, 1881-01-07
Reserve Power,

o,most from the start, and to n super
ao;ol observer seemed likely to win the
Inrc But suddenly their stroke, hith
aT,o so impetuous, began to slacken and
Ionk distressed. Oxford moved victori-
ously ahead, and in spite OF the last des.
perate "spurts' of Harvard, maintained
her superiority to the goal and won the
rare. The secret of the victory was
ionnd in what Americans are so apt to
Jespise and neglect-reserved power.
Al the bar, in the Senate, i'll the pulpit,
in the fields of business, in every sphere
of human activity, he only organizes
victory and commands success, behind
whose van and corps Of battle is heard
tbe steady tramp of the army OF the re-
sarve, We must be prepared for the
nnexpected crisis and incredible emer-
sencies, Let us consider some Of the
Teasops why we should collect and train
the reserved force.
We notice first that it is the easiest
ami most economical way of conducting
tbe @ campaign of life. We live in an age
of "fast" men, Of steam and electricity,
telephones and monographs! People
travel by lightning lines, gong from
New York to Chicago in " hours, anu
across the continent in four days. The
cry on all sides is for "shOrt cuts to the
professisns. and science-made-eas
methods of intellectual culture SO the
student of to-day, instead OF toiling pam.
fully on foot up the rugged sleeps OF
learning, flies with lightning speed
along II railway track, finding every, cllh
tunneled and every valley bridgea'
The savage believes that every tune he
slays an enemy the spirit OF his dead
foe enters into him, and becomes added
to his own, and aocumulates Tor
succeeding struggles. SO when
We conquer q difficulty the spirit
ofthat difficulty enters into us transformed
into power; it adds to the minds reserved
force, lust US the resisting of one tempt
alton tends to disarm the rest OF its
strength. .... -, /.
|. Reserved power gives greater
force and effect to power in action.
Why is an authors second book so un-
readible? Because instead Of drawing
from living spring, he exhausts himself
and pumps himself dry in his first effort.
Nobody is thrilled by an exhibition OF
power that is evidently drained to its
yery dregs. The race horse that painting
and gasping first reaches the goal; the
bank that is drained by one days run;
the philosopher with one idea; tho hen
cackling over one egg; the student VINO
first escapes 'plucking,' the single speech
Hamilton, who never opens his mouth
second time in Parliament; the Sir
Egerton Bridges who writes but one
line sonnet, though it rivals Milton's;
H. n1anIa1 ly vote --N,nnb
provoke our sympathy rather than COM
mand cur respect.
Another advantage of reserved power
is, that when it cannot prevent defeat, 1t
will ut least save US from rOut and des-
pair We all remember the conduct of
Phil. Sheridan on certain occasion,
when he found his army retreating before
the victorious Early. "Oh, sir" said
the general in command, 1--WE are beatenE
"No, sir" was the reply; you are beat
en-, but this army is not beaten;' and
then seizing his forces as Jupiter his
thunderbolt, he hurled it upon the
enemy. We all remember, too, the case
Of Curran. He had defect in his
speech, from which he was nicknamcd
Suffering jack" and when he essayed
his first speech, the features OF his aud
ienco Wam before his eyes, the lights
seemed to glare numerically upon him,
his tongue Glove to the roof of his
mouth, and he sank iuto his seat, filled
with modification aud shame But he
knew his reserved strength, and when on
asecond trial he was ridiculed rs
ORATOR MUM,
A The very sarcasm stung him to elo-
quence he replied with triumphant
speech, and WAS able at last to charm
the fastidious ear of the House of Com
mons, and to make a corrupt bench
temble When Thoreau published that
unrivaled New England pastoral, "A
week on the Concord and Merrimack
Rivers" only three hundred copies we're
sold or given away, and the remaining
seven hundred of the edition We're re-
turned to him by the publisher. How
does he notice tho fact in his diary? II
have now," he writes in grim triumph,
"a library Of some 900 volumes, 700 OF
n which wrote myself. Nevertheless, in
n spite of this result, sitting beside the
81 kinert mass of my works, [ take up my
n ben to record what thought or expert
v ence | may have had, with as much salts
4'faction rs ever" Capital, in what
ever shape it may be accumulated,
| pecuniary or Intellectual is boarded
labor. Ii we wish our drafts to be hon
ored in the crisis, there must be daily
deposits in the savings bank. Tell me
how much has been your patient toll in
Obscurity, and L will foretell how far
you will triumph in an emergency. In
Gfe's school room each day recites les
son for which all other days were Il
Preparation. Our real work is not deter.
mined by lucky answers or brilliant
guesses at the truth, but by the reserved
force acquired by uniform diligence.
GLOW easily he writes!' exclaimed u
young lady as she laid down irving S
charming sketch Book" Had she said
How easy it is to read his books! they
Who know something OF the agonies Of
easy writing might readily sympathize
with her. The locomotive slips easily
along the track, but ten thousand men
.oued in quarries Of iron and coal, in the
bowels Of the mountain, in forests, in
machine aud cabinet shops, before you
Eould fly on the wings of steam at the