, 1842-02-26

quently, they may have assembled amidst the ap
plause of friends and the silent wonder of those
who were long Indifferent to their fate, the ros
trum of literary renOwn; firmly fixed patrons
and stand as shining appendages to their coun.
try's fame, or as brilliant lights in the church O.
God. And in this way, and this only, am l en-,
abled to solve the problem why young men who
alike are favored with literary advantages, often
make such different ends. The one passes
through life without any peculiar object in view,
dinghy; i. e., he does moi make a proper use of it
while the other directs his education 10 some spe-
cifc purpose of i:fe, and makes a correct use Of
his leisure moments. Let US take, for ~illustra-
ton, the example of a young man endowed with
respectable talents, and set forward with the usu-
al advantages of a polite education, and such
means as may enable him 10 occupy his time ac-
cording 10 his own will. Should this indivi-
dual make q proper use of his time, he might
pursue his way upon higher flights of that tenn
pie, or into the outer courts of which he has just
entered, and look out with complacency upon the
gazing crowd beneath. But we will suppose
him to adopt a different course. Reclining SUI
pinely i'll the midst of a busy throng, or pursu-
ing with avidi;y the exciting amusements o. the
day, he neither improves his condition nor re-
tains what he once possessed.
Vice is sure TO accompany likeness and dissi-
patton; and when the triler arrives at that age
al which the more remarkable exhibitions Of the
power of intellect are expected, he finds that he
has outlived his capacity to shine; that his early
promise of briliancy has given place to the cha
ractcr Of a useless and injurious being; and he
feels that his name would be 4 blank in the So
cial calendar, but for the deformity that makes it
a blot. But perhaps You are ready TO ask-Can
any Of the advantages TO which | have alluded,
be the result Of patient labor, and systematic
improvement Of time? Are these not the drea-
mings of fancy? Or, if they are possibilities,
can 4 man with an ordinary mind attain to all
this? | have no hesitation in saying he can =
Is there one here of ambition so towering, as TO
wish that lis fame il philosophy might equal that
VI SH'bH IdI AZ IlhS'i 90 N4
this point? That 'he knew of no difference be-
tween himself and other men, but what arose
from patient thought" Therefore, if educated
at all, you must educate yourselves. Others can
only assist you without your own eXertions
their efforts would be utterly fruitless. A thou
sand examples are before us Of mind that have
risen from obscurity without aid, and in spite Of
difficulties have shown with ~splendor in the
midst of surrounding darkness. Then let US be
encouraged by the success Of those who have
gone before us! Let the most elevated be our
standard of excellence, and our e~xertions cannot
fail to be rewarded.
| presume that | have deviated in some in
stance from the subject proposed, for have at
tempted to show the importance of 4 correct
mode of education-of having a fixed object in
view, in the acquisition Of knowledge, and Of
applying the knowledge already obtained to the
purposes of human life, as well as the mere cul-
~tivation of the intellect, for it will avail us moth
ing if we possess all the literary wealth this
world can afford, if we do not use 1t in a way
tndt Is CdlCuldlcu W UC Dclltl4Ciai " VI
our fellow men. But | have tired your patience
and will close my essay with a few observations
on reading.
Perhaps there are but few who have duly con-
sidered the importance of, or the advantages to
be derived from reading of useful books. Know
ledge is essentially necessary to our happiness
and well being, and books are the means by which
we are to acquire this knowledge. By careful
perusal of history we may become acquainted
with the condition of the nations who have gone
before us; we may become familiar with the
names and customs of nations who now sleep in
dust and whose names, were it not for this
source of information, would forever lie entomb-
ed in the darkest cells of oblivion. We may be-
come conversant with the laws by which they
were poverned-consult the opinions, and i'm
nrove on the experience of the wisest and best
men of every age and nation. However, some pre-
caution is necessary in the choice ofyour books.
But I shall not here attempt TO describe such
as should be read-will only add, that you
sbould procure such books as are, in the estima-
finn Of wise and good men, worthy the trouble OF
AID II is not ONLY necessary for YOU