Improvement.
porlnut subject, you will not, can not fail
to arrive at true success. J. I'. A
Concentration.
I$y concentration we mean the act of
adhering to some dclinilc and well deliued
aim. One of the most important requi
sites to success at this period of advance
ment, is the directing of all one's ellotls to
one thing, then .steering straight through,
' allowing nothing to draw him from the
road which lie has marked out for the
jmiriiuy.
It has been said: "A great deal of the
wisdom of man is displayed in leaving
things undone, and a great deal of his
practical sense by leaving things un
known." The truth of this is inevitable.
The day for universal knowledge has
passed. .Man can no longer leap to fame at
a single bound. All can see at once the
fallacy of advocating universal education,
when they consider the complexity of the
work to be performed at the present day.
A man may have the most brilliant tal
ent, but if he attempts to excel in too
many things, his work will result in fail
ure. The steam thai is seen, as it slowly
and gently rises, expanding, tilling such a
vast amount of space, seemingly power
less, when confined in a boiler becomes a
giant force, causing the earth to tremble
when it moves.
"I$e a whole man at everything" was
the advice of a celebrated Englishman to
his son at school. Mathews bays: '"It is
just what distinguishes the shabby, half
hearted and blundering from those who
win victories." Wc have but to consider
the numerous failures resulting from the
lack of concentration lo concede the latter
.statement. At this period of strong com
petition, man should use his force in the
most cllcctivc and economical way, and
this is done by bringing all his power to
bear on one point. In speaiciug of the im
portauco of sticking to one one thing, wc
do not mean for a man to be simply
a teacher, or a preacher, and nothing
more, rather take in all that tends toward
his object, being careful at the same time
not to lose sight of the more important
items ly having a significant one too near
the eye. Switch oil" and travel dillerent
roads as long as Nicy lead to the same ob
ject, and thus have varying activities con
ducing to the same result.
lie, who would strike the world forci
bly must stick to one thing. In the vo
cabularies of stich men there is no such
word ais fail. Lord Chatham, in reply to
a colleague, who told him that, a certain
thing could not be done, repliud : " I tram
ple upon impossibilities." He, who
would succeed in his well chosen occupa
tion, must not start out in life's active
march expecting to glide along on the
merits of some one else, but it is necessary
that he should, rely on himself for his
knowledge and constantly renew his en
ergy, not too anxious for results, but learn
to be patieLt, for this in itself is a noble
quality, which few acquire.
How many at the present day fail to
complete our common college courses, be
cause they grow too anxious for something
else for which they are not prepared.
There was never, probably, a time in the
world's history when such thorough prep
aration for any profession was needed, as
at the present time. "The world," as Em
erson says, " is no longer clny, but rather
iron, in the hands of its workers and men
have got to hammer out a place for them
selves by steady and rugged blows."
II.
Improvement.
This is a subject upon which wc may
well pause and reilecl. This age is one of
improvement, yet while many great and
cultivated minds have been engaged in
this work there is still much need of la
borers in this vast and unbounded field.
Individuals make the nation, and in order
to facilitate its improvement socially, mor
ally and politically, we individuallj' must
look carefully to our own urnm-one
1-1
Jm&v
I,II1 M1W WMHI
--r -.-ffi