Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-04-18
A SeIrControlled Youth,

A Self Controlled Youth.
Young men do not realize as they
should the Importance of early FORM
ing habits of se1f-control and self-de-
NAL. Not a few men Of genius have,
been wrecked because they did not
learn in youth TO deny themselves .
temporary pleasure for the sake of q
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 wa his own.
master. But, instead of yielding to
social temptations, this boy of eighteeA
resolutely continued at his studies.
While hard ut mental work in Paris,
his father John Adams, was appointed
Minister at the Court of st. James
London's literary and 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 temptations to-
remain abroad were many and strong.
But the youth turned his back upon.
them all, and decided to return to tho
United States and fit himself to earn his
W living. He wrote in his diary:
'lfl accompany my father to Lon
don, my satisfaction would possibly be-
greater than by returning to the United
States; but l shall loite7 aauay my prec-
tous hme and not go home until 1 am
forced to it. My father has been all his,
lifetime occupied by the interests of
the public. His own fortune has suf-
fered. His children must provide for
themselves. am determined to get MAJ,
iiuing, and to be dependent upon no ono.
With q tolerable share of common!
sense, l hope in Americato be independ-
ent and free. Rather than lice other
wise, I mould Wish to die before my
time"
We have italicised several lines Of
this entry, because we would call at-
tention to the fact that this boy Of
eighteen resolutely put aside congeniak
pleasures in order to become self-reli-
ant and self-supporting.
He was a 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
oificialduties were thoroughly attended
to, and q little of his time was given to,
those social duties which his position
imposed. But most of his leisure hours
were employed in studying diplomacy,
the English and Latin classics, and the
Dutch and italian languages. At night
he reviewed the day, and censured him
self if any duty bad been omitted. At
the close of every month and year he
took an inventory of his moral and mem
tai stock, to determine whether he had
gained or lost.
In 1909, Mr.. Adams became our Min
tier 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 vera
given by the foreign Ministers. But
. Mr. Adams continued to live in a sim
pie style, as BETTING his small salary
and more becoming the representative
of the Republic. Merchants urged him
to accept loans of meney. He refused
Cne OHers, LhOuSn Cne temptation 10 an
expensive style of living amounted al
most TO compulsion. II will live with
in my income, and 1 will not anticipates
my salary" he said, with Spartan firm
ness.
Mr.. Adams simple style. ofliving kept
him in good health and gave him lefs-
ure to indulge his thirst tor knowledge.
Yet the days seemed too short to tho
student who studied astronomy, math-
ematics, Plato, Demosthenes, Socrates,
Eschines and Cicero.
81 feel nothing like the tediousness Of
time" he wrote in his diary. 81 suffer
nothing like enmu5. Time is too short
for me, rather than too long. If the day
was forty-eight hours, instead Of twen-
ty-four, Icould employ them ALL"
Our purpose will be served, if We
shall have induced one young man to
initiate John Quincy Adams s%elf-re-
light and studious habits. The coun-
try, the churches. and society need thou
sands of such %self-reliant youth
YOUTHS Companion.