A STUDIOUS BOYHOOD 11 



of will which refused ever to recognise obsta- 

 cles. A manly letter written to his father and 

 cited by M. Vallery-Radot, his son-in-law, in 

 the fine work which the latter consecrated to 

 him, La Vie de Pasteur, reveals to us the frame 

 of mind in which he pursued his course in 

 philosophy. He had disowned his talent for 

 drawing, and scorned the reputation of por- 

 trait painter which had followed him to Be- 

 sangon; for he wrote, "None of this leads to 

 the Ecole Normale. I would rather stand at 

 the head of my classes than receive ten thou- 

 sand praises flung out superficially in the course 

 of current conversation. We shall see each 

 other on Sunday, my dear papa, for Monday, 

 if I am not mistaken, will be the day of the 

 fair. If we go to see M. Daunas (his profes- 

 sor of philosophy) we can talk to him about the 

 Ecole Normale. My dear sisters, I recommend 

 to you once again to be industrious and to love 

 each other. When once we have acquired the 

 habit of work we can no longer live without it. 

 Besides, work is the thing upon which every- 



