. A fi IW . a ft i
THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
:jirti'','.iAl'LiJ.
Icc-tuallv, ii director of work rather than
n workman. Even his modesty, when lio
is nioiU'st, tends to foster Ills reliance mi
others rather than himself. All that ho
tries to ilo is dono so much bettor by those
who make It thoir profession, that liu Is
always tempted to fall back upon his pay.
Ing power as his most satisfactory and of.
fcetive force. II it bo dillloult
forari.i man to cntur the kingdom of
heaven, it Is also dlllloult for him lo so
cure that freedom from inlorruptiou
which Is necessary to fit him for his on.
trance into the Intellectual kingdom."
Tin1 above passage Is quoted from Phil
ip Gilbert llnmortun's Intellectual Life
ns bettor expressing our own thoughts.
It is a great mistake to suppose that num.
ev alone can give power to Ibe possessor.
The fact is that very frequently tho man
who counts his ships by Hoots and his
gains by millions, but who possesses but
little education and inferior mental pow
er, is made tho tool and slave of stronger
minds, poorer in gold but richer in men
tal endowments. Behold Croesus and hi
millions thus weilded for an evil purpose
without himself being conscious!
The man of great wealth has too many
interruptions to allow him to live tho in.
tcllectual life. lie must keep up his pa.
geantry on all occasions. Ilo must enter
tain a host of friends. lie must bo pres
ent bore and there on state occasions.
Ho must cater to a thousand desires and
whims of which tho man of moderate
means is happily ignorant. The chances
nro that no time will be left for Intellcctu.
nl work, and if there were, most likely,
his taste therefor would be stultified.
Beekford produced tho famous oriental
talo "Vntehk" in his youth, writing it at
one sitting occupying three days and
nights. This work is an evidence of the
possibilities before him in the Hold of let
tors, lie lived four-scoro years, and pos
sessed all the facilities which great
wealth could supply, or earth and sea
produce, yet ho never showed another ev
idi nee of bis genius. Tho dilllculty was,
he was too rich Tho author wo; have
just quoted says, ol him :
"He to whom the palaces of knowledge
all opened their golden gates even in his
earliest youth, to whom wore also given
riches and length of days, for whom a
thousnud craftsmen tolled in Europe and
a thousand slaves beyond tho sea (stated
as a fact.) what has this gifted mortal
lnl'l .,,... I.. ..! Pi. J. ..
mi iw ii asuiuuiv in ins power, as mo,
trace of his four-scoro years upon tho!
viii in r uiuy mo reminiscence oi a vague
splendor, like the fast-fading recollection
of a cloud that burned at sunset, and one
small gem of intellectual creation that
lives like a tiny star."
Do you remember the story of tho Ore
elan priuco whom Napoleon oonquorod
and threw into prison? Ilo complained
and grieved bitterly because his royal
limbs were dragged with iron fetters.
Napoleon, being informed of this, or
dered them to bo replaced with silver
manacles. When tho degenerate Greek
bobcld the glittering chains upon his
limbs, he wept for joy and contentedly
accepted his fate. O, bow many there
are like tho ignoble princoof Greece who
aro willing to prescrlbo the liberty of
their minds, and bind all the noblo aspir
atioiiB of their souls with golden fetters
in an etornal thraldom I Thousands at
whoso doors Plenty alts smiling nil the
year, und whoso garners burst forth with
the yellow gifts of Cores aro willing to
debase themselves, and blight their chll.
dron's dreams with silver chains.
"Anil when we hid Milieu to.voutli,
Slav en In tin' npcclnUK world's control,
Wit -IkIi ii loniiTiirowcIl to truth;
Tlmt world corrupt tint nohluxt riiul.
"Ahjoyoux hciihoiiI wlirn Dm tubal
Dare all tiling Imldl.v hut to liu;
Whon diouuht crc Hpoko Ik uucontliiuil,
And nmrkli' In tho placid eye,
'.Not m In Muu'h liitituror yunrH
When Mnn hlinnolr 1h hut a tool;
Whim Intfrett hwm.vh our hopun mill IViiro,
And all uiuhI hm, and hate liy itiht."
Perhaps If Byron had lived closer to
tho dream of bin youth, and had not suf
fered himself to be tarnished, and his
mind cmbltterod by tho "specious world's
control," he would not so boldly have af
firmed that the ""World corrupts tho noblest
soul." Ah, what a noble life his might
have been had he earnestly willed it sol
Then, foster tho dream of your early
manhood or womanhood. Let it bo con
slstent, practical. It should bo tho result
of thought, as well as of firm conviction
never of imagination. Lotyour aim be
noblo and daring. Place your ideal
self high up on tho eternal mountain.
Surround your head with tho Aurcolo of
gods. Seek virtue, seek power! A thirst
for power Is the noblest passion which
warms the breasts of gods or men, or
martinis the forces of the Wu.i. for con.
quest. But, on the other band, a burning
lust for power, at any cost, is a raging do.
man, a baleful deity upon wh.ise altar,
how often do honor, manhood, purity and
truth immolate themselves, consumed by
tho lurid fires over burning there! Then
gain thai power which will enable you,
like the groat French Cardinal, to wield
the sceptre of kings and dispose of the
diadems of princes that power over
self which will suller you, when duty
calls, to consign the traitor to his doom,
though once a friend beloved, but wlilch
also can melt in tenderness and love at
the cry of sullering, or tho sight of in
justice to tlie weak. Such a power can
make you a benefactor, a hero, a saviour
to your fellows.
CONCERNING SOME MINOR
MATTKHS.
The Country Parson justly classes as one
of the Tilings Slowly Learnt, the fact that
we have no right to be angry with any one
for his poor opinion of us. You have
written a book, perhaps. It is not much
and you know it is not. But what you have
dono you have done in singleness of heart
and with a sincere desire to help some poor
soul out of tho Slough of Despond into
which you once fell. It is well rccoived,
perchance, by most of the world and you
have sundry little notes of sympathy and
encouragement telling you of the good it
has dono to " hearts bowed down with grief
and care", and which you guard jealously
among your dearest treasures. But, one
day, there comes along some crabbed, dys
peptic critic, without ono drop of the milk
of human kindness, and declares your chor
ished book, your one ewe lamb, to be all
bosh the veriest nonsense that ever was
penned and yourself to bo an unmitigated
blockhead for supposing your book would
bo Immortal, (a thing you never did sup
poso), and winds up with tho extinguisher,
that there is nothing original in it and ml
vises you, if you happen to bo a woman, to
attend to your knitting, or your ledger, if
you nro of tho masculine gender. Now
your first unrcgenorato impulso Is to get up
and glvo that critic a good, sound thrashing
But you rolled that (hero Is a Day or Judg.
mont and concluding to leave him to his
future reward, carefully review your work
to see what grounds he has for his asser
lions. Which is Iho wiser courser
Indeed, it ought to be a matter of con.
gratulation to us all that wo have enemies.
A friend fears to wound, and however dis
interested, does not care to lose his power
over us by an Intimation that there Is any
thing In us offensive or that needs correction.
For it is a fact that we have a scarcely to bo
concealed avcrslon.and an instlnctlvedisllko
for the person who wounds our amour pro
pre by showing us our faults, though he do
It with tho utmost of consideration and
brotherly feeling. But an enemy or a mere
acquaintance has no such scruples, there
fore lie is likely, if ho bo upright and con
scientlous, to speak the truth from his
standpoint, and though we may chafe un
dor. his dissection wo have no right to be
angry with him. lie, no doubt, has some
foundation for his opinions. Even jf he bo
prejudiced and his statements even slander,
ous, It Is extremely foolish for us to get In
to a passion and give him additional rea
sons for his verdict. It were better rather
to consider the ground of his accusations
and betake ourselves to finding out what Is ,
wrong and trying to remedy tho evil. Thus ''
extracting honey from oven the bitterest
plant. It is by taking heed to the malice
of his enemies rather than to the counsel
of his friend that the wise man guides his
conduct and reforms his errors.
That prince of all squires, good Sancho
Panza, gives it as his opinion, that,
"Everyone is as God made him and oft
times a great deal worse," and lie might
with equal wit, have added, "and oftlimes
a groat deal better." If there is anything
for which wo, mortala, should render spe
cial thaiiKs, it is that while wo aro not
much in ourselves, we aro indeed some
thing of which much may bo m title .
Comparatively, wo aro of very little
worth, but wo have within us possibilities
of incomparable value. You have all ol
you doubtless hoard again and again of
that benighted heathen who debnted with
himself whether ho should make of his
block of wood, a god or t three-legged
stool. Every human soul is a possibility
capable of reaching the heights of tho
good or the depths of the evil, capable of
elevation to the best or of abasement lo
tho lowest. Every human soul bus just
so much force to bo expended in ono di
rection or tho other; if it is dammed up
at one outlet it must find another Cir
cumstance, or the 'grace of God,' call it
what you will, makes all the diftcrenco
b.ttweon human beings. This man is a
wreck because his tendencies toward evil
are the strongest motives of his life.
That man is a success because his will lo
do right was stronger than his disposition I
todowroni?. Tho nossibiliiics of both I
- -"o
were equal iho foundation upon which
they built the siructuro of thoir lives was
the same, and behold tho dlH'orencol
Yet, doubtless, each buildod as best ho
knew. Wherein lies tho blamo of the
one the praise of tho other? You and I
spend our lives choosing between two
evils. If you choose more wisely than
I, in just so much, is more made of you
thau of mo. Yet, so lightly poised is the
balance, that take away over so llttlo from
your power of judging, or add over so
HHlo to mine, and which is the bettor?
Of which shall most bo uide? The dlf.
forenco between us is of dogrco not of
kind. In the end, what I hnvo achieved
mny count as much as what has boon
mado of you, since, porchance, I hnvo
carried a weight in the race with which
you, happily, have not boon ladon. Most
is nindo of him, ho lives most, "who thinks
most, fools tho noblest, nets tho best," that
is in his power considering bis surround,
ings and I lie impulses of ills nature. Not
that Just as much can always bo mado of
ono man as of another, but that thu indi
vidual result will bo tho same. Nor, is
it plainly evident, can as much always bo
made of ono in the samo direction as can
bo mado of another, Mil each has that
within him which if properly trained and
directed, will show how much may bo
made of human nature.
For how much of tho good or evil in
our lives, you and I nro resposiblo, no one
can tell but the Ono who knows our in.
horitod tendencies, passions and disposi
tions, and the long.liukod chain of cir
cumstances which conspired to make our
surroundings what thoy aro. Yot it is ob
vious that wo aro answorablo for some of
the good as well as for somo ot the ovll
and have ofttlmes made ourselves n groat
deal better, as well as ofttlmes a groat
deal worse than God made us.
Voices from above, beyond, around' all
urge us to higher and nobler aspirations.
Thoy call to us, on every side, to rise nbovo
the groveling many, and mount to tho peaks,
on whose "every height there lies repose,"
for the favored few. Ever' page, every ser
mon, every word presses us onward. Vague
ly and indefinitely only too often, but
still onward to tho puro and true. Youth
is but too prone to dream dreams, and sco
visions. To aspire, to hope is as natural as
to breathe. To help the world's progress
to something grander and purer, to do some
thing that shall make men nobler and bettor,
to live that life shall bo brlghtor andhappi
or for Its presence, is the wild dream of ev.
cry young heart. "The world's progress,"
" moil, nobler and purer," " life, brighter
and happier " cant phrases all of them
have almost become, they slip so glibly
from the tongue, and sound so grandilo
quent on young lips. To how many have
thoy been
"Thought that hreathe,and words that hum,"
till the cheek glowed and tho very tears
flowed with the longing to do and to dare,
whatever the Fates seemed to declare ! lTow
many a young eye has seen in visions,
"That llht that nuvor wan, on eca or land
Tho consecration, and tho Pout's dream,'
till the nations that sat in darkness seemed
to come out of tho shadow and the Sun of
Righteousness to arise with healing on his
wings!
Youth would take tho world by storm.
But you are only one, what can you do
to make the darkness narrower ? You are
only one among the millions of tho world's
immortal souls, with all thoir untold poien
tialitios and unrcckoned possibilities.
What can you do, one among so many ?
"One cannot do the world's work but
ono can do one's own work."
That is so little. Of what avail is it?
Evil is'n monster and the burden of Sin is
laid upon every one. How long, bow long
before the world is purified !
"Thoy also servo, who only stand and
wait."
Yes, my friend, with never-wearying pn
tienco and everlasting faith wait tho dawn
ing of that sure light which shall herald
tho good timo comjug. All serving is not
tho doing of great deeds. Vaunted works
aro not most often those which servo tho
truest.
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