Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1885-09-12
SPARE MOMENTS.

In our national Mint much is saved
by the sweeping Of the gold room. We
are divinely taught by Him who could
multiply the loaves and the fishes to
any extent, to gather up the frag-
ments" so that nothing be lost. But III
no one thing is it more important to
gather them up than with reference to
our time, much of which many contrive
ways to kill and others allow to run to
waste. Time is one of the few things
of which it is wise and proper to be
covetous. We have many illustrations
of what can be done by improving it.
A very poor mountain boy who had to
cope with almost every obstacle in the
way Of an education, rose, gradually,
above them, one after another till be
became an ornament to our country.
He was so looked upon even in foreign
lands. An other, whose early struggles
have seldom if ever been surpassed,
surmounted all and obtained an honor
able position among the learned at
home and abroad. He allowed no
moment to run to waste. Doubtless
there have been other, similar cases
in our own land but they are found in
other lands as well as in our own. A
poorly dressed lad came, one morning,
to the door of celebrated teacher and
asked to see him. The servant, who
met him at the door, took him for a
beggar in want of a breakfast and
directed him to the kitchen. But no
said be 81 wish to see the teacher. Can
| see him ?" eff you must, you must, "
said the servant and she showed him to
the room where the teacher was. After
little chat the teacher found that the
boy knew something of Greek and
began to examine him in that language.
Every question was SO well answered
that the teacher, in amazement, ex-
claimed what my boy! Where did you
pick up so much ? He meekly replied
in my leisure moments. And he did
not seem to think he had done any
thing more than other boys might do.
He was hard working lad but had
almost fitted himself for college by i'm
proving his spare moments. A few
years later and this boy was known
all over the civilized world as Hugh
Miller. So much in his case for i'm
proving his spare moments We
have been looking into the history of
some other good and great men who
have lived to bless and adorn the
world. And the more we have looked
the more we have seen that. almost
without exception, they were the out
growth of the boys who improved their
spare moments. We wish to hold such
ones up for the benefit of those now
coming upon the stage. If one lives
to mature age it makes difference,
almost as wide as the world, whether
he improves his spare moments in trea-
surfing up useful knowledge or allows
them to run to waste. And the boy
who squanders those moments is not
likelySto do much better when he be-
comes a man, should he live to grow
up. On the other hand the boy who
makes the most he can of them will be
likely to do the same when he becomes
a man and not worse than waste them
by loafng around the corners, in the
stores and shops to the disgust of the
virtuous-the good who pass the one
or do business in the other.
/ venture to call The attention Of our
young people to the Importance of
improving their spare moments as these
long winter evenings come on. One
such evening for hard study, at home,
is better than all day at school. Time
is one of Gods most previous gifts.
"Than gold more precious" A dying
queen offered millions for an inch of it
but no amount of wealth could redeem
so much. r. T.