^%- •iu A^ V^. - .0. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A S lis or im its an be rer. ;ess an be- :or- Cobhett says : " Look not for success to favor, to partiality, to fricndsliip, or what is called intereat ; write it on your heart that you will depend solely on your own merit, and on your own exer- tions ; lor that which a man owes to favor or to partiality, that same favor jt partiality is constantly liable to be taken from him. " Don't rely u[ion friends ; don't rely upon the name of your an- cestors. Thousands have spent the prime of life in the vain hope of aid from those whom they called friends, and thousands have starved because they had rich lathers. Rely upon the good name which is made by your own exertions, and know that better than the best friend you can have is unquestionable determination, united with decision of character. " There is no greater obstacle in the way of success in life than trusting to somctliing to turn up, instead of going to work and turn- ing up something, if it be only a potato. It is a curious trait in the cliaracter of mankind, and one worth the metaphysician's best consideration, that there is some hidden propensity in the mind of man that prompts a reliance on chances, rather than on certainties. He is continually trusting to what may, rather than to what will happen, and there are few, who have sufficient self-denial to resist the exchange of a scanty certainty for a more alluring uncertainty. Wouh'n't you call a man a fool who should spend all his time fishing up oysters, with tiie expectation of finding a pearl ; but is he really more unwise than hundreds who, with their hands in their pockets and cigars in their mouths, are waiting for something to turn up or turnover, that will throw them at once into buisness and fortune. It cannot be too early or too deeply instilled into the minds of the young and inexperienced, that the means of happiness and riches are, in a great degree, in every man's power. A blind belief in destiny or fortune acts as a powerful stimulus to indolence and indecision, and makes men sit down and fold their hands in apathy. Nottiing is more common in the world, than for people to excuss their own indolence by referring the prosperity of others to the caprice of fortune. Success, every experienced man knows, is as generally a consequence of industry and good conduct, as disappointment is the consequence of indolence and indecision. The difference in the progress which men make in life, who start with the same prospects and opportunities, is a proof that more depends upon conduct than fortune ; and if a man, instead of envy- ing his neighbor's fortune, and deploring his own, should inquire what means he has employed, or that he has neglected, he would secure a result to his wishes. But the great misfortune is, few have courage to undertake, and fewer candor to execute such a system of self-examination. Thousands thus pass through life angry with fate, when they ought to be angry with themselves — too fond of e THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. the enjoyments which riches procure ever to be happy without them, and too indolent and unsteady ever to pursue the legitimate means by which tliey arc attainable. There are men who, suppos- ing Providence to have an implacable spite against them, bemoan, in the poverty ot" a wretched old age, the misfortunes of their lives. Luck forever ran against them and for others. One, with a good profession, lost his luck in the river, where he idled away his time at fishing when he should iiave been in his office. Another, with a good trade, perpetually burnt up his luck by his hot temper, which provoked all his employers to leave him. Another, who might have had a lucrative business, lost his luck by amazing diligence at everything but his business. Another, who steadily followed his trade, as steadily followed his bottle. Another, who was hon- est and constant to his work, erred by perpetual misjudgment — he lacked discretion. Hundreds lose their luck L endorsing bills ; by sanguine speculations; by trusting fraudulent men; and by dishonest gains. A man never has what can be really called good luck who has a bad wife. We never knew an early-rising, hard- working, economical, honest man, with a good wife, who had bad luck — or, at least, we never heard such a man complain of bad luck. The idle and good-for-nothing, who hang about in the world expecting " strokes of fortune," very often receive them. Those who become burdens on their friends — who are always in want of ♦'just a tew dollars" to go West or take possession ot a '• most ex- cellent position" — are always those who will be found to have had the most remarkable instances of '• good luck" in the course of their lives ; but then they have never been any the better for it. Those who trust to plodding, prosaic industry, and their own exer- tions meet with all manner of difficulties, but seldom or never with a genuine stroke of "good luck." They shape their lives accord; ing to the natural laws of cause and effect — they reap what they have honestly sown, whereas the "good luck" and " strokes of fortune," when practically interpreted, mean only receiving what has not been earned, and, in most cases, not deserved ; and, like the seed in the parable which tell where there was stony ground, " having no root in itself, dried up and withered away." Kingsley says : " It is a painful fact, but there is no denying it, the mass are the tools of circumstances : thistle-down on the breeze, straw on the river, their course is shaped for them by the currents and eddies of the stream of life. But only in proportion as they are things, not men and women. Man was meant to be, not the slave, but the master of circumstances, and in proportion as he recovers his hutnanity, in every sense of that great obsolete word — in proportion as he gets back the spirit ot manliness, which is self- sacrifice, affection, loyalty to an idea beyond himself, a God above himself^so far will he rise above circumstances, and wield them at his will." THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. :e, he Lord Lytton said in his inatigural address as Lord Rector of Olasgow University, *' Never affect to be otlirr than you are, cither richer or wiser. Never he ashamed to say, • I do not know :' never be ashanisd to say, whether as apphed to time or money, * I cannot afTord it. I cannot afford to waste an iiour in idleness, to which you invite me. I cannot afford the guinea you ask me to throw away.' Once establish yourself and your mode of life as to what they really are, and your foot is on solid ground, wliether lor the gradual step onward, or for the sudden spring over a precipice." From tliese maxims letmededuce another — learn to say " No" with decision, •* Yes" with caution. " Yes" with caution when- ever it implies a promise. A promise once given is a bond invio- lable. A man is already of consequence in the world when it is known that we can implicitly rely on him. I have frequently seen in life such a person preferred to a long list of applicants for some important charge ; he has been lifted at once inio station and for- tune merely because he has this reputation, — tha: when he says he knows a thing, he knows it ; and when he says he will do a thing, he will do it. As a gladiator trained the body, so we must train the mind to self-sacrifice, " to endure all things," to meet and overcome diffi- culty and danger. We must take the rough and thorny road as well as the smooth and pleasant, and a portion at least of cur daily duty must be hard and disagreeable, for tiie mind cannot be kept strong and healthy in perpetual sunshine only, and the most dangerous of all states is that of constantly recurring pleasure, ease and prosperity. Most persons will find difficulties and hard- ships enough without seeking them. Let them not repine, but take vnem as a part of that educational discipline necessary to fit the mind to arrive at its highest good. Learn from the earliest days to insure your principles against the peril of ridicule. You can no more exercise your reason if you liv'j in the constant dread of laughter, than you can enjoy your life if you are in the constant terror of death. If you think it right to differ from the times, and to make a point of morals, do it. How- •ever rustic, however antiquated, however pedantic it may appear, do it — not for insolence, but seriously and grandly, as a man who wore a soul of his own in his bosom, and did not wait till it was breathed into him by the breath of fashion. J. \. Froude says : '• You who believe that you have hold of newer and wider truths, show it as you may and must show it, un- less you are misled by your own dreams in leading wider, simpler and nobler lives: assert your own freedom if you will, but assert it modestly and quietly, respecting others, as you wish to be re- :Spected yourselves. Only, and especially, I w^ould say this, be lionest to yourselves whatever the temptation ; say nothing to 8 THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. others that you do not think, and play no tricks with your owi* mind. Of all the evil spirits abroad at this hour in the worlds humbug is the most dangerous. i • This above all — to your own selves be tme, And it will follow, as the night the day, You cannot then be false to any man.' " CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. Some young persons entertain curious notions as to the choice of a profession. Carried av/ay by the glitter of uniforms and the splendid pageantry of the soldier's life, nothing will please them short of entering West Point ; or, perhaps, carried away by the narration of maritime adventures, they resolve upon following the hazardous profession of a sailor ; but a very little experience of the realities ot life generally banishes these idle dreams. Others pitch upon the clerical profession as the most suitable to their ideas of living an easy and dignified existence, and enjoying the reverence of those around them. Many more delude themselves with regard to what are called professions. As a matter of course they must be something better, though only in appearance, than their fathers. The young should, by all means, be governed in these matters by their seniors, for they are certainly the best judges with respect to what particular department of industry they should follow. ! I II HOW TO CHOOSE A BUSINESS- All business has its origin in wants, and the object in business is to supply wants ; hence, our first important step should be to discover or fix upon some general want which we could supply on terms as favorable as any one else can do ; or, in other words, to choose some regular business, as we are presumed to have done. But as political economists have satisfactorily demonstrated that all useful employments are equally productive and profitable (for when one is known to pay more than the average rate of profits,, hundreds rush into it and soon reduce it to the ordinary level), it is a matter of less importance what pursuit we follow, provided we are adapted to it, and know how to manage it. A man who can lay by regularly, say $500 a year, will be cer- tain to b jcome a rich man if his life be spared to a reasonable age ;. while he who makes say $10,000 in one year and loses a larger The grand secrets of success. 9 amount the next will very probably be dependent on the charity of friends for support in old age. A man is said to have made $60,000 by selling lead pencils about the streets at two cents a piece, and safely investing his profits ; while it is not an unfrequent occurence to hear of men who commenced life with a larger capital than that, afterwards reduced to the necessity of following a similar employment lor a livelihood. A man who intends to make money, not merely to try his chances, must look first to the safety of his business. It is a well-ascertained fact that those occupations which are the most useful are the safest, and those commodities which can least be dispensed with pay in the aggregate the largest profits. The demand for them is stimulated by actual want, and grows with every increase of the means of production. It is a comparatively rare occurence for those who deal in superfluities ta get rich, as they are subject to continual losses froiU changes in fashion, and a hundred circumstances beyond their control. Next to the supply of indispensable wants, those kinds of businesses are the safest which are concerned in the production, manufacture or sale of articles of general convenience; and on which a large per- centage of profiit can be made, though the cost to the consumer is inconsiderable. cer- ige 'r irger STICK TO ONE THING- Did you ever know any one stick to any kind of business, no- matter how unpromising, a few years ai most, who did not pros- per ? Not one. No matter how bad it might be at the beginning, if he stuck to it earnestly and faithfully, and tried nothing else — no matter how hard he may have found it sometimes to keep his head above water — still, if he persevered, he always came out bright in the long run. Step among your neighbors, reader, and see whether those among them who have got along smoothly, and accumulated pro- perty, and gained a good name, have not been men who bent themselves to one single branch of business — who brought all their powers to bear upon one point, and built on one foundation. It must be so. Go out in spring, when the sun is yet far distant, and you can scarcely feel the influence of his beams, scattered as they are over the wide face of creation ; but collect those beams to a focus, and they kindle up a flame in an instant. So the man who squanders his talents and his strength on many things, will fail to make an impression with either ; but let him draw those to a point, let him strike at a single object, and it will yield before him. Don't attempt too much. Knives that contain ninety blades, four cork- %o THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. screws and a bootjack, are very seldom brought into action. When a child is learning to walk, ii you can induce the little creature to keep its eyes fixed on any point in advance it will generally •' navi- gate " to that point v/ithout capsizing ; but distract its attention by word or act from the object before it, and down goes the baby. Tiie rule applies to children of a larger growth. The man who starts in life with determination to reach a certain position, and adlieres unwaveringJy to his purpose, rarely fails, if he lives long enougii, to reaoh tiie goal for which he set out. PERSEVERANCE, Let some effort be made every day ; go on, notwithstanding occasional defects, and by repetition, the effort will soon settle in- to a habit that will be both easy and pleasant. He who works only by fits and starts, by impulses which are only occasional, and by purposes which are only formed at long and rare intervals, will never be distinguished. Haydon, in his diary, has the following entry : " My fits continue. I am all fits — fits of work and idleness, fits of reading, fits of writing, fits of Italian, fits of Greek, fits of Latin, fits of French, fits of Napoleon, fits of the army, fits of the navy, fits of religion." And what was the sequel ? A life of debt, failure, misery and dissappomtment, till he killed himself in a fit of despair. Let not yoM/' life be a bundle of /j^5. Many a one of very ordinary capacity has, by dint of the same valuable quality, which enabled the tortoise in the fable to outjourney the hare, accomplished wonderfully greater things than another possessing superior abilities, but less perseverance. Great works are per- formed, not by strength, but by perseverance. We once had the curiosity to look into a little girl's work-box, and what do you sup- pose we found ? We found not a single article complete, and mute as they were, those half-finished, forsaken things, told us a sad story about that little girl. They told us that, with a hearf full of generous affection, with a head full of useful and pretty pro- jects, all of which she had both the means and the skill to carry into effect, she was still a useless child, always doing, but never accomplishing, her work. It was not the want of industry, but a want of perseverance. Remember, it matters but little what great things we undertake ; our glory is not in that, but in what we ac- complish. Nobody in the world cares lor what we mean to do, but everybody's eyes will be open by-and-by to see what men and women and little children have done. Shakespeare says : THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. IX " Perseverance Keeps honor bright ; to have done is to hang Quite out of f shion, like a rusty mail In monumental mockery. Take the instant way, For honor travels in a strait so narrow, Where one but goes abreast ; keep thou the path, For emulation hath a thousand sons That one by one pursue. If you give way, Or hedge aside from the direct forthright. Like to an entered tide, they aU rush by And leave you hinderm(«#t ; Or, like a gallant horso fallen in first rank, Lie there for pavement to the abject rear, O'errun and trampled on," DO EVERYTHING WELL: It is better to accomplish perfectly a very small amount of work than to half do ten times as much. " That will do " is a phrase ol modern invention. The ancients knew of no such expression, or the Egyptians would never have raised the pyramids, nor the Greeks and Romans displayed that love tor the beautiful which led them to impart a poetic grace even to the meanest utensils for household use, as the remains of Pompeii tully testify. " That ■will do" is the self-dispensation given by the lazy painter, who glosses over the want of anatomical correctness by a showy color- ing. •' That will do " is the besetting sin of architects, who lay their shortcomings to the want of a favorable site or an Italian climate. "That will do " makes j'our sloven and your slattern. A man who adopts this motto with regard to dress, does not mind being seen with a dirty shirt or a week's beard, while the same fatal saying allows a woman to go about the house with curl-papers and slipshod, "That will do," applied to household matters, is equally bad, and more annoying to friends than when applied to ■dress. You may expect ill-cooked dinners in any house where the heads adopt this maxim, to say nothing of shabby carpets, faded paint, dirty curtains, etc. " That will do " has sunk many a ship, caused the downfall of scaffolding holding hundreds of human beings, occasions, at least, half the fires that take place, and is at the bottom of most railroad disasters. " That will do " is the enemy to all excellence, and would sap the conscience of the most virtuous man alive if he would hearken to its dictates. The only persons to whom we recommend it are drunkards, gamblers, and spendthrifts, who may very properly exclaim, " That will do !" All should bear in mind that nothing will " do " but the very best in point of excellence. 12 THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. A friend called on Michael Angelo, who was finishing a statue. Some time afterwards he called again, the sculptor was still at his work. His friend, looking at the figure, exclaimed, "You have been idle since I saw you last." "By no means," replied the sculptor ; " I have retouched this part, and polished that ; I have softened this feature and brought out this muscle; I have given more expression to this lip, and more energy to this limb." " Well,, well," said his friend, " but all these are trifles." " It may be so," replied Angelo, " but you must recollect that trifles make perfec- tion, and that perfection is no trifle." " Let us t len be up and doing, With a. heart for any fate ; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to laloor and to wait." PROCRASTINATION. Procrastinators are rarely successful in life. The proverb well says, " Procrastination is the thief of time ;" and the Spanish proveib tells us that " By the road of By-and-by one arrives at the town of Never." Shakespeare says; " The flighty purpose never is o'ertook, Unless the deed go with it." " There is a tide in the affairs of men "Which, taken at the flood, leads on to forttltxe; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound iushallov/s and in miseries." There is a world of importance in that seemingly insignificant »vord " Nt)w." Millions have been ruined for both worlds by over- looking the momentous significance of the all-eventful "Now." "Now" is the constant syllable ticking from the clock of time. " Now ' is the watchword of the wise. " Now " is on the banner of the piudent. Let us keep this little woid always in mind, and whenever anything presents itself to us in the shape of work,, whether mental or physical, we should do it with all our might, remembering that " Now " is the only time for us— " for to-morrow never comes." It is, indeed, a sorry way to get through the world by putting off till to-morrow, saying, " Then I will do it." No^ this Will never do ; " Now " is ours ; " Then " may never be Trust no future, howe'er pleasant 1 Let the dead past bury its dead 1 Act, — act the living present 1 Heart within, and God o'erhead I" ■•- . THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. 18 statue, at his have 3d the I have given •Well, be so," periec- time;" an d- by Never defer until to-morrow what can be done at the pre- sent time. If you have a lesson to learn, begin at once ; by con- stant repetition you will accomplish it. If you wish to acquire any particular branch of education, you must be studious; by practice you will surmount many difficulties. Should you have an import ant duty to perform, never defer it ; by so doing you may bring life- long trouble upon others. Be prompt in your actions ; whatever you undertake try and fulfill. Choose your object cautiously and wisely, and then hold it firmly ; look often at it, and if it commend itself to your judgment, sei-"^, it with the grasp of a giant, and hold it with the constancy of a i. artyr. Never promise what you can- not perform. Learn punctuality and self-reliance. When you have decided upon doing a thing, do it. Begin ; do not delay. Everything must have a commencement. The first weed pulled in the garden, the first seed put into the ground, the first dollar in the bank, the first mile travelled on a journey, are all very important things. They make a beginning, and thereby a hope, a promise, a pledge, an assurance that you are in earnest with what you have undertaken. How many an idle, hesitating, erring outcast is now creeping through the worl ', who might have held up his head and prospered if, instead of patting off his resolu- tions of amendment and industry, he had made a beginning, A beginning, a good beginning too, is necessary — " Had not the base been laid by builders wise. The pyramids had never reached the skies." nificant jy over- « Now." of time. ; banner ind, and )f work, might, -morrow le world ' No, PATIENCE. There is an old Latin proverb which, being interpreted, is "We hasten by being slow." Every man must patiently bide his time ; he must wait, not in listless idleness, not in useless pastime, not in querulous dejection, but in constant, steady and cheerful endeavor, always willing, fulfilling and accomplishing his task, that, when the occasion comes, he may be equal to the occasion. The chief secret of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, with- out a thought of fame. If it comes at all, it will come because it is deserved, not because it was sought after. It is a very indiscreet and troublesome ambition which cares so much about what the world says of us, to be always looking in the face of others for ap- proval, to be always anxious about the effect of what we do or say, to be always shouting to hear the echoes of our own voices. Richter says : " I hold the constant regard we pay in all our .actions to the judgment of others, as the poisoner of our peace, our 14 THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. reason and our virtue. Upon this slave's chain I have long filed^ but scarcely ever hope to break it. •' Cherish patience as your favorite virtue. Always keep it about you. You wiU find use for it oftener than for all the rest ; being patient is the hardest work we have to do through life. " You can do anything if you wiU only have patience. Wate* may be carried in a sieve if you can only wait till it freezes." i iiii ■ ENERGY. If . man will pile up the moments of life he will be sure to have a pyramid at last. It it hard work washing in the cradle the sand of the gully-stream at it hath dust of gold. A man with knowledge but without energy, is a house furnished but not inhabited ; a man with energy, but no knowledge, a house dwelt in, but unfurnished. A man of talent is lost, if he do not join to talent energy of character. With the lantern of Diogenes you should also have his stick. Without decision of character no man or woman is ever worth shucks, nor ever can be. Without it a man becomes at once a good-natured nobody, the poverty-stricken possessor of but one solitary principle, that of obliging everybody under the sun merely for the asking. Sir Fowell Buxton says : " The longer I live, the more I am certain that the great difference between men, between the feeble and the powerful, the great and the insignificant, is energy — invin- cible determination — a purpose once fixed, and then death or vic- tory. That quality will do anything that can be done in this world, and no talents, no circumstances, no opportunities, will make a two-legged creature a man without it." " I am not unhappy," said a man who met with innumerable difficulties, discouragements and defeats, and still persevered. " I never lose the mysterious whisper • Go on.' " Blot the word impos- sibility from your vocabulary as regards all objects that may be hopefully sought by you, and yield yourself up to the inspiration of that magic monosyllable " Try." Our success in life generally bears a direct proportion to the ex- ertions we make ; and if we aim at nothing, we shall certainly achieve nothing. By the remission of labor, and energy, it often happens that poverty and contempt, disaster and defeat, steal a march upon prosperity and honor, and overwhelm us with reverses- and shame. The greater the difficulty, the more glory there is in surmounting it. ; filed, about being Wate- THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS, 15 have stream rnished 1 house lot join les you r worth once a )ut one merely re I am feeble — invin- or vic- world, make a nerable 5d. I impos- may be ation of the ex- jrtainly it often steal a ■everses ;re is in To-day I found myself compelled to do something which was very disagreeable to me, and wiiich I had long deferred. I was obliged to resort to my *' grand expedient," in order to conquer my aversion. You will laugh when I tell you what this is, but I find it a powerful aid in great things as well as small. The truth is, there are few men who are not sometimes capricious, and yet oftener vacillating. Finding tiiat I am not better than others in this respect, I invented a remedy of my own, a sort o{ artificial re- solution respecting things which are difficult of performance — a means of securing that firmness in myself which I might otherwise want, and which man is generally obliged to sustain by some ex- ternal prop. My device, then, is this — I give my word of honor most solemnly to myself to do, or to leave undone, this or that. I am, of course, exceedingly cautious and discreet in the use of this expedient, and exercise great deliberation before I resolve upon it ; but when once it is done, even if I afterwards think I have been precipitate or mistaken, I hold it perfectly irrevocable, whatever inconveniences I foresee likely to result. And I feel great satis- faction and tranquillity in being subject to such an immutable law. If I were capable of breaking it after such mature consideration, I should loose all respect for myself. — Tour of a German Prince. WORK. Let it be to you a necessity to be in earnest, Demosthenes when once asked the first grace of elocution replied, " Action ;" the second, "Action;" the third, "Action." So, it asked what is the first qualification of a successful man, we answer, "Diligence;" the second, "Diligence;" the third, "Diligence;" write it upon your heart, keep it ever before your eyes ; let it be ever sounding in your ears. Laziness begins in spiders' webs and ends in iron chains. It creeps over a man so slowly and imperceptibly that he is bound tight before he knows it. The absence of legitimate em- ployment has probably made more gamblers tlian avarice, more drunkards than thirst, and as many suicides as despair. Occu- pation is the best and safest thing for man ; those wlio work hard are less open to temptation, and less likely to be overcome by trouble than others. Action of any kind is as opposed to sentimen- tality as fire to water. That the happiness of life depends on the regular prosecution of some laudable purpose or calling, which engages, helps and en- livens all our powers, let those bear witness who, after spending years in active usefulness, retire to enjoy themselves. 16 THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. Addison says: " We all of us complain of the shortness of time, and yet have much more than we know what to do with. Our lives are spent either in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to ihe purpose. We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end to them." Leisure is a very pleasant garment, but is a very bad one for constant wear. No men have so little leisure or so little enjoyment as those who have nothing to do but to enjoy themselves. Persons of this description have been known to kill themselves in order to kill time. Dr. Franklin, whose wisdom and knowledge of the world was proverbial, never said a truer thing than this : — " If every man and woman would work four hours a day at something useful, want and misery would vanish from the world, and the remaining portion of the day might be leisure and pleasure." No country can become great, virtuous and rich, which pro- ducesj the necessaries of life with little or no labor. Labor is the condition of prosperity and happiness. Where there is no want, there will be no laboring class, and where there is no laboring class there will be no progress. Wliere there is no necessity for indus- try, there will, of course, be indolence, and indolence is the nurse of every vice. Keep doing — always doing — and whatever you do, do it with all your heart, soul and strength. Wishing, dreaming, intending, murmuring, talking, sighing and repining are all idle and profitless employments. The only manly occupation is to keep doing. Sam Slick says: •' Work, airn your own pork, and see how sweet it will be. Work, and see how well you will be. Work, and see how cheerful you will be. Work, and see how independent you will be. Work and see how happy your family will be. Work, and see how religious you will be ; for, before you know where you are, instead of repining at Providence, you will find yourself offer- ing up thanks for all the numerous blessings you enjoy." Smiles says : — " To wait patiently, men must work cheerfully. Cheerfulness is an excellent working quality, imparting great elas- ticity to the character. As a bishop has said, ' Temper is nine- tenths of Christianity,' so are cheerfulness and diligence nine- tenths of practical wisdom. They are the life and soul of success, as well as of happiness. Perhaps the very highest pleasure in life consists in clear, brisk and conscious working energy, confidence and every other quality mainly depending upon it. The rich man pays dearly for health, the laboring man is paid to be healthy. Exercise is the best physician. Those who have strength and a good pair of legs, need not be alwa5'S taking the cars. Those who never work create for themselves weak arms, delicate hands, and infirm or crooked spines. Labor has its joys as well as its sorrows, THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. IT and a far higher reward than that of wages. If this fact were better understood, no one would be idle. Far better is it to work for no pay at all, than to suffer the ills of having nothing to do. A good appetite, healthy digestion, and a fine circulation of the blood are among the blessings of labor." Dr. Clarke says : " I have lived to know the great secret of human happiness is this : never suffer your energies to stagnate. The old adage of too many irons in the fire conveys an abominable lie. You cannot have too many ; poker, tongs, and a'l — keep them all going." " Pray, of what did your brother die ?" said the Marquis Spinola to Sir Horace Vere. " He died, sir," replied he, •' of having nothing to do." "Alas, .ir," said Spinola, " that is enough to kill any general of us all." Robert Bonner says : " Cuteness does not make any man suc- cessful. Success comes rather from integrity, combined with energy and a knowledge of one's business — energy to push your business, a knowledge of it to understand what your patrons need, and integrity to enable you to do what is right." Propose continually to yourself new objects. It is only by con* stahtly enridiing your mind that you can prevent its growing poor. Sloth benumbs and enervates it; regular work excites and strengthens it, and work is always in our power. The more a man accomplishes the more he may. An active tool never grows rusty. You always find those men the most forward to d) good, or to im- prove the times and manners, who are always busy. Who build our railroads, our steamboats, our machine-shops and our manu- factories ? Men of industry and enterprise as long as they live keep at work doing something to benefit themselves and others. It is just so with a man who is benevolent — the more he gives, the more he feels like giving. We go for activity in body, in mind, in everything. Let the gold grow not dim nor the thoughts become stale. Keep all things in motion. We would rather that death should find us scaling a mountain than sinking in the mire. — breasting a whirlwind than sneaking from a cloud. The first duty which the employer of labor owes to those who work for him is, to make his business succeed. This is his first duty, because it is the primary object which he has in view in starting it. No man builds a mill, or commences a manufacture, for the distinct purpose of employing or benefitting others. His paramount or specific aim is to earn a living for himself, or to improve his condition in the world. '^^ His desire and intention of doing justice to, and ameliorating the condition of those he employs is, however zealous and sincere, an indirect and secondary purpose, and the man who forgets or fails in his primary, is not likely to succeed in his derivative object. Secondly, it is his first duty, because it is necessary to the performance of his other duties, and 18 THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. the attainments of his other ends. If he docs not make his business answer, all his plans and arrangements for the improvement of his work- men, however wise or benevolent, necessarily fall to the ground. Thirdly, it is his duty because the existence of numbers is bound up in his suc- cess, and any failure or catastrophe on his part involves numbers in misery.- -Quar/^r/y Review. Captain Stansbury, the leader of the U. S. Surveying Expedition to the region of the Salt Lakes, in his report to the Government, bears this testimony to the value of the Sabbath : — " I here beg to record as the result of my experience, derived not only from my present journey, but from the observation of many years spent in the performance of simiJar duties, that as a mere matter of pecuniary consideration, apart from all higher obligations, it is wise to keep the Sabbath. More work can be obtained from both men and animals by its observance t'''"'^ when the whole seven days are uninterruptedly devoted to labor." FAILURE. Never be cast down by trifles. If a spider breaks his vveh twenty times, twenty times will he mend it. Make up your mind to do a tiling, and you will do it. Try again. It is related of Timour, the great con queror, that he was once forced, in flying from his enemies, to hide in an old ruined building, where he sat alone for many hours. He tried to turn his mind from his troubles and to forget danger by watching very closely an ant, that was carrying away a grain of corn, larger than itself, up a high wall. In its efforts to get up, he found that the grain fell sixty-nine times to the ground, but the seventieth time the ant reached the top of the wall with it. "This sight," said Timour, "gave me hope and courage at the moment, and I have never forgotten the lesson taught me by the little ant." Now when you have a diflicult task and have tried sixty-nine times in vain — try again — there is yet hope of success in the seventieth effort. You surely would be ashamed to show less perseverence than this little insect, and yet how much might man learn, even from the inferior animals, if he would but see and think. A respectable tradesman with a large family, having sustained a serious loss of property by the failure of some relatives for whom he had become security, was asked by a friend (after he had pulled through his liabilities) what means he had adopted to surmount difficulties which would have crushed the spirit and damped the energies of ninety-nine out of a hundred. "By two very simple expedients," was the reply ; ■** one was to sell my hqrse and buggy, and the other to buy two new aprons." '~ The greatest orators, from Demostheiies down to the present time. smcss work- lirclly, is suc- )crs in :ion lo ,rs this as the .•y, hut siini'ar cm all can he oil the niL GRAND SECRETVi OF SUCCESS, 19 twenty 1 thing, at con hide in [c tried atching er ihan 10 grain he ant I, "gave ten the le times effort. lis Uttle inferior lined a he had mgh his which Ety-nine reply ; wo new have l..'.'ed at first. The shout of laught-.T with which Lord Beaconsficld's (Mr. l)ibrajli) maiden speech was received by an assembly generally indulgent to the first attempts, did not crush the aspirant to power. He felt the; was something in him, and he merely uttered a prophecy since fulfilled — " The time will come when you shall listen to me." Rohcrt liruce was at one time alnost in despair of making good his rislu to the throne and of restoring freedom to Scotland ; he had been so otten defeated, and there seemed so little chance of success, that he doubted whether it was his duty to try again. While thus doubtful what he should do, Ihuce looked upward to the roof of the cabin where he lay on his bed, and saw a spider, whit h, hanging at the end of a long thread of its own spinning, was trying to swing itself from one beam in the roof to another, for the i)urpose of fixing the line for its web. The insect made the attempt again and again without success, and at length IJruce counted that it had tried to carry its point six times, and had been as often unable to do so. It reminded him that he had himself fought just six battles, and that the poor, persevering spider was exactly in the same situation with himself, having, made as many trials and as often failed in what it aimed at. "Now," thought Bruce, "as I do not know what is best to be done, I will be guided by the spider. If the insect shall make another effort to fix its thread and shall be successful, I will venture a seventh time to try my f.^rtune in Scotland ; but if the spider shall fail, I will go away and never return to my native country again." While Bruce was forming this resolution the spider made another attempt with all the force it could muster, and fairly succeeded in fastening its thread on the beam which it had so often in vain tried to reach. Bruce, seeing the success of the spider, was encouraged to make one more effort for his country, and as he never before gained a victory, so he never afterwards met with any great defeat. It is far from being true, in the progress of knowledge, that after every failure we must recommence from the beginning. Every failure is a step to success, every detection of what is false directs as towards what is true, every trial exhausts some tempting form of error. Not only so, but scarcely any attempt is entirely a failure, scarcely any theory the result of steady thought is altogether false ; no tempting form of error is without some latent charm derived from tr.uh. nt tune, THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS, THE BEST UNIVERSITY. The most prolific school of all has heeti the school of difficulty. Some of the very best workmen have had the most indifferent tools to work with. Uut it is not the tools that make the workman, but the trained skill and perseverence of the man himself. Indeed it is pro- verbial that the bad workman never yet had a good tool. Ferguson made marvelous things — such as his wooden clock, that accurately measured the hours, by means of a common pen-knife, a tool in every- body's hand ; but then, everybody is not a Ferguson. An eminent savant once called upon Dr. VVollaston and requested to be shown over his laboratories, in which science had been enriched by so many impor- tant discoveries, when the doctor took him into a little study and, point- ing to an old tea-tray on the table, containing a few watch-glasses, test papers, a small balance and a blow-pipe, said, "That is all the laboratory that I have." Stothard 'earnt the art of combining colors by closely studying butterflies' wings , *ie would often say that no one knew what he owed to those tiny insects. A burnt stick and a barn door served Wilkie in lieu of a pencil and canvas. Berwick first practiced drawing on the cottage walls of his native village, which he covered with his sketches in chalk. And Benjamin West made his first brushes out of a cat's tail. Ferguson laid himself down in the fields at night in a blanket, and made a map of the heavenly bodies by means of a thread with small beads on it stretched between his eyes and the stars. Franklin first robbed the thunder-cloud of its lightning by means of a kite made with two cross-sticks and a silk handkerchief. Watt made his first model of the condensing steam-engine out of an old anatomist's syringe, used to inject the arteries previous to dissection. Gififord worked his first problem in mathematics, when a cobbler's apprentice, upon small scraps of leather, which he beat smooth for the purpose ; while Rittenhouse, the astronomer, first calculated eclipses on his plough- handle. In like manner Professor Farady, Sir Humphrey Davy's scien- tific successor, made his first experiment in electricity, by means of an old bottle, while he was still a working bookbinder. And it is n curious fact that Faraday was first attracted to the study of chemistry by hearing one of Sir Humphrey Davy's lectures on the subject at the Royal Insti- tution. A gentleman who was a member, calling one day at the shop where Faraday was working in binding books, found him poring over the article *' Electricity" in an encyclopaedia placed in his hands to bind. The gentleman, having made enquiries, found he was curious about such subjects, gave him an order of admission to the Royal Institution, where he attended a course of four lectures, delivered by Sir Humphrey. He took notes of the lectures, which he showed to the lecturer, who THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. 21 acknowledged tlieir scientific accuracy and was surprised when informed of the luiinble position of the reporter. Faraday then expressed his desire to devole himself to the prosecution of chemical studies, from whiih Sir Humphrey at first endeavored to dissuade him, but, the young man persisting, he was at length taken into the Royal Institution as an assistant, and eventually the mantle of the brilliant apothecary's boy fell upon the worthy shoulders of the equally brilliant bookbinder's ap- piunticc. — Smiles' Self Ktlp. I . ' ' ji'i WITH BRAINS, SIR. . • . " Pray, Mr. Opie, may I ask what you mix your colors with ?" said a brisk, fine-art student of the great painter 'With brains, sir," was the gruff rci ly, and the right one. It did not give much of what we call in- formation, but it was enough to awaken the enquirer. Many other artists when asked such a question, would b.ve set about detailing the mechanical composition of such and such colors, in such and such pro- portions, rubbed so and so, or perhaps they would have shown him how they laid them on ; but even this would leave him at the critical point Opie preferred going to the quick and the heart of the matter "With brains, sir." Sir Joshua Reynolds was taken by a friend to see a picture. He was anxious to admire it, and he looked it over with a careful eye. "Capital composition; correct drr^ing; the color, tone, excellent, but — but — it wants ' T/iat' " snapping his fingers ; and wanting "That," though it had everything else, it was worth nothing. Again, Etty was appointed teacher of the students of the Royal Academy ; having been preceded by a clever, talkative, scientific ex- pounder of aesthetics, who delighted to tell the young men how every- thing was done, hhat been told them or done for them. In the one case, sight and action were immediate, exact, intense, and secure ; in the other mediate, feeble, and lost as soon as gained. Seeing is the passive state, and at best only registers; looking is a voluntary act : it is the man within coming to the window. So bring brains to your work and mix everything with them, and them with everything. Let " Tools and a man to use them," be your motto. Stir up, direct, and give free scope to Sir Joshua's "That," and try again and again and look at everything for yourselves. THE GRAND ^ECRETS OF SUCCESS, USE YOUR EYES. " To get through this world a man must look about him, and even> sleep with one eye open ; for there are many baits for fishes, many nets. for birds, and many traps for men. While foxes are common we must not be geese." Many men of great talent are unsuccessful because they go through the world with their eyes shut. This is well illustrated in a story entitled ** Observation ; or, The Lost Camel :" A Dervis, while journeying alone in the desert, was met by two- merchants. "You have lost a camel," said he to them. " We have," they replied. " Was the camel blind in his right eye, and lame in one of his legs,'^ said the Dervis. " He was," answered the merchants. "Had he lost a front tooth?" said the Dervis. ' ' " He had," was the reply. "And was he not loaded with honey on one side, and wheat on the other?" " Most certainly," was the answer, " and as you have seen him so. lately you can, doubtless tell us where he may be found." My friends," said the Dervis, " I have neither seen your camel, or even/ heard of him, except from you." "A strange assertion, indeed!" said the merchants; "but where are- the jewels which formed a part of his burden?" " I have neither seen your camel nor your jewels," replied the Dervis.. He was now seized by them, and hurried before the Cadi. On the strictest examination, however, no evidence was found against him, either of falsehood or of theft. They were about to proceed against him as. a sorcerer, when the Dervis, with perfect composure, thus addressed the Court : "I have been greatly amused with your proceedings, and I confess there have been some grounds for your suspicions ; but I have passed many years in this desert, and even here I find ample scope for obser- vation. " I saw the track of a camel, and I knew it had strayed from its- owner, because there was no mark of any human footstep to be seen oa the same route. " I perceived the animal was blind in one eye, as it had cropped the herbage only on one side of its path. " I knew that it was lame, from the faint impression that one of its feet had made in the sand. " I concluded that the camel had lost one tooth, because whenever it grazed, the herbage was left uncropped in the centre of the bite. THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. 28 " As to what composed the burden of the beast, I had only to look at the ants carrying away the wheat on one side, and at the clustering flies that were devouring the honey on the other." A North American Indian, upon returning home to his cabin, dis- covered that his venison, which had been hung up to dry, had been stolen. After taking his observations on the spot, he set off in pursuit of the thief, whom he tracked through the woods. Meeting with some persons on his route, he inquired if they had seen a little white man, with a short gun, and accompanied by a small dog with a bob-tail. They answered in the affirmative ; and upon the Indian assuring them that the man thus described had stolen his venison, they desired to be informed how he was able to give so minute a desi ription of a person whom, it appeared, he had never seen. The Indian replied : "The thief, I know, is a little man, by his aying heaped up a pile of stones to stand upon, in order to reach the a lison from the height at which I had hung it while standing on the giound ; that he is an old man, I know by his short steps, which I have traced over the dead leaves in the woods ; and that he is a white man, I know by his turning out his toes when he walks, which an Indian never does. His gun I know to be short, from the mark which the muzzle made by rubbing the bark off a tree against which it had leaned ; that his dpg is small, I know by his track; and that he has a bob-tail, I discovered by the mark it made in the dust where he was sitting, while his master was busied about my meat." The Duke of Wellington used to tell the following annccdote : " When I was following a rajah, in India, we came to a great sandy plain, to cross which was impossible, with the enemy's cavalry hovering about us. The spies said there was a river in front, which I could not cross, as it had no bridges, and that I must, therefore, take a deiour to the right or left. I, however, took the cavalry, and pushed on to the river, till I was near enough to take a view of it with a spy-glass, when I saw there were two villages opposite each other on different sides of the river. I immediately said to myself, ' People would never be fools enough to build two towns immediately opposite on a great river if they could not get from one to the other.' So I moved on, and, sure enough, there was a bridge between the towns. We crossed it, and licked the rajah." . ■, , C. H. Spurgeon says : " There is a very great difference in this matter among people ; many see more with one eye than others with two, and many have fine eyes and cannot see a jot. All heads are not sense boxes. Some are so cunning that they suspect everybody, and so live all their lives in miserable fear of their neighbors, and others are so simple that every knave takes them in, and makes his money of them. fi4 THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS, One man tries to see through a brick wall, and hurts his eyes ; while another finds a hole in it, and sees as far as he pleases. Some work at the mouth of a furnace, and are never scorched, and others bum their hands at the fire, when they only mean to warm them. " Do not choose your friend by his looks; handsome shoes often pinch the feet. Don't be fond of compliments ; remember, ' Thank you, pussy, and thank you, pussy,' killed the cat. Don't believe in the man v/ho talks most; for mewing cats are seldom good mousers. By no means put yourself in another man's power ; if you put your thumb between two grinders, they are very apt to bite. Drink nothing v/ithout seeing it, sign nothing without reading it, and make sure it means no more than it says. Don't go to law unless you have nothing to lose : lawyer's houses are built on fools' heads. In any business ne^'er wade into water when you cannot see the bottom. Put no dependence upon the label of a bag, and count money after your own kin. See the sack opened before you buy what is in it; for he who trades in the dark asks to be cheated. " Keep clear of the man who does not value his own character. Be- ware of no man more than yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us. There's always time enough to boast — wait a little longer. Don't throw away dirty water till you have got clean. Keep on scraping the roads until you can get better work ; for the poorest pay is better than none. Always give up tlie road to bulls and madmen ; and never fight with a coal-heaver, or contend with a base character, for they will be sure to blacken you. " Neither trust nor contend, Nor lay wagers, nor lend, ! < And you may depend [ Tou'U have peace to your end. " "Be shy of people who are over-polite, and don't be too fast with those who are forward and rough. When you suspect a design in any- thing, be on your guard ; set the trap as soon as you smell a rat, but mind you don't catch your own fingers in it. Have very little to do with a boaster, for his beer is all froth ; and though he brags that all his goods are silver and gold, you will soon find out that a boaster and liar are first cousins. " Commit all your secrets to no man ; trust in God with all your heart, but let your confidences in friends be weighed in balances of pru- dence, seeing that men are but men, and all men are frail. Trust not great weights to slender threads, yet be not oversuspicious, for suspicion is a cowardly virtue at best. Men are not angels, remember that ; but hey are not devils, and it is too bad to think them so." THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. 25 while ork at n their often ik you, le man By no thumb i/ithout • ins no ) lose : ;r wade :e upon le sack ,rk asks r. Be- 5 within Don't ping the ter than /er fight be sure ast with in any- rat, but do with is goods liar are all your 5 of pru- rust not iispicion lat; but HABIT. "Man is a bundle of habits," " The frequent repitition of an act begets a habit." It is there- fore, of importance to remember — that, though we are made up of habits, these grow out of single actions, and, consequently, while we should be careful and solicitous about the habits we form, we must be no less so about the single acts out ol which they grow. In any composite formation, attention must, of course, be paid to the individual elements of which it is made up. The baker, who wishes to produce a good loaf, must be careful about all his three ingredients — the flour, the yeast, and the water, each must be at- tended to. The man who would be a good artisan, must take care of every single manipulation, for his ultimate skill depends on each. The artist who would attain to eminence and bring out a good picture, must take care of every stroke of his brush, for his skill and success depend upon the aggregate of all his individual touches. So in cases of habit we are too apt to think little of in- dividual acts. Lord Brougham says : *' I trust everything under God to habit, iipon which in all ages the lawgiver, as well as the schoolmaster, has mainly placed his reliance ; habit which makes everything easy, and casts all difficulties npon a deviation from a wonted course. " Make sobriety a habit and intemperance wiU be hateful ; make prudence a habit, and reckless profligacy will be as contrary to the child, or adult, as the most atrocious crime. Give a child the habit of sacredly regarding truth ; of carefully respecting the property ot others, of scrupulously abstaining from all acts of improvidence which involve him in distress, and he will just as likely think of rushing into an element in which he cannot breathe, as of lying, cheating or roguery. " To break a bad habit, understand clearly the reasons, and all the reasons why the habit is injurious. Study the subject till there is no doubt in your mind. Avoid the places, the persons, the thoughts that lead to the temptation. Keep busy. Hard work brings health ; idleness is the strength of br.d habits. Do not give up the struggle when you hav ken your resolution once, twice, ten times, nay a thousand tiniL That will only show how much need there is for you to strive. When you have broken your re- solution just think the matter over, and endeavour to understand why it was you failed, so that you may be upon your guard against a recurrence of the same circumstances. Do not think it a little 26 THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. or an easy thing that you have undertaken. It is folly to expect to break up a habit in a day, which may have been gathering strength in you for years. " Refrain to-night, Add that shall lend a kind of easiness To the next abstinence ; the next more easy, For use almost can change the stamp of nature, And master the devil, or throw him out With wondrous potency. — Bard of Avon. "Whatsoever things are true, are honest, are just, are pure, are lovely and of good report, should be a habit of the beautiful, the true, the useful." PUNCTUALITY. There is no man living who might not be a punctual man. If you desire to enjoy life, avoid unpunctual people. They may impede business and poison pleasure. Make it your own rule not only to be punctual, but a little beforehand. Such a habit secures a composure which is essential to happiness ; for want of it, many people live in a constant fever, and put all about them in a fever too. Let there be a time for everything, and let everything be done in its time. In all your engagements, let an hour be named^ and be punctual in keepmg to it. We know of nothing more com- mendable as a general rule, and in a general sense, than punctual- ity. We allude not only to important, but to trifling mafters. Character, confidence, depend greatly upon the manner in which an individual keeps his engagements. One who habitually violates his word, who promises, never in- tending to perform, is morally deficient to a frightful extent, and derseves neither respect nor consideration. But there are others who mean well, who do not lack principle, who would blush to utter a deliberate untruth, and yet they falter and fail for want of firmness, nerve, and decision. They promise intending to perform, hoping to be able to keep the engagement, and yet without due consideration or a proper appreciation of the consequence of failure. There are others again who are always " a little too late," al- ways behind. They have a habit of delay, and thus they post- pone and procrastinate from hour to hour, not only injuring them- selves, but wasting the time of other people. When Washington's secretary excused himself for the late- ness of his attendance, and laid the blame upon his watch, his master quietly said " Then you must get another watch or I an- other secretary." THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. %T REST: The origin of much of the nervousness and impaired health of individuals who are not decidedly sick, is owing to a want of suf- ficient and quiet rest. To procure this should be the study of every one. Laboring people should retire as early as nine in the even- ing, and all others by ten or eleven. Those who are liable to have disturbed sleep should take especial care that their evenings pass- tranquilly. Many are injured by attending theatres, parties, balls or other meetings in the evening, by which they are so much agitated that their sleep is broken and unquiet. In our opinion, the most fre- quent and immediate cause ol insanity, and one the most import- ant to guard against, is want of sleep. So rarely do we see a recent case of insanity that is not preceded by want of sleep, that we re- gard it as almost the sure precursor of mental derangement. Notwithstanding strong hereditary predisposition, ill-health, loss of kindred or property, insanity rarely results unless the ex- citing causes are such as to occasion loss of sleep. A mother loses her only child, the merchant his fortune ; the politician, the scholar, the enthusiast, may have their minds power- fully excited and disturbed : yet, if they sleep well, they will not become insane. There is no advice so useful to those who are predisposed to insanity, or to those who have recovered from an attack, as to carefully avoid everything likely to cause loss of sleep, to pass their evenings tranquilly at home, and to retire early to rest. Long- continued wakefulness disorders the whole system. The appetite becomes impaired, the secretions diminished or changed, the mind dejected, and soon waking dreams occur, and strange phantoms appear, which at first may be transient, but ultimately take posses- sion of the mind, and madness or death ensues. We wish we could impress upon all, the vast importance ot securing sound and abundant sleep. If so, we should feel that we had done an immense good to our fellow-beings, not merely in preventing insanity, but other diseases also. To procure sleep it is important that the mind should not be disturbed for several hours before retirmg to rest. Retire early, and when neither very warm nor cold ; sleep on a hair mattress,, or on a bed not very soft. The bed-room should be large and well- ventilated, and the bed should not be placed near the wall, or near the window, as such an arrangement often exposes the person to currents of cold air. There should be nothing tight about the neck, and the rule of cleaning the teeth before retiring is a good one. 28 THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. Tea or coffee taken late at night is apt to disturb sleep. Strive to banish thought as much as possible, or take up the most dull sub- ject. Study during the evening is improper. Nervous persons who are troubled with wakefulness and ex- citability usually have a strong tendency of blood to the brain, with cold extremities. The pressure of the blood on the brain keeps it in a stimulated or waketul state, and the pulsations of the head are often painful. Let such rise and chafe the body and ex- tremities with a brush or towel, or rub smartly with the hands to promote circula ion and withdraw the excessive amount of blood from the brain, and they will fall asleep in a few moments. A sponge bath and rubbing, or a good run, or a rapid walk in the open air, just before retiring, will aid in equalizing circulation and promoting sleep. Some people are able to perform much mental labor, and to study late at night and yet sleep well. Some require but little sleep. But such individuals are very rare. Sleep seemed to be at the command of Napoleon, as he could sleep and wake apparently at his will. A writer observes of M. Guizot, former minister of France : His facility for going to sleep after extreme excitement and mental ex- ertion is prodigious ; after the most boisterous and tumultuous sit- tings at the chamber, after being baited by the opposition in the most savage manner — there is no milder expression for their ex- cessive violence — he arrives at home, throws himself upon a couch and sinks immediately into a profound sleep, from which he is un- disturbed till midnight when proofs of the Moniteur are brought to him for inspection. It is an interesting fact, says another writer, that for many of the latter years of his life Sir Robert Peel was in the invariable habit, at whatever hour he returned from his cabinet or the House of Commons, of reading for half an hour in some religious book before retiring to rest. It was by this habit he said, that he could keep his mind calm and clear after the distractions and irritations of the day. There is no time spent more stupidly than that which some luxurious people pass in the morning between sleeping and waking, after nature has been fully satisfied. He who is awake may be doing something ; he who is asleep is receiving the refreshment necessary to fit him for action, but the hours spent in dozing and slumbering can hardly be called existence. THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. 29 '1.! ■0\ APPEARANCE, In civilized society, external advantages make us more respect- ed. A man with a good coat upon his back meets with a better reception than he who has a bad one. If you are in search ot a position be sure to go well-dressed. Employers do not like to see shabby men about them. It k)oks as if they did not give good wages, and consequently employed indif- ferent workmen. It is a mistake to say you cannot afford it ; you cannot afford to be shabby, for by it you may lose a hundred times the cost of a good suit of clothes. If you are anxious to keep in a good position, keep well-dressed, for when a man in receipt of good wages is ill-dressed, his employer is apt to think that he spends his money in drink, or some other disreputable way ; it excites suspicion as much as extravagance in his amusements, and great display in dress. In one case he is suspected of spending his own money ill ; on the other, of using that of his employer. If you want some one to assist you, go well-dressed ; you will find it easier to borrow fifty or a hundred dollars in a good suit ol clothes, than five in an old coat and shabby hat. A writer thus describes a magic ring and coat of darkness : I know a man who is a brute and a clown by birth and education ; clumsily made and as great a fool as it is possible to be. Well ! when this fellow puts on his finger a certain ring, decorated with a large pebble of the species they call diamonds, he becomes witty, well-bred, handsome, and an amusing companion — at least, people regard him as such. Whenever I wish to make myself invisible, I have a certain old hat, rusty and napless, which I put on as Prince Lutin put on his cap of roses. To this I add a certain seedy coat. Lo ! and behold, I become immediately invisible. Not a being in the street sees, recognizes or speaks to me. ON THRIVING. " Hard work is the grand secret of success." •' Nothing but rags and poverty can come of idleness," " Elbow-grease is the only stuff to make gold with." " No sweat, no sweet." " He who would have the crow's eggs must climb the tree." '• Diligence is the mother of gocd luck." " Idleness is the devil's bolster." Believe in traveling on step by step ; don't expect to be rich in a|jump. Great greediness to reap Helps not the money heap. 80 THE GRAND SEi OF SUCCESS. Make as lew bear little fruit, them in another ; Slow 3nd si>.e is betlcr than li: . and flimsy. Fersevetanre, by its daily gains, enriches a man Har more than fits and starts of fortunate speculation. Little fishes are sweet. ""Every little helps," as the sow said when she snapped at a gnat. Brick by brick houses are built. We should creep before we walk, walk before we run, and run before we ride. It is bad beginning business without capital. It is hard market- ing with empty pockets. We want a nest egg, for hens \/iIl lay where there are eggs already. Trading without capital is like building a house without bricks, making a fire without sticks, burnmg lamps without wicks ; it leads men into tricks, and lands them in a fix. changes as possible ; trees often transplanted If you have difficulties in one place you will have if you move because it is damp in the valley, you may find it cold on the hill. Where will the mule go that it will not have to work ? Where can a cow live and not get milked ? Where will you find land without stones, or meat without bones. Everywhere on earth men must eat bread in the sweat of their faces. To fly trom trouble men must have en les' wings. Alter- ations are not always improvements, as the pigeon said when she got out of the net into the pie. There is a proper time for chang- ing, and then mind and bestir yourself, for a setting hen gets no barley ; but do not be ever on the shift, for a rolling stone gathers no moss. Stick to it is the conqueror. He who can wait long enough will win. This, that, and the other, anything and every- thing, all put together make nothing in the end, but on one horse a man rides home in due season. In one place the seed grows, in one nest the bird hatched its eggs, in one oven the bread bakes, in one river the fish lives. Don't give up a small business till you see that a large one will pay better: even crumbs are bread. Remember many men have done well in small stores. A sheep may get fat in a small meadow, and starve in a great desert. Do not be above your business. He who turns up his nose at his work, quarrels with his bread and butter. He is a poor smith who is afraid of his own sparks : there's some discomfort in all trades. If sailors gave up going to sea because of the wet ; if bakers left off baking because it is hot work ; if ploughmen would not plough because of the cold, and tailor; vould not make clothes for fear of pricking their fingers, what a \ ass we should come to ! Nonsense, my fine fellow, there's no shame about any honest calling ; don't be afraid of soiling your hands, there's plenty of soap to be had. All trades are good to good traders. Plod is the word ; every man must row with such oars as he has, and as he can't choose the wind, he must sail by such as God sends THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. 81 him. Patience and attention will get on in the long run. If the cat sits long enough at the hole she will catch the mouse. Keep your weather eye open. Sleeping poultry are carried off by the fox. Who watches nov catches not. Grind while the wind blows, or if not do not blame Providence. Take time by the fore- lock. Be up early and catch the worm. The morning hour carries gold in its mouth. He who drives first in the row gets all the dust in his eyes ; rise early, and you will have a clear start for the day. Never try dirty dodges to make money. It will never pay to lick honey off of thorns. He needs have a long spoon who would eat out of the same dish with the devil. Never ruin your soul for the sake of pelf; it is like drowning yourself in a well to get a drink of water. Better walk bare-foot than ride in a carriage to hell ; better that the bird starve than be fattened for the spit ; the mouse wins little by nibbling the cheese if it gets caught in the trap. Clean money or none, mark that ; for gain badly got will be an everlasting loss. Look well to your spending. No matter what comes in, if more goes out you will always be poor. The art is not in making money, but in keeping it ; little expenses, like mice in a barn when they are many, make grate waste. Hair by hair heads get bald. Straw by straw the thatch goes off the cottage. Chickens will be plucked feather by feather if the maid keeps at it ; small mites eat the cheese ; when you begin to save begin with your mouth ; there are many thieves down red lane. The beer glass is a great waster ; in all other things keep within compass. Never stretch your legs fur- ther than the blanket will reach, or you will soon be cold. A fool may make money, but it requires a wise man to spend it. If you give all to back and board, ther^ is nothing left for the savings bank. Fare hard and work hard while you are young, and you have a chance of rest when you are old. Never indulge in extravagance unless you want to make a short cut to the poor-house. My talk seems like the Irishman's rope, which he could not get into the ship because somebody had cut the >end off. I only want to say, do not be greedy, for covetousness is always poor; still strive to get on, for poverty is no virtue, and to rise in the world is to a man's credit as well as his comfort. Earn all you can, save all you can, and then give all you can. Giving is true having, as the old grave-stone said of the dead man : "What J spent I had, what I saved I lost, what I gave I have." The pockets of the poor are safe lockers, and it is always a good invest- ment to lend to the Lord, wishing all young beginners long life and prosperity." •' Snffioient of wealth, And abnndant health. Long years of content, And when life is spent' A manison with God in glory." — C. H» Spurgeon, 82 THE GRAND SECRETS OF SUCCESS. ' HOW TO ADVERTISE. It is an established principle, that advertising in sonic- form is essential to the successful })rosecution of mercantile business, the master's art being shown in the motle of advertising. Fortunes have been made, rapidly, by the extensive sale of specific ai tides through the agency of advertising. To succeed in any undertaking, one must make iiimself known to the public, whose patroiic^ge he seeks, and upon whose favor he depends. Advertising acts with two-fold jw)wer ; it creates a want for the article advertised, while notifying the source of supjjly. It invests goods with virtues, even if they have them not ; and the advertiser with something of the halo that surroimds an author or a hero. Next to godliness there is nothing that a merchant should so ardently pray for as the courage to advertise. Put on the appear- ance of business, and, generally, the reality will follow. " The farmer plants his seed, and while he is sleeping, his corn and i)otatoes are growing. So with advertising ; while you are sleeping, or eating, or conversing with one set of customers, your advertisement is being read by hundreds and thousands of persons, who never saw you, or heard of your business, and never would, had it not have been for your advertisement. Don't advertise unless you have something worth buying. A Frenchman says, the reader of a paper, does not see the first insertion, the second he sees but does not read, the third insertion he reads, the fourth insertion he looks at the price, the fifth insert- ion he spenks of it to his wife, the sixth insertion he is ready to pur- chase, and the seventh insertion he purchases. Now if this b.e tolerably correct, it is evident that by stopping at the fifth or sixth, you would loose a customer. Let your beginning be on a small but progressive scale, taking but one careful upw^ard step at a time, and the higher you ascend the more careful you should be, keeping in view the advice that *' Little barques should keep near shore while larger ones may venture far." But it needs nen r . ->i:- >^ , i/v ; ".• V. ■!;. r -• 1^7 fTt 1 Toronto Hews Company's PUBUCATIONS. "*-«-i^»+-*- Irving's Five cent Music living's Ten G"ent Music . . . . Jousse's Musical Catechism (jretzef'^ New School for the Parlor Organ . Choice Selections for Autograph Albums Dream book and Fortune Teller Burrov^''s Pianoforte Primer . . . Views of Toronto, Pocket-book Form Views of Niagara Falls, Pocket-book Ft)rm The Hidden Hand, -by Mrs. Southworth . Original Album Verses and Acrostics Olive Varcoe, a Splendid Novel . . 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