employment1 and eventually he rose to the highest walks of his profession4 ,the necessity of labour may1 indeed1 be regarded as the main root and spring of all that we call progress in individuals1 and civilization in nations2 and it is doubtful whether any heavier curse could be imposed on man than the complete gratification of all his wishes without effort on his part1 leaving nothing for his hopes1 desires or struggles4 ,the feeling that life is destitute of any motive or necessity for action1 must be of all others the most distressing and insupportable to a rational being4 ,the ,marquis de ,spinola asking ,sir ,horace ,vere what his brother died of1 ,sir ,horace replied1 8,he died1 ,sir1 of having nothing to do40 8,alas60 said ,spinola1 8that is enough to kill any general of us all40 ,those who fail in life are however very apt to assume a tone of injured innocence1 and conclude too hastily that everybody excepting themselves has had a hand in their personal misfortunes4 ,an eminent writer lately published a book1 in which he described his numerous failures in business1 naively admitting1 at the same time1 that he was ignorant of the multiplication table2 and he came to the conclusion that the real cause of his ill-success in life was the money-worshipping spirit of the age4 ,lamartine also did not hesitate to profess his contempt for arithmetic2 but1 had it been less1 probably we should not have witnessed the unseemly spectacle of the admirers of that distinguished personage engaged in collecting subscriptions for his support in his old age4 ,again1 some consider themselves born to ill luck1 and make up their minds that the world invariably goes against them without any fault on their own part4 ,we have heard of a person of this sort1 who went so far as to declare his belief that if he had been a hatter people would have been born without heads6 ,there is however a ,russian proverb which says that ,misfortune is next door to ,stupidity2 and it will often be found that men who are constantly lamenting their luck1 are in some way or other reaping the consequences of their own neglect1 mismanagement1 improvidence1 or want of application4 ,dr4 ,johnson1 who came up to ,london with a single guinea in his pocket1 and who once accurately described himself in his signature to a letter addressed to a noble lord1 as ,impransus1 or ,dinnerless1 has honestly said1 8,all the complaints which are made of the world are unjust2 ,i never knew a man of merit neglected2 it was generally by his own fault that he failed of success40 ,washington ,irying1 the ,american author1 held like views4 8,as for the talk10 said he1 8about modest merit being neglected1 it is too often a cant1 by which indolent and irresolute men seek to lay their want of success at the door of the public4 ,modest merit is1 however1 too apt to be inactive1 or negligent1 or uninstructed merit4 ,well matured and well disciplined talent is always sure of a market1 provided it exerts itself2 but it must not cower at home and expect to be sought for4 ,there is a good deal of cant too about the success of forward and impudent men1 while men of retiring worth are passed over with neglect4 ,but it usually happens that those forward men have that valuable quality of promptness and activity without which worth is a mere inoperative property4 ,a barking dog is often more useful than a sleeping lion40 ,attention1 application1 accuracy1 method1 punctuality1 and despatch1 are the principal qualities required for the efficient conduct of business of any sort4 ,these1 at first sight1 may appear to be small matters2 and yet they are of essential importance to human happiness1 well-being1 and usefulness4 ,they are little things1 it is true2 but human life is made up of comparative trifles4 ,it is the repetition of little acts which constitute not only the sum of human character1 but which determine the character of nations4 ,and where men or nations have broken down1 it will almost invariably be found that neglect of little things was the rock on which they split4 ,every human being has duties to be performed1 and1 therefore1 has need of cultivating the capacity for doing them2 whether the sphere of action be the management of a household1 the conduct of a trade or profession1 or the government of a nation4 ,the examples we have already given of great workers in various branches of industry1 art1 and science1 render it unnecessary further to enforce the importance of persevering application in any department of life4 ,it is the result of every-day experience that steady attention to matters of detail lies at the root of human progress2 and that diligence1 above all1 is the mother of good luck4 ,accuracy is also of much importance1 and an invariable mark of good training in a man4 ,accuracy in observation1 accuracy in speech1 accuracy in the transaction of affairs4 ,what is done in business must be well done2 for it is better to accomplish perfectly a small amount of work1 than to half-do ten times as much4 ,a wise man used to say1 8,stay a little1 that we may make an end the sooner40 ,too little attention1 however1 is paid to this highly important quality of accuracy4 ,as a man eminent in practical science lately observed to us1 8,it is astonishing how few people ,i have met with in the course of my experience1 who can define a fact accurately40 ,yet in business affairs1 it is the manner in which even small matters are transacted1 that often decides men for or against you4 ,with virtue1 capacity1 and good conduct in other respects1 the person who is habitually inaccurate cannot be trusted2 his work has to be gone over again2 and he thus causes an infinity of annoyance1 vexation1 and trouble4 ,it was one of the characteristic qualities of ,charles ,james ,fox1 that he was thoroughly pains-taking in all that he did4 ,when appointed ,secretary of ,state1 being piqued at some observation as to his bad writing1 he actually took a writing-master1 and wrote copies like a schoolboy until he had sufficiently improved himself4 ,though a corpulent man1 he was wonderfully active at picking up cut tennis balls1 and when asked how he contrived to do so1 he playfully replied1 8,because ,i am a very pains-taking man40 ,the same accuracy in trifling matters was displayed by him in things of greater importance2 and he acquired his reputation1 like the painter1 by 8neglecting nothing40 ,method is essential1 and enables a larger amount of work to be got through with satisfaction4 8,method10 said the ,reverend ,richard ,cecil1 8is like packing things in a box2 a good packer will get in half as much again as a bad one40 ,cecil's despatch of business was extraordinary1 his maxim being1 8,the shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once20 and he never left a thing undone with a view of recurring to it at a period of more leisure4 ,when business pressed1 he rather chose to encroach on his hours of meals and rest than omit any part of his work4 ,de ,witt's maxim was like ,cecil's3 8,one thing at a time40 8,if10 said he1 8,i have any necessary despatches to make1 ,i think of nothing else till they are finished2 if any domestic affairs require my attention1 ,i give myself wholly up to them till they are set in order40 ,a ,french minister1 who was alike remarkable for his despatch of business and his constant attendance at places of amusement1 being asked how he contrived to combine both objects1 replied1 8,simply by never postponing till to-morrow what should be done to-day40 ,lord ,brougham has said that a certain ,english statesman reversed the process1 and that his maxim was1 never to transact to-day what could be postponed till to-morrow4 ,unhappily1 such is the practice of many besides that minister1 already almost forgotten2 the practice is that of the indolent and the unsuccessful4 ,such men1 too1 are apt to rely upon agents1 who are not always to be relied upon4 ,important affairs must be attended to in person4 8,if you want your business done10 says the proverb1 8go and do it2 if you don't want it done1 send some one else40 ,an indolent country gentleman had a freehold estate producing about five hundred a-year4 ,becoming involved in debt1 he sold half the estate1 and let the remainder to an industrious farmer for twenty years4 ,about the end of the term the farmer called to pay his rent1 and asked the owner whether he would sell the farm4 8,will you buy it80 asked the owner1 surprised4 8,yes1 if we can agree about the price40 8,that is exceedingly strange10 observed the gentleman2 8pray1 tell me how it happens that1 while ,i could not live upon twice as much land for which ,i paid no rent1 you are regularly paying me two hundred a-year for your farm1 and are able1 in a few years1 to purchase it40 8,the reason is plain10 was the reply2 8you sat still and said ,go1 ,i got up and said ,come2 you laid in bed and enjoyed your estate1 ,i rose in the morning and minded my business40 ,sir ,walter ,scott1 writing to a youth who had obtained a situation and asked for his advice1 gave him in reply this sound counsel3 8,beware of stumbling over a propensity which easily besets you from not having your time fully employed--,i mean what the women call dawdling4 ,your motto must be1 ,hoc age4 ,do instantly whatever is to be done1 and take the hours of recreation after business1 never before it4 ,when a regiment is under march1 the rear is often thrown into confusion because the front do not move steadily and without interruption4 ,it is the same with business4 ,if that which is first in hand is not instantly1 steadily1 and regularly despatched1 other things accumulate behind1 till affairs begin to press all at once1 and no human brain can stand the confusion40 ,promptitude in action may be stimulated by a due consideration of the value of time4 ,an ,italian philosopher was accustomed to call time his estate3 an estate which produces nothing of value without cultivation1 but1 duly improved1 never fails to recompense the labours of the diligent worker4 ,allowed to lie waste1 the product will be only noxious weeds and vicious growths of all kinds4 ,one of the minor uses of steady employment is1 that it keeps one out of mischief1 for truly an idle brain is the devil's workshop1 and a lazy man the devil's bolster4 ,to be occupied is to be possessed as by a tenant1 whereas to be idle is to be empty2 and when the doors of the imagination are opened1 temptation finds a ready access1 and evil thoughts come trooping in4 ,it is observed at sea1 that men are never so much disposed to grumble and mutiny as when least employed4 ,hence an old captain1 when there was nothing else to do1 would issue the order to 8scour the anchor60 ,men of business are accustomed to quote the maxim that ,time is money2 but it is more2 the proper improvement of it is self-culture1 self-improvement1 and growth of character4 ,an hour wasted daily on trifles or in indolence1 would1 if devoted to self-improvement1 make an ignorant man wise in a few years1 and employed in good works1 would make his life fruitful1 and death a harvest of worthy deeds4 ,fifteen minutes a day devoted to self-improvement1 will be felt at the end of the year4 ,good thoughts and carefully gathered experience take up no room1 and may be carried about as our companions everywhere1 without cost or incumbrance4 ,an economical use of time is the true mode of securing leisure3 it enables us to get through business and carry it forward1 instead of being driven by it4 ,on the other hand1 the miscalculation of time involves us in perpetual hurry1 confusion1 and difficulties2 and life becomes a mere shuffle of expedients1 usually followed by disaster4 ,nelson once said1 8,i owe all my success in life to having been always a quarter of an hour before my time40 ,some take no thought of the value of money until they have come to an end of it1 and many do the same with their time4 ,the hours are allowed to flow by unemployed1 and then1 when life is fast waning1 they bethink themselves of the duty of making a wiser use of it4 ,but the habit of listlessness and idleness may already have become confirmed1 and they are unable to break the bonds with which they have permitted themselves to become bound4 ,lost wealth may be replaced by industry1 lost knowledge by study1 lost health by temperance or medicine1 but lost time is gone for ever4 ,a proper consideration of the value of time1 will also inspire habits of punctuality4 8,punctuality10 said ,louis ,,xiv41 8is the politeness of kings40 ,it is also the duty of gentlemen1 and the necessity of men of business4 ,nothing begets confidence in a man sooner than the practice of this virtue1 and nothing shakes confidence sooner than the want of it4 ,he who holds to his appointment and does not keep you waiting for him1 shows that he has regard for your time as well as for his own4 ,thus punctuality is one of the modes by which we testify our personal respect for those whom we are called upon to meet in the business of life4 ,it is also conscientiousness in a measure2 for an appointment is a contract1 express or implied1 and he who does not keep it breaks faith1 as well as dishonestly uses other people's time1 and thus inevitably loses character4 ,we naturally come to the conclusion that the person who is careless about time will be careless about business1 and that he is not the one to be trusted with the transaction of matters of importance4 ,when ,washington's secretary excused himself for the lateness of his attendance and laid the blame upon his watch1 his master quietly said1 8,then you must get another watch1 or ,i another secretary40 ,the person who is negligent of time and its employment is usually found to be a general disturber of others' peace and serenity4 ,it was wittily said by ,lord ,chesterfield of the old ,duke of ,newcastle--8,his ,grace loses an hour in the morning1 and is looking for it all the rest of the day40 ,everybody with whom the unpunctual man has to do is thrown from time to time into a state of fever3 he is systematically late2 regular only in his irregularity4 ,he conducts his dawdling as if upon system2 arrives at his appointment after time2 gets to the railway station after the train has started2 posts his letter when the box has closed4 ,thus business is thrown into confusion1 and everybody concerned is put out of temper4 ,it will generally be found that the men who are thus habitually behind time are as habitually behind success2 and the world generally casts them aside to swell the ranks of the grumblers and the railers against fortune4 ,in addition to the ordinary working qualities the business man of the highest class requires quick perception and firmness in the execution of his plans4 ,tact is also important2 and though this is partly the gift of nature1 it is yet capable of being cultivated and developed by observation and experience4 ,men of this quality are quick to see the right mode of action1 and if they have decision of purpose1 are prompt to carry out their undertakings to a successful issue4 ,these qualities are especially valuable1 and indeed indispensable1 in those who direct the action of other men on a large scale1 as for instance1 in the case of the commander of an army in the field4 ,it is not merely necessary that the general should be great as a warrior but also as a man of business4 ,he must possess great tact1 much knowledge of character1 and ability to organize the movements of a large mass of men1 whom he has to feed1 clothe1 and furnish with whatever may be necessary in order that they may keep the field and win battles4 ,in these respects ,napoleon and ,wellington were both first-rate men of business4 ,though ,napoleon had an immense love for details1 he had also a vivid power of imagination1 which enabled him to look along extended lines of action1 and deal with those details on a large scale1 with judgment and rapidity4 ,he possessed such knowledge of character as enabled him to select1 almost unerringly1 the best agents for the execution of his designs4 ,but he trusted as little as possible to agents in matters of great moment1 on which important results depended4 ,this feature in his character is illustrated in a remarkable degree by the #8,napoleon ,correspondence1' now in course of publication1 and particularly by the contents of the #aeth volume1 #bgg which include the letters1 orders1 and despatches1 written by the ,emperor at ,finkenstein1 a little chateau on the frontier of ,poland in the year #ahjg1 shortly after the victory of ,eylau4 ,the ,french army was then lying encamped along the river ,passarge with the ,russians before them1 the ,austrians on their right flank1 and the conquered ,prussians in their rear4 ,a long line of communications had to be maintained with ,france1 through a hostile country2 but so carefully1 and with such foresight was this provided for1 that it is said ,napoleon never missed a post4 ,the movements of armies1 the bringing up of reinforcements from remote points in ,france1 ,spain1 ,italy1 and ,germany1 the opening of canals and the levelling of roads to enable the produce of ,poland and ,prussia to be readily transported to his encampments1 had his unceasing attention1 down to the minutest details4 ,we find him directing where horses were to be obtained1 making arrangements for an adequate supply of saddles1 ordering shoes for the soldiers1 and specifying the number of rations of bread1 biscuit1 and spirits1 that were to be brought to camp1 or stored in magazines for the use of the troops4 ,at the same time we find him writing to ,paris giving directions for the reorganization of the ,french ,college1 devising a scheme of public education1 dictating bulletins and articles for the #8,moniteur1' revising the details of the budgets1 giving instructions to architects as to alterations to be made at the ,tuileries and the ,church of the ,madelaine1 throwing an occasional sarcasm at ,madame de ,stael and the ,parisian journals1 interfering to put down a squabble at the ,grand ,opera1 carrying on a correspondence with the ,sultan of ,turkey and the ,schah of ,persia1 so that while his body was at ,finkenstein1 his mind seemed to be working at a hundred different places in ,paris1 in ,europe1 and throughout the world4 ,we find him in one letter asking ,ney if he has duly received the muskets which have been sent him2 in another he gives directions to ,prince ,jerome as to the shirts1 greatcoats1 clothes1 shoes1 shakos1 and arms1 to be served out to the ,wurtemburg regiments2 again he presses ,cambacrs to forward to the army a double stock of corn--8,the ifs and the buts10 said he1 8are at present out of season1 and above all it must be done with speed40 ,then he informs ,daru that the army want shirts1 and that they don't come to hand4 ,to ,massena he writes1 8,let me know if your biscuit and bread arrangements are yet completed40 ,to the ,grand due de ,berg1 he gives directions as to the accoutrements of the cuirassiers--8,they complain that the men want sabres2 send an officer to obtain them at ,posen4 ,it is also said they want helmets2 order that they be made at ,ebling4 4 4 4 ,it is not by sleeping that one can accomplish anything40 ,thus no point of detail was neglected1 and the energies of all were stimulated into action with extraordinary power4 ,though many of the ,emperor's days were occupied by inspections of his troops1--in the course of which he sometimes rode from thirty to forty leagues a day1--and by reviews1 receptions1 and affairs of state1 leaving but little time for business matters1 he neglected nothing on that account2 but devoted the greater part of his nights1 when necessary1 to examining budgets1 dictating dispatches1 and attending to the thousand matters of detail in the organization and working of the ,imperial ,government2 the machinery of which was for the most part concentrated in his own head4 ,like ,napoleon1 the ,duke of ,wellington was a first-rate man of business2 and it is not perhaps saying too much to aver that it was in no small degree because of his possession of a business faculty amounting to genius1 that the ,duke never lost a battle4 ,while a subaltern1 he became dissatisfied with the slowness of his promotion1 and having passed from the infantry to the cavalry twice1 and back again1 without advancement1 he applied to ,lord ,camden1 then ,viceroy of ,ireland1 for employment in the ,revenue or ,treasury ,board4 ,had he succeeded1 no doubt he would have made a first-rate head of a department1 as he would have made a first-rate merchant or manufacturer4 ,but his application failed1 and he remained with the army to become the greatest of ,british generals4 ,the ,duke began his active military career under the ,duke of ,york and ,general ,walmoden1 in ,flanders and ,holland1 where he learnt1 amidst misfortunes and defeats1 how bad business arrangements and bad generalship serve to ruin the morale of an army4 ,ten years after entering the army we find him a colonel in ,india1 reported by his superiors as an officer of indefatigable energy and application4 ,he entered into the minutest details of the service1 and sought to raise the discipline of his men to the highest standard4 8,the regiment of ,colonel ,wellesley10 wrote ,general ,harris in #agii1 8is a model regiment2 on the score of soldierly bearing1 discipline1 instruction1 and orderly behaviour it is above all praise40 ,thus qualifying himself for posts of greater confidence1 he was shortly after nominated governor of the capital of ,mysore4 ,in the war with the ,mahrattas he was first called upon to try his hand at generalship2 and at thirty-four he won the memorable battle of ,assaye1 with an army composed of #aejj ,british and #ejjj sepoys1 over #bj1jjj ,mahratta infantry and #cj1jjj cavalry4 ,but so brilliant a victory did not in the least disturb his equanimity1 or affect the perfect honesty of his character4 ,shortly after this event the opportunity occurred for exhibiting his admirable practical qualities as an administrator4 ,placed in command of an important district immediately after the capture of ,seringapatam1 his first object was to establish rigid order and discipline among his own men4 ,flushed with victory1 the troops were found riotous and disorderly4 8,send me the provost marshal10 said he1 8and put him under my orders3 till some of the marauders are hung1 it is impossible to expect order or safety40 ,this rigid severity of ,wellington in the field1 though it was the dread1 proved the salvation of his troops in many campaigns4 ,his next step was to re-establish the markets and re-open the sources of supply4 ,general ,harris wrote to the ,governor-general1 strongly commending ,colonel ,wellesley for the perfect discipline he had established1 and for his 8judicious and masterly arrangements in respect to supplies1 which opened an abundant free market1 and inspired confidence into dealers of every description40 ,the same close attention to1 and mastery of details1 characterized him throughout his ,indian career2 and it is remarkable that one of his ablest despatches to ,lord ,clive1 full of practical information as to the conduct of the campaign1 was written whilst the column he commanded was crossing the ,toombuddra1 in the face of the vastly superior army of ,dhoondiah1 posted on the opposite bank1 and while a thousand matters of the deepest interest were pressing upon the commander's mind4 ,but it was one of his most remarkable characteristics1 thus to be able to withdraw himself temporarily from the business immediately in hand1 and to bend his full powers upon the consideration of matters totally distinct2 even the most difficult circumstances on such occasions failing to embarrass or intimidate him4 ,returned to ,england with a reputation for generalship1 ,sir ,arthur ,wellesley met with immediate employment4 ,in #ahjh a corps of #aj1jjj men destined to liberate ,portugal was placed under his charge4 ,he landed1 fought1 and won two battles1 and signed the ,convention of ,cintra4 ,after the death of ,sir ,john ,moore he was entrusted with the command of a new expedition to ,portugal4 ,but ,wellington was fearfully overmatched throughout his ,peninsular campaigns4 ,from #ahji to #ahac he never had more than #cj1jjj ,british troops under his command1 at a time when there stood opposed to him in the ,peninsula some #cej1jjj ,french1 mostly veterans1 led by some of ,napoleon's ablest generals4 ,how was he to contend against such immense forces with any fair prospect of success8 ,his clear discernment and strong common sense soon taught him that he must adopt a different policy from that of the ,spanish generals1 who were invariably beaten and dispersed whenever they ventured to offer battle in the open plains4 ,he perceived he had yet to create the army that was to contend against the ,french with any reasonable chance of success4 ,accordingly1 after the battle of ,talavera in #ahji1 when he found himself encompassed on all sides by superior forces of ,french1 he retired into ,portugal1 there to carry out the settled policy on which he had by this time determined4 ,it was1 to organise a ,portuguese army under ,british officers1 and teach them to act in combination with his own troops1 in the mean time avoiding the peril of a defeat by declining all engagements4 ,he would thus1 he conceived1 destroy the morale of the ,french1 who could not exist without victories2 and when his army was ripe for action1 and the enemy demoralized1 he would then fall upon them with all his might4 ,the extraordinary qualities displayed by ,lord ,wellington throughout these immortal campaigns1 can only be appreciated after a perusal of his despatches1 which contain the unvarnished tale of the manifold ways and means by which he laid the foundations of his success4 ,never was man more tried by difficulty and opposition1 arising not less from the imbecility1 falsehoods and intrigues of the ,british ,government of the day1 than from the selfishness1 cowardice1 and vanity of the people he went to save4 ,it may1 indeed1 be said of him1 that he sustained the war in ,spain by his individual firmness and self-reliance1 which never failed him even in the midst of his great discouragements4 ,he had not only to fight ,napoleon's veterans1 but also to hold in check the ,spanish juntas and the ,portuguese regency4 ,he had the utmost difficulty in obtaining provisions and clothing for his troops2 and it will scarcely be credited that1 while engaged with the enemy in the battle of ,talavera1 the ,spaniards1 who ran away1 fell upon the baggage of the ,british army1 and the ruffians actually plundered it6 ,these and other vexations the ,duke bore with a sublime patience and self-control1 and held on his course1 in the face of ingratitude1 treachery1 and opposition1 with indomitable firmness4 ,he neglected nothing1 and attended to every important detail of business himself4 ,when he found that food for his troops was not to be obtained from ,england1 and that he must rely upon his own resources for feeding them1 he forthwith commenced business as a corn merchant on a large scale1 in copartnery with the ,british ,minister at ,lisbon4 ,commissariat bills were created1 with which grain was bought in the ports of the ,mediterranean and in ,south ,america4 ,when he had thus filled his magazines1 the overplus was sold to the ,portuguese1 who were greatly in want of provisions4 ,he left nothing whatever to chance1 but provided for every contingency4 ,he gave his attention to the minutest details of the service2 and was accustomed to concentrate his whole energies1 from time to time1 on such apparently ignominious matters as soldiers' shoes1 camp-kettles1 biscuits and horse fodder4 ,his magnificent business qualities were everywhere felt1 and there can be no doubt that1 by the care with which he provided for every contingency1 and the personal attention which he gave to every detail1 he laid the foundations of his great success4 #bhc ,by such means he transformed an army of raw levies into the best soldiers in ,europe1 with whom he declared it to be possible to go anywhere and do anything4 ,we have already referred to his remarkable power of abstracting himself from the work1 no matter how engrossing1 immediately in hand1 and concentrating his energies upon the details of some entirely different business4 ,thus ,napier relates that it was while he was preparing to fight the battle of ,salamanca that he had to expose to the ,ministers at home the futility of relying upon a loan2 it was on the heights of ,san ,christoval1 on the field of battle itself1 that he demonstrated the absurdity of attempting to establish a ,portuguese bank2 it was in the trenches of ,burgos that he dissected ,funchal's scheme of finance1 and exposed the folly of attempting the sale of church property2 and on each occasion1 he showed himself as well acquainted with these subjects as with the minutest detail in the mechanism of armies4 ,another feature in his character1 showing the upright man of business1 was his thorough honesty4 ,whilst ,soult ransacked and carried away with him from ,spain numerous pictures of great value1 ,wellington did not appropriate to himself a single farthing's worth of property4 ,everywhere he paid his way1 even when in the enemy's country4 ,when he had crossed the ,french frontier1 followed by #dj1jjj ,spaniards1 who sought to 8make fortunes0 by pillage and plunder1 he first rebuked their officers1 and then1 finding his efforts to restrain them unavailing1 he sent them back into their own country4 ,it is a remarkable fact1 that1 even in ,france the peasantry fled from their own countrymen1 and carried their valuables within the protection of the ,british lines6 ,at the very same time1 ,wellington was writing home to the ,british ,ministry1 8,we are overwhelmed with debts1 and ,i can scarcely stir out of my house on account of public creditors waiting to demand payment of what is due to them40 ,jules ,maurel1 in his estimate of the ,duke's character1 says1 8,nothing can be grander or more nobly original than this admission4 ,this old soldier1 after thirty years' service1 this iron man and victorious general1 established in an enemy's country at the head of an immense army1 is afraid of his creditors6 ,this is a kind of fear that has seldom troubled the mind of conquerors and invaders2 and ,i doubt if the annals of war could present anything comparable to this sublime simplicity40 ,but the ,duke himself1 had the matter been put to him1 would most probably have disclaimed any intention of acting even grandly or nobly in the matter2 merely regarding the punctual payment of his debts as the best and most honourable mode of conducting his business4 ,the truth of the good old maxim1 that 8,honesty is the best policy10 is upheld by the daily experience of life2 uprightness and integrity being found as successful in business as in everything else4 ,as ,hugh ,miller's worthy uncle used to advise him1 8,in all your dealings give your neighbour the cast of the bank--#8good measure1 heaped up1 and running over1'--and you will not lose by it in the end40 ,a well-known brewer of beer attributed his success to the liberality with which he used his malt4 ,going up to the vat and tasting it1 he would say1 8,still rather poor1 my lads2 give it another cast of the malt40 ,the brewer put his character into his beer1 and it proved generous accordingly1 obtaining a reputation in ,england1 ,india1 and the colonies1 which laid the foundation of a large fortune4 ,integrity of word and deed ought to be the very cornerstone of all business transactions4 ,to the tradesman1 the merchant1 and manufacturer1 it should be what honour is to the soldier1 and charity to the ,christian4 ,in the humblest calling there will always be found scope for the exercise of this uprightness of character4 ,hugh ,miller speaks of the mason with whom he served his apprenticeship1 as one who 8put his conscience into every stone that he laid40 ,so the true mechanic will pride himself upon the thoroughness and solidity of his work1 and the high-minded contractor upon the honesty of performance of his contract in every particular4 ,the upright manufacturer will find not only honour and reputation1 but substantial success1 in the genuineness of the article which he produces1 and the merchant in the honesty of what he sells1 and that it really is what it seems to be4 ,baron ,dupin1 speaking of the general probity of ,englishmen1 which he held to be a principal cause of their success1 observed1 8,we may succeed for a time by fraud1 by surprise1 by violence2 but we can succeed permanently only by means directly opposite4 ,it is not alone the courage1 the intelligence1 the activity1 of the merchant and manufacturer which maintain the superiority of their productions and the character of their country2 it is far more their wisdom1 their economy1 and1 above all1 their probity4 ,if ever in the ,british ,islands the useful citizen should lose these virtues1 we may be sure that1 for ,england1 as for every other country1 the vessels of a degenerate commerce1 repulsed from every shore1 would speedily disappear from those seas whose surface they now cover with the treasures of the universe1 bartered for the treasures of the industry of the three kingdoms40 ,it must be admitted1 that ,trade tries character perhaps more severely than any other pursuit in life4 ,it puts to the severest tests honesty1 self-denial1 justice1 and truthfulness2 and men of business who pass through such trials unstained are perhaps worthy of as great honour as soldiers who prove their courage amidst the fire and perils of battle4 ,and1 to the credit of the multitudes of men engaged in the various departments of trade1 we think it must be admitted that on the whole they pass through their trials nobly4 ,if we reflect but for a moment on the vast amount of wealth daily entrusted even to subordinate persons1 who themselves probably earn but a bare competency--the loose cash which is constantly passing through the hands of shopmen1 agents1 brokers1 and clerks in banking houses1--and note how comparatively few are the breaches of trust which occur amidst all this temptation1 it will probably be admitted that this steady daily honesty of conduct is most honourable to human nature1 if it do not even tempt us to be proud of it4 ,the same trust and confidence reposed by men of business in each other1 as implied by the system of ,credit1 which is mainly based upon the principle of honour1 would be surprising if it were not so much a matter of ordinary practice in business transactions4 ,dr4 ,chalmers has well said1 that the implicit trust with which merchants are accustomed to confide in distant agents1 separated from them perhaps by half the globe--often consigning vast wealth to persons1 recommended only by their character1 whom perhaps they have never seen--is probably the finest act of homage which men can render to one another4 ,although common honesty is still happily in the ascendant amongst common people1 and the general business community of ,england is still sound at heart1 putting their honest character into their respective callings1--there are unhappily1 as there have been in all times1 but too many instances of flagrant dishonesty and fraud1 exhibited by the unscrupulous1 the over-speculative1 and the intensely selfish in their haste to be rich4 ,there are tradesmen who adulterate1 contractors who 8scamp10 manufacturers who give us shoddy instead of wool1 8dressing0 instead of cotton1 cast-iron tools instead of steel1 needles without eyes1 razors made only 8to sell10 and swindled fabrics in many shapes4 ,but these we must hold to be the exceptional cases1 of low-minded and grasping men1 who1 though they may gain wealth which they probably cannot enjoy1 will never gain an honest character1 nor secure that without which wealth is nothing--a heart at peace4 8,the rogue cozened not me1 but his own conscience10 said ,bishop ,latimer of a cutler who made him pay twopence for a knife not worth a penny4 ,money1 earned by screwing1 cheating1 and overreaching1 may for a time dazzle the eyes of the unthinking2 but the bubbles blown by unscrupulous rogues1 when full-blown1 usually glitter only to burst4 ,the ,sadleirs1 ,dean ,pauls1 and ,redpaths1 for the most part1 come to a sad end even in this world2 and though the successful swindles of others may not be 8found out10 and the gains of their roguery may remain with them1 it will be as a curse and not as a blessing4 ,it is possible that the scrupulously honest man may not grow rich so fast as the unscrupulous and dishonest one2 but the success will be of a truer kind1 earned without fraud or injustice4 ,and even though a man should for a time be unsuccessful1 still he must be honest3 better lose all and save character4 ,for character is itself a fortune2 and if the high-principled man will but hold on his way courageously1 success will surely come1--nor will the highest reward of all be withheld from him4 ,wordsworth well describes the 8,happy ,warrior10 as he 8,who comprehends his trust1 and to the same ,keeps faithful with a singleness of aim2 ,and therefore does not stoop1 nor lie in wait ,for wealth1 or honour1 or for worldly state2 ,whom they must follow1 on whose head must fall1 ,like showers of manna1 if they come at all40 ,as an example of the high-minded mercantile man trained in upright habits of business1 and distinguished for justice1 truthfulness1 and honesty of dealing in all things1 the career of the well-known ,david ,barclay1 grandson of ,robert ,barclay1 of ,ury1 the author of the celebrated #8,apology for the ,quakers1' may be briefly referred to4 ,for many years he was the head of an extensive house in ,cheapside1 chiefly engaged in the ,american trade2 but like ,granville ,sharp1 he entertained so strong an opinion against the war with our ,american colonies1 that he determined to retire altogether from the trade4 ,whilst a merchant1 he was as much distinguished for his talents1 knowledge1 integrity1 and power1 as he afterwards was for his patriotism and munificent philanthropy4 ,he was a mirror of truthfulness and honesty2 and1 as became the good ,christian and true gentleman1 his word was always held to be as good as his bond4 ,his position1 and his high character1 induced the ,ministers of the day on many occasions to seek his advice2 and1 when examined before the ,house of ,commons on the subject of the ,american dispute1 his views were so clearly expressed1 and his advice was so strongly justified by the reasons stated by him1 that ,lord ,north publicly acknowledged that he had derived more information from ,david ,barclay than from all others east of ,temple ,bar4 ,on retiring from business1 it was not to rest in luxurious ease1 but to enter upon new labours of usefulness for others4 ,with ample means1 he felt that he still owed to society the duty of a good example4 ,he founded a house of industry near his residence at ,walthamstow1 which he supported at a heavy outlay for several years1 until at length he succeeded in rendering it a source of comfort as well as independence to the well-disposed families of the poor in that neighbourhood4 ,when an estate in ,jamaica fell to him1 he determined1 though at a cost of some #aj1jjjl41 at once to give liberty to the whole of the slaves on the property4 ,he sent out an agent1 who hired a ship1 and he had the little slave community transported to one of the free ,american states1 where they settled down and prospered4 ,mr4 ,barclay had been assured that the negroes were too ignorant and too barbarous for freedom1 and it was thus that he determined practically to demonstrate the fallacy of the assertion4 ,in dealing with his accumulated savings1 he made himself the executor of his own will1 and instead of leaving a large fortune to be divided among his relatives at his death1 he extended to them his munificent aid during his life1 watched and aided them in their respective careers1 and thus not only laid the foundation1 but lived to see the maturity1 of some of the largest and most prosperous business concerns in the metropolis4 ,we believe that to this day some of our most eminent merchants--such as the ,gurneys1 ,hanburys1 and ,buxtons--are proud to acknowledge with gratitude the obligations they owe to ,david ,barclay for the means of their first introduction to life1 and for the benefits of his counsel and countenance in the early stages of their career4 ,such a man stands as a mark of the mercantile honesty and integrity of his country1 and is a model and example for men of business in all time to come4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,money--,,its ,,use ,,and ,,abuse4 8,not for to hide it in a hedge1 ,nor for a train attendant1 ,but for the glorious privilege ,of being independent40--,burns4 8,neither a borrower nor a lender be3 ,for loan oft loses both itself and friend2 ,and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry40--,shakepeare4 ,never treat money affairs with levity--,money is character4--,sir ,e4 ,l4 ,bulwer ,lytton4 ,,how a man uses money--makes it1 saves it1 and spends it--is perhaps one of the best tests of practical wisdom4 ,although money ought by no means to be regarded as a chief end of man's life1 neither is it a trifling matter1 to be held in philosophic contempt1 representing as it does to so large an extent1 the means of physical comfort and social well-being4 ,indeed1 some of the finest qualities of human nature are intimately related to the right use of money2 such as generosity1 honesty1 justice1 and self-sacrifice2 as well as the practical virtues of economy and providence4 ,on the other hand1 there are their counterparts of avarice1 fraud1 injustice1 and selfishness1 as displayed by the inordinate lovers of gain2 and the vices of thriftlessness1 extravagance1 and improvidence1 on the part of those who misuse and abuse the means entrusted to them4 8,so that10 as is wisely observed by ,henry ,taylor in his thoughtful #8,notes from ,life1' 8a right measure and manner in getting1 saving1 spending1 giving1 taking1 lending1 borrowing1 and bequeathing1 would almost argue a perfect man40 ,comfort in worldly circumstances is a con ion which every man is justified in striving to attain by all worthy means4 ,it secures that physical satisfaction1 which is necessary for the culture of the better part of his nature2 and enables him to provide for those of his own household1 without which1 says the ,apostle1 a man is 8worse than an infidel40 ,nor ought the duty to be any the less indifferent to us1 that the respect which our fellow-men entertain for us in no slight degree depends upon the manner in which we exercise the opportunities which present themselves for our honourable advancement in life4 ,the very effort required to be made to succeed in life with this object1 is of itself an education2 stimulating a man's sense of self-respect1 bringing out his practical qualities1 and disciplining him in the exercise of patience1 perseverance1 and such like virtues4 ,the provident and careful man must necessarily be a thoughtful man1 for he lives not merely for the present1 but with provident forecast makes arrangements for the future4 ,he must also be a temperate man1 and exercise the virtue of self-denial1 than which nothing is so much calculated to give strength to the character4 ,john ,sterling says truly1 that 8the worst education which teaches self denial1 is better than the best which teaches everything else1 and not that40 ,the ,romans rightly employed the same word 7virtus7 to designate courage1 which is in a physical sense what the other is in a moral2 the highest virtue of all being victory over ourselves4 ,hence the lesson of self-denial--the sacrificing of a present gratification for a future good--is one of the last that is learnt4 ,those classes which work the hardest might naturally be expected to value the most the money which they earn4 ,yet the readiness with which so many are accustomed to eat up and drink up their earnings as they go1 renders them to a great extent helpless and dependent upon the frugal4 ,there are large numbers of persons among us who1 though enjoying sufficient means of comfort and independence1 are often found to be barely a day's march ahead of actual want when a time of pressure occurs2 and hence a great cause of social helplessness and suffering4 ,on one occasion a deputation waited on ,lord ,john ,russell1 respecting the taxation levied on the working classes of the country1 when the noble lord took the opportunity of remarking1 8,you may rely upon it that the ,government of this country durst not tax the working classes to anything like the extent to which they tax themselves in their expenditure upon intoxicating drinks alone60 ,of all great public questions1 there is perhaps none more important than this1--no great work of reform calling more loudly for labourers4 ,but it must be admitted that 8self-denial and self-help0 would make a poor rallying cry for the hustings2 and it is to be feared that the patriotism of this day has but little regard for such common things as individual economy and providence1 although it is by the practice of such virtues only that the genuine independence of the industrial classes is to be secured4 8,prudence1 frugality1 and good management10 said ,samuel ,drew1 the philosophical shoemaker1 8are excellent artists for mending bad times3 they occupy but little room in any dwelling1 but would furnish a more effectual remedy for the evils of life than any ,reform ,bill that ever passed the ,houses of ,parliament40 ,socrates said1 8,let him that would move the world move first himself4 0 ,or as the old rhyme runs-- 8,if every one would see ,to his own reformation1 ,how very easily ,you might reform a nation40 ,it is1 however1 generally felt to be a far easier thing to reform the ,church and the ,state than to reform the least of our own bad habits2 and in such matters it is usually found more agreeable to our tastes1 as it certainly is the common practice1 to begin with our neighbours rather than with ourselves4 ,any class of men that lives from hand to mouth will ever be an inferior class4 ,they will necessarily remain impotent and helpless1 hanging on to the skirts of society1 the sport of times and seasons4 ,having no respect for themselves1 they will fail in securing the respect of others4 ,in commercial crises1 such men must inevitably go to the wall4 ,wanting that husbanded power which a store of savings1 no matter how small1 invariably gives them1 they will be at every man's mercy1 and1 if possessed of right feelings1 they cannot but regard with fear and trembling the future possible fate of their wives and children4 8,the world10 once said ,mr4 ,cobden to the working men of ,huddersfield1 8has always been divided into two classes1--those who have saved1 and those who have spent--the thrifty and the extravagant4 ,the building of all the houses1 the mills1 the bridges1 and the ships1 and the accomplishment of all other great works which have rendered man civilized and happy1 has been done by the savers1 the thrifty2 and those who have wasted their resources have always been their slaves4 ,it has been the law of nature and of ,providence that this should be so2 and ,i were an impostor if ,i promised any class that they would advance themselves if they were improvident1 thoughtless1 and idle40 ,equally sound was the advice given by ,mr4 ,bright to an assembly of working men at ,rochdale1 in #ahdg1 when1 after expressing his belief that1 8so far as honesty was concerned1 it was to be found in pretty equal amount among all classes10 he used the following words3--8,there is only one way that is safe for any man1 or any number of men1 by which they can maintain their present position if it be a good one1 or raise themselves above it if it be a bad one1--that is1 by the practice of the virtues of industry1 frugality1 temperance1 and honesty4 ,there is no royal road by which men can raise themselves from a position which they feel to be uncomfortable and unsatisfactory1 as regards their mental or physical condition1 except by the practice of those virtues by which they find numbers amongst them are continually advancing and bettering themselves40 ,there is no reason why the condition of the average workman should not be a useful1 honourable1 respectable1 and happy one4 ,the whole body of the working classes might1 7with few exceptions7 be as frugal1 virtuous1 well-informed1 and well-conditioned as many individuals of the same class have already made themselves4 ,what some men are1 all without difficulty might be4 ,employ the same means1 and the same results will follow4 ,that there should be a class of men who live by their daily labour in every state is the ordinance of ,god1 and doubtless is a wise and righteous one2 but that this class should be otherwise than frugal1 contented1 intelligent1 and happy1 is not the design of ,providence1 but springs solely from the weakness1 self-indulgence1 and perverseness of man himself4 ,the healthy spirit of self-help created amongst working people would more than any other measure serve to raise them as a class1 and this1 not by pulling down others1 but by levelling them up to a higher and still advancing standard of religion1 intelligence1 and virtue4 8,all moral philosophy10 says ,montaigne1 8is as applicable to a common and private life as to the most splendid4 ,every man carries the entire form of the human condition within him40 ,when a man casts his glance forward1 he will find that the three chief temporal contingencies for which he has to provide are want of employment1 sickness1 and death4 ,the two first he may escape1 but the last is inevitable4 ,it is1 however1 the duty of the prudent man so to live1 and so to arrange1 that the pressure of suffering1 in event of either contingency occurring1 shall be mitigated to as great an extent as possible1 not only to himself1 but also to those who are dependent upon him for their comfort and subsistence4 ,viewed in this light the honest earning and the frugal use of money are of the greatest importance4 ,rightly earned1 it is the representative of patient industry and untiring effort1 of temptation resisted1 and hope rewarded2 and rightly used1 it affords indications of prudence1 forethought and self-denial--the true basis of manly character4 ,though money represents a crowd of objects without any real worth or utility1 it also represents many things of great value2 not only food1 clothing1 and household satisfaction1 but personal self-respect and independence4 ,thus a store of savings is to the working man as a barricade against want2 it secures him a footing1 and enables him to wait1 it may be in cheerfulness and hope1 until better days come round4 ,the very endeavour to gain a firmer position in the world has a certain dignity in it1 and tends to make a man stronger and better4 ,at all events it gives him greater freedom of action1 and enables him to husband his strength for future effort4 ,but the man who is always hovering on the verge of want is in a state not far removed from that of slavery4 ,he is in no sense his own master1 but is in constant peril of falling under the bondage of others1 and accepting the terms which they dictate to him4 ,he cannot help being1 in a measure1 servile1 for he dares not look the world boldly in the face2 and in adverse times he must look either to alms or the poor's rates4 ,if work fails him altogether1 he has not the means of moving to another field of employment2 he is fixed to his parish like a limpet to its rock1 and can neither migrate nor emigrate4 ,to secure independence1 the practice of simple economy is all that is necessary4 ,economy requires neither superior courage nor eminent virtue2 it is satisfied with ordinary energy1 and the capacity of average minds4 ,economy1 at bottom1 is but the spirit of order applied in the administration of domestic affairs3 it means management1 regularity1 prudence1 and the avoidance of waste4 ,the spirit of economy was expressed by our ,divine ,master in the words #8,gather up the fragments that remain1 so that nothing may be lost4' ,his omnipotence did not disdain the small things of life2 and even while revealing ,his infinite power to the multitude1 he taught the pregnant lesson of carefulness of which all stand so much in need4 ,economy also means the power of resisting present gratification for the purpose of securing a future good1 and in this light it represents the ascendancy of reason over the animal instincts4 ,it is altogether different from penuriousness3 for it is economy that can always best afford to be generous4 ,it does not make money an idol1 but regards it as a useful agent4 ,as ,dean ,swift observes1 8we must carry money in the head1 not in the heart40 ,economy may be styled the daughter of ,prudence1 the sister of ,temperance1 and the mother of ,liberty4 ,it is evidently conservative--conservative of character1 of domestic happiness1 and social well-being4 ,it is1 in short1 the exhibition of self-help in one of its best forms4 ,francis ,horner's father gave him this advice on entering life3--8,whilst ,i wish you to be comfortable in every respect1 ,i cannot too strongly inculcate economy4 ,it is a necessary virtue to all2 and however the shallow part of mankind may despise it1 it certainly leads to independence1 which is a grand object to every man of a high spirit40 ,burns' lines1 quoted at the head of this chapter1 contain the right idea2 but unhappily his strain of song was higher than his practice2 his ideal better than his habit4 ,when laid on his death-bed he wrote to a friend1 8,alas6 ,clarke1 ,i begin to feel the worst4 ,burns' poor widow1 and half a dozen of his dear little ones helpless orphans2--there ,i am weak as a woman's tear4 ,enough of this2--'tis half my disease40 ,every man ought so to contrive as to live within his means4 ,this practice is of the very essence of honesty4 ,for if a man do not manage honestly to live within his own means1 he must necessarily be living dishonestly upon the means of somebody else4 ,those who are careless about personal expenditure1 and consider merely their own gratification1 without regard for the comfort of others1 generally find out the real uses of money when it is too late4 ,though by nature generous1 these thriftless persons are often driven in the end to do very shabby things4 ,they waste their money as they do their time2 draw bills upon the future2 anticipate their earnings2 and are thus under the necessity of dragging after them a load of debts and obligations which seriously affect their action as free and independent men4 ,it was a maxim of ,lord ,bacon1 that when it was necessary to economize1 it was better to look after petty savings than to descend to petty gettings4 ,the loose cash which many persons throw away uselessly1 and worse1 would often form a basis of fortune and independence for life4 ,these wasters are their own worst enemies1 though generally found amongst the ranks of those who rail at the injustice of 8the world40 ,but if a man will not be his own friend1 how can he expect that others will8 ,orderly men of moderate means have always something left in their pockets to help others2 whereas your prodigal and careless fellows who spend all never find an opportunity for helping anybody4 ,it is poor economy1 however1 to be a scrub4 ,narrowmindedness in living and in dealing is generally short-sighted1 and leads to failure4 ,the penny soul1 it is said1 never came to twopence4 ,generosity and liberality1 like honesty1 prove the best policy after all4 ,though ,jenkinson1 in the #8,vicar of ,wakefield1' cheated his kind-hearted neighbour ,flamborough in one way or another every year1 8,flamborough10 said he1 8has been regularly growing in riches1 while ,i have come to poverty and a gaol40 ,and practical life abounds in cases of brilliant results from a course of generous and honest policy4 ,the proverb says that 8an empty bag cannot stand upright20 neither can a man who is in debt4 ,it is also difficult for a man who is in debt to be truthful2 hence it is said that lying rides on debt's back4 ,the debtor has to frame excuses to his creditor for postponing payment of the money he owes him2 and probably also to contrive falsehoods4 ,it is easy enough for a man who will exercise a healthy resolution1 to avoid incurring the first obligation2 but the facility with which that has been incurred often becomes a temptation to a second2 and very soon the unfortunate borrower becomes so entangled that no late exertion of industry can set him free4 ,the first step in debt is like the first step in falsehood2 almost involving the necessity of proceeding in the same course1 debt following debt1 as lie follows lie4 ,haydon1 the painter1 dated his decline from the day on which he first borrowed money4 ,he realized the truth of the proverb1 8,who goes a-borrowing1 goes a-sorrowing40 ,the significant entry in his diary is3 8,here began debt and obligation1 out of which ,i have never been and never shall be extricated as long as ,i live40 ,his ,autobiography shows but too painfully how embarrassment in money matters produces poignant distress of mind1 utter incapacity for work1 and constantly recurring humiliations4 ,the written advice which he gave to a youth when entering the navy was as follows3 8,never purchase any enjoyment if it cannot be procured without borrowing of others4 ,never borrow money3 it is degrading4 ,i do not say never lend1 but never lend if by lending you render yourself unable to pay what you owe2 but under any circumstances never borrow40 ,fichte1 the poor student1 refused to accept even presents from his still poorer parents4 ,dr4 ,johnson held that early debt is ruin4 ,his words on the subject are weighty1 and worthy of being held in remembrance4 8,do not10 said he1 8accustom yourself to consider debt only as an inconvenience2 you will find it a calamity4 ,poverty takes away so many means of doing good1 and produces so much inability to resist evil1 both natural and moral1 that it is by all virtuous means to be avoided4 4 4 4 ,let it be your first care1 then1 not to be in any man's debt4 ,resolve not to be poor2 whatever you have spend less4 ,poverty is a great enemy to human happiness2 it certainly destroys liberty1 and it makes some virtues impracticable and others extremely difficult4 ,frugality is not only the basis of quiet1 but of beneficence4 ,no man can help others that wants help himself2 we must have enough before we have to spare40 ,it is the bounden duty of every man to look his affairs in the face1 and to keep an account of his incomings and outgoings in money matters4 ,the exercise of a little simple arithmetic in this way will be found of great value4 ,prudence requires that we shall pitch our scale of living a degree below our means1 rather than up to them2 but this can only be done by carrying out faithfully a plan of living by which both ends may be made to meet4 ,john ,locke strongly advised this course3 8,nothing10 said he1 8is likelier to keep a man within compass than having constantly before his eyes the state of his affairs in a regular course of account40 ,the ,duke of ,wellington kept an accurate detailed account of all the moneys received and expended by him4 8,i make a point10 said he to ,mr4 ,gleig1 8of paying my own bills1 and ,i advise every one to do the same2 formerly ,i used to trust a confidential servant to pay them1 but ,i was cured of that folly by receiving one morning1 to my great surprise1 duns of a year or two's standing4 ,the fellow had speculated with my money1 and left my bills unpaid40 ,talking of debt his remark was1 8,it makes a slave of a man4 ,i have often known what it was to be in want of money1 but ,i never got into debt40 ,washington was as particular as ,wellington was1 in matters of business detail2 and it is a remarkable fact1 that he did not disdain to scrutinize the smallest outgoings of his household--determined as he was to live honestly within his means--even while holding the high office of ,president of the ,american ,union4 ,admiral ,jervis1 ,earl ,st4 ,vincent1 has told the story of his early struggles1 and1 amongst other things1 of his determination to keep out of debt4 8,my father had a very large family10 said he1 8with limited means4 ,he gave me twenty pounds at starting1 and that was all he ever gave me4 ,after ,i had been a considerable time at the station at sea1 ,i drew for twenty more1 but the bill came back protested4 ,i was mortified at this rebuke1 and made a promise1 which ,i have ever kept1 that ,i would never draw another bill without a certainty of its being paid4 ,i immediately changed my mode of living1 quitted my mess1 lived alone1 and took up the ship's allowance1 which ,i found quite sufficient2 washed and mended my own clothes2 made a pair of trousers out of the ticking of my bed2 and having by these means saved as much money as would redeem my honour1 ,i took up my bill1 and from that time to this ,i have taken care to keep within my means40 ,jervis for six years endured pinching privation1 but preserved his integrity1 studied his profession with success1 and gradually and steadily rose by merit and bravery to the highest rank4 ,mr4 ,hume hit the mark when he once stated in the ,house of ,commons--though his words were followed by 8laughter0--that the tone of living in ,england is altogether too high4 ,middle-class people are too apt to live up to their incomes1 if not beyond them3 affecting a degree of 8style0 which is most unhealthy in its effects upon society at large4 ,there is an ambition to bring up boys as gentlemen1 or rather 8genteel0 men2 though the result frequently is1 only to make them gents4 ,they acquire a taste for dress1 style1 luxuries1 and amusements1 which can never form any solid foundation for manly or gentlemanly character2 and the result is1 that we have a vast number of gingerbread young gentry thrown upon the world1 who remind one of the abandoned hulls sometimes picked up at sea1 with only a monkey on board4 ,there is a dreadful ambition abroad for being 8genteel40 ,we keep up appearances1 too often at the expense of honesty2 and1 though we may not be rich1 yet we must seem to be so4 ,we must be 8respectable10 though only in the meanest sense--in mere vulgar outward show4 ,we have not the courage to go patiently onward in the condition of life in which it has pleased ,god to call us2 but must needs live in some fashionable state to which we ridiculously please to call ourselves1 and all to gratify the vanity of that unsubstantial genteel world of which we form a part4 ,there is a constant struggle and pressure for front seats in the social amphitheatre2 in the midst of which all noble self-denying resolve is trodden down1 and many fine natures are inevitably crushed to death4 ,what waste1 what misery1 what bankruptcy1 come from all this ambition to dazzle others with the glare of apparent worldly success1 we need not describe4 ,the mischievous results show themselves in a thousand ways--in the rank frauds committed by men who dare to be dishonest1 but do not dare to seem poor2 and in the desperate dashes at fortune1 in which the pity is not so much for those who fail1 as for the hundreds of innocent families who are so often involved in their ruin4 ,the late ,sir ,charles ,napier1 in taking leave of his command in ,india1 did a bold and honest thing in publishing his strong protest1 embodied in his last ,general ,order to the officers of the ,indian army1 against the 8fast0 life led by so many young officers in that service1 involving them in ignominious obligations4 ,sir ,charles strongly urged1 in that famous document--what had almost been lost sight of that 8honesty is inseparable from the character of a thorough-bred gentleman20 and that 8to drink unpaid-for champagne and unpaid-for beer1 and to ride unpaid-for horses1 is to be a cheat1 and not a gentleman40 ,men who lived beyond their means and were summoned1 often by their own servants1 before ,courts of ,requests for debts contracted in extravagant living1 might be officers by virtue of their commissions1 but they were not gentlemen4 ,the habit of being constantly in debt1 the ,commander-in-chief held1 made men grow callous to the proper feelings of a gentleman4 ,it was not enough that an officer should be able to fight3 that any bull-dog could do4 ,but did he hold his word inviolate8--did he pay his debts8 ,these were among the points of honour which1 he insisted1 illuminated the true gentleman's and soldier's career4 ,as ,bayard was of old1 so would ,sir ,charles ,napier have all ,british officers to be4 ,he knew them to be 8without fear10 but he would also have them 8without reproach40 ,there are1 however1 many gallant young fellows1 both in ,india and at home1 capable of mounting a breach on an emergency amidst belching fire1 and of performing the most desperate deeds of valour1 who nevertheless cannot or will not exercise the moral courage necessary to enable them to resist a petty temptation presented to their senses4 ,they cannot utter their valiant 8,no10 or 8,i can't afford it10 to the invitations of pleasure and self-enjoyment2 and they are found ready to brave death rather than the ridicule of their companions4 ,the young man1 as he passes through life1 advances through a long line of tempters ranged on either side of him2 and the inevitable effect of yielding1 is degradation in a greater or a less degree4 ,contact with them tends insensibly to draw away from him some portion of the divine electric element with which his nature is charged2 and his only mode of resisting them is to utter and to act out his 8no0 manfully and resolutely4 ,he must decide at once1 not waiting to deliberate and balance reasons2 for the youth1 like 8the woman who deliberates1 is lost40 ,many deliberate1 without deciding2 but 8not to resolve1 is to resolve40 ,a perfect knowledge of man is in the prayer1 8,lead us not into temptation40 ,but temptation will come to try the young man's strength2 and once yielded to1 the power to resist grows weaker and weaker4 ,yield once1 and a portion of virtue has gone4 ,resist manfully1 and the first decision will give strength for life2 repeated1 it will become a habit4 ,it is in the outworks of the habits formed in early life that the real strength of the defence must lie2 for it has been wisely ordained1 that the machinery of moral existence should be carried on principally through the medium of the habits1 so as to save the wear and tear of the great principles within4 ,it is good habits1 which insinuate themselves into the thousand inconsiderable acts of life1 that really constitute by far the greater part of man's moral conduct4 ,hugh ,miller has told how1 by an act of youthful decision1 he saved himself from one of the strong temptations so peculiar to a life of toil4 ,when employed as a mason1 it was usual for his fellow-workmen to have an occasional treat of drink1 and one day two glasses of whisky fell to his share1 which he swallowed4 ,when he reached home1 he found1 on opening his favourite book--#8,bacon's ,essays'--that the letters danced before his eyes1 and that he could no longer master the sense4 8,the condition10 he says1 8into which ,i had brought myself was1 ,i felt1 one of degradation4 ,i had sunk1 by my own act1 for the time1 to a lower level of intelligence than that on which it was my privilege to be placed2 and though the state could have been no very favourable one for forming a resolution1 ,i in that hour determined that ,i should never again sacrifice my capacity of intellectual enjoyment to a drinking usage2 and1 with ,god's help1 ,i was enabled to hold by the determination40 ,it is such decisions as this that often form the turning-points in a man's life1 and furnish the foundation of his future character4 ,and this rock1 on which ,hugh ,miller might have been wrecked1 if he had not at the right moment put forth his moral strength to strike away from it1 is one that youth and manhood alike need to be constantly on their guard against4 ,it is about one of the worst and most deadly1 as well as extravagant1 temptations which lie in the way of youth4 ,sir ,walter ,scott used to say that 8of all vices drinking is the most incompatible with greatness40 ,not only so1 but it is incompatible with economy1 decency1 health1 and honest living4 ,when a youth cannot restrain1 he must abstain4 ,dr4 ,johnson's case is the case of many4 ,he said1 referring to his own habits1 8,sir1 ,i can abstain2 but ,i can't be moderate40 ,but to wrestle vigorously and successfully with any vicious habit1 we must not merely be satisfied with contending on the low ground of worldly prudence1 though that is of use1 but take stand upon a higher moral elevation4 ,mechanical aids1 such as pledges1 may be of service to some1 but the great thing is to set up a high standard of thinking and acting1 and endeavour to strengthen and purify the principles as well as to reform the habits4 ,for this purpose a youth must study himself1 watch his steps1 and compare his thoughts and acts with his rule4 ,the more knowledge of himself he gains1 the more humble will he be1 and perhaps the less confident in his own strength4 ,but the discipline will be always found most valuable which is acquired by resisting small present gratifications to secure a prospective greater and higher one4 ,it is the noblest work in self-education--for 8,real glory ,springs from the silent conquest of ourselves1 ,and without that the conqueror is nought ,but the first slave40 ,many popular books have been written for the purpose of communicating to the public the grand secret of making money4 ,but there is no secret whatever about it1 as the proverbs of every nation abundantly testify4 8,take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves40 8,diligence is the mother of good luck40 8,no pains no gains40 8,no sweat no sweet40 8,work and thou shalt have40 8,the world is his who has patience and industry40 8,better go to bed supperless than rise in debt40 ,such are specimens of the proverbial philosophy1 embodying the hoarded experience of many generations1 as to the best means of thriving in the world4 ,they were current in people's mouths long before books were invented2 and like other popular proverbs they were the first codes of popular morals4 ,moreover they have stood the test of time1 and the experience of every day still bears witness to their accuracy1 force1 and soundness4 ,the proverbs of ,solomon are full of wisdom as to the force of industry1 and the use and abuse of money3--8,he that is slothful in work is brother to him that is a great waster40 8,go to the ant1 thou sluggard2 consider her ways1 and be wise40 ,poverty1 says the preacher1 shall come upon the idler1 8as one that travelleth1 and want as an armed man20 but of the industrious and upright1 8the hand of the diligent maketh rich40 8,the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty2 and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags40 8,seest thou a man diligent in his business8 he shall stand before kings40 ,but above all1 8,it is better to get wisdom than gold2 for wisdom is better than rubies1 and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it40 ,simple industry and thrift will go far towards making any person of ordinary working faculty comparatively independent in his means4 ,even a working man may be so1 provided he will carefully husband his resources1 and watch the little outlets of useless expenditure4 ,a penny is a very small matter1 yet the comfort of thousands of families depends upon the proper spending and saving of pennies4 ,if a man allows the little pennies1 the results of his hard work1 to slip out of his fingers--some to the beershop1 some this way and some that--he will find that his life is little raised above one of mere animal drudgery4 ,on the other hand1 if he take care of the pennies--putting some weekly into a benefit society or an insurance fund1 others into a savings' bank1 and confiding the rest to his wife to be carefully laid out1 with a view to the comfortable maintenance and education of his family--he will soon find that this attention to small matters will abundantly repay him1 in increasing means1 growing comfort at home1 and a mind comparatively free from fears as to the future4 ,and if a working man have high ambition and possess richness in spirit1--a kind of wealth which far transcends all mere worldly possessions--he may not only help himself1 but be a profitable helper of others in his path through life4 ,that this is no impossible thing even for a common labourer in a workshop1 may be illustrated by the remarkable career of ,thomas ,wright of ,manchester1 who not only attempted but succeeded in the reclamation of many criminals while working for weekly wages in a foundry4 ,accident first directed ,thomas ,wright's attention to the difficulty encountered by liberated convicts in returning to habits of honest industry4 ,his mind was shortly possessed by the subject2 and to remedy the evil became the purpose of his life4 ,though he worked from six in the morning till six at night1 still there were leisure minutes that he could call his own--more especially his ,sundays--and these he employed in the service of convicted criminals2 a class then far more neglected than they are now4 ,but a few minutes a day1 well employed1 can effect a great deal2 and it will scarcely be credited1 that in ten years this working man1 by steadfastly holding to his purpose1 succeeded in rescuing not fewer than three hundred felons from continuance in a life of villany6 ,he came to be regarded as the moral physician of the ,manchester ,old ,bailey2 and where the ,chaplain and all others failed1 ,thomas ,wright often succeeded4 ,children he thus restored reformed to their parents2 sons and daughters otherwise lost1 to their homes2 and many a returned convict did he contrive to settle down to honest and industrious pursuits4 ,the task was by no means easy4 ,it required money1 time1 energy1 prudence1 and above all1 character1 and the confidence which character invariably inspires4 ,the most remarkable circumstance was that ,wright relieved many of these poor outcasts out of the comparatively small wages earned by him at foundry work4 ,he did all this on an income which did not average1 during his working career1 #ajjl4 per annum2 and yet1 while he was able to bestow substantial aid on criminals1 to whom he owed no more than the service of kindness which every human being owes to another1 he also maintained his family in comfort1 and was1 by frugality and carefulness1 enabled to lay by a store of savings against his approaching old age4 ,every week he apportioned his income with deliberate care2 so much for the indispensable necessaries of food and clothing1 so much for the landlord1 so much for the schoolmaster1 so much for the poor and needy2 and the lines of distribution were resolutely observed4 ,by such means did this humble workman pursue his great work1 with the results we have so briefly described4 ,indeed1 his career affords one of the most remarkable and striking illustrations of the force of purpose in a man1 of the might of small means carefully and sedulously applied1 and1 above all1 of the power which an energetic and upright character invariably exercises upon the lives and conduct of others4 ,there is no discredit1 but honour1 in every right walk of industry1 whether it be in tilling the ground1 making tools1 weaving fabrics1 or selling the products behind a counter4 ,a youth may handle a yard-stick1 or measure a piece of ribbon2 and there will be no discredit in doing so1 unless he allows his mind to have no higher range than the stick and ribbon2 to be as short as the one1 and as narrow as the other4 8,let not those blush who have10 said ,fuller1 8but those who have not a lawful calling40 ,and ,bishop ,hall said1 8,sweet is the destiny of all trades1 whether of the brow or of the mind40 ,men who have raised themselves from a humble calling1 need not be ashamed1 but rather ought to be proud of the difficulties they have surmounted4 ,an ,american ,president1 when asked what was his coat-of-arms1 remembering that he had been a hewer of wood in his youth1 replied1 8,a pair of shirt sleeves40 ,a ,french doctor once taunted ,flechier1 ,bishop of ,nismes1 who had been a tallow-chandler in his youth1 with the meanness of his origin1 to which ,flechier replied1 8,if you had been born in the same condition that ,i was1 you would still have been but a maker of candles40 ,nothing is more common than energy in money-making1 quite independent of any higher object than its accumulation4 ,a man who devotes himself to this pursuit1 body and soul1 can scarcely fail to become rich4 ,very little brains will do2 spend less than you earn2 add guinea to guinea2 scrape and save2 and the pile of gold will gradually rise4 ,osterwald1 the ,parisian banker1 began life a poor man4 ,he was accustomed every evening to drink a pint of beer for supper at a tavern which he visited1 during which he collected and pocketed all the corks that he could lay his hands on4 ,in eight years he had collected as many corks as sold for eight louis d'ors4 ,with that sum he laid the foundations of his fortune--gained mostly by stock-jobbing2 leaving at his death some three millions of francs4 ,john ,foster has cited a striking illustration of what this kind of determination will do in money-making4 ,a young man who ran through his patrimony1 spending it in profligacy1 was at length reduced to utter want and despair4 ,he rushed out of his house intending to put an end to his life1 and stopped on arriving at an eminence overlooking what were once his estates4 ,he sat down1 ruminated for a time1 and rose with the determination that he would recover them4 ,he returned to the streets1 saw a load of coals which had been shot out of a cart on to the pavement before a house1 offered to carry them in1 and was employed4 ,he thus earned a few pence1 requested some meat and drink as a gratuity1 which was given him1 and the pennies were laid by4 ,pursuing this menial labour1 he earned and saved more pennies2 accumulated sufficient to enable him to purchase some cattle1 the value of which he understood1 and these he sold to advantage4 ,he proceeded by degrees to undertake larger transactions1 until at length he became rich4 ,the result was1 that he more than recovered his possessions1 and died an inveterate miser4 ,when he was buried1 mere earth went to earth4 ,with a nobler spirit1 the same determination might have enabled such a man to be a benefactor to others as well as to himself4 ,but the life and its end in this case were alike sordid4 ,to provide for others and for our own comfort and independence in old age1 is honourable1 and greatly to be commended2 but to hoard for mere wealth's sake is the characteristic of the narrow-souled and the miserly4 ,it is against the growth of this habit of inordinate saving that the wise man needs most carefully to guard himself3 else1 what in youth was simple economy1 may in old age grow into avarice1 and what was a duty in the one case1 may become a vice in the other4 ,it is the love of money--not money itself--which is 8the root of evil10--a love which narrows and contracts the soul1 and closes it against generous life and action4 ,hence1 ,sir ,walter ,scott makes one of his characters declare that 8the penny siller slew more souls than the naked sword slew bodies40 ,it is one of the defects of business too exclusively followed1 that it insensibly tends to a mechanism of character4 ,the business man gets into a rut1 and often does not look beyond it4 ,if he lives for himself only1 he becomes apt to regard other human beings only in so far as they minister to his ends4 ,take a leaf from such men's ledger and you have their life4 ,worldly success1 measured by the accumulation of money1 is no doubt a very dazzling thing2 and all men are naturally more or less the admirers of worldly success4 ,but though men of persevering1 sharp1 dexterous1 and unscrupulous habits1 ever on the watch to push opportunities1 may and do 8get on0 in the world1 yet it is quite possible that they may not possess the slightest elevation of character1 nor a particle of real goodness4 ,he who recognizes no higher logic than that of the shilling1 may become a very rich man1 and yet remain all the while an exceedingly poor creature4 ,for riches are no proof whatever of moral worth2 and their glitter often serves only to draw attention to the worthlessness of their possessor1 as the light of the glowworm reveals the grub4 ,the manner in which many allow themselves to be sacrificed to their love of wealth reminds one of the cupidity of the monkey--that caricature of our species4 ,in ,algiers1 the ,kabyle peasant attaches a gourd1 well fixed1 to a tree1 and places within it some rice4 ,the gourd has an opening merely sufficient to admit the monkey's paw4 ,the creature comes to the tree by night1 inserts his paw1 and grasps his booty4 ,he tries to draw it back1 but it is clenched1 and he has not the wisdom to unclench it4 ,so there he stands till morning1 when he is caught1 looking as foolish as may be1 though with the prize in his grasp4 ,the moral of this little story is capable of a very extensive application in life4 ,the power of money is on the whole over-estimated4 ,the greatest things which have been done for the world have not been accomplished by rich men1 nor by subscription lists1 but by men generally of small pecuniary means4 ,christianity was propagated over half the world by men of the poorest class2 and the greatest thinkers1 discoverers1 inventors1 and artists1 have been men of moderate wealth1 many of them little raised above the condition of manual labourers in point of worldly circumstances4 ,and it will always be so4 ,riches are oftener an impediment than a stimulus to action2 and in many cases they are quite as much a misfortune as a blessing4 ,the youth who inherits wealth is apt to have life made too easy for him1 and he soon grows sated with it1 because he has nothing left to desire4 ,having no special object to struggle for1 he finds time hang heavy on his hands2 he remains morally and spiritually asleep2 and his position in society is often no higher than that of a polypus over which the tide floats4 8,his only labour is to kill the time1 ,and labour dire it is1 and weary woe40 ,yet the rich man1 inspired by a right spirit1 will spurn idleness as unmanly2 and if he bethink himself of the responsibilities which attach to the possession of wealth and property he will feel even a higher call to work than men of humbler lot4 ,this1 however1 must be admitted to be by no means the practice of life4 ,the golden mean of ,agur's perfect prayer is1 perhaps1 the best lot of all1 did we but know it3 8,give me neither poverty nor riches2 feed me with food convenient for me40 ,the late ,joseph ,brotherton1 ,m4,p41 left a fine motto to be recorded upon his monument in the ,peel ,park at ,manchester1--the declaration in his case being strictly true3 8,my richness consisted not in the greatness of my possessions1 but in the smallness of my wants40 ,he rose from the humblest station1 that of a factory boy1 to an eminent position of usefulness1 by the simple exercise of homely honesty1 industry1 punctuality1 and self-denial4 ,down to the close of his life1 when not attending ,parliament1 he did duty as minister in a small chapel in ,manchester to which he was attached2 and in all things he made it appear1 to those who knew him in private life1 that the glory he sought was not 8to be seen of men10 or to excite their praise1 but to earn the consciousness of discharging the every-day duties of life1 down to the smallest and humblest of them1 in an honest1 upright1 truthful1 and loving spirit4 8,respectability10 in its best sense1 is good4 ,the respectable man is one worthy of regard1 literally worth turning to look at4 ,but the respectability that consists in merely keeping up appearances is not worth looking at in any sense4 ,far better and more respectable is the good poor man than the bad rich one--better the humble silent man than the agreeable well-appointed rogue who keeps his gig4 ,a well balanced and well-stored mind1 a life full of useful purpose1 whatever the position occupied in it may be1 is of far greater importance than average worldly respectability4 ,the highest object of life we take to be1 to form a manly character1 and to work out the best development possible1 of body and spirit--of mind1 conscience1 heart1 and soul4 ,this is the end3 all else ought to be regarded but as the means4 ,accordingly1 that is not the most successful life in which a man gets the most pleasure1 the most money1 the most power or place1 honour or fame2 but that in which a man gets the most manhood1 and performs the greatest amount of useful work and of human duty4 ,money is power after its sort1 it is true2 but intelligence1 public spirit1 and moral virtue1 are powers too1 and far nobler ones4 8,let others plead for pensions10 wrote ,lord ,collingwood to a friend2 8,i can be rich without money1 by endeavouring to be superior to everything poor4 ,i would have my services to my country unstained by any interested motive2 and old ,scott #cac and ,i can go on in our cabbage-garden without much greater expense than formerly40 ,on another occasion he said1 8,i have motives for my conduct which ,i would not give in exchange for a hundred pensions40 ,the making of a fortune may no doubt enable some people to 8enter society10 as it is called2 but to be esteemed there1 they must possess qualities of mind1 manners1 or heart1 else they are merely rich people1 nothing more4 ,there are men 8in society0 now1 as rich as ,croesus1 who have no consideration extended towards them1 and elicit no respect4 ,for why8 ,they are but as money-bags3 their only power is in their till4 ,the men of mark in society--the guides and rulers of opinion--the really successful and useful men--are not necessarily rich men2 but men of sterling character1 of disciplined experience1 and of moral excellence4 ,even the poor man1 like ,thomas ,wright1 though he possess but little of this world's goods1 may1 in the enjoyment of a cultivated nature1 of opportunities used and not abused1 of a life spent to the best of his means and ability1 look down1 without the slightest feeling of envy1 upon the person of mere worldly success1 the man of money-bags and acres4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,self-,,culture--,,facilities ,,and ,,difficulties4 8,every person has two educations1 one which he receives from others1 and one1 more important1 which he gives to himself40--,gibbon4 8,is there one whom difficulties dishearten--who bends to the storm8 ,he will do little4 ,is there one who will conquer8 ,that kind of man never fails40--,john ,hunter4 8,the wise and active conquer difficulties1 ,by daring to attempt them3 sloth and folly ,shiver and shrink at sight of toil and danger1 ,and make the impossibility they fear40--,rowe4 8,,the best part of every man's education10 said ,sir ,walter ,scott1 8is that which he gives to himself40 ,the late ,sir ,benjamin ,brodie delighted to remember this saying1 and he used to congratulate himself on the fact that professionally he was self-taught4 ,but this is necessarily the case with all men who have acquired distinction in letters1 science1 or art4 ,the education received at school or college is but a beginning1 and is valuable mainly inasmuch as it trains the mind and habituates it to continuous application and study4 ,that which is put into us by others is always far less ours than that which we acquire by our own diligent and persevering effort4 ,knowledge conquered by labour becomes a possession--a property entirely our own4 ,a greater vividness and permanency of impression is secured2 and facts thus acquired become registered in the mind in a way that mere imparted information can never effect4 ,this kind of self-culture also calls forth power and cultivates strength4 ,the solution of one problem helps the mastery of another2 and thus knowledge is carried into faculty4 ,our own active effort is the essential thing2 and no facilities1 no books1 no teachers1 no amount of lessons learnt by rote will enable us to dispense with it4 ,the best teachers have been the readiest to recognize the importance of self-culture1 and of stimulating the student to acquire knowledge by the active exercise of his own faculties4 ,they have relied more upon training than upon telling1 and sought to make their pupils themselves active parties to the work in which they were engaged2 thus making teaching something far higher than the mere passive reception of the scraps and details of knowledge4 ,this was the spirit in which the great ,dr4 ,arnold worked2 he strove to teach his pupils to rely upon themselves1 and develop their powers by their own active efforts1 himself merely guiding1 directing1 stimulating1 and encouraging them4 8,i would far rather10 he said1 8send a boy to ,van ,diemen's ,land1 where he must work for his bread1 than send him to ,oxford to live in luxury1 without any desire in his mind to avail himself of his advantages40 8,if there be one thing on earth10 he observed on another occasion1 8which is truly admirable1 it is to see ,god's wisdom blessing an inferiority of natural powers1 when they have been honestly1 truly1 and zealously cultivated40 ,speaking of a pupil of this character1 he said1 8,i would stand to that man hat in hand40 ,once at ,laleham1 when teaching a rather dull boy1 ,arnold spoke somewhat sharply to him1 on which the pupil looked up in his face and said1 8,why do you speak angrily1 sir8 indeed1 ,i am doing the best ,i can40 ,years afterwards1 ,arnold used to tell the story to his children1 and added1 8,i never felt so much in my life--that look and that speech ,i have never forgotten40 ,from the numerous instances already cited of men of humble station who have risen to distinction in science and literature1 it will be obvious that labour is by no means incompatible with the highest intellectual culture4 ,work in moderation is healthy1 as well as agreeable to the human constitution4 ,work educates the body1 as study educates the mind2 and that is the best state of society in which there is some work for every man's leisure1 and some leisure for every man's work4 ,even the leisure classes are in a measure compelled to work1 sometimes as a relief from ennui1 but in most cases to gratify an instinct which they cannot resist4 ,some go foxhunting in the ,english counties1 others grouse-shooting on the ,scotch hills1 while many wander away every summer to climb mountains in ,switzerland4 ,hence the boating1 running1 cricketing1 and athletic sports of the public schools1 in which our young men at the same time so healthfully cultivate their strength both of mind and body4 ,it is said that the ,duke of ,wellington1 when once looking on at the boys engaged in their sports in the play-ground at ,eton1 where he had spent many of his own younger days1 made the remark1 8,it was there that the battle of ,waterloo was won60 ,daniel ,malthus urged his son when at college to be most diligent in the cultivation of knowledge1 but he also enjoined him to pursue manly sports as the best means of keeping up the full working power of his mind1 as well as of enjoying the pleasures of intellect4 8,every kind of knowledge10 said he1 8every acquaintance with nature and art1 will amuse and strengthen your mind1 and ,i am perfectly pleased that cricket should do the same by your arms and legs2 ,i love to see you excel in exercises of the body1 and ,i think myself that the better half1 and much the most agreeable part1 of the pleasures of the mind is best enjoyed while one is upon one's legs40 ,but a still more important use of active employment is that referred to by the great divine1 ,jeremy ,taylor4 8,avoid idleness10 he says1 8and fill up all the spaces of thy time with severe and useful employment2 for lust easily creeps in at those emptinesses where the soul is unemployed and the body is at ease2 for no easy1 healthful1 idle person was ever chaste if he could be tempted2 but of all employments bodily labour is the most useful1 and of the greatest benefit for driving away the devil40 ,practical success in life depends more upon physical health than is generally imagined4 ,hodson1 of ,hodson's ,horse1 writing home to a friend in ,england1 said1 8,i believe1 if ,i get on well in ,india1 it will be owing1 physically speaking1 to a sound digestion40 ,the capacity for continuous working in any calling must necessarily depend in a great measure upon this2 and hence the necessity for attending to health1 even as a means of intellectual labour4 ,it is perhaps to the neglect of physical exercise that we find amongst students so frequent a tendency towards discontent1 unhappiness1 inaction1 and reverie1--displaying itself in contempt for real life and disgust at the beaten tracks of men1--a tendency which in ,england has been called ,byronism1 and in ,germany ,wertherism4 ,dr4 ,channing noted the same growth in ,america1 which led him to make the remark1 that 8too many of our young men grow up in a school of despair40 ,the only remedy for this green-sickness in youth is physical exercise--action1 work1 and bodily occupation4 ,the use of early labour in self-imposed mechanical employments may be illustrated by the boyhood of ,sir ,isaac ,newton4 ,though a comparatively dull scholar1 he was very assiduous in the use of his saw1 hammer1 and hatchet--8knocking and hammering in his lodging room0--making models of windmills1 carriages1 and machines of all sorts2 and as he grew older1 he took delight in making little tables and cupboards for his friends4 ,smeaton1 ,watt1 and ,stephenson1 were equally handy with tools when mere boys2 and but for such kind of self-culture in their youth1 it is doubtful whether they would have accomplished so much in their manhood4 ,such was also the early training of the great inventors and mechanics described in the preceding pages1 whose contrivance and intelligence were practically trained by the constant use of their hands in early life4 ,even where men belonging to the manual labour class have risen above it1 and become more purely intellectual labourers1 they have found the advantages of their early training in their later pursuits4 ,elihu ,burritt says he found hard labour necessary to enable him to study with effect2 and more than once he gave up school-teaching and study1 and1 taking to his leather-apron again1 went back to his blacksmith's forge and anvil for his health of body and mind's sake4 ,the training of young men in the use of tools would1 at the same time that it educated them in 8common things10 teach them the use of their hands and arms1 familiarize them with healthy work1 exercise their faculties upon things tangible and actual1 give them some practical acquaintance with mechanics1 impart to them the ability of being useful1 and implant in them the habit of persevering physical effort4 ,this is an advantage which the working classes1 strictly so called1 certainly possess over the leisure classes1--that they are in early life under the necessity of applying themselves laboriously to some mechanical pursuit or other1--thus acquiring manual dexterity and the use of their physical powers4 ,the chief disadvantage attached to the calling of the laborious classes is1 not that they are employed in physical work1 but that they are too exclusively so employed1 often to the neglect of their moral and intellectual faculties4 ,while the youths of the leisure classes1 having been taught to associate labour with servility1 have shunned it1 and been allowed to grow up practically ignorant1 the poorer classes1 confining themselves within the circle of their laborious callings1 have been allowed to grow up in a large proportion of cases absolutely illiterate4 ,it seems possible1 however1 to avoid both these evils by combining physical training or physical work with intellectual culture3 and there are various signs abroad which seem to mark the gradual adoption of this healthier system of education4 ,the success of even professional men depends in no slight degree on their physical health2 and a public writer has gone so far as to say that 8the greatness of our great men is quite as much a bodily affair as a mental one40 #cai ,a healthy breathing apparatus is as indispensable to the successful lawyer or politician as a well-cultured intellect4 ,the thorough aration of the blood by free exposure to a large breathing surface in the lungs1 is necessary to maintain that full vital power on which the vigorous working of the brain in so large a measure depends4 ,the lawyer has to climb the heights of his profession through close and heated courts1 and the political leader has to bear the fatigue and excitement of long and anxious debates in a crowded ,house4 ,hence the lawyer in full practice and the parliamentary leader in full work are called upon to display powers of physical endurance and activity even more extraordinary than those of the intellect1--such powers as have been exhibited in so remarkable a degree by ,brougham1 ,lyndhurst1 and ,campbell2 by ,peel1 ,graham1 and ,palmerston--all full-chested men4 ,though ,sir ,walter ,scott1 when at ,edinburgh ,college1 went by the name of 8,the ,greek ,blockhead10 he was1 notwithstanding his lameness1 a remarkably healthy youth3 he could spear a salmon with the best fisher on the ,tweed1 and ride a wild horse with any hunter in ,yarrow4 ,when devoting himself in after life to literary pursuits1 ,sir ,walter never lost his taste for field sports2 but while writing #8,waverley' in the morning1 he would in the afternoon course hares4 ,professor ,wilson was a very athlete1 as great at throwing the hammer as in his flights of eloquence and poetry2 and ,burns1 when a youth1 was remarkable chiefly for his leaping1 putting1 and wrestling4 ,some of our greatest divines were distinguished in their youth for their physical energies4 ,isaac ,barrow1 when at the ,charterhouse ,school1 was notorious for his pugilistic encounters1 in which he got many a bloody nose2 ,andrew ,fuller1 when working as a farmer's lad at ,soham1 was chiefly famous for his skill in boxing2 and ,adam ,clarke1 when a boy1 was only remarkable for the strength displayed by him in 8rolling large stones about10--the secret1 possibly1 of some of the power which he subsequently displayed in rolling forth large thoughts in his manhood4 ,while it is necessary1 then1 in the first place to secure this solid foundation of physical health1 it must also be observed that the cultivation of the habit of mental application is quite indispensable for the education of the student4 ,the maxim that 8,labour conquers all things0 holds especially true in the case of the conquest of knowledge4 ,the road into learning is alike free to all who will give the labour and the study requisite to gather it2 nor are there any difficulties so great that the student of resolute purpose may not surmount and overcome them4 ,it was one of the characteristic expressions of ,chatterton1 that ,god had sent his creatures into the world with arms long enough to reach anything if they chose to be at the trouble4 ,in study1 as in business1 energy is the great thing4 ,there must be the 8fervet opus03 we must not only strike the iron while it is hot1 but strike it till it is made hot4 ,it is astonishing how much may be accomplished in self-culture by the energetic and the persevering1 who are careful to avail themselves of opportunities1 and use up the fragments of spare time which the idle permit to run to waste4 ,thus ,ferguson learnt astronomy from the heavens1 while wrapt in a sheep-skin on the highland hills4 ,thus ,stone learnt mathematics while working as a journeyman gardener2 thus ,drew studied the highest philosophy in the intervals of cobbling shoes2 and thus ,miller taught himself geology while working as a day labourer in a quarry4 ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 as we have already observed1 was so earnest a believer in the force of industry that he held that all men might achieve excellence if they would but exercise the power of assiduous and patient working4 ,he held that drudgery lay on the road to genius1 and that there was no limit to the proficiency of an artist except the limit of his own painstaking4 ,he would not believe in what is called inspiration1 but only in study and labour4 8,excellence10 he said1 8is never granted to man but as the reward of labour40 8,if you have great talents1 industry will improve them2 if you have but moderate abilities1 industry will supply their deficiency4 ,nothing is denied to well-directed labour2 nothing is to be obtained without it40 ,sir ,fowell ,buxton was an equal believer in the power of study2 and he entertained the modest idea that he could do as well as other men if he devoted to the pursuit double the time and labour that they did4 ,he placed his great confidence in ordinary means and extraordinary application4 8,i have known several men in my life10 says ,dr4 ,ross1 8who may be recognized in days to come as men of genius1 and they were all plodders1 hard-working1 intent men4 ,genius is known by its works2 genius without works is a blind faith1 a dumb oracle4 ,but meritorious works are the result of time and labour1 and cannot be accomplished by intention or by a wish4 4 4 4 ,every great work is the result of vast preparatory training4 ,facility comes by labour4 ,nothing seems easy1 not even walking1 that was not difficult at first4 ,the orator whose eye flashes instantaneous fire1 and whose lips pour out a flood of noble thoughts1 startling by their unexpectedness1 and elevating by their wisdom and truth1 has learned his secret by patient repetition1 and after many bitter disappointments40 #cba ,thoroughness and accuracy are two principal points to be aimed at in study4 ,francis ,horner1 in laying down rules for the cultivation of his mind1 placed great stress upon the habit of continuous application to one subject for the sake of mastering it thoroughly2 he confined himself1 with this object1 to only a few books1 and resisted with the greatest firmness 8every approach to a habit of desultory reading40 ,the value of knowledge to any man consists not in its quantity1 but mainly in the good uses to which he can apply it4 ,hence a little knowledge1 of an exact and perfect character1 is always found more valuable for practical purposes than any extent of superficial learning4 ,one of ,ignatius ,loyola's maxims was1 8,he who does well one work at a time1 does more than all40 ,by spreading our efforts over too large a surface we inevitably weaken our force1 hinder our progress1 and acquire a habit of fitfulness and ineffective working4 ,lord ,st4 ,leonards once communicated to ,sir ,fowell ,buxton the mode in which he had conducted his studies1 and thus explained the secret of his success4 8,i resolved10 said he1 8when beginning to read law1 to make everything ,i acquired perfectly my own1 and never to go to a second thing till ,i had entirely accomplished the first4 ,many of my competitors read as much in a day as ,i read in a week2 but1 at the end of twelve months1 my knowledge was as fresh as the day it was acquired1 while theirs had glided away from recollection40 ,it is not the quantity of study that one gets through1 or the amount of reading1 that makes a wise man2 but the appositeness of the study to the purpose for which it is pursued2 the concentration of the mind for the time being on the subject under consideration2 and the habitual discipline by which the whole system of mental application is regulated4 ,abernethy was even of opinion that there was a point of saturation in his own mind1 and that if he took into it something more than it could hold1 it only had the effect of pushing something else out4 ,speaking of the study of medicine1 he said1 8,if a man has a clear idea of what he desires to do1 he will seldom fail in selecting the proper means of accomplishing it40 ,the most profitable study is that which is conducted with a definite aim and object4 ,by thoroughly mastering any given branch of knowledge we render it more available for use at any moment4 ,hence it is not enough merely to have books1 or to know where to read for information as we want it4 ,practical wisdom1 for the purposes of life1 must be carried about with us1 and be ready for use at call4 ,it is not sufficient that we have a fund laid up at home1 but not a farthing in the pocket3 we must carry about with us a store of the current coin of knowledge ready for exchange on all occasions1 else we are comparatively helpless when the opportunity for using it occurs4 ,decision and promptitude are as requisite in self-culture as in business4 ,the growth of these qualities may be encouraged by accustoming young people to rely upon their own resources1 leaving them to enjoy as much freedom of action in early life as is practicable4 ,too much guidance and restraint hinder the formation of habits of self-help4 ,they are like bladders tied under the arms of one who has not taught himself to swim4 ,want of confidence is perhaps a greater obstacle to improvement than is generally imagined4 ,it has been said that half the failures in life arise from pulling in one's horse while he is leaping4 ,dr4 ,johnson was accustomed to attribute his success to confidence in his own powers4 ,true modesty is quite compatible with a due estimate of one's own merits1 and does not demand the abnegation of all merit4 ,though there are those who deceive themselves by putting a false figure before their ciphers1 the want of confidence1 the want of faith in one's self1 and consequently the want of promptitude in action1 is a defect of character which is found to stand very much in the way of individual progress2 and the reason why so little is done1 is generally because so little is attempted4 ,there is usually no want of desire on the part of most persons to arrive at the results of self-culture1 but there is a great aversion to pay the inevitable price for it1 of hard work4 ,dr4 ,johnson held that 8impatience of study was the mental disease of the present generation20 and the remark is still applicable4 ,we may not believe that there is a royal road to learning1 but we seem to believe very firmly in a 8popular0 one4 ,in education1 we invent labour-saving processes1 seek short cuts to science1 learn ,french and ,latin 8in twelve lessons10 or 8without a master40 ,we resemble the lady of fashion1 who engaged a master to teach her on condition that he did not plague her with verbs and participles4 ,we get our smattering of science in the same way2 we learn chemistry by listening to a short course of lectures enlivened by experiments1 and when we have inhaled laughing gas1 seen green water turned to red1 and phosphorus burnt in oxygen1 we have got our smattering1 of which the most that can be said is1 that though it may be better than nothing1 it is yet good for nothing4 ,thus we often imagine we are being educated while we are only being amused4 ,the facility with which young people are thus induced to acquire knowledge1 without study and labour1 is not education4 ,it occupies but does not enrich the mind4 ,it imparts a stimulus for the time1 and produces a sort of intellectual keenness and cleverness2 but1 without an implanted purpose and a higher object than mere pleasure1 it will bring with it no solid advantage4 ,in such cases knowledge produces but a passing impression2 a sensation1 but no more2 it is1 in fact1 the merest epicurism of intelligence--sensuous1 but certainly not intellectual4 ,thus the best qualities of many minds1 those which are evoked by vigorous effort and independent action1 sleep a deep sleep1 and are often never called to life1 except by the rough awakening of sudden calamity or suffering1 which1 in such cases1 comes as a blessing1 if it serves to rouse up a courageous spirit that1 but for it1 would have slept on4 ,accustomed to acquire information under the guise of amusement1 young people will soon reject that which is presented to them under the aspect of study and labour4 ,learning their knowledge and science in sport1 they will be too apt to make sport of both2 while the habit of intellectual dissipation1 thus engendered1 cannot fail1 in course of time1 to produce a thoroughly emasculating effect both upon their mind and character4 8,multifarious reading10 said ,robertson of ,brighton1 8weakens the mind like smoking1 and is an excuse for its lying dormant4 ,it is the idlest of all idlenesses1 and leaves more of impotency than any other40 ,the evil is a growing one1 and operates in various ways4 ,its least mischief is shallowness2 its greatest1 the aversion to steady labour which it induces1 and the low and feeble tone of mind which it encourages4 ,if we would be really wise1 we must diligently apply ourselves1 and confront the same continuous application which our forefathers did2 for labour is still1 and ever will be1 the inevitable price set upon everything which is valuable4 ,we must be satisfied to work with a purpose1 and wait the results with patience4 ,all progress1 of the best kind1 is slow2 but to him who works faithfully and zealously the reward will1 doubtless1 be vouchsafed in good time4 ,the spirit of industry1 embodied in a man's daily life1 will gradually lead him to exercise his powers on objects outside himself1 of greater dignity and more extended usefulness4 ,and still we must labour on2 for the work of self-culture is never finished4 8,to be employed10 said the poet ,gray1 8is to be happy40 8,it is better to wear out than rust out10 said ,bishop ,cumberland4 8,have we not all eternity to rest in80 exclaimed ,arnauld4 8,repos ailleurs0 was the motto of ,marnix de ,st4 ,aldegonde1 the energetic and ever-working friend of ,william the ,silent4 ,it is the use we make of the powers entrusted to us1 which constitutes our only just claim to respect4 ,he who employs his one talent aright is as much to be honoured as he to whom ten talents have been given4 ,there is really no more personal merit attaching to the possession of superior intellectual powers than there is in the succession to a large estate4 ,how are those powers used--how is that estate employed8 ,the mind may accumulate large stores of knowledge without any useful purpose2 but the knowledge must be allied to goodness and wisdom1 and embodied in upright character1 else it is naught4 ,pestalozzi even held intellectual training by itself to be pernicious2 insisting that the roots of all knowledge must strike and feed in the soil of the rightly-governed will4 ,the acquisition of knowledge may1 it is true1 protect a man against the meaner felonies of life2 but not in any degree against its selfish vices1 unless fortified by sound principles and habits4 ,hence do we find in daily life so many instances of men who are well-informed in intellect1 but utterly deformed in character2 filled with the learning of the schools1 yet possessing little practical wisdom1 and offering examples for warning rather than imitation4 ,an often quoted expression at this day is that 8,knowledge is power20 but so also are fanaticism1 despotism1 and ambition4 ,knowledge of itself1 unless wisely directed1 might merely make bad men more dangerous1 and the society in which it was regarded as the highest good1 little better than a pandemonium4 ,it is possible that at this day we may even exaggerate the importance of literary culture4 ,we are apt to imagine that because we possess many libraries1 institutes1 and museums1 we are making great progress4 ,but such facilities may as often be a hindrance as a help to individual self-culture of the highest kind4 ,the possession of a library1 or the free use of it1 no more constitutes learning1 than the possession of wealth constitutes generosity4 ,though we undoubtedly possess great facilities it is nevertheless true1 as of old1 that wisdom and understanding can only become the possession of individual men by travelling the old road of observation1 attention1 perseverance1 and industry4 ,the possession of the mere materials of knowledge is something very different from wisdom and understanding1 which are reached through a higher kind of discipline than that of reading1--which is often but a mere passive reception of other men's thoughts2 there being little or no active effort of mind in the transaction4 ,then how much of our reading is but the indulgence of a sort of intellectual dram-drinking1 imparting a grateful excitement for the moment1 without the slightest effect in improving and enriching the mind or building up the character4 ,thus many indulge themselves in the conceit that they are cultivating their minds1 when they are only employed in the humbler occupation of killing time1 of which perhaps the best that can be said is that it keeps them from doing worse things4 ,it is also to be borne in mind that the experience gathered from books1 though often valuable1 is but of the nature of learning2 whereas the experience gained from actual life is of the nature of wisdom2 and a small store of the latter is worth vastly more than any stock of the former4 ,lord ,bolingbroke truly said that 8,whatever study tends neither directly nor indirectly to make us better men and citizens1 is at best but a specious and ingenious sort of idleness1 and the knowledge we acquire by it1 only a creditable kind of ignorance--nothing more40 ,useful and instructive though good reading may be1 it is yet only one mode of cultivating the mind2 and is much less influential than practical experience and good example in the formation of character4 ,there were wise1 valiant1 and true-hearted men bred in ,england1 long before the existence of a reading public4 ,magna ,charta was secured by men who signed the deed with their marks4 ,though altogether unskilled in the art of deciphering the literary signs by which principles were denominated upon paper1 they yet understood and appreciated1 and boldly contended for1 the things themselves4 ,thus the foundations of ,english liberty were laid by men1 who1 though illiterate1 were nevertheless of the very highest stamp of character4 ,and it must be admitted that the chief object of culture is1 not merely to fill the mind with other men's thoughts1 and to be the passive recipient of their impressions of things1 but to enlarge our individual intelligence1 and render us more useful and efficient workers in the sphere of life to which we may be called4 ,many of our most energetic and useful workers have been but sparing readers4 ,brindley and ,stephenson did not learn to read and write until they reached manhood1 and yet they did great works and lived manly lives2 ,john ,hunter could barely read or write when he was twenty years old1 though he could make tables and chairs with any carpenter in the trade4 8,i never read10 said the great physiologist when lecturing before his class2 8this0--pointing to some part of the subject before him--8this is the work that you must study if you wish to become eminent in your profession40 ,when told that one of his contemporaries had charged him with being ignorant of the dead languages1 he said1 8,i would undertake to teach him that on the dead body which he never knew in any language1 dead or living40 ,it is not then how much a man may know1 that is of importance1 but the end and purpose for which he knows it4 ,the object of knowledge should be to mature wisdom and improve character1 to render us better1 happier1 and more useful2 more benevolent1 more energetic1 and more efficient in the pursuit of every high purpose in life4 8,when people once fall into the habit of admiring and encouraging ability as such1 without reference to moral character--and religious and political opinions are the concrete form of moral character--they are on the highway to all sorts of degradation40 #cbi ,we must ourselves be and do1 and not rest satisfied merely with reading and meditating over what other men have been and done4 ,our best light must be made life1 and our best thought action4 ,at least we ought to be able to say1 as ,richter did1 8,i have made as much out of myself as could be made of the stuff1 and no man should require more20 for it is every man's duty to discipline and guide himself1 with ,god's help1 according to his responsibilities and the faculties with which he has been endowed4 ,self-discipline and self-control are the beginnings of practical wisdom2 and these must have their root in self-respect4 ,hope springs from it--hope1 which is the companion of power1 and the mother of success2 for whoso hopes strongly has within him the gift of miracles4 ,the humblest may say1 8,to respect myself1 to develop myself--this is my true duty in life4 ,an integral and responsible part of the great system of society1 ,i owe it to society and to its ,author not to degrade or destroy either my body1 mind1 or instincts4 ,on the contrary1 ,i am bound to the best of my power to give to those parts of my constitution the highest degree of perfection possible4 ,i am not only to suppress the evil1 but to evoke the good elements in my nature4 ,and as ,i respect myself1 so am ,i equally bound to respect others1 as they on their part are bound to respect me40 ,hence mutual respect1 justice1 and order1 of which law becomes the written record and guarantee4 ,self-respect is the noblest garment with which a man may clothe himself--the most elevating feeling with which the mind can be inspired4 ,one of ,pythagoras's wisest maxims1 in his #8,golden ,verses1' is that with which he enjoins the pupil to 8reverence himself40 ,borne up by this high idea1 he will not defile his body by sensuality1 nor his mind by servile thoughts4 ,this sentiment1 carried into daily life1 will be found at the root of all the virtues--cleanliness1 sobriety1 chastity1 morality1 and religion4 8,the pious and just honouring of ourselves10 said ,milton1 8may be thought the radical moisture and fountain-head from whence every laudable and worthy enterprise issues forth40 ,to think meanly of one's self1 is to sink in one's own estimation as well as in the estimation of others4 ,and as the thoughts are1 so will the acts be4 ,man cannot aspire if he look down2 if he will rise1 he must look up4 ,the very humblest may be sustained by the proper indulgence of this feeling4 ,poverty itself may be lifted and lighted up by self-respect2 and it is truly a noble sight to see a poor man hold himself upright amidst his temptations1 and refuse to demean himself by low actions4 ,one way in which self-culture may be degraded is by regarding it too exclusively as a means of 8getting on40 ,viewed in this light1 it is unquestionable that education is one of the best investments of time and labour4 ,in any line of life1 intelligence will enable a man to adapt himself more readily to circumstances1 suggest improved methods of working1 and render him more apt1 skilled and effective in all respects4 ,he who works with his head as well as his hands1 will come to look at his business with a clearer eye2 and he will become conscious of increasing power--perhaps the most cheering consciousness the human mind can cherish4 ,the power of self-help will gradually grow2 and in proportion to a man's self-respect1 will he be armed against the temptation of low indulgences4 ,society and its action will be regarded with quite a new interest1 his sympathies will widen and enlarge1 and he will thus be attracted to work for others as well as for himself4 ,self-culture may not1 however1 end in eminence1 as in the numerous instances above cited4 ,the great majority of men1 in all times1 however enlightened1 must necessarily be engaged in the ordinary avocations of industry2 and no degree of culture which can be conferred upon the community at large will ever enable them--even were it desirable1 which it is not--to get rid of the daily work of society1 which must be done4 ,but this1 we think1 may also be accomplished4 ,we can elevate the condition of labour by allying it to noble thoughts1 which confer a grace upon the lowliest as well as the highest rank4 ,for no matter how poor or humble a man may be1 the great thinker of this and other days may come in and sit down with him1 and be his companion for the time1 though his dwelling be the meanest hut4 ,it is thus that the habit of well-directed reading may become a source of the greatest pleasure and self-improvement1 and exercise a gentle coercion1 with the most beneficial results1 over the whole tenour of a man's character and conduct4 ,and even though self-culture may not bring wealth1 it will at all events give one the companionship of elevated thoughts4 ,a nobleman once contemptuously asked of a sage1 8,what have you got by all your philosophy80 8,at least ,i have got society in myself10 was the wise man's reply4 ,but many are apt to feel despondent1 and become discouraged in the work of self-culture1 because they do not 8get on0 in the world so fast as they think they deserve to do4 ,having planted their acorn1 they expect to see it grow into an oak at once4 ,they have perhaps looked upon knowledge in the light of a marketable commodity1 and are consequently mortified because it does not sell as they expected it would do4 ,mr4 ,tremenheere1 in one of his #8,education ,reports' 7for #ahdj-a71 states that a schoolmaster in ,norfolk1 finding his school rapidly falling off1 made inquiry into the cause1 and ascertained that the reason given by the majority of the parents for withdrawing their children was1 that they had expected 8education was to make them better off than they were before10 but that having found it had 8done them no good10 they had taken their children from school1 and would give themselves no further trouble about education6 ,the same low idea of self-culture is but too prevalent in other classes1 and is encouraged by the false views of life which are always more or less current in society4 ,but to regard self-culture either as a means of getting past others in the world1 or of intellectual dissipation and amusement1 rather than as a power to elevate the character and expand the spiritual nature1 is to place it on a very low level4 ,to use the words of ,bacon1 8,knowledge is not a shop for profit or sale1 but a rich storehouse for the glory of the ,creator and the relief of man's estate40 ,it is doubtless most honourable for a man to labour to elevate himself1 and to better his condition in society1 but this is not to be done at the sacrifice of himself4 ,to make the mind the mere drudge of the body1 is putting it to a very servile use2 and to go about whining and bemoaning our pitiful lot because we fail in achieving that success in life which1 after all1 depends rather upon habits of industry and attention to business details than upon knowledge1 is the mark of a small1 and often of a sour mind4 ,such a temper cannot better be reproved than in the words of ,robert ,southey1 who thus wrote to a friend who sought his counsel3 8,i would give you advice if it could be of use2 but there is no curing those who choose to be diseased4 ,a good man and a wise man may at times be angry with the world1 at times grieved for it2 but be sure no man was ever discontented with the world if he did his duty in it4 ,if a man of education1 who has health1 eyes1 hands1 and leisure1 wants an object1 it is only because ,god ,almighty has bestowed all those blessings upon a man who does not deserve them40 ,another way in which education may be prostituted is by employing it as a mere means of intellectual dissipation and amusement4 ,many are the ministers to this taste in our time4 ,there is almost a mania for frivolity and excitement1 which exhibits itself in many forms in our popular literature4 ,to meet the public taste1 our books and periodicals must now be highly spiced1 amusing1 and comic1 not disdaining slang1 and illustrative of breaches of all laws1 human and divine4 ,douglas ,jerrold once observed of this tendency1 8,i am convinced the world will get tired 7at least ,i hope so7 of this eternal guffaw about all things4 ,after all1 life has something serious in it4 ,it cannot be all a comic history of humanity4 ,some men would1 ,i believe1 write a ,comic ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,think of a ,comic ,history of ,england1 the drollery of ,alfred1 the fun of ,sir ,thomas ,more1 the farce of his daughter begging the dead head and clasping it in her coffin on her bosom4 ,surely the world will be sick of this blasphemy40 ,john ,sterling1 in a like spirit1 said3--8,periodicals and novels are to all in this generation1 but more especially to those whose minds are still unformed and in the process of formation1 a new and more effectual substitute for the plagues of ,egypt1 vermin that corrupt the wholesome waters and infest our chambers40 ,as a rest from toil and a relaxation from graver pursuits1 the perusal of a well-written story1 by a writer of genius1 is a high intellectual pleasure2 and it is a description of literature to which all classes of readers1 old and young1 are attracted as by a powerful instinct2 nor would we have any of them debarred from its enjoyment in a reasonable degree4 ,but to make it the exclusive literary diet1 as some do1--to devour the garbage with which the shelves of circulating libraries are filled1--and to occupy the greater portion of the leisure hours in studying the preposterous pictures of human life which so many of them present1 is worse than waste of time3 it is positively pernicious4 ,the habitual novel-reader indulges in fictitious feelings so much1 that there is great risk of sound and healthy feeling becoming perverted or benumbed4 8,i never go to hear a tragedy10 said a gay man once to the ,archbishop of ,york1 8it wears my heart out40 ,the literary pity evoked by fiction leads to no corresponding action2 the susceptibilities which it excites involve neither inconvenience nor self-sacrifice2 so that the heart that is touched too often by the fiction may at length become insensible to the reality4 ,the steel is gradually rubbed out of the character1 and it insensibly loses its vital spring4 8,drawing fine pictures of virtue in one's mind10 said ,bishop ,butler1 8is so far from necessarily or certainly conducive to form a habit of it in him who thus employs himself1 that it may even harden the mind in a contrary course1 and render it gradually more insensible40 ,amusement in moderation is wholesome1 and to be commended2 but amusement in excess vitiates the whole nature1 and is a thing to be carefully guarded against4 ,the maxim is often quoted of 8,all work and no play makes ,jack a dull boy20 but all play and no work makes him something greatly worse4 ,nothing can be more hurtful to a youth than to have his soul sodden with pleasure4 ,the best qualities of his mind are impaired2 common enjoyments become tasteless2 his appetite for the higher kind of pleasures is vitiated2 and when he comes to face the work and the duties of life1 the result is usually aversion and disgust4 8,fast0 men waste and exhaust the powers of life1 and dry up the sources of true happiness4 ,having forestalled their spring1 they can produce no healthy growth of either character or intellect4 ,a child without simplicity1 a maiden without innocence1 a boy without truthfulness1 are not more piteous sights than the man who has wasted and thrown away his youth in self-indulgence4 ,mirabeau said of himself1 8,my early years have already in a great measure disinherited the succeeding ones1 and dissipated a great part of my vital powers40 ,as the wrong done to another to-day returns upon ourselves to-morrow1 so the sins of our youth rise up in our age to scourge us4 ,when ,lord ,bacon says that 8strength of nature in youth passeth over many excesses which are owing a man until he is old10 he exposes a physical as well as a moral fact which cannot be too well weighed in the conduct of life4 8,i assure you10 wrote ,giusti the ,italian to a friend1 8,i pay a heavy price for existence4 ,it is true that our lives are not at our own disposal4 ,nature pretends to give them gratis at the beginning1 and then sends in her account40 ,the worst of youthful indiscretions is1 not that they destroy health1 so much as that they sully manhood4 ,the dissipated youth becomes a tainted man2 and often he cannot be pure1 even if he would4 ,if cure there be1 it is only to be found in inoculating the mind with a fervent spirit of duty1 and in energetic application to useful work4 ,one of the most gifted of ,frenchmen1 in point of great intellectual endowments1 was ,benjamin ,constant2 but1 blas at twenty1 his life was only a prolonged wail1 instead of a harvest of the great deeds which he was capable of accomplishing with ordinary diligence and self-control4 ,he resolved upon doing so many things1 which he never did1 that people came to speak of him as ,constant the ,inconstant4 ,he was a fluent and brilliant writer1 and cherished the ambition of writing works1 8which the world would not willingly let die40 ,but whilst ,constant affected the highest thinking1 unhappily he practised the lowest living2 nor did the transcendentalism of his books atone for the meanness of his life4 ,he frequented the gaming-tables while engaged in preparing his work upon religion1 and carried on a disreputable intrigue while writing his #8,adolphe4' ,with all his powers of intellect1 he was powerless1 because he had no faith in virtue4 8,bah60 said he1 8what are honour and dignity8 ,the longer ,i live1 the more clearly ,i see there is nothing in them40 ,it was the howl of a miserable man4 ,he described himself as but 8ashes and dust40 8,i pass10 said he1 8like a shadow over the earth1 accompanied by misery and ennui40 ,he wished for ,voltaire's energy1 which he would rather have possessed than his genius4 ,but he had no strength of purpose--nothing but wishes3 his life1 prematurely exhausted1 had become but a heap of broken links4 ,he spoke of himself as a person with one foot in the air4 ,he admitted that he had no principles1 and no moral consistency4 ,hence1 with his splendid talents1 he contrived to do nothing2 and1 after living many years miserable1 he died worn out and wretched4 ,the career of ,augustin ,thierry1 the author of the #8,history of the ,norman ,conquest1' affords an admirable contrast to that of ,constant4 ,his entire life presented a striking example of perseverance1 diligence1 self culture1 and untiring devotion to knowledge4 ,in the pursuit he lost his eyesight1 lost his health1 but never lost his love of truth4 ,when so feeble that he was carried from room to room1 like a helpless infant1 in the arms of a nurse1 his brave spirit never failed him2 and blind and helpless though he was1 he concluded his literary career in the following noble words3--8,if1 as ,i think1 the interest of science is counted in the number of great national interests1 ,i have given my country all that the soldier1 mutilated on the field of battle1 gives her4 ,whatever may be the fate of my labours1 this example1 ,i hope1 will not be lost4 ,i would wish it to serve to combat the species of moral weakness which is the disease of our present generation2 to bring back into the straight road of life some of those enervated souls that complain of wanting faith1 that know not what to do1 and seek everywhere1 without finding it1 an object of worship and admiration4 ,why say1 with so much bitterness1 that in the world1 constituted as it is1 there is no air for all lungs--no employment for all minds8 ,is not calm and serious study there8 and is not that a refuge1 a hope1 a field within the reach of all of us8 ,with it1 evil days are passed over without their weight being felt4 ,every one can make his own destiny--every one employ his life nobly4 ,this is what ,i have done1 and would do again if ,i had to recommence my career2 ,i would choose that which has brought me where ,i am4 ,blind1 and suffering without hope1 and almost without intermission1 ,i may give this testimony1 which from me will not appear suspicious4 ,there is something in the world better than sensual enjoyments1 better than fortune1 better than health itself--it is devotion to knowledge40 ,coleridge1 in many respects1 resembled ,constant4 ,he possessed equally brilliant powers1 but was similarly infirm of purpose4 ,with all his great intellectual gifts1 he wanted the gift of industry1 and was averse to continuous labour4 ,he wanted also the sense of independence1 and thought it no degradation to leave his wife and children to be maintained by the brain-work of the noble ,southey1 while he himself retired to ,highgate ,grove to discourse transcendentalism to his disciples1 looking down contemptuously upon the honest work going forward beneath him amidst the din and smoke of ,london4 ,with remunerative employment at his command he stooped to accept the charity of friends2 and1 notwithstanding his lofty ideas of philosophy1 he condescended to humiliations from which many a day-labourer would have shrunk4 ,how different in spirit was ,southey6 labouring not merely at work of his own choice1 and at taskwork often tedious and distasteful1 but also unremittingly and with the utmost eagerness seeking and storing knowledge purely for the love of it4 ,every day1 every hour had its allotted employment3 engagements to publishers requiring punctual fulfilment2 the current expenses of a large household duty to provide3 for ,southey had no crop growing while his pen was idle4 8,my ways10 he used to say1 8are as broad as the king's high-road1 and my means lie in an inkstand40 ,robert ,nicoll wrote to a friend1 after reading the #8,recollections of ,coleridge1' 8,what a mighty intellect was lost in that man for want of a little energy--a little determination60 ,nicoll himself was a true and brave spirit1 who died young1 but not before he had encountered and overcome great difficulties in life4 ,at his outset1 while carrying on a small business as a bookseller1 he found himself weighed down with a debt of only twenty pounds1 which he said he felt 8weighing like a millstone round his neck10 and that1 8if he had it paid he never would borrow again from mortal man40 ,writing to his mother at the time he said1 8,fear not for me1 dear mother1 for ,i feel myself daily growing firmer and more hopeful in spirit4 ,the more ,i think and reflect--and thinking1 not reading1 is now my occupation--,i feel that1 whether ,i be growing richer or not1 ,i am growing a wiser man1 which is far better4 ,pain1 poverty1 and all the other wild beasts of life which so affrighten others1 ,i am so bold as to think ,i could look in the face without shrinking1 without losing respect for myself1 faith in man's high destinies1 or trust in ,god4 ,there is a point which it costs much mental toil and struggling to gain1 but which1 when once gained1 a man can look down from1 as a traveller from a lofty mountain1 on storms raging below1 while he is walking in sunshine4 ,that ,i have yet gained this point in life ,i will not say1 but ,i feel myself daily nearer to it40 ,it is not ease1 but effort--not facility1 but difficulty1 that makes men4 ,there is1 perhaps1 no station in life1 in which difficulties have not to be encountered and overcome before any decided measure of success can be achieved4 ,those difficulties are1 however1 our best instructors1 as our mistakes often form our best experience4 ,charles ,james ,fox was accustomed to say that he hoped more from a man who failed1 and yet went on in spite of his failure1 than from the buoyant career of the successful4 8,it is all very well10 said he1 8to tell me that a young man has distinguished himself by a brilliant first speech4 ,he may go on1 or he may be satisfied with his first triumph2 but show me a young man who has not succeeded at first1 and nevertheless has gone on1 and ,i will back that young man to do better than most of those who have succeeded at the first trial40 ,we learn wisdom from failure much more than from success4 ,we often discover what will do1 by finding out what will not do2 and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery4 ,it was the failure in the attempt to make a sucking-pump act1 when the working bucket was more than thirty-three feet above the surface of the water to be raised1 that led observant men to study the law of atmospheric pressure1 and opened a new field of research to the genius of ,galileo1 ,torrecelli1 and ,boyle4 ,john ,hunter used to remark that the art of surgery would not advance until professional men had the courage to publish their failures as well as their successes4 ,watt the engineer said1 of all things most wanted in mechanical engineering was a history of failures3 8,we want10 he said1 8a book of blots40 ,when ,sir ,humphry ,davy was once shown a dexterously manipulated experiment1 he said--8,i thank ,god ,i was not made a dexterous manipulator1 for the most important of my discoveries have been suggested to me by failures40 ,another distinguished investigator in physical science has left it on record that1 whenever in the course of his researches he encountered an apparently insuperable obstacle1 he generally found himself on the brink of some discovery4 ,the very greatest things--great thoughts1 discoveries1 inventions--have usually been nurtured in hardship1 often pondered over in sorrow1 and at length established with difficulty4 ,beethoven said of ,rossini1 that he had in him the stuff to have made a good musician if he had only1 when a boy1 been well flogged2 but that he had been spoilt by the facility with which he produced4 ,men who feel their strength within them need not fear to encounter adverse opinions2 they have far greater reason to fear undue praise and too friendly criticism4 ,when ,mendelssohn was about to enter the orchestra at ,birmingham1 on the first performance of his #8,elijah1' he said laughingly to one of his friends and critics1 8,stick your claws into me6 ,don't tell me what you like1 but what you don't like60 ,it has been said1 and truly1 that it is the defeat that tries the general more than the victory4 ,washington lost more battles than he gained2 but he succeeded in the end4 ,the ,romans1 in their most victorious campaigns1 almost invariably began with defeats4 ,moreau used to be compared by his companions to a drum1 which nobody hears of except it be beaten4 ,wellington's military genius was perfected by encounter with difficulties of apparently the most overwhelming character1 but which only served to nerve his resolution1 and bring out more prominently his great qualities as a man and a general4 ,so the skilful mariner obtains his best experience amidst storms and tempests1 which train him to self-reliance1 courage1 and the highest discipline2 and we probably own to rough seas and wintry nights the best training of our race of ,british seamen1 who are1 certainly1 not surpassed by any in the world4 ,necessity may be a hard schoolmistress1 but she is generally found the best4 ,though the ordeal of adversity is one from which we naturally shrink1 yet1 when it comes1 we must bravely and manfully encounter it4 ,burns says truly1 8,though losses and crosses ,be lessons right severe1 ,there's wit there1 you'll get there1 ,you'll find no other where40 8,sweet indeed are the uses of adversity40 ,they reveal to us our powers1 and call forth our energies4 ,if there be real worth in the character1 like sweet herbs1 it will give forth its finest fragrance when pressed4 8,crosses10 says the old proverb1 8are the ladders that lead to heaven40 8,what is even poverty itself10 asks ,richter1 8that a man should murmur under it8 ,it is but as the pain of piercing a maiden's ear1 and you hang precious jewels in the wound40 ,in the experience of life it is found that the wholesome discipline of adversity in strong natures usually carries with it a self-preserving influence4 ,many are found capable of bravely bearing up under privations1 and cheerfully encountering obstructions1 who are afterwards found unable to withstand the more dangerous influences of prosperity4 ,it is only a weak man whom the wind deprives of his cloak3 a man of average strength is more in danger of losing it when assailed by the beams of a too genial sun4 ,thus it often needs a higher discipline and a stronger character to bear up under good fortune than under adverse4 ,some generous natures kindle and warm with prosperity1 but there are many on whom wealth has no such influence4 ,base hearts it only hardens1 making those who were mean and servile1 mean and proud4 ,but while prosperity is apt to harden the heart to pride1 adversity in a man of resolution will serve to ripen it into fortitude4 ,to use the words of ,burke1 8,difficulty is a severe instructor1 set over us by the supreme ordinance of a parental guardian and instructor1 who knows us better than we know ourselves1 as ,he loves us better too4 ,he that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves1 and sharpens our skill3 our antagonist is thus our helper40 ,without the necessity of encountering difficulty1 life might be easier1 but men would be worth less4 ,for trials1 wisely improved1 train the character1 and teach self-help2 thus hardship itself may often prove the wholesomest discipline for us1 though we recognise it not4 ,when the gallant young ,hodson1 unjustly removed from his ,indian command1 felt himself sore pressed down by unmerited calumny and reproach1 he yet preserved the courage to say to a friend1 8,i strive to look the worst boldly in the face1 as ,i would an enemy in the field1 and to do my appointed work resolutely and to the best of my ability1 satisfied that there is a reason for all2 and that even irksome duties well done bring their own reward1 and that1 if not1 still they are duties40 ,the battle of life is1 in most cases1 fought up-hill2 and to win it without a struggle were perhaps to win it without honour4 ,if there were no difficulties there would be no success2 if there were nothing to struggle for1 there would be nothing to be achieved4 ,difficulties may intimidate the weak1 but they act only as a wholesome stimulus to men of resolution and valour4 ,all experience of life indeed serves to prove that the impediments thrown in the way of human advancement may for the most part be overcome by steady good conduct1 honest zeal1 activity1 perseverance1 and above all by a determined resolution to surmount difficulties1 and stand up manfully against misfortune4 ,the school of ,difficulty is the best school of moral discipline1 for nations as for individuals4 ,indeed1 the history of difficulty would be but a history of all the great and good things that have yet been accomplished by men4 ,it is hard to say how much northern nations owe to their encounter with a comparatively rude and changeable climate and an originally sterile soil1 which is one of the necessities of their condition1--involving a perennial struggle with difficulties such as the natives of sunnier climes know nothing of4 ,and thus it may be1 that though our finest products are exotic1 the skill and industry which have been necessary to rear them1 have issued in the production of a native growth of men not surpassed on the globe4 ,wherever there is difficulty1 the individual man must come out for better for worse4 ,encounter with it will train his strength1 and discipline his skill2 heartening him for future effort1 as the racer1 by being trained to run against the hill1 at length courses with facility4 ,the road to success may be steep to climb1 and it puts to the proof the energies of him who would reach the summit4 ,but by experience a man soon learns that obstacles are to be overcome by grappling with them1--that the nettle feels as soft as silk when it is boldly grasped1--and that the most effective help towards realizing the object proposed is the moral conviction that we can and will accomplish it4 ,thus difficulties often fall away of themselves before the determination to overcome them4 ,much will be done if we do but try4 ,nobody knows what he can do till he has tried2 and few try their best till they have been forced to do it4 8,if ,i could do such and such a thing10 sighs the desponding youth4 ,but nothing will be done if he only wishes4 ,the desire must ripen into purpose and effort2 and one energetic attempt is worth a thousand aspirations4 ,it is these thorny 8ifs0--the mutterings of impotence and despair--which so often hedge round the field of possibility1 and prevent anything being done or even attempted4 8,a difficulty10 said ,lord ,lyndhurst1 8is a thing to be overcome20 grapple with it at once2 facility will come with practice1 and strength and fortitude with repeated effort4 ,thus the mind and character may be trained to an almost perfect discipline1 and enabled to act with a grace1 spirit1 and liberty1 almost incomprehensible to those who have not passed through a similar experience4 ,everything that we learn is the mastery of a difficulty2 and the mastery of one helps to the mastery of others4 ,things which may at first sight appear comparatively valueless in education--such as the study of the dead languages1 and the relations of lines and surfaces which we call mathematics--are really of the greatest practical value1 not so much because of the information which they yield1 as because of the development which they compel4 ,the mastery of these studies evokes effort1 and cultivates powers of application1 which otherwise might have lain dormant1 ,thus one thing leads to another1 and so the work goes on through life--encounter with difficulty ending only when life and culture end4 ,but indulging in the feeling of discouragement never helped any one over a difficulty1 and never will4 ,d',alembert's advice to the student who complained to him about his want of success in mastering the first elements of mathematics was the right one--8,go on1 sir1 and faith and strength will come to you40 ,the danseuse who turns a pirouette1 the violinist who plays a sonata1 have acquired their dexterity by patient repetition and after many failures4 ,carissimi1 when praised for the ease and grace of his melodies1 exclaimed1 8,ah6 you little know with what difficulty this ease has been acquired40 ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 when once asked how long it had taken him to paint a certain picture1 replied1 8,all my life40 ,henry ,clay1 the ,american orator1 when giving advice to young men1 thus described to them the secret of his success in the cultivation of his art3 8,i owe my success in life10 said he1 8chiefly to one circumstance--that at the age of twenty-seven ,i commenced1 and continued for years1 the process of daily reading and speaking upon the contents of some historical or scientific book4 ,these off-hand efforts were made1 sometimes in a cornfield1 at others in the forest1 and not unfrequently in some distant barn1 with the horse and the ox for my auditors4 ,it is to this early practice of the art of all arts that ,i am indebted for the primary and leading impulses that stimulated me onward and have shaped and moulded my whole subsequent destiny40 ,curran1 the ,irish orator1 when a youth1 had a strong defect in his articulation1 and at school he was known as 8stuttering ,jack ,curran40 ,while he was engaged in the study of the law1 and still struggling to overcome his defect1 he was stung into eloquence by the sarcasms of a member of a debating club1 who characterised him as 8,orator ,mum20 for1 like ,cowper1 when he stood up to speak on a previous occasion1 ,curran had not been able to utter a word4 ,the taunt stung him and he replied in a triumphant speech4 ,this accidental discovery in himself of the gift of eloquence encouraged him to proceed in his studies with renewed energy4 ,he corrected his enunciation by reading aloud1 emphatically and distinctly1 the best passages in literature1 for several hours every day1 studying his features before a mirror1 and adopting a method of gesticulation suited to his rather awkward and ungraceful figure4 ,he also proposed cases to himself1 which he argued with as much care as if he had been addressing a jury4 ,curran began business with the qualification which ,lord ,eldon stated to be the first requisite for distinction1 that is1 8to be not worth a shilling40 ,while working his way laboriously at the bar1 still oppressed by the diffidence which had overcome him in his debating club1 he was on one occasion provoked by the ,judge 7,robinson7 into making a very severe retort4 ,in the case under discussion1 ,curran observed 8that he had never met the law as laid down by his lordship in any book in his library40 8,that may be1 sir10 said the judge1 in a contemptuous tone1 8but ,i suspect that your library is very small40 ,his lordship was notoriously a furious political partisan1 the author of several anonymous pamphlets characterised by unusual violence and dogmatism4 ,curran1 roused by the allusion to his straitened circumstances1 replied thus2 8,it is very true1 my lord1 that ,i am poor1 and the circumstance has certainly curtailed my library2 my books are not numerous1 but they are select1 and ,i hope they have been perused with proper dispositions4 ,i have prepared myself for this high profession by the study of a few good works1 rather than by the composition of a great many bad ones4 ,i am not ashamed of my poverty2 but ,i should be ashamed of my wealth1 could ,i have stooped to acquire it by servility and corruption4 ,if ,i rise not to rank1 ,i shall at least be honest2 and should ,i ever cease to be so1 many an example shows me that an ill-gained elevation1 by making me the more conspicuous1 would only make me the more universally and the more notoriously contemptible40 ,the extremest poverty has been no obstacle in the way of men devoted to the duty of self-culture4 ,professor ,alexander ,murray1 the linguist1 learnt to write by scribbling his letters on an old wool-card with the end of a burnt heather stem4 ,the only book which his father1 who was a poor shepherd1 possessed1 was a penny ,shorter ,catechism2 but that1 being thought too valuable for common use1 was carefully preserved in a cupboard for the ,sunday catechisings4 ,professor ,moor1 when a young man1 being too poor to purchase ,newton's #8,principia1' borrowed the book1 and copied the whole of it with his own hand4 ,many poor students1 while labouring daily for their living1 have only been able to snatch an atom of knowledge here and there at intervals1 as birds do their food in winter time when the fields are covered with snow4 ,they have struggled on1 and faith and hope have come to them4 ,a well-known author and publisher1 ,william ,chambers1 of ,edinburgh1 speaking before an assemblage of young men in that city1 thus briefly described to them his humble beginnings1 for their encouragement3 8,i stand before you10 he said1 8a self-educated man4 ,my education was that which is supplied at the humble parish schools of ,scotland2 and it was only when ,i went to ,edinburgh1 a poor boy1 that ,i devoted my evenings1 after the labours of the day1 to the cultivation of that intellect which the ,almighty has given me4 ,from seven or eight in the morning till nine or ten at night was ,i at my business as a bookseller's apprentice1 and it was only during hours after these1 stolen from sleep1 that ,i could devote myself to study4 ,i did not read novels3 my attention was devoted to physical science1 and other useful matters4 ,i also taught myself ,french4 ,i look back to those times with great pleasure1 and am almost sorry ,i have not to go through the same experience again2 for ,i reaped more pleasure when ,i had not a sixpence in my pocket1 studying in a garret in ,edinburgh1 then ,i now find when sitting amidst all the elegancies and comforts of a parlour40 ,william ,cobbett's account of how he learnt ,english ,grammar is full of interest and instruction for all students labouring under difficulties4 8,i learned grammar10 said he1 8when ,i was a private soldier on the pay of sixpence a day4 ,the edge of my berth1 or that of my guard-bed1 was my seat to study in2 my knapsack was my book-case2 a bit of board lying on my lap was my writing-table2 and the task did not demand anything like a year of my life4 ,i had no money to purchase candle or oil2 in winter time it was rarely that ,i could get any evening light but that of the fire1 and only my turn even of that4 ,and if ,i1 under such circumstances1 and without parent or friend to advise or encourage me1 accomplished this undertaking1 what excuse can there be for any youth1 however poor1 however pressed with business1 or however circumstanced as to room or other conveniences8 ,to buy a pen or a sheet of paper ,i was compelled to forego some portion of food1 though in a state of half-starvation3 ,i had no moment of time that ,i could call my own2 and ,i had to read and to write amidst the talking1 laughing1 singing1 whistling1 and brawling of at least half a score of the most thoughtless of men1 and that1 too1 in the hours of their freedom from all control4 ,think not lightly of the farthing that ,i had to give1 now and then1 for ink1 pen1 or paper6 ,that farthing was1 alas6 a great sum to me6 ,i was as tall as ,i am now2 ,i had great health and great exercise4 ,the whole of the money1 not expended for us at market1 was two-pence a week for each man4 ,i remember1 and well ,i may6 that on one occasion ,i1 after all necessary expenses1 had1 on a ,friday1 made shifts to have a halfpenny in reserve1 which ,i had destined for the purchase of a redherring in the morning2 but1 when ,i pulled off my clothes at night1 so hungry then as to be hardly able to endure life1 ,i found that ,i had lost my halfpenny6 ,i buried my head under the miserable sheet and rug1 and cried like a child6 ,and again ,i say1 if1 ,i1 under circumstances like these1 could encounter and overcome this task1 is there1 can there be1 in the whole world1 a youth to find an excuse for the non-performance80 ,we have been informed of an equally striking instance of perseverance and application in learning on the part of a ,french political exile in ,london4 ,his original occupation was that of a stonemason1 at which he found employment for some time2 but work becoming slack1 he lost his place1 and poverty stared him in the face4 ,in his dilemma he called upon a fellow exile profitably engaged in teaching ,french1 and consulted him what he ought to do to earn a living4 ,the answer was1 8,become a professor60 8,a professor80 answered the mason--8,i1 who am only a workman1 speaking but a patois6 ,surely you are jesting80 8,on the contrary1 ,i am quite serious10 said the other1 8and again ,i advise you--become a professor2 place yourself under me1 and ,i will undertake to teach you how to teach others40 8,no1 no60 replied the mason1 8it is impossible2 ,i am too old to learn2 ,i am too little of a scholar2 ,i cannot be a professor40 ,he went away1 and again he tried to obtain employment at his trade4 ,from ,london he went into the provinces1 and travelled several hundred miles in vain2 he could not find a master4 ,returning to ,london1 he went direct to his former adviser1 and said1 8,i have tried everywhere for work1 and failed2 ,i will now try to be a professor60 ,he immediately placed himself under instruction2 and being a man of close application1 of quick apprehension1 and vigorous intelligence1 he speedily mastered the elements of grammar1 the rules of construction and composition1 and 7what he had still in a great measure to learn7 the correct pronunciation of classical ,french4 ,when his friend and instructor thought him sufficiently competent to undertake the teaching of others1 an appointment1 advertised as vacant1 was applied for and obtained2 and behold our artisan at length become professor6 ,it so happened1 that the seminary to which he was appointed was situated in a suburb of ,london where he had formerly worked as a stonemason2 and every morning the first thing which met his eyes on looking out of his dressing-room window was a stack of cottage chimneys which he had himself built6 ,he feared for a time lest he should be recognised in the village as the quondam workman1 and thus bring discredit on his seminary1 which was of high standing4 ,but he need have been under no such apprehension1 as he proved a most efficient teacher1 and his pupils were on more than one occasion publicly complimented for their knowledge of ,french4 ,meanwhile1 he secured the respect and friendship of all who knew him--fellow-professors as well as pupils2 and when the story of his struggles1 his difficulties1 and his past history1 became known to them1 they admired him more than ever4 ,sir ,samuel ,romilly was not less indefatigable as a self-cultivator4 ,the son of a jeweller1 descended from a ,french refugee1 he received little education in his early years1 but overcame all his disadvantages by unwearied application1 and by efforts constantly directed towards the same end4 8,i determined10 he says1 in his autobiography1 8when ,i was between fifteen and sixteen years of age1 to apply myself seriously to learning ,latin1 of which ,i1 at that time1 knew little more than some of the most familiar rules of grammar4 ,in the course of three or four years1 during which ,i thus applied myself1 ,i had read almost every prose writer of the age of pure ,latinity1 except those who have treated merely of technical subjects1 such as ,varro1 ,columella1 and ,celsus4 ,i had gone three times through the whole of ,livy1 ,sallust1 and ,tacitus4 ,i had studied the most celebrated orations of ,cicero1 and translated a great deal of ,homer4 ,terence1 ,virgil1 ,horace1 ,ovid1 and ,juvenal1 ,i had read over and over again40 ,he also studied geography1 natural history1 and natural philosophy1 and obtained a considerable acquaintance with general knowledge4 ,at sixteen he was articled to a clerk in ,chancery2 worked hard2 was admitted to the bar2 and his industry and perseverance ensured success4 ,he became ,solicitor-,general under the ,fox administration in #ahjf1 and steadily worked his way to the highest celebrity in his profession4 ,yet he was always haunted by a painful and almost oppressive sense of his own disqualifications1 and never ceased labouring to remedy them4 ,his autobiography is a lesson of instructive facts1 worth volumes of sentiment1 and well deserves a careful perusal4 ,sir ,walter ,scott was accustomed to cite the case of his young friend ,john ,leyden as one of the most remarkable illustrations of the power of perseverance which he had ever known4 ,the son of a shepherd in one of the wildest valleys of ,roxburghshire1 he was almost entirely self educated4 ,like many ,scotch shepherds' sons--like ,hogg1 who taught himself to write by copying the letters of a printed book as he lay watching his flock on the hill-side--like ,cairns1 who from tending sheep on the ,lammermoors1 raised himself by dint of application and industry to the professor's chair which he now so worthily holds--like ,murray1 ,ferguson1 and many more1 ,leyden was early inspired by a thirst for knowledge4 ,when a poor barefooted boy1 he walked six or eight miles across the moors daily to learn reading at the little village schoolhouse of ,kirkton2 and this was all the education he received2 the rest he acquired for himself4 ,he found his way to ,edinburgh to attend the college there1 setting the extremest penury at defiance4 ,he was first discovered as a frequenter of a small bookseller's shop kept by ,archibald ,constable1 afterwards so well known as a publisher4 ,he would pass hour after hour perched on a ladder in mid-air1 with some great folio in his hand1 forgetful of the scanty meal of bread and water which awaited him at his miserable lodging4 ,access to books and lectures comprised all within the bounds of his wishes4 ,thus he toiled and battled at the gates of science until his unconquerable perseverance carried everything before it4 ,before he had attained his nineteenth year he had astonished all the professors in ,edinburgh by his profound knowledge of ,greek and ,latin1 and the general mass of information he had acquired4 ,having turned his views to ,india1 he sought employment in the civil service1 but failed4 ,he was however informed that a surgeon's assistant's commission was open to him4 ,but he was no surgeon1 and knew no more of the profession than a child4 ,he could however learn4 ,then he was told that he must be ready to pass in six months6 ,nothing daunted1 he set to work1 to acquire in six months what usually required three years4 ,at the end of six months he took his degree with honour4 ,scott and a few friends helped to fit him out2 and he sailed for ,india1 after publishing his beautiful poem #8,the ,scenes of ,infancy4' ,in ,india he promised to become one of the greatest of oriental scholars1 but was unhappily cut off by fever caught by exposure1 and died at an early age4 ,the life of the late ,dr4 ,lee1 ,professor of ,hebrew at ,cambridge1 furnishes one of the most remarkable instances in modern times of the power of patient perseverance and resolute purpose in working out an honourable career in literature4 ,he received his education at a charity school at ,lognor1 near ,shrewsbury1 but so little distinguished himself there1 that his master pronounced him one of the dullest boys that ever passed through his hands4 ,he was put apprentice to a carpenter1 and worked at that trade until he arrived at manhood4 ,to occupy his leisure hours he took to reading2 and1 some of the books containing ,latin quotations1 he became desirous of ascertaining what they meant4 ,he bought a ,latin grammar1 and proceeded to learn ,latin4 ,as ,stone1 the ,duke of ,argyle's gardener1 said1 long before1 8,does one need to know anything more than the twenty-four letters in order to learn everything else that one wishes80 ,lee rose early and sat up late1 and he succeeded in mastering the ,latin before his apprenticeship was out4 ,whilst working one day in some place of worship1 a copy of a ,greek ,testament fell in his way1 and he was immediately filled with the desire to learn that language4 ,he accordingly sold some of his ,latin books1 and purchased a ,greek ,grammar and ,lexicon4 ,taking pleasure in learning1 he soon mastered the language4 ,then he sold his ,greek books1 and bought ,hebrew ones1 and learnt that language1 unassisted by any instructor1 without any hope of fame or reward1 but simply following the bent of his genius4 ,he next proceeded to learn the ,chaldee1 ,syriac1 and ,samaritan dialects4 ,but his studies began to tell upon his health1 and brought on disease in his eyes through his long night watchings with his books4 ,having laid them aside for a time and recovered his health1 he went on with his daily work4 ,his character as a tradesman being excellent1 his business improved1 and his means enabled him to marry1 which he did when twenty-eight years old4 ,he determined now to devote himself to the maintenance of his family1 and to renounce the luxury of literature2 accordingly he sold all his books4 ,he might have continued a working carpenter all his life1 had not the chest of tools upon which he depended for subsistence been destroyed by fire1 and destitution stared him in the face4 ,he was too poor to buy new tools1 so he bethought him of teaching children their letters1--a profession requiring the least possible capital4 ,but though he had mastered many languages1 he was so defective in the common branches of knowledge1 that at first he could not teach them4 ,resolute of purpose1 however1 he assiduously set to work1 and taught himself arithmetic and writing to such a degree as to be able to impart the knowledge of these branches to little children4 ,his unaffected1 simple1 and beautiful character gradually attracted friends1 and the acquirements of the 8learned carpenter0 became bruited abroad4 ,dr4 ,scott1 a neighbouring clergyman1 obtained for him the appointment of master of a charity school in ,shrewsbury1 and introduced him to a distinguished ,oriental scholar4 ,these friends supplied him with books1 and ,lee successively mastered ,arabic1 ,persic1 and ,hindostanee4 ,he continued to pursue his studies while on duty as a private in the local militia of the county2 gradually acquiring greater proficiency in languages4 ,at length his kind patron1 ,dr4 ,scott1 enabled ,lee to enter ,queen's ,college1 ,cambridge2 and after a course of study1 in which he distinguished himself by his mathematical acquirements1 a vacancy occurring in the professorship of ,arabic and ,hebrew1 he was worthily elected to fill the honourable office4 ,besides ably performing his duties as a professor1 he voluntarily gave much of his time to the instruction of missionaries going forth to preach the ,gospel to eastern tribes in their own tongue4 ,he also made translations of the ,bible into several ,asiatic dialects2 and having mastered the ,new ,zealand language1 he arranged a grammar and vocabulary for two ,new ,zealand chiefs who were then in ,england1 which books are now in daily use in the ,new ,zealand schools4 ,such1 in brief1 is the remarkable history of ,dr4 ,samuel ,lee2 and it is but the counterpart of numerous similarly instructive examples of the power of perseverance in self-culture1 as displayed in the lives of many of the most distinguished of our literary and scientific men4 ,there are many other illustrious names which might be cited to prove the truth of the common saying that 8it is never too late to learn40 ,even at advanced years men can do much1 if they will determine on making a beginning4 ,sir ,henry ,spelman did not begin the study of science until he was between fifty and sixty years of age4 ,franklin was fifty before he fully entered upon the study of ,natural ,philosophy4 ,dryden and ,scott were not known as authors until each was in his fortieth year4 ,boccaccio was thirty-five when he commenced his literary career1 and ,alfieri was forty-six when he began the study of ,greek4 ,dr4 ,arnold learnt ,german at an advanced age1 for the purpose of reading ,niebuhr in the original2 and in like manner ,james ,watt1 when about forty1 while working at his trade of an instrument maker in ,glasgow1 learnt ,french1 ,german1 and ,italian1 to enable himself to peruse the valuable works on mechanical philosophy which existed in those languages4 ,thomas ,scott was fifty-six before he began to learn ,hebrew4 ,robert ,hall was once found lying upon the floor1 racked by pain1 learning ,italian in his old age1 to enable him to judge of the parallel drawn by ,macaulay between ,milton and ,dante4 ,handel was forty-eight before he published any of his great works4 ,indeed hundreds of instances might be given of men who struck out an entirely new path1 and successfully entered on new studies1 at a comparatively advanced time of life4 ,none but the frivolous or the indolent will say1 8,i am too old to learn40 #ced ,and here we would repeat what we have said before1 that it is not men of genius who move the world and take the lead in it1 so much as men of steadfastness1 purpose1 and indefatigable industry4 ,notwithstanding the many undeniable instances of the precocity of men of genius1 it is nevertheless true that early cleverness gives no indication of the height to which the grown man will reach4 ,precocity is sometimes a symptom of disease rather than of intellectual vigour4 ,what becomes of all the 8remarkably clever children80 ,where are the duxes and prize boys8 ,trace them through life1 and it will frequently be found that the dull boys1 who were beaten at school1 have shot ahead of them4 ,the clever boys are rewarded1 but the prizes which they gain by their greater quickness and facility do not always prove of use to them4 ,what ought rather to be rewarded is the endeavour1 the struggle1 and the obedience2 for it is the youth who does his best1 though endowed with an inferiority of natural powers1 that ought above all others to be encouraged4 ,an interesting chapter might be written on the subject of illustrious dunces--dull boys1 but brilliant men4 ,we have room1 however1 for only a few instances4 ,pietro di ,cortona1 the painter1 was thought so stupid that he was nicknamed 8,ass's ,head0 when a boy2 and ,tomaso ,guidi was generally known as 8,heavy ,tom0 7,massaccio ,tomasaccio71 though by diligence he afterwards raised himself to the highest eminence4 ,newton1 when at school1 stood at the bottom of the lowest form but one4 ,the boy above ,newton having kicked him1 the dunce showed his pluck by challenging him to a fight1 and beat him4 ,then he set to work with a will1 and determined also to vanquish his antagonist as a scholar1 which he did1 rising to the top of his class4 ,many of our greatest divines have been anything but precocious4 ,isaac ,barrow1 when a boy at the ,charterhouse ,school1 was notorious chiefly for his strong temper1 pugnacious habits1 and proverbial idleness as a scholar2 and he caused such grief to his parents that his father used to say that1 if it pleased ,god to take from him any of his children1 he hoped it might be ,isaac1 the least promising of them all4 ,adam ,clarke1 when a boy1 was proclaimed by his father to be 8a grievous dunce20 though he could roll large stones about4 ,dean ,swift was 8plucked0 at ,dublin ,university1 and only obtained his recommendation to ,oxford 8speciali gratia40 ,the well-known ,dr4 ,chalmers and ,dr4 ,cook #cef;a were boys together at the parish school of ,st4 ,andrew's2 and they were found so stupid and mischievous1 that the master1 irritated beyond measure1 dismissed them both as incorrigible dunces4 ,the brilliant ,sheridan showed so little capacity as a boy1 that he was presented to a tutor by his mother with the complimentary accompaniment that he was an incorrigible dunce4 ,walter ,scott was all but a dunce when a boy1 always much readier for a 8bicker10 than apt at his lessons4 ,at the ,edinburgh ,university1 ,professor ,dalzell pronounced upon him the sentence that 8,dunce he was1 and dunce he would remain40 ,chatterton was returned on his mother's hands as 8a fool1 of whom nothing could be made40 ,burns was a dull boy1 good only at athletic exercises4 ,goldsmith spoke of himself1 as a plant that flowered late4 ,alfieri left college no wiser than he entered it1 and did not begin the studies by which he distinguished himself1 until he had run half over ,europe4 ,robert ,clive was a dunce1 if not a reprobate1 when a youth2 but always full of energy1 even in badness4 ,his family1 glad to get rid of him1 shipped him off to ,madras2 and he lived to lay the foundations of the ,british power in ,india4 ,napoleon and ,wellington were both dull boys1 not distinguishing themselves in any way at school4 #cef;b ,of the former the ,duchess d',abrantes says1 8he had good health1 but was in other respects like other boys40 ,ulysses ,grant1 the ,commander-in-,chief of the ,united ,states1 was called 8,useless ,grant0 by his mother--he was so dull and unhandy when a boy2 and ,stonewall ,jackson1 ,lee's greatest lieutenant1 was1 in his youth1 chiefly noted for his slowness4 ,while a pupil at ,west ,point ,military ,academy he was1 however1 equally remarkable for his indefatigable application and perseverance4 ,when a task was set him1 he never left it until he had mastered it2 nor did he ever feign to possess knowledge which he had not entirely acquired4 8,again and again10 wrote one who knew him1 8when called upon to answer questions in the recitation of the day1 he would reply1 #8,i have not yet looked at it2 ,i have been engaged in mastering the recitation of yesterday or the day before4' ,the result was that he graduated seventeenth in a class of seventy4 ,there was probably in the whole class not a boy to whom ,jackson at the outset was not inferior in knowledge and attainments2 but at the end of the race he had only sixteen before him1 and had outstripped no fewer than fifty-three4 ,it used to be said of him by his contemporaries1 that if the course had been for ten years instead of four1 ,jackson would have graduated at the head of his class40 #ceg ,john ,howard1 the philanthropist1 was another illustrious dunce1 learning next to nothing during the seven years that he was at school4 ,stephenson1 as a youth1 was distinguished chiefly for his skill at putting and wrestling1 and attention to his work4 ,the brilliant ,sir ,humphry ,davy was no cleverer than other boys3 his teacher1 ,dr4 ,cardew1 once said of him1 8,while he was with me ,i could not discern the faculties by which he was so much distinguished40 ,indeed1 ,davy himself in after life considered it fortunate that he had been left to 8enjoy so much idleness0 at school4 ,watt was a dull scholar1 notwithstanding the stories told about his precocity2 but he was1 what was better1 patient and perseverant1 and it was by such qualities1 and by his carefully cultivated inventiveness1 that he was enabled to perfect his steam-engine4 ,what ,dr4 ,arnold said of boys is equally true of men--that the difference between one boy and another consists not so much in talent as in energy4 ,given perseverance and energy soon becomes habitual4 ,provided the dunce has persistency and application he will inevitably head the cleverer fellow without those qualities4 ,slow but sure wins the race4 ,it is perseverance that explains how the position of boys at school is so often reversed in real life2 and it is curious to note how some who were then so clever have since become so commonplace2 whilst others1 dull boys1 of whom nothing was expected1 slow in their faculties but sure in their pace1 have assumed the position of leaders of men4 ,the author of this book1 when a boy1 stood in the same class with one of the greatest of dunces4 ,one teacher after another had tried his skill upon him and failed4 ,corporal punishment1 the fool's cap1 coaxing1 and earnest entreaty1 proved alike fruitless4 ,sometimes the experiment was tried of putting him at the top of his class1 and it was curious to note the rapidity with which he gravitated to the inevitable bottom4 ,the youth was given up by his teachers as an incorrigible dunce--one of them pronouncing him to be a 8stupendous booby40 ,yet1 slow though he was1 this dunce had a sort of dull energy of purpose in him1 which grew with his muscles and his manhood2 and1 strange to say1 when he at length came to take part in the practical business of life1 he was found heading most of his school companions1 and eventually left the greater number of them far behind4 ,the last time the author heard of him1 he was chief magistrate of his native town4 ,the tortoise in the right road will beat a racer in the wrong4 ,it matters not though a youth be slow1 if he be but diligent4 ,quickness of parts may even prove a defect1 inasmuch as the boy who learns readily will often forget as readily2 and also because he finds no need of cultivating that quality of application and perseverance which the slower youth is compelled to exercise1 and which proves so valuable an element in the formation of every character4 ,davy said 8,what ,i am ,i have made myself20 and the same holds true universally4 ,to conclude3 the best culture is not obtained from teachers when at school or college1 so much as by our own diligent self-education when we have become men4 ,hence parents need not be in too great haste to see their children's talents forced into bloom4 ,let them watch and wait patiently1 letting good example and quiet training do their work1 and leave the rest to ,providence4 ,let them see to it that the youth is provided1 by free exercise of his bodily powers1 with a full stock of physical health2 set him fairly on the road of self-culture2 carefully train his habits of application and perseverance2 and as he grows older1 if the right stuff be in him1 he will be enabled vigorously and effectively to cultivate himself4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,example--,,models4 8,ever their phantoms rise before us1 ,our loftier brothers1 but one in blood2 ,by bed and table they lord it o'er us1 ,with looks of beauty and words of good40--,john ,sterling4 8,children may be strangled1 but ,deeds never2 they have an indestructible life1 both in and out of our consciousness40--,george ,eliot4 8,there is no action of man in this life1 which is not the beginning of so long a chain of consequences1 as that no human providence is high enough to give us a prospect to the end40--,thomas of ,malmesbury4 ,,example is one of the most potent of instructors1 though it teaches without a tongue4 ,it is the practical school of mankind1 working by action1 which is always more forcible than words4 ,precept may point to us the way1 but it is silent continuous example1 conveyed to us by habits1 and living with us in fact1 that carries us along4 ,good advice has its weight3 but without the accompaniment of a good example it is of comparatively small influence2 and it will be found that the common saying of 8,do as ,i say1 not as ,i do10 is usually reversed in the actual experience of life4 ,all persons are more or less apt to learn through the eye rather than the ear2 and1 whatever is seen in fact1 makes a far deeper impression than anything that is merely read or heard4 ,this is especially the case in early youth1 when the eye is the chief inlet of knowledge4 ,whatever children see they unconsciously imitate4 ,they insensibly come to resemble those who are about them--as insects take the colour of the leaves they feed on4 ,hence the vast importance of domestic training4 ,for whatever may be the efficiency of schools1 the examples set in our ,homes must always be of vastly greater influence in forming the characters of our future men and women4 ,the ,home is the crystal of society--the nucleus of national character2 and from that source1 be it pure or tainted1 issue the habits1 principles and maxims1 which govern public as well as private life4 ,the nation comes from the nursery4 ,public opinion itself is for the most part the outgrowth of the home2 and the best philanthropy comes from the fireside4 8,to love the little platoon we belong to in society10 says ,burke1 8is the germ of all public affections40 ,from this little central spot1 the human sympathies may extend in an ever widening circle1 until the world is embraced2 for1 though true philanthropy1 like charity1 begins at home1 assuredly it does not end there4 ,example in conduct1 therefore1 even in apparently trivial matters1 is of no light moment1 inasmuch as it is constantly becoming inwoven with the lives of others1 and contributing to form their natures for better or for worse4 ,the characters of parents are thus constantly repeated in their children2 and the acts of affection1 discipline1 industry1 and self-control1 which they daily exemplify1 live and act when all else which may have been learned through the ear has long been forgotten4 ,hence a wise man was accustomed to speak of his children as his 8future state40 ,even the mute action and unconscious look of a parent may give a stamp to the character which is never effaced2 and who can tell how much evil act has been stayed by the thought of some good parent1 whose memory their children may not sully by the commission of an unworthy deed1 or the indulgence of an impure thought8 ,the veriest trifles thus become of importance in influencing the characters of men4 8,a kiss from my mother10 said ,west1 8made me a painter40 ,it is on the direction of such seeming trifles when children that the future happiness and success of men mainly depend4 ,fowell ,buxton1 when occupying an eminent and influential station in life1 wrote to his mother1 8,i constantly feel1 especially in action and exertion for others1 the effects of principles early implanted by you in my mind40 ,buxton was also accustomed to remember with gratitude the obligations which he owed to an illiterate man1 a gamekeeper1 named ,abraham ,plastow1 with whom he played1 and rode1 and sported--a man who could neither read nor write1 but was full of natural good sense and mother-wit4 8,what made him particularly valuable10 says ,buxton1 8were his principles of integrity and honour4 ,he never said or did a thing in the absence of my mother of which she would have disapproved4 ,he always held up the highest standard of integrity1 and filled our youthful minds with sentiments as pure and as generous as could be found in the writings of ,seneca or ,cicero4 ,such was my first instructor1 and1 ,i must add1 my best40 ,lord ,langdale1 looking back upon the admirable example set him by his mother1 declared1 8,if the whole world were put into one scale1 and my mother into the other1 the world would kick the beam40 ,mrs4 ,schimmel ,penninck1 in her old age1 was accustomed to call to mind the personal influence exercised by her mother upon the society amidst which she moved4 ,when she entered a room it had the effect of immediately raising the tone of the conversation1 and as if purifying the moral atmosphere--all seeming to breathe more freely1 and stand more erectly4 8,in her presence10 says the daughter1 8,i became for the time transformed into another person40 ,so much does she moral health depend upon the moral atmosphere that is breathed1 and so great is the influence daily exercised by parents over their children by living a life before their eyes1 that perhaps the best system of parental instruction might be summed up in these two words3 8,improve thyself40 ,there is something solemn and awful in the thought that there is not an act done or a word uttered by a human being but carries with it a train of consequences1 the end of which we may never trace4 ,not one but1 to a certain extent1 gives a colour to our life1 and insensibly influences the lives of those about us4 ,the good deed or word will live1 even though we may not see it fructify1 but so will the bad2 and no person is so insignificant as to be sure that his example will not do good on the one hand1 or evil on the other4 ,the spirits of men do not die3 they still live and walk abroad among us4 ,it was a fine and a true thought uttered by ,mr4 ,disraeli in the ,house of ,commons on the death of ,richard ,cobden1 that 8he was one of those men who1 though not present1 were still members of that ,house1 who were independent of dissolutions1 of the caprices of constituencies1 and even of the course of time40 ,there is1 indeed1 an essence of immortality in the life of man1 even in this world4 ,no individual in the universe stands alone2 he is a component part of a system of mutual dependencies2 and by his several acts he either increases or diminishes the sum of human good now and for ever4 ,as the present is rooted in the past1 and the lives and examples of our forefathers still to a great extent influence us1 so are we by our daily acts contributing to form the condition and character of the future4 ,man is a fruit formed and ripened by the culture of all the foregoing centuries2 and the living generation continues the magnetic current of action and example destined to bind the remotest past with the most distant future4 ,no man's acts die utterly2 and though his body may resolve into dust and air1 his good or his bad deeds will still be bringing forth fruit after their kind1 and influencing future generations for all time to come4 ,it is in this momentous and solemn fact that the great peril and responsibility of human existence lies4 ,mr4 ,babbage has so powerfully expressed this idea in a noble passage in one of his writings that we here venture to quote his words3 8,every atom10 he says1 8impressed with good or ill1 retains at once the motions which philosophers and sages have imparted to it1 mixed and combined in ten thousand ways with all that is worthless and base2 the air itself is one vast library1 on whose pages are written for ever all that man has ever said or whispered4 ,there1 in their immutable but unerring characters1 mixed with the earliest as well as the latest sighs of mortality1 stand for ever recorded vows unredeemed1 promises unfulfilled2 perpetuating1 in the united movements of each particle1 the testimony of man's changeful will4 ,but1 if the air we breathe is the never-failing historian of the sentiments we have uttered1 earth1 air1 and ocean1 are1 in like manner1 the eternal witnesses of the acts we have done2 the same principle of the equality of action and reaction applies to them4 ,no motion impressed by natural causes1 or by human agency1 is ever obliterated4 4 4 4 ,if the ,almighty stamped on the brow of the first murderer the indelible and visible mark of his guilt1 ,he has also established laws by which every succeeding criminal is not less irrevocably chained to the testimony of his crime2 for every atom of his mortal frame1 through whatever changes its severed particles may migrate1 will still retain adhering to it1 through every combination1 some movement derived from that very muscular effort by which the crime itself was perpetrated40 ,thus1 every act we do or word we utter1 as well as every act we witness or word we hear1 carries with it an influence which extends over1 and gives a colour1 not only to the whole of our future life1 but makes itself felt upon the whole frame of society4 ,we may not1 and indeed cannot1 possibly1 trace the influence working itself into action in its various ramifications amongst our children1 our friends1 or associates2 yet there it is assuredly1 working on for ever4 ,and herein lies the great significance of setting forth a good example1--a silent teaching which even the poorest and least significant person can practise in his daily life4 ,there is no one so humble1 but that he owes to others this simple but priceless instruction4 ,even the meanest condition may thus be made useful2 for the light set in a low place shines as faithfully as that set upon a hill4 ,everywhere1 and under almost all circumstances1 however externally adverse--in moorland shielings1 in cottage hamlets1 in the close alleys of great towns--the true man may grow4 ,he who tills a space of earth scarce bigger than is needed for his grave1 may work as faithfully1 and to as good purpose1 as the heir to thousands4 ,the commonest workshop may thus be a school of industry1 science1 and good morals1 on the one hand2 or of idleness1 folly1 and depravity1 on the other4 ,it all depends on the individual men1 and the use they make of the opportunities for good which offer themselves4 ,a life well spent1 a character uprightly sustained1 is no slight legacy to leave to one's children1 and to the world2 for it is the most eloquent lesson of virtue and the severest reproof of vice1 while it continues an enduring source of the best kind of riches4 ,well for those who can say1 as ,pope did1 in rejoinder to the sarcasm of ,lord ,hervey1 8,i think it enough that my parents1 such as they were1 never cost me a blush1 and that their son1 such as he is1 never cost them a tear40 ,it is not enough to tell others what they are to do1 but to exhibit the actual example of doing4 ,what ,mrs4 ,chisholm described to ,mrs4 ,stowe as the secret of her success1 applies to all life4 8,i found10 she said1 8that if we want anything done1 we must go to work and do3 it is of no use merely to talk--none whatever40 ,it is poor eloquence that only shows how a person can talk4 ,had ,mrs4 ,chisholm rested satisfied with lecturing1 her project1 she was persuaded1 would never have got beyond the region of talk2 but when people saw what she was doing and had actually accomplished1 they fell in with her views and came forward to help her4 ,hence the most beneficent worker is not he who says the most eloquent things1 or even who thinks the most loftily1 but he who does the most eloquent acts4 ,true-hearted persons1 even in the humblest station in life1 who are energetic doers1 may thus give an impulse to good works out of all proportion1 apparently1 to their actual station in society4 ,thomas ,wright might have talked about the reclamation of criminals1 and ,john ,pounds about the necessity for ,ragged ,schools1 and yet done nothing2 instead of which they simply set to work without any other idea in their minds than that of doing1 not talking4 ,and how the example of even the poorest man may tell upon society1 hear what ,dr4 ,guthrie1 the apostle of the ,ragged ,school movement1 says of the influence which the example of ,john ,pounds1 the humble ,portsmouth cobbler1 exercised upon his own working career3-- 8,the interest ,i have been led to take in this cause is an example of how1 in ,providence1 a man's destiny--his course of life1 like that of a river--may be determined and affected by very trivial circumstances4 ,it is rather curious--at least it is interesting to me to remember--that it was by a picture ,i was first led to take an interest in ragged schools--by a picture in an old1 obscure1 decaying burgh that stands on the shores of the ,frith of ,forth1 the birthplace of ,thomas ,chalmers4 ,i went to see this place many years ago2 and1 going into an inn for refreshment1 ,i found the room covered with pictures of shepherdesses with their crooks1 and sailors in holiday attire1 not particularly interesting4 ,but above the chimney-piece there was a large print1 more respectable than its neighbours1 which represented a cobbler's room4 ,the cobbler was there himself1 spectacles on nose1 an old shoe between his knees--the massive forehead and firm mouth indicating great determination of character1 and1 beneath his bushy eyebrows1 benevolence gleamed out on a number of poor ragged boys and girls who stood at their lessons round the busy cobbler4 ,my curiosity was awakened2 and in the inscription ,i read how this man1 ,john ,pounds1 a cobbler in ,portsmouth1 taking pity on the multitude of poor ragged children left by ministers and magistrates1 and ladies and gentlemen1 to go to ruin on the streets--how1 like a good shepherd1 he gathered in these wretched outcasts--how he had trained them to ,god and to the world--and how1 while earning his daily bread by the sweat of his brow1 he had rescued from misery and saved to society not less than five hundred of these children4 ,i felt ashamed of myself4 ,i felt reproved for the little ,i had done4 ,my feelings were touched4 ,i was astonished at this man's achievements2 and ,i well remember1 in the enthusiasm of the moment1 saying to my companion 7and ,i have seen in my cooler and calmer moments no reason for unsaying the saying7--#8,that man is an honour to humanity1 and deserves the tallest monument ever raised within the shores of ,britain4' ,i took up that man's history1 and ,i found it animated by the spirit of ,him who #8had compassion on the multitude4' ,john ,pounds was a clever man besides2 and1 like ,paul1 if he could not win a poor boy any other way1 he won him by art4 ,he would be seen chasing a ragged boy along the quays1 and compelling him to come to school1 not by the power of a policeman1 but by the power of a hot potato4 ,he knew the love an ,irishman had for a potato2 and ,john ,pounds might be seen running holding under the boy's nose a potato1 like an ,irishman1 very hot1 and with a coat as ragged as himself4 ,when the day comes when honour will be done to whom honour is due1 ,i can fancy the crowd of those whose fame poets have sung1 and to whose memory monuments have been raised1 dividing like the wave1 and1 passing the great1 and the noble1 and the mighty of the land1 this poor1 obscure old man stepping forward and receiving the especial notice of ,him who said #8,inasmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these1 ye did it also to ,me4'0 ,the education of character is very much a question of models2 we mould ourselves so unconsciously after the characters1 manners1 habits1 and opinions of those who are about us4 ,good rules may do much1 but good models far more2 for in the latter we have instruction in action--wisdom at work4 ,good admonition and bad example only build with one hand to pull down with the other4 ,hence the vast importance of exercising great care in the selection of companions1 especially in youth4 ,there is a magnetic affinity in young persons which insensibly tends to assimilate them to each other's likeness4 ,mr4 ,edgeworth was so strongly convinced that from sympathy they involuntarily imitated or caught the tone of the company they frequented1 that he held it to be of the most essential importance that they should be taught to select the very best models4 8,no company1 or good company10 was his motto4 ,lord ,collingwood1 writing to a young friend1 said1 8,hold it as a maxim that you had better be alone than in mean company4 ,let your companions be such as yourself1 or superior2 for the worth of a man will always be ruled by that of his company40 ,it was a remark of the famous ,dr4 ,sydenham that everybody some time or other would be the better or the worse for having but spoken to a good or a bad man4 ,as ,sir ,peter ,lely made it a rule never to look at a bad picture if he could help it1 believing that whenever he did so his pencil caught a taint from it1 so1 whoever chooses to gaze often upon a debased specimen of humanity and to frequent his society1 cannot help gradually assimilating himself to that sort of model4 ,it is therefore advisable for young men to seek the fellowship of the good1 and always to aim at a higher standard than themselves4 ,francis ,horner1 speaking of the advantages to himself of direct personal intercourse with high-minded1 intelligent men1 said1 8,i cannot hesitate to decide that ,i have derived more intellectual improvement from them than from all the books ,i have turned over40 ,lord ,shelburne 7afterwards ,marquis of ,lansdowne71 when a young man1 paid a visit to the venerable ,malesherbes1 and was so much impressed by it1 that he said1--8,i have travelled much1 but ,i have never been so influenced by personal contact with any man2 and if ,i ever accomplish any good in the course of my life1 ,i am certain that the recollection of ,m4 de ,malesherbes will animate my soul40 ,so ,fowell ,buxton was always ready to acknowledge the powerful influence exercised upon the formation of his character in early life by the example of the ,gurney family3 8,it has given a colour to my life10 he used to say4 ,speaking of his success at the ,dublin ,university1 he confessed1 8,i can ascribe it to nothing but my ,earlham visits40 ,it was from the ,gurneys he 8caught the infection0 of self-improvement4 ,contact with the good never fails to impart good1 and we carry away with us some of the blessing1 as travellers' garments retain the odour of the flowers and shrubs through which they have passed4 ,those who knew the late ,john ,sterling intimately1 have spoken of the beneficial influence which he exercised on all with whom he came into personal contact4 ,many owed to him their first awakening to a higher being2 from him they learnt what they were1 and what they ought to be4 ,mr4 ,trench says of him3--8,it was impossible to come in contact with his noble nature without feeling one's self in some measure ennobled and lifted up1 as ,i ever felt when ,i left him1 into a higher region of objects and aims than that in which one is tempted habitually to dwell40 ,it is thus that the noble character always acts2 we become insensibly elevated by him1 and cannot help feeling as he does and acquiring the habit of looking at things in the same light4 ,such is the magical action and reaction of minds upon each other4 ,artists1 also1 feel themselves elevated by contact with artists greater than themselves4 ,thus ,haydn's genius was first fired by ,handel4 ,hearing him play1 ,haydn's ardour for musical composition was at once excited1 and but for this circumstance1 he himself believed that he would never have written the #8,creation4' ,speaking of ,handel1 he said1 8,when he chooses1 he strikes like the thunderbolt20 and at another time1 8,there is not a note of him but draws blood40 ,scarlatti was another of ,handel's ardent admirers1 following him all over ,italy2 afterwards1 when speaking of the great master1 he would cross himself in token of admiration4 ,true artists never fail generously to recognise each other's greatness4 ,thus ,beethoven's admiration for ,cherubini was regal3 and he ardently hailed the genius of ,schubert3 8,truly10 said he1 8in ,schubert dwells a divine fire40 ,when ,northcote was a mere youth he had such an admiration for ,reynolds that1 when the great painter was once attending a public meeting down in ,devonshire1 the boy pushed through the crowd1 and got so near ,reynolds as to touch the skirt of his coat1 8which ,i did10 says ,northcote1 8with great satisfaction to my mind10--a true touch of youthful enthusiasm in its admiration of genius4 ,the example of the brave is an inspiration to the timid1 their presence thrilling through every fibre4 ,hence the miracles of valour so often performed by ordinary men under the leadership of the heroic4 ,the very recollection of the deeds of the valiant stirs men's blood like the sound of a trumpet4 ,ziska bequeathed his skin to be used as a drum to inspire the valour of the ,bohemians4 ,when ,scanderbeg1 prince of ,epirus1 was dead1 the ,turks wished to possess his bones1 that each might wear a piece next his heart1 hoping thus to secure some portion of the courage he had displayed while living1 and which they had so often experienced in battle4 ,when the gallant ,douglas1 bearing the heart of ,bruce to the ,holy ,land1 saw one of his knights surrounded and sorely pressed by the ,saracens1 he took from his neck the silver case containing the hero's bequest1 and throwing it amidst the thickest press of his foes1 cried1 8,pass first in fight1 as thou wert wont to do1 and ,douglas will follow thee1 or die20 and so saying1 he rushed forward to the place where it fell1 and was there slain4 ,the chief use of biography consists in the noble models of character in which it abounds4 ,our great forefathers still live among us in the records of their lives1 as well as in the acts they have done1 which live also2 still sit by us at table1 and hold us by the hand2 furnishing examples for our benefit1 which we may still study1 admire and imitate4 ,indeed1 whoever has left behind him the record of a noble life1 has bequeathed to posterity an enduring source of good1 for it serves as a model for others to form themselves by in all time to come2 still breathing fresh life into men1 helping them to reproduce his life anew1 and to illustrate his character in other forms4 ,hence a book containing the life of a true man is full of precious seed4 ,it is a still living voice2 it is an intellect4 ,to use ,milton's words1 8it is the precious life-blood of a master spirit1 embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life40 ,such a book never ceases to exercise an elevating and ennobling influence4 ,but1 above all1 there is the ,book containing the very highest ,example set before us to shape our lives by in this world--the most suitable for all the necessities of our mind and heart--an example which we can only follow afar off and feel after1 8,like plants or vines which never saw the sun1 ,but dream of him and guess where he may be1 ,and do their best to climb and get to him40 ,again1 no young man can rise from the perusal of such lives as those of ,buxton and ,arnold1 without feeling his mind and heart made better1 and his best resolves invigorated4 ,such biographies increase a man's self-reliance by demonstrating what men can be1 and what they can do2 fortifying his hopes and elevating his aims in life4 ,sometimes a young man discovers himself in a biography1 as ,correggio felt within him the risings of genius on contemplating the works of ,michael ,angelo3 8,and ,i too1 am a painter10 he exclaimed4 ,sir ,samuel ,romilly1 in his autobiography1 confessed himself to have been powerfully influenced by the life of the great and noble-minded ,french ,chancellor ,daguesseau3--8,the works of ,thomas10 says he1 8had fallen into my hands1 and ,i had read with admiration his #8,eloge of ,daguesseau2' and the career of honour which he represented that illustrious magistrate to have run1 excited to a great degree my ardour and ambition1 and opened to my imagination new paths of glory40 ,franklin was accustomed to attribute his usefulness and eminence to his having early read ,cotton ,mather's #8,essays to do ,good'--a book which grew out of ,mather's own life4 ,and see how good example draws other men after it1 and propagates itself through future generations in all lands4 ,for ,samuel ,drew avers that he framed his own life1 and especially his business habits1 after the model left on record by ,benjamin ,franklin4 ,thus it is impossible to say where a good example may not reach1 or where it will end1 if indeed it have an end4 ,hence the advantage1 in literature as in life1 of keeping the best society1 reading the best books1 and wisely admiring and imitating the best things we find in them4 8,in literature10 said ,lord ,dudley1 8,i am fond of confining myself to the best company1 which consists chiefly of my old acquaintance1 with whom ,i am desirous of becoming more intimate2 and ,i suspect that nine times out of ten it is more profitable1 if not more agreeable1 to read an old book over again1 than to read a new one for the first time40 ,sometimes a book containing a noble exemplar of life1 taken up at random1 merely with the object of reading it as a pastime1 has been known to call forth energies whose existence had not before been suspected4 ,alfieri was first drawn with passion to literature by reading #8,plutarch's ,lives4' ,loyola1 when a soldier serving at the siege of ,pampeluna1 and laid up by a dangerous wound in his leg1 asked for a book to divert his thoughts3 the #8,lives of the ,saints' was brought to him1 and its perusal so inflamed his mind1 that he determined thenceforth to devote himself to the founding of a religious order4 ,luther1 in like manner1 was inspired to undertake the great labours of his life by a perusal of the #8,life and ,writings of ,john ,huss4' ,dr4 ,wolff was stimulated to enter upon his missionary career by reading the #8,life of ,francis ,xavier2' and the book fired his youthful bosom with a passion the most sincere and ardent to devote himself to the enterprise of his life4 ,william ,carey1 also1 got the first idea of entering upon his sublime labours as a missionary from a perusal of the ,voyages of ,captain ,cook4 ,francis ,horner was accustomed to note in his diary and letters the books by which he was most improved and influenced4 ,amongst these were ,condorcet's #8,eloge of ,haller1' ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds' #8,discourses1' the writings of ,bacon1 and #8,burnet's ,account of ,sir ,matthew ,hale4' ,the perusal of the last-mentioned book--the portrait of a prodigy of labour--,horner says1 filled him with enthusiasm4 ,of ,condorcet's #8,eloge of ,haller1' he said3 8,i never rise from the account of such men without a sort of thrilling palpitation about me1 which ,i know not whether ,i should call admiration1 ambition1 or despair40 ,and speaking of the #8,discourses' of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 he said3 8,next to the writings of ,bacon1 there is no book which has more powerfully impelled me to self-culture4 ,he is one of the first men of genius who has condescended to inform the world of the steps by which greatness is attained4 ,the confidence with which he asserts the omnipotence of human labour has the effect of familiarising his reader with the idea that genius is an acquisition rather than a gift2 whilst with all there is blended so naturally and eloquently the most elevated and passionate admiration of excellence1 that upon the whole there is no book of a more inflammatory effect40 ,it is remarkable that ,reynolds himself attributed his first passionate impulse towards the study of art1 to reading ,richardson's account of a great painter2 and ,haydon was in like manner afterwards inflamed to follow the same pursuit by reading of the career of ,reynolds4 ,thus the brave and aspiring life of one man lights a flame in the minds of others of like faculties and impulse2 and where there is equally vigorous efforts like distinction and success will almost surely follow4 ,thus the chain of example is carried down through time in an endless succession of links1--admiration exciting imitation1 and perpetuating the true aristocracy of genius4 ,one of the most valuable1 and one of the most infectious examples which can be set before the young1 is that of cheerful working4 ,cheerfulness gives elasticity to the spirit4 ,spectres fly before it2 difficulties cause no despair1 for they are encountered with hope1 and the mind acquires that happy disposition to improve opportunities which rarely fails of success4 ,the fervent spirit is always a healthy and happy spirit2 working cheerfully itself1 and stimulating others to work4 ,it confers a dignity on even the most ordinary occupations4 ,the most effective work1 also1 is usually the full-hearted work--that which passes through the hands or the head of him whose heart is glad4 ,hume was accustomed to say that he would rather possess a cheerful disposition--inclined always to look at the bright side of things--than with a gloomy mind to be the master of an estate of ten thousand a year4 ,granville ,sharp1 amidst his indefatigable labours on behalf of the slave1 solaced himself in the evenings by taking part in glees and instrumental concerts at his brother's house1 singing1 or playing on the flute1 the clarionet or the oboe2 and1 at the ,sunday evening oratorios1 when ,handel was played1 he beat the kettle-drums4 ,he also indulged1 though sparingly1 in caricature drawing4 ,fowell ,buxton also was an eminently cheerful man2 taking special pleasure in field sports1 in riding about the country with his children1 and in mixing in all their domestic amusements4 ,in another sphere of action1 ,dr4 ,arnold was a noble and a cheerful worker1 throwing himself into the great business of his life1 the training and teaching of young men1 with his whole heart and soul4 ,it is stated in his admirable biography1 that 8the most remarkable thing in the ,laleham circle was the wonderful healthiness of tone which prevailed there4 ,it was a place where a new comer at once felt that a great and earnest work was going forward4 ,every pupil was made to feel that there was a work for him to do2 that his happiness1 as well as his duty1 lay in doing that work well4 ,hence an indescribable zest was communicated to a young man's feeling about life2 a strange joy came over him on discerning that he had the means of being useful1 and thus of being happy2 and a deep respect and ardent attachment sprang up towards him who had taught him thus to value life and his own self1 and his work and mission in the world4 ,all this was founded on the breadth and comprehensiveness of ,arnold's character1 as well as its striking truth and reality2 on the unfeigned regard he had for work of all kinds1 and the sense he had of its value1 both for the complex aggregate of society and the growth and protection of the individual4 ,in all this there was no excitement2 no predilection for one class of work above another2 no enthusiasm for any one-sided object3 but a humble1 profound1 and most religious consciousness that work is the appointed calling of man on earth2 the end for which his various faculties were given2 the element in which his nature is ordained to develop itself1 and in which his progressive advance towards heaven is to lie40 ,among the many valuable men trained for public life and usefulness by ,arnold1 was the gallant ,hodson1 of ,hodson's ,horse1 who1 writing home from ,india1 many years after1 thus spoke of his revered master3 8,the influence he produced has been most lasting and striking in its effects4 ,it is felt even in ,india2 ,i cannot say more than that40 ,the useful influence which a right-hearted man of energy and industry may exercise amongst his neighbours and dependants1 and accomplish for his country1 cannot1 perhaps1 be better illustrated than by the career of ,sir ,john ,sinclair2 characterized by the ,abb ,gregoire as 8the most indefatigable man in ,europe40 ,he was originally a country laird1 born to a considerable estate situated near ,john o' ,groat's ,house1 almost beyond the beat of civilization1 in a bare wild country fronting the stormy ,north ,sea4 ,his father dying while he was a youth of sixteen1 the management of the family property thus early devolved upon him2 and at eighteen he began a course of vigorous improvement in the county of ,caithness1 which eventually spread all over ,scotland4 ,agriculture then was in a most backward state2 the fields were unenclosed1 the lands undrained2 the small farmers of ,caithness were so poor that they could scarcely afford to keep a horse or shelty2 the hard work was chiefly done1 and the burdens borne1 by the women2 and if a cottier lost a horse it was not unusual for him to marry a wife as the cheapest substitute4 ,the country was without roads or bridges2 and drovers driving their cattle south had to swim the rivers along with their beasts4 ,the chief track leading into ,caithness lay along a high shelf on a mountain side1 the road being some hundred feet of clear perpendicular height above the sea which dashed below4 ,sir ,john1 though a mere youth1 determined to make a new road over the hill of ,ben ,cheilt1 the old let-alone proprietors1 however1 regarding his scheme with incredulity and derision4 ,but he himself laid out the road1 assembled some twelve hundred workmen early one summer's morning1 set them simultaneously to work1 superintending their labours1 and stimulating them by his presence and example2 and before night1 what had been a dangerous sheep track1 six miles in length1 hardly passable for led horses1 was made practicable for wheel-carriages as if by the power of magic4 ,it was an admirable example of energy and well-directed labour1 which could not fail to have a most salutary influence upon the surrounding population4 ,he then proceeded to make more roads1 to erect mills1 to build bridges1 and to enclose and cultivate the waste lands4 ,he introduced improved methods of culture1 and regular rotation of crops1 distributing small premiums to encourage industry2 and he thus soon quickened the whole frame of society within reach of his influence1 and infused an entirely new spirit into the cultivators of the soil4 ,from being one of the most inaccessible districts of the north--the very ultima ,thule of civilization--,caithness became a pattern county for its roads1 its agriculture1 and its fisheries4 ,in ,sinclair's youth1 the post was carried by a runner only once a week1 and the young baronet then declared that he would never rest till a coach drove daily to ,thurso4 ,the people of the neighbourhood could not believe in any such thing1 and it became a proverb in the county to say of an utterly impossible scheme1 8,ou1 ay1 that will come to pass when ,sir ,john sees the daily mail at ,thurso60 ,but ,sir ,john lived to see his dream realized1 and the daily mail established to ,thurso4 ,the circle of his benevolent operation gradually widened4 ,observing the serious deterioration which had taken place in the quality of ,british wool1--one of the staple commodities of the country1--he forthwith1 though but a private and little-known country gentleman1 devoted himself to its improvement4 ,by his personal exertions he established the ,british ,wool ,society for the purpose1 and himself led the way to practical improvement by importing #hjj sheep from all countries1 at his own expense4 ,the result was1 the introduction into ,scotland of the celebrated ,cheviot breed4 ,sheep farmers scouted the idea of south country flocks being able to thrive in the far north4 ,but ,sir ,john persevered2 and in a few years there were not fewer than #cjj1jjj ,cheviots diffused over the four northern counties alone4 ,the value of all grazing land was thus enormously increased2 and ,scotch estates1 which before were comparatively worthless1 began to yield large rentals4 ,returned by ,caithness to ,parliament1 in which he remained for thirty years1 rarely missing a division1 his position gave him farther opportunities of usefulness1 which he did not neglect to employ4 ,mr4 ,pitt1 observing his persevering energy in all useful public projects1 sent for him to ,downing ,street1 and voluntarily proposed his assistance in any object he might have in view4 ,another man might have thought of himself and his own promotion2 but ,sir ,john characteristically replied1 that he desired no favour for himself1 but intimated that the reward most gratifying to his feelings would be ,mr4 ,pitt's assistance in the establishment of a ,national ,board of ,agriculture4 ,arthur ,young laid a bet with the baronet that his scheme would never be established1 adding1 8,your ,board of ,agriculture will be in the moon60 ,but vigorously setting to work1 he roused public attention to the subject1 enlisted a majority of ,parliament on his side1 and eventually established the ,board1 of which he was appointed ,president4 ,the result of its action need not be described1 but the stimulus which it gave to agriculture and stock-raising was shortly felt throughout the whole ,united ,kingdom1 and tens of thousands of acres were redeemed from barrenness by its operation4 ,he was equally indefatigable in encouraging the establishment of fisheries2 and the successful founding of these great branches of ,british industry at ,thurso and ,wick was mainly due to his exertions4 ,he urged for long years1 and at length succeeded in obtaining the enclosure of a harbour for the latter place1 which is perhaps the greatest and most prosperous fishing town in the world4 ,sir ,john threw his personal energy into every work in which he engaged1 rousing the inert1 stimulating the idle1 encouraging the hopeful1 and working with all4 ,when a ,french invasion was threatened1 he offered to ,mr4 ,pitt to raise a regiment on his own estate1 and he was as good as his word4 ,he went down to the north1 and raised a battalion of #fjj men1 afterwards increased to #ajjj2 and it was admitted to be one of the finest volunteer regiments ever raised1 inspired throughout by his own noble and patriotic spirit4 ,while commanding officer of the camp at ,aberdeen he held the offices of a ,director of the ,bank of ,scotland1 ,chairman of the ,british ,wool ,society1 ,provost of ,wick1 ,director of the ,british ,fishery ,society1 ,commissioner for issuing ,exchequer ,bills1 ,member of ,parliament for ,caithness1 and ,president of the ,board of ,agriculture4 ,amidst all this multifarious and self-imposed work1 he even found time to write books1 enough of themselves to establish a reputation4 ,when ,mr4 ,rush1 the ,american ,ambassador1 arrived in ,england1 he relates that he inquired of ,mr4 ,coke of ,holkham1 what was the best work on ,agriculture1 and was referred to ,sir ,john ,sinclair's2 and when he further asked of ,mr4 ,vansittart1 ,chancellor of the ,exchequer1 what was the best work on ,british ,finance1 he was again referred to a work by ,sir ,john ,sinclair1 his #8,history of the ,public ,revenue4' ,but the great monument of his indefatigable industry1 a work that would have appalled other men1 but only served to rouse and sustain his energy1 was his #8,statistical ,account of ,scotland1' in twenty-one volumes1 one of the most valuable practical works ever published in any age or country4 ,amid a host of other pursuits it occupied him nearly eight years of hard labour1 during which he received1 and attended to1 upwards of #bj1jjj letters on the subject4 ,it was a thoroughly patriotic undertaking1 from which he derived no personal advantage whatever1 beyond the honour of having completed it4 ,the whole of the profits were assigned by him to the ,society for the ,sons of the ,clergy in ,scotland4 ,the publication of the book led to great public improvements2 it was followed by the immediate abolition of several oppressive feudal rights1 to which it called attention2 the salaries of schoolmasters and clergymen in many parishes were increased2 and an increased stimulus was given to agriculture throughout ,scotland4 ,sir ,john then publicly offered to undertake the much greater labour of collecting and publishing a similar ,statistical ,account of ,england2 but unhappily the then ,archbishop of ,canterbury refused to sanction it1 lest it should interfere with the tithes of the clergy1 and the idea was abandoned4 ,a remarkable illustration of his energetic promptitude was the manner in which he once provided1 on a great emergency1 for the relief of the manufacturing districts4 ,in #agic the stagnation produced by the war led to an unusual number of bankruptcies1 and many of the first houses in ,manchester and ,glasgow were tottering1 not so much from want of property1 but because the usual sources of trade and credit were for the time closed up4 ,a period of intense distress amongst the labouring classes seemed imminent1 when ,sir ,john urged1 in ,parliament1 that ,exchequer notes to the amount of five millions should be issued immediately as a loan to such merchants as could give security4 ,this suggestion was adopted1 and his offer to carry out his plan1 in conjunction with certain members named by him1 was also accepted4 ,the vote was passed late at night1 and early next morning ,sir ,john1 anticipating the delays of officialism and red tape1 proceeded to bankers in the city1 and borrowed of them1 on his own personal security1 the sum of #gj1jjjl41 which he despatched the same evening to those merchants who were in the most urgent need of assistance4 ,pitt meeting ,sir ,john in the ,house1 expressed his great regret that the pressing wants of ,manchester and ,glasgow could not be supplied so soon as was desirable1 adding1 8,the money cannot be raised for some days40 8,it is already gone6 it left ,london by to-night's mail60 was ,sir ,john's triumphant reply2 and in afterwards relating the anecdote he added1 with a smile of pleasure1 8,pitt was as much startled as if ,i had stabbed him40 ,to the last this great1 good man worked on usefully and cheerfully1 setting a great example for his family and for his country4 ,in so laboriously seeking others' good1 it might be said that he found his own--not wealth1 for his generosity seriously impaired his private fortune1 but happiness1 and self-satisfaction1 and the peace that passes knowledge4 ,a great patriot1 with magnificent powers of work1 he nobly did his duty to his country2 yet he was not neglectful of his own household and home4 ,his sons and daughters grew up to honour and usefulness2 and it was one of the proudest things ,sir ,john could say1 when verging on his eightieth year1 that he had lived to see seven sons grown up1 not one of whom had incurred a debt he could not pay1 or caused him a sorrow that could have been avoided4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,character--,,the ,,true ,,gentleman4 8,for who can always act8 but he1 ,to whom a thousand memories call1 ,not being less but more than all ,the gentleness he seemed to be1 ,but seemed the thing he was1 and joined ,each office of the social hour ,to noble manners1 as the flower ,and native growth of noble mind2 ,and thus he bore without abuse ,the grand old name of ,gentleman40--,tennyson4 8,es bildet ein ,talent sich in der ,stille1 ,sich ein ,charakter in dem ,strom der ,welt40--,goethe4 8,that which raises a country1 that which strengthens a country1 and that which dignifies a country1--that which spreads her power1 creates her moral influence1 and makes her respected and submitted to1 bends the hearts of millions1 and bows down the pride of nations to her--the instrument of obedience1 the fountain of supremacy1 the true throne1 crown1 and sceptre of a nation2--this aristocracy is not an aristocracy of blood1 not an aristocracy of fashion1 not an aristocracy of talent only2 it is an aristocracy of ,character4 ,that is the true heraldry of man40--,the ,times4 ,,the crown and glory of life is ,character4 ,it is the noblest possession of a man1 constituting a rank in itself1 and an estate in the general goodwill2 dignifying every station1 and exalting every position in society4 ,it exercises a greater power than wealth1 and secures all the honour without the jealousies of fame4 ,it carries with it an influence which always tells2 for it is the result of proved honour1 rectitude1 and consistency--qualities which1 perhaps more than any other1 command the general confidence and respect of mankind4 ,character is human nature in its best form4 ,it is moral order embodied in the individual4 ,men of character are not only the conscience of society1 but in every well-governed ,state they are its best motive power2 for it is moral qualities in the main which rule the world4 ,even in war1 ,napoleon said the moral is to the physical as ten to one4 ,the strength1 the industry1 and the civilisation of nations--all depend upon individual character2 and the very foundations of civil security rest upon it4 ,laws and institutions are but its outgrowth4 ,in the just balance of nature1 individuals1 nations1 and races1 will obtain just so much as they deserve1 and no more4 ,and as effect finds its cause1 so surely does quality of character amongst a people produce its befitting results4 ,though a man have comparatively little culture1 slender abilities1 and but small wealth1 yet1 if his character be of sterling worth1 he will always command an influence1 whether it be in the workshop1 the counting-house1 the mart1 or the senate4 ,canning wisely wrote in #ahja1 8,my road must be through ,character to power2 ,i will try no other course2 and ,i am sanguine enough to believe that this course1 though not perhaps the quickest1 is the surest40 ,you may admire men of intellect2 but something more is necessary before you will trust them4 ,hence ,lord ,john ,russell once observed in a sentence full of truth1 8,it is the nature of party in ,england to ask the assistance of men of genius1 but to follow the guidance of men of character40 ,this was strikingly illustrated in the career of the late ,francis ,horner--a man of whom ,sydney ,smith said that the ,ten ,commandments were stamped upon his countenance4 8,the valuable and peculiar light10 says ,lord ,cockburn1 8in which his history is calculated to inspire every right-minded youth1 is this4 ,he died at the age of thirty-eight2 possessed of greater public influence than any other private man2 and admired1 beloved1 trusted1 and deplored by all1 except the heartless or the base4 ,no greater homage was ever paid in ,parliament to any deceased member4 ,now let every young man ask--how was this attained8 ,by rank8 ,he was the son of an ,edinburgh merchant4 ,by wealth8 ,neither he1 nor any of his relations1 ever had a superfluous sixpence4 ,by office8 ,he held but one1 and only for a few years1 of no influence1 and with very little pay4 ,by talents8 ,his were not splendid1 and he had no genius4 ,cautious and slow1 his only ambition was to be right4 ,by eloquence8 ,he spoke in calm1 good taste1 without any of the oratory that either terrifies or seduces4 ,by any fascination of manner8 ,his was only correct and agreeable4 ,by what1 then1 was it8 ,merely by sense1 industry1 good principles1 and a good heart--qualities which no well-constituted mind need ever despair of attaining4 ,it was the force of his character that raised him2 and this character not impressed upon him by nature1 but formed1 out of no peculiarly fine elements1 by himself4 ,there were many in the ,house of ,commons of far greater ability and eloquence4 ,but no one surpassed him in the combination of an adequate portion of these with moral worth4 ,horner was born to show what moderate powers1 unaided by anything whatever except culture and goodness1 may achieve1 even when these powers are displayed amidst the competition and jealousy of public life40 ,franklin1 also1 attributed his success as a public man1 not to his talents or his powers of speaking--for these were but moderate--but to his known integrity of character4 ,hence it was1 he says1 8that ,i had so much weight with my fellow citizens4 ,i was but a bad speaker1 never eloquent1 subject to much hesitation in my choice of words1 hardly correct in language1 and yet ,i generally carried my point40 ,character creates confidence in men in high station as well as in humble life4 ,it was said of the first ,emperor ,alexander of ,russia1 that his personal character was equivalent to a constitution4 ,during the wars of the ,fronde1 ,montaigne was the only man amongst the ,french gentry who kept his castle gates unbarred2 and it was said of him1 that his personal character was a better protection for him than a regiment of horse would have been4 ,that character is power1 is true in a much higher sense than that knowledge is power4 ,mind without heart1 intelligence without conduct1 cleverness without goodness1 are powers in their way1 but they may be powers only for mischief4 ,we may be instructed or amused by them2 but it is sometimes as difficult to admire them as it would be to admire the dexterity of a pickpocket or the horsemanship of a highwayman4 ,truthfulness1 integrity1 and goodness--qualities that hang not on any man's breath--form the essence of manly character1 or1 as one of our old writers has it1 8that inbred loyalty unto ,virtue which can serve her without a livery40 ,he who possesses these qualities1 united with strength of purpose1 carries with him a power which is irresistible4 ,he is strong to do good1 strong to resist evil1 and strong to bear up under difficulty and misfortune4 ,when ,stephen of ,colonna fell into the hands of his base assailants1 and they asked him in derision1 8,where is now your fortress80 8,here10 was his bold reply1 placing his hand upon his heart4 ,it is in misfortune that the character of the upright man shines forth with the greatest lustre2 and when all else fails1 he takes stand upon his integrity and his courage4 ,the rules of conduct followed by ,lord ,erskine--a man of sterling independence of principle and scrupulous adherence to truth--are worthy of being engraven on every young man's heart4 8,it was a first command and counsel of my earliest youth10 he said1 8always to do what my conscience told me to be a duty1 and to leave the consequence to ,god4 ,i shall carry with me the memory1 and ,i trust the practice1 of this parental lesson to the grave4 ,i have hitherto followed it1 and ,i have no reason to complain that my obedience to it has been a temporal sacrifice4 ,i have found it1 on the contrary1 the road to prosperity and wealth1 and ,i shall point out the same path to my children for their pursuit40 ,every man is bound to aim at the possession of a good character as one of the highest objects of life4 ,the very effort to secure it by worthy means will furnish him with a motive for exertion2 and his idea of manhood1 in proportion as it is elevated1 will steady and animate his motive4 ,it is well to have a high standard of life1 even though we may not be able altogether to realize it4 8,the youth10 says ,mr4 ,disraeli1 8who does not look up will look down2 and the spirit that does not soar is destined perhaps to grovel40 ,george ,herbert wisely writes1 8,pitch thy behaviour low1 thy projects high1 ,so shall thou humble and magnanimous be4 ,sink not in spirit2 who aimeth at the sky ,shoots higher much than he that means a tree40 ,he who has a high standard of living and thinking will certainly do better than he who has none at all4 8,pluck at a gown of gold10 says the ,scotch proverb1 8and you may get a sleeve o't40 ,whoever tries for the highest results cannot fail to reach a point far in advance of that from which he started2 and though the end attained may fall short of that proposed1 still1 the very effort to rise1 of itself cannot fail to prove permanently beneficial4 ,there are many counterfeits of character1 but the genuine article is difficult to be mistaken4 ,some1 knowing its money value1 would assume its disguise for the purpose of imposing upon the unwary4 ,colonel ,charteris said to a man distinguished for his honesty1 8,i would give a thousand pounds for your good name40 8,why80 8,because ,i could make ten thousand by it10 was the knave's reply4 ,integrity in word and deed is the backbone of character2 and loyal adherence to veracity its most prominent characteristic4 ,one of the finest testimonies to the character of the late ,sir ,robert ,peel was that borne by the ,duke of ,wellington in the ,house of ,lords1 a few days after the great statesman's death4 8,your lordships10 he said1 8must all feel the high and honourable character of the late ,sir ,robert ,peel4 ,i was long connected with him in public life4 ,we were both in the councils of our ,sovereign together1 and ,i had long the honour to enjoy his private friendship4 ,in all the course of my acquaintance with him ,i never knew a man in whose truth and justice ,i had greater confidence1 or in whom ,i saw a more invariable desire to promote the public service4 ,in the whole course of my communication with him1 ,i never knew an instance in which he did not show the strongest attachment to truth2 and ,i never saw in the whole course of my life the smallest reason for suspecting that he stated anything which he did not firmly believe to be the fact40 ,and this high-minded truthfulness of the statesman was no doubt the secret of no small part of his influence and power4 ,there is a truthfulness in action as well as in words1 which is essential to uprightness of character4 ,a man must really be what he seems or purposes to be4 ,when an ,american gentleman wrote to ,granville ,sharp1 that from respect for his great virtues he had named one of his sons after him1 ,sharp replied3 8,i must request you to teach him a favourite maxim of the family whose name you have given him--,always endeavour to be really what you would wish to appear4 ,this maxim1 as my father informed me1 was carefully and humbly practised by his father1 whose sincerity1 as a plain and honest man1 thereby became the principal feature of his character1 both in public and private life40 ,every man who respects himself1 and values the respect of others1 will carry out the maxim in act--doing honestly what he proposes to do--putting the highest character into his work1 scamping nothing1 but priding himself upon his integrity and conscientiousness4 ,once ,cromwell said to ,bernard1--a clever but somewhat unscrupulous lawyer1 8,i understand that you have lately been vastly wary in your conduct2 do not be too confident of this2 subtlety may deceive you1 integrity never will40 ,men whose acts are at direct variance with their words1 command no respect1 and what they say has but little weight2 even truths1 when uttered by them1 seem to come blasted from their lips4 ,the true character acts rightly1 whether in secret or in the sight of men4 ,that boy was well trained who1 when asked why he did not pocket some pears1 for nobody was there to see1 replied1 8,yes1 there was3 ,i was there to see myself2 and ,i don't intend ever to see myself do a dishonest thing40--,this is a simple but not inappropriate illustration of principle1 or conscience1 dominating in the character1 and exercising a noble protectorate over it2 not merely a passive influence1 but an active power regulating the life4 ,such a principle goes on moulding the character hourly and daily1 growing with a force that operates every moment4 ,without this dominating influence1 character has no protection1 but is constantly liable to fall away before temptation2 and every such temptation succumbed to1 every act of meanness or dishonesty1 however slight1 causes self-degradation4 ,it matters not whether the act be successful or not1 discovered or concealed2 the culprit is no longer the same1 but another person2 and he is pursued by a secret uneasiness1 by self-reproach1 or the workings of what we call conscience1 which is the inevitable doom of the guilty4 ,and here it may be observed how greatly the character may be strengthened and supported by the cultivation of good habits4 ,man1 it has been said1 is a bundle of habits2 and habit is second nature4 ,metastasio entertained so strong an opinion as to the power of repetition in act and thought1 that he said1 8,all is habit in mankind1 even virtue itself40 ,butler1 in his #8,analogy1' impresses the importance of careful self-discipline and firm resistance to temptation1 as tending to make virtue habitual1 so that at length it may become more easy to be good than to give way to sin4 8,as habits belonging to the body10 he says1 8are produced by external acts1 so habits of the mind are produced by the execution of inward practical purposes1 i4e41 carrying them into act1 or acting upon them--the principles of obedience1 veracity1 justice1 and charity40 ,and again1 ,lord ,brougham says1 when enforcing the immense importance of training and example in youth1 8,i trust everything under ,god to habit1 on which1 in all ages1 the lawgiver1 as well as the schoolmaster1 has mainly placed his reliance2 habit1 which makes everything easy1 and casts the difficulties upon the deviation from a wonted course40 ,thus1 make sobriety a habit1 and intemperance will be hateful2 make prudence a habit1 and reckless profligacy will become revolting to every principle of conduct which regulates the life of the individual4 ,hence the necessity for the greatest care and watchfulness against the inroad of any evil habit2 for the character is always weakest at that point at which it has once given way2 and it is long before a principle restored can become so firm as one that has never been moved4 ,it is a fine remark of a ,russian writer1 that 8,habits are a necklace of pearls3 untie the knot1 and the whole unthreads40 ,wherever formed1 habit acts involuntarily1 and without effort2 and1 it is only when you oppose it1 that you find how powerful it has become4 ,what is done once and again1 soon gives facility and proneness4 ,the habit at first may seem to have no more strength than a spider's web2 but1 once formed1 it binds as with a chain of iron4 ,the small events of life1 taken singly1 may seem exceedingly unimportant1 like snow that falls silently1 flake by flake2 yet accumulated1 these snow-flakes form the avalanche4 ,self-respect1 self-help1 application1 industry1 integrity--all are of the nature of habits1 not beliefs4 ,principles1 in fact1 are but the names which we assign to habits2 for the principles are words1 but the habits are the things themselves3 benefactors or tyrants1 according as they are good or evil4 ,it thus happens that as we grow older1 a portion of our free activity and individuality becomes suspended in habit2 our actions become of the nature of fate2 and we are bound by the chains which we have woven around ourselves4 ,it is indeed scarcely possible to over-estimate the importance of training the young to virtuous habits4 ,in them they are the easiest formed1 and when formed they last for life2 like letters cut on the bark of a tree they grow and widen with age4 8,train up a child in the way he should go1 and when he is old he will not depart from it40 ,the beginning holds within it the end2 the first start on the road of life determines the direction and the destination of the journey2 ce n'est que le premier pas qui cote4 8,remember10 said ,lord ,collingwood to a young man whom he loved1 8before you are five-and-twenty you must establish a character that will serve you all your life40 ,as habit strengthens with age1 and character becomes formed1 any turning into a new path becomes more and more difficult4 ,hence1 it is often harder to unlearn than to learn2 and for this reason the ,grecian flute-player was justified who charged double fees to those pupils who had been taught by an inferior master4 ,to uproot an old habit is sometimes a more painful thing1 and vastly more difficult1 than to wrench out a tooth4 ,try and reform a habitually indolent1 or improvident1 or drunken person1 and in a large majority of cases you will fail4 ,for the habit in each case has wound itself in and through the life until it has become an integral part of it1 and cannot be uprooted4 ,hence1 as ,mr4 ,lynch observes1 8the wisest habit of all is the habit of care in the formation of good habits40 ,even happiness itself may become habitual4 ,there is a habit of looking at the bright side of things1 and also of looking at the dark side4 ,dr4 ,johnson has said that the habit of looking at the best side of a thing is worth more to a man than a thousand pounds a year4 ,and we possess the power1 to a great extent1 of so exercising the will as to direct the thoughts upon objects calculated to yield happiness and improvement rather than their opposites4 ,in this way the habit of happy thought may be made to spring up like any other habit4 ,and to bring up men or women with a genial nature of this sort1 a good temper1 and a happy frame of mind1 is perhaps of even more importance1 in many cases1 than to perfect them in much knowledge and many accomplishments4 ,as daylight can be seen through very small holes1 so little things will illustrate a person's character4 ,indeed character consists in little acts1 well and honourably performed2 daily life being the quarry from which we build it up1 and rough-hew the habits which form it4 ,one of the most marked tests of character is the manner in which we conduct ourselves towards others4 ,a graceful behaviour towards superiors1 inferiors1 and equals1 is a constant source of pleasure4 ,it pleases others because it indicates respect for their personality2 but it gives tenfold more pleasure to ourselves4 ,every man may to a large extent be a self-educator in good behaviour1 as in everything else2 he can be civil and kind1 if he will1 though he have not a penny in his purse4 ,gentleness in society is like the silent influence of light1 which gives colour to all nature2 it is far more powerful than loudness or force1 and far more fruitful4 ,it pushes its way quietly and persistently1 like the tiniest daffodil in spring1 which raises the clod and thrusts it aside by the simple persistency of growing4 ,even a kind look will give pleasure and confer happiness4 ,in one of ,robertson of ,brighton's letters1 he tells of a lady who related to him 8the delight1 the tears of gratitude1 which she had witnessed in a poor girl to whom1 in passing1 ,i gave a kind look on going out of church on ,sunday4 ,what a lesson6 ,how cheaply happiness can be given6 ,what opportunities we miss of doing an angel's work6 ,i remember doing it1 full of sad feelings1 passing on1 and thinking no more about it2 and it gave an hour's sunshine to a human life1 and lightened the load of life to a human heart for a time60 #cib ,morals and manners1 which give colour to life1 are of much greater importance than laws1 which are but their manifestations4 ,the law touches us here and there1 but manners are about us everywhere1 pervading society like the air we breathe4 ,good manners1 as we call them1 are neither more nor less than good behaviour2 consisting of courtesy and kindness2 benevolence being the preponderating element in all kinds of mutually beneficial and pleasant intercourse amongst human beings4 8,civility10 said ,lady ,montague1 8costs nothing and buys everything40 ,the cheapest of all things is kindness1 its exercise requiring the least possible trouble and self-sacrifice4 8,win hearts10 said ,burleigh to ,queen ,elizabeth1 8and you have all men's hearts and purses40 ,if we would only let nature act kindly1 free from affectation and artifice1 the results on social good humour and happiness would be incalculable4 ,the little courtesies which form the small change of life1 may separately appear of little intrinsic value1 but they acquire their importance from repetition and accumulation4 ,they are like the spare minutes1 or the groat a day1 which proverbially produce such momentous results in the course of a twelvemonth1 or in a lifetime4 ,manners are the ornament of action2 and there is a way of speaking a kind word1 or of doing a kind thing1 which greatly enhances their value4 ,what seems to be done with a grudge1 or as an act of condescension1 is scarcely accepted as a favour4 ,yet there are men who pride themselves upon their gruffness2 and though they may possess virtue and capacity1 their manner is often such as to render them almost insupportable4 ,it is difficult to like a man who1 though he may not pull your nose1 habitually wounds your self-respect1 and takes a pride in saying disagreeable things to you4 ,there are others who are dreadfully condescending1 and cannot avoid seizing upon every small opportunity of making their greatness felt4 ,when ,abernethy was canvassing for the office of surgeon to ,st4 ,bartholomew ,hospital1 he called upon such a person--a rich grocer1 one of the governors4 ,the great man behind the counter seeing the great surgeon enter1 immediately assumed the grand air towards the supposed suppliant for his vote4 8,i presume1 ,sir1 you want my vote and interest at this momentous epoch of your life80 ,abernethy1 who hated humbugs1 and felt nettled at the tone1 replied3 8,no1 ,i don't3 ,i want a pennyworth of figs2 come1 look sharp and wrap them up2 ,i want to be off60 ,the cultivation of manner--though in excess it is foppish and foolish--is highly necessary in a person who has occasion to negociate with others in matters of business4 ,affability and good breeding may even be regarded as essential to the success of a man in any eminent station and enlarged sphere of life2 for the want of it has not unfrequently been found in a great measure to neutralise the results of much industry1 integrity1 and honesty of character4 ,there are1 no doubt1 a few strong tolerant minds which can bear with defects and angularities of manner1 and look only to the more genuine qualities2 but the world at large is not so forbearant1 and cannot help forming its judgments and likings mainly according to outward conduct4 ,another mode of displaying true politeness is consideration for the opinions of others4 ,it has been said of dogmatism1 that it is only puppyism come to its full growth2 and certainly the worst form this quality can assume1 is that of opinionativeness and arrogance4 ,let men agree to differ1 and1 when they do differ1 bear and forbear4 ,principles and opinions may be maintained with perfect suavity1 without coming to blows or uttering hard words2 and there are circumstances in which words are blows1 and inflict wounds far less easy to heal4 ,as bearing upon this point1 we quote an instructive little parable spoken some time since by an itinerant preacher of the ,evangelical ,alliance on the borders of ,wales3--8,as ,i was going to the hills10 said he1 8early one misty morning1 ,i saw something moving on a mountain side1 so strange looking that ,i took it for a monster4 ,when ,i came nearer to it ,i found it was a man4 ,when ,i came up to him ,i found he was my brother40 ,the inbred politeness which springs from right-heartedness and kindly feelings1 is of no exclusive rank or station4 ,the mechanic who works at the bench may possess it1 as well as the clergyman or the peer4 ,it is by no means a necessary condition of labour that it should1 in any respect1 be either rough or coarse4 ,the politeness and refinement which distinguish all classes of the people in many continental countries show that those qualities might become ours too--as doubtless they will become with increased culture and more general social intercourse--without sacrificing any of our more genuine qualities as men4 ,from the highest to the lowest1 the richest to the poorest1 to no rank or condition in life has nature denied her highest boon--the great heart4 ,there never yet existed a gentleman but was lord of a great heart4 ,and this may exhibit itself under the hodden grey of the peasant as well as under the laced coat of the noble4 ,robert ,burns was once taken to task by a young ,edinburgh blood1 with whom he was walking1 for recognising an honest farmer in the open street4 8,why you fantastic gomeral10 exclaimed ,burns1 8it was not the great coat1 the scone bonnet1 and the saunders-boot hose that ,i spoke to1 but the man that was in them2 and the man1 sir1 for true worth1 would weigh down you and me1 and ten more such1 any day40 ,there may be a homeliness in externals1 which may seem vulgar to those who cannot discern the heart beneath2 but1 to the right-minded1 character will always have its clear insignia4 ,william and ,charles ,grant were the sons of a farmer in ,inverness-shire1 whom a sudden flood stripped of everything1 even to the very soil which he tilled4 ,the farmer and his sons1 with the world before them where to choose1 made their way southward in search of employment until they arrived in the neighbourhood of ,bury in ,lancashire4 ,from the crown of the hill near ,walmesley they surveyed the wide extent of country which lay before them1 the river ,irwell making its circuitous course through the valley4 ,they were utter strangers in the neighbourhood1 and knew not which way to turn4 ,to decide their course they put up a stick1 and agreed to pursue the direction in which it fell4 ,thus their decision was made1 and they journeyed on accordingly until they reached the village of ,ramsbotham1 not far distant4 ,they found employment in a print-work1 in which ,william served his apprenticeship2 and they commanded themselves to their employers by their diligence1 sobriety1 and strict integrity4 ,they plodded on1 rising from one station to another1 until at length the two men themselves became employers1 and after many long years of industry1 enterprise1 and benevolence1 they became rich1 honoured1 and respected by all who knew them4 ,their cotton-mills and print-works gave employment to a large population4 ,their well-directed diligence made the valley teem with activity1 joy1 health1 and opulence4 ,out of their abundant wealth they gave liberally to all worthy objects1 erecting churches1 founding schools1 and in all ways promoting the well-being of the class of working-men from which they had sprung4 ,they afterwards erected1 on the top of the hill above ,walmesley1 a lofty tower in commemoration of the early event in their history which had determined the place of their settlement4 ,the brothers ,grant became widely celebrated for their benevolence and their various goodness1 and it is said that ,mr4 ,dickens had them in his mind's eye when delineating the character of the brothers ,cheeryble4 ,one amongst many anecdotes of a similar kind may be cited to show that the character was by no means exaggerated4 ,a ,manchester warehouseman published an exceedingly scurrilous pamphlet against the firm of ,grant ,brothers1 holding up the elder partner to ridicule as 8,billy ,button40 ,william was informed by some one of the nature of the pamphlet1 and his observation was that the man would live to repent of it4 8,oh60 said the libeller1 when informed of the remark1 8he thinks that some time or other ,i shall be in his debt2 but ,i will take good care of that40 ,it happens1 however1 that men in business do not always foresee who shall be their creditor1 and it so turned out that the ,grants' libeller became a bankrupt1 and could not complete his certificate and begin business again without obtaining their signature4 ,it seemed to him a hopeless case to call upon that firm for any favour1 but the pressing claims of his family forced him to make the application4 ,he appeared before the man whom he had ridiculed as 8,billy ,button0 accordingly4 ,he told his tale and produced his certificate4 8,you wrote a pamphlet against us once80 said ,mr4 ,grant4 ,the supplicant expected to see his document thrown into the fire2 instead of which ,grant signed the name of the firm1 and thus completed the necessary certificate4 8,we make it a rule10 said he1 handing it back1 8never to refuse signing the certificate of an honest tradesman1 and we have never heard that you were anything else40 ,the tears started into the man's eyes4 8,ah10 continued ,mr4 ,grant1 8you see my saying was true1 that you would live to repent writing that pamphlet4 ,i did not mean it as a threat--,i only meant that some day you would know us better1 and repent having tried to injure us40 8,i do1 ,i do1 indeed1 repent it40 8,well1 well1 you know us now4 ,but how do you get on--what are you going to do80 ,the poor man stated that he had friends who would assist him when his certificate was obtained4 8,but how are you off in the mean time80 ,the answer was1 that1 having given up every farthing to his creditors1 he had been compelled to stint his family in even the common necessaries of life1 that he might be enabled to pay for his certificate4 8,my good fellow1 this will never do2 your wife and family must not suffer in this way2 be kind enough to take this ten-pound note to your wife from me3 there1 there1 now--don't cry1 it will be all well with you yet2 keep up your spirits1 set to work like a man1 and you will raise your head among the best of us yet40 ,the overpowered man endeavoured with choking utterance to express his gratitude1 but in vain2 and putting his hand to his face1 he went out of the room sobbing like a child4 ,the ,true ,gentleman is one whose nature has been fashioned after the highest models4 ,it is a grand old name1 that of ,gentleman1 and has been recognized as a rank and power in all stages of society4 8,the ,gentleman is always the ,gentleman10 said the old ,french ,general to his regiment of ,scottish gentry at ,rousillon1 8and invariably proves himself such in need and in danger40 ,to possess this character is a dignity of itself1 commanding the instinctive homage of every generous mind1 and those who will not bow to titular rank1 will yet do homage to the gentleman4 ,his qualities depend not upon fashion or manners1 but upon moral worth--not on personal possessions1 but on personal qualities4 ,the ,psalmist briefly describes him as one 8that walketh uprightly1 and worketh righteousness1 and speaketh the truth in his heart40 ,the gentleman is eminently distinguished for his self-respect4 ,he values his character1--not so much of it only as can be seen of others1 but as he sees it himself2 having regard for the approval of his inward monitor4 ,and1 as he respects himself1 so1 by the same law1 does he respect others4 ,humanity is sacred in his eyes3 and thence proceed politeness and forbearance1 kindness and charity4 ,it is related of ,lord ,edward ,fitzgerald that1 while travelling in ,canada1 in company with the ,indians1 he was shocked by the sight of a poor squaw trudging along laden with her husband's trappings1 while the chief himself walked on unencumbered4 ,lord ,edward at once relieved the squaw of her pack by placing it upon his own shoulders1--a beautiful instance of what the ,french call politesse de cur--the inbred politeness of the true gentleman4 ,the true gentleman has a keen sense of honour1--scrupulously avoiding mean actions4 ,his standard of probity in word and action is high4 ,he does not shuffle or prevaricate1 dodge or skulk2 but is honest1 upright1 and straightforward4 ,his law is rectitude--action in right lines4 ,when he says yes1 it is a law3 and he dares to say the valiant no at the fitting season4 ,the gentleman will not be bribed2 only the low-minded and unprincipled will sell themselves to those who are interested in buying them4 ,when the upright ,jonas ,hanway officiated as commissioner in the victualling department1 he declined to receive a present of any kind from a contractor2 refusing thus to be biassed in the performance of his public duty4 ,a fine trait of the same kind is to be noted in the life of the ,duke of ,wellington4 ,shortly after the battle of ,assaye1 one morning the ,prime ,minister of the ,court of ,hyderabad waited upon him for the purpose of privately ascertaining what territory and what advantages had been reserved for his master in the treaty of peace between the ,mahratta princes and the ,nizam4 ,to obtain this information the minister offered the general a very large sum--considerably above #ajj1jjjl4 ,looking at him quietly for a few seconds1 ,sir ,arthur said1 8,it appears1 then1 that you are capable of keeping a secret80 8,yes1 certainly10 replied the minister4 8,then so am ,i10 said the ,english general1 smiling1 and bowed the minister out4 ,it was to ,wellington's great honour1 that though uniformly successful in ,india1 and with the power of earning in such modes as this enormous wealth1 he did not add a farthing to his fortune1 and returned to ,england a comparatively poor man4 ,a similar sensitiveness and high-mindedness characterised his noble relative1 the ,marquis of ,wellesley1 who1 on one occasion1 positively refused a present of #ajj1jjjl4 proposed to be given him by the ,directors of the ,east ,india ,company on the conquest of ,mysore4 8,it is not necessary10 said he1 8for me to allude to the independence of my character1 and the proper dignity attaching to my office2 other reasons besides these important considerations lead me to decline this testimony1 which is not suitable to me4 ,i think of nothing but our army4 ,i should be much distressed to curtail the share of those brave soldiers40 ,and the ,marquis's resolution to refuse the present remained unalterable4 ,sir ,charles ,napier exhibited the same noble self-denial in the course of his ,indian career4 ,he rejected all the costly gifts which barbaric princes were ready to lay at his feet1 and said with truth1 8,certainly ,i could have got #cj1jjjl4 since my coming to ,scinde1 but my hands do not want washing yet4 ,our dear father's sword which ,i wore in both battles 7,meanee and ,hyderabad7 is unstained40 ,riches and rank have no necessary connexion with genuine gentlemanly qualities4 ,the poor man may be a true gentleman1--in spirit and in daily life4 ,he may be honest1 truthful1 upright1 polite1 temperate1 courageous1 self-respecting1 and self-helping1--that is1 be a true gentleman4 ,the poor man with a rich spirit is in all ways superior to the rich man with a poor spirit4 ,to borrow ,st4 ,paul's words1 the former is as 8having nothing1 yet possessing all things10 while the other1 though possessing all things1 has nothing4 ,the first hopes everything1 and fears nothing2 the last hopes nothing1 and fears everything4 ,only the poor in spirit are really poor4 ,he who has lost all1 but retains his courage1 cheerfulness1 hope1 virtue1 and self-respect1 is still rich4 ,for such a man1 the world is1 as it were1 held in trust2 his spirit dominating over its grosser cares1 he can still walk erect1 a true gentleman4 ,occasionally1 the brave and gentle character may be found under the humblest garb4 ,here is an old illustration1 but a fine one4 ,once on a time1 when the ,adige suddenly overflowed its banks1 the bridge of ,verona was carried away1 with the exception of the centre arch1 on which stood a house1 whose inhabitants supplicated help from the windows1 while the foundations were visibly giving way4 8,i will give a hundred ,french louis10 said the ,count ,spolverini1 who stood by1 8to any person who will venture to deliver these unfortunate people40 ,a young peasant came forth from the crowd1 seized a boat1 and pushed into the stream4 ,he gained the pier1 received the whole family into the boat1 and made for the shore1 where he landed them in safety4 8,here is your money1 my brave young fellow10 said the count4 8,no10 was the answer of the young man1 8,i do not sell my life2 give the money to this poor family1 who have need of it40 ,here spoke the true spirit of the gentleman1 though he was but in the garb of a peasant4 ,not less touching was the heroic conduct of a party of ,deal boatmen in rescuing the crew of a collier-brig in the ,downs but a short time ago4 #djj ,a sudden storm which set in from the north-east drove several ships from their anchors1 and it being low water1 one of them struck the ground at a considerable distance from the shore1 when the sea made a clean breach over her4 ,there was not a vestige of hope for the vessel1 such was the fury of the wind and the violence of the waves4 ,there was nothing to tempt the boatmen on shore to risk their lives in saving either ship or crew1 for not a farthing of salvage was to be looked for4 ,but the daring intrepidity of the ,deal boatmen was not wanting at this critical moment4 ,no sooner had the brig grounded than ,simon ,pritchard1 one of the many persons assembled along the beach1 threw off his coat and called out1 8,who will come with me and try to save that crew80 ,instantly twenty men sprang forward1 with 8,i will10 8and ,i40 ,but seven only were wanted2 and running down a galley punt into the surf1 they leaped in and dashed through the breakers1 amidst the cheers of those on shore4 ,how the boat lived in such a sea seemed a miracle2 but in a few minutes1 impelled by the strong arms of these gallant men1 she flew on and reached the stranded ship1 8catching her on the top of a wave02 and in less than a quarter of an hour from the time the boat left the shore1 the six men who composed the crew of the collier were landed safe on ,walmer ,beach4 ,a nobler instance of indomitable courage and disinterested heroism on the part of the ,deal boatmen--brave though they are always known to be--perhaps cannot be cited2 and we have pleasure in here placing it on record4 ,mr4 ,turnbull1 in his work on #8,austria1' relates an anecdote of the late ,emperor ,francis1 in illustration of the manner in which the ,government of that country has been indebted1 for its hold upon the people1 to the personal qualities of its princes4 8,at the time when the cholera was raging at ,vienna1 the emperor1 with an aide-de-camp1 was strolling about the streets of the city and suburbs1 when a corpse was dragged past on a litter unaccompanied by a single mourner4 ,the unusual circumstance attracted his attention1 and he learnt1 on inquiry1 that the deceased was a poor person who had died of cholera1 and that the relatives had not ventured on what was then considered the very dangerous office of attending the body to the grave4 #8,then1' said ,francis1 #8we will supply their place1 for none of my poor people should go to the grave without that last mark of respect2' and he followed the body to the distant place of interment1 and1 bare-headed1 stood to see every rite and observance respectfully performed40 ,fine though this illustration may be of the qualities of the gentleman1 we can match it by another equally good1 of two ,english navvies in ,paris1 as related in a morning paper a few years ago4 8,one day a hearse was observed ascending the steep ,rue de ,clichy on its way to ,montmartre1 bearing a coffin of poplar wood with its cold corpse4 ,not a soul followed--not even the living dog of the dead man1 if he had one4 ,the day was rainy and dismal2 passers by lifted the hat as is usual when a funeral passes1 and that was all4 ,at length it passed two ,english navvies1 who found themselves in ,paris on their way from ,spain4 ,a right feeling spoke from beneath their serge jackets4 #8,poor wretch6' said the one to the other1 #8no one follows him2 let us two follow6' ,and the two took off their hats1 and walked bare-headed after the corpse of a stranger to the cemetery of ,montmartre40 ,above all1 the gentleman is truthful4 ,he feels that truth is the 8summit of being10 and the soul of rectitude in human affairs4 ,lord ,chesterfield declared that ,truth made the success of a gentleman4 ,the ,duke of ,wellington1 writing to ,kellerman1 on the subject of prisoners on parole1 when opposed to that general in the peninsula1 told him that if there was one thing on which an ,english officer prided himself more than another1 excepting his courage1 it was his truthfulness4 8,when ,english officers10 said he1 8have given their parole of honour not to escape1 be sure they will not break it4 ,believe me--trust to their word2 the word of an ,english officer is a surer guarantee than the vigilance of sentinels40 ,true courage and gentleness go hand in hand4 ,the brave man is generous and forbearant1 never unforgiving and cruel4 ,it was finely said of ,sir ,john ,franklin by his friend ,parry1 that 8he was a man who never turned his back upon a danger1 yet of that tenderness that he would not brush away a mosquito40 ,a fine trait of character--truly gentle1 and worthy of the spirit of ,bayard--was displayed by a ,french officer in the cavalry combat of ,el ,bodon in ,spain4 ,he had raised his sword to strike ,sir ,felton ,harvey1 but perceiving his antagonist had only one arm1 he instantly stopped1 brought down his sword before ,sir ,felton in the usual salute1 and rode past4 ,to this may be added a noble and gentle deed of ,ney during the same ,peninsular ,war4 ,charles ,napier was taken prisoner at ,corunna1 desperately wounded2 and his friends at home did not know whether he was alive or dead4 ,a special messenger was sent out from ,england with a frigate to ascertain his fate4 ,baron ,clouet received the flag1 and informed ,ney of the arrival4 8,let the prisoner see his friends10 said ,ney1 8and tell them he is well1 and well treated40 ,clouet lingered1 and ,ney asked1 smiling1 8what more he wanted08 8,he has an old mother1 a widow1 and blind40 8,has he8 then let him go himself and tell her he is alive40 ,as the exchange of prisoners between the countries was not then allowed1 ,ney knew that he risked the displeasure of the ,emperor by setting the young officer at liberty2 but ,napoleon approved the generous act4 ,notwithstanding the wail which we occasionally hear for the chivalry that is gone1 our own age has witnessed deeds of bravery and gentleness--of heroic self-denial and manly tenderness--which are unsurpassed in history4 ,the events of the last few years have shown that our countrymen are as yet an undegenerate race4 ,on the bleak plateau of ,sebastopol1 in the dripping perilous trenches of that twelvemonth's leaguer1 men of all classes proved themselves worthy of the noble inheritance of character which their forefathers have bequeathed to them4 ,but it was in the hour of the great trial in ,india that the qualities of our countrymen shone forth the brightest4 ,the march of ,neill on ,cawnpore1 of ,havelock on ,lucknow--officers and men alike urged on by the hope of rescuing the women and the children--are events which the whole history of chivalry cannot equal4 ,outram's conduct to ,havelock1 in resigning to him1 though his inferior officer1 the honour of leading the attack on ,lucknow1 was a trait worthy of ,sydney1 and alone justifies the title which has been awarded to him of1 8the ,bayard of ,india40 ,the death of ,henry ,lawrence--that brave and gentle spirit--his last words before dying1 8,let there be no fuss about me2 let me be buried with the men10--the anxious solicitude of ,sir ,colin ,campbell to rescue the beleaguered of ,lucknow1 and to conduct his long train of women and children by night from thence to ,cawnpore1 which he reached amidst the all but overpowering assault of the enemy1--the care with which he led them across the perilous bridge1 never ceasing his charge over them until he had seen the precious convoy safe on the road to ,allahabad1 and then burst upon the ,gwalior contingent like a thunder-clap2--such things make us feel proud of our countrymen and inspire the conviction that the best and purest glow of chivalry is not dead1 but vigorously lives among us yet4 ,even the common soldiers proved themselves gentlemen under their trials4 ,at ,agra1 where so many poor fellows had been scorched and wounded in their encounter with the enemy1 they were brought into the fort1 and tenderly nursed by the ladies2 and the rough1 gallant fellows proved gentle as any children4 ,during the weeks that the ladies watched over their charge1 never a word was said by any soldier that could shock the ear of the gentlest4 ,and when all was over--when the mortally-wounded had died1 and the sick and maimed who survived were able to demonstrate their gratitude--they invited their nurses and the chief people of ,agra to an entertainment in the beautiful gardens of the ,taj1 where1 amidst flowers and music1 the rough veterans1 all scarred and mutilated as they were1 stood up to thank their gentle countrywomen who had clothed and fed them1 and ministered to their wants during their time of sore distress4 ,in the hospitals at ,scutari1 too1 many wounded and sick blessed the kind ,english ladies who nursed them2 and nothing can be finer than the thought of the poor sufferers1 unable to rest through pain1 blessing the shadow of ,florence ,nightingale as it fell upon their pillow in the night watches4 ,the wreck of the ,birkenhead off the coast of ,africa on the #bgth of ,february1 #aheb1 affords another memorable illustration of the chivalrous spirit of common men acting in this nineteenth century1 of which any age might be proud4 ,the vessel was steaming along the ,african coast with #dgb men and #aff women and children on board4 ,the men belonged to several regiments then serving at the ,cape1 and consisted principally of recruits who had been only a short time in the service4 ,at two o'clock in the morning1 while all were asleep below1 the ship struck with violence upon a hidden rock which penetrated her bottom2 and it was at once felt that she must go down4 ,the roll of the drums called the soldiers to arms on the upper deck1 and the men mustered as if on parade4 ,the word was passed to save the women and children2 and the helpless creatures were brought from below1 mostly undressed1 and handed silently into the boats4 ,when they had all left the ship's side1 the commander of the vessel thoughtlessly called out1 8,all those that can swim1 jump overboard and make for the boats40 ,but ,captain ,wright1 of the #iast ,highlanders1 said1 8,no6 if you do that1 the boats with the women must be swamped20 and the brave men stood motionless4 ,there was no boat remaining1 and no hope of safety2 but not a heart quailed2 no one flinched from his duty in that trying moment4 8,there was not a murmur nor a cry amongst them10 said ,captain ,wright1 a survivor1 8until the vessel made her final plunge40 ,down went the ship1 and down went the heroic band1 firing a feu de joie as they sank beneath the waves4 ,glory and honour to the gentle and the brave6 ,the examples of such men never die1 but1 like their memories1 are immortal4 ,there are many tests by which a gentleman may be known2 but there is one that never fails--,how does he exercise power over those subordinate to him8 ,how does he conduct himself towards women and children8 ,how does the officer treat his men1 the employer his servants1 the master his pupils1 and man in every station those who are weaker than himself8 ,the discretion1 forbearance1 and kindliness1 with which power in such cases is used1 may indeed be regarded as the crucial test of gentlemanly character4 ,when ,la ,motte was one day passing through a crowd1 he accidentally trod upon the foot of a young fellow1 who forthwith struck him on the face3 8,ah1 sire10 said ,la ,motte1 8you will surely be sorry for what you have done1 when you know that ,i am blind40 ,he who bullies those who are not in a position to resist may be a snob1 but cannot be a gentleman4 ,he who tyrannizes over the weak and helpless may be a coward1 but no true man4 ,the tyrant1 it has been said1 is but a slave turned inside out4 ,strength1 and the consciousness of strength1 in a right-hearted man1 imparts a nobleness to his character2 but he will be most careful how he uses it2 for 8,it is excellent ,to have a giant's strength2 but it is tyrannous ,to use it like a giant40 ,gentleness is indeed the best test of gentlemanliness4 ,a consideration for the feelings of others1 for his inferiors and dependants as well as his equals1 and respect for their self-respect1 will pervade the true gentleman's whole conduct4 ,he will rather himself suffer a small injury1 than by an uncharitable construction of another's behaviour1 incur the risk of committing a great wrong4 ,he will be forbearant of the weaknesses1 the failings1 and the errors1 of those whose advantages in life have not been equal to his own4 ,he will be merciful even to his beast4 ,he will not boast of his wealth1 or his strength1 or his gifts4 ,he will not be puffed up by success1 or unduly depressed by failure4 ,he will not obtrude his views on others1 but speak his mind freely when occasion calls for it4 ,he will not confer favours with a patronizing air4 ,sir ,walter ,scott once said of ,lord ,lothian1 8,he is a man from whom one may receive a favour1 and that's saying a great deal in these days40 ,lord ,chatham has said that the gentleman is characterised by his sacrifice of self and preference of others to himself in the little daily occurrences of life4 ,in illustration of this ruling spirit of considerateness in a noble character1 we may cite the anecdote of the gallant ,sir ,ralph ,abercromby1 of whom it is related1 that when mortally wounded in the battle of ,aboukir1 he was carried in a litter on board the #8,foudroyant2' and1 to ease his pain1 a soldier's blanket was placed under his head1 from which he experienced considerable relief4 ,he asked what it was4 8,it's only a soldier's blanket10 was the reply4 8,whose blanket is it80 said he1 half lifting himself up4 8,only one of the men's40 8,i wish to know the name of the man whose blanket this is40 8,it is ,duncan ,roy's1 of the #dbnd1 ,sir ,ralph40 8,then see that ,duncan ,roy gets his blanket this very night40 #djh ,even to ease his dying agony the general would not deprive the private soldier of his blanket for one night4 ,the incident is as good in its way as that of the dying ,sydney handing his cup of water to the private soldier on the field of ,zutphen4 ,the quaint old ,fuller sums up in a few words the character of the true gentleman and man of action in describing that of the great admiral1 ,sir ,francis ,drake3 8,chaste in his life1 just in his dealings1 true of his word2 merciful to those that were under him1 and hating nothing so much as idlenesse2 in matters especially of moment1 he was never wont to rely on other men's care1 how trusty or skilful soever they might seem to be1 but1 always contemning danger1 and refusing no toyl1 he was wont himself to be one 7whoever was a second7 at every turn1 where courage1 skill1 or industry1 was to be employed40 ,,footnotes #d ,napoleon ,,iii41 #8,life of ,csar4' #ae ,soult received but little education in his youth1 and learnt next to no geography until he became foreign minister of ,france1 when the study of this branch of knowledge is said to have given him the greatest pleasure4--#8uvres1 c41 d',alexis de ,tocqueville4 ,par ,g4 de ,beaumont4' ,paris1 #ahfa4 ,i4 #eb #be #8uvres et ,correspondance indite d',alexis de ,tocqueville4 ,par ,gustave de ,beaumont4' ,i4 #cih4 #bf 8,i have seen10 said he1 8a hundred times in the course of my life1 a weak man exhibit genuine public virtue1 because supported by a wife who sustained hint in his course1 not so much by advising him to such and such acts1 as by exercising a strengthening influence over the manner in which duty or even ambition was to be regarded4 ,much oftener1 however1 it must be confessed1 have ,i seen private and domestic life gradually transform a man to whom nature had given generosity1 disinterestedness1 and even some capacity for greatness1 into an ambitious1 mean-spirited1 vulgar1 and selfish creature who1 in matters relating to his country1 ended by considering them only in so far as they rendered his own particular condition more comfortable and easy40--#8uvres de ,tocqueville4' ,,ii4 #cdi4 #ca ,since the original publication of this book1 the author has in another work1 #8,the ,lives of ,boulton and ,watt1' endeavoured to portray in greater detail the character and achievements of these two remarkable men4 #dc;a ,the following entry1 which occurs in the account of monies disbursed by the burgesses of ,sheffield in #aegc 8 is supposed by some to refer to the inventor of the stocking frame3--8,item gyven to ,willm-,lee1 a poore scholler in ,sheafield1 towards the settyng him to the ,universitie of ,chambrydge1 and buying him bookes and other furnyture which money was afterwards returned xiii iiii #acs4 #d;d440--,hunter1 #8,history of ,hallamshire1' #ada4 #dc;b #8,history of the ,framework ,knitters4' #dd ,there are1 however1 other and different accounts4 ,one is to the effect that ,lee set about studying the contrivance of the stocking-loom for the purpose of lessening the labour of a young country-girl to whom he was attached1 whose occupation was knitting2 another1 that being married and poor1 his wife was under the necessity of contributing to their joint support by knitting2 and that ,lee1 while watching the motion of his wife's fingers1 conceived the idea of imitating their movements by a machine4 ,the latter story seems to have been invented by ,aaron ,hill1 ,esq41 in his #8,account of the ,rise and ,progress of the ,beech ,oil manufacture1' ,london1 #agae2 but his statement is altogether unreliable4 ,thus he makes ,lee to have been a ,fellow of a college at ,oxford1 from which he was expelled for marrying an innkeeper's daughter2 whilst ,lee neither studied at ,oxford1 nor married there1 nor was a ,fellow of any college2 and he concludes by alleging that the result of his invention was to 8make ,lee and his family happy20 whereas the invention brought him only a heritage of misery1 and he died abroad destitute4 #de ,blackner1 #8,history of ,nottingham4' ,the author adds1 8,we have information1 handed down in direct succession from father to son1 that it was not till late in the seventeenth century that one man could manage the working of a frame4 ,the man who was considered the workman employed a labourer1 who stood behind the frame to work the slur and pressing motions2 but the application of traddles and of the feet eventually rendered the labour unnecessary40 #gd ,palissy's own words are3--8,le bois m'ayant failli1 je fus contraint brusler les estapes 7taies7 qui soustenoyent les tailles de mon jardin1 lesquelles estant brusles1 je fus constraint brusler les tables et plancher de la maison1 afin de faire fondre la seconde composition4 ,j'estois en une telle angoisse que je ne saurois dire3 car j'estois tout tari et desech cause du labeur et de la chaleur du fourneau2 il y avoit plus d'un mois que ma chemise n'avoit seich sur moy1 encores pour me consoler on se moquoit de moy1 et mesme ceux qui me devoient secourir alloient crier par la ville que je faisois brusler le plancher3 et par tel moyen l'on me faisoit perdre mon credit et m'estimoit-on estre fol4 ,les autres disoient que je cherchois faire la fausse monnoye1 qui estoit un mal qui me faisoit seicher sur les pieds2 et m'en allois par les rus tout baiss comme un homme honteux3 4 4 4 personne ne me secouroit3 ,mais au contraire ils se mocquoyent de moy1 en disant3 ,il luy appartient bien de mourir de faim1 par ce qu'il delaisse son mestier4 ,toutes ces nouvelles venoyent a mes aureilles quand je passois par la ru40 #8uvres ,compltes de ,palissy4 ,paris1 #ahdd2' ,de l',art de ,terre1 p4 #cae4 #gg 8,toutes ces fautes m'ont caus un tel lasseur et tristesse d'esprit1 qu'auparavant que j'aye rendu mes maux fusible un mesme degr de feu1 j'ay cuid entrer jusques la porte du sepulchre3 aussi en me travaillant tels affaires je me suis trouv l'espace de plus se dix ans si fort escoul en ma personne1 qu'il n'y avoit aucune forme ny apparence de bosse aux bras ny aux jambes3 ains estoyent mes dites jambes toutes d'une venue3 de sorte que les liens de quoy j'attachois mes bas de chausses estoyent1 soudain que je cheminois1 sur les talons avec le residu de mes chausses40--#8uvres1 #cai-bj4 #gh ,at the sale of ,mr4 ,bernal's articles of vertu in ,london a few years since1 one of ,palissy's small dishes1 #ab inches in diameter1 with a lizard in the centre1 sold for #afbl4 #gi ,within the last few months1 ,mr4 ,charles ,read1 a gentleman curious in matters of ,protestant antiquarianism in ,france1 has discovered one of the ovens in which ,palissy baked his chefs-d'uvre4 ,several moulds of faces1 plants1 animals1 c41 were dug up in a good state of preservation1 bearing his well-known stamp4 ,it is situated under the gallery of the ,louvre1 in the ,place du ,carrousel4 #hj;a ,d',aubign1 #8,histoire ,universelle4' ,the historian adds1 8,voyez l'impudence de ce bilistre6 vous diriez qu'il auroit lu ce vers de ,snque3 #8,on ne peut contraindre celui qui sait mourir3 ,qui mori scit1 cogi nescit4'0 #hj;b ,the subject of ,palissy's life and labours has been ably and elaborately treated by ,professor ,morley in his well-known work4 ,in the above brief narrative we have for the most part followed ,palissy's own account of his experiments as given in his #8,art de ,terre4' #hd 8,almighty ,god1 the great ,creator1 ,has changed a goldmaker to a potter40 #he ,the whole of the ,chinese and ,japanese porcelain was formerly known as ,indian porcelain--probably because it was first brought by the ,portuguese from ,india to ,europe1 after the discovery of the ,cape of ,good ,hope by ,vasco da ,gama4 #hi #8,wedgwood3 an ,address delivered at ,burslem1 ,oct4 #bfth1 #ahfc4' ,by the ,right ,hon4 ,w4 ,e4 ,gladstone1 ,m4,p4 #aae ,it was characteristic of ,mr4 ,hume1 that1 during his professional voyages between ,england and ,india1 he should diligently apply his spare time to the study of navigation and seamanship2 and many years after1 it proved of use to him in a remarkable manner4 ,in #ahbe1 when on his passage from ,london to ,leith by a sailing smack1 the vessel had scarcely cleared the mouth of the ,thames when a sudden storm came on1 she was driven out of her course1 and1 in the darkness of the night1 she struck on the ,goodwin ,sands4 ,the captain1 losing his presence of mind1 seemed incapable of giving coherent orders1 and it is probable that the vessel would have become a total wreck1 had not one of the passengers suddenly taken the command and directed the working of the ship1 himself taking the helm while the danger lasted4 ,the vessel was saved1 and the stranger was ,mr4 ,hume4 #adi #8,saturday ,review1' ,july #crd1 #aheh4 #agc ,mrs4 ,grote's #8,memoir of the ,life of ,ary ,scheffer1' p4 #fg4 #bja ,while the sheets of this revised edition are passing through the press1 the announcement appears in the local papers of the death of ,mr4 ,jackson at the age of fifty4 ,his last work1 completed shortly before his death1 was a cantata1 entitled #8,the ,praise of ,music4' ,the above particulars of his early life were communicated by himself to the author several years since1 while he was still carrying on his business of a tallow-chandler at ,masham4 #baf ,mansfield owed nothing to his noble relations1 who were poor and uninfluential4 ,his success was the legitimate and logical result of the means which he sedulously employed to secure it4 ,when a boy he rode up from ,scotland to ,london on a pony--taking two months to make the journey4 ,after a course of school and college1 he entered upon the profession of the law1 and he closed a career of patient and ceaseless labour as ,lord ,chief ,justice of ,england--the functions of which he is universally admitted to have performed with unsurpassed ability1 justice1 and honour4 #bfc ,on #8,thought and ,action4' #bgg #8,correspondance de ,napolon ,ier41' publie par ordre de l',empereur ,napolon ,,iii1 ,paris1 #ahfd4 #bhc ,the recently published correspondence of ,napoleon with his brother ,joseph1 and the ,memoirs of the ,duke of ,ragusa1 abundantly confirm this view4 ,the ,duke overthrew ,napoleon's generals by the superiority of his routine4 ,he used to say that1 if he knew anything at all1 he knew how to feed an army4 #cac ,his old gardener4 ,collingwood's favourite amusement was gardening4 ,shortly after the battle of ,trafalgar a brother admiral called upon him1 and1 after searching for his lordship all over the garden1 he at last discovered him1 with old ,scott1 in the bottom of a deep trench which they were busily employed in digging4 #cai ,article in the #8,times4' #cba #8,self-,development3 an ,address to ,students1' by ,george ,ross1 ,m4,d41 pp4 #a-bj1 reprinted from the #8,medical ,circular4' ,this address1 to which we acknowledge our obligations1 contains many admirable thoughts on self-culture1 is thoroughly healthy in its tone1 and well deserves republication in an enlarged form4 #cbi #8,saturday ,review4' #ced ,see the admirable and well-known book1 #8,the ,pursuit of ,knowledge under ,difficulties4' #cef;a ,late ,professor of ,moral ,philosophy at ,st4 ,andrew's4 #cef;b ,a writer in the #8,edinburgh ,review' 7,july1 #ahei7 observes that 8the ,duke's talents seem never to have developed themselves until some active and practical field for their display was placed immediately before him4 ,he was long described by his ,spartan mother1 who thought him a dunce1 as only #8food for powder4' ,he gained no sort of distinction1 either at ,eton or at the ,french ,military ,college of ,angers40 ,it is not improbable that a competitive examination1 at this day1 might have excluded him from the army4 #ceg ,correspondent of #8,the ,times1' #aath ,june1 #ahfc4 #cib ,robertson's #8,life and ,letters1' i4 #beh4 #djj ,on the #aath ,january1 #ahff4 #djh ,brown's #8,hor ,subseciv4'