The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-07-25
Letter TO Boys.

Success in life may be compared to q
door with u peculiar lock, capable Of
being opened by several keys, some of
which work easily, while others being
inserted with difficulty and requiring
unusual strength to turn, must he tried
many times unsuccessfully. Frequent
ly some of the keys slip out or stick
fast, so that the holder, wearied and
disappointed, turns away in discour-
agement.
lam about to give to boys and young
men an account of one of the keys
which will never fail if the one using
is of good moral character. 1t is this :
Never take second step until you
have mastered the first. l shall try to
make this seem important by explain
ing its operation.
Take an example from arithmetic.
Every well arranged arithmetic pro-
ceeds from one step to another. First,
you learn the names and meanings of
the figures; then to add them next
you subtract; afterward you multiply,
and fienally you are taught to divide.
Can one perform q sum in addition
who does not know the names and
values of figures? Can any one multi
ply 339 by 526 who cannot add? Can
anyone do a sum in long division who
cannot subtract? But he who learns
these in their order can do any of them
at any time.
The more perfectly thing is learn
ed, unless learned correctly, the more
certain one is to fall into serious error.
Suppose one had learned the multi
plcation table correctly except that he
supposed five times five is twenty.
seven. He might then take situation
to calculate prices and make change.
He might do his work splendidly for q
while, but the moment five times five
would come in he would be wrong.
and that would throw him out in every
part of his work !; for if he had multi
piled five by five and called it twenty
seven. and had occasion to multiply
that by seven, he would have fourteen
too much. and so in any addition.
Apply this to recollection and under
standing. We remember by attaching
what we are learning to what we al
ready know but if we are wrong, we
have spoiled even our memory of
something new, and reasoning is
worthless.
You propose to learn q trade but if
you take second step without proper
ly performing the first, you will be en-
tangled. Neither the second nor first
will be right, for your work as whole
will show defect. This is true, also,
of any kind of business or profession.
Many a young man has lost his situa-
ton at the time when he was doing
his best because he was making some
mistake, the result of not learning cor
rectly something which he thouget he
had mastered many weeks before.
In reading book never turn to q
new page until you are sure that you
understand and can tell to yourself
what was on the last page. Better
wait six days before the second step
than to try to take it before the first is
understood.
1t took me long while to learn this.
7 had an impatient mind that saw into
things more or less clearly anywhere,
and depended upon this. One day
discovered that in the absence of u
book l could do nothing with a certain
problem in algebra. When I turn to
the book 1 found to my sorrow that 1
had to begin many pages back of the
one upon which this problem was ex-
planned, and slowly approach, re-study-
ing what | had only glanced ut before
in order to comprehend. Now | am
sometimes a month reading Il book
that, 50 far AZ seeing what the words
are is concerned, l could read through
in two hours.
This system will open the door of
any trade, business, or profession you
may wish to follow. Others may run
faster than you for while, but when
they are thrown by net of their own
weaving, you will be steadily advanc-
ing to success.
Try this perseverngly, and it will
wonderfully help you.