Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-10-22
Short Talks to Bows.

1on are attending school. or ought 10
De. Make business of it. Don't be
content with skimming over your lessons.
and picking up barely enough TO enable
|you 10 pass an examination with seventy
nVe or eighty points to your credit But
learn your lessons; deVour them: digest
them ana make them so much a part Of
your beng that you can apply them any
time, anywhere. AS naturally as YOU do
Your eyesight and power of locomotiop.
rms zone, tne passing of an examination
with score OF ninety-eight to one hun
dred VIII be a natural and easy task 1t
IS the patient and conscientious plodder
that not only captures the prize, but re-
Jams IN ms hoId OF IT after he has secured
H.. You know OF boy who started in at
school when you did. He knew almost
nothing. Every time he turned around
ne stumbled over something. The girls
jokes on him. He said little but studied
much, and when the examination papers
were returned he had more points tha1
any OF you, ana 1T was not the result Of
luck either. While you were pitying his
ignorance and thinking how much smart
er you We're than he. and kicking foot
balls ana riding bicycles (all Of which
believe to learn your lessons he was por-
ing over his books. and putting in every
minute to the best advantage. He will
keep right on working and plodding and
toiling until his school days are ended.
and then he will not stop He will very
likely 90 to work at trade. or in a store,
through college. He may never be able to
kick a football clear across the gridirOn;
nor break Il man S back in the attempt
to get the ball away from him; nor bat a
baseball away over the left fielder's head.
He may never be able to DO q mile in one
minute and fifty seconds on bicycle, nor
inhale the smoke of cigarette without
choking. but il is more than likely that
he will some day occupy a position where
you or some Of your chums will be apply
ing 20 him for a clerkship on the plea
that you were an old schOolmate Of his.
Such things are happening every day, and
it Is for YOU to say, in this great. free
country of ours. which of the positions
mentioned you will train for.
Get into the habit Of committing things
To memory; not merely your lessons but
poems. Orations, essays, literary gems Of
any kind. II You chance upon anything
that suits your fancy sit down and learn
il. Your memory Will soon become accIiS-
toned To this sort of treatment. and will
with continued exercise. begin TO write
down indelibly everything you read the
moment you set your mind upon II. until
as time passes it viii develop into a per-
feet scrap book. all pocketed. numbered
and indeXed. that Will, in after years
prove Il mine of wealth 20 YOU. For de-
pend upon II, no matter what particular
calling you may choose as Your lie work
there will surely come. a time when tV-
cry decent thing you ever committed 70
memory Will come in play. and you viii
be glad YOU learned il. During the eXer-
else OF these mental gymnastics. you Will
need some mental recreation. Select some
good story book. something with spice
and snap. and life in III Have it where
YOU can lay your hands on it when YOU
are waiting for dinner. or at odd times
when it is too Wet for tne playground
and your brain is weary Of study. Read
If only Few pages. and then remember
az mark the place and return the book to
its place. About ali the reading OF books
that some truly great men do is on just
this piecemeal plan. And il Is dstoniSh-
inr what 4 vast amount Of reading one
can do in this manner Of simply filing in
th, moments that would otherwise be
wasted. OF course. YOU are reading the
papers every day. Not the murder trials
and divorce suits and sporting news alone.
national affairs. This advice does not
mean that you should be old men before
your time but simply that YOU should
make a business OF life while a boy, as
vou surely must when YOU are a man.
and as YOU must then relax occasionally
so il Is Goubly important that you do so
now. while you are growing ana develop
ing physically as Wen as mentally. Wnen
YOU play. put your whole soul into il. Do
your best to excel while a play as you 90
when at study. BE fair and manly on
the playground as you expect 70 be as a
business man in after years. Never COM
promise yourself to gain a temporary aG-
vantage. but stand up Squdrely and bold
III. bur always kindly and fairly. for what
YOU believe To be the right. Thus YOU will
gain the respect of all fair minded asso-
ciates and cultivate u habit and prin-
ciple that will stand you in good stead A {
every turn you may make in the years
10 come.-The American Boy.