The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1852-03-20

you feel almost certain OF success. You
repeat to yourself some passage Of spc-
f; cial eloquence, at night. You fancy
the admiration Of Professors at meeting
with such wonderful performance. You
, have slight fear that its superior good
ness may awaken the suspicion that
some one out of the colege-some SUI
peror man, may have written it. But
this fact dies away.
The eventful day is great one in
ysur calenGs", you hardly sleep the
night previous. You tremble as the
chapel-bell is wrung; you profess to be
very indifferent. as the reading and the
prayer close; you even stoop to take up
your hat-as if you had entirely over
looked the fact that the old president
was in the desk, for the express purpose
of declaringthe successful names. You
listen dreamily to his tremulous, too
tearfully distinct enunciation. Your
head swims strangely.
They all pass out with a harsh MUIR
muir, along the aisles, and through the
door ways. 1t would be we'll if there
were no disappointments in life more
terrible than this. 1t is so consoling to
express very depricating opinions of the
Faculty in general; and very contemp-
tuous ones OF that particular officer who
decided upon the merit of the prize
themes. An evening or two in Dali
toms room go still farther towards heal
ing the disappointment; and-if it must
be sald-toward moderating the heat of
your ambition.
You grow up however, unfortun ately,
as the college years fly by, into a very
exaggerated scense of your capacity.
Even the good, old, white haired squire
for whom you once entertained SO much
respect, seems to your crazy, classic
fancy, very hum drum sort of person.
age. Frank, although as noble fellow
as ever set horse, is yet, you cannot
help thinking, very ignorant of Euri-
pides; even the English master at Mr..
Bidlow's school, you feel sure would
balk at dozen problems you could give
him.
You get an exalted idea of that unccr-
tain quality, which turns the heads of a
vast many of your fellows, called Genius.
An odd notion seems to be inherent in
the atmosphere of those college cham
bers, that there is certain faculty of
mind-tirst developed it would seem in
colleges-which accompishes whatever
it chooses, without any special pains
taking. For time, you fall yourself
into this very unfortunate hallucination,
you cultivate it after the usual college
fashion, by drinking vast deal of strong
coffee, and whisky-toddy-bv writing a
little poor verse, in the Byronic temper
and by studying very late at night, with
closed blinds.
1t costs you, however, more anxiety
and hypocrisy than you could possibly
have believed.
You will learn Clarence, when the Au-
tumn has rounded your hopeful Summer
if not before that there is no Geni us in
life, like the Genius of energy and in
dustry. You will learn that all the ira
dltions so current among very young
men that certain great characters have
wrought their greatness by inspiration
as it were, grow out of sad mistake.
And you will further find, when YOU
come to measure yourself with men, that
there are no rivals so formidable, as those
earnest, determined minds which reckon
the value of every hour, and which
achieve eminencs by persistent applica-
ton.
Literary ambition may inname you
at certain periods; and thought of some
great names will flash like spark iatc
the mine OF your purpose; you dream
till midnight over books; you set W
shadows, and chase them down-other
shadows; and they hy.-Dreaming will
never catch them. Nothing makes the
'scent lie well" in the hlnt after dis.
tincton, but labor.
| And 1t is glorious thing; when once
you are weary of the dissipation and the
ennui of your own aimless thought 10
take up some glowing page of an earn
est thinker, and read--deep and long,
until you feel the metal of his thought
tinkiing on your brain, and striking out
from your hnty letheragy, flashes 81
ideas, that give the mind light and heat
And away You go, in the chase of what
the soul within is creating on the in
slant, and You wonder at the fecundity
of what seems so barren, and at the
ripeness Of what seems so crude. The
glow of toll wakes you to the conscious
ness of your real capacities, you feel
sure that they have taken new step
toward final development In such
mood it is, that one feels grateful to the
musty tones, which at other hours stand
like curiosity making mummies, with
no warmth, and no vitality. Now they
grow into the affections like newfound
friends; and gain hold upon the heart,
and light a fire in the brain. that the