Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-06-25
! ENING STAR.
F lEST BITIOE.
By Ike MARVEL.


res OF an ocean sunrise; but you may
be sure that they will come even before
one is aware, the hold, adventurous gcd-
GcsS, whose name is ambition, and W hose
dover is Fame, will be towing with a
bold hand: she makes timidity strong,
and weakness valiant.
. he way of a mans heart will be fore
shsdowed by what goodness is in him
coming from above and from around
but way f0rcshs dowed, is not a made
way. And the making of a mans way
comes only from that quickening of re
solve, which we call ambition. 1t is the
spur that makes man struggled with
destiny It is Heavens own incentive,
to make purpose great, and achievement
greater.
1t would be strange if you, in that
cloister-ife OF college, did not some.
times feel dawning of new resolves.
They grapple you. indeed, oftener than
You dare TO speak Of. Here. you dream
first OF that very sweet, but very shad-
owy success, called reputation.
You think Of the delight and astolish-
nent it would give YOUR mother and
father, and most Of all little Nelly, if YOU
were winning such honors, as now es-
cape you. You measure your capacities
by these abOu. you, and watch thei,
habit OF study: you gaze for half iO,n
; trgether upon some successful man, who
! has won his prizes aud wonder by what
secret action he has done it. And when.
IN time, you Come to be competitor
yourself, your anxiety is immense.
lou spend hours up n hours at your
! theme; you write and re-write and
when 1t Is at length complete, and out of
your hands, you are harasScd by thou
sand doubts. At times, aS YOU recall
ycur hours of toll, you question if so
much has been spent upon any other ::
you feel almost certain OF success You
repeat 10 yourself some passages OF spe
clal elosuence at night. You fancy the
admiration OF the professors at meeting
with such wonderful performance. You
have light lear that its superior good.
ness may awaken the suspicion thai
some cue cut Of the college-some supe-
rlor man may have written it. But this
fear dies away.
The evcntful day is a great one in your
cslendar; yOn hardly sleep the night
previous. You tremble as the chaIel-
bell is rung; you profess to bevery indif-
ferent as the reading and the PRAYER
close; you even S;o0p to take up your
hat-aS if you had entirely overlooked
the fact that the old president " ss in the
desk for the express purpose of declaring
the successful names. You listen dream
lily to his tremulouS yet fearfully distinct
enumeration. Your head swims strangely.
They ali pass out with a harsh mur-
muir, along the ais!eS, and through the
door ways. 1t would be we'll if there
were no disappOintments in life more ter
rlble than this. 1t is conSOling TO ex-
press very deprecating opinions of the
Faculty in general; and very contemp-
tuouS ones Of that particular officer who
decided upon the merit of the prize
i themes. An evening or two at Dalton 5
! room go still further toward healing the
disappointment and, if il must be said.
toward moderating the heat of your am
bi,ion.
You grow up, however, unfortunately
as the college years fly by, into very
exaggerated sense of you own capacities.
Even the good, old, white-haired squire,
for whom you had once entertained so
much respect, seems to your crazy, clas-
sic fancy, very humdrum sort of per.
sonage. Frank, although as noble fell
low as ever sat horse, is yet-you cam
not help thinking-very ignoi ant of Eu-
ripldes even the English master at DR..
Bldlow's school, you feel sure, would
balk at dozen problems you could give
! him
| You get an exalted idea of that uncer-
tain quality which turns the heads of a
vast many OF your fellows, called-ge-
MUS. An odd notion seems to be inher-
ent in the atmosphere of those college
chambers, that there is certain faculty
of mind first developed would seem
In colleges-which accomplshes what
ever it chooses without any special pains
taking. For a time, your fall yourself
into this very unfortunate halluoination ;
you cultivate it after the usual college
fashion, by drinking vast deal of strong
:, coffee and whisky toddy-by 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
Autumn has rounded your hopeful Sum-
mer, if not before, that there is no Genius
in life, like the Genius of energy and in
dustry. You will learn that all the ira
ditions so current among very young
men, that certain great characters have
wrought their greatness by an inspi-
ration, as it were, grow out of sad mis-
take.
And you will further find, when you
come to measure yourself with men that
there is no rivals so formidable as those
earnest, determined minds, which reckon
the value of every hour, and which
achieve eminence by persistent applica.
ton.
Literary ambition may infame you al