The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1886-03-05
THE POWER OF WILL.


One of the longest-remembered lessons
that the great Benjamin Franklin ever
received from his uncle, who was also his
tutor, and which helped to make him the
man he afterward became, was the
showing what might be done by the
untiring energy of the will in the right
direction, strengthening the good inn
pulses and controlling the bad. "To
do a thing at all times and seasons be-
cause our consciences tell us that it is
right, whether it suits our inclination
or not, is matter of stern duty; and
duty" he said to the boy, "always de-
mands more or less sacrifice on our
part"
He told him also how to make work
pleasant and how to be rich, how to
get money and how to spend it, and,
above all, about the "still, small voice"
II want to make u man of my name
sake" he said to his mother one day,
"and have first taught him that he
must either work, beg, or starve! Then
l showed him how to make work pleas
ant, that the produce of his work be
the means of future comfort to him.
and how, by putting his heart into la
Dor, he would tighten the slavery of
work, and above all how to put his will
into every good impulse. | want to
teach Ben to get money rather than
want it or beg for it. To get it with
honor and dignity, to husband it with
honor and dignity, and, what is more,
to spend it with honor and dignity"
Each day Uncle Benjamin drew his
lesson from some occurrence of life
around him, and upon this occasion he
spoke of the life of Peter, once Emper-
or of Russia, whose untiring energy OF
the will working in unison with the
heart, rendered the heaviest labor
light, and gave him capacity for en-
durance almost insensible to suffering
and fatigue.
Young Ben had heard him discussed
in general way before, when the
chapel deacons had dropped in to talk
with his father, but as yet he had never
dreamed that that same Peter was 6
King, who somewhere had worked as {
common shipwright. OF course at the
mention of his name, the lad was al
attention as his uncle proposed to mar
rate the story of his marvellous will ant
| purpose.
The old man began by telling hin
that at ten years of age Peter came tt
the crown of Russia, but Sophia, Queer
| regent, his half sister, made every ef
fort to keep him as ignorant as posi-
BILE as well as to make him idle ant
vicious, by putting the worst tempta
tons in his way and keeping all mean
of instruction and refinementfr from him
This she did that she might keep he
brother longer from the throne am
render him unfit for royal power.
But rude and ignorant as Peter wa
at seventeen, he burst through the re
gents control and took the very gov
ernment into his own hands. Thoug
uneducated, he had what was eve
better, a strong, persistent will, whic
enabled him to educate himself an
give him firm reliance upon his ow
powers.
The mechanic King had not only a
instinct to conceive great things witt
out special training, but will ths
gave him zeal to undertake them, er
durance to labor for them and coul
age enough, come what might, to ma,
ter them.
When Peter accended the throne Ru
sia had no seaport but that of Archal
gel, on the banks of the White Sc;
and to give ships and commerce to h
country was the one all-absorbing ol
ject in the boys mind.
Hardly was the crown on his hea
than the bold young Gar determine
to create fleets and harbors, trade M
manufactures, arts and schools for Il
whole nation.
Peter was no ordinary youth, Unc
Ben went on to say, and instead of sc
ting the people to work in buildir
ships he resolved to learn how to bui
them himself, and instead of havir
masters he went in as a common shi
wright, and worked with his ov
hands, living and faring like his fello
mechanics, his crown laid aside for
paper cap.
Will is the greatest power in man,
we shall see. Peter travelled to the "
great maritime countries of the tim
first to Holland, then to England, al
worked in the dock-yards of Amstt
dam and Deptford as an ordinary shi
builder. He longed in his heart
make his country great commerc
nation, and this was the way he W
; doing it.