, 1877-08-04

Hclcn's Hall, Portland, Oregon, July
| 10th 1877;
"Fmnkln cited the proverb TINT a
diligent man should stand before kings,
as one which was eXcmplitied in his own
case. He was curcssed by Louis ANI.,
feared by George ILL.,, and lived on teIms
OF easy friendship with the heads OF
other powers that had combined against
England. And his prcemincncc he at
tributed entirely to his industry. And
no man conld have been more thorough
and careful OF little things than was
Franklin. A popular writer of our own
time says, with point See, tine con-
quering hero come" is an excellent tune
but before this he has had to march in
tie mud, pour over crumpled maps, ana
work vulgar sums after midnight, by II
tlickering lantern, in II g1sty tent
While you were snoring in n feather bed'
lie has slept on the ground in wet clothes,
and was up with the dawn for another
day of toll and peril. You would have
been, quite willing to share IN his
triumphs; would you as willingly have
shared in what went before! This is the
great mistake that 80 many people, es-
pecialIy young people, make. They "d'
mire and enjoy the flower and the fruit'
but the toll and care and patient watch
ing and waiting by which they are pro-
duced they would escape.
Before Rufus Choate had reached his
eleventh year, he had mastered the en-
tire contents of the public library OF his
native town, though it contained some
pretty ponderous works. Ever alter he
was toilsome and painstaking student,
and became man OF wonderful learning,
and distinguished master OF modern
eloauence. When he was U. s. Sena.
tor, and the foremost lawyer OF New
England, young man who had been
present at one OF his grand efforts before
u court and jury, was inspired with
desire to be- such u lawyer and advocate
as he was. He subsequently called upon
him and made known his purpose OF
studying law, and requested to be taken
into his Office. Mr.. Choate received him
and quietly set him down to read Black
stone. There he kept him, day after day
and week after week, till the young man
begun tolthink it was rather dry un-
dertaking He finally asked his instruc-
tor if there was no other was Oi being
great lawyer, than by such hard work.
Mr.. Choate replied hat there was none
that be knew Of Whereupon the would
be lawyer took his leave, and has never
been heard Of since. knew young
man myself, who had very much the
same idea. He told me he was going to
be lawyer, and had taken Clay and
Webster Tor his models, and wished to
get copy Of their speeches to study.
The common place studies OF grammar
scheol hc considered OF very little i'm
portance. II wanted to skip arithmetic,
geography, grammar, history, Latin and
Greek, and to start in with the eloquent
speeches OF Clay and Webster. His ca
reer In school was rather short one,
and the last heard OF him he was en-
gagged as scene-shitter in IL low theater
in California"
y
Little faithfulncss. 1t is all the
more necessary for us to contemplate
them, because it is not these in general
which men venerate or admire. We
praise the high, the splendid, the heroic;
we dwell on the great deeds, on the
glorious sacrifices. When you read how
the lady OF the house of Douglas thurst
her own arm through the bolt grooves
of the door and let the murderers Lreak
it while her king had time to hide; or
how the pilot OF Lake Eric stood un.
daunted upon the burning deck, and,
reckless ol the intense agony, steered the
crew safe to the jetty, and then fell dead
among the cracking flames; or how the
Russian sert to save his master and his
masters children, sprang out from the
sledge among the wolves that howled