The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-02-07
PERSEVERANCE,.

Mr.. Stanton is too particular" as
serted Harry, as he laid down his school
books on the library table. "He made
me recite the Wreck of the Hesperls'
three times this afternoon, and now he
says that do not speak it well enough
to suit him. I'm tired of trying"
Patience and perseverance, conquer
all things" said grandfather, as he
shut his book. "What fault did Mr.
Stanton find with your"
sob, he said did not speak distinct
" enough, nor make good gestures. nor
recite the piece as though 1 cared much
about it," said Harry. "Anyhow, |
said it as well as any of the bows would;
any except Frank Colby" he added,
after minutes thought
Would he say it better?" inquired
grandfather.
"Why, of course he would,'' said
Harry. "Why, he is the best speaker
in the class. MIR. Stanton always
praises him."
"And why are you not the best speak
er in your CLASP" asked grandfather
Gould not you do as well as Frank if
you tried?"
81 suppose could" admitted Harry,
'but should have to work hard"
Whatever is worth doing is worth
doing WELL" efeturned grandfather,
land / do not believe you would have
to try so hard to speak well as the man
did who wrote the orations in this
book" and grandfather put his hand
on the volume he had Just been reading.
"WhO was hep" asked Harry.
''Demosthenes, replied grandfather,
"the greatest orator of Greece"
"Why, of course, he could speak well
if he was great orator." said Harry.
ut was not so hard for him as it is for
me-"
Eyes, indeed, it was.' said grand
father. "He had more difficulties in
his way than you have. He was sick
" boy, and his lungs were weak so that
his breath was short, and he could not
get through a defamation without
painting. Then he suffered dreadful
ly, and some writers say that he lisped
SO that he could not pronounce the let
ter R.
81 don't see how he could ever have
expected to become an orator, then, y
said Harry. 81 should have given up
in despair
Those were not all of his troubles"
said grandfather, who always remem-
bered everything about the Greeks so
well that Harry once told his sister that
they seemed as though they were some
old neighbours that grandfather used to
know when he was boy. '.Demos-
themes made some very awkward gest-
ures, and he had a bad habit of shruo-
ging up one of his shoulders while he
was speaking"
why, what time he must have
had!' said Harry. elbow did he be-
come an orator."
"By persevering, said grandfather.
1.-THE Greek BOYS used to mock him and
call him 'Batalus, which meant sthe eff
Terminate, but Demosthenes, in spite of
his feeble body, was determined to be sue
cessful. So, to strengthen his voice, he
used to run up hill, and while he was
painting from this exertion, he would re-
cite part of an Grafton or poem. In stormy
weather he would go down to the sea-
shore of Phalerum and try to deelaim
loud enough to be heard above the noise
OF the waves. He practiced his gestures
before lookingglass, so as to correct
all errors, and he hung a sharp sword
above the shoulder that he was in the
habit of Struggling, so that if he hap
pened to move it, he would be pricked."
"What deal of pains he took" said
Harry.
Well" said grandfather, demos
themes showed his perseverance, in vat
another way. There was an under
ground cave that he used for his study
and in which he sometimes spent two
or three consecutive months nracticing
day and night in oratory. 1t such
times he would shave one siGo of his
head, so that, even if he felt like run
ming out away from his studies, he would
be too much ashamed of his appearance
to do So"
''What did he studyp" asked Harry.
''He studied Thucydides' history a
great deal,' said grandfather. lone
writer says that Demosthenes copied
this history eight times over with his
own hands, and another writer says
that he learned it all by heart so as to
be able to rewrite it from memory when
the manuscript was accidentally de-
stroyed."
''Well, did Demosthenes really sue
ceedP" asked Nellie, from the corner
where she had been so quiet that no one
had noticed her.
"Yes," said grandfather. ''he sue
ceeded at last. When he was about