The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-08-01 00:00:00

BE SOMETHING.

It is the duty of every one to take some active part as
actor on the stage of life. Some seem to think that they
..ytta.s
ticular. Man was not made to rust out his life. It is
expected he should "act well his part." He must be
something. lie has a work to perform, which it is his
duty to attend to. We are not placed here to grow tip,
pass through the various stages of life, and then die with-
out having done anything for the benefit of the human
race. It is a princiule in the creed of the Mahometans
that every one should have a trade. No Christian doc-
trine could be better than that. Is a man to be brought
up in idleness? Is he to live upon the wealth which his
ancestors have acquired by frugal inclastry ? Is he placed
here to pass through life like an automaton ? Has he
nothing to perform as a citizen of the world ? A man who
does nothing is useless to his country as an inhabitant.
A man who does nothing is a mere cipher. He does not
fulfil the obligations for which he was sent into the world,
and when he dies, he has not finished the work that was
given him to do. He is a mere blank in creation. Some
are born with riches and honors upon their heads. But
does it follow that they have nothing to do in their career
through life ? There are certain duties for every one to
perform. Be Something. Don't live like a hermit and
die unregretted. .

See that young man, no matter what are his circum-
stances, if he has no particular business to pursue, he will
not accomplish much. Perhaps he has a father abun-
dantly able to support him. Perhaps that father has la-
bored hard to obtain a competence that is sufficient for his
sons to live in idleness. Can they go abroad with any de-
gree of self-complacency, squandering away the money
which their fathers have earned by hard labour ? No one
who has the proper feelings of a citizen, who wishes to be
ranked among the useful members of society would live
such a life.

BE SOMETHING. Don't be a drone. You may rely
upon your present possessions, or on your future prospects,
but these riches may fly away or hopes may be blighted,
and if you have no place of your own, in such case, ten to
one you will find your path beset with thorns. What may
come upon you before you are aware of it, and having no
profession, you find yourself in anything but an enviable
condition. It is, therefore, important that you should BE
SOMETHING. Don't depend upon Fortune for she is a
fickle support, which often fails when you lean upon her
with the greatest confidence. Trust to your own exer-
tions.

Bs SOMETHING. Pursue that vocation for which you
are fitted by nature; pursue it faithfully and diligently.
You have a part to act, and the honour in performing that
part depends upon yourself. It is sickening to see a
parcel of idle boys hanging around a father, spending the
money which he has earned by his industry, without at-
tempting to do anything for themselves. BE SOMETHING,
should be their motto. Every one is capable of learning
some "art, trade, or mystery," and can earn a compe-
tence for himself. He should BE SOMETHING, and not
bring down the grey hairs of his father to the grave. He
should learn to depend upon himself. Idle boys, living
upon a parent without any profession or employment, are
ill qualified for good members of society. And we regret
to say that it is too often the case that this is the parent's
fault that they are thus brought up. They should be
taught to BE SOMETHING, to know how to provide for
themselves in case of necessity ; and to act well their part
they will reap the honour which therein lies.—Sears' New
York Magazine.

LORD BROUGHAM'S SIGN OF MADNESS.—At the
meeting for the formation of the British and Foreign In-
stitute, an edifying scene occnrred, which is thus reported :
—" 'ln the course of Lord Dudley Stuart's speech, while
eulogizing Mr. Buckingham's experience as a traveller and
an author, and suggesting that that gentleman should be
appointed ' resident director' of the institute, a gentle-
man, who was seated in the centre of the room, asked, in
a very loud tone of voice, whether Mr. Buckingham had
not, in his book on Palestine, used Lord Valencia's plates?
Lord Brougham who sat next the chairman, and Mr.
Buckingham simultaneously replied, No.' The gentle-
, man having still looked rather sceptically, Lord Brougham,
lin a very angry and loud tone, reiterated, No, I say no ;
do you understand that—(laughter): you have got your
answer. Mr. Buckingham says no, too.—(Laughter.)
What more do you want ?—(Laughter.) No, no. no; do
you understand that ?'—Laughter.) The gentleman who
had original! put the question, said he understood suffici-
ently what ' no' meant, and asked his lordship whether
he did (laughter and confusion). Lord Brougham (pas-
-ionately): Why, the man is mad (laughter). Do you
near, sir ? You put a question, and ` we' say 'no '—that
.1s your answer,—no; can you understand that ? No ! I
gay no."—How few people them a who understand no;
•mow hard that they who do not, should be set down as
mad. When Lord Brougham himself receives a no in
.nswer to his application, or supplication to the tory
:overnment for a judgeship, will lie understand the no, or
tgree that the roar tnust be mad oho does not compre-
'end tt ? Lord Brougham's sad experience of the hate-
d word " NO " in bar to his wishes, has, perhaps, not
"naturally ltd him to the conclusion, that as it may be
he cause of madness, it may also he its touchstone. But
hen, lie should have been mote indulgent to a gentleman
,o crossed with no, and so unable to understand the denial,
►s to have tlisturbed his wits. Set a thiet to catch a thief,
says the maxim; but surely there should be some fellow
feeling in such cases.—Examiner.