Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1857-02-12

young men have los, the last m,
, ment of their existence in this maj
ner But / would have you cast ,
I way this tomorrow, and adopt in il
stead today, nOv, this Ue'y naon,en
Then direct your effort at once {
there should be any of you who hav
! not already done so) to the attain
ment Of an education. Be not dis
couraged, or turned from it by petit,
impediments. There may be man,
obstacles to impede you but give no
back to nobly resist then
and they will yield to you, Rise a
boye them and they will sick be
meath you. You may say that yor
are poor and that your opportunities
of going to school are quite limited
/ Well, be it so. II is a blessed thing
that knowledge is not confined to
school-houses OF college walls. II
you must labor in the day time for q
subsistence, make good use of the
study then. Ifyou have not
candles to burn, there is plenty OF
wood, and you can make torch light.
7 ere are many iIlustrious examples
of men who have TINS encountered
these difficulties and triumphed over
them-men who have arisen to pow
er and influence and have exercised
a great and controlling influence up
on the affairs Of men. But in order
thus to net, | would say possess your
selves with indomitable spirits. Be
not daunted nor overcome by diff
culties you will have thousands to
meet; and every triumph will but
render the next victory more easily
achieved. Then make your plans
for study with calmness and deliber-
alton; but when made go forward with
All invincible determination to exc
cute them. Much might be said as
to how you should study, &c. But
upon this point have time 10 make
only suggestion or two. You
should always endeaver to gain clear
and accurate ideas of what you are
studying. Do not satisfy yourselves
with half-iormed indefinite ideas.-
Habituate yourselves TO holding
your minds upon a subject till you
have matured it; at least till you
have gained as correct views as is
possible under the circumstances
yourselves 10 investiga-
zion. Whatever thoughts subject
may suggest--take hold of them
and trace them out in their connec-
tions and dependencies as far as pos
sible. Ask yourselves at every step
you go why, why, such is the case,
achy this is SO, and this, and this,
and SO on till you can trace it no
farther. BY this process of think
ing, you will not only be enabled 10
gain knowledge much faster, but it
will be more valuable when obtained.
You can then investigate a subject
with more ease and thoroughness.--t
In this way you will link your
thoughts together, and form COM
plete chains. And when you take
hold of a link you will necessarily
have in your possession the whole
chain. 1t will be as poet beauti-
fully described it
Lulled in the countless chambers of the brain
Our thoughts are linked in many hidden chain
Awake butone and 10! what myrads rise;
Each stamps its image as the other flies.
must here be permitted to warn
you against very great error into
which boys and young men frequent
ly fall. 1t is that of imagining you
know great deal. Or rather feeling
that you know it all. When this
idea once takes thorough possession
of the mind other thoughts have but
a poor chance to enter. Perhaps
the well known fact in Natural Philos-
ophy that two bodies cannot occupy
the same space at the same time, will
also account for this phenomenon.
Be this as it may, the fact is undeni-
able that whenever you form such
exalted opinions of your attainments,
your improvement will in a measure
cease. One of the necessary con-
ditions upon which we receive instruc-
ton with profit is to feel sensibly
our great poverty of knowledge
And let your attainments be what
they may you should feel that, com-
speaking you know moth
ing. This humble opinion of your
own requirements, will cause within
you hungering and thirsting after