Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-06-13


which they can feel so sure that it has been
accompanied by so few drawbacks. The
victories Of mature life, in whatever
sphere of action, are for the most part
gained with effort, disputed while their
novelty remains, and admitted only when
with their, novelty, whatever enjoyment
they could bring, has for the most part
passed of. 1t is not so with those whose
success we recognize to-day. They may
feel glad, and perhaps little proud, of
what they have done. But let them recol-
cct rs caution, and let the losers also
recolect by way of encouragement, that
IN early success, although it gives II lad a
good start, it gives him little else; that the
race of life is u race which tests endurance
more than speed that some Of the most
hopeless failures in mature years have
been Of the dashing, brilliant, clever young
fellows who seemed Mt school and college
to carry everything before them; and that
the slow, plodding lad who seems to have
nothing in his favor, expect dogged de-
termination to 20 on, often comes out bet
ter than either he himself, or any of his
friends expected. There occur to me the
cases of two men onein my own personal
recollection. the other belonging to the
preceding generation, who rose in due
course to fill some of the highest offices in
the state, and filled them not unworthily;
who were mt college, us have been inform
ed. almost the habtual objects of good
naturcd ridcule among their acqupntances
for what was considered to be their slow
ness of comprehension; and, on the other
hand, | really should not like to inquire
for, though an interesting piece OF social
statistics, it would be very painful one
how many high wranglers at Cambridge,
and tirst-class men ut Oxford, how many
winners, in their day, of prizes and schol-
arships, have seen their boats 90 down
when they have pushed out into the rough
open sea of the world, and are now pain
fully struggling for bare subsistence, per-
haps at 4ome wretched literary hackwork,
or possibly keeping sheep in Australia and
doing odd jobs for an employer who very
likely can neither read nor write.
Now, the moral wish you to draw is
this: do not any OF you be disheartened
because you lhiuk yourself slow or stupid,
even though you may really ut present APP
pear to have good ground for the belief,
and do not, on the other hand any of you
he confident of the future merely because
you know or believe you have what is called
cleverness. If | were to tell you that in
my belief, that particular quality of in
tellect, quickness and sharpness is by no
means the first qualification for success
full career, many people would consider, in
these days Of competitive examinations,
that was wifltlly indulging in II paradox,
But believe it is the truth. Talent is the
edge of the knife which makes it penetrate
easily, but whether it penetrates deeply or
not depends quite as much on the force APP
piled to it rs on the sharpness of the blade.
What man really takes keen interest
in, he is seldom too dull to understand and
to do WE'LL and, conversely, when . man
does not care to put the best of bis brains
into a thing, no amount of cleverness will
enable him to do it well if it is thing of
any real difficulty or unless it is one which
he has trained himself to do easily by
much previous practice, in which latter
case he is really reaping, in present ease,
the fruit of past eXertion; living, so to
speak, upon the capital which he has ac-
formulated by early industry. The most
conspicuous instance of complete eflicicn-
| cy and success in active life recently wit
messed is that which was obtained by the
military organization Of Germany; and |
am told by those who ought to be the best
judges, that both among Germans them
selves and among other foreign critics, that
efficiency and success are ascribcd, not so
much to any extraordinary display of &C.
MUS or originality of design on the part of
some few individuals, rs to the generally
dtlused habit of minute and almost mi
croscopic attention to every detail of duty,
however apparently small, which has be-
come n tradition in that service.
l believe that everywhere the same re-
suit will follow from the same cause. But
to acquire and keep up in everyday work
that habit Of concentrated attention on de-
tails, two things are necessary-training
and energy. The training you can all give
yourselves; the energy which is necessary
to maintain it is in part, no doubt, a gift
of nature. Men possess it, to begin with
in very different degrees; but it may be
lost where it naturally exists, and it may
be enormously increased where it original
ly was but feeble. And in that connection
| it is important to notice how much de-
pends on what students and young men
are apt TO despise us below their notice.
mean perfectly sound physical condition.
Take two men, if they could be found, ex-
actly alike in mental and bodily aptitudes,
and let the one 90 on carelessly and idly,
indulging his appetitos, and generally lead
ing a life of what is called pleasure, and
let the other train himself by early hours,
by temperate habits, and by giving to
muscles and brain each their fair share of
employment, and at the end OF two or
three years they will be as wide apart in
their capacity for exertion as if they had
been born with wholly different constitu-
tions.
Without IL normal, healthy condition
there can, as II rule, be no good work, and
though that qualification cannot absolutely
be secured or preserved by any rules, Il
little common sense and care will 90 a
long way in securing and preserving it,
On that point l would give you these
hints: First, that it is not mental Labor
= which hurts anybody, unless the excess be
very great, but rather frettng and fdgot-
ing over the prospects of labor to be gone
through, so that the man who can accus.
tom himself TO take things coolly, which
is quite as much matter of discipline us
? of nature, and who by keeping well before
1 hand with what he has to do, avoids undue
4 hurry and nervous excitement, has a grea
advantage over one who follows n differ
; ent practice.
Next, would warn YOU that those stu
dents who think they have no time foi
Q bodily exercises, will sooner or later have
Q 10 find time for illness. Thirdly when al
t opportunity for choice is given, morning
work is generally better than night; ant
: lastly--a matter which should not stoI
Q to allude to but that know the dangers o.
] an over-driven existence in Il crowded towr
I If a man cannot get through his day.
: labor, of whatever kind it may be, with
out artificial support, it should be seriou.
n consideration for him whether that labor
t is fit for him at all.