Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-01-30

Prof. HGuxley's address to the prize winners
Of Oxford University contest is full Of good
advice to Students and so suggestive to teach
! ers, that we give a few extracts:
Upon whatever career you may enter, in
tellectul quickness, industry, and the power
| of bearing fatigue are three great advantages.
! But want to impress upon YOU and through
| you upon those who will direct your further
! course, the conviction which entertain that
as a general rule, the relative importance of
| these three qualifications is not rightly est-
mated and that there are other qualities Of
| no less value which are not directly tested by
| competition. A somewhat varied experience
of men has led me, the longer live, to set
! the less value upon mere cleverDess to at
tach more and more importance to industry
and to physical endurance. Indeed, l am
much disposed to think that endurance is the
most valuable quality Of all for industry, as
the desire to work hard, does not come to
much if feeble frame is unable to respond
! to the desire.
Everybody who has had to make his way
! in the world must know that while the occa-
sion for intellectual effort of high order is
rare, it constantly happens that a mans fu-
ture turns upon his being able to stand sud
den and heavy strain upon his powers of
| endurance. TO lawyer, a physician, or a
]
work sixteen hours day for as long as is
needful, without giving up to weariness
! Moreover the patience tenacity, and good
hunor which are among important qualhca
| tions for dealing with men, are incompatible
/ with AL irritable brain, a weak stomach or a
defective circulation II any one of you
| prize winners were son Of mine and a good
fairy were to offer to equip him according to
/ my wishes for the battle Of practical life, l
should say, i do not care to trouble you for
any more cleyorness put in As much indus
| try as you can instead. and, oh, if you
| please, a broad, deep chest, and stomach Of
whose existence he shall never know any
! thing | should be well content with the
prospects of fellow so endowed
The other point which l wish to impress
| upon you is that competitive examination,
useful aud excellent AS il is for some purposes.
is only very partial test of what the winners
will be worth in practical life There are
! people who are neither very clever nor very
| Industrious not very strong, and who would
| probably be nowhere III an examination, and
who yet exert n great influence in virtue Of
what is called force Of character. They may
not know much, but what they do know they
know well. They may not be very quick,
| but the knowledge they acquire sticks. They
may not be particularly industrious or endur-
| ing. but they are strong of will and firm of
purpose. uudauntrd by fear of responsibility,
| singlc-miudcd and Trustworthy. In practical
life man of this sort is worth any number
! of merely learned and clever people. OF
| course do not mean to imply for moment
that success in examinations is incompatible
with the possession Of character such as
have just defined it, but failure in examina-
ton is no evidence of the want of such char.
acter.
And this leads me 10 administer, from
my point Of view, the crumb of comfort
which on these occasions is ordinarily offered
| to those whose names do not appear upon
the prize list. 1t is quite true that practical
life is kind of long competitive eXamina-
tion, conducted by that pedagogue. Professor
Circumstance But my experience leads me
to conclude that his marks are given much
more for character than for cleverness.
Hence, though l have no doubt that those
boys who have received prizes to-day have
already given rise to a fair hope that the fu-
turc may see them prominent, perhaps bril-
liautly distinguished members of society, yet
neither do think it at all unlikely that
among the undistinguished crowd there may
be the making Of some simple soldier whose
practical seuse and indomtable courage may
save an army led by characterless cleyerness
to the brink of destruction, or some plain
man of business, who by dint of sheer hon
esty and firmness may slowly and surely rise
to prosperity and honor, when his more bril-
liant compeers, for lack of character, have
gone down, with all who trusted them, to
hopeless ruin. Such things do happen.
Hence let one of you be discouraged. Those
who have won prizes have made a good be-
ginning those who have not may yet make
that good ending which is better than
a good beginning. No life is wasted unless
it ends in sloth, dishonesty, or cowardice.
No success is worthy Of the name unless it is
won by honest industry and brave breasting
of the waves of fortune. Unless at the end
of life some exhalation of the dawn still
hangs about the palpable and the familiar;
unless there is some traniformation of the
real into the best dreams of youth, depend
upon it, whatever outward success may have
gathered round a man, he is but an elaborate
al u,fg,ltax,N,,,