Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-04-12
Advice to Boys.


give thing up because it was hard or
inconvenient to do it. If we want
light, we must conquer darkness.
When think of mathematics, blush
at the recollection of how often l
"caved in,' years ago. There is no
trait more valuable than a determina-
ton to persevere when the right thing
is to be accomplished. We are inclined
to give up too easily in trying or un-
unpleasant situations, and the point I
would establish with myself, if the
choice were again within my grasp,
would be never to relinquish my hold
on a possible success. if mortal
strength or brains in my case were ade-
quate to the occasion. That was
capital lesson which Prof. Faraday
taught one of his students in the lee
ture. room, after some chemical ex-
periments. The lights had been
put out in the hall, and by accident
some small article dropped on the floor
from the professors hand. The pro-
fessor fingered behind ,endeavoring to
pick it up. "Never mind,'' said the
student. "1t is of no consequence to.
night, sir, wheter we find it or no."
''That is true,'' replied the professor :;
''but it is of grave consequence to me,
as principle, that l am not foiled in
my determination to find it, Perse.
verance can sometimes equal genius in
its results. ':There are only two crea-
tures,' says the Eastern prcverh,
''WhO can surm0unt the Pyramids-
he eagle and the snail.''
If were a boy again. would school
myself into habit of attention often
er. l would let nothing come between
me and the subject in hand. would
remember that an expert on the ice
never tries to skate in two directions
at once. One of our great mistakes
while we are young, is that we do not
attend strictly to what we are about
just then, at that particular moment.
We do not bend our energies close
enough to what we are doing or learn.
ing. We wander into a half interest
only and so never acquire fully what
is needful for us to become master of
it. The practice of being habitually
attentive is one easily obtained, if we
begin early enough. I often hear
grown-up people say: 81 couldn't fix
my attention on the sermon, or book,
although l wished to do so.' And the
reason is, a habit of attention was
never formed in youth. Let me tell
you a sad instance of a neglected pow.
er of concentration. A friend asked
me once to lend him an interesting
book, something that would enchain
his attention; for he said he was los.
ing the power to read. After few
days he brought back the volume, say.
ing it was no doubt work Of great
value and beauty, but that the will to
enjoy it had gone from him forever,
for other matters would intrude them.
selves on the page he was trying to
understand and enjoy, and rows of fig-
ures constantly marshaled themselves
on the margin, adding themselves up
at the bottom of the leaf.
If I were to live my life over
again, I would pay more atten-
tion to the cultivation of memory. 1
would strengthen that faculty by every
possible means and on every possible
occasion. 1t takes little hard work
at first to remember things accurately;
but memory soon helps itself and gives
very little trouble. 1t only needs early
cultivation to become Il power. Every
body can acquire it. When was a
youth, classmate of mine came to me
with a long face and told me that he
was in danger of being supplanted in
the regard of a young person of the
gentler sex by smart young fellow,
belonging to another school, who was
daily in the habit of calling on the
lady and repeating to her from men,
ory whole poems of considerable
length. "What would you do 7" sigh
ed the lad to me. "Do?" said I. 81
would beat him on his own ground and
at once commit to memory the whole
of Paradise Lost, book by book, and
every time the intruder left Amelia's
house would rush in and fire away |!
Depend upon it," I said, "she is
quite taken by surprise with tho skill
full memory of her new acquaintance /;
and you must beat him with surpass.
ing feats of the same quality" "Oh :
but" said my friend, Il have, as you
know, a very poor memory "The
more reason now for cultivating that
department of your intellect,' re-
joined. "If you give way to idle re-
pining and do nothing, that fellow
will soon be seated in your place. I
should not wonder if he were now at
work on Thomson's Seasons for his
infamous purpose. Delay no longer !;
but attack John Milton after supper
tonight, and win the prize above all
competition - Ezekiel began in good
earnest, and before the summer was
over lie had memorized the whole of
"Paradise LOST rehearsed it to Anne.
liza, and gained the victory.-lJ. T..
Fields.
Routes to the Black Hills.