Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1866-08-10

about early promise. .
Intellectual ntrepidity, rs it is one of
the most vital conditions of that eminent
success which people urgently desire for
their sons or their friends, is just that at
which man Of promise ordinarily stop short
of fulfIlment. With manful assurance
they march up to the fight, but discretion
suddenly steps in and freezes their intent.
Everybody understands what this means
in physical conflict, but not everybody
how the same thing may occur to men
who think Of entering the arena where the
contest is not waged with tho arm 81 flesh.
| We all admire the courage which enables
! n man to lead Lis men against battery or
to join forlorn hope, and We admit that
! such a virtue is the first essential of sue
cessful warrior. But we do not essentially
u, der,,and how much the same quality only
intellectual instead of physical, is needed
for i;:an who sits down to write the bis
tory of the Decline and Fall OF the Roman
Empire, or Of Modern Civilization, or who
asp'rcs TO he conspicuous power in the
political world, or to attain distinguished
success in sricnce or philosophy. Yet these
are the results too commonly anticipated in
the expression that so and so, under iive-and.
twenty, is person of great prmise; which,
being interpreted, means that he is indus
| trious and Of good morality, and decently
intelligent. That he shoplJ lie all this is,
as we have already sail, promising, but
only as far as it goes. II promises comfort
and good reru,e, and nothing else and
then the promise is not worth much, as a
thing to rely on, when we rchec. how Of
te'! :1e first Whit Of the world blows away
TIE surface habits cc youth into space.
making all clean and garnisIed for tho re-
ception of seven or some other number Of
devils and unclean spirits.
But exemplary conduct is not the only
thing from which promise is wrongly infer
red. 1t is equally common to find people
ni-taking ambition for capacity. The
strength Of the passion for fame is surpos
cd to lie some mcasarc of the intellectual
s:reng Ii required for gratifying it, and
foolish persons fancy that, if young man
only starts in life with sufficient vehe-
ment desire to get to the top Of the Tree,
lie cannot fall Bnt in a pointblauk way
nolcdy could lie taken in by the fallacy;
"ny people do not put things to themselves
in this way. We are always more or less
ready TO take appearance for reality liz mat
ters which do not concern ourselves person
ally in any very urgent degree, and to al
low people to Pass themselves off at their
own estimate. So if young fellow gives
one to understand, quietly of course, and
without traggadocio or blustcr, that he
has vehement dcs;re-and in the days
of youth desire is synonymous with inten-
tion-to rise to eminence in some given
line, one is disposed to give him credit for
possessing the ability which the attainment
OF his desire would imply. Hence he is
given out TO be man of extraordinary
pronise-promise in this case only mean
ing what his conceit and rash confidence
promise to themselves, "ud not what his
abilities justify.
After all, the Misunderstanding of what
constitutes promise is only branch of the
wider ignorance of the conditions of suc-
cess generally. DR.. johnson we think it
was who sad that youth always miscalcu-
lates two things-the value Of money and
the difiicultysu reaching eninence. Young
men disregard and waste the one, and they
think they can have the other by merely
Wishing and asking.
A GALLANT Soldiers SENT1MENTs.-
The Memoirs of the Confederate War; By
Colonel Heros Won Brock, Chief of Staff
for Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, which have had a
run through several numbers of Black
moods Magazine, are concluded in the lsat
issue (Juue) OF that renowned periodical:
The -followingis the concluding paragraph
ofHthe authors interesting Memoirs which,
doubtless, breathe the sentiments of many
gallant fellows who still survive the wreck
OF The Lost Cause x
Lees glorious army is no longer in exis..
tence. The brave men who formed it have,
after innumerable sufferings, bowed to the
enemy's power and numbers, and dispeped
to follow peaceful pursuits. But those who
have survived the fearful struggle for indie
pendence can look back upon a series of
battles and victories unequalIed in history
and every one of US will forever speak with