The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-04-03
4 SSlfControllsd Youth.

xOu08 uQeu 90 0OG 1e8uZ0 - tueY
should the importance Of early forming;
habits of self-control and seH-denial,
Not few men of genius have been
wrecked because they did not learn in
youth to deny themselves temporary
pleasure for the sake of permanent
benefit.
When John Quincy Adams was but
fourteen years of age, he was selected
by Francis Dana, United States Minis
ter to Russia, as his private secretary.
Boy though he was, young Adams re-
sisted the SOCIAL pleasures of court life
at st. Petersburg, that he might give
himself to his official duties and to the
study of Latin. German and French,
and to q course of English history.
Subsequently he resided at Stock
holm and at Paris. In both of these
gay and dissolute cities he was his own
master. But instead of yielding to
social temptations, this boy of eighteen
resolutely continued at his studies.
While hard at work in Paris, his
father, John Adams, was appointed
minister at the Court of St. James.
London's literary aad social privileges
would have been opened to the son OF
the American minister. His father
would have been pleased to have
had him in his family. The tempta-
tions to remain abroad were many and
strong. But the youth turned his back
upon them all, and decided to return to
the United, States and fit himself to
earn his own living. He wrote in his
diary:
IF I accompany my father to Lon
don, my satisfaction would possibly be
greater than by returning to the United
States; but I shall loiter away my
precious time and not 60 home until /
am forced to it.
my father has been all his life time
occupied by the interests of the public.
His own fortune has suffered. His
children must provide for themselves.
II am determined to get my own liv-
ing, and not to be dependent upon no
one. With tolerable share ofcommon
sense, hope, in America, to be indie
pendent and free, rather than live
otherwise, I would wish to die before
my time"
We have italicised several lines of this
entry, because we would call attention to
the fact that this boy of eighteen reso-
lutely put aside congenial pleasures to
become self-reliant and self-supporting.
He was rising lawyer when, at the
age of twenty seven, the president ap-
pointed him United States Minister at
the Hague.
He filled the place. His official du.
ties were thoroughly attended to, and a
little of his time was given to those So
cial duties which his position imposed
But most of his leisure hours were en-
ployed in studying diplomacy, the
English and Latin classics, and the
Dutch and Italian languages.
At night he reviewed the day. and
censured himself if any duty had been
omitted. At the close of every month
and year he took an inventory Of his
moral and mental stock, to determine
whether he had gained or lost.
In 1909, Mr.. Adams became our min
lister at the Court of st. Petersburg.
He found himself in the midst of splen-
dor. Court life was full of entertain
ments, and magnificent banquets were
given by the foreign ministers. But
Mr.. Adams continued to live in simple
style, as befitting his small salary and
more becoming the representative of the
Republic.
Merchants urged him to accept loans
of money. He refused the offers,
though the temptation to an expensive
style of living amounted almost to COM
pulsion. II will live within my in
come, and I will not anticipate my sal
ary," he said, with Spartan firmness.
Mr.. Adams simple style Of living
kept him in good health and gave him
leisure to indulge his thirst for knowl-
edge. Yet the days seemed too short
to the student who studied astronomy,
mathematics, Plato, Demosthenes, So
crates, Eschines snd Cicero.
Il feel nothing like tediousness Of
time, he wrote in his diary. Il suffer
nothing like ennui. Time is too short
for me, rather than too long. If the
day was forty-eight hours, instead Of
twenty-four, I could employ them all. "
Our purpose will be served: if We
shall have induced one young man to
initiate John Quincy Adams self-reliant
and studious habits. The country, the
churches and society need thousands Of
such self-reliant youth. Com
panion.