Huntsville gazette., 1885-09-12

them now. on llfC weights TO strengthen
your hands; you do dry work to strengthen
the head; and remember that you must do
it; no one else can do it for you; as well
might you get some one else to strike the
sand bag or lift the weight which was to
strengthen your muscle.
Duties well done every day, and difficult
ties surmounted as they arise, grow easier
continually, and finally become lasting en-.
joyments
Never play cards for money. It is no
pleasure to win a fellow students money,
is always bad, and oftentimes fatal; never
acquire it.
Dress like gentleman; never be pecu-
liar or fashy, but dress as becomes you,
not as becomes some one else. Never talk
about your expenses or your money, and
never be ashamed to live with economy;
on the contrary, be proud of it. Your bus
iness now is to acquire knowledge, and you
need not be anxious to display yours, es-
pecially to older men; but always try to
learn of them.
Never say to another what it would be
unpleasant to have him say to you.
Remember that good manners are of
great Importance. Manners should be
frank and easy, with dignity.
Avoid fawning, toadying ways as you
would the foul fiend. Never fawn to a
prince or swagger to peasant. Be cour-
teous and manly everywhere and to every
body.
Let your manner be quiet; nothing is
more underbred than furried address,
with face wrinkled all over with grin
ming delight.
The courteous can express pleasure and
welcome with idiotic contortions, and when
these appear, whether in the son of a duke
or drayman, they are intensely vulgar.
You cannot have good manners In the
drawing room if your habitual manners
are bad; the habit will betray you; let the
habit be always good.
Far better that you look frigid even. than
that you degrade your countenance with
silly hilarity.
Be a gentleman, feel like gentleman,
and you will look and act like one.
Sometimes you will be neglected, and
your vanity may feel wounded. Never let
this annoy you; be absolutely sure that ID
due time all will come right, and that you
will have all the consideration which you
merit. No one can do you any permanent
injury but yourself. The world is so con-
stituted that it is not in mems power to
withhold respect from lofty character, real
ability and good conduct.
You may be invited to ball or a dinner
because you dance or tell a good story; but
no one since the time of Queen Elizabeth
has been made Cabinet Minister or Lord
Chancellor for such reasons.
The years of youth are short, and the
pleasures of youth perish in manly life.
Reputation, power and the consideration
which comes of ability, attainments and
good character are what the man from
thirty to seventy covets. Nothing but the
well-spent years of early life can secure
these.
I would keep you from no enjoyments
suited to your age which are not injurious
to your real happiness and future success.
You have health and a good constitution,
and you have no inherited tendencies to
any vice. It is easy for you to do right,
and it will be objectionable If you go
astray.
Irejoice to find that profanity is consid-
cred vulgar in England. During the two
years that l resided in England never
heard profane word from a gentleman.
Among the young men, slang seemed to be
abundant. 1 hope that it does not prevail
at the University.
Remember that when you are twenty
five you will desire what others value at
that age, and 80 at every stage of life. l
mean what the higher order of men value.
Live each year in the way which will
best fit you for the next year, and thus
you will lead happy life; life which
will secure to you the happier life to come.
You start with every advantage, but for
get not that yours are advantages suited
to America, not suited to England. No
one has superior rank or higher social po-
sition than you in America. In England
their ancient system of primogeniture and
title gives precedence and outward re-
spect, in a large degree, irrespective of
merit. 1t is not so with US, and am very
glad. Quarrel not at all with their sys-
tenn; they seem to like it. But never
covet it, and never commit the silly snob-
berry of pretending to prefer it to the sys-
tenn of your own country.
The social life of England is very charm
ing, and their plan of leaving all land to
the eldest son has built up vast estates,
adorned and dignified with castles and
halls filed with art and luxury and refined
taste; but all this is at the sacrifice of
many human rights which we value.
Nothing like this is possible in America,
and it will not always last in England.
The substratum of the English character
is solid, honest, truthful, and, in the main,
just. Our best traits are a heritage from
that race; but l feel quite sure that, with
all our faults, we are rapidly improving
upon our English sires, and that we may
become quite the superior people as
whole.
Feel always manly pride that you are
an American, and that your future is here
There is not in all historic time, a
grander record than that of the United
States. Before the nation was hundred
years old civil war broke out, and the
North alone had at one time more than a
million of armed men in the field, and the
South had vast armies also. After four
years of terrible war, more than 100000
soldiers were disbanded almost in a day.
They returned to the peaceful Industries of
civil life without a murmur. without dis
order and without crime. Under our sys-
tenn of government they had learned to
govern themselves. Even in the madness
of the conflict, when the President was as
sassinated, the Government moved on
without even ripple of disturbance. More
than three thousand million of debt was
created, and the paper money was in such
discredit that one gold dollar would buy
two dollars and seventy cents of the paper
But so soon as the war ended we went
bravely to work, paid off third of our
vast debt, and now paper dollar will buy
a gold dollar in any part of the country,
and our national credit is of the highest
grade. We have finished more than seventy.
five thousand miles of railway, revived
our industries, increased in population, and
our prosperity is such that our annual in
come is greater than that of any nation on
the earth.
I have letter from the Dean to-day, in
which he says: "Your sons improvement
has really astonished me-" Continue to
the Dean and delight me.
This shows thatyou have the ability, and
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