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in some degree is just, who one-half so keenly as she suffers the an- 

 guish of the bitter reflection, as she mentally exclaims, " Roll back 

 thou tide of years, and let me find my innocent babe in the cradle 

 once more, that I may commence anew, by the help of One mightier 

 than T, the formation of that character upon whose fair brow must 

 be indelibly written failure or success!" What a fearful responsi- 

 bility rests upon the mother! Shall we not then, with renewed 

 energy, devote ourselves more exclusively to the work of instilling 

 in the minds of our children lofty views of life and destiny? Be 

 constantly ringing in their ears Longfellows's grand psalm: 



" Life is real, life is earnest. 



And. the grave is not our goal; 

 Dust thou art, to dust returnest, 

 Was not spoken of the soul." 



When this initiatory work has been faithfully performed, where 

 precept has been enforced by example, a successful life is the reason- 

 able outcome. There are those in the world possessing many 

 elements of mental superiority in whose minds the rank weeds of 

 neglect have been allowed to grow unchecked. We find them sit- 

 ting idly about, dreaming and talking of what wonderful things they 

 might accomplish had they only been blessed with the genius of this 

 one, or that one, not seeming to know that genius unassociated with 

 labor wins no exceeding great reward, while labor is sometimes mis- 

 taken for genius. Alexander Hamilton once said: '"Men give me 

 some credit for genius. All the genius I have lies in this: When I 

 have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly; day and night it is 

 before me; my mind is pervaded with it. Then the effort which I 

 make the people are pleased to to call genius: it is the fruit of labor 

 and thought." There is much of truth in this. There are grand 

 possibilities within our reach, which can never be attained without 

 labor. Labor, united with genius, gave the world the soul-ins])iring 

 strains of Milton, of Cooper, Bryant, Wadsworth and Longfellow; 

 through the tears of sensibility we have felt their power. Labor 

 united with genius lifted up to the gaze of admiring Italy the 

 bold master strokes of a Michael Angelo, a Guido, who coveted the 

 wings of an angel that he might soar away to the paradise of God, and 

 thereby be the better inspired to form an arch-angel which might 

 cause the dull canvas to grow and expand into real life and glory! 

 Labor, hand in hand with genius, produced the celebrated picture of 

 the '' Transfiguration," at which Raphael, in whom was combined 

 sculptor, painting, and the gift of song, is said to have worked the 

 night before his death. Labor and genius have thrilled the world 

 with the grand sym]thonies of a Beethoven, Wagner, Mozart, Handel, 

 Mendelssohn, The Swedish nightingale was lifted up from the 

 ashes of obscurity, and the culture of her wonderful gifts brought the 

 song-loving world to her feet. Labor and genius, to be successful, 

 must go hand in hand, while wealth and genius are seldom found in , 

 companionship. 



