The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-07-10
Every Boy 70 His Bent.

cal friends, that a good cobbler had been
spoiled 10 make poor pefsoHF The eF-
preston told the whole story, and similar
story may be told Of many q mlsdlreellon Of
talent, Whole lives are wasted In painful
and lnbmious effort 10 be and 90 do some
thing for which nature never fitted the indi-
ylduas. This unfortunate working al cross
purposes with nature Il sometimes the fault
Of the man himself but oftener Of his pa
rents, who when he was a boy should have
asceriained his natural bent, and educated
him for profession suited 20 his capacity
and genius. Instead Of selecting the oeou-
pations Of their sons IN this reasonable way,
half the parents are governed by ialse pride
and ambition in the matter, and train their
sons Tor positions they wish to ace them
. ILL., rather than for those towards which they
show natural aptitude ant inelinalon.
Deacon Kelly, after a beautiful succession
Of daughters, had his prayers answered at
length in the birth Of a fair, bight-eyed boy,
The deacon was a man Of genuine hearty pi'
ciy, and he eonseerated his boy to God aud
the church, and saeredly set him apart to the
ministry b,fore he had spoken his first intel
ligible word, The boy grew up with the
conviction deeply Impressed upon him from
bis infancy that Il was 10 be his business 20
preach the gospel. lie accepted his mission
I as a matter Of destiny, and never for a mo-
ment INDUCED In the idea that he had any
right Of choice IN the matter. lie grew up
a good boy, pattern Of obedience aud Of
youthful pioty, Everybody said, the child
Of many prayers would answer the hopes Of
his good father and be distinguished ornh-
mcnt Of the ministry. The deaeons son went
To college and acquitted himself well in all the
pursuits, aud stoutly resisted all the allure
ments Of college life, and there his natural
bent first decidedly indicated itself. II soon
heer,r..-,.s sitie1l lil-t l,- nc,.i'rtz norlrttrd
task, aud Vet he was almost wholly absorbed
in the pursuit Of natural science. TO this he
gave his leisure, and about its problems we're
his thoughts exercised vhN mechanically
performing the required routine. lie oxhib-
ted none Of the capacities required in pub
lie speaker lie shrnnk from observation,
and dreaded nothing so much us the public
~ --."..-.;-- -.i.t 49, n.s'-'y ei"us ." "tttvi'
the college student gets his most valuable
trimming for the pulpit and the forum.
/ Were the dcocons prayers 70 be balked at
--t5yF7 The deacon had not begun to suspect
1t, The college professors had said to each
other. D." the boy viii never enter a pulpit yet
hc will make his mark in the world" But
~. a. had
thought of any possibility Of changing the
course marked out for him, and he was sent
to the theological school, where he perform
ed his allotted tasks as matter of duty to
his father and the church. and then studied
his mVoritc sciences with all the zeal and &c
yotion OF an irresistible passion. At length,
Just as his theological course was about to
terminate, the fact for the first time broke
upon him that he could not be preacher,
that his heart was wholly given to another
work. The announcement came 10 his pious
father like the blast of doom. II toppcd
over at one crash the great fabric Of life, for
he had lived and laborcd and prayed, and de-
MED himself and stintcd the education of his
daughters, that he might ft his only son for
the Christian ministry. lie could see moth
ing but ngratitude and wicked shrinking
from duty in this determination Of his son,
aud he wrote him letter full of reprooches
and cxhortations to repentance. He treated
him as if in discovering his natural genius he
had committed u monstrous sin, and was
about to imperil his sons salvation for the
sake of worldly ease and pleasure. Poor,
mistaken man he had never once inquired
whether his son were adapted to the pursuit
to which he had devoted him, and what was
really an act Of duty in tho son, an act of the
highest fidelity 10 his own nature and to the
eternal fitness of things, blamed and
treated as n crime, and though still pure
, minded and faithful, he was made to feel that
lrAs was an out-cast from home and that his
l presence brought only SORROW to those ht
loved and honored. The young man fed to
, New York and got some humble employ
r ment in chemical laboratory, but the re
4 y, oaches Of his father ard the doubts and
> struggles that grew out Of the unfortunate
= misdire ction of his early life soon UverPow
g cred 4 cnnslituiinn- -nainInlly delicate and Ia
3 came to an early grave We have often pic
tured the brilliant career that young Kelly
+. might have pursued, il only his original ben
4 had been studied by his parents and had HI
1 been allowed TO educate himself for the pur
suits for which nature had so evidently civ
II en- him eminent capacities.
q Half a dozen other instances from hf
\ ! occur to us in illustration of this common
c mistake. Esq, Webster would hear no pro
!, testations against the education of his oldes
3 boy, Tom, for his own business of manufactur
ing. Either Of the other three boys infnitel
e better fitted for the business by nature, bu
d Tom was the oldest and could be made soon