The Irish standard., 1899-01-21
The ART OF GETTING ON.
An Address by John u. O'Brien to the
st. Paul Crusaders.

An Address by John u. O'Brien to the
st. Paul Crusaders.
Attorney John D. O'Brien. of st. Paul,
delivered an interesting address on The
Art of Getting On before the Crusad-
ers' Society last Sunday week. Among
other things he said:
THE art of arts is the art of living,
the art OF getting on in the world. Yet
Of this most important art there are no
professors, no schools. 1t is an art
learned usually in the university of the
world. Nevertheless, the art includes
many principles that may be readily uil-
derstood, readily put into practice by
any young man of fair intelligence. He
should learn that health is of prime I'M
portance to success. Temperance, it's
true, is of prime Importance to health,
and the lesson of temperance you have
learned. But see that your health is
not neglected. It's been said that be-
tween crazy head and crazy stomach,
the crazy head should be preferred. Ma
poleon lost the Russian campaign and
the imperial crown through irresolution
brought on by fit of indigestion. And
Abernethy, the celebrated physician,
was not far wrong in declaring that all
diseases are caused either by 'fretting or
by stuffing' IL
BE careful of yout PERSONAL appear
ance. Even in choosing a dog you would
be favorably impressed by smooth
coated animal. Dress is foolishly ig-
nored by many men. Don Quixote
rightly advised sancho Panza. Old Po-
lonius showed his experience of the
world when he advised his son The APP
parel oft proclaims the man. With dress
comes manners. Cultivate ease, cour-
tesy, but shun mahncrisms. Eccen
trio movements of the hands, feet, face,
are very common, and are lightly re-
garded by some. But such affectatons
produce powerful aversioks. l almost
ordered man from my Office once be-
cause he insisted on paving my knee for
emphasis when he spoke.
"Beaconsfields diplomacy sayorcd too
much, perhaps, of duplicity. He main
tanned that flattery was the open sesame
to mems esteem. Yet Il man may GER
tainly be honest in his tact, sincere in
his praise, and the absence of tact ruins
the lives of an honorable multitude.
Now, what do you suppose thought of
client to whom ] related recently my
various little ailments, and who sympa-
thtetically replied, "Well, O'Brien,
don't think you look any worse than
usual The man meant we'll, yes.
he meant WE'LL
'Then, if one is to get ON he must
avoid stubborness and pride, and bow
reasonably to the opinion of other peo-
pie. The permanent opinions of the
world are usually correct opinions.
Even temporary opinions, if held nv
many men, are to be respected, if not
accepted, because Of their supporters.
Now, all these things arc to be learn
ed outside of schools, and are more val
liable when put in practice than all YOU
| can learn inside the sell Mr.. Re-
gan, your state president, has appositely
quoted Cardinal Newman's opinion that
university without faculty but where
young men dwelt together and freely in
terchanged opinions, would be more
useful by far than a university where
individuals received the most advanced
sciences from the lips of the most re-
nowned professors. Because the car.
dinal's ideal university would teach in
a measure at least, the art of living. Nor
should you forget that this is not the
only generation that has been interested
in education, nor are our universities at
all novel. In Ireland, in the fifth CEN
fury, the universities taught more stu
dents than do now Yale and Harvard
combined, and sent those students out
as teachers for France and Italy, for all
Europe. But none Of these universities
have taught much Of the, nrt of living
in the world of getting on, and no
sight is sadder than. that of a well
meaning, Intelligent man doomed to
continuous failure because of disagree
able mannerism. because of a lack Of
tact, because of a neglect of some of
the really practical, Important. yet SIM
pie rules of everyday conduct"