22 



THE COLLECTOR'S MONTHLY. 



exhaustible. To the mass of men, and 

 especially to those who are about em- 

 barking on the voyage of active life, no 

 theme can be of deeper interest than this. 

 Never before in the history of the world 

 was competition in every calling so fierce 

 as now ; never did success demand for its 

 attainment such a union of physical and 

 intellectual qualities as it does at the 

 present time. Carlyle truly says, 'The 

 race of life has become intense ; the run- 

 ners are treading upon each others heels; 

 Woe to him who stops to tie his shoe- 

 strings." Nearly every proffession is over- 

 stocked, and the only chance of success 

 is for the man of single ability to climb 

 to a lofty position over the heads of a 

 hundred others. It was Webster, having 

 been asked if one could succeed in law 

 when there were so many lawyers in al- 

 most every town, who replied, "There's 

 always room at the top." 



To succeed in life, one should always 

 make the most of their leisure, for the 

 moment once passed is gone forever. The 

 time spent by many in idle fancy, would, 

 if concentrated upon a single line of study, 

 make them masters of almost any one 

 branch of the sciences. Hugh Miller found 

 time while pursuing his trade as a stone 

 mason, not only to read, but to write 

 cultivating his style till he became one of 

 the most brilliant writers of the day. 

 Franklin stole his hours of study from 

 his meals and sleep, and for years, with 

 inflexible resolution, strove to save for 

 his own instruction every minute that 

 could be won. 



Again, if one would be successful in life, 

 they should do their work well, for it is 

 good work that is always in demand. 

 Said Charles Dickens, "Whatever I have 

 tried to do in my life, I have tried with 

 all my might to do well. What I have 

 devoted myself to, I have devoted myself 

 to completely." Longfellow has defined 



the talent of success as nothing more 

 than doing what you can do well, with- 

 out a thought of fame. And so it is with 

 every calling in life, if a person would suc- 

 ceed, he must devote the whole stream of 

 his activity, towards the accomplishment 

 of some desired end. 



There is a very foolish idea advanced 

 by some, that mere intensity of desire, 

 can give intensity of power. As well 

 might the tortoise hope by intense striv- 

 ing to run as fast as the grey hound, or 

 the monkey to acquire the strength of 

 the elephant. Dry den says that, "What 

 the child admired, the youth endeavored, 

 and the man acquired." 



All experience shows that it is the na- 

 ture of genius to labor, and it has been 

 Baid that nienty per-cen t of what men 

 call genius, is a talent for hard work. 

 Facility of every kind comes by labor. 

 Nothing is easy that was not difficult at 

 first. The way to learn a lesson is to 

 read the same dozen pages over and over 

 till you know every word in them. Well 

 has the poet said, that, 



"The noblest undertakings 

 Mens wisdom hath conceived. 



By oft repeated effort 

 Hath been patiently achieved. 

 A humorous person once thought that 

 the reason why Nature is so perfect in her 

 art and gets up such inconceivable fine 

 sunsets, is that she has learned how at 

 last, by~dint of doing the same thing so 

 very often. — The Spartan youth who 

 complained to his mother that his sword 

 was too short, was told to add a step to 

 it, and so must scant capacity be increas- 

 ed by redoubled diligence and a more 

 earnest determination. 



Again, it is quite true, that seme of the 

 most successful and influential men of the 

 present time owe their success chiefly to 

 luck and circumstance. A high spirited 

 and popular leader lately illustrated the 

 matter thus, "When I look around upon 



