The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-10-02 00:00:00

A MOTTO TO BE ADOPTED.

To the students of your industrial classes generally I
have had it in my mind, first to commend the short motto,
in two words, "Courage—Pertecere." (Cheers.) This is the
motto of a friend and worker. Not because the eyes of
Europe are upon them, for I don't In the least believe it
,iauchterl. nor became the eyes of even England are upon
them, fir I don't in the least believe it; not because their
doings will be proclaimed with blast of triunpet at street
corners, for no such musical performance will take place
(laughter); not because self-improvement Is at all certain
to lead to worldly success, but simply because It is
good and right of itself ,hear, hear,) and because, being
so, it does assuredly bring with it its own resources and its
own rewards. I would further commend to them a very
wine and witty piece of advice on the conduct of the under-
standing which was gives more than half a century ago by
the Rev. Sydney Smith—wisest and wittiest of the friends I
have lost. Ile says—and he is speaking, you will please
understand, as I speak, to a school of volunteer students—he
says, "there ia a piece of foppery which is tube cautiously
guarded against, the foppery of universality, of knowing all
sciences and excelling in all arts- ehymintry, maim-
mgics, elgebra, dancing, history, reasoning, riding,
fencing, Low Dutch, High Dutch, alld natural philosophy,
laughter) In short, the modern precept of education very
often is, "Take the Admirable Crichton for your model,
I would have you Ignorant of nothing." "Now," says
he, "my advice, on the contrary, Is to have the courage to
be ignorant of a great number of things, in order that
you may avoid the calamity of being ignorant of everything"
(Laughter and cheers.) To this I would superadd
little truth, which holds equally good of my own life
and the life of every eminent man I have over known.
The one serviceable, safe, certain, remmieratlve, attaluable
quality in every study and hi every pursuit is the
quality of attention. My own invention or imagination,
such as it is, I can most truthfully assure y,,u, would never
have served me as it has but for the habit of common-
place, humble, patient, daily, tolling, drudging attentiou,
genius, vivacity, quickness of penetration, brilliancy In
asvciation of Ideas such mentel qualities, like the
qualities of the apparition of the externally armed head
In Macbeth, will not be commanded ; but attention,
after due term of submissive service, always will.
Like certain plants which the poorest peasant may
grow in the poorest soil, it can be cultivated by any
one, and it Is certain in its own good season to bring
for thflowers and fruit. I can most truthfully assure you
by-the-by, that this eulogium on attention Is solar quite dis-
interested on my part as that it has not the least reference
whatever to the attention with which you have hmoured
me. (Laughter). Well ladles mid gentlemen I have Mine.
I cannot but reflect how often you have probably heard within
these walls one of the foremost men, and certainly °need the
very bent speakers, if not the very hest, in England. (, %etre).
I could not say to myself when I begau jut uow, in Shakes-
peare's line—