Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-01-29
For

The greatest trouble with our youth
is, they know too much; and it is
not until their great knowledge be-
comes whitfield down little, that
their true manhood begins to present
itself. 'Tis not a diamond plated
youth, or those with a gilded surface
who always make the smartest men !;
remember that. Some of our great
est men are those who grew up in
ragged suits. A stylish stove-pipe
hat can cover very little brain but
tbs a mighty poor brain that cannot
make itself manifest under a poor
hat. Do not for a moment imagine
that | consider a youth without brain !;
far from it. Some of them have
more brain than common sense.
This is why a youth from twelve to
fifteen IS apt. to imagine that his
father is the greatest man on earth.
and himself the next.
Youth is apt to be proud and vain
glorious without cause. Now exces-
sive vanity, and unlimited pride,
hate; and if l have any one fault to
find with youth it is, because they
wear too much silver plating over a
brass surface. Pride, says Webster,
is inordinate self-esteem. This is
true; but when self-conceitedness is
added, it is one of the worst diseases
a youth ever had. An intelligent
brain, and self-conceitedness seldom
go in partnership together; when
they do, half of the intelligence is
lost. This is why so many a youth,
apparently smart, appears ridiculous
in the eyes of older people; their
self-conceitedness exceeds their in
telligence. | rather a man would be
proud of me for what | am, than to
be proud of myself for what | am
not. Pride covers the faults of an
individual in his own mind: but al
ways leaves them open for the in
spection of others. When a man in
humble station shakes hands with me
to-day, and then by some chance
elevation In fortune looks down with
scorn upon me tomorrow, / look
upon that man as elevated a little
above his natural level. Pride. of
itself, is a diamond of the first wa
ter; but when improperly used, is
nothing but paste. Therefore. one
of the greatest lessons for our youth
to learn is, how to distribute pride so
it will be agreeably accepted.
Youth is ambitious; and ambition
is good thing. Ambition is an in
ordinate desire to be something that
you amt. Ambition is reaching be-
fore after those things which lay
behind-uncertainty. Ambition is
centering the whole soul upon some
particular object, which, in the ma
jority of cases is never gained.
Reaching the hight of ambition is
like climbing a creased pole; you
must use grit to reach the top. All
youth are troubled more or less with
ambition. Some there are whose
sole desire seems to be to have their
face pictured on the front page of
some criminal paper. When this is the
hight of their ambition, they general
ly reach it. Good men aspire high !;
but if they have reached any particu-
lar hight, it is because they started
well in youth. Show me man who
has reached the hight of his ambition
and 1 will show you man who is
ever after running down hill. The
smartest men we have are those who
aspire to the highest round of the
ladder, and never quite reach the
top. Thank God for youth who is
ambitious if that ambition flows in
the right channel. DAVID HILL.