Southern reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1851-185?, 1852-04-28


His memory. so lately storehouse Of past
events, refuses to recall even the transactions
Of. yesterday. This feebleness Of all his pow
ers maKes him burden to bis friends; and
to himself life is a dreary solitude So inn
becile does he become, that, as the wise man
describes him, fears shall be in the way,
and he shall rise up at the voice Of the bird, I"
and "all the daughters Of music shall be
brought low" Whether the point be admit
Ted or not, that the mind becomes intrinsically
feeble az the approach Of death, or only ap-
pears 50, from bodily sympathy, is Of no ma
terial consequence in our present inquiry.
Practically, it is so. And where we witness
the contrary in extreme old age, the cases only
form exceptions to the general rule.
Blu: young men are in the pride and
strength of their intellectual powers
The spirits buoyant, their confidence unwa-
vering, their memory retentive, their menta-
eye ever observant, their energies always
awake and active, they feel that there is moth
ing too mighty for them to accomplish.
Now, it is true. that, in the estimate which
young men are apt to put upon their intellec-
tual " strength" they often overrate their
abilities. They form judgments which are
not warranted They plan schemes which
they cannot execute. This arises from the
natural hopefullness which always surrounds
the youthful imagination. But these errors,
into which all are prone to fall, will be cor
rected by experience; and the knowledge
gained from this, viii invest them with more
than native power for further efforts, so that
their very disappointments and failures will
be Of the highest service to them in their
future course. While, therefore, we grant
that the native abilities Of young men may
not be as great as they are apt to think them
to be,-though they do have large selfcon-
ddence.-yet one thing is here to be noted,
which is Of great moment. That very conf
dence in themselves. if it be a true selfreli-
ance, will carry them through many a diff
Guilty and insure their triumph, where other
wise they would be certain to fail Sure it is,
that without confidence you can accomplish
nothing. A true self-reliance is a virtue and
a necessity, if you would succeed in any thing
And right here may well apply the proverb-
Nothing ventured, nothing gained" Be
careful, then, that no undue distrust Of your
self steal into your heart Let your motto
be, in regard to every good project not only,
III try" but, Ill DO IT. And if difficult
ties arise, and failures result, let them but cor
rect your measures and direct your subsequent
attempts more wisely, and y0u lOiH succeed.
Another ray Of that glory which in
vests especially the educated young man, is
seen in his mental requirements. These
impart strength to his character an inn
portance to his position in society, and give
a power to his influence over men, which 9TH
ers cannot WELD, however great may be their
native capacities
We cannot suppose that any young man,
educated under the most favorable circum-
stances, can have good reason to boast Of his
acquisitions in any one branch Of knowledge /;
much less has he mastered all that the acad-
emic course has brought into view before him.
But, what we claim is, that a foundation,
broad and sure, is laid for the highest attain
ments, and that some good progress has been
made. And more important than all, we
should be truly disappointed, if such love
for study had not been acquired, and such "a.
cilities for it impaired, as would insure the
hope and give the promise, With reasonable
diligence, Of eminent distinction and extended
usefulness in almost any department Of the
great republic Of letters.
And may we not hope this Of those before
US to-day who arc the Objects Of our special
regard in this present service. You can
realize this hope Of you will, each and all Of
you. 1t is not by the might Of native, untu-
tored genius $50 called) that victories are to
be won in the great intellectual battles Of the
world. Let no such delusion haunt you. Il
40 tue SVodugs Pci0SfStAh6i 1'NSnADE "PPA
cation Of even ordinary powers Of mind that
has been the grand instrument Of making the
moral "wilderness glad" and causing the
desert to rejoice and blossom as the rose. "
Flooding perseverance has often accomplished
wonders concerning which mere "genius
could only dream And this is true whether
the native intellect be Of greater or less
strength" 1t was not alone the native
power Of mind which opened even to Newton
the mechanism Of Natures laws. The key
which unlocked her secrets and conhded them
to her favorite son. is placed in the hand Of
every young man. 1t was that patience which
needed no difficulty, and that labor which
knew no WEAKNESS. that placed upon bis brow
the chaplct Of success. II is related Of New
ton, that even In his eighty-6th year, amid
All bis other studies. be was employing bis