Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-11-14
LOCAL NEW S
Henrr Ward Beecher,. Lecture.

Henry Ward BeecheF's Lecture.
We had intended giving, this morning. from
our own notes, a more full abstract of Mr.. Beech
er's excellent lecture on Thursday evening, on
Success and Failure in Life" before the Lyceum
and Library Association, at Mechanics Hall
but finding the following good distract of the
same lecture. which Mr.. Beeche1 delivered in
Lowell on Wednesday evening, published in the
Lowell Courier of Thursday evening, we quote
the Courier's abstract, it being very faithful to
the original;
SUCCESS AND FAILURE IN LIFE.
This is the subject upon which propose to
address you this evening. 1t is fact that man
alone, of all the works in creation, is too apt to
fail of the grand ends for which he created.
The lion IN his honhood becomes perfect lion;
the bird comes forth from the egg a real, perfect
bird; the bee is ust as perfect when it first
spreads its wings ia the early Spring, as when it
dies IN Autumn; the vegetable world puts forth
flowers, leaves, and fruits in accordance with the
laws OF Nature, becoming just what Nature
makes them. But man is creature of charGc-
ter he requires training, and in life becomes just
what he makes himself by education. Has ma
ture lies in Just what education brings The an
imal creation ranks in orders. The worm is sim
ply worm, the bird a bird, and so on through
the whole order But in the human family, that
which begins the lowest, rsest the highest. The
helpless babe becomes mighty man yea, an
angel Of light or a fend cropping in darkness.
An uneducated man is not man in its true
meaning, Do not misunderstood me. do not
say that the ability to read necessarily implies
that is educated; simply because they do
not know how to use their knowledge. The ed
ucated man is he who can and does employ all
his powers and faculties in accomplishing the
great and varied designs and purposes of Provi-
dence. His mind must devise, and his hands ex-
ecute, the work to which he is called. More than
ninety per cent. is waste. We look with admir-
alton upon the ten thousand blossoms that adorn
the tIee, and when they fall and perish upon the
ground, We mourn not at their loss but look for
ward with JOY to the TpeLed fruit which can be
counted only by hundreds. Yet we reason not
thus with regard to human life. When the era
die rocks all is joyous but when it ceases we
are filled with sorrow. And how often it ceases
No gardener Trims out his plants so thinly as
human life is thinned by the Husbandman above
We are too anxious to begin where fathers
ended We think ourselves far ahead of our an
cestcrs in wisdom, and hasten to be rich OF great
at once. But we err. Any generation nherits
more than it generates. II we look into lie and
ask why so many fail, we shall find that failure
always results from not following the true law of
our being. What is success Is it where one
gains riches, honor, or powers BY no means. A
nay gain one all of these, and yet make
Are in life, simply because he does
hler faculties in the manage
use Of them Monied
' treasure is gone,
they al q to comfort
The aspiring and lof-
ty elm, winding II. E, and