Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-05-27
IfI Were a hoy Again.

II we're boy again would practice per-
severance oftener, and never give thing up
because 1t was hard or inconvenient TO do it..
IL we want light, we must conquer darkness.
When think of mathematics blush al the
recollection of how often ''caved in" years
ago There is no trait more valuable than a
determination to persevere, when the right
thing is 10 be accomplished. We are all in.
olined TO give up too easily in trying or un-
pleasant situations, and the point would es-
tablish with myself, IL the choice were again
within my grasp would be never TO relin-
quish my hold on a possible success il
mortal strength or brains in my case were
adequate to the occasion. That was a capital
lesson which Professor Faraday taught one
Of his students in the locture-room after
some chemical experiment. Thelight had been
put out in the hall, and by accident some
small article dropped on the floor from the
professors hand. The professor fingered be-
hind, endeRvoring to pick 1t up. 'Never
mind, said the student ''it Is Of no conse-
quence tonight, sir, whether we find It or
no." THAT is true" replied the professor !;
''but It is of grave consequence TO me as a
principle, that am not foied in my deter
mination 10 find it." Perseverance can some-
times equal genius in its results. ''rhere are
only two creatures" says the eastern prov
erb, who can surmount the pyramids, tho
eagle and the snail !"
II we're a boy again would school my
self into a habit of attention ottener.
would let nothing come between me and the
subject in hand. l would remember that an
expert ON the ice never tries to skate in two
directions at once. One Of our great mis-
takes, 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 10 what we are do
ing or learning we wander into half-inter-
est only, and SO never acquire fully what is
needful for us 10 become master of. The
practice of being habituRlly attentive is easi-
ly obtained, if we begin early enough. Of
ten hear grown-up people say, 'I couldn't
fix my attention on the sermon, OF book, al
though l wished to do so, and the reason is
that habit Of attention was never formed in
youth. Let me tell you a sad instance of
neglected power of concentration. A friend
asked me once to lend him an interesting
book, something that would enchain his at
tention, for he said he was losing the power
to read. After few days he brought back
the volume, saying it was no doubt a work
Of great value and beauty, but that the will
to enjoy it had gone from him forever, for
other matters would intrude themselves on
the page he was trying TO understand and en-
joy, and rows of figures constantly mArshAled
NnGAu5cbcb Ou l1htkll, huultlK themselves
up at the bottom of the leaf
If were TO live my life over again would
pay more attention to the cultivation OF men,
ory. 1 would strengthen that faculty by ev-
cry possible means and on every possible oc-
casion. 1t takes little hard work at first to
remember things accurately, but memory
soon helps itself and gives very little trouble.
II only needs early cultivation TO become a
power. Everybody can acquire it. When
was youth, a classmate of mine came TO me
with long face and told me he was in dan
ger of being supplanted in the regard of
young person of the gentler sex by a smart
follow belonging TO another school, who was
daily in the habit of calling on the lady and
repeating to her from memory whole poems
of considerable length. ''What would you
do ?" sighed the lad to me. "Do?" said 1,
81 would beat him on his own ground, and at
once commit TO memory the whole of Para
disc Lost, book by book, and every time the
intruder left Amelia's house, would rush in
end FIRE away Depend upon it," said,
''she is quite taken by surprise with the skill
full memory of her new acquaintance, and
you must beat him with surprising feats of
the same quality" ''Oh, but" said my
friend, II have, as you know, very poor
memory :" "The more reason now for cul-
tivating that department of your intellect"
rejoined. "If you give way 10 idle repining
and do nothing, that fellow will soon be firm
ly seated in your place. 1 should not wonder
il he was now at work on Thompson's Sea
sons, for his infamous purpose. Delay no
longer but attack John Milton after supper
tonight, and win the prize above all compe-
tition" Ezekiel began ia good earnest, and
before the summer was half over he had mem
orized the whole of Paradise Lost" re-
hearsed it to Amelia, and gained the victory.
james 4. Fields "Under5ruSh."