The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-01-05
WHAT PERSEVERANCE ACCOM-
PLISHES.

" 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 Hesperus'
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. ''Wh fault did Mr..
Stanton find with you?"
"Oh, he said did not speak distinct
ly enough, nor make good gestures, nor
recite the piece as though I cared much
about it, said Harry. "Anyhow, l
said it as well as any of the boys 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. Mr.. Stanton always
praises him."
''And why are you not the best speak
er in your clasp asked grandfather.
"Could not you do as well as Frank if
you tried?"
II suppose / could" admitted Harry,
Whatever is worth doing is worth
doing WE'LL" returned 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.
"Demosthencs, =" replied grandfath er,
"the greatest orator of Greece"
."Why, of course, he could speak well
if he was a 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
ly boy, and his lungs were weak so that
his breath was short, and he could not
get through 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, "
said Harry. Il should have given up
in despair"
Those were not all of his troubles, ~
said grandfather, who always remem-
bered everything about the Greeks 50
well that Harry once told his sister that
| they seemed as though they were some
old neighbors that grandfather used to
know when he was u boy. ''Demos-
themes made some very awkward gest-
ures, and he had a bad habit of shrug-
ging up one of his shoulders while he
was speaking"
"Why, what a time he must have
had!'' said Harry, Glow did he be.
come AN orator."
"By persevering, said grandfather
1.-THE Greek boys used to mock him and
call him Batalus, which meant the 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 wa.
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 declain
loud enough to be heard above the nois,
of the waves. He practiced hisgestures
before u looking glass, so as to correc
all errors, and he hung sharp sworC
above the shoulder that he was in tn,
habit of Struggling, so that if he hap
pened to move it. he would be pricked.'
"What a deal of pains he took" sail
Harry.
"Well," said grandfather, "Demos
themes showed his perseverance in we
another way. There was an under
ground cave that he used for his stud
and in which he sometimes spent tw
or three consecutive months practicinI
day and night in oratory. AT sue
times he would shave one side OF hi
mead. 50 that, even If he fel! like run