Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-02-17
From Harpers' Magazine.
HOW MEN RISE IN THE WORLD.

Few things that happen in the world are the
result of accident. Law governs all /; there IS
even law of Chances and Probabilities, which
has been elaborated by Laplace, Quetelet, and
others, and applied by practical men to such
purposes as life insurance, insurances against
fire, shpwreck and so on. Many things which
happen daily, and which are usually attrbu-
ted to chance, occur with such regularity that,
where the field Of observation is large, they can
almost be calculated upon as certainties.
But we do not propose now to follow out
this idea, interesting though it would be; we
would deal with the matter Of "accdent" in an
other light-that of self-cuiture. When a man
has risen from humble to lofty position in
life, carved his name deep into the core Of the
world, or fallen upon some sudden discovery
with which his name is identified in all time
coming, his rise, his work. his discovery is very
often attributed to "accident." The fall Of the
apple is often quoted as the accident by which
Newton discovered the law of gravita:ion; and
the convulsed frogs legs, first observed by Gal
vani, are in like manner quoted as an instance of
accidental discovery. But nothing can be more
unfounded; Newton had been studying in re-
tirement the laws Of matter and motion, and
his head was full, and his brain beating with
the toll of thinking on the subject, when the ap-
pie fell. The train was already laid long before,
and the significance of the apples fall was sud-
denly apprehended as only genius could appre-
hend it; and the discovery, which had long be-
fore been celebrating, suddenly burst on the
philosophers sight. So with Galvani, Jenner,
Franklin, Watt, Davy, and all other philoso.
piers; their discoveries were invariably the re-
suit of patient labor, of long study, and of ear
nest investigation. They worked their way by
steps, feeling for the right road like the blind
man, and always trying carefully the firmness
of the new ground before vcnturing upon it.
Genius of the very highest kind never trusts
to accident, but is indefatigable in labor Buff
fon has said of genius, 1t is patience" Some
one else has called it intense purpose;" and
another, {" hard work." Newton himself used
to declare, that whatever service he had done to
tie public was not owing to extraordinary sa-
gdity, but solely to industry and patient tho't
Genius, however, turns to account all accidents
-eall them rather by their right name, oppor-
tunities. The history of successful men proves
that it was the habit Of cultivatiug opp0rtuni-
ties--of taking advantage Of opportunities
which helped them to success-which, indeed,
secured success Take the Crystal palace as
an instance; was it a sudden idea-an inspira-
tion of genius-hashing upon one who, though
no architect, must at least have been something
of n poet! Not at all its contriver was
simply man who cultivates opportunities
laborious pains-taking man, whose life has been
career of labor, of digent selfimproyement,
Of assiduous cultivation Of knowledge. The
idea of the Crystal Palace, as Mr.. Paxton him
self has shown, in lecture before the Society
of Arts, was slowly and patiently elaborated
by experiments extending over many years;
and the Exhibition Of 1851 merely afforded
him the opportunity of putting forward his idea
the right thing at the right time-and the re-
suit is what we have seen
If opportunities do not fortutously occur,
then the man of earnest purpose proceeds to
make them for himself He looks for helps
every where; there are many roads into Ma
ture; and if determined to find path, a man
need not have to wait long. He turns all acci-
dents to account, and makes them promote his
purpose. DR.. Lee, Professor of Hebrew at
Cambridge, pursued his trade of bricklayer up
to twenty-eight years of age, and was first led
to study Hebrew by becoming interested in
Hebrew Bible, which fell in his way when en-
gagged in the repairs of a synagogue; but be-
fore this time he had been engaged in the cu-
tnre Of his intellect, devotng all his spare hours
and much of his nights to the study of Latin
and Greek. Ferguson, the astronomer, cult
waited the opportunity afforded him by the nights
occupied by him in watching the focks on the
Hiqhland hills, of studvipr astronomy in the