306 ON MEDICAL EDUCATION xn 



minding " and going on to the next thing to be 

 done, to be the most important of all policies in 

 the conduct of practical life. It does not matter 

 how many tumbles you have in this life, so long 

 as you do not get dirty when you tumble ; it is 

 only the people who have to stop to be washed 

 and made clean, who must necessarily lose the 

 race. And I can assure you that there is the 

 greatest practical benefit in making a few failures 

 early in life. You learn that which is of inestim- 

 able importance that there are a great many 

 people in the world who are just as clever as you 

 are. You learn to put your trust, by and by, in an 

 economy and frugality of the exercise of your 

 powers, both moral and intellectual ; and you very 

 soon find out, if you have not found it out before, 

 that patience and tenacity of purpose are worth 

 more than twice their weight of cleverness. In 

 fact, if I were to go on discoursing on this subject, 

 I should become almost eloquent in praise of 

 non- success ; but, lest so doing should seem, in 

 any way, to wither well-earned laurels, I will 

 turn from that topic, and ask you to accompany 

 me in some considerations touching another 

 subject which has a very profound interest for 

 me, and which I think ought to have an equally 

 profound interest for you. 



I presume that the great majority of those 

 whom I address propose to devote themselves to 



