THE ENTOMOLOGIST'S 
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
No. 72.] SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1858. [Price Id. 
PERSEVERANCE. 
The ‘ Life of George Stephenson,’ re- 
cently published, affords a most capital 
instance of the value of Perseverance. 
When talent and rank were alike hos- 
tile to the engineer, he wavered not, 
he doubted not of the result, hut per- 
severed through thick and thin, and in 
due time he saw his labours crowned 
with the most complete success. 
It will sometimes happen that a 
beginner will make a good start in 
life, hut after a time things go wrong, 
and unless well endowed with perse- 
verance he is very apt to despair and 
abandon the game, when a little per- 
tinacity, a little continuance “ through 
evil report and good report” would 
have landed him safely at the other 
side of this critical period. 
Fair weather will not last for ever, 
and the warm weather we shall have 
in the course of next April will be 
sure to be followed by some biting 
East winds, pinching off the half- 
formed gooseberries, and causing the 
shoots of the young peas to look 
rather as though they had been 
scorched. 
What is true of individuals is equally 
true of Societies: when a Society is 
founded it generally happens that its 
original members comprise amongst 
them an extra amount of energy, in- 
telligence and pluck : if some of the 
founders get called away to other 
localities, and the new members who 
supply their places are less energetic, 
less intelligent and less plucky, is it 
wonderful that the new-born Society 
languishes and seems, so to speak, in 
a bad way ? When this is the case, 
every individual in any way connected 
with the Society, or interested in its 
success, bestirs himself and does his 
best “ alere Jiammam,” and lo ! in a 
short time the poor thing that seemed 
so drooping recovers. But time must 
be allowed : Stephenson did not at 
once succeed, — it was only in due time 
that his perseverance was crowned 
with success. Therefore, let no one 
be discouraged or lose heart if his 
efforts to revivify the apparently dying 
embers do not immediately produce 
the desired effect. 
On more than one occasion we have 
known Societies apparently in a state 
of collapse, when, simply by the pluck 
and energy of one or two individuals, 
this critical period in the existence of 
the Association has been successfully 
surmounted, and it has then advanced 
steadily to maturity, having passed 
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