The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1884-07-24
A Salfcontrollad Youth

u
= Young men do not realize as the,
should the Importance of earl
forming habits of self-c0ntrol ant
self-denial. Not few men of gen
: ius have been wrecked because the
did not learn in youth to dem
themselves a temporary pleasure TO
the sake of permanent benefit.
When John Quincy Adams wa.
but fourteen years of age, he wa.
selected by Francis Dana, United
States Minister of Russia, as his
private secretary. Boy though he
was, young Adams resisted the so
cial pleasure of court life at st. Pc.
tersburgh, that he might give him
self to his official duties, and to the
study of Latin, German and French
and to a 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 yield
ing to social temptations, this boy
of eighteen resolutely continued at
his studies. While hard at mental
work in Paris, his father, John
Adams, was appointed minister at
court of st. James. London's liter
ary snd social privileges would have
been opened to the son of the Amer
lean 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 the United States and fit
himself to earn his own living. He
wrote in his diary:
IF l accompany my father to
London, my satisfaction would pos
slble be greater than by returning
TO the United States; but l shall
loiter away my precious time and
not go home until am forced TO it.
My father has been all his lifetime
occupied by the interests of the
public. His own fortune has suffer
ed. His children must provide for
themselves. l am determined to get
my own living, and to be dependent
upon no one. With a tolerable
share of common sense, l hope, in
America, to be independent and
free. Rather than live otherwise. |
would wish to die before my time
We have quoted several lines of
this entry, because we would call
attention to the fact that this boy
of eighteen resolutely put aside con
genial pleasures in order to become
self-reliant and self-supporting.
He was rising lawyer when, at
the age of twenty-seven, the presi-
dent appointed him United States
Minister at the Hague. He filed
the place. His official duties were
thoroughly attended to, and 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 himself if any duty had
been omitted. At the close of every
month and year he took an invento-
y Vi liz 4aOihL t@4lNl SIOUX 10
determine whether he had gained or
lost.
In 1909, Mr. Adams became our
minister at the court of st. Peters
burgh. He found himself IN the
midst of splender. Court life was
full of entertainments, and magnifi-
cent banquets were given by the
foreign ministers. But Mr.. Adams
continued to live in a simple style,
as befitting his small salary and
more becoming the representative of
the republic. Merchants urged him
to accept loans of money. He re-
fused the offers, though the temp
tation to an expensive style of liv-
ing amounted almost to compulsion.
Il will live within my income, and
l will not anticipate my salary" 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
knowledge. Yet the days seemed
too short to the student who stud
led astronomy, mathematics, Plato,
Demosthenes, Socrates, Kschines
and Bicero. 81 feel nothing like
the tediousness of time" he wrote
in his diary. 81 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, 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 socie-
ty need thousands of such self-reli-
ant youth.-Youth's Companion.