Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-03-30

Have you virtuous aim :! pure desire and an
honest heart Depend upon it one of these
days you aoiH be panted.
The time may be long deferred. You may
grow to manhood, you may actually reach your
prime, ere the call Is made, but virtuous aims,
pure desires, and honest hearts, are too few and
sacred not to be appreciated-not to be wanted.
Your virtues shall not always be hidden
your poverty shall not always wrap you up as
with mante-obscurity shall not always hide
you from the multitude. Be chivalric in your
combat with circumstances. lie ever active,
however small may be your sphere of action
1t will surely enlarge every movement, and your
influence will have double incitement.
'In the worlds broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of life,
BE not like dumb driven cattle,
BE u hero i'll the strife
Work on, surely you will be wanted, and
then comes your reward. Lean upon the sacred
verify. 81 have never seen the righteous for
saken, no his seed begging bread" Never des-
pair, for the lives of good men abundantly show
that often when the clouds are blackest, and the
tempest is fcrcest, and hope is fantest, a" still
small voice" will be heard crying: "Come hlth-
er you are wanted" and all your powers will
find employment. Therefore take heart young
man, for ere long you will be wanted
Keep good company or none. Never be idle.
If your hands cannot be usefuly employed, at
tend to the cultivation of your mind. Always
speak the truth. Make few promises. Live up
to your engagements. Keep your own secrets,
if you have any When you speak to person
look him in the face. Good company and good
conversation are the very sinews of virtue
Your character cannot be essentially injured ex-
cept by your own acts. If any one speaks evil
of you, let your life be so that none will believe
him. Drink no kind of intoxicating liquors.
Ever live, misfortunes excepted within your in
come When you retire to bed, think over
what you have been doing during the day
Make no haste to be rich if you would prosper.
Small and steady gains give competency with
tranquility of mind. Never play at any kind of
game of chance. Avoid temptation, through
fear you may not withstand it. Never run in
debt, unless you see q way to get out again.
Never borrow if you can possibly avoid it. Do
not marry until you are able to support wife.
Never speak evil of any one. BE just before
you are generous. Keep yourself innocent if
you would be happy. Save, when you are 60
ing to spend when you are old. Read over the
above maxms at least once week, and adopt
the maxims as examples of mercantile morality
inculcated and exhibited, from time to time, in
the pages of the Merchants Magazine and sue
cess will crown your efforts in the battle of
life."
EVIL CoMPANY.-The following beautiful al
legory is translated from the German. Sophro-
MUS, wise teacher, would not suffer even his
grown up sons and daughters to associate with
those whose conduct was not pure and upright
Dear father" said the gentle Eulalia to him one
day. when he forbade her in company with her
brother, to visit the volatile Lucinda" dear ia
ther, you must think us very childish if you i'm
agine that we should be exposed to danger by
it," The father took in silence dead coal from
the hearth, and reached it to his daughter. alt
will not burn you, my child; take it," Eulaa
did so, and behold, her beautiful white hand
was soiled and blackened, and as it chanced, her
white dress also. awe cannot be too careful
in handling COAL" said Eulalia, in vexation.--
Yes truly" said the father, you see, my child,
that Goals, even if they do not burn, blacken; so
it is with the company Of the vicious"
HABIT" trust every thing under God, )"
says Lord Brougham, to habit, upon which, in
all ages, the lawgiver, as well as the schoomas-
ter, has mainly placed his reliance habit which
makes every thing easy, and casts all difficulties
upon the deviation from the wonted course
Make sobriety a habit, and intemperance will be
hateful and hard; make prudence habit, and
reckless prohigacy will be as contrary to the ma
ture of the child grown an adult, as the most
atrocious crimes are to any of your lordships.-
Give child the habit of sacredly regarding the
truth--of carefully respecting the property of
others--of scrupulously abstaining from all acts
of improvdence which can involve him in dis
tress, and he will just as likely think of rushing
into the element in which he cannot breathe, as
of lying, or cheating or stealing"
A physician in Massachusetts says, have
seen a young lady with her table loaded with
volumes of fictitious trash, poring, day after day
and night after night over highly wrought
scenes and skilfuly portrayed pictures Of ro-
nance, until her cheeks grew pale, her eyes be-
came wild and restless, and her mind wandered
and was lost--the light of intelligence passed
behind cloud and her soul was for ever be-
nighted She was insane, incurably insane, from
reading novels" a
Nothing begets confidence sooner than pune !
tuaity.