The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-01-12
PERSEVERANCE.

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 What fault did Mr..
Stanton find with youp"
"Oh, he said did not speak distinct
ly enough, nor make good gestures, nor
recite the piece as though cared much
about it, said Harry. .'Anyhow,
said it as well as any Of the boys would
any except Frank Colby" he added,
after minutes thought.
"Woud he say it betterP" inquired
grandfather.
why, of course he would" said
Harry. "Why, he is the best speaker
in the class. Mr., Stanton Away:
praises him
''And why are you not the best speak.
er in your clasp asked grandfather
''Could not you do as well as Frank il
you triedpn
81 suppose l could" admitted Harry,
"but ! should have to work hard
Whatever is worth doing is worth
doing WE'LL" returned grandfather
''and | do not believe you would have
to try so hard to speak well as the man
did who wrote the orations in this
book, y and grandfather put his hand
on the volume he had Just been reading.
"Who was hep" asked Harry.
"Dcmosthenes, replied grandfather,
ssthe greatest orator of Greece"
"Why, OF course. he could speak well
il he was a great orator." said Harry.
at 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 shattered dreadful
ly, and some writers say that he Isped
so that he could not pronounce the let
ter r.
II don't see how he could ever have
expected to become an orator, then,
said Harry. II should have given up
in despair"
'Those were not all of his troubles -
said grandfather, who always remem-
bered everything about the Greeks SC
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 boy. '.Demos-
themes made some very awkward gest-
ures, and he had bad habit of shrug.
ging up one Of his shoulders while ht
was speaking"
"Why, what a time he must have
had!' said Harry. "How did he be
come an orator.
"By persevering," said grandfather
"The Greek boys used to mock him and
call him Batalus, which meant the ef
Terminate, but Demosthenes, in spite o.
his feeble body, was determined to be sue
cessful. So, to strengthen his voice, hi
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 noise
Of the waves. He practiced his gestures
before looking glass, SO as to correct
oil tTTOrS, auu Hc uuuS n sharp sWOTC
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 deal Of pains he took" sale
Harry.
"Well," said grandfather, demos
themes showed his perseverance in We
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 practicins
day and night in oratory. At sucf
times he would shave one side of hi
head. SO that, even if he felt like run
ming out away from his studies, he woult
be too much ashamed of his appearance
to do So
''What did he study?' asked Harry.
HE studied Thucydides' history /
great deal,'' said grandfather. lone
writer says that Demosthenes copied
this history eight times over with his
own hands, and another writer says
that be learned it all by heart SO as t.
be able to rewrite it from memory whel
the manuscript was accidentally de
stroved.'
.Well, did Demosthenes really sue
ceedpn asked Nellie. from the corner
where she had been SO quiet that no ont
had no siced her,