258 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



EVENING SESSION. 



The meeting- assembled at 7| o'clock, when D. II. Thing, Esq., 

 of Mt. Vernon, delivered the I'ollowing lecture on 



What Constitutes Success ? And How to Attain It. 



Mr. President: — It is the great end and aim of all men to 

 succeed, but the ideas of how that success is to be reached, or of 

 what constitutes the goal aimed for, are well nigh as numerous as 

 the individuals in whose minds they originate. A laudable ambi- 

 tion, yea, a heart-stirring, soul-moving ambition to succeed is 

 always commendable, and the individual who does not possess it 

 as one of the prominent and governing traits of his character will 

 be very likely to fail, in whatever enterprise or direction his eiforts 

 are put forth. By a laudable ambition I wish to be understood an 

 ambition and determination in the very heart and mind of the man 

 to fill just that place in the world in which providence has placed 

 him, and to fill it with the best possible acceptance to the divine 

 law, the law of the land, and to his own conscience. To do this 

 he is to be studious, industrious, temperate, frugal, saving, gener- 

 ous, (no contradiction of terras) must be honest with his own 

 family, with himself, and the community in which ho lives. He 

 must be honest with his family by providing them a comfortable, 

 and, so far as maybe, a tasteful abode; must furnish his wife 

 with the means by which to fill the place of the wife of such a man 

 .as I am describing, by keeping the larder well supplied, her house 

 •well furnished, herself well dressed »and furnished with "all those 

 /means of social and intellectual culture which are necessary to cn- 

 ; able her to fulfill the duties of companion, wife, mother and friend ; 

 Fhis children must have an education, must have social privileges, 

 •Lhe i>rivileges of the Sabbath and sanctuary ; must have access to 

 the best religious, literary, agricultural and political papers ; must 

 be clothed so as not to be ashamed to go into company with other 

 ■youths of their age ; must be educated to believe that, while they 

 conduct themselves as properly and make as good use of all the 

 opportunities and privileges for improvement within their reach, 

 ;they are just as good as anybody else, and must at the same time 

 be trained to habits of industry and economy. He must be honest 

 with himself, and by tliis 1 mean that after he has by dint of in- 

 dustry, energy and perseverance, compelled nature to remunerate 

 his honest toil, he is to turn round and pay his mind for thus 



