The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-12-27

tanned; ana as an Introductory 10
what We are about to say of him,
We copy the following little poem
for the boys TO learn, for the next
time they have to ''speak piece"
at school:
THE CORAL GROVE.
''Deep in the wave Is coral grove,
Where the purple mullet and goldfish
Where the sea-fower spreads its leaves Of
| blue,
That never are wet with the fallen dew;
But IN bright and changeful beauty shine
Far down in the green and CLASSY brine,
The floor is Of sand, like the mountain
DRIFT,
And the pearl-shelIs spangle the hinty
From coral rocks the sea-plants lift
Their boughs where the tides and bill
lows flow.
The water is calm and still below,
For the winds and the waves are absent
there;
And the sands are bright as the stars that
In the motionIess fields Of upper air.
There, with its wavy blade of green,
The sea-fiag streams through the silent
water
To blush like 4 banner bathed in
| slaughter.
There, with light and easy motion.
The fancoral sweeps through the clear,
deep sea,
And the yellow and scarlet tufts OF the
| ocean
Are bending like corn on the upland lea;
And life in rare and beautiful forms,
| Is sporting amid those bowers of stone.
And is safe when the wrathful spirit OF
storm
Has made the top OF the waves his own"
We doubt not some of your faith
ers and mothers read this years ago,
when they, like you, were but 'lads
and lasses" attending school; and
doubtless il will call up very pleas
ant memories from the goneby days,
as you sit by the fire and read it to
them tonight.
But our object in copying this
was not so much to give your par
ents a peep into their youthful days,
however agreeable that might be
to them, as to tell You what sort
of a man he was who wrote such
beautiful poems, for this is but one
out of many of almost, if not quite.
equal beauty.
James G. Percival when a lad was
situated as presume many of you
are that is, he was the son of par
ents who were not wealthy, and he
had the same things to contend
with that you have, yet he became
one of the most learned men of this
or any other country. He graduated
80
st the age of twenty, and at the
age of twenty-five finished his
course in medicine. For time he
practiced his professor, and then,
quitting this, he became a teacher
of science, but afterwards left this
that he might cultivate his taste for
polite literature. He soon became
noted among authors, and SO dis
tinguished as phi,ologist that men
themselves of high attainment in
that department of knowledge, pro-
nounce him to have been without
an equal. He gave to some portions
of Webster's Unabridged Diction-
airy moro than two years labor, and
that of the most valuable kind
work, indeed, that no one in this
country, except himself, could be
found at that time to do. In fact he
was ono of the most learned of hu-
man beings. One of his co-labor-
ers, q man who occupied till his
death-which occurred not long
since-a place among the first rank
of scholars, declared of him that,
"He seemed to possess the very
spirit of intellectual acquisition. He
was a poet, chemist, musician, bot
anist, astronomer, linguist and geol-
ogist, nor was he o mere dabbler or
superficial smatterer in these var
led departments of knowledge, but
in each and all he was so thoroughly
accomplished that his proficiency in
any one of them would have made
most men eminent"
Yet-and here, boys, is where
"the point comes in"-he became so
fine scholar simply by improving
the leisure that he could make for
himself in the midst of the active
duties of life. In other words, he
improved all his time. Nor did his
great learning lead him to neglect
work whenever he had it to do. He
was State geologist successfully of
Connecticut, Wisconsin and Illinois,
and as an illustration of his consci-
entiousness in the discharge OF
duty 1 need but say that in making
the survey of the first State men,
toned, he examined, personally,
every one of the 1870 square miles
in the State, and this after he had
made the general survey called for
in his contract with the State and
for which his salary was intended.
But he lost nothing by all this. for
he won the love of oil who knew
him. And so much did he love his
old homes and haunts, inconsistencies
fastened his death, which occurred
in Wisconsin. L have said nothing
of such unlovable traits of hi char
acter as he possessed, because it is
that part of his life which is worthy
of praise I would have you initiate.
Then look out sharp for the min
utes, boys, for it is by improving
them that mon become wise.