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STUDENT'S MANUAL;
BY SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS,
TO AID IN
FORMING AND STRENGTHENING THE INTELLECTUAL
AND MORAL CHARACTER AND HABITS
OF
THE STUDENT.
BY REV. JOHN TODD, D. D.,
PASTOR OF TRE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, PITSSFILD  KAS;
AUT0OR OF GREAT CITIES, LECTURIS TO CmLDRRN,
YOUNG MAN, ETC.
NEW REVISED EDITION;
TO WHICH ARE ADDED
NOTES BY THE AUTHOR.
TWENTY-FOURTH EDITION.
NORTHAMPTON:
HOPKINS, BRIDGMAN & CO.
PHILADELPHIA: H. COWPERTHWAIT & CO.
CINCINNATI: MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS, & CO.
1869.
T HE
DB]IOlND,
PI
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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by
HOPKINS, BRIDGMAN l CO.
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of
..          l~Massachusetts.
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TV    - 17 -
PREFACE TO TIlE AUTIl(R'S EDITION.
DURING the time since this volume was first issued there has been
never less than one edition yearly published in this country. In
the Old World I know not how many editions, nor in how many lan.
guages it has been printed, sometimes with, and sometimes without,
the author's name; sometimes as an imposing, beautiful volume, and
sometimes dwarfed down to the dimensions of a good-sized tract.
As nearly as I can learn, not less than one hundred thousand copies
have been sold across the waters.
But the most gratifying bircumstance connected with this book is,
that, from all parts of the world, I constantly receive letters from
those whom I never expect to see in this world, who, of their own'
accord, write to the author in terms of gratitude so warm that I
am almost afraid to read them.
I have added notes to this new edition, gathered, with more labor
than would at first appear, from different sources, which, I hope,
will be useful to the reader. They came from so many different
quarters that I could not, in all cases, give credit to the pages from
which I have drawn them.
When I wrote this volume, I felt a deep interest in students,
because I had just passed through their trials and temptations; and
now, having children whose feet are just placed upon "the sandy
hill of learning," I feel an interest no less deep, even if it seem
more selfish.
Most sincerely do I return my thanks to the unknown friends
who have so often cheered me with words of approbation and testimonials of usefulness, and most truly do I thank my heavenly
Father for having been pleased to own an instrument so unworthy,
as a benefactor to minds created in His image.
PrrTSFIELD, JAN. 2, 1854
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PREFACE
HAtDLY any class of men are so difficult to be reached
as students, and the undertaking is hazardous; but no
class of men are so open to conviction, so alive to
manly principle, so susceptible of good impressions,
when the effort to aid them is judicious and worthy of
their attention. Whether the present attempt is a happy one, the author is not presumptuous enough to say.
The highest wish of his heart would be to have its reception and success commensurate with his esteem and
love for those for whose welfare he feels the strongest
interest, and for whose benefit he has written.
Scarcely any hour can be more anxious to the parent
than that in which he takes leave of his child, after
having carried him away from home to some public
Institution for the purpose of study. He knows the
temptations which will beset his child, without knowing
any way by. which to shield him. I have tried to make
this book such a friend as he will wish to leave with his
son, to aid him in forming his character.
The youth who goes from home, and takes his place
among his fellows at a strange place, for tt. purpose of
study, feels that it is all new to him: he is inexperienced,
and knows not how to form the character which he in.
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tends to possess. He has no friend who has been over
the ground, and snews it all, to whom he can go for
advice, for encouragement, and aid. For such I have
endeavored to write this book.
In the different professions, there are multitudes who
feel that they are not students, hawe not the habits, the
character of students; and yet they know not where
the difficulty is, or what to do.  If such do not find
hints in this volume which will aid and encourage
them, I shall have deep regrets, and no small mortification.
A very few paragraphs in this work will be found in
an ephemeral Address which the Author delivered before one of our colleges a short time since.
Some may wonder at the taste which has now and
then interspersed a quotation in Latin. Those who are
familiar with the taste of students, know how much they
admire a beautiful thought in beautiful language, and
how much more highly a nut is relished, if they have to
crack it.
Why is not the work more decidedly religious? Because the design of it is to aid in forming the whole
character of the student. The two last chapters, it is
hoped, will not be found deficient in this respect.
May He, without whose blessing every attempt at
being useful is lost, own it,-and make it the instrument
of much good to those who are the hope of their friends
and the hope of their country.
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PREFACE.
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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
OBJECT OF STUDY. INTRODUCTORY.
The mind ofman. Ferguson. Why solittle accomplished. Want ofex.
perience in the student. Character acquired while a student indelible.
Responsibility as. to character. For whom writing. Frigate Constitu tion in a storm at sea. Presence of mind.  The helmsman.  Infcrence.
Time and opportunities lost. Savage and cultivated mind compared.
All capable of excelling. Clavius. The boy on the top of the steeple.
Eccentricities of character.  Folly of expecting to be a geniius.  Edu  cation your own work.  Student must labor. lomaso Anello, the fisher  boy.  No excellence without toil. The ocean insect. The motto. The
object ofeducation.  A shrewd suspicion. Improve through life. Con  centration of thought.  Example of abstraction.  Appetites and pas  sions must be subdued.  Necessity of cultivating attention.  Example.
Demosthenes. Patience. Mistaken views on this subject. Benjamin
Franklin's beginning. Example of patience. Student must have a char  acter ofhis own.  Folly of being an imitator. Anecdote of Andrew Ful  ler. Greatness not to be copied. The judgment must be formed. Wast  ing life-remarkable example. Second example. What is wanted. Good
habit-example.  The mind will bear hard usage.  Continued efforts.
Hamilton.  President Porter.  The two monks.  Knowledge of human
nature necessary.  Jonathan Edwards. Who understands human nature
best  Self-knowledge. Measure yourself. Vanity unacceptable. Mod  esty of a well-disciplined mind.  Memory.  Originality not common.
Orginality not necessary.  Object of study repeated. Power of mem  ory.  Away from home.  Tediousness of the student's life.  Con  clusion............................................... 13
CHAPTER II.
HABITS.
Power of habit. Easily formed. They are formed by all. It ought to
be so. How to form a habit. Example.  The prisoner.  A second ex  ample;  First direction in regard to habits-ha)e plans.  The  snow path.  How to calculate for a day.  Reviewing the day.  Character
formed. A student's day.  Second directionuntiin- industr/.  Folio
volumes. ILdian maxim. Who is a blusterer. Who has leisure. Seneca.
Rutherford.  Luther.  Jeremiah Evarts.  Idleness certain death. Third
directio-erseverance.  Example of the contrary habit. Decision an
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CONTENTS.
attendant on perseverance. Effect of changing plans. Results of perse
verance.  Habit of puttiing off.  Charles XII. F ourth direction —nctuality. Brougham  Difficult attailument. Why we love a punctual man.
Blackstone. Brewer, while a student. Loss by the want of this habit.
Mistakes made. Fifth direction-early rising. Swift's remark. Former times. Curious instance in Buffon. Frederic II. Doddridge.
Early rest necessary. How to form the habit. The clock. Yale and
Amherst Colleges. Many fight against forming the habit. Besetting
sin.  Sixth direction-earnf'om every thing. Walter Scott.  Wisdom
in a servant girl. Value of this habit.* Spencer. Wirt's view of
this subject.  The principle illustrated.  Se enth direction-fixed principles. What makes a firm character. The tried shelf. Characters
and-books to be classified.  The martyr Latimer.  Eighth directionpersonal habits. Tobacco. The " Royal Counterblast." Effects of
the system. Dress. Change of garmennets. Economy in dress. Dandyism.  Alexander's courtiers.  The teeth.  How preserved.  Singularity.  Manners at table.  What society demands as to manners.
Cleanliness.  The  fable.  Ninth direction-doi' every  thing  well.
Johnson.  The prize lost.  Common things.  Euripides. Buonaparte.
M'Donough's victory. Tenth directions-temper. Goldsmith's temper.
Danger to a student. Manliness. Contentment. Petty troubles. lmainary inferiority.  Reverie.  It is common.   Sours  the feelings.
Elevenst direction-sound judoas. The troublesome watch.  Judging of your own character.  The officer's method.  Twelfth directiontreatment offriends. Their anxiety. Illustration. Writing to friends
Example.   Son.  Letter from a son.  Effects ofletter-writing. Choosing friends. What traits of character necessary. Beautiful maxims.
Esteem necessary to friendship.  Envy not allowed.  Friends to be
chosen for the qualifications of the heart. How to keep friends. What
the great duty of friendship. Veracity essential. Part of daily habits
to cultivate friends.................................... 47
CHAPTER III.
STUDY.
Study seems easy. Interruptions cannot be avoided. Suggestions. Num
ber of hours of study.  German students.  Severe  application.  Posi
tions of the body.   Grimke's plan.  Chairs and lights.  No conversa  tion in study hours.  Studying aloud.  Thorough.  How to conquer a
country.  Inaccurate scholarshow made.  The  two farms.   Exam  ple from Moliere. Example of a thorough scholar. Thoughts to be fol  lowed. Translations. Their effects. Expect hard study. President
Dwight. Testimniony of Wirt. How to make practical men. Frank  lin's habits. How to think. Brougham's application. No quarrelling
with studies.  The chancellor's young horse.  Geometry.  Philosophy
Perseverance.  The lcelaider-a curious example.  Excuses for not
studying hard.  Milton.  Fuller.  How a student is known.  Testimo  ny of Prof. Stuart.  Necessity of reviewing.  How to commit grammar
to memory.  The jeweller's shop.    yttenbach's testimony.   How to
review.   iow far carried.  The fog.  Necessity illustrated.  Quintil ian.  Appointed exercises.   Pres. Porter's testimony.  Punctuality.
Rest the mind. How done. Illustrated. Example of Dr. Good. The
old adage untrue.................................... 106
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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
READING.
Biutus. Pliny. Aaedote of Petrarch. Bacon's aphorism. Necessity
of reading.  Remark of President Porter.  Queen Caroline.  Olbject of
reading. hlow to read to advantage. Must be deliberate. Setieca's
remark. Ancients had but few books. Sca*ity of books in Europe
formerly.  Obstacles in the way of knowledge formerly.  Excellence
of the ancients. We read mtuchi. Bad books. Cautions. Their cer
tain ruim Guilt of selling such books. Byron. Danger ofsuch writers
Abuse of imagiiation.  A delicate subject.  Onanis scelus.  Crimen
commune. EtLhilici. Dei ira. Fructus. They cannot live long.
Moore and Scott.  Hume and Paine.  Effects of such writings. Chal mers.  Edmund Burke.  Testimony against novels.  How knowwhat
to read.   Standard authors.  Read  1o poor books.   How begin  to
read an author. How to know an author. How to read with the
g-eatest profit. Marginal marks. Read slow. Reading should be
talked over. Reviewing books. Classification. Index Rerum. News  papers and magazines. Reading with pen in the hand. Objects in
reading.   Style.  Illustrated,  Edwards  on the Will.  Illustration.
3tocking the mind with knowledge. Barthliolin's remark. Stimulating
the mind.  Illustrated.  Pleasures of reading.  Buying books... 138
CHAPTER V.
TIME.
Difficulties ofthe subject. Remark of Seneca. Earl of Chatham's hab.
its.  Minute knowledge.  Must feel the necessity of improving time
Johnson's reflections.  The Indian  Gymnosophists.  Apuleius.  Im aginary examination. Dream continued. Virtuosi. Encouraging art ists. Buying books. Thieves. First thief-sleep. Sleeping after din ner. Second thief-indolence  Third thief-sloth.  Madame de Genlis.
Author's experience. Variety grateful to the mind. Erasmus. Fourth
thief-risiting. Fifth thief — eading useless books. Novel-clubs. Sixth
thief-improper study.  Whipping dogs. Seventh thief.-earied mind.
Eighth thief- -ocrastination.  Illustrated.  Duke of Newcastle.  Ninth
thief-not completing our plans.  Papers of a geilius.  Order essential.
Order must be perfect. Trifling pursuits. Nero and those like him.
The huniiting patriarch. Dressing. Diversions. Life may be doubled.
Locke's observations.  Who lives longest.   Thought from the proph.
et.  Curious illustration.  Turkish story.  The exiledking.  King re turned. The moral. Who enjoys most. Save the fragments of
time.  What might be done.  Necessity of prayer.  Evening review.
Queen Elizabeth.  Dr. Young.......................... 168
CHAPTER VI.
CONVERSATION.
The evening party. Power of conversatio i valuable. Agreeable. A
gift of our Creator.  Power of persuasi4    Illustrated.  Use in ob.
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taining information. Matter of study. Floating thought. City inhab.
itants. Conversation refines the feelings. Conv ersation a poor substi.
tute for books.  Advantages  of the student.  Should cultivate his
powers.  First suggestion —talking upon trifles.  Every circle may
have profitable coniversation.  Great millds.  Robert Hall   A common
mistake.  Second suggestionsevere speaking   The ichneumon.  Detractors.  Notion of the Tartars.  The cruelty of wit.  Illustrated by
the dying Socrates.  A  wise remark.  Curious example.  Flattery.
I,s philosophy.   Dr. Johnson's keenness.  Goldsmith's character of
Garrick.  Third suggestion-i7dicule nthiing sacred.  The  voice of
experience.   Profiule lauguage.   Lord  Chesterfield.  The profane
bishop.  Beautiful satire. Fourth suiggestion-topics of converstion.
Not to use your last reading. Illustrated.  A  contemptible methcd of
fia4fery. Illustrated. Conversation an intellectual feast. Talk about
yourself as little as possible. Old jests and anecdotes. Saying smart
things. Spare the weaknesses ofmen. Danger of being witty. Example from Gil Blas. How to become a wit. Avoid pedantry. Illustrated.  Quoting Latin and Greek.  Double entendres.  Impurity of
expression. How to use anecdotes. Two cautions. First caution.
Second caution.  Illustrated.  Minuteness.  Envy to be avoided.  NoDleexample.  Cheerfuluess.  Mason's excellent rules.  Temper to be
preserved. Disputes not proper for company. The responsibility of
the power of conversation.  T'he student's accountability........ 194
CHAPTER VII.
POLITENESS AND SUBORDINATION.
Ihe students' supper.  Our  first impressions.  How  a  olite maln is
treated. National character. Two curious examples. Danger of stu.
deuts. Learned children. Real politeness begins in early life. Ole dan.
ger. Danger to religious students. Effects of vacations upon the student's
politeness.  Visiting the ladies.  Effects of radicalism upon politeness.
New England students.  Southern manners.  Professional men not po
lite. Illustrated. The philosophy of the fact. Illustrated by a French
lady. Politeness always receives attentions. Consistent with inde pendent feelings.  Wanlt of it no mark of geniius.  Clement XIV.
Hiints.   Good  humor necessary.   Kind fee-ings necessary.   Con.
science must be cultivated.  Priinciples of the gospel lead to politeness.
Cheerfulness essential.  Health essential to cheerfuluess.  Friendship
cultivates politeness. SUBORDINATION. Subordination a law of
Heaven. Subordination to the state laws. Laws of friendship. Laws
of the street. Illustrated. College rebellions. A book needed. Spe cimen ofthe contents ofthe new book.  Four suggestionis.  The facul ty are on right principles.  Theircharacteris good.  Public sentiment
always in favor of the faculty. Illustrated. The student misses his aim
in rebelling.  Illustrated by the saw-mill.  The results of a rebellion
are ruinous to some. How excitement is produced. A mistaken notion.
Two reasons whiy a rebellion is so ruinous.  The first reason.  A great
shock received.  Difficult to recover.  The second reason.  DiscilDine
ofmind lost.  Rebelling a dishonorable business.  No need ofit.  Stu.
dent's life one of trial.............................                  2
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CONTENTS. 
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII.
EXERCISE. DIET. ECONOMY.
Why exercise is needed.  Illustrated.   Health every thing to the student.
Why this necessity is not felt.   Henry Kirke White.  H-ow tile mitid
may be rapidly matured.  This not desirahle.  A tashiot ill thiis coUt try.  Stud)y must  etidan'er health.  Who  is a hero.   The  fatigue
of study.  Illustrated.   We  try to mature t(o soon.  Difficulties which
prevelt exercise.  First difficulty.  Second aiffliculty. Third dlifficulty.
The maiiual-lahor system. Objections to it. Tlle best exercise for
the student.  Illustrated. The fourth difficulty.  How  to meet this diffi culty.  Exercise must he regular.  Must be areeable.   It should relax
the mind.  Cardlinial De Retz.  Exercise to ie ilicreased at particular
times. Professionial men. Pail. Illustrious men have labored with
the htiands.  Examples.  Summar) ofthe a(l alitages of exercise.  Mind
streng,theiied by exercise. Confirmation.  )i:T. Stu(deuts fickle oti this
subject.   Dryde.ii's account c' the first diseases.  Hiits on dliet.  Diet
must correspond with exercise.   Fasting.  Effects of our hahits.  Dr.
Spriug's prescription. R!gularity of d(liet. Simplicity iii diet. Siiigu lar instaiice of o-ie indutlfle'ce.  Stimulatig driniks.  Bad effects upoil
thestudent.  EcoNoMY.  Most of our studciitsare indigent.  Indligenice
, no injury to a student.  Joliison and Savage.  Poverty of Savage.  Ad vaintages of indigence.  Illustrated by men now on lthe stage.   Should
not be ashamed of poverty.  Be anxious to keep out of debt. Whlat to
do if del)bts are absolutely necessary. Not conisult taste in purchases.
Do not buy becadse the tliiii  is chleap.   Teminptation of buyiig hooks.
Form habits of econonmy forife.   No mark ot genius to be careless in
regard to debts.  Make your expenses a matter of conscience.... 260
CHAPTER IX.
DISCIPLINE OF THE HEART.
A designed omission.  An  early duty.  Infidel notions.  What sort of
mei are infidels?  Testimony of one who had been an itifidel.  No
safety in opilions if religious views are loose.  The mind of atn intfidel
cannot make much impression.  Settle your religious views early.  No
one can be safe without fixed prinicipt;les.  Resolutionis of Edwards.
Resolutions of a distinguished man.  A common prejudice amoig stu  dents.  Religion exalts thile mind.  Meatis ot'discipliniig tile  ieart
First suggestion.  Every thing may conitribute to it.  Every evetit de.
sigled or nmoral discipline. Second suggestion. Cultivate the conscienice.
Tse of a cultivated conscience. Illustrations. How the greatest efforts
of the mi;d can be called forth.  Thoughits at a grave.  We must meet
with  temptationis.  They are  constait.   Examples of temptations.
Third suggestion.  Avoid temptation.   Easily-besetting temptations.
Compations.  Conversation.  Particular seasons.  Particular associa tionis.  Vile readiing.  Little failings. Natural temperament.  Beware
of temptations to which you.atutirally incline.  Fourth  suggestion.
ITemper. Example of a subdued temper. Temper may be cultivated.
Roger Shermail. His patience. Remarkable example of a subdued
temper. Necessity of attendinig to the temper. Example of Sir'W ter Raleigh. Irritability of the temper. Fifth suggestiol. Improve ment of thoughts when alone. Cauutonis. Advantages of being alon.
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The future to be anticipated. Your own teacher. Study your own
character. You will find deficiencies. Who are your flatterers? No
other way but by meditation to correctly understand the Divine character.
Sixth suggestion. Daily reading the word of God.   Mungo Park. Two
revelations from heaven.  A  parallel between them.  Inspired eulogy.
Uninspired eulogy.  Sir William Jones.  Comprehensiveness  of  the
Bible.  The  Scriptures must be read daily.  Example of Elizabeth
Locke.  Hints for readingthe Bible.  First hint.  Second hint —tanslation to be used.  The Book of Proverbs.  Third hiit-disposition.
Difficulties in reading the Scripture. Fotirt hint-responsibility. Why
yoi may not neglect the Scripture.  Seveiuth stggestion.  Faithful reviewtig. Sickness. Changes in circumstances. Examination of the heart
on Sa bath evening.  A help suggested.  Use of dreams upon moral
charaeter.  Review at night important.  Effects of the evening review.
The dying heathen philosopher.  Eighth sutiggestion.  Daily prayer.
Students especially need prayer.  Excuse of having no time.   Hts in
regard to prayer.  Regular hours.   lorning and evening the best times
for devotion.  Examples of praying men.  Conscience to be kept pure.
Excuse of not being a Christian exanined. Pray in Christ's name. Ask
for the Holy Spirit........... 329
CHAPTER X.
THE OBJECT OF LIFE.
Pictures of the imagination. Visions ofgood men. Our visions a test ot
character. The youth returninig from a whaling-voyage.  The dying
tho,,ght of Hooker. The world under an immense mistake. The arniy
of Xerxes.  The crusade.  Peter the Hermit.  A wonderful example of
avarice. Ancient kingdoms. Experiment of paganism. The experi
menit of the Romish church.  Fate of Galileo.  The spirit of war uni  versal. Career of Buotiaparte. A striking contrast supposed. Esti  mation in which war is now held. A horse-race. Prostitution of mind
unilainented.  The hopes of each generation of men.  The world left
to siuk.  Who is great?  Individual examples.  The merchant.  The
politician.  The refined scholar.  Thought of Pascal.  Every one has
an object. The appetites and passions. Seeking afler wealth. Life
of ambition. The vexations of the ambitious man. Admiration short  lived.  Difficulties in sustaining a reputation.  No one satisfied with
his reputation.  Restlessness of ambition.  Example of a disappointed
man of am bition.  Curious example.  Character of fame.  The worth
of ambition imagi nary.  By expelling this principle we do not leave
the heart emi ty. We need a high motive of action. What it is. A high
standard is practicable.  Illustr.tior.s.  Examples of awrongstandard.
Example of the right standard.  We have the power of selecting the
object.  What is duty.  Testimoiiy of reason.  Testimony of con  scie,ce.  Advantages of the true!anidard. The soul is filled. Eungross  es the whole heart.  Conquers sin.  Leads to activity.  Shows  valuable
results. No waste ofefforts. Ensures te approbation of conscience. Ob  tains the approbationi of the world. Obtiains the approbation of Heaven.
The d)iiig mother.  Feelings of an author in closing his book.  How
the reader is entreated to act.  State of the world.  Much depends on
students. Circumstances in which we are ca.'ed to act. Responsibility
ofour situation.  Power ofreaching men.  Tthe Bible the great instrii ment.  Encouragements to action.  Rewards  of a  life well spent
-" Ctlusion...........................................    *...35
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THE
STUDENT'S MANUAL.
CHAPTER I.
OBJECT OF STUDY. INTRODUCTORY.
THE human mind is the brightest display of the
power and skill of the Infinite Mind with which we
are acquainted. It is created and placed in this world
to be educated for a higher state of existence.   Here
its faculties begin to unfold, and those mighty energies, which are to bear it forward to unending ages,
begin to discover themselves. The object of training
such a mind should be, to enable the soul to fulfil her
duties well here, and to stand on high vantage-ground,
when she leaves this cradle of her being, for an eternal existence beyond the grave.
There is now and then a youth, who, like Fergu
son, can tend sheep in the field, and there accurately
mnark the position of the stars, with a thread and beads,
and with his knife construct a watch from wood; but
such instances are rare.  Mlost need encouragement to
sustain, instruction to aid, and directions to guide them.
1 Note A.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Why so little accomplished.    Want of experience in the student.
Few, probably, ever accomplish any thing like as
much as they expected or ought; and I have thought
that one reason is, that students waste a vast amount
of time in acquiring that experienice which they need.
As I look back upon the days when I was a "student,"
1 cansee that here I went wrong, and there 1 mistook;
here I missed a golden opportunity, and there I acquired a wrong habit, or received a wrong, bias; and as
I sometimes walk past a college, as it is lighted up for
evenintr-study, I pause, and sighli that I cannot go back
and begin life again, carrying with me my present
experience.  I think, too, 1 can see, that if there had
been such a book as I am now attempting to write for
students, put into my hands at an early period, if
would have been of incalculable advantage to me. I
have strong hopes of saying what will be useful, inasmuch as I shall principally draw firom my own experience and from the remembrance of my own wants.
The reader will please to bear in mind, that the
only object I have in view, is to be useful to himto throw out such hints and cautions, and to give such
specific directions, as will aid him to become all that
the fond hopes pf his friends anticipate, and all that
his own heart ought to desire.
I would here say to the student, that the charactet
which hlie now forms and sustains, will cling to him
through life. Young men always receive impressions
concerning each other which nothing can ever efface.
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TIlE STUDENT'S MIANITAL.
Character acquired while a student.
TIhe very nicknames which are given at this period,
and which are generally indicative of some peculiar
rait of character, will never be forgotten.  His moral
and intellectual character, while  roung, is that by
-vhich his class-mates, especially, will invariably measure him through life.  Is he unamiable now, or indo
lent now, or vicious now? Depend upon it, his character is stamped, and no subsequent years of goodnature, or of application, or of moral worth, can ever
do away the impressions which he is now making.
Ask any educated man about the character of his
Cellow, and you will notice, that he at once goes
back to his College-life, and dates and judges fronm
that period. Thus, every anecdote, every ludicrous
circumstance, whether it was a mistake in reciting, or
in judgment, or in moral conduct, will be repeated
over the land, and his frailties will be known as
widely as his class is scattered.
No mistake can be more decided than that of supposing that you are now retired from the world, have
no character to maintain, and no responsibility resting
upon you. It is far otherwise. And it is peculiarly
trying, that, during the very period when the character
is forming, it is viewed by all around you as if it
wvere already and unalterably formed, and judged of
accordingly.  He, who now sits by your side in the
recitation-room, has every trait of your character exposed to his view; and he will remember every trait,
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16
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Repniblt  ast  hrce.                         Fo   hmwii
and he will mark you through life, at the place where
you now stand. Never, in fact, does so great a re sponsibility rest upon you, as while a student; because
you are now forming your character and habits, and
setting your standard; and because, also, your contem poraries will seldom, if ever, alter their judgoment con cerning you. If you are stupid and inaccurate during
this period, though you should hereafter write dic tionaries, and edit classics, and dream in foreign lan guagres, I very much doubt whether your friend, now
at your elbow, would ever give you credit for any thing
hilgher than dullness.
Doubtless multitudes are now in the process of
education, who will never reach any tolerable standard of excellence. Probably some never could; but
in most cases they might. The exceptions are few;
and probably most, who read these pages, do feel a
desire, more or less strong, of fitting themselves for
respectability and usefulness. They are, however,
ignorant of the way; they are surrounded by temptations and dangers; they soon forget the encouragements, and thus oscillate between hope and fear, resolution and discouragement. It is for such that I
write. And such I earnestly entreat not to lay aside
this little book till they have read it, weighed it, and,
f they please, called the writer whatever hard names
occur to them. My pen will probably sometimes
seem dull; but if i. should, I hope I may apologize for
.
Responsibility as to character.
For wliom writing.
0 
rHE STUDENT' MAUAL.,
Frigate Constitution in a storm at sea.
it as the knight did for his slow-pacing horse:-" Hee
is a rite gude creetur, and travels all the ground over
most faithfully."
When I turned in at night, the sea was smooth and
bright as a mirror; the vast firmament seemed to descend below us; the ship appeared to be suspended
in the centre of an immense sphere, and, if I may say
so, one felt, in awe and silence, the majesty of space.
The sails hung idly by the mast, and the officers'
tread along the deck was the only sound heard. So
I left them.
"About midnight, I was awakened by a heavy swing
of my cot, succeeded by a sudden dash to the other
side: the water was pouring into our room, and I
could hear its rush across the upper decks, where all
was noise and rapid motion. I hurried on my clothes,
and ran up: the gmn-deck was clear; hammocks had
already been lashed up and stowed; it was lighted up,
and showed it flooded in its whole extent. I ascend.
ed to the next: the rain came down in torrents, but 1
did not feel it, so deeply absorbing was the scene.  1
wish I could describe it. The sky was in a constant
blaze; the sea was not hilgh, but broken, confused
and foaming, and taking from the lightning an unnatural hue. Above me were the yards covered with
human beings, thrown by each flash into strong outline, strtling hard to secure the canvass and to
maintain their precarious footing. - The ship rolled
I
17
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Presence of mind.
tremendously. And now add the wild uproar of the
elements)'the noise of many waters,' the deep and
constant roar of the winds, the cries of the men aloft,
the heavy and rapid tread of those below, the reiterated commands of officers, and, rising above all this,
the firm and composed orders of the trumpet, and
then add to this the heavy-rolling thunder, at times
drowning all these sounds. The first lieutenant had
the deck: he had sprung to it at the first alarm, and,
seizing the trumpet, had called Black, his favorite
helmsman. The ship was soon under snug sail, and
now dashed onward at a furious rate, giving to the
gale a yet wilder character.
"All at once a rocky island seemed to start up from
the water; but the next broad flash showed a good offing, and we were safe; when suddenly came a loud shoiut
from the forecastle-  A sail close on the larboard bow,
sir.' I trembled then-not for ourselves, for we
should have gone over them, and have scarcely felt
the shock-but for the poor wretches whom it would
have been impossible to save. The helm was put
hard down: we shot by, and I again breathed freely,
when some one bade me look up to our spars.  I did
so, and found every upper yard-arm and mast tipped
with lightning. Each blaze was twice as large as
that of a candle; and thus we flew on, with the elements of destruction piayming above our he*."
Can any one read this beautiful description of one
I
18
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Th    emr.a.Ifrne
of our-own proud ships in a storm, and fail to reflect,
that discipline is the life and salvation of such a ship
in such a storm?  But I have copied it for a different
purpose; and that is, to call the attention of the reader
a single moment to the "helmsman Black."   Can
there be a doubt but the sailor who coul,' take the
helm in these circumstances, and hold the S..ip firmly
on her course amid the storm, shunning rocks, and
just shooting by smaller vessels, must have courage,
presence of mind, and great promptness of character?
Or can there be a doubt, but, if he had been properly
educated when young, he might have stood in the
lieutenant's place, and held the trumpet, or even commanded the ship? It is my earnest wish to aid such
as have capacity, in seizing the present moment, and,
while they have the opportunity, in so laying their
plans, and in so forming their habits, as to make the
most of all their endowments. There are, doubtless,
some who will read these pages without benefit.
May I suggest a possible reason?  "A mole, having
consulted many oculists for the benefit of his sight,
was at last provided with a good pair of spectacles;
but, upon his endeavoring to make use of them, his
mother told him, that, though they might help the
eye of a man, they could be of no use to a mole."
You may converse with any man, however distinguished for attainments or habits of application, or
power of using what he knows. and he will sigh over
.
.19
The helmsr-. tan.
Inference.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Time and opportunities lost.    Savage and cultivated mind compared.
the remembrances of the past, and tell you, that there
have been many fragments of time which he has
wasted, and many opportunities which he has lost
forever. If he had only seized upon the fleeting ad vantages, and gathered up the fragments of time, he
minght have pushed his researches out into new fields,
and, like the immortal Bacon, have amassed vast
stores of knowledge. The mighty minds which have
gone before us, have left treasures for our inheritance, and the choicest gold is to be had for the
digging. How great the dissimilarity between a naked Indian, dancing with joy over a new feather for
his head-dress, and such a mind as that of Ne vton or
of Boyle!  And what makes the difference?  There
is mind enough in the savage; he can almost outdo
the instincts of the prey which he hunts; but his
soul is like the marble pillar. There is a beautiful
statue in it, but the hand of the sculptor has never
aid the chisel upon it. That mind of the savage has
never been disciplined by study; and it, therefore, in
the comparison, appears like the rough bison of the
forest, distinguished only for strength and ferocity
I am not now to discuss the question whether the
souls of men are naturally equal. If they are, it is
certain that, though the fact were proved, it would be
of little practical use, since the organization of bodies
.s so different, that no training can make them alike.
Bw  his, I think, may safely be afirmed, that eve!v
e
20
0 
THE STUDL. I'S MANUAL.
All capable ofexolling.    Clanius.   The boy on the top of the steeple.
one has naturally the power of excelling in some one
thing. You may not excel in mathematics, or as a
writer, or a speaker; but I honestly believe that every
one of my readers is capable of excelling in some department, and will surely do so, if faithful to himself.
There was once a boy' put under the care of the
Jesuits, who was noted for nothing but his stupidity.
These teachers tried him abundantly, and could make
nothing of him. How little did they think that the
honor of being his instructers was to raise their order
in view of the world! At length, one of the fathers
tried him in geometry, which so suited his genius,
that he became one of the first mathematicians of his
age. Marcus, the soil of Cicero, was sent to Athens,
and had all the first masters that could be procured;
and he made a perfect        blockhead.  And yet I
feel confident, that, bad the right place been found for
him, he would have been more than respectable in it.
Non omnes omnia possumus.
I once saw a little boy, on a public occasion, while
thousands were gazing at him with unaffected astonishment, climb the lightning-rod on the lofty spire of
a meeting-house. The wind blew high, and the rod
shook and trembled; but up he went, till he had
reached the vane, 195 feet higl:. All, every moment,
expected to see him fall. But what was our amaze                      I Note B.
e
21
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Eccentricities of character.    Folly of expecting to be a genius.
ment to see him mount the vane, and place his little
feet upon it, throwing his arms aloft in the air, and
turnling round, as the wind turnel his shaking foot-hold!
He  stood there till weary, and came down at his leisure. Here was a mind capable, I doubt not, of high
enterprise. And yet he has never been heard of since.
And why not? Either his mind has not been cultivated, or else his genius has been bent out of its proper channel. I will just add, that the poor boy was
fined for setting so dangerous an example before the
boys who saw him; but I could not help wishing that,
while they sought to restrain him from such physical
daring, they had been as careful to direct his fearless
genius in a proper channel.
I perceive I have used a dangerous word, though
of great antiquity.  The word is genius.  Many train
themselves into habits of eccentricity and oddity, and
suppose these inseparable from genius. There-are
some  men  who  think nothing  so characteristic of
genius, as to do common things in an uncommon way
-like Hudibras, to tell the clock by algebra, or like
the lady in Dr. Young's Satires, "to drink tea by
stratagem." Dean Swift, in his celebrated Travels,
found whole nations of these geniuses, and tells us
that he observed a tailor, with a customer before him,
whose measure for a coat he was taking with a quadrant! Never set up any pretensions for a genius, nor
lay:laim to the character. But few such are born
e
I
22
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Education must be your own work.
into the world; and of those few, th6ugh envied
greatly, and imitated as greatly, but very few, indeed,
leave the world wiser or better than they found it.
The object of hard study is not to <draw out geniuses,
but to lake minds such as are formed in a common
mould, and fit them for active and decisive usefulness.
Nothing is so much coveted by a young man as the
reputation of being a genius; and many seem to feel
that the want of patience for laborious application and
deep research, is such a mark of genius as cannot be
mistaken: while a real genius, like Sir Isaac Newton, with great modesty says, that the great and only
difference between his mind and the minds of others,
consisted solely in his having more patience.   You
may have a good mind, a sound judgment, or a vivid
imagination, or a wide reach of thought and of views;
but, believe me, you probably are not a genius, and
can never become distinguished without severe application. Hence all that you ever have, must be the
result of labor-hard,  untiring labor.   You  have
friends to cheer you on; you have books and teachers to aid you, and multitudes of helps. But, after
all, disciplining and educating your mind must be your
own work. No one can do this but yourself. And
nothing in this world is of any worth, which has not
labor and toil as its price. The zephyrs of summer
can bat seldom breathe around you.  "I foresee, distinct.ly, that you will have to double Cape Horn in
0
2a 
THE STtIJDENTS MANUAL.
Tomaso Anello, the fisher-boy.
the winter-season, and to grapple with the gigantic
spirit of the storm which guards the cape; and I fore see, as distinctly, that it will depend entirely on your
own skill and energy, whether you survive the fearful
encounter, and live to make a port in the mild latitudes of the Pacific." *
Johnson asserts, that, if any one would be master
of the English language, he must give his days and
nights to the reading of Addison. It is still more
emphatically true, that, if any one would he dist;n-guished, he must labor for it. There is no real excellence without patient study. Those who have
now and then risen upon the world, without education,
and without study, have shed but a doubtful light, and
that but for a moment. Many a youth has kindled
at the story of TOMASO ANELLO, who was one day
hawking fish through the streets of Naples, and the
next was master of armies and fleets, and made his
will the rule for an empire. The army obeyed him;
the banditti quailed before him; and never was a man
more absolute in his will. But his short reign of nine
days was marked with great folly, cruelty, and despot ismni; and such examples must ever stand before the
world as among the possible things; but also among
the improbable, and still more undesirable.
Set it down as a fact, to which there are no exceptions, that we must labor for all that we have, and
* Wirt.
.
24
a 
THE STUDE;.T'S MANUAL.
No excellence without toil.    The-oceani insect.    The motto.
that nothing is worth po.Jsessing or offering to others,
which cost us notling. Gilbert Wakefield tells us,
that he wrote his own Memoirs (a large octavo) in
six or eight days. It cost him nothing; and, what is
very natural, it is worth nothing. You might yawn
scores of such books into existence; but who would
be the wiser or the better? We all like gold, but
dread the digging. The cat loves the fish, but will
not wade to catch them;-amat pisces, sed non vult
tingere plantas.
Those islands which so beautifully adorn the Pacific, and which, but for sin, would seem so many
Edens, were reared up from the bed of the ocean by
the little coral-insect, which deposits one grain of
sand at a time, till the whole of those piles are reared
up.  Just so with human exertions.  The  greatert
results of the mind are produced by small, but continued efforts. I have frequently thought of the motto
of one of the most distinguished scholars in this country, as peculiarly appropriate. As near as I remember, it is the picture of a mountain, with a man at its
base, with his hat and coat lying beside him, and a
pickaxe in his hand; and as he digs, stroke by stroke,
his patient look corresponds with his words,-Peu et
peu-" Little by little."
The first, a.d great object of education is, to discipline the mina   It is naturally, like the colt, wild and
2 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The obeto  dcto..edssiin
ungoverned. Let any man, who has not subdued his
mind, more or less, by close thought, sit down and
take hold of a subject, and try to "think it out."
The result will be, that he canndt hold his thoughts
upon the point. They fly off-they wander away.
He brings them back, and determines now to hold his
attention there; when, at once, ere he knows how, he
again finds himself away.  The process is repeated,
till he gives it up in discouragement, or else goes to
sleep. I once heard a young man complaining that
.he could not keep his mind fixed on a point.  "It
rolled off like a barrel from a pin; " and he gave some
hints that possibly it might be that his mind was so
great! His gravity altogether exceeded that of his
associates, to whom he was giving the explanation.
How many great minds would there be, if such indications were to be relied on!
In the period which belongs to you as a student,
then, it is not important that you should try to lay up
a vast amount of information. Under the chapter on
reading, I shall hope to throw out such hints as will
enable you to save what you do read. The object
now is, to fit the mind for future acquisitions and future usefulness. The magazine will be filled soon
enough; and we need not be too anxious to fill it
whil  we are getting it ready for use.  I am desirous
that you have it strongly impressed on the memory
26
The object ofeducation.
A s.'trewd suspicion.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Improve through life.         Coiiceutration of thought.
that the great' object now is, to set the mind out on a
course which' she' can successful y pursue herself, and
that, too, throuigh life.'    -
You must calculate to improve trough'life; and,
therefore, now try to form habits of study, and learn
how to study to advantage.   "Newton  was in his
eighty-fifth year improving his Chronology; and Waller, at eighty-two, is thought to have lost none of his
poetical fire."'
Make it the first object to be able to fix and hold
your attention upon your studies.  He who can do this,
has mastered many and great difficulties; and hlie who
cannot do it, will in vain look for success in any department of study. ",To effect any purpose in study,
the mind must be concentrated.  If any other object
plays on the fancy than that which ought to be exclusively before it, the mind is divided, and both are
neutralized, so as to lose' their'effect-just as when
I learned two systems of short-hand: I was familiar
with Gurney's method, and wrote it with ease; but
when I took it into my head to learn Byromn's, they
destroyed each other, and I could write neither."2
What is commonly called abstraction in study, is
nothing more than having'the attention so completely
occupied with the subject in hand, that the mind takes
notice of nothing, without itself. One of the greatest
miniids which this, or any other country, ever produ(ced. has been known to be so engrossed in thinking on
1 Note C.                     2 Ceil's Remains
0
2-.
Improve through life.
Coiiceiitration of thought.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL
Example of abstraction.            Necessity of attention.
a particular subject, that his horse has waded through
the corner of a pond, yet, though the water covered
the saddle, he was wholly insensible to the cause of
his being wet. I mention this,tot to recommend such
an abstraction, but to show, that he who has his atten
tion fixed, and the power of fixing it when he pleases,
will be successful in study. Need I say here, that
you can never command the attention, if you are in
the habit of yielding to your appetites and passions?
"No man," says one who knew, "whose appetites
are his masters, can perform the duties of his nature
with strictness and regularity. He that would be superior to external influence, must first become superior
to his own passions." Why does the boy, who has a
large sum upon his slate, scowl, and rub out, and begin again, and grow discouraged? Because he has
not yet learned to command his attention. He was
going on well, when some new thought flashed into
his mind, or some new object caught his eye, and he
lost the train of calculation. Why has that Latin or
Greek word so puzzled you to remember, that you
have had to look it out in your dictionary some ten or
dozen times? And why do you now look at it as at
a stranger, whose name you ought to know, but which
yotLcannot recall? Because you have not yet acquired fully the power of fixing your attention. That
word would have been remembered long since, if it
had not passed as a shadow before your mind when
e
28
Example of abstraction.
Necessity of attention.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Example.                                Demosthenes.
you looked at it. A celebrated authoress, who states
that she reserves all her i's to be dotted, and her t.'
to be crossed, on some sick day, mtight have given a
more philosophical reason; and that is, that she could
not bear to have her attention interrupted a single
moment, when writing with the most success.
The difficulty of confining the attention is probably
the secret of the plan of Demosthenes, who shut himself up in his celebrated dark cave for study; and
this will account for the fact, that a person who is unexpectedly deprived of the use of his eyes, will not
unfrequently make advances in thought, and show a
strength of mind, unknown before. I have frequently
seel boys take their books on a summer's day, and
flee fiom their room to the grove, and from the grove
back again, full of uneasiness, and in vain hoping that
changing the place would give them some new power
over the roving attention, and that indescribable restlessness, so inseparable from the early efforts to subtiue the mind. It is all in vain. You cannot fly from
yourself; and the best way is to sit directly down in
your room, and there command your attention to fix
itself upon the hard, dry lesson, and master it; and,
when you have thu, orought this rover to obey you
once, he will be more ready to obey the next timne.
Attention will more readily come at your call to
morrow than to-day.
Patzence is a virtue kindred to attention; and with
2'9
Example.
Demosthenes.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Patience.                     Mistaken views on this subject.
out it, the mind cannot be said to be disciplined.   Patient labor and investigation are not only essential to
success in study, but are an unfailing guarantee to
success.  The young man is in danger of fteling "thrat
he will strike out something new.   His spirits  are
buoyant and his hopes sanguine." - He knows not the
mortified feeling of being repeatedly defeated by himself.  He  will burst upon the world at once, and
strike the blows of a giant, while his arm is that of a
child. He is not to toil up the hill, and wait for years
of self-discipline, close, patient study, and hard labornot he; but before you know it, he will be on the
heights of the highest Alps, with a lofty feeling, lookmg down upon the creepers below. Hence, multitudes waste life, and absolutely fritter away their existence, in doing nothing, except waiting for a golden
opportunity to do something great and  magnificent.
Did not Patrick Henrylburst upon the world at once,
and at once exhibit the strength of a giant?  If lie
did, he is no specimen of ordinary minds, and no man
has a right to presume upon any thing more than an
intellect of ordinary dimensions as his own. What
multitudes of men lie still, and never lift the pen, because the time is not come!  When they come out,
it must be in a "great book," a splendid address, or
some great effort.  The tree must not be allowed to
grow by inches; no, at once the sapling must be
loaded with the fruit of the tree of threescore years.
1 ectc D.
.
80
Patience.
Mistaken views on this subject.
0 
THE STUIDENT'S MANUAL. 
Benjamin Franklin's beginning.       Example of patience
Alas! trees planted and watered by such expectations will never be more than dwarfs.  Franklin rose
high, and his name is engraven deeqp and fa;r on the
roll of immortality; but he began his greatness by
making an almanac:  he continued to make  it for
years, and rose, step by step, till he was acknowledged
at the head of modern philosophers. Every young
man ought to remember that he who would carry the
ox, must every day shoulder the calf.  Fe?rret talum
gui tulit vitulam.  That great man, who  returned to
his study, and, finding that his little dog had turned
over the table, and burned up the papers on which
he had been engaged for  years, yet calmly said,
"You  have done me  a great mischief, Diamond,"
showed a soul truly great; and its greatness, in this
instance, consisted in his patience. Without a murmur, he sat down, and began to do over the same
great labor. He lived to complete it; and it was the
admiration of the learned world. Yet how few have
the patience thus to sit down and labor day by day
for years! It is neither a small nor an easy part of
education to cultivate this trait of character.
The student should learn to think and act for himself.  True originality consists in doing things wefl,
and doing them in your own way.  A  mind halfeducated is generally imitating others. "No man
was ever great by imitation." One great reason is,
that it is so much easier to copy the defects and the
1 Johnson.
I
a]
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL..
Student must have a character of his own.    Folly of being an imitator.
objectionable parts of a great man's character, than to
imitate his excellences, that we gain only the former.
Alexander the Great had a fooish tutor, who used to
call him Achilles. He was taught to admire that
character. But when he came to imitate Achilles,
what did he do? He imitated one of the most cruel
and detestable actions in that hero's life. He dragged
the governor of a town through the streets after his
chariot. This was because the foolish teacher Ly simachus taught him to imitate as well as admire. It
has been more than strongly conjectured, that France
murdered her king, the inoffensive and amiable
Louis XVI., because England once beheaded a
king! Strange, that even nations cannot become
imitators without copying that which is atrocious!
Not a few waste their lives, and lose all discipline and
improvement, by an insensible and unconscious habit
of imitating others. Of the multitudes who imitated
Johnson, was there one who had any thing more than
his pompous, inflated language? They seemed to
feel that they were wielding the club of Hercules; but
the club, in every instance, was hollow, and the blow
resulted in nothing but sound. Of the many who
tried to follow in the wake of Byron, is there one who
will live in song? Not one. They could copy nothing but his measure and his wickedness, borrowing
nis vileness without his genius. The lion himself is
fast turning to corruption, but no honey will be found
Q
3,Z
0 
THE STUDENT'S MIANUAL.
Anecdote of Andrew Fuller.           Greatness not to be copied.
in the carcass; and as for his followers, the world was
relieved from their curse by their decaying before
they could taint the moral atmosphere. It is vastly
more easy to imitate and borrow, both matter and manner, than to have them of your own.  But set it
down, that no imitator ever reached any thing like
eminence.   You must have a character of your own,
and rules by which that character is regulated. It
has been said of Franklin, that he was a philosopher,
because, in his childhood, he formed those rules which
regulated him even in old age.  "My father," says
Andrew Fuller, "was a farmer; and, in my younger
days, it was a great boast among the ploughmen that
they could plough a straight line across the furrows or
ridges of the field. I thought I could do this as well
as any of them.  One day, I saw such a line, which
had just been drawn, and I thought,' Now I have it.'
Accordingly I laid hold of the plough, and, putting
one of the horses into the furrow which had just been
made, I resolved to keep him walking in it, and thus
secure a parallel line. By and by, however, I observed that there were what might be termed wriggles
in this furrow; and when I came to them, they turned
out to be larger in mine than in the original. On
perceiving this, I threw the plough aside, and determined never to be an imitator." Let it be remembered that
we cannot copy greatness or goodness by any effort.
We  must acquire it by our own patienoe and dili
2*
I 
33
Anecdote of Andrew Fuller.
Greatness not to be copied.
4D 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The judgment must be formed.      Wasting life-remarkab  exampit.
gence. Nil sine magno vita labore dedit mortalibus.
Another object of study is, to form the judgment, so
that the mind can not only investigate, but weigh and
balance opinions  and  theories.   Without this, you
will never be able to decide what to read or what to
throw aside; what author to distrust, or what opinions
to receive. Some of the most laborious men, and diligent readers, pass through life without accomplishing
any thing desirable, for the want of what may be
called a well-balanced judgment.   The  last theory
which they hear is the true one, however deficient as
to proof from facts; the last book they read is the
most wonderful, though it may be worthless; the last
acquaintance is the most valuable, because least is
known about him. Hence multitudes of objects are
pursued, which have no use in practical life; and
there is a laborious trifling-operose nihil agendowhich unfits the mind for any thing valuable. It
leads to a wide field, which is barren and waste.  "I 
once saw a shepherd," says an Italian author, " who
used to divert himself, in his solitudes, with tossing up
eggs and catching them again without breaking them;
in which he had arrived to so great a degree of perfection, that he would keep up four at a time for several minutes together, playing in the air and falling
into his hands by turns.  I think I never saw greater
severity than in this man's face; for, by his wonder
Q
84
The judgment must be formed.
Wasting life-remarkab; example-,
0 
THE STUDENTIS MANUAL.
Seon  exml.Wati atd
ful perseverance and application, he had contracted
the seriousness and gravity of a privy-counsellor; and
I could not but reflect with myself, that the same assiduity and attention, had they been rightly applied,
might have made him a greater mathematician than
Archimedes."
I have known a boy-and such cases are not rarespend time enough in learning to read with the book
bottom upwards-which he did with great fluencyto have made him acquainted with all the minutiae of
the Latin grammar. This is not merely time wasted,
but it is cultivating a taste for out-of-the-way things
and useless acquirements. It is no small part of education and of study, to know what you do, and what
you do not, wish to know.
If, by any thing I have said, an impression has been
made that I do not deem it necessary for a man to be
familiar with a wide circle of knowledge, in order to
become known, influential, and useful, I trust such an
impression will be corrected before the reader closes
this book. What I wish to say here, is, that the great
object of the student is, to prepare his mind to use
materials which may hereafter be gathered; but not
now to gather them.  One of the most distinguished
men of this age and nation, whose voice has been
heard in lands distant from ours, is said to be remarkable for this faculty-that, when he wants information on any subject, he seems to know, intuitively. who
35
Second example.
What is wanted.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Good habit.     Example.       The mind will bear hard usage.
and what shall be laid under immediate tribute. He
does not pore over all that this or that man has written, but gets light from all quarters, and then, like the
burning-glass, condenses and brings to a focus all the
light and heat which are necessary to consume obstacles and objections. Such a habit is worth all the
scraps of learning and information which could be laid
up in a mind which knows of no use in knowledge
but the pleasure which it affords while in the act of
acquiring.
The great instrument of affecting the world is the
mind; and no instrument is so decidedly and continually improved by exercise and use, as the mind.
Many seem to feel as if it were not safe to put forth
all their powers at one effort. You must reserve your
strength for great occasions, just as you would use
your horse-moderately and carefully on common occasions, but give him the spur on occasions of great
emiergency. This might be well, were the mind, in
any respect, like the bones and muscles of the horse.
Some, when they are contriving to see how little
mental effort will answer, and how far and wide a few
feeble thoughts may be spread, seem more like students than at any other time —as if it were dangerous to.task the mind too often, lest her stores be exhausted, or her faculties become weakened. The
bow may be but half bent, lest it be ovrstmrained, and
e its -power..But you ned hate  n such few
116
a 
1'HE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Continued efforts.      Hamilton.       President Porter.
You may call upon your mind, to-day, for its highest
efforts, and stretch it to the utmost in your power, and
you have done yourself a kindness. The mind will
be all the better for it. To-morrow you may do it
again; and each time it will answer more readily to
your calls.
But remember that real discipline of mind does not
so much consist in now and then making a great effort,
as in having the mind so trained that it will make
constant efforts.  Gutta carat lapidem, non vi, sed
sejpe cedendo. If you would have the discipline any
thing like perfect, it must be unremitted; the mind
must be kept clear and shrewd. It is told of our
gifted, but infatuated HAMILTON, that, during the periods in which the powers of his mind were put to
the highest and severest exercise, he regularly read
Euclid through once a month. The Federalist will
tell the rest.
The perfection of a disciplined mind is, not to be
able, on some great contingency, to rouse up its faculties, and draw out a giant strength, but to have it
always ready to produce a given and an equal quantity of results in a given and equal time. This was
the glory of the mind of Isaac Newton; and the late
venerated Porter, of Andover, could, in any given
hour, or day, or week, produce as finished and as
ample results, as if he should wait for cc some happy
hI       of tho.ghit."  He who trins his mind to go by
I Note E.
s7
Continued efforts.
Hamilton.        President Porter.
a 
rHE Sl UDENT'S MANUAL.,
The two monks.
impulses, and must wait for them, will accomplish but
very little during his life.
Two monks live near each other at the same time.
They both profess to be students. Only one, howev er, does any thing towards disciplining his mind.  One
uses language and lamentations as follows:-" They
have invented a new language, which they call Greek;
you must be carefully on your guard against it; it is
the matter of all heresy. I observe in the hands of
many persons a book written in that language, and
which they call the New Testament. It is a book
full of daggers and poison. As to the Hebrew, my
dear brethren, it is certain that whoever learns it becomes immediately a Jew." The other monk seizes
the New Testament, and applies his habits of study
and of diligence to it; and with that Bible he shakes
all Europe; he shakes the world, and, in a day, opens
upon Christendom  the light of thousands of years.
Need I say, I mean Martin Luther? Nothing but his
disciplined mind, and his habits of using that instrument, could have led him through the thick darkness
which surrounded him, to the clear light in which we
see him.
The study of human nature is a very important part
of education. I know it is thought by some, nay, by
many, that no one can understand men but those who
are moving, and acting, and crowding among them.
I grant that such a one is the only man who knows
0
88 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Knowledge of human nature necessary.   Jonathan Edwards.
the forms and modes of doing business. But if the
student has not, at the close of his academical course,
a deep and thorough insight into the nature of man, it
is his own fault, or the fault of his instructers.  MAen
in active life will judge very accurately as to the manner in which you may expect men to act in such and
such circumstances; but though, in these respects,
their conclusions are accurate, yet they see not the
motives of action, and look not so deeply into the
soul, as the accurate student. Let a man in active
life undertake to probe the conscience of an audience;
he may have this and that fact, but can he do it as
effectually as he who has read human nature, and pondered over it, in all its recesses and windings, in his
study? Few men ever lived who moved among men
so little as Jonathan Edwards. But did he not understand human nature? Can any one read his writings,
and doubt, for a moment, that he knew most accurately what the nature of man is? When such a mind
pours out its strength upon the world, it does not make
mistakes as to the principles of action. He might
mistake in purchasing a horse, or a coat, for he never
attended to such small matters; but a surgeon never
dissected the body with more accuracy and skill than
he does the soul of man. It is a tradition that Edwards knew not his own cows; but, in the world of
active, driving, bargain-making men, you will never
find one who understands human nature as well as he
39
a 
THE STUDENT'S:MANUAL.
Who understands human nature best.         Self-knowledge.
did. And not he alone; but this is characteristic of
all who are real students. They work upon the deep
principles of human nature-those principles which
are altered neither by time, nor fashion, nor outward
circumstances. This is one reason why an educated
mind will often send the arrow throu7gh the heart, while
the uneducated man only twangs his bow.  He makes
more noise, but produces no execution. I doubt not
that many will smile at the idea, that the hard student
understands mankind; but you might as well smile at
the philosopher, who, while he was managing the
electricity in the thunder-cloud, could not tell what
outward shapes the cloud might, in the mean time,
assume, or whether it moved fast or slow.
Self-knowledge is another important end of study.
There are some men who have raised themselves to
high stations, and maintained them, without a long
course of mental discipline.  Roger Shermanthus rose
from the bench of a shoemaker, till the eyes of a nation gazed on him in admiration. But most are pedants, and self-conceited, unless they have accurately
and repeatedly measured themselves by others. It is
of great importance that you know what you cannot
do, as well as what you can do. For this reason, with
all the temptations and dangers attending a public education, I am satisfied it is nmiuch to be prefenred to a
private one. The wisest period in the whole of a
.ma's existence. is wh. he   has   jatuent te:  eg.
1 Note F.
to
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Measure yourself.  Vanity unacceptable.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And why? Simply because the youth has not yet
had the opportunity of measuring his attainments and
capacity with that of his fellows. It is not merely that
you sharpen the intellect, and add a keenness to the
mind, by contact with other minds, but you strengthen
it by the contact, and you learn to be modest in regard
to your own powers. You will see many with intellects of a high order, and with attainments far beyond
any thing which you have dared call your own.
There must be some radical defect in that man's nature, who can be associated in study, for years, with
those who are severe students, and, at the end of the
period, feel that he is a very wise or a very great
man. He has then but just stepped upon the threshold of learning, and but just looked out upon that field
of knowledge and improvement, which is as boundless
as the creation of God. The mouse, which thought
his chest was all the world, was astonished, when he
stood upon the till, and looked out, to see what a great
world lay beyond him. But what is the reason why
a man must know himself exactly? What if he does
over-estimate himself? I answer-If he presents a
draft greater than his deposits, it will certainly be protested. There is so much vanity in the heart of every
man, that he will not allow any one to claim more
than his merits absolutely compel him to allow; so
that, if you place yourself on the list of those who
over-estimate their own attainments or worth, you in
41
Measure yourself.
Vanity unacceptable.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL
Modesty of a well-disciplined mind.
jure your usefulness and destroy your happiness. The
modest man may, and will, draw vastly hlarder upon
the sympathy and good-will of mankind than the for ward man, with the same attainments, will.be allowed
to do. Modesty, to rest upon any fixed, stable foun dation, must rest upon an accurate knowledge of your self. This will be the result of study. The philoso pher whose fame was filling all Europe, was so modest
and retiring, that his good landlady, one day, mourned
over him, and lamented that "the poor soul could never
make any thing more than a philosopher after all! "
We are in too great danger of neglecting the memo
ory.  It is too valuable to be neglected, for by it,
wonders are sometimes accomplished. He who has a
memory that can seize with an iron grasp, and retain
what he reads,-the ideas, simply, without the languag(re,-and judgment to compare and balance, will
scarcely fail of being distinguished. MAany are afraid
of strengthening the memory, lest it should destroy
their inducement and power to originate ideas-lest
the light should be altogether borrowed light. The
danger  does  not  seem to me  to  be very great;
especially since I have noticed, that those who are
so fearful of  employing  this  faculty are  by  no
means to be envied for their originality. Why has
that mass of thought, observation, and experience,
which is embodied in books, by the multitudes of
minds which have gone before us, been gathered, if
0
42
Memory. 
TrHE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Originiiality not necessary.
not, that we may use it, and stand on high ground,
and push our way still farthier into the boundaries and
regions of knowledge?  Besides, in a world so dark
as ours, it is delightful to see a planet rising before us,
even thcugh she sheds no light but borrowed. And,
after all, the exact amount of original thought which
passes through anyone mind, is probably much less than
is frequently imagined.  Who does not know what a
delightful freshness there is in the reading of youth'!
The world is new to him. He treads on ground new
and enchanting. I have frequently heard men, in
maturer years, wish that they could now sit down and
find the same fieshness in a book' which they did
when young.  Why do they not?  Because a new
book, now, is not new.  They have seen the same
ideas, or the shades of them, many times before; and
every book takes away from the originality of that
which is to follow it. The man who declared that
the only two new books in the world were the Bible
and Euclid, was not so far out of the way as would
at first seem. If, then, there is not so much of originality in men and in books as you at first suppose, it
followvs, that memory is the grand instrument of conveying knowledge from one man to another.  Its cultivation is of the highest importance.  I mention it
here, not now to direct how to cultivate it, but to
state its immense value.
a
43 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Object of study repeated.           Power of memory.
You will see, from what I have said, that the object
of study is to discipline the mind in all its parts; to
show it where to find tools, and how to use them
The exact amount of knowledge which is at any one
time in the mind of the student, is not, and need not
be, great. Like a good pump, you could soon exhaust it, were it not that it reaches an inexhaustible
well beneath, and has all the apparatus for filling itself
as fast as ei.nptied. If the knowledge which he now
possesses shall evaporate, it will, like the vapors
which rise from the ocean, again return to the diligent
student, by some other channels. It is thought by
some, however, that no item of knowledge, and not a
single idea which is once formed in the mind, can ever
be lost. It may be forgotten to-day, but it will come
again to the notice of the mind in the course of the
unending progress which is yet to be made by the
human  soul.   How important that the knowledge
which we acquire, and the thoughts which occupy our
ninds, be such, that, come when they may, we shall
recognize them as pleasant companions and worthy
fiiends!  The immortality of light which awaits the
good, is to be one of thought, of review, and of selfcommunion; and the night of ages which shall settle
down upon the wicked, will not be other than sleepless.
It is not an uncommon thing for the youth to feel,
44
Power of memory.
Object of study repeated.
0 
THE STUI)ENTIS MANUAL.
Away from home.               Tediousness of flie student's life.
as he is sent away from home, and confined down to
books, that it is really a hard way to obtain an edu.
cation. He thinks of the brooks, the groves, or the
hills and ponds near his home, of his skates, his gun,
or his fishing-tackle, or of the social circle around his
father's fire-side, and sighs, that he must be exiled
from all these, and shut up in his naked room, among
strangers, and there must unceasingly pore over his
books. It is not to be wondered at, that he feels so;
but let him reflect, that this is the timne to form habits,
and to begin a course of mental discipline, which, in a
few years, will raise him high in the esteem, the respect, and the honors, of his fellow-men. Every distinguished man has trodden the same path. There is
no other road to knowledge, to improvement, to distinction. If the voice of experience could come to
your ear, and if you could see the agony of heart
which those feel, who once had your opportunities, but
misimproved them, you would be astonished to see
the real value of your situation. All who have passed
through academic or collegiate life, know how very
irksome that life is; and the reason is, it is so hard
for the mind to be broken in, and subdued by the discipline of the situation: it is like taking the halfgrown lion, and putting him in the iron cage, and then
teaching him how to obey his master, and, of course,
how to subdue himself. But this very discipline is
45
Away from home.
Tediousness of the student's life.
a 
THE'STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Conclusion.
the only thing which can bring the mind under proper
subjection, and fit it to become obedient to yourself.
I hope, in the chapters which are to follow, to mark
out the road so plainly, that yout will find it more and
more pleasant to travel, and, at its end, feel that it has
been-a journey full of sweet recollections, and one of
bright promise.
e
.46
a 
CHAPTER II.
HABITS.
THIE whole character may be said to be compre.
hended in the term habits; so that it is not so far
from being true, that "man is a bundle of habits."
Suppose you were compelled to wear an iron collar
about your neck through life, or a chain upon your
ankle; would it not be a burden every day and hour
of your existence? You rise in the morning a prisoner to your chain; you lie down at night, weary
with the burden; and you groan the more deeply, as
you reflect that there is no shaking it off. But even
this would be no more intolerable to bear than many
of the habits of men; nor would it be more difficult
to be shaken off.
Habits are easily formed-especially such as are
bad; and what to-day seems to be a small affair, will
soon become fixed, and hold you with the strength
of a cable. That same cable, you will recollect, is
formed by spinning and twisting one thread at a time;
but, when Qnce completed, the proudest ship turns her
head towards it, and acknowledges her subjection to
its power.
Habits of some kind will be formed by every stun
e
t
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Habits formed by tall.            It ought to be so.
dent. He will have a particular course in which hitime, his employments, his thoughts and feelings, wi.
run.  Good or bad, these habits soon become a part
of himself, and a kind of second nature. Who does
not know, that the old man, who has occupied a particular corner of the old fire-place in the old house for
sixty years, may be rendered wretched by a change?
Who has not read of the release of the aged prisoner
of the Bastile, who entreated that he might again
return to his gloomy dungeon, because  his habits
there formed, were so strong, that his nature threatened to sink under the attempt to break them up? You
will probably find no man of forty, who has not
habits which he laments, which mar his usefulness,
but which are so interwoven with his veey being,
that he cannot break through them. At least he has
not the courage to try. I am expecting you will form
habits. Indeed, I wish you to do so. He must be
a poor character, indeed, who lives so extempore as
not to have habits of his own. But what I wish is,
that you form those habits which are correct, and
such as will every day and hour add to your happiness and usefulness. If a man were to be told that
he must use the axe, which he now selects, through
life, would he not be careful in selecting one of the
right proportions and temper?  If told that he must
wear the same clothing through life, would he not be
anxious as to the quality and kind? But these, in the
48
Habits formed by all.
It ought to be so.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
How to form a habit.      Example.      The prisoner, a second example.
cases supposed, would be of no more importance than
is the selection of habits in which the soul shall act.
You might as well place the body in a strait-jacket,
and expect it to perform, with ease, and comfort, and
promptness, the various duties of the body, as to
throw the soul into the habits of some men, and then
expect it will accomplish any thing great or good.
Do not fear to undertake to form any habit whicn is
desira',le; for it can be formed, and that with more ease
than you may at first suppose. Let the same thing, or
the same duty, return at the same time every day, and it
will soon becomepleasant. No matter if it be irksome
at first; but how irksome soever it may be, only let it
return periodically, every day, and that without any
interruption for a time, and it will become a positive
pleasure. In this way all our habits are formed.
The student who can with ease now sit down, and
hold his mind down to his studies nine or ten hours
a day, would find the laborer, or the man accustorned to active habits, sinking under it, should he attempt to do the same thing. I have seen a man sit
down at the table spread with luxury, and eat his
sailor's biscuit with relish, and without a desire for
any other food. His health had compelled him thus
to live, till it had become a pleasant habit of diet.
Previous to this, however, he had been rather noted
for being an epicure.  "I once attended a prisoner,"
sa b an excellent man, "of some distinction, in one
2t
e
49
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
First direction in regard to haltits-/hate plans.
of the prisons of the metropolis, ill of a typhus fever)
whose apartments were gloomy in the extreme, and
surrounded with horrors; yet this prisoner assured me
afterwards, that, upon his releae, he quitted them
with a degree of reluctance: custom had reconciled
him to the twilight admitted thlrough the thick-barred
grate, to the filthy spots and patches of his plastered
walls, to the hardness of his bed, and even to confinement."
I shall specify habits which, in my view, are very
desirable to the student, and, at the same timne, endeavor to give specific directions how to form them.
1. Have a plan laid beforehand for every day.
These plans ought to be maturely formed the
evening previous, and, on rising in the morniing, again
looked at, and immediately entered upon. It is astonishing how  much more we accomplish  in a single
day, (and what of else is life made up?) by having
the plan previously marked out. It is so in every
thing. This morning a man was digging a path
through a deep snow-bank.   It was almost insupportably cold, and he seemed to make but little headway, though hlie worked as if upon a wager.   At
length, getting out of breath, he paused, and marked
out the width of the path with his shovel, then marked out the width of each shovel-full, and consequently
the amount of snow at each throw of the shovel. In
fifteen minutes, he had done more, and it was done
e
tio
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The sijow 1)ath.  how 10 caI~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~u~~ate for a da)'.~~~~~~~~~~~
neater and easier, than in thirty minutes previous,
when working without a plan.   It is of little conseiquence by what we illustrate, if we make a thing
clear, and impress it upon the mind.  I have found, in
my own experience, as much difference in the labors
of two days, when working( with,  or witlhout a plan,
as, at least, one half, without hlaving thle satisfaction,
in the latter case, of knowing whlat I lhave done.
Experience will tell any man, that hlie is most successful in his own pursuits, when he is most careful
as lo method. A man of my acquaintance has a
small slate, which hangs at his study-table.   On that
he generally finds, in the morning, his work for the
day written down; and in the evening hle reviews it,
sees if he has omitted any tliing, and, if so, chides
himself that all is not done. To make this clear, I
copy here what was found on his slate for one day, as
I saw it this morning:  a.  Horse, errands, and dig paths.
b. Carry my child to school, and pay postage
bill.
c. Write from 9 till dinner [at 1 o'clock].
d. Write to C., inviting him-also to 1. at N. H.
e. Examine  the  use of  the word  o'pyisad  i I
Ephesians 4.26.
f. Visit  Mr.  MI. sick, also the two  families  i 
Maple Street.
g. Get some staw for horse wherever it can be
purchased.
51
The siio,%%, 1)ath.
liom, to calculate for a day.
0 
THE  T IENTS MANUAL
I'eviewiiig, the lday.    Character formed.      A studeiit's day.
h. Prepare and preach this evening.
i. Exainine the sixth vol. of B. [to see if any
tliing is-there which I want].
j. Last, not least, to fix the pump [so that it will
not freeze up].
If, at the close of the day, he finds these items all
accomplished, and that in such a way as to satisfy
conscience, he feels that the day has not been lost.
Sometimes he finds lie has misjudged, and has marked
out more than hle can do; sometimes lie is hindered
by unexpected interruptions, and therefore cannot do
all, or even half, he calculated to do. These must be
all weilghed every nighlt at the review. Be sure and
review every night, and when you have balanced the
account with conscience, lay out what you will do for
the next day.
Such a system will not make a noisy, blustering
character. The river, that rolls a heavy burden of
water to the ocean, is the stream which keeps the
channel, and is noiseless in its course. There is a
prescribed routine of duties marked out by your
teachers. These, of course, will come in your everyday plans; but, in addition to these, you ought to do
something by way of acquiring or retaining information,.or something to add to the happiness of your
friends or of your companions. Let me suppose you
mark out your plan for to-morrow, thus:  1. Walk to the pond, 1. mile, immediately after
bL.- kfast.
a
-52 
4
TIlE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
A  stu(leiit's day.            SeconId (lirecti,)mI-iultiriflg iriai&-trj.
2. Lesson and recitation.
3. Write to my mother, acknowledging her letter
and bundle.
4. Review, and see if I can read the 6th Eclogue
of Virgil without looking into the Dictionary or
Grammar. (Regular course of review.)
5. Lesson and recitation. Walk till tea.
6. See if I can go throughi the 24th proposition
of Euclid, 1st B., at once. (Regular review.)
7. Visit Smithl's room, and explain the remark
which I made to-day, and at which he seemed hurt.
8. Lesson for the morning, &e.
9. Note  the three facts  respecting Demosthenes
in my common-place book.
10. Talk over the question for dispute in the
Society with my chum.
11. Read the new magazine which mother has just
sent me.
At first you will feel discouraged in not being able
to do as much work as you mark out. But you wilt
do more and more, from day to day, as you proceed;
and you will soon be astonished at seeing how much
can be accomplished. If you choose, you can have
a book instead of a slate, which will be also a kind
of journal of your life, full of interesting memoranda.
2. Acquire the habit of untiring industry.
Should you be so unfortunate as to suppose you
are a genius, and that "things will come  to you,"
453
a 
64
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Folio   olumines.        Iidlialn inaximn.        WlIo is a blusterer.
it would be well to undeceive  yolirself as soon as
possible. Make up your mind that industry ntimst be
the price of all you obtain, and at once begin to pay
down.   "Diligence in employments  of less consequence is the most successful introduiction to greater
enterprises."  It is a natter of unaffected amazenient
to see what industry alone will accomplish. WVe are
astonished at the volurnmes whlich thle nien of former
ages used to write. Butt the term industry is the
key to the whole secret.  " He  that shall walk with
vigor three hours a day, will pass in seven years a
space equal to the circumference of the globe."'
There is no state so bad for the student as idleness,
and no habit so pernicious. And yet none is so easily
acquired, or so difficult to be tl)rown off. Tile idle
man soon grows torpid, and becomes thle Indian in
his feelings, insensibly adopting their maxim-" It is
better to walk than to run, and better to stand still
tlhan to walk, and better to sit than to stand, and
better to lie than to sit." Probably the man who
deserves the most of pity, is I)e who is most idle; tfor
as " there are said to be pleasu,res to madness known
only to madmen, thlere are certainly miseries in
idleness which only the idle can conceive." I am
aware. that many are exceedingly busy, who are not
industrious.  For it very frequently lhapl)eins, thlat le
who is nmost hurried and bustling, is very fari from beinug
industrious. A shrewd man can easily discover the
1 J ohnson.
0 
THE STUDENT'3 MANUAL.
Who has leisure.                         Senieca.
difference.   "He  that neglE.'s his known  duty, and
real employment, naturally endeavors to crowd his
mind with something tha  rinay bar out the remembrance of his own folly, and does any thing but what
1)e ought to do, with eager diligence, that lie may
keep himself in his own favor."
It is perfectly clear that he who is industrious has
really the most of leisure; for his time is marked out
into distinct portions, to each of which something is
assigned; and when the thing is done, the man is at
leisure; but a dead calm settles over him who lives an
idle life. Better that the waters be straitened, and
burst over their'banks, than that they be too sluggish to
move at all. WVho would not prefer to put to sea, even
in a storm, and in a gale hurry over the waters, rather
than lie for weeks becalmed? It is said that when
Scanderbeg, prince of Epirus, was dead, the Turks
wished to get his bones, that each one mi(ght wear a
piece Bear his heart, and thus obtain some part of
that courage which hle had while living, and which
they had too often experienced in battle. What a
blessing, if the idle might obtain some such chlarm,
that would rouse them up to habits of industry!
Seneca assures his friend, in a letter, that there "was
not a day in which he did not either write something,
om read and epitomize some good author." So universal has the opinion of men been on the point, that,
in order to excel. you must be industrious, that idlers
.
.4
55
a 
r)6
Rutherford.            Luther.           Jeremiah Evarts.
have received the just appellation of "fools at large."
You would be surprised to know how many hours
slip away from the man who is not systematically in dustrious.  "Such was his unvearied assiduity and
diligence, that he seemed to pray  constantly,  to
preach constantly, to catechize constantly, and to visit
the sick, exhorting from house to house, to teach as
much in the schools, and spend as much time with
the students and young men, in fitting them for the
ministry, as if he had been sequestrate from all the
world besides, and yet, withal, to write as much as if
he had been constantly shut up in his study."*
It is easy for the student to form good plans of
study and of daily habits, and to draw them out on
paper, all perfected. But the difficulty is, they are
found no where but on paper; and because you cannot
at once reach them, you sit down and give up an untiring industry.  It was a matter of astonishment to
Europe, that Luther, amid all his travels and active
labors, could present a very perfect translation of the
whole Bible. But a single word explains it all. He
had a rigid system of doing something every day.
" Nulla dies," says he, in answer to the question how
he did it-" nulla dies sine versu; " and this soon
brought him to the close of the whole Bible.
I have never known a man whose habits of every
day industry were so good as those of Jeremiah Ev                 * Life of Rutherford.
THE STUDENTS EQUAL.
a
e 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Idleniess certain death.
arts. During years of close observation in thle bosom
of his family, I never saw a day pass without his accomplishing more than he expected; and so regular
was he in all his habits, that I knew to a moment
when I should find him with his pen, and when with
his tooth-brush, in his hand; and so methodical and
thlorouogh, that though his papers filled many shelves,
when closely tied up, there was not a paper among
all his letters, correspondence, editorial matter, and the
like, which was not labelled and in its place, and upon
which he could not lay his hand in a moment.   I
never knew him search for a paper;-it was always
in its place. I have never yet met with the man
whose industry was so great, or who would accomplish somuch in a given time.
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, sir,"
said Spinola, "that is enough to kill any general of
us all."
Demosthenes, as is well known, copied Thucydides' History eight times with his own hand, merely
to make himself familiar with the style of that great
man.
There are two proverbs, one among the Turks, and
the other among the Spaniards, both of which con
tain much that is true.  "A  busy man is troubled
with but one devil, but the idle man with a thou.
3*
4
5-1
0 
THE STUDENT;S MANUAL.
Third (irection-pers.,,,erance.
sand."   " Men are usually tempted by the devil, but
the idle  man  positively tempts  the devil."   How
milecl  corrupting company, how  many temptations to
do wrong, how many seasons of-danger to your cllar acter, and dlanger to the peace of your fiiends, would
you escape, by forming the habit of being decidedly
industrious every day!
3. Cultivate perseverance.
By perseverance, I mean a steadfastness in pursu
in(g the same study, and carrying out the same plans
from week to week.   Some will read or hear  o; a
plan. which somebody has pursued with great success,
and at once conclude, that they will do so. The plan
will be adopted witlhout consideration, then talked
about as a fine affair, and in a few days thrown aside
for somnething( else. Such a great man did this, or did
that, and I will do so, is the feeling; but as soon as it
becomes irksonme, as any new habit will in a short
time, it is laid aside. I once knew a man, a student,
whlo somewhere read of a great man who wrote
over his door, " Dum  loquimur tempus fugit; " and
immediately he had it in staring capitals over his door.
Ag(ain, hle read that a very learned man  used  v
admire Blackstone: at once he drops all, and pt,
chases Blackstone's Commentaries.   These le began
to read with great eagerness; but, happening to hear
that Oliver Ellsworth1was in the habit of getting most
of his information from conversation, (a fact which I
I Note 0.
e
58
0 
THE STUDENT'S AIANUAL.
Decision an attendant on perseverance.
doubt,) he  was for dropping Blackstone, and going
from room to room, to gather information by conversation!  It is hardly necessary  to say, that a college
fil of such students, all condensed into one, would
not make a single real student.   "The  man  who  is
perpetually hesitating which of two tihings he will do
first, will- do neither. The man who resolves, but
suaffers his resolution to be changed by the first counter suggestion of a friend,-who fluctuates from opinion
to opinion, from plan to plan, and veers like a weather-cock to every point of the compass, with every
breath of caprice that blows,-can never accomplish
any thing great or useful. Instead of beirngr progressive in any tiling, he will be at best stationary,
and more probably retrograde in all. It is only the
man who carries into his pursuits that great quality
which Lucan ascribes to Caesar,-nescia virtus stare
loco,-who first consults wisely, then resolves firmly,
and then executes his purpose with inflexible perseverance, undismayed by those petty difficulties which
daunt a weaker spirit,-that can advance to eminence
ill any line. Let us take, by way of illustration, the
case of a student. He commences the study of the
dead languages: presently comes a friend, who tells
him he is wasting his time, and that, instead of obsolete words, he had much better employ himself in
acquiring new ideas. He changes his plan, and sets
to work at the mathematics. Then comes another
a
59
t ustrated.
0 
60
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Effect of changing plans.       Habit of putting off.
fiend, who asks him, with a grave and sapient face,
whether he intends to become a professor in a col lege; because, if he  does not, he is niisemploying
his time; and that, for the business of life, common
mathematics is quite enough of the mathematics.
He throws up his Euclid, and addresses himself to
some other study, which, in its turn, is again relin quished on some equally wise suggestion; and thus
life is spent in changing his plans. You cannot but
perceive the folly of this course; and the worst effect
of it is, the fixing on your mind a habit of indecision,
sufficient of itself to blast the fairest prospects. No,
take your course wisely, but firmly; and, having taken
it, hold upon it with heroic resolution, and the Alps
and Pyrenees will sink before you. The whole empire of learning will be at your feet, while those who
set out with you, but stopped to change their plans,
are yet employed in the very profitable business of
changing their plans. Let your motto be, Perseverando vinces. Practise upon it, and you will be
convinced of its value by the distinguished eminence
to which it will conduct you." *
We are in danger of ruining our promising plans,
in themselves very good, by the habit of putting off
till to-morrow what may be done to-day. That let.
ter may be answered to-morrow; that request of my
* Wirt.
e
Efl'ect of changing PlEnS.
Habit of putting off.
a 
1'HfE STUDENT'S MIANUAL.
Charles XII.
friend may be attended to to-morrow, and he will be
no loser. True; but you are the loser; for the
yielding to one such temptation, is the signal to the
yielding up the whole citadel to the enemy. That
tliote and that valuable fact may be recorded in my
common-place book to-morrow. True; but every
such indulgence is a heavy loss to you. Every hour
should be perseveringly filled up.  But this is not
all. It is not sufficient to take for your motto, with
t]le immortal Grotius,1 "Ilora ruit;" but let it be
filled up according to some plan. One day filled up
according to a previous plan, is worth more than a
week, filled up, but without any plan.
It is astonishing to see with what perseverance and
inflexibility of purpose those men have pursued the
object, the pursuit and attainment of which constituted their greatness. Charles XII. was fiequently
on his horse for twenty-four hours at once; and thus
he traversed must of his dominions. His officers were
all tired out; consequently, for the most part, he performed these journeys entirely alone. On one of
these excursions, his poor horse fell dead under himin.
WVithout any uneasiness, the monarch stripped the
dead horse, and marched off with the saddle, bridle
and pistols.on his back. At the next inn, he found a
horse in the stable to his mind, and immediately harnessed him, and was just making off, when the owner
came out, and called him  to account for stealing his
1 Note.
e
61
a 
rHE STUDENT'S MANUAL..
Fourth direction-unctuality.        Difficult attainment.      Brougham.
property.   The  monarch replied, that hle took the
horse  because  he was tired of carrying the saddle
himself.  This not satisfying the owner, they drew
swords, and would have shed blood, royal or plebeian,
had not the guard rode up and informed the owner
that his sword was raised against his king.   This was
but a single specimen of the untiritig perseverance,
with which that ambitious man carried out his plans.
The same perseverance would place almost any student on a high eminence in a very few years.
4. Cultivate the habit ofpunctuality.
There is no man  living whlo might not be a purictual man; and yet there are few that are so, to any
thing, like the degree to whlich they ought to attain.  It
is vastly easier to be a little late in getting into the recitation-room, and a little late in doing every thling.  It is
not so easy to be a prompt, punctual character; but it is
a triait of inestimable value to yourself and to the world.
ThIe punctual man can do twice as much, at least, as
another man, with twice the ease and satisfaction to
himself, and witlh equal satisfaction to others.  The
late lord chancellor of England,  Henry  Brougham,
while a kingdom seemed to be resting on his slioulders; who presided in the house of lords and the court
of chancery; who gave audience daily to barristers,
found time to write reviews, to be at the head of at
least ten associations which were publishling works of
useful knowledge,-was so punctual, that, when these
61-)
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
.Why we love a punctual man.   Blackstone.   Brewer, while r student.
associations met, he was uiiiformnly there wlen thie
hour of meetilig had arrived, and was in his?lace in
'the chair.
We are all so indolent, by nature and by habit,
that we feel it a luxury to find a man of real, undeviating punctuality.   We love to lean upon such a man,
and we are willing to purchase such a staff at almost
any price.  It shows, at least, that hle has conquered himself.
Soime seem to be afiaid of cherishing this habit, lest
itborder upon a virtue that is vulgar, and is below tho
ambition of a great mind, or the attention of one who
has greater virtues upon  which he  may  presume.
Was the mind of Blackstone of a low order? Did he
cultivate punctuality because lie had not great traits
of character on which to rely?   Yet, when he was
delivering even his celebrated lectures, lie was never
known to make his audience wait even a minute; and
he could never be made to think well of any one who
was notoriously defective in this virtue. The reader
will be  pleased with  the following notice of  Mr.
Brewer, afterwards a valuable minister of the gospel.
While a student, hle was always known to be punctual
in attending the lectures at the tutor's house.   The
students boarded in neighboring famnilies, and at stated
hours met for recitation.  One morning, the clock
struck seven, and all rose up for prayer, accorditng to
custom. The tutor, looking round, and observing that
63
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Loss by the want of this habit.
Mr. Brewer was absent, paused awhlile. Seeingl him
now enter the room, he thus addressed him:-" Sir,
the clock has struck, and we were ready to begin; but,
as you were absent, we suppose it was too fast, and
therefore waited." The clock was actually too fast
by some minutes.
It is no great virtue to be punctual in paying a considerable debt, though, even here, too many fail; but
it is the every-day and every-hour occurrences, in
which we are most apt to fail.  "I am too late now,
but it is only once.  1 have not been prompt in fulfilling my plans to-day; but it is only once."   Such is
the language of procrastination.   I have myself ridden
scores of nailes, and been put to inconvenient expense,
and a hard week's work in writing, by the want of
punctuality in one who failed only five minutes, and
that wholly unnecessarily.  Be  punctual in every
thing. If you determine to rise at such an hour, be
on the floor at the moment.   If you determine to do
so much before breakfast, be sure to do it; if to
meet a society, or a circle of friends, be there at the
moment. We are apt to be tardy in attending meetingrs of societies, &c., especially if we have any things
to do.  "Thlere is great dignity in being(r waited for,"
said one who was in this habit, and who had not much
of which lie need be vain, unless it was this want of
promptness.  An  assembly will be glad to see you
aster having waited for you; but they would have
I
4
64
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL
Mistakes made.      Fifth direction-early rising.    Swifi's remark.
been more glad to see you at your post. Wlhen there
are two things for you to do, one of whicn must be
~xone, and the other is what you very much desire to
do, be sure and begin the former first. For example,
you may very much wish to complete the sheet
which you are now writing, and for many reasons you
may wish it; but you must recite this evening. Now,
the way for you to do, is, now to stop writing, and
prepare for recitation, else you will write so long, that
not only your preparation in study will be slighted,
but you will also be in danger of not being punctual.
The want of the observance of this rule, very frequently prevents our being punctual in our duties.
5. Be an early riser.
Few ever lived to a great age, and fewer still ever
became distinguished, who were not in the habit of
early rising.  You rise late, and ofcourse get about your
business at a late hour, and every thing goes wrong all
day.  Franklin says, "that he who rises late, may
trot all day, and not have overtaken his business at
night" Dean Swift avers, "that he never knew any
man come to greatness and eminence who lay in bed
of a morning."
I believe that, with other degeneracies of our days,
history will prove that late rising is a prominent one
In the fourteenth century, the shops in Paris were
universally open at four in the morning; now, not till
long after seven.  Then, the king of France dined out
O
.65
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Fomrtms                             uiu   tsaiei   ufn
at eight o'clock in tile morning, and retired to his
clhamnber at the same hour inii the evening. Inr the
time of Henry VIII., seven in the morning was the
fashionable breakfast hour-ten tlhe dinner hlour.  In
the time of Elizabeth, the nobility, faslhionables, and
students, dined at 11 o'clock, and supped betwveen five
and six in the afternoon.
'Buffon gives us the history of his writing in a fev
words. " In my youth, I was very fond of sleep: it
robbed me of a great deal of my time; but my poor
Joseph (his servant) was of great service in enabling nie
toovercome it.  I promised to give Joseph a crown
every time that he would make me get up at six.
Next morning, he did not fail to wake me and to torment me; but he only received abuse. The next day
after, hle did the same, with no better success; and I
was obliged to confess, at noon, that I had lost my
time.  I told him that he did not know how to manage his business; he ought to think of my promise,
and not mind my  threats.  The  day  following, he
employed force; I begged for indulgence-I bid him
begone-I  stormed-but Joseph  persisted.   I was
therefore obliged to comply; and he was rewarded
every day for the abuse which he suffered at the moment wilen I awoke, by thanks, accompanied with a
crown, lwhich lie received about an hour after.  Yes,
I am indebted to poor Joseph for ten or a dozest of
the volumes of my works."
1 Note I.
.
66
Former times.
Curious itistaiiee iii Buffon.
0 
TIHE STUDENT'"S MANUAi,.
Fre(leri(ck 11.    l     )o((l(ri(ige.       Early rest necessary.
Frederick 11. of Prussia, even after ag(e and infirmities had increased upon hiln, gave strict orders never
to be allowed to sleep later than four in the morniing.
Peter thie Great, whether at work in the docks at
London as a shiip-carpenter, or at the anvil as a blacksmith, or on the throne of Russia, always rose before
dayliglit.  "1I am;" says he, "for niaking my life as
lon(r as 1 can, and therefore sleep as little aE possible."
Doddridg,e makes thle following strikiling atid sensible
remarks onf this subject:-" 1 will here record thle observation, which I have found of great use to myself,
and to which, I may say, that thle production of this
work (Conimentary  on  the New  Testamient), and
most of iiy othler writings, is owing, viz. that thle difference between rising at five and at seven o'clock in
the morning, for the space of forty years, sul)posing,
a man to go to bed at the same hour at night, is nearly equivalent to the addition of ten years to a man's
life."
In order to rise early, I would earnestly reconiniend
an early hour for retiring.  There are mniany other
reasons for this.  Neither your eyes nor your health
are so likely to be destroyed Nature seems to hlave
so fitted thiings, that we ourghit to rest in the early p)ait
of the night.  Dr. Dwigh,it used to tell his students
that one hour of sleep before mi(liiiglit is worth
more thlan two hours alter that tiime."  Let it be a
rule with you, and scrupulously adhered to, that your
.
67
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Ho   ofr  h  iht'i  Ik
light shall be extinguished by ten o'clock in thl)e even ing.  You  may  then rise at five, and  have seven
hours to rest, which is about what nature re(juires.
But how shall you form the liabit of getting up so
early?  Suppose you go to bed, to-night, at ten: you
have been accustomed to sit up later: bfor an hour you
cannot sleep; and when the clock stikes fire, you
will be in a fine sleep.  I reply, that, if you ever hope
to do any thing in this world, the habit must be form ed, and the sooner it is done the better.  II any
money could purchase the habit, no price would  be
too great. When the writer commenced the practice in earnest, he procured an old clock, at the expense of about two dollars. (This may be placed
wherever you please.) He then formed a little machine which went by a weight and string, through the
axle of which were four arms of wire, at the ends of
which were as many brass buttons.  As the weight
went down, these revolving buttons struck against a
small hlouse-bell. This set up such a tremendous
ringing, that there was no more sleep. All this was
connected with the wooden clock, in the distant room,
by means of wires. He has had the honor to instruct
others of his profession into the mystery, and has had
the pleasure of hlearing the dingling of other bells,
which other wooden clocks set a ringing. Some use
a small alarm-clock to call them up, and to which they
soon acquire a strong attachment, which would be
0
68
. How to rorm tire lial,it.
'I' el(x-k. 
THE STrUDENT3S MANUAL
Y,i e aII(I Amherst Colleges.       Maiy object to forming the habit.
stronger still, could it be made to strike up a light and
build a fire. By this, or some such process, you must
'be regularly waked  at an early hour.  The students
in Yale and Amherst Colleges, hive generally the
alarm-clock. After you are once awaked, be sure to
use the first consciousness in getting upon the floor.
If you allow yourself to parley a single moment, sleep,
like an armed man, will probably seize upon you, and
your resolution is gone, your hopes are dashed, and
your habits destroyed.  Need you be reminded here,
that the young(r man who is in the habit of early rising,
will and must be in the habit of retiring early, and, of
course, will put. himselfout of the way of many temp tations and dangers which come under the veil of
midnightt. Not a few feel that the rules of academies, or colleges, which call them up early, are rather
a hardship. They transgress them when they dare.
Finding the stolen watels sweet, they do all in their
power during vacations, and at other times, to prevent
themselves from forming the  habit of early rising.
They oulght not to feel or do so. The business of col leg,e, and the business of life, alike require early rising;
and you are your own enemy if you cherish the feel ing that this is a burden.   It ought to be a matter of
gratitude that such regulations prevail in our semi naries. One of the most celebrated writers of Eng land was lately asked how it was that he wrote so
much, and yet from ten in the forenoon was at leisure
.
09
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
B,'ltting sin.         Sixti directioli-learinfiomi eretry thing.
through the day.   "Because I begin to write at three
o'clock in the morning," was the reply.   Most confidently do I believe, that he who from his youth is in
the habit of rising early, will be jiuch more likely to
live to old age, more likely to be a distinguished and
useful man, and more likely to pass a life that is
peaceful and pleasant. I dwell upon this point, because a love for the bed is too firequently a besetting
sin of students, and a sin which soon acquires the
strength of a cable.
6. Be  in the habit of learning something from
every man with whom you meet.
The observance or neglect of this rule will make a
wonderfiu! difference in your character long, before the
time that you are forty years old. All act upon it,
more or less, but few do it as a matter of habit and
calculation. Most act upon it as a matter of interest,
or of curiosity at the moment. The great difficulty
is, we begin too late in life to make every thing contribute to increase our stock of practical information.
Sir Walter Scott gives us to understand, that he never
met with any man, let his calling be what it might,
eden the most stupid fellow that ever rubbed down  a
horse, from whom hlie could not, by a few  moments'
conversation, learn something which hlie did not before
know, and which was valuable to him. This will account for the fact that he seemed to have an intuitive
anowledge of every thing. Who but he would stop
0
4
, 70
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Value of this Ilal)it.          Visdom ill a servaiit.girI,
in the street and note down a word which dropped
among the oathls of two angry men,-a word for whlich
lie had been looking for months?  It is quite as important to go through the world withethe ears open,
as with the eyes open.  "When I was young," says
Cecil, "my mnother had a servant, whose conduct I
thought truly wise.  A  man was hired to brew, and
this servant was to) watch his method, in order to learn
his art.  In the course of the process, something was
done which she did not understand. She asked him,
and lie abused her with the vilest epithets for her ignorance and stupidity.  My mother asked her how
she bore such abuse.' I would be called,' said she,
' worse names, a thousand times, for the sake of the
information I got out of him."' It is a false notion,
that we ought to know nothing out of our particular
line of study or profession. You will be none the less
distinguished in your calling, for having obtained an
item of practical knowledge from every man with
whom you meet. And every man, in his particular
calling, knows thiings which you do not, and which
are decidedly worth knowing.
Multitudes of gifted and learned men sat under
the ministry of the eloquent and youthful Spencer.x
Thley  were his superiors in every thing excepting
his own profession, and perhaps in that, excepting
the point on which he had just been studying,
and on which  he was s ieaking.  Yet they all felt
1 See his Life by Dr. Raffles
e
71
Value of this lial)it.
Wisdom iii a servaiit-girl,
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Wirt's review of this subject.       The principle illustrated.
that they were deriving information, profit, and pleasure, ft'om his ministry. "Old-fashioned economists
shoe, or buckle, or even a pin, without taking it up;
because, although you may not want it now, you will
find a use for it some time or other. 1 say the same
thing to you with regard to knowledge.  However
useless it may appear to you at the moment, seize
upon all that is fairly within your reach. For there
is not a fact, within the whole circle of human observation, nor even a fugitive anecdote that you read in
a newspaper, or hear in conversation, that will not
come into play some time or other; and occasions will
arise when they involuntarily present their dim shad
ows  in the train of your thinking and reasoning,
as belonging to that train, and you will regret that you
cannot recall them more distinctly."
I do not recommend you to try to learn every thing.
Far from it. But while you have one great object in
view, you can attend to other things which have a
bear ing  on your object.  If you were now sent on
an express to Mexico, while the great object before you would be, to do your errand well, and
expeditiously, ought you not, as you pass along,
to use your eyes, and gaze upon the landscapes,
the rivers, the deep glens, the waterfalls, the wild
solitudes of nature, which lie in your path? Ought
you not to have your ears open, to pick up what in
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4
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Seventh directioftred pnrzples.        What makes a firm character.
formation, story, anecdote, fact, every thing of the
kind, which you can, and thus return wiser? Would
all this hinder you in the least? And would you not
be fitting yourself, by every such acquisition, to be  a
more agreeable, intelligent and useful man?  "Sic, sic
se habere rem necesse prorstis est."
7. Form fixed principles on which you think
and act.
A good scholar tries so to fix every word in his
memory, that, when he meets with it again, he need
not turn to his dictionary. His companion may dispute its derivation, or its gender, and he may not-be
able to tell just how the word appeared when he looked it out; but he has made up his mind about it, and
has a fixed opinion. He may not now be able to tell
you by what process he came to that opinion. It should
be so with every thing. Do not examine a subject,
in order to get some general notion of it, but, if now
in haste, wait till you can do it thoroughly. No matter       what it be,-of great importance or small,-if it be
worth examining at all, do it thoroughly, and do it
once       for all; so that, whenever the subject shall again
come up, your mind will be settled and at rest.
It is the possession of established and unwavering
principles that makes a man a firm character. These
principles  relate to righit and wrong, and, indeed, to
every thing about which the judgment has to balance
probabilities. Do not be hasty in coming to conclu
4
73
Seventh direction-fired prinrcples.
What makes a firm character.
a 
THE      b?" k-4-NiAL.
The tned shelf. Characters wid l)ooks to bs classihed.
sions.  Young men generally err more by being precipitate, than for want of judgment.  If they will only
give themselves time to weigh the matter, their conclusions will usually be correct.
"l have long adopted an expedient, which I have
found of singular service.   I have a shelfIn my study
for tried authors, and one in my mind for tried plinci
ples and characters.
When an author has stood a thorough examination,
and will bear to be taken as a guide, I put him on the
shelf!
"When I have more fully made up my mind on a
principle, I put it on the shelf!  A hundred subtle
objections may be brought against this principle; I
may meet with some of them, perhaps; but my prin
ciple is on the shelf. Generally I may be able to recall the reasons which weighed with me to put it there;
but, if not, I am not to be sent out to sea again.
Time  was when I saw through and detected all the
subtleties that could be brought against it. I have
past evidence of having been fully convinced; and
there on the shelf it shall be!
"When I have turned a character over and over on
all sides, and seen it through and through in alli situations, I put it on the shelf.  There may be conduct
in the  person, vwhich  may stumble others; there
may be great inconsistencies: there may be strange
and unaccountable turns; but I have put that c ti
O
74
The tried shelf.
Characters zuid I)ooks to b i cia.-,sifie(l. 
T1  STUDENT'S MANUAL.
I'he martyr tL,atliner.
on the shelf; difficulties will all be cleared; every tiling
will come round again.  I should be much clhag,rined,
indeed, to be obliged to take a character down  which
I had once put ul), but that has never been the case
with nme yet; and the best guiard ag(ainst it is, not to
be too hasty in putting thlemn there."   Tl3ose whlo understand the above keen remarks by experience, well
know what a luxury it is, on partictilar occasions, when
the mind is fatiLgued, or the memnory  is weak, and
doubts are started conceriliig some point of great importance, to have this "shelf" of established principles to which you can go.   I have never been able to
read the history of the martyrdom  of the venerable
Latinier, without being touchled, alimiost to tears, to see
him clirngingr to his loig-establislhed principles.  They
urged him  to dispute and  prove hi. religion true, and
the popish, false. He knew that hie was old(, and hlad
lost somewhat of the stren,gthll of his mind.   He would
not dispute. He left that for young and vigorous
minds, while hlie  died simply repeating his belief!
He knew very well that lie had once examined the subject with all the vig(or of his intellect, and lie was not
to go and take these principles down:iom the "shellf,"
and again prove them to be correct.  Conduct which
stands on such a basis, and characte  which strikes its
roots thus deep, will be such as will bear scrutiny, and
such as no storm can shake
I Ceoil.
.
76
0
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL
Ei,,~~~itb d  ~~ctioii-personaI habits.  Tobacco.~~~~~~~~
" Tlhe man resolved, and steady to his trust,
Inflexible to ill, and obstinately just,
May the rude rabble's insolence despise,
Their senseless clamors andtutmultuous cries;
The tyralit's fierceness lie beguiles,
And the stern brow and the harsh voice defies,
And with superior greatness smiles."'
8. Be simple and neat in your personal habits.
It is fieequently said, that "soime pride is necessary
among men, else they would not be decent in their ap pearance."  11' thie remark means any thling, I suppose
it means, that pride adds much and frequently to our
personal apl)earaIIce.  But an angel, or any sinless
spirit, 1 doubt not, would be a gentleman in appearance
mid dress, and that not fiom pride, but from a desire
to be nmore useful and more hlappy. Nothling will so
unifor, ly and certainly make  you unpopular, as to
have any habits that are slovenly.
If you have ever learned to chew or smoke that
Indian weed(l, called tobacco, I beg that you will at
once drop all, cleanse your mouth, and never again
defile yourself witll it.  Nicholas Monardus, a German,
has w ritten a large folio on the virtues of tobacco; but
it would take many such folios to prove it worthy of
a place among civilized men.   Let a man be thrown
from  a ship-wreck upon a desert island, and in a
state of starvation, and hie would rather die than to
eat this weed, though the island might be covered
l Addison, from I-orace, Ode III., Book III.
Q
I
76
Eiglith ti". ketioii-pei-sonal hohits.
Tobacco.
0
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANDAL.
'I'lh royal " Couiiterblast."    EI.llrcls of thle system.
with it; and no youth can use it, eitlher in clhewving or
smoking, without decided and permanent injury to his
apl)pealance,  health, and  progress in study.   Let  a
company spend the evening(r in smoking thle cigar, and
what is the effect?   They all awake, in the morning,
restless, feverish, low-spirited, and dissatisfied.   Thle
bell graites upon  thle nerves worse than ever.   The
imotitli is clammy and bitter, the stomach uneasy, and
each one feels like pouring(r out  thle vital principle in
yawningr.  Thle cuLstom certainly seems nmost at  home
in a-filtlhy ale-house or bar-room. When thle flashion
was so stronr,g in England, tlhat James  I. could get
no one to l)IpeaclI against it, his own royal hand took
thle pen and  wrote a treatise which lie denominiiates
"A Counterblast to''obacco."   The  strengthl of his
princely antidote may be gathlered from thle following
closingr paragraph of this royal Counterblast.  "It is
a custom loathsome to the eye, hliatelul to thle nose,
lharnmful to thle brain, dang(erous to the lhtngs, and in
thle black...... fume thereof, nearest resembling the
horrible Sty(geian smoke of the pit that is bottomless."
All exp)erienced people will tell you that the habit
of using tobacco, in any slhape, will soon render you
emacialted and consump)tive, your nerves  shattered,
youIr sp)iritS low and moody), your thlroat dry, and denim,inding stiniulating drinks, your person  filthy, and
your hlabits those of a swine.
Let your dress be neat and simp.2e. Do not feel
.
I
77
a 
THE STTJDENT'S MANUAL.
1)re.               Cliaoge of garrneIIt..
that thle body, which is merely a case for the soul, is of
too grIeat importance.  At the same time, lie vlwho is a
"good and true man," will be liklely to keep  the outside of his house in good order.   In a certain village
there is a house, which seems designed to be foppish.
Its front is white, its left green, its back yellow, and
its ri(ght red.  Nothing could be more ridiculous, and
yet it is not more ridiculous, in reality, than the dress
of many a house that tile soul must inhabit. I would
recomlnend that your clothes be of good quality,-so
good, that you constantly feel that they arce worth
preserving,-and tlhat you feel anxious to sllow your
economy, by the len(gth of time they last.  For exercise, you should have a different dress.  No one can
enjoy himself who undertakes to study and exercise
in the same dress.  In your study, use an old coat or
gown.   You will feel more easy and comfortable,,and
your dresscoat will last all the better for it.  Some
wear a baize jacket in study; and this is very well.   I
knowl of one whlo always studies, summer and wilnter,
in his shirt sleeves; and thioulgh 1 have an opinion of
him quite as high as he deserves, yet I cannot recommend the practice.
Your dress slhould be warmn.  If you wear flannels
next t,ie skin, be sure to take them all off whlen you
sleep.  Be sure, also, to keep your feet dry and wvarm.
In order to this, you mrust use them every day in walk
ag.   The question in relation to dress shoul.Id be. not
.
78
Cliaii,-,e of -,arnietits.
Dress.
a 
STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Econiomy iil dress.       Dantdyism.        Alexalider's courtiers.
" How often can I have a new hat or coat?" but " How
long can I wear it, and keep it handsome?" He who
-undertakes to be very nice and finical in his dress,
will make but a poor student. He descends towards
the animal world.  Dryden, in his fable of the Cock
and the Fox, seems to have had a dandy before himn
"Then, turning, said to Partlet,'See, my dear,
How lavish Nature hath adorned the year;
How the pale prinrose and the violets spring,
And birds assay their throats, disused, to sing:
All these are ours; and I, with pleasure, see
Man strutting on two legs, and aping me!'"
No slave is so abject, as lie who tries to keep near
the head in the race of fashions.  Alexander is said
to have had a neck that was wry; and this created a
fashion, so that his courtiers all held their heads on
one side. He was most fashionable, who lopped his
head the most. Was this more ridiculous than what
the votaries of fashion must do continually?   But
cannot a student be particularly nice about his dress
without having his heart all in it?  I reply, "that
whenever you see the tail of a f6x out of the hole,
you may be pretty sure that the fox is in the hole."
Keep your clothes neat and clean; your coat, your
hat, your boots or shoes, and be neat as to your
linen; but do not feel that tlhis is by any means the
great business of life.
Pay particular attention to your teeth.  By this I
I 
4
fi9
a
16 
The teeth.         How preserved.             Singularity.
mean, simply, cleanse them with a soft brush and
with water, in whlich a little common salt is dissolved,
the last thing before you retire at night. This simple
direction, faithfully followed, wM1 ordinarily keep the
teeth good till old age.  I would urg,e this, because, if
neglected, the following are the results:-Your breath
will inevitably become offensive from defective teeth;
your comfort will be destroyed by frequent tooth-ache;
your health will suffer for the want of good teeth to
masticate the food; and last, though not least, you
will early lose your teeth, and thus your public
speaking will be  irretrievably injured.  These  may
seem smnall affairs now, but the habit of neglect will
assuredly bring bitter repentance when it is too late
to remedy the neglect.
Do not affect singularity in any of your habits.
We  never feel at home with a man of odd habits;
and any such will assuredly increase upon him. He
makes a heavy draft upon the kindness of mankind,
who is every day demanding that they bear with his
eccentricities. You may now recollect a most excellent man, who is often seen in company, with his feet
poised upon the top of a chair, and nearly as hilgh as
his head, and not unfiequently upon a table. The
habit was acquired when a student; and though a
whole company has often ached over the habit, yet it
remains unaltered. You may be boorish in manners,
and be like Johnson -'  that respect; but he  hlad
80
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MIANUAL.
Manners at table.      What society demands as to manners.
talents and industry, which could make him distinguished in spite of his ill manners.
Be particularly attentive to your behavior at table,
for, fronm his situation, the student is Peculiarly tempted
to err there. There is an abruptness and bluntness
in the manners of some professional men-a complete treading under foot of all politeness.  It may be
attributed to the fact that they probably associated
but little with refined society while students; and
when they came out into the world, not kuowing( how
to behave, they put on the blunt, hair-cloth mode, as
if conscious of abilities which would suffer them to
despise form and politeness. But a man is never
more  mistaken  than  when he  supposes  that any
strength of mind  or  attainments  will render  his
company agreeable, while his manners are rude. If
you are accustomed to society, behave as you know
how; if not accustomed to it, behave modestly, and
you will behave well; so that, in all your intercourse
with your fellow-students, always maintain the appearance and character of a gentleman, never that
of a buffoon, or a sloven.  And as your character
now is, in these respects, so it is to be through life.  1
have known students whose wash-stand, and establishment, showed that they were slovens; and they were
never known to improve in these  respects.  iKes,
your room and person, at all times, just as yoti wniia
have';.f you expected your mother or sister to make
4*
0
el
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Cleajiljiess    Thie fable.   Ninth direetioii-doirng etery thing wrell.
you a visit. Neatness is the word by which to
designate all that is meant in regard to your personal
appearance.
Cleanliness is the first mark'of politeness; it is
agreeable to others, and is a very pleasant sensation
to ourselves. The humor of Swift was not misapplied when he describes himself as recovering friom
sickness  by  changing  his  linen.   A   clean,  neat
appearance is always a good letter of introduction.
May 1 request mny readers to gather the application
and  mora! of the  following  beautiful story:-" A
dervise, of great sac+ tt.y, one morning, had the misfor
tune, as he took up a crystal cup, whlich was conse
crated to the prophet, to let it fall upon thie ground,
and dash it to pieces.  His son coming in some time
after, he stretched out his hand to bless him, as his
manner was every morningr; but the youth, going out,
stumnbled over the threshold and broke his arnn.   As
the old man wondered  at these  events, a caravan
passed by in its way to Mecca:  the  dervise approached it to beg a blessing; but as lie stroked one
of the holy camels, he received a kick from the beast,
whlich sorely bruised him!   His sorrow and amazement increased upon him, until hlie recollected that,
thlrough hurry and inadvertency, he had that morning
come abroad without washing his handls."'
9. Acquire the habit of doirg every thing wvel.
:It is  -w kown -that Jolhnson used to'rite and
Rambleor
O
82
0 
Johnson.        The prize lost.         Common  things.
send copy to the press, without even looking it over
by way of revising. This was the effect of habit.
'H    began  by  compl)osing  slowly, but  with great
accuracy.  We  are naturally impatient of restraint,
and have so little patience at our command, that it is
a rare thing to find a young man  doing any thing as
well as he can.  He wishes to do it quickly.  And
in the conversation of students, you seldom hear one
tell how well he did this or that, but how quickly
This is a pernicious habit. Any thling( that is worth
doing at all, is worth doing well; and a mind well
disciplined in other respects, is defective, if it have
not this habit.  A young man, who unexpectedly lost
the affections of a young lady, of whom he was
sufficiently fond, informed his friend, with a good
degree of shrewdness, that he doubted not that he
lost the prize from a very small circumstance. She
handed him a letter which she had been writing to a
friend, and asked him to direct it. Hie did so, but in
a manner so hurried and slovenly,  (for it was his
great ambition to be quick in doing any thing,) that
she blushed when she received it. From that little
circumstance her affections seemed to cool, until they
were dead to him. His friend comforted him by
saying that "she was more than half right."
This incident is mentioned, not on account of its
dignity, but to illustrate the point in hand.  Every
thgbe   id- I    oe wtell, and practice will sooD
'83
THE STUIDENT'S XKNUA-L.
a 
4TIE STUDENT'S3 MANUAL.
Euripides.      Buonaparte.       MeDonough's victory.
enable you to do it quickly.  How many are misera
ble readers, and miserable writers, as to manner and
matter, because they do note possess this habit!
Euripides used to compose but three lines, while a
contemporary poet composed three hundred; but one
wrote for immortality, and the other for the day.
Your reading had better be but little, your conversations but few, your compositions short and well
done.  The man who is in a "great hurry," is commonly the one who hurries over the small stages of the
journey, without  making the great business of life
to consist in accomplishing as much  as possible.
The great secret of Buonaparte's skill as a warrior,
consisted in this; that he did his business thoroughly:
if he met an army in two or three divisions, he did
not divide his army in the same proportion. No: he
brought all his strength to bear upon one point, until
that was annihilated. So with McDonough, during
our last war. He directed all his force, every gun,
against the "big ship" of the enemy.   No matter
how pressing or annoying others might be; every ball
was to be sent towards the "big ship," till her guns
were silent. This is a good principle to carry out in'
regard to every thing.
"How is it that you do so much?" said one in
astonishment at the efforts and success of a great
man.  A Why, I do but one thing at a time, and try to
,imuh it once for all."    would therefore have you
84
0 
THE STUDENT'S 3f1.AN',.L.
Teuth direction empP.        Goldsmiths temper.
keep this in mind:-Do not send a letter home
blotted or hurried, and ask them to excuse it, because
you are in a hurry.   You have no riight to be in such
a hurry.  It is doing injustice to yourself.  Do  not
make a memorandum so carelessly, that in five years
you can make nothing of it.  Do not hurry any thing
so that you know not what you do, or do not know
certainly about it, and have to trust to vagffue impressions.  What we call a superficial character, is formed
in this way; and none who are not careful to form
and cherish the habit of doing every thing well, may
expect to be any thing else than superficial.
10. MIake constant efforts to be master of your
temper.
The often-quoted remark of Solomon, in regard to
authorship and study, is true to life; and that study
which is such a "weariness to the flesh," will almost
certainly reach the nerves, and render you more or
less liable to be irritated.  Who would have thought
that the elegant Goldsmith would, in his retirement,
have been peevish and fretful?  So, we are told, was
the fact. And perhaps he who could write the Citizen of the World, and the Deserted Village, and the
Vicar of Wakefield, exhausted his nerves, in trying
to be kind-hearted and pleasant in his writings; so
that, when he fell back into real life, hlie had no materials left with which to be agreeable. Be thie as it
may, it is not unfrequendy the case, that he who cau
0
85
T'cnith direction -Wentper.
Goldsmiiith's temper.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Daziger to a 3 udent.      Manliness.       Contentment.
appear kind and pleasant with his pen, and when
abroad, is nevertheless growing sour and crabbed in
his study. Hence it has sometimes been said of a
student, "He is at times the nlost agreeable, and at
times the most disagreeable of men." It will require
no small exertion, on your part, to become master of
yourself. He that is master of his own spirit, is a
hero indeed.  Nothing grows faster by indulgence,
than the habit of speakiing to a companion hastily: it
soon becomes so fixed that it lasts tlhrotl,lh life.  In
order to avoid it, cultivate manliness of character.
Be frank and open-hearted. Not merely appear so,
.but really be so. &Tliere is an openness, a nobleness
of soul, about some men, whlich is quickly discovered,
and  as  lIighly valued.   We  know  that  there  is
originally a difference in men.  Some seem to be
born  small, close, misantl)hropic, and  their  whole
contour is on a contracted scale.  But  there is no
reason why they should yield to this constitutional
trait, and become more and more so. You may have
been neglected in your childhood in this respect; but
this is no reason why you should neglect yourself.
You will often see students, whose means are small,
much respected for thl)eir nobleness and manliness of
character.  I mention this, that you may not forget
that it is not the circLumstalce of being rich or poor,
which creates this trait in your character.
3, Be-cruteg vd in  your  situation.      othing will
86
a 
4
TE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Petty.roubles.           limnagilary inferiority.
sooner render any one disagreeable, or sooner destroy
his own peace, than a discontented spirit. WEho
can expect to master himself, to master languages, to
master mathematics, and to master a thousand diffi culties, while obtaining a  thloroug(h  and  complete
education, without  meetingr with  discouragemnents t
Who  ever undertook  to  explore a great  region,
without meeting with hot suns, and cold rains, with
clouds of dust, and swarms of flies?-Your room is
Dot  pleasant.  It is to be  regretted; but, as  tihe
traveller said about his straw-bed on the garriet floor,
"he could get a great deal of good sleep out of it,"
you can study lhard and thlorougllly in it. You will
hereafter often be called to task your mind un(lder
circumstances vastly woise.-Your room-mate is not
good-tempered or ag(reeable. Very like; btut hlie wvill
become much better by associating with you, if you
are faithful to yourself. He may have had poor
advantages;  lie may naturally possess a disposition
peculiarly cross-grained; but lie is susceptible of
great improvement; and if you are faithful, hlie will
alter more than you can now imagine.  How many
young  men  have  been saved  from  ruin  by  the
example and kind warnings of their room-mates! Your  boarding-place is not to your  nind.   Very
like; but as the great object is the mind, rather than
the body, you will soon cease to regard it, if you do
pt stop to brood over it. —I )vu se oths wib 
..v
0
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Reverie.     It I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ common.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I
pocket-money, and better dressed, than yourself.
True; but remember that thle recitation-room is the
place where scholars are mneasured, and that neither
broadcloth nor pocket-money Will avail thlere. You
will-not unfirequlently notice a great difference in the
appearance of the same schlolars w-ien on the promenade  and  in thle recitation-room.   You will  find
many who can do much better in demnonstrating the
fashions  of  the  day,  than  in  demnonstrating  the
problems in spherical trigonomrnetry, or in construing
Tliucydides.  Will you  envy  such, and repine  at
your circumstances?
Another way to avoid discontent and peevishness,
is carefully to avoid reverie.  Castle-building cannot
be laughled out of existence, else had it long since
been no more. The misclhiefs of it are immense.
We are not satisfied with what we now are; we  have
no patience to dig, and wait, and grow to eminence;
and so we go off on the wings of imagination, and
range through all desirable conditions, and select one,
ar.d at once sit down on empire or greatness. Nature
and fortune never combined to create such ian
Elysium for fallen man as you can at once create for'
yourself.   Fancy soon obtains the victory over the
soal; for it is vastly more easy for us to sit in our
chair, and dream ourselves into statesmen and orators,
-ulers, and movers of the world, than to put forth the
exertions reouired to become tolerable in actual life
a
89
Reverie.
It is coininon. 
THE STUDENT'S MIANUAL.
Reverie sours the feelings.
in any profession. The sage, in Rasselas, who spent
h i s    time and thoughts, and wore himself down for ten
years, i        n          guiding and regulating the planets and seasons, was wise, in comparison with mhny who live in
reverie; for his feeliings became mellowed and kind,
whereas, in most cases, the wh6le influence of these
day-dreams is bad. They decidedly sour the feeling s.           Notice your own feelin(gs.  As you descend
upon the world after a season of communing with
fancy, it seems like a forsaken castle, cold and cheer
less, In these reveries, you will meet with enemies
enough; but it is only that fancy may lift you above
them, and show you how superior you are to every
thing like difficulties or opposition. I am confident
that I do not speak at random when I say, 1 have
known youn         g      men whose feelings became morose, and
th   eir  countenances became  xu8pwoi, like those of the
Pharisees, wholly in consequence of frequently encountering          legions of enemies and troubles in their
reveries. Let the imagination become your master,
and hold the reins, and you will soon become a discontented spirit. At this point, I am persuaded, insanity frequently begins. Indeed, he who lives in an
imaginary world is, quoad hoc, insane. Who can be
pleasant and good-natured, after having sat an hour,
persuading hi       mself that h, was electrifying the seniate,
or melting a jury, or ovenrwhelming a city congregation,
with a nation gazing at lis greatness, and then sud
e
89
0 
TIM Ad 7PsT',N 4L.
Eleventh directionI-so~u/ji(l.dg-e,?t.     The troublesome watch.
denly awaking, and finding that he dreads to have the
hour of reciting arrive?
11. Cultivate soundness of judgment.
Some can decide, almost intutively, upon the char acter of the last person they have met. So of a book.
They can turn it over, read part of a page here, and a
sentence or two in another place, and decide, unlies itatingly, upon  its merits.  When a  prejudice  has
once entered your mind against a man or an author,
it is hard to eradicate it. It warps the judgment
and makes  you  partial.  If this habit be  indulged, the mind soon becomes habituated to act from
prejudice, rather than judgment. "A perfectly just
and sound mind is a rare and invaluable gift. But it
is still mnuch more unusual to see such a mind unbias ed in all its actings. God has given this soundness of
mind but to few; and a very small number of those
few escape the bias of some predilection, perhaps ha bitually operating; and none, at all timnes, are perfect ly fiee. I once saw this subject forcibly illustrated.
A watch-maker told me that a gentleman had put an
exquisite watch into his hands, that went irregularly.
It was as perfect a piece of work as was ever made.
He took it to pieces, and put it together again, twenty
times. No manner of defect was to be discovered;
and yet the watch went intolerably.  At last it struck
nim, that possibly the balance-whleel might have been
near a magnet: on applying a needle to it, he fouad
90
a 
TM BTUVEIT'5 XANVA,.
.............o.l carctr.       Th oWie' method
his suspicions true: here was all the mischief.   The
steel works in the other parts of the watch had a per1etital influence on its motions; and the watch went
as well as possible with a new wheet. If the soundest mind be IrTagnetized by any predilection, it must
act irregularly."
As to judging of your own character, do not forget,
that every man is almost sure to over-rate his own
importance. Our firiends flatter us, and our own
hearts still more. Our faults are not seen, or, if seen,
passed over, or softened down, by both of these parties.  The  judgment of our enemies, thoughl  more
severe upon us, is more likely to be correct. Tlley
at least open our eyes to defects, which we were in
dang,er of never seeing. Another thiing is to be noticed.  The world praises you for this or that thing
wlfich you do. If, on examination, you find the mo-.
tives of that action wrong and sinuful, are you, then,
judging correctly, if you estimate your character by
their judgment?  Many of our virtues are of a doubtful nature, and we are in danger of placing all such
on the credit side of the ledger.
An officer in our army, of high character and promise, told me that he once sat down to weigh the principle of entire abstinence firom ardent spirit, and to deci(le whether it was his duty, in his circumstances, to
alopt it. He took a large sheet of paper, and began by
setting down, in regular order, all the reasons why the
.
4
PI
The offi.cer's method.
Jti,igiiig,)fy(i ir owii cliaract r.
0 
THE STUDENTS MANUAL.
Twelftil direction-treatnint of~fiiends.
principle of entire abstinence ought not to prevail.
Tile list was somewhat long and imposing.  He felt
pretty sure that he milght safely take that side of the
question.  But to make it perfectly sure, hle began to
set down, on another page, the arguments on the other
side. They soon began to grow and grow, till hlie wvas
astonished at their number and weight. They quickly out-numbered their opponents; and it did not at
first strike his attention, that hle had several put down
against entire abstinence which belonged to the other
side.  These were shifted and altered, till, at last,
with one dash of the pen, he blotted out the few that
remained; and,  thlough  he has now  forgotten tile
steps of the process, yet, from that hour to this, he
has never had a doubt on the question. This is what I
mean by cultivating soundness of judgment. The process may be slower than to jump to conclusions, but it
is much more satisfactory, and will give you the habit
of weighing and judging correctly.
12. Treatment of parents,frieiLds, and companions.
I hope it will appear that I am not out of place in
trying to lead you to make the proper treatment of
frien    ds  a     h abit.   Whether you intend it or not, it will
become so. Remember that, when you are away
fro     m  h ome, you are more likely to forget and neglect
your parents, than they are to forget you. You are
in new scenes, forming new acquaintances. They
-stay at home; they see your room, your clothes
a
92 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
PareiiL' anxiety.        Ilinstration.       ntiIIg to friends.
walk over the rooms where your voice has been so
often and so long heard.  They follow you away;
they miss you at the table, and speak of you; they
let no day pass without speaking of you, and at night
they send their thoughts away after you; and have a
thousand anxieties about you, which nothing but your
attentions can remove or alleviate. The poet beautifiully compares this anxiety for absent friends to that
of the bird which leaves her young. She constantly
fears the serpent will find them during her absence,
though she knows her presence could do them no
good.
"Comes'minore sum futurus in metu,
Qui major absentes habet;
Ut assidens implumibus pullis avis
Serpentium allapsus timet
Magis relictis: non ut adsit, auxil
Latura plus presentibus."'
You cannot act the part of a dutiful child, without
daily sending your thouglhts home. Write to friends
often, and at stated times. Any correspondence between friends is, in all respects, more valuable, interesting, useful and pleasant to all parties, for being regular and at stated times.   You  then know when to
write, and when to expect a letter, and there is no
wondering why a letter does not comie, and no chiding
for negligence.  Enter into no correspondence, unless
it be on occasional business which will not be so val.
1 Hor. Carm. V.
.93
Pareiits' anxiety. flitistratioil.
Writiiig to frieiids.
0 1
0 
TTHE STUDENTS MANtIAL.
Exmpe                      Letrfo    oi
uable that you wish to continue it; and then  have
periodical times of writing. To your parents, it
should be at least once every month.   In these letters,
talk out your feelings in that easy, cheerful manner,
that you would were you at home, and entertaining the
family circle in the vacation.   1 shall not ask pardon
for introducing here a letter from one,'whose attentions
to the person addressed have never been regretted.
The letter needs no expositor, and, as it seemis to me,
no apology for being inserted here.
CoUege, Tueday Eventg
"My dear Mother,
THOUGH I am now sitting with my ba,.k
towards you, yet I love you none the less; and, what
is quite as strange, I can see you just as plainly as
if I stood peeping in upon you. I can see you all, just
as you sit round the family table. Tell me, if I do
not see you. There is mother, on the right of the
table, with her knitting, and a book open before her;
and anon she glances her eyes from the work on
paper to that on her needles; now counts the stitches,
and then puts her eye on the book, and starts off for
another round. There is Mary, looking wise, and
sewing with all her might, now and then stopping to
give Sarah and Louisa a lift in getting their lessons,
and trying to initiate them into the mysteries of geography. She is on the left of the table. There, in
. 4
04
Letter from a son.
Example.
0 
THE STti)riS MAAL.
Letter from a soin.
,lie back ground, is silent Joseph, with his slate, now
making a mark, and then biting his lip, or scratching
his head, to see if the algebraic expression may have
hidden in either of those places. George is in tlhe
kitchen, tinkering his skates, or contriving a trap for that
old offender of a rat, whose cunning has so longr brourlght
mortification upon all his boastings. I can now hear
his hammer, and his whistle-that peculiar, sucking-sort
of whistle, which always indicates a puzzled state of
the brain. Little William and Henry are snug in bed,
and, if you will just open their bed-room door, you will
barely hear them breathe. And now, mother has
stopped, and is absent and thoughtful, and my heart
tells me that she is thinking of her only absent child.
Who can he be?  Will you doubt any more that I have
studied magic, and can see with my back turned to
you, mid many a hill and valley between us?
You have been even kinder than I expected, or
you promised. I did not expect to hear from you till
to-morrow, at the earliest. But as I was walking, today, one of my class-mates cries, "A bundle for you
at the stage-office!" and away I went as fast as the
dignity of a sophomore would allow me.  The bundle
I seized, and muffled it under my cloak, though it
made my arm ache, and, with as much speed as my
"conditions" would permit me, I reached my room.
Out came my knife, and, forgetting all your good advice about "strings and fragments," the said bundle
a
e
. 9&, 
'THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Letter from a son.
quickly owned me victor, and opened its very heart to
me; and it had a warm heart too, for there were the
stockings, (they are now on my feet, i.e. one pair,)
and there were the flannels, and the bosoms, and the
gloves, and the pincushion  from Louisa, and  the
needle-book from Sarah, and the paper firom  Mary,
and the letters and love from all of you.. I spread
open my treasures, and both my heart and feet danced
for joy, while my hands actually rubbed each other
out of sympathy. Thanks to you all, for bundle, and
letters, and love.  One corner of my eye is now moistened, while I say, "Thank ye all, gude folks."  I must
not forget to mention the apples-" the six apples,
one from each "-eand the beautiful little loaf of cake.
I should not dare call it little, if it had not brought the
name from you. The apples I have smelled of, and
the cake I have just nibbled a little, and pronounce it
to be " in the finest taste."
Now, a word about your letters. I cannot say
much, for I iave only read rnQtlther's three times, and
Miary's twice. Those parts which relate to my own
acts and doings, greatly edify me. Right glad to find
that the spectacles fitted mother's eyes so well. You
wondered how I hit it. Why, have I not been told
from my very babyhood, "You have your mother's
eyes?" And what is plainer, than that, if I have her
eyes, I can pick out glasses that will fit them?  I am
glad, too, that the new book is a favorite. I shall
96
a 
THIE STUDENTIS MANUA.
Letter from a son.
have to depend on you to read for me, for here I read
nothing but my lexicon, and, peradventure, dip into
mathematics.  Joseph's knife shall be forthcoming, and
the orders of William and Henry stall be honored,
if the apothecary has the pigments. " George is delighted with his new sled "-a  cheering item; for my
thumb has retired into his cot, and growled and ached
ever s'ace, and even now, ever and anon, gives me a
twinge, by way of recalling the feat of building the
sled. And you really think the pigs have profited by
my -4abors, and that, though they have forgotten me,
yet they like the sty!  If they do well, I shall be
paid next fall, whether they  are grateful or not.
Old Charley should be kept warm.  He  has carried
us too many miles to be neglected now. I am sorry I
did not have his condition more in mind when at home.
Poor fellow, I enjoyed his aid, and helped to make
him grow old. And old Rover, let him have his new
kennel warm; and if he thinks so much of me as to
"go to my room" after me, let him have my old
wrapper. One member more,-tell Sukey that,
thoulgh I mention her after horses and dogs, it is not
out of any want of respect. I will wear the mittens
which she knit and sent, and, in return, though l, cannot approve, will send as much, at least, of "real
Scotch," as will fill her box.
I suppose the pond is all frozen over, and the skating good.  I know it is foolish; yet, if mother aw
e
---
#7
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Letter from a son.
Mary had skated as many "moony" nights as I have,
they would sigh, not at the thought, but at the fact
that skating days are over.  Lever was a face more
bright and beautiful than the face of that pond in a
clear, cold night, under a full moon. Do the boys go
down by my willow still? and do they still have the
flag on the little island in the centre, where I used to
rear the flag-staff once a year?  1 was going to tell
you all about college.  But when I think I will begin,
pop!-my thoughts are all at home!  What a p.ace
home is! I would not now exchange ours for wealth
enough to make you all kings and queens.
I am warm, well, and comfortable: we all study
some; and dull fellows like me have to confess that
we  study  hard.  We  have no genius to help us.
My chum is a good fellow:-he  now sits in yonder
corner —his feet poised upon the stove in such a way,
that the dullness seems to have all run out of his heels
into his head, for he is fast asleep.
I have got it framed, and there it hangs-tlithe picture of my father! I never look up without seeing it,
and I never see it without thinking that my mother is
a widow, and that I am her eldest son.  What more
I hink, I will not be fool enough to say: you will
im; gine it better than I can say it.
Your gentle hint, dear mother, about leaving my
Bib e at home, was kind; but it will relieve you to
kno v that I left it designedly, and, in its place, took
a
98 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Effe(ts of Iettcr-vriiiig.             CIinoiiig fTiellds.
my dear fathler's from the uplper shelf ir. our little
library room; and what is more, I read it every day.
I need not say, Write! write! for I know that some
of you will, at the end of three weeks. But lore to
you all, and much too.  I shall tell you of -my metlhods
of economy in my next.
Your affectionate son, &c."
Can any of my readers doubt but a letter like the
above, woLild do much to alleviate tile anxiety of the
mother, and add greatly to the coitfbort of tie fanlily y?
Every son can slhow such attenitionls, and at the same
tinme keepl)  his 6wn  heart warmi  with  the remnembrances of lioiire an(l kin(lred(.   It will add to your ease
in letter-writitng, and it will cuiltivate sonme of tile noblest and sweetest virtues of which the heart is susceptible.
I would say a few words on the choice and treatment of friends; and, as this stibject is treated of by
nlniost every writer, I shall be brief. You must have
some, and will have some, with whom  you are more
intimate than with the rest of your companions.
There are two special difficulties attending friendships;
first, it is hard to acquire a real friend; and, secondly,
it is still harder to keep  him.   The  acquaintance,
wljich is afterwards ripened into friendship, is, of
course, in the first place, casual. And those who are
6rst to extend the hand to embrace you. are seldom
90
Cli,-)osiiig frieii,3s.
Effects of letter-writiiig.
a 
TlIE ITUDENT'S MANUXAT.
NViat traits of character necessary.
those whose firiendship continues long. Be cautious
in selecting your firiends, and look lonz and well before you allow any one to say, tlhat he is your bosomconipanion, and that you slilare  acli othler's thotights
and secrets.   In selecting your friends, you will rememnber that you will borrow hlabits, traits of chiaracter, nmo(les of thlouglit and exl)ression, firom eachl other;
and, therefore, be careful to select tllose wllo lhave not
excellellces merely, but wllose fauilts are as few as
may be. Some rely too mucll tilpoll firiends, and thllink
diley will never pass away, and never chlange.   Otbers, who Ilave known, by) exl)erience, that friends may
do bothi, will tell you that fiiendshiip is " but a name,"
and  means  notlhing.   Extrenmes  are never in  the
right.  Tlhere is much), both of wisdom and beauty, in
the following remarks.   Thley are not taken from the
writings of Confucius, else had they been  set in gold
long since.
"Sweet language will multiply friends, and a fairspeaking tongue will multipl)ly kind greetings.  Be in
peace with many: nevertlheless, have but one counsellor in a tllousand.  If thiou wouldst get a friend, prove
him fiust, and be not hasty to credit him; for somne'
man is a friend for his own occasion, and will not abide
in the day of thy trouble. Separate thyself from
thiine enenies, and take heed to thy friends.  A  faithful friend is a strong defence, and he  that hath found
such a one, hath found a treasure. A faithful friend
:.                   ~
4t
100 
4
e
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
E.steem necessary to  frieiidshiip.
is the medicine of life.  Forsake not an old friend, for
the new is not comnparable to him: a new fiiend is as
new  wine: when it is old, thiou sl)glt drink it with
pleasuLire. Whoso casteth a stone at the birds frayethi
tlhem away, and he that upbraideth his friend breaketli firiendshlips; for upbraiding, or pride, or disclosing
of secrets,' or a treacherous wound, every friend will
depart."
"Verbum dulce mul] tiplicat amnicos, et lingrua euchlari3
in bono homine abundat. Multi pacifici sint tibi, et
co3itiliarius sit tibi unus de mille.   Si possides amicum,
in tentatione posside eumn, et ne facile credas ei. Est
enilin amicus secundum  tempus suurn, et non perma
nebit in die tribulationis.  Ab inimicis tuis, separare,
et ab amnicis tuis attende. Amicus fidelis, protectio
fortis; qui autem invenit ilium, invenit thlesaurunm.
Amicus fidelis, medicainentum vitae. Ne derelinquas amicum antiquum: novus enim non erit siinilis
illi: vinum  novum, amicus novus, veterascet, et curm
suavitate bibes illud. MAittens lapidem in volatilia,
dejiciet illa: sic et qui convitiatur arnico, dissoluit amicitiam: convitiis, et superbia, et mysterii revelatione,
ct p)laga dolosa,-in his omnibus effugiet amicus." *
No one can long be your friend for whom you have
not a decided esteem-an esteem  tlhat will not permit
* The lover of classical Latin will please to remember, that I
no more claim credit for the Latin, titan for the beautitul senti
ments so inelegantly expressed in it
.
. IN
Ile,-ititiful maxiins.
0 
TIIE STUDENTS MANUAL
Env   no   loe.                     Ql-f~toso    red
you  to trifle with  his feelings, and which, of course,
will prevent his trifling witlh yours.   Great familiarity
is illconsistent with any abidinig fiendslhip.
" The man  vwho hails you Tom, or Jack,
And proves, by thumping on your back,
His sense of your great merit,
Is such a friend that one lhad(l need
Be very much his friend illdeed,
To pardon or to bear it"
You will soon be ashamed to love one for whom
you hlave not a high esteem.   Love will only follow
esteem. In order to have or keep a fiiend, you must
not have a particle of envy towards him, however exalted his clharacter or merits.   Says a beautilil writer,
"He who can once doubt whether lie shouLld rejoice
in hlis friend's being llappier than himselfl; may depend
upOIn it, that hle is an utter stranger to this virtue."
You  will always  observe  that  thl)ose fiiendships
wIichl are the purest, and the most abiding, are chosen
for the good qualities of the heart, rather than for
those of thle head.  1 should be sorry to give the impression, that the finest qualities of the heart may not
accompany the lig!hest intellectual character; and 1
am satisfied that thlere is no good reason vwhy they do
not.  -But it lhas been s!hrewdly remarked, " I (do not
remeiyber that Achlates, who  is represented as the
first favorite, either gives his advice, or strikes a blow,
through the whole  Eneid."
O
0
102
Envy not allowed.
Qtialificatioiis of a friend.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MBLNU'AL
How  to keep fricuds.'Psne great duty of friendsliio.
Prudence is a prime quality in a friend; and zeal
and noise are not always indicative of the greatest
ability or desire to do you good. But in order to
have a true fiiend, you niust determirf  to be to him
just what you wish himn to be to you.  While I would
recommend every young man to commit to memory
the vwhole of Cowper's beautiful description of
"Friendship,"   I would particularly request him to
keep the following sentiment uppermost:
"Who seeks a friend, should come disposed
T' exhibit, in full bloom disclosed,
The graces and the beauties
That form the character he seeks;
For'tis a union that bespeaks
Reciprocated duties."
A similaritv of inclinations is by no means essential
to a perfect and abiding friendship. We admire those
traits of character which we do not ourselves possess.
They are new to us, and we feel that from them we
can supply our owvn defects.
Althoug,h it is considered one great duty of friend ship to discover faults, and give reproofs, yet it is a
dangerous duty.  It must be done very delicately and
kindly, and be sure not too firequently.  There were
once  two friends, roorn-iiates, who agreed that, every
nighlt, they would tell each other every thing, which
thley had seen during the aay, which was in the least
degree out of the way. They did so a while. Thev
O
4
103
H,)w to keep friends.
,riic great duty of frieiidsliit).
0 
TH:I STtD1DENTS MANUAL.
The true duty of a friend.            Veracity essential.
did it kindly; but it was too much for poor human
nature. They soon parted, and took new rooms, but
without ever disclosing to each other the true cause,
even if they were conscious ot it at the time. I do
not, on the whole, believe it is the appropriate busi ness of a friend to discover faults and reprove you but it is, to support you in high and noble pursuits,
raising your  pirits, and adding to your courag,e, till
you out-do yourself. Are those families the happiest,
where every member is to be tried by a constant or
frequent fault-finding?  Far from it. If you wish your
friend to do well, encourage him, sustain him when
in trials or troubles, and thus you become the "med icine of life." Cultivate your old friends: but you
must form new ones also; for our changes by removal
and death are so frequent, that he who now makes no
new friends will soon find himself without any. Need
it be said, that a strict and unwavering regard for truth
is absolutely essential to having friends? We do not
wish to be associated with those whose veracity can,
in the least, be suspected.   "When  speech is em
ployed as the vehicle of falsehood, every man must
disunite himself from others, inhabit his own cave, and
seek prey only for himself," and in vain ask or seek
for a. friend.
I have dwelt somewhat on this point,-longer, perhaps, than was to be expected, under the title of this
clmpter. But it is my wish that all my readers may
~ i04
The true duty ofa friend.
Veracity essential.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Part of laily hlabits to cultivate friends.
hliave fiiends, select, disinterested fi'iends; and I know
that they cannot, unless they make it a part of their
daily habits and business to cultivate their own hearts,
and render themselves worthy of being beloved.  Tile
tree cannot live and thl)rive without great care; but if it
receive that care, it will bear fruit abundantly for many
years. How often has the heart of my reader thlirilled
at the warm greetings of one wvlo said, "Your father
and I were fiiends!"   Friendship can lessen no joy
by having a sharer.  It brig(Iltens every one.  At the
same time, it diminishes sorrow, in every shape, by
dividing the burden.
" Hst thou a friend?-thou hast indeed
A rich and large supply Treasure to serve your every need,
Well managed, till you die."
5*
.
105
a 
CHAPTEIT [Il
STUDY.
WitE:; the company.ad wearied tbcrad/L  in
tryingr to make an eg(g jtind on its (aid, they were
amniazed at thle simpliLity uf thle thling, when once they
had seen Columbus d) It.
"Vhy, any cody can do that!"
" Why, the,L?, did you not?" was the searching
reply.
It seems to be an easy affair to study. There is
tile room, ald there thle books and there tile lesson:
what more do you want?  You want to know lhowv to
go to work —how  to study.   Thle interruptions to
study, e en whlen thle student has nothling else to do,
-not. care, not a burden of any kind to trouble him,
-are jumerous and vexatious.   Deductions must be
ma(le for ill hlealtl), and seasons whlen thle spirits droop,
and v. lien there is a total disrelisli for study, and a
want of courage, by wvlich the mind can be brougttIt
up t(. action; for a total ignolance of the best methods
of' stuldying; for thle interruptions of companions wvho
lhave yawned over their own books, till thley could
makt little or nothing( out of them, and then have come
to get.V$vtaothy  and countenance from others; foi
e
0 
THE STUDENT'S IMLANUAL.
IliterrupioRs cailuot be avoided.            Number of hours of stu(iy.
the time wasted in reading novels, or other useless
books; and, above all, for that natural, inherent indolence, which recoils from the task of rebuking the
wandering of the thoughts, and briiging, them back
to their prescribed tasks. Escaping from home will
not relieve the difficulty; neither will removing from
one school to another, or changing one college for
another. You must make up your mind that no one
can go on in a course of study without interruptions
fioni within and from without. Calculate upon this.
And it is well that it is so; for, in real life, if you can
get two full hours in a week without interruption, you
may think it extraordinary. The mind must form the
habit of being checked and interrupted, and of bringing itself back to the point fiom which it was taken
off, and at once pursuing the train of mental operations
in whichl it wvas engag(ed.  Till this power is obtained,
you are not prepared for active life; and in prol)ortion as it is acquired, in that proportion will little lindieraiices appear to you of little consequence.   I propose to make some su(ggestions in the form of hints
in relation to study, not so much regarding the order
of their introduction, as endeavoring not to omit any
that are of real importance.
1. The number of hours of daifly study.
No fixed time can be marked out for all.  Thisq
must vary with the constitution of each individual. A
mind that moves slowly requires and will bear more
107
Ijiterrup'.ions caniiot be avoided.
Number of hours of stu(ly.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
German students.   Severe application.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
time for study.   In Germany,  the students spend
many more hours than we can in this country. I
have tried to account for the fact, that, with their preposterous habits of eating and indolence, they can
study so many hours in a day, and that to extreme eld
age.  Doubtless national habits do something; individual habits do something; but these will not account
for it. Many of them will study sixteen hours a day;
few of them less than thirteen. We should all die
under it! The difference may be attributed to two
causes, for the correctness of which I cannot vouch;
viz. their mental operations are slower than ours,
and their climate is less variable and better adapted to a student's life. Few, in our own country,
ever studied half as much as they have, if hours
are to be the criterion. But another remark may
here be made. Germany is distinguished for the
study of the classics, for the making of lexicons and
commentaries, and for studies of such a nature as
require dil.gence and accuracy, but make no very
great draft upon the soul. Be this as it may, it is
certain that we must do what we do, by way of
daily study, in fewer hours; and, in my view, it is
vastly better to chain the attention down closely, and
study hard, a few hours, than to try to keep it moderately fixed and engaged for a greater length of time.
Our most successful students seldom study over six
hours in a day.  In this I include nothing of recita.
108
German students.
Severe application.
a 
THE STUD)IN7 S MANUAL.
Positions of the body.
tions, of desultory, hlalf-formed impulses of the
mind; but I mean real, bard, devoted study.   He
who would study six hours a day, with all the atten tion of which the soul is capable, need not fear b)ut he
will yet stand high in his calling.  But mark me,-it
must be study as intense as the soul will bear.   The at tention must all be absorbed; the thoughlts must all be
brought in, and turned upon the object of study, as
you would turn the collected rays of the sun into
the focus of the glass, when you would get fire from
those.rays. Do not call miscellaneous reading, or any
thing which you do by way of relief or amusement,
study: it is not study.  Be sure to get as much of
your study inII the morning as possible. The mind is
then in good order.  Aurora musis amica, necnon
vespera.
2. Have regard to the positions of the body while
engaged in study.
Some men, from early life, habituate themselves to
study, sitting at a low, flat table.  This ought to be
avoided; for, as you advance in life, that part of the
body which is between the shoulders and hips, becomes
more and more feeble, and consequently the stooping
habit is acquired. Few literary men walk or sit perfectly erect.. Standing is undoubtedly the best method
of study, if you will only begin in this way.  In wr'iA
ting, in the study of languages, and most kinds of matli'ematics, yeu must be confined to one spelt,  If you
0
. 109
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Grimke's plan.              C'nairs an(l lights.
can clhange positions, and stand a part, and sit a part
of the tine, it will be well; but the former should preponderate. As you advance ip life, you will naturally
sit more and more, till the habit becomes fixed. Few
men are seen standing at their books after forty years
of age.  The late talented, and lamented Grinke,' informs us that he uniformly stood, and did most of his
studying while walking in his room.   If you are composing(r, or reading, or comnmitting to memnory, this
position is a desirable one. Be sure you have your table hig(h enough, and keep clear of the rockin,g-chair,
with a writing leaf on the arm of it.  Sitting in such
a chair gives the body a twisting position, which i- almost sure to lead to poor health, and not unfrequently
to the grave.   If possible, place your table, the top of
which should so slope a little, that the liglit rilay fall
upon you from behind. This will be a kindness to
the eyes.  In the evening, it is well to have the lanmp
shaded, or to have a shade drawn over the eyes.  I
would lhol)e, however, that you keep your lessons so
much in advance, that the necessity of putting your
eyes to a severe trial, will be avoided. If your eyes
are weak, be careful that a glare of lighlt does not fall
upon them; and be sure to wash them  in cold water
the last tiling at night, and the first in the  mornin(g. The great desideratum in the choice of positions,
is, to keep thie body as straight as possible. A bendling
at the chest is by all means to be avoided. Your
a
110
Grimke's plan.
C'tiairs and lights. 
THE sTUDENT'rS MANUAL.
No co-esto  i td  hus               tdlgaod
dress, even to the slipper, should sit as loosely as p)ossi  ble; and the house which is now to stand still, and in
which the mind is to labor, should be as easy as it can
be, without assuming a position whiclh, by long habit,
will court the embrace of sleep.
3. Let there be no conversation in the hours of study.
This direction goes on the stiluppl)osition that you
have   a                  room-m ate, which is usually tlhe case.   A les son is easily spoiled by being interrupted, every nowv
and then, with somne question, raised on tl)at, or on some
otlhr subject.  You cannot study to advanitage if any
conversation is allowed in thl)e room.  But what if you
find a word in your lesson, whose meaning or whlose
parsing you cannot determine? WVIiat is to be done?
MAlay you not ask your friend? 1 reply, no. Keepilie
room silent.  If you wishl to review and coril)are to gethler, then begin a half hour earlier, and leave off
half an hour before reciting, and in this time, go over
the lesson tog(ethler.  Have the words, about  whlich
you doubted,.ust marked with a pencil, and then set tle their meaning and their relations. This review
should not take place till you have each exhausted
your own efforts upon the lesson, and until you have
definitely settled every word and every sentence.
Some are in the habit of studying aloud togetller,
or in small clubs; —a very bad practice.  The habit is
soon formed, so that the mind refuses to make any
efforts alone; and then it becomes necessary to have
e
III
No con%,ersatioii iii studv hotirs.
Stud3-iiig alotici.
0 
2T-E     N rg r A AL.
Thorough study.     How to conquer a country.
a constant " Bee" to aid it, just as the partially civil.
ized tribes of the Pacific ocean, refuse even to tlhatch
a cottage, unless they have a great company to work
together. This cannot be tile rmode of study thirough
life L and no habit should now be allowed, which will
be troublesome hereafter. The Sagacity and perseverance of our own minds are to be the ultimate resources on which we shall all be obliged to rely.  Btit
if the tongue refuses to be silent, and conversation
cannot be banished from your roomn, be careful to have
it on the lesson, and on no other subject.
4. Be thorough in every study.
Passing over a field of study has been graphically
compared to conquering a country.  If you tihorou,ghly conquer every thing you meet, you will pass on
fiom victory to victory; but if you leave here and
there a fort or a garrison not subdued, you will soon
have an army l)anging on your rear, and your ground
wvill soon need re-coniquering.   Never pass over a
single thling, however minute, or apparently of little
consequence, without understanding all that can be
known about it.  "Socrates ille non hominumn mnodo,
verum etimn Apollinis oraculo, sapientissimus judicatus, et perennis Philosophii Fons, dicere solet:' Radicern quidem eruditionis peramarum esse, sed fruicturn habere jucundissimunm; initioque magnos adferre
labores, sed hon s-issiinum sudantibus prxmium reposere,.'  Ergo, 0  Tu, quisquis es, cui ignea vis in
O
I
112
0 
i Uf )ENTt,s MANUAL..
Inaccurate scholars, how made.
pectore exarsit, cui flamma in pracordiis micat, procul
absint mollia, lenia, facilia, blanda, qua animni ineptumn
-xtinguere solent.  Dura petamus."
He who accustoms himself to pas! over a word or
sentence or a single point of mathematical inquiry,
without thoroughly understanding every thing that can
be known about it, will soon be known as an inaccurate scholar; will feel but half confident on aiiy sub
ject; and, what is worse, will have acquired a habit
which will forever make his knowledge vague and uncertain, both to himself and to others. There is such
a constant mortification and loss of self-respect attendin(g the habit of.going upon the surface, that, were it
only for personal comfort, you should be thorough,
At the first setting out, your progress will be slower
-perhaps very slow; but, in the long race before you,
you  will be the gainer.   How   ften have I seen a
man, with a mind  originally bright, chagrined and
humbled at his want of accuracy! He makes an assertion, and calls it a quotation from some disting(uished author.  "Does Burke  say so, and advocate  that
sentiment?  I never understood him so," says an accurate listener.   He  now begins to hesitate-apologizes-says it is a great while since hle read Burkle, but
such is hIis impression. Has he not fallen in the estimation ol every one present, and in his own also?  And
yet, such is the habit fixed upon him, that he will go and
again tread over the same ground with hesitating steps.
4
lia
0
0 
114
ITHE STUDEN*I'S MANUAL.
1'h tw  am.Eapl  rmMle
Two farms may lie side by side; the one may be
"run over" by the hand of tihe cultivator.  Here, is
a poor spot of mowing, and there, a miserable-look ing corn-field, and yonder, a wetclhed( fern pasture.
It covers a great extent of territory, but no part of
it is-subdued or cultivated.   The other farm has its
fences in order, its mowing lots all side by side, and
its fields, so far as any thing(r is done, perfectly subdu ed. Every acre that claims to have been subdued,
will bear a certain, a definite, and a full crop. Is
there any doubt which of the two farms is more profitable, or which method of cultivation is the most wise?
* How much better is knowledcgesomethliing that
you know-than any amount of conjecture formed
somewhere in the region of knowledge!  Have you
never seen the face of an educated man-i. e. of one
who ou,ght to have been  educated-gather a blank
upon it, at the sound of a Latin or Greek quota
tion? Like the hero in one of MAoliere's comedies,
lie understands it, but wishes it translated.   ThIe apt.
ness and lhLImor of the case will justify my quoting it.
"Le  Il. de Phil.   Ce sentiment est raisonnable
nam sine doctiind vita est quasi mortis imago.   Vous
entend(lez cela, et votis entendez le Latin sans doute?
"IL Jour.  Oui, mnais faites comine si je ne le
sivais pas: expliqliez-zioi ce que cela veut dire'!
"Le A3L. de Phil.  Cela veut dire, que sanis la sci
e.ce, la vie est presque l'image de la mort.
I
Exai-nple froin IViolire.
I'he two farms.
a 
1THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
L'x~~~II)I~~le of a thorough  s~~~~~~~h()lar.  ~i'Iiouglts to be f()Il()we(I.~~~~~~~~~~~~
" lM. Jour.  Ce Latin-la a raison."
Every thlingr should be understood as far as you go;
and never should you allow yourself to tlhink of goilig
into the recitatioti-roorn, and  there trust to " skinning," as it is called in some colleges, or " i)lraslg,"
as in others, or " miouthling( it," as in others.  No
man who reg(ards his reputation as a scholar, will ever
do tis.
One lesson or one book, perfectly and thoroughly
understood. would do you more good than ten lessons,
or ten books, not half studied. Mr. Evarts, to whom
allusion has already bee& made, read his Greek Testament so thlorou(ghly while fitting for college, that lihe
was in the habit, thlrotigh life, of readily repeating any
passage to which allusion was made.   And  several
of our best scholars committed and recited the whole
of Virgil without carrying a book into the recitationroom. One of them, at least, did the same with the.
whole of Horace.
"When  you have  a mind  to improve a single
thourlght, or to be clear in any particular point, do not
leave it till you are master of it.  View it in every
ligrlit.  Try how many ways you can express it, and
xwhiichl is shortest and best.  Would you enlarge iup;)n
it, hunt it down  froni author to authior; sonme of
whlich will sti1r(est hinits concerning it, whlichl), )perl)aps.
never occurred to you before; and give every circunistance its weight. Thus, by being master of every
. lis
I'liotiglits to be folit)wett.
t.xaii)l)le of a tiiorou,-Ii scliolar.
0 
THE STUDENTS UUAL.
T'ranslatioiis of classics.,
subject as you proceed, tlhoug(l you make but a small
progress in [the number of books whlichl  you study,]
you will make a speedy one in useful knowledge. To
leave matters undetermined, and the mind unsatisfied
in what we study, is but to multiply half-notions, introduce confusion, and is the way to make a pedant,
but not a scholar."
Some plausible and ingenious thiings have been said
in favor of using translations to Latin and Greek au thors. My own observation has not been as extended
as that of very many; but, so far as it does go, I can
unhesitatinglly say, that I neer knew any other than
miserable scholars made by the use of translations.   I
have seen scholals use a translation of Virgil, another
of Horace, and as many as they could get to authors se lected in Grxca Majora; and though they recited
smoothly at tile time, and perhaps even better than
those xvlwho dug it all out, yet I am confident they knew
less about Latin and Greek at the end of every year.
I am sorry to disturb the feelings of any reader who has
a faithful translation carefulily put away in his drawer
or desk, and at whiclh hle now and then so stealtlhfully
peeps; but let him continue to use it, and I will warrant'
him that soon, thloughl the reason may not be assigned, or
everknown, hlie will lose all that respect which belongs
solely to a thorough  student.  I have known  those
who studied Horace with a translation, and though
they  went off "smary " at bhe time, nt able, at the
a
A
116 
T!_E STUD MABUAL.
Iieir                               Expect hard'tudy.
end of two years. to read an ode.   "Go to the fountaim  head.  Reac original authors, rather than collect
translated and retailed  thou,ghts.   It will give you
more satisfaction, more certainty, mole judgment, and
more confidence, when those authors are the subjects
of conversation, than you can have by taking your
knowledg(e of them at second hand.   It is trusting to
translations, quotations, and epitomnes, that makes so
many half-schlolars so imlpertinently wise."
Some fliend may offer to aid you by translations, or
by books interlined wvitll a pen, or by furnislhing, you
withl mathematical problems all wrought out.  Such
kindnesses ou(ght to be shown only to an enemy, whom
hle would have pursued by his vengeance through life.
They are the greatest cruelties which an enemy could
possibly invent. If you cannot stand on your oven
feet, do not borrow crutches which will be taken from
you soon, and which will effectually prevent you from
ever having strength to walk alone.
5. Expect to become familiar with hard study.
Study, which is hard for one man, is easy for anotller. Not only so, but the study which is easy to
you to-day, may  be intolerably irksome at another
tine.  This is owing to the difficulty of confining the
attention closely. The health being the same, study
would at all times be equally agreeable, had we the
same command over the attention. But who, that has
tried it, does not know how much easier it is to study
i-.. -   -.....
1,17
Expect liard tudy.
'I'licir effpcts.
a 
rHE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Presi(lejlt l)Dight.
on a cold, stormy day in winter, when every thiing
without is repulsive, than on the warm, biriglht day of
spring, when all nature seems to invite you out, and
when the soul seems to disdain and rebel against the
restraints of study? You must make your calculations to study many hours, and at many seasons when
it is disagreeable —when the mind feels feeble, and
the body is languid, or is even  in pain.   "Other
things may be seized on by might, or purchased with
money; but knowledge is to be gained only by
study."
So great is the advantage of being able to confine
the attention, that men who have by some unexpected
providence lost their sight, have felt willing to exchlange all that is beautiful, lovely, and cheering, which
the eye drinks in, for the increased power over the
attention which this loss gave them. Tile truly great
President Dwight used to consider the loss of his
eyes, a great blessing to him, inasmuch as it strengthened the power of attention, and compelled him to
think.  You may point to men, and say, that "this
and that distinguished man was  not celebrated for
scholarship, or any thing, unless for stupidity, in his
younger days. He had no appointment in collegeno rank as a scholar." Not unlikely. But be sure
of one thing; and that is, he never became distinguished without, some time or other, passing through
severe course of dry, hard study. He might have
- I
I
lis
0
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
T''esti'noniy of Wirt.         ]low to make practical men.
omitted this when young; but, if so, the task was
harder when hle did undertake to perform it.  But
uindertake it hlie must, and ie did.
"Pater ipse colendi
Haud facilem esse viam voluit, primnusque per artem
Movit agros, curis acuens mortalia corda."
Tile remarks of the lamented Wirt should be treasured tip by every student. A few of the points upon
which hlie touches are so much to my purpose, that I
should do injustice to my reader not to quote them.
"Take it for granted, that there is no excellence
without great  labor.  No mere aspirations for eminence, however ardent, will do the business. WVishing, and sighing, and imagining, and dreaming of greatness, will never make you great.  If you would get
to the mountain's top, on which the temple of fame
stands, it will not do to stand still, looking and aduiring, and wishing you were there.  You must gird
up your loins, and go to work with all the indomitable energy of Hannibal scalingf the Alps. Laborious
study and diligent observation of the world, are both
indispensable to the attainment of eminence.   By
the former, you must make yourself master of all that
i3 known of science and letters; by the latter, you
must k1iow man at large, and particularly the cliarac.
ter and genius of your own countrymen. We cannot
all be FRANKLINS, it is true; but, by imitating his
.
. 119
a 
THE... STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Frnlnshbts                                        o    otik
mental habits and unwearied industry, we may reach
an eminence we should never otherwise attain. Nor
would he have been the Franklin he was, if he had
permitted himself to be discour.aged by  the  reflection that we cannot all be Newtons. It is our business to make the most of our own talents and opportunities;  and, instead of discouraging ourselves by
comparisons and impossibilities, to believe all things
imaginary possible, as, indeed, almost all things are,
to a spirit bravely and firmly resolved. Franklin was
a fine model of apractical man, as contradistinguished
from a visionary theorist, as men of genius are very
apt to be. He was great in the greatest of all good
qualities-sound, strong common sense.  A mere bookworm is a miserable driveller; and a mere genius, a
thing of a gossamer, fit only for the winds to sport
with. Direct your intellectual efforts principally to
the cultivation of the strong, masculine qualities of the
mind. Leamrn (I repeat it) to think-think deeply,
comprehensively, powerfully; and learn the simple,
nervous language which is appropriate to that kind of
thinking. Read the legal and political arguments of
Chief Justice Marshall, and those of Alexander Hamilton which are coming out. Read them, study them;
and observe with what an omnipotent sweep of
thought they range over the whole field of every subject they take in hland,-and that with a scythe so
ample and so keen, that not a straw is left standing
e
120
Franklin's habits.
How to think.
a
I 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Franklin's habits.                    Brougham's application.
behind them.   Brace  yourself up  to these great
efforts. Strike for this giant character of mind, and
leave prettiness and frivolity to triflers.  It is perfectly consistent with these Herculean habits of thinking,
to be a laborious student, and to know all that books can
teach. You must never be satisfied with the surface
of things; probe them to the bottom, and let nothing
go till you understand it as thoroughly as your powers
will enable you. Seize the moment of excited curiosity on any subject, to solve. your doubts; for, if you
let it pass, the desire may never return, and you may
remain in ignorance. The habits which I have been
recommending are not merely for college, but for life.
Franklin's habits of constant and deep excogitation
clung to him to his latest hour.  Formn these habits
now. Look at Brougham, and see what a man can
do if well armed and well resolved. With a load of
professional duties that would, of themselves, have
been appalling to the most of our countrymen, he stood,
nevertheless, at the head of his party in the house of
commons, and, at the same time, set in motion and
superintended various primary schools, and various
periodical works, the most instructive and useful that
have ever issued from the British press, for which he
furnished, with his own pen, some of the most masterly
contributions, and yet found time, not only to keep
pace with the progress of the arts and sciences, but to
keep at the head of those whose peculiar and exclu
6
121
Franklin's habits.
Brougham's application.
0
I
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
No quarrelling with studies.
sive occupations these arts and sciences were. There
is a model of industry and usefulness worthy of all
your emulation."
Under this head, I would add,that he who expects
to discipline his mind by hard study, and to build up
the mind by the habit of severe thinking, will not be
the man to quarrel with what he studies. How often
do we hear students complaining that they are put to
studies which can be of no possible use to them in
after life! One is to be a merchant: why should he
be drilled in Latin and Greek for years? Another is
to study medicine; and why should he be poring over
conic sections for months? Multitudes complain that
their instructers understand their business so poorly,
that the very things for which they will never have
any use, are forced upon them as studies! Little do
such complainers understand the object of an education. Keep it in mind, that the great object of study
is to fit the mind to be an instrument of usefulness in
life. You are now upon a dry, hard, uninteresting
study.  It contains not a single thing which you can
ever use hereafter. Be it so. But if you can compel your mind to take hold and master that dry, hard,
uninteresting study, you are fitting it to obey you
through life, and at any time to do what you bid it
do. Suppose your teachers should put you to studying magic-I do not pretend that it would be the best
possible study-but if they should, take hold  and
122
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The chaoce1Ior~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~s horse.  Geometry.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
study it without quarrelling with it.  There may be
nothing in magic which can be of any practical use in
life; but perhaps it may do you good to know that
there is nothing useful in it; and,t at any rate, the dis cipline of mind acquired by wading through an unin teresting study, is of immense value. It will be time
enough to study such things as you propose to use,
when you have your mind fitted to master them, and
when they are needed. The chancellor of the state
of New York was noticed, last summer, morning after
morning, on a beautiful young horse, accompanying
the rail-road cars, as far as he could go, before they
left him  by their superior speed.  The horse was
afraid and unruly, and somewhat dangerous at first,
but grew more and more gentle. Why did he do
this?  Not for pleasure-not to aid him in the severe
duties of his responsible station-not because he delighted to travel on that road-but to discipline his
horse, and fit it for future service.
You study geometry to-day. Perhaps your life
may be so busy, and your time so occupied hereafter,
that you may forget every proposition, and nothing
but the name of the book may remain to you. But
Plato, and every other man who has studied geometry, will tell you that it will strengthen your mind, and
enable it to think with precision.   Geograph) and
chronology are not now needed, but will soon be, in
order to trace philosophy through all her branches, in
.
.123
The chancellor's horse.
Geometry.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Phlspy e-vrne
order to acquire a distinct and accurate idea of history
and to judge of the propriety of the allusions and corn
parisons every where meeting you in the works of
genius. Philosophy seems to open the mind, and to
give it eyes, like the wings of the cherubim, in Ezekiel's vision, within and without it. It subjects all nature to our command, and carries our conceptions up
to the Creator. The mind is liberalized by every
such study, and without these, it can never become
really great or tasteful.
While I would urge you to hard study and severe
application, each being a sine qua non to success, you
must, at the same time, feel sure that a steady, persevering course of study will certainly place you on an
eminence. But press onward in a steady course of
daily application. A beautiful writer, with great vivacity and spirit, says, "The most usual way, among
young men who have no resolution of their own, is,
first to ask one friend's advice, and follow it for some
time; then to ask advice of another, and turn to that;
so of a third, still unsteady, always changing. However, be assured that every change of this nature is
for the worse. People may tell you of your being
unfit for some peculiar occupations in life; but heed
them not. Whatever employment you follow with
perseverance and assiduity, will be found fit for you;
it will be your support in youth, and comfort in age.
In learning( the usefuil part of every profession, very
e
124
Philosophy.
Perseverance.
a 
TIlE STUDENT'S MANUAI. -
Th  Iclue.Ecss
moderate abilities will suffice; even if the mind be a
little balanced with stupidity, it may, in this case, be
useful. Great abilities have always been less service able to the possessors than moderate ones. Life has
been compared to a race; but the allusion still im.
proves, by observing that the most swift are ever the
least manageable."
Henderson gives an interesting account of his meet ing with an Icelander, a poor man, in the common
walks of life; who, to his surprise, could read German with great ease. On inquiring how he came to
understand the German language, he replied, that he
once met with a German book, and so great was his
desire to know what it contained, that he could never
rest till he had acquired the language so as to read it
with confidence.
We are in great danger of being willing to excuse
ourselves from severe study, under the idea that oui
circumstances are not favorable. We are apt to fall
in with the common notion that men are made by circumstances-that  they  are called  forth, and their
characters are thus formed; and that almost every
man would be great, and decided, and effective, were
hlie only sufficiently hedged in and pressed by circumstances. There can be no doubt but that men are
naturally and practically indolent, and that they need
powerful stimulants and a heavy pressure, to awaken
their powers and call forth exertions. We know that
Q
its
The leelaitder.
Excuses.
a 
1 HE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Milton.                          Fuller.
most men accomplish but very little. But would they
under any circumstances? Might not the tables be
turned, and might we not with as great propriety say,
and perhaps with equal truth, that men make circum stances? Was it the circumstances of the times, or
the character of Hannibal, that enabled him, at the age
of twenty-four, to guide the legions of Carthage over
the everlasting, untrodden Alps, and thunder at the
gates of Rome? Look at John Milton. What was
there in his circumstances to press him into greatness?
Shut out from the light of heaven by blindness, most,
in his situation, would have thought that they did well,
could they have sung a few tunes, and earned their
bread by  making baskets.  But  Milton!-he  has
thrown a glory over his age, and nation, and language,
which can be impaired only by blotting the world out
of existence.
Look at Andrew Fuller;-without education, without opportunities, without circumstances which can,
in any way, be denominated favorable, like the birch
rising up in the cleft of the rock, he stood far above
the age and the generation in which he lived.
But the cry is, "We have no favorable circumstances
-no opportunities-no tools; we can do nothing."
Can do nothing!  If we have any thing of the deathless Roman fire within-altapetens,-aliquid immensuiT, infinitumque-we  have  every needed  help.
Many a beautiful ship has sat like a swan upon the
a
126
Milton.
Fuller. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.  X
How a student is known.       Testimony of Professor Stuart.
dark-blue waters, which never had a tool upon her
sides, save the axe, the auger, and the knife. Hear
what a master-spirit says on this point-a man whose
example has often reproved me, and thousands like
me.
"If a man really loves study, has an eager attach ment to the acquisition of knowledge, nothing but pe culiar sickness or misfortunes will prevent his being a
student, and his possessing, in some good degree, the
means of study. The fact is, that when men complain
of want of time for study, and want of means, they
only show that, after all, they are either attached to
some other object of pursuit, or have no part nor lot in
the spirit of a student. They will applaud others, it
may be, who do study, and look with a kind of wonder upon their acquisitions; but, for themselves, they
cannot spare the time nor expense necessary to make
such acquisitions; or they put it to the account of
their humility, and bless themselves that they are
not ambitious. In most of all these cases, however,
either the love of the world or genuine laziness lies
at the bottom. Had they more energy and decision
of character, and did they redeem the precious lioments, which they now lose in laboriously doing nothing, or nothing to the purpose of the church, they
might open all the treasures of the east and the west,
and have them at their disposal. I might safely
promise a good knowledge of Hebrew and Greek to
127
How a student is known.
Testimony of Professor Stuart.
a
. 
THE STUDENTIS MANUAL.
Necessity of reviewing.
most men of this sort, if they would diligently improve
the time that they now absolutely throw away, in the
course of three or four years.  While one man is de
liberating whether he had better study a language,
another man  has obtained it.  Such is the difference
between decisive, energetic action, and a timid, hesita tinog, indolent manner of pursuing literary acquisitions.
And what is worst of all, in this temporizing class of
students, is, that, if you reason with them, and convince
them that they are pursuing a wrong course,-thlat con viction operates no longer than until the next paroxysm of indolence, or of a worldly spirit, comes on.
These siren charmers lull every energetic power of the
mind to sleep. The mistaken man, who listens to
their voice, finds himself, at the age of forty, just
where he was at thirty. At fifty, his decline has already begun. At sixty, he is universally regarded
with indifference, which he usually repays with misanthropy.   And if he has the misfortune to live until
he is seventy, every body is uneasy because he is not
transferred to a better world." *
6. Remember that the great secret of being successful and accurate as a student, next to perseverance,
is, THE CONSTANT HABIT OF REVIEWING.
I have already spoken of the memory. I would
here say a word as to its use in your definite studies.
Have you never tried to banish a thought, or a train of
* Professor Stuart.
0
128 
THE STUDENT'S MIANUAL.
How to commit grammar to memory.
thought, from your memory, and could not? Have
you never tried to recall some idea, or some train of
thought, and the more you tried, the more you seemed to forget it?  The reason is, that the memory loves
fireedom, and disdains to be forced. The correct path,
then, in which to tread, is to cultivate the memory as
much as possible, without weakening it by restraint.
It loves to try its powers spontaneously. Little children will frequently learn a long list of Latin or Greek
words, without designing it, merely by hearing others
repeat them. And I have known an ignorant Catholic, who could repeat the most of the Lord's Prayer,
and a good part of the Missal, all in Latin, without
knowing what it meant, simply by hearing it frequently repeated. Those who have been most successfuil
in fixing language in the memory, have uniformly done
it by repeated readings of the thing to be retained.
In committing grammar, for example, to memory, you
should not attempt to confine the mind to it too long
at a time, but bend the whole attention to it while you
do study, and repeat the process often: repeat the
lesson aloud, that it may come to the mind through
the ear, as well as through the eyes, and then use the
pen, and, laying aside the book, write it all out. In
this process, you use the eyes, the ears, and you also
give the mind an opportunity to dwell upon every
letter, and syllable, and sound. This will be slow, al
first, but it will effectually do the thing; it will make
A*
Q
lb
129
a
tr 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The jeweller's shop.
you thorough, and soon give the courage of the warhorse. No new encounters will, in the least, appal
you. The great difficulty in committing grammar,
consists in the similarity of the words and things that
are brought together. Similarity confuses the mind.
If you were to go into a jeweller's shop, and see a
card containing twenty watches, though each had a
different name, yet, the next day, you could not tell
one from another. But suppose you go for five days
in succession, and examine four watches each day.
The jeweller carefully points out the difference. This
is a common watch: he shows you its mechanism, and
all its parts. That is a patent lever: he shows you
how it differs from the former. The third is a lepine:
its parts are very different still. The next is a chronometer, and differs widely from any you have yet
seen. He tells you the properties of each one, and
compares them together. The second day, you review and recall all that he told you, and you fix the
iiame, the character, and the properties of each in the
memory. You then proceed to the second four.
You go through the same process, every day reviewlug what you learned on the preceding day.  At the
end of five days, you can repeat from memory,  tlhe
name and powers of each watch, though, before the
process, all you could remember was, that their number was twenty, and that they stood in five different
rows. Now, study the grammar with the same pre
.*
130
a 
THE'RTUDENT'S MANUAL..
Yyttenbach's testimony.               How to review.
cision, and in the same manner, and the memory will
not complain that she is confused, aid cannot retain
what you ask her to keep.
But what I have said of reviewing, pertains more
especially to the lessons which you prepare for the
recitation-room, and which are to be reviewed and repeated at your room.  The indefatigable  Wyttenbach.-and few could speak more decidedly from experience-says, that this practice will have "an incredible effect in assisting your progress;" but he
adds, "it must be a real and thorough review; that is,
it must be again and again repeated. What I choose
is this; that every day the task of the preceding day
should be reviewed; at the end of every week, the
task of the week; at the end of every month, the
studies of the month; in addition to which this whole
course should be gone over again and again during
the vacation."  Again; this great scholar tells his pupils, "You will not fail to devote one hour, or part of
an hour, at least, every day, to these studies, on the
same plan which you have followed under me; for
there is no business, no avocation whatever, which will
not permit a man who has an INCLINATION, to give a
little time every day to the studies of his youth." I
would add, that one quarter of an hour, every day, de
voted to reviewing, will not only keep all that a man
has ever gone over, fresh in mind, but advance him in
classical study. And no man may hope to become a
thorough scholar, who does not first fix this habit upon
Note J'.
0
131
'Vvyttenbach's testimony.
How to review. 
THE STUDENTS MANUAL.
How far carried.                                 The fog.
himself. It will be irksome at first, but only at first
"In reading and studying this work, [the Memorabilia
of Xenophon,] I made it a rule never to begin a section without re-perusing the preceding one, nor a chapter, nor book, without going over the preceding chap
ter and book a second time; and finally, after having
finished the work in that manner, I again read the
whole in course. This was a labor of almost three
months; but such constant repetition proved most
beneficial to me. The effect of repetition seemed
to be, that when I proceeded from a section or a
chapter which I had read twice, to a new one, I
acquired an impulse which bore me along through all
opposing obstacles; like a vessel,-to use Cicero's comparison in a similar case,-which, having once received
an impulse from the oar, continues her course even
after the mariners haves.uspended their operations to
propel her."
How very different this from the practice of too
many! That part of the path over which they have
passed, is covered with a thick fog, and they can look
back and see nothing but the fog. They look forward, and the atmosphere is, if possible, still more dim.
The road seems long, and they are constantly in doubt
where.they are.  Any one can travel in a fog, but
with no comfort or certainty at the time, and with
no impression upon the memory to recall at some
future time.
t is not for me to say that our colleges and schools
132'
How far carried.
,The fog.
a
Q 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
J      eest   lutatd                                 uniin
should insist on such reviews in the recitation-room.
It would probably be impracticable; but the youth
ought to be encouraged and urged to do it at his
room, again and again. We are told that there is a
fine, awd a more than human emotion produced by
reading Demosthenes. But who feels it? Read over
the first and second Olynthiac, and do you feel it?
No; nor can you, till you have reviewed every sentence, and paragraph, and section, again and again, and
that, probably, to the twelfth time. Then, if you are
faithful, you will begin decidedly to feel it. You cannot but feel it. The influence of Plato's genius is
thought to be distinctly felt through the whole world
of letters. Does the student see any thing of this
by  dipping into Plato?   No! nor  can  he  ever
do so, unless he train himself to the constant, invariable habit of reviewing every sentence, and every
page, and that, too, many times. Try it for six months,
and my poor reputation shall be staked on the result.
Get, by any labor, your author's meaning and spirit.
What Quintilian says of eloquence, is doubly applicable to this point: "Prima est eloquentie virtus, perspicuitas; et quoquisque ingenio minus valet, hoc se
magis attollere et dilatare conatur: ut statura breves
in digitos eriguntur, et plura infirmi minantur."
7. Be faithful in fulfilling your appointed ex
ercases.
It has been said of the promising and lamented
133
Necessity illustrated.
QWntilian.
a
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Appointed exercises.       President Porter's testimony.
Professor Fisher,'that, during his collegiate course, lihe
never missed a recitation of his class, and was never
known to have his name handed in by the monitors.
And all those men, who have ever become influential
among us, almost without exception, began to be dis tinguished for a conscientious discharge of all appointed
exercises, while obtaining their education. You may
feel unwell to-day; you have over-eaten, or abused the
body in some other way; and now you have but little
courage to master your lesson. You are tempted not
to try to learn it. But I beg of you not to lay it by.
You will lose in self-respect; you will have yielded to
a temptation that will often assail you; you will have
lowered yourself in the estimation of others. No call
of friends, no preparation for a society, no writing to
friends, should ever turn you aside from getting that
lesson which is shortly to be recited. The strong
language of the late venerable President Porter ought
to be hung up in the room of every student. It is
the testimony of one who was so careful and so
judicious an observer of men and things, that he seldom made mistakes.  "Regular, prescribed exercises
have the first claim on your time, and should never be
thrust aside by incidental things. It should be a point
of conscience with every member of this seminary,
for his own good, as well as in conformity with his
sacred promise at matriculation, never to neglect these
regular exercises, unless disabled by Providence. 1
1 Note K
134
0 
'THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. 
Punctuality.  Rest the mind.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
was detained by company, is sometimes offered as
a reason for such neglect, and it may be a good rea son; very rarely; but in my own case as a student,
from twelve years of age, through college, it never
once was regarded by me as a reason for such neglect;
never once has it been so, in the nineteen years of my
connection with this seminary.  Take the catalogue
of our seminary from the beginning, and mark the
men, if you can, on that hoilored list, who, since they
have left us, have been most distinguished for useful ness as ministers and missionaries, and also the men,
not a few, who have been elected presidents and pro fessors in colleges and theological seminaries, and
then remember, that the same men were distinguished
for punctuality, and industry, and conscientious regard
to order, while they were here."
These remarks apply with as much force to every
other student as to the student in theology.  "Les
hommes sont a peu pres tous faits de la meme
maniere; et ainsi ce qui nous a touche, les touchera
aussi."
8. Learn to rest the mind, by variety in your
studies, rather than by entire cessationfrom study.
Few can confine the mind down to severe thought,
or to one study, long at a time, and therefore most,
when they relax, throw the thoughts loose, and do
not try to save them.   You  are studying Homer,
or algebra, for example. You apply yourself some
0
135
Punctualitv
Rest the mind. 
~JHE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,
two )r three hours at a time. Your body becomes
wea y, and the mind is jaded. You stop, and throw
aside your books, and rest, perhaps, quite as long as you
have been studying. Now, all this time is lost, or near ly so.  You forget that the mind is as much refreshed
by variety as by idleness. When you lay aside your
algebra, take up your Livy, or Tacitus, and you
will be surprised to find that it is a refreshment, as
you review your last lesson. Or make those minutes
in your common-place book of what you last read;
or turn your thoughts, and ponder over the subject of
your next composition. You may save a vast amount
of time in this way.
We wonder how our fathers, and how the students
of Germany, at the present time, can study sixteen
hours a day. They never could do it, were it not
that they pursue one study till the mind reluctates;
they then turn to another, by which the mind is relieved, and at once becomes buoyant. This is the
difference between him who loses no time, and him
who loses very much. The men who accomplish
so much in life, are those who practise on this plan.
This will account for the fact, that the same man will
not unfrequently hold several offices which require
talents. and efforts seemingly incompatible with each
other, and yet promptly execute the duties of all.
HIe is thus continually busy and continually resting.
In this way the justly distinguished Dr. Good, long
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136
How done.
Illustrated.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Example of Dr. Good.             The old adage untrue.
before he was forty years old, amid the incessant and
anxious duties of a laborious profession, had gained
prizes by writing essays; had mastered at least eleven
different languages; had aided in making a Universal Dictionary in twelve volumes; had written his
celebrated Study of Medicine; and was constantly
writing  and  translating  poetry.   His  "Book  of
Nature" will give the reader an admiring conception
of the variety and the accuracy of his attainments.
Instead of being thrown into confusion by such a variety and pressure of occupations, he carried them all
forward simultaneously, and suffered none to be neglected, or but half executed. His practice was like
that of the indefatigable, but somewhat eccentric Dr.
Clarke,"who' said, "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 allkeep them all going." This habit of keeping the
mind employed, will soon destroy the common habit
of reverie. The soul will be too busy for reverie;
and then, if she gains nothing by change of occupations, by way of acquisition, she gains the satisfaction
hat -he is not wandering off on forbidden ground.
1.Note L.
137
Example of Dr. Good.
The old adage untrue.
0 
(CHAPTER IV.
READING.
THE genius of Shakspeare has shed a glory around
the name of Brutus, which the iron pen of history
cannot do away. The historian and the poet are certainly greatly at variance in regard to him: the latter
has made him so amiable and exalted a character,
that we feel unwilling to know the truth about him.
I am not now to act as umpire between them; but
there is one spot where we see him in the same light,
both in history and in poetry. It is this. The night
before the celebrated battle of Pharsalia, which was
to decide the fate of the known world, Brutus was in
his tent reading, and making notes from his author
with the pen!
The elder Pliny seldom sat down to eat a meal,
without having some one read to him; and he never
travelled without having one or more books with him,
and conveniences for making extracts or memoranda.
The amiable Petrarch never felt happy a day, if,
during it, he did not read or write, or do both. One
of his friends,' fearing it would injure his health,
begged him to lend him the key of his library. Petrarch, without knowing the design, granted it. Tlis
1 Cardinal Colonna.
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a 
TIIE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Anecdote of Petrarch.                 Bacon's aphorism.
friend locked it up, and forbade him to read any thing
for ten days. The poet consented with great reluctance. The first day seemed longer Than a year; the
second produced a hard headache from morning till
night; and on the morning of the third day, he was
evidently in a fever.   His friend, touched with his
situation, restored the key, and with it his health and
spirits.
All distinguished men have been given to the habit
of constant reading; and it is utterly impossible to
arrive at any tolerable degree of distinction without
this habit.  "Reading," says Bacon, "makes a full
man; conversation a ready man; writing an exact
man." That which he means by full can never be
attained, except by an extensive and thorough acquaintance with books. No genius, no power of inventing and creating thoughts, can ever supply a deficiency in this respect. The mightiest mind that was
ever created, could, perhaps, here and there, strike out
a road; but who would wish it to spend itself in beating
about to discover a path, and even to make it, when
the united minds of the generations who have gone
before us, have done this for him? In order to have
a judgment sound and correct, you must travel
through the history of other times, and be able to
compare the present with the past.   To have the
mind vigorous, you must refresh it, and strengthen it,
by a continued contact with the mighty dead who
Q
. 139
Anecdote of Petrarch.
Bacon's aphorism.
0 
THE STUDENT'IS MANUAL.
Necessity of reading.      Remark of Pres. Porter.         Queen Caroline.
have gone away, but left their imperishable thoughts
behind them. We want to have the mind continually
expanding, and creating new thoughts, or at least feeding itself upon  manly thoughts.   The food is to
the blood, which circulates through your veins, what
reading is to the mind; and the mind that does not
love to read, may despair of ever doing much in the
world of mind which it would affect. You can no
more be the "full man"  whom Bacon describes,
without reading, than you can be vigorous and healthy
without any new nourishment. It would be no more
reasonable to suppose it, in the expressive and beautiful language of Porter, "than to suppose that the
Mississippi might roll on its flood of waters to the
ocean, though all its tributary streams were cut off,
and it were replenished only by the occasional drops
from the clouds."   Some will read works  of the
imagination, or what is called the light literature of
the day, while that which embraces solid thought is
irksome. The Bishop of Winchester (Hoadley)
said that he could never look into Butler's Analogy
without having his head ache-a book which Queen
Caroline told Mr. Sale, she read every day at breakfast.  Young people are apt-and to this students
are continually tempted-to read only for amusement. Pope says, that, from fourteen to twenty, he
read for amusement alone; from twenty to twentyseven, for improvement and instruction; that in the
.
140
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Object of reading.                   How to read to advantage.
former period, he wanted only to know, and in the
second, endeavored tojudge.
The object of reading may be divided into several
branches.   The  student reads fort relaxation from
more severe studies; he is thus refreshed, and his
spirits are revived.   He reads for facts in the history
and experience of his species, as they lived and acted
under different circumstances. From these facts he
draws conclusions; his views are enlarged, his judgment corrected, and the experience of former ages,
and of all times, becomes his own. He reads, chiefly,
probably, for information; to store up knowledge for
fiuture use; and he wishes to classify and arrange it,
that it may be ready at his call. He reads for the
sake of style,-to learn how a strong, nervous, or
beautifuil writer expresses himself. The spirit of a
writer to whom the world Ias bowed in homage, and
the dress in which the spirit stands arrayed, is the
object at which he must anxiously look.
It is obvious, then, that, in attaining any of these
ends, except, perhaps, that of amusement, reading
should be performed very slowly and deliberately.
You will usually, and, indeed, almost invariably, find
that those who read a great multitude of books,
have but little knowledge that is of any value. A
large library has justly been denomninated a learned
luxury-not  elegance-much  less utility.  A  celebrated French author was laughed at on account of
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141
Object of reading.
How to read to advantage.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Mutb  eieae.Snc'  eak
the poverty of his library.  "Ah," replied he, "when
I want a book, I make it!"  Rapid readers generally
are very desultory; and a man may read much, and
know but very little.  "The helluo librorum and the
true scholar are two very different characters." One
who has a deep insight into the nature of man, says
that he never felt afraid to meet a man who has a
large library. It is the man who has but few books,
and who thinks much, whose mind is the best furnished for intellectual operations. It will not be pretended, however, that there are not many exceptions
to this remark. But, with a student, in the morning
of life, there are no exceptions. If he would improve by his reading, it must be very deliberate.
Can a stomach receive any amount or kind of food,
hastily thrown into it, and reduce it, and from it extract nourishment for the body? Not for any length
of time. Neither can the mind any easier digest that
which is rapidly brought before it. Seneca has the
same  idea in his own simple, beautiful language"Distrahit animum librorum multitudo:-Fastidientis
stomachi multa degustare, quae ubi varia sunt et diversa, inquinant, non alunt."
It is by no means certain that the ancients had not
a great compensation for the fewness of their books,
in the thoroughness with which they were compelled
to study them. A book must all be copied with the
pen, to be owned; and he who transcribed a book for
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142
Must be deliberate.
Senecoes remark.
I
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Ancients had but few books.  Scarcity of books formerly.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the sake of owning it, would be likely to understand
it. Before the art of printing, books were so scarce,
that ambassadors were sent from France to Rome, to
beg a copy of Cicero de Oratore, and Quintilian's Institutes, &c., because a complete copy of these works
was not to be found in all France. Albert, abbot of
Gemblours, with incredible labor and expense, collected a library of one hundred and fifty volumes, including every thing; and this was considered a wonder indeed. In 1494, the library of the Bishop of
Winchester contained parts of seventeen books on various subjects; and, on his borrowing a Bible from the
convent of St. Swithin, hlie had to give a heavy bond,
drawn up with great solemnity, that he would return
it uninjured. If any one gave a book to a convent or
a monastery, it conferred everlasting salvation upon
him, and he offered it upon the altar of God. The
convent of Rochester every year pronounced an irrevocable sentence of damnation on him who should
dare steal or conceal a Latin translation of Aristotle,
or even obliterate a title. When a book was purchased, it was an affair of such consequence, that persons of distinction were called together as witnesses.
Previous to the year 1300, the library of Oxford,
England, consisted only of a few tracts, which were
carefully locked up in a small chest, or else chained,'
lest they should escape; and at the commencement
of the 14th century, the royal library of France con
1 ne may still be seen in the library of Hereford Cathedral.
143
Ancients had but few books.
Scaxeity of books formerly.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Obstacles in the way of knowledge formerly. Excellence of the ancients.
tained only four classics, with a few devotional works.
So great was the privilege of owning a book, that one
of their books on natural history contained a picture,
representing the Deity as restin on the Sabbath, with
a book in his hand, in the act of reading! It was
probably no better in earlier times. Knowledge was
scattered to the four winds, and truth was hidden in a
well. Lycurgus and Pythagoras were obliged to
travel into Egypt, Persia, and India, in order to understand the doctrine of the metempsychosis. Solon
and Plato had to go to Egypt for what they knew.
Herodotus and Strabo were obliged to travel to collect their history, and to construct their geography as
they travelled. Few men pretended to own a library, and he was accounted truly favored who owned
half a dozen volumes.  And yet, with all this scarcity
of books, there were in those days scholars who
greatly surpassed us. We cannot write poetry like
Homrner, nor history like Thucydides. We have not
the pen which Aristotle and Plato held, nor the eloquence with which Demosthenes thrilled. They surpassed us in painting and in sculpture. Their books
were  but few.   But those  were read, as Juvena}
says, ten times-" decies repetita placebunt." Their
own resources were tasked to the utmost, and he who
could not.draw from his own fountain, in vain sought
for neighbors, from whose wells he could borrow.
How very different with us! We read without
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I"
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
eVe read much.          Cautions.          Bad books.
measure, and almost without profit.  "Aliud enim est
scire, aliud sapere. Sapiens est, qui didicit non omnia, sed ea qua ad veram felicitatem pertinent, et
iis qua didicit afficitur ac transfiguatus est."
If, at the close of any given year, you will examine
the register of the librarian of any of the literary societies in college, you will find, almost without exception, tPat those who have taken out most books, have
accomplished least in preparing the mind for future
usefulness.  It is a good maxim, in regard to your
reading —Non mnulta, se( multeum.
Beware of bad books. Some men have been permitted to live and employ their powers in writing what
will continue to pollute and destroy for generations
after they are gone. The world is flooded with such
books. They are permitted to lie in our pathway as
a part of our moral discipline. Under the moral government of God, while in this state of probation, we
are to be surrounded with temptations of every kind.
And never does the spirit of darkness rejoice more,
than when a gifted mind can prostitute itself, not
merely to revel in sin itself, but to adorn and conceal
a path which is full of holes, through which you may
drop into the chambers of death. Books could be
named, were it not that there is a possibility that even
the information conveyed in naming them might be
perverted and used to obtain them, which, seemingly,
could not be excelled by all the talents in hell, if the
7
a
145 
THE STUDENTIS MANUAL.
Thi  ceti   un                      u~o  eln   uhbos
object were to pollute and to ruin. These are to be
found every where. I do entreat my young readers
never to look at one-never to open one. They will
leave a stain upon the soul which can never be removed. I have known these books secreted in the
rooms of students, and lent from one to another.
They are to be found too frequently. And if you
have an enemy, whose soul you would visit with a
heavy vengeance, and into whose heart you would
place vipers which will live, and crawl, and torment
him through life, and whose damnation you would
seal up for the eternal world, you have only to place
one of these destroyers in his hand. You have ccrlainly paved the way to the abodes of death; and if
he does not travel it with hasty strides, you have, at
least, laid up food for many days of remorse.
What shall be said of those who print and sell such
works to the young?-of those who go out on purpose
to peddle them? They are the most awful scourges
with which a righteous God ever visited our world.
The angel of death can sheath his sword, and stay his
hand in the work of death. But these wretches!
they dig graves so deep that they reach into hell.
They blight the hopes of parents, and pour more than
seven vials of wo upon the family whose affections
are bound up in the son who is thus destroyed.
In connection with these books, allow me to lift up
a loud voice against those rovings of the imagination,
I -
146
Their certain ruin.
Gui t of selling such books.
0
0 
TtIE STUDENT'S LMANUAL.
Abuse of imagination.        A delicate subject.       Onanis scelus.
by which the mind is at once enfeebled, and the heart
and feelings debased and polluted. It is almost inseparable from the habit of reverie: but, in this life, a
heavier curse can hardly hang upon E young man than
that of possessing a polluted imagination. The leprosy fills the whole soul. Time only increases it, and
even the power of the gospel can seldom do more
than restrain, without subduing, when the disease is
once fixed.
While I thus briefly allude to these wanderings of the
imagination, by which the mind is debilitated, the sou
polluted by a stain which tears cannot wash out, nor the
deepest repentance fully do away, I cannot satisfy my
conscience without going a step further, and saying
what others have, to my certain knowledge, wished to
say, and ought to say, but which no one has yet had the
courage to say, in tones loud and distinct. May I
entreat the young man who reads these pages not to
pass the following paragraph without reading and pondering it. I have chosen to risk the charge of pedantry
rather than not say what I could not say in English.
Lux nulla, illb Dice ultime exceptd, ut frequenter et
aidue, consuetudinem * * * effundendi manu [ONANIS
SCELUS,] revelarepossit. Adolescentulos quamplurimos
novi, in singulatos dies, in hac re, seipsos turpantes, et
hoc, per annos multos.  Incitament,m ad hoc crimen,
cum pene omnibus, permagnum est. Casum multorum
quos, de causd execrabile sol>, vidi occumbere prema
1.47
0
0 
THE STUIDI;T'S MANUAL.
Crimen commune.      Ethoici.        Dei ira.
ture morti, gemui,-aliquos in aulis academicis, et
nonnullos citissime post digressum e collegio et ex
aliyuovis gradu exornatos. Plurimi hanc consuetudinem defendere conati sunt, quasi instinctu quodam et
imperio impulsi, et sic voluerunt Deum ipsum esse hu
jus stupri auctorem.  " Iloc pretexit nomine culpam."
Turpissima simulatio!  Ethnici  ipsi, luce  natura
ducti, cum verbis multis hanc culpam reprobaverunt.
v. c.  " Veneri servit-manus!  Hoc nihil esse putas? scelus est, mihi crede; sed ingens, quantum vix
animo concipris' ipse tuo; —-parce solicitare manu.
Leevibus in pueris plus quam hec-peccat."
Deus, quoad hoc crimen, mentem ejus lucidissime
indicavit. * -Indignatio et ira Dei illis adsequentur.
"Scimus vero judicium Dei esse secundum veritatem
adversus eos qui talia agunt. Putas autem hoc, 0
qui facis ea, fore ut tu effugias judicium Dei?"
KIemento fructus hulus consuetudinis esse  (1.) ]Iemoriam esse maxime debilitatam;
(2.) ]Ientem esse valde dejectam atque stulte imbecilem; t
* Gen. 38:9,10.   1 Cor.6:9.   2Cor.12:21.   Gal. 5:19.
Eph. 5: 3, 5.
t See a thrilling and harrowing chapter in Rush on Diseaes
of the Mind. Physicians testify, that probably this is a greater
source of derangement than all other causes. The very intelligent and respectable Superintendents of the Insane Hospitals
at Worcester and at Ilartford will say, not only that this is the
cause of bringing many of their patients there, but an almost in.
super;?,le obstacle in tlhe way of their recovery.
0
148
Crimen commune.
Ethnici.
Dei ira.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Fructus.                      Byron.
(3.) Semina letiferi morbi, et mortis ivse  in corpore sparsa; *
(4.) Omnia qut ad animam pertinent ruere in
pejus;
(5.) Tribulationem a Deo, quite aspicit in occulto,
certissime venturam fuisse.   Oculus ejus, semper vigilans, te spectat.  "Nam  omne opus Deus  Ipse adducet in judicium cum omni re occulta." "Nam
quae, fiunt ab istis, turpe est vel dicere." Fuge,
fuge, pro vita, pro anima. " Obsta rincipiis."
H-oc scelus vincere non poteris, nisi effugiendo.
Quicunque in timore Dei versatur, te docebit, "hic
vie ad sepulchrum," hic vie descendentes ad penetralia mortis.
What shall be said of such works as those of Byron?
May not a young man read those? Can he not learn
things from him which cannot be learned elsewhere?
I reply, Yes, just as you would learn, while treading
in burning lava, what could not be learned elsewhere.
* It is awfully certain, too, that it is very frequently the cause
of sudden death. The apoplexy waits hard by, as God's executioner, upon this sin. May not the pale-faced youth, in feeble
health, frequently imputing his disease to the dyspepsia, or
something like it, tremble as he looks off the abyss on which he
has placed himself? I do hope what I have said will lead many
to fear and to beware. These remarks may be condemned by
some; but I shall have two sources of consolation,-first, that 1
have discharged a sacred duty; and, secondly, that those who are
offended are those for whose special benefit these remarks are
mad
Q
149
Fructus.
.Byron.
0 
THE STUDENTIS MANUAL..
Danger of such writers.         They cannotlive long.
But would the knowledge thus obtained be worth the
agony of the fire, and the scars which would remain
through life? It is breathing the air which comes up
from a heated furnace; and though you may see a
brightness and a glow in that furnace, as you gaze into
it, which is no where else to be found, yet you will
feel the effects of what you breathe a long time.
There are many bright spots in such writings; but
while one ray of pure light is thrown upon the soul, it
must find its way through volumes of Egyptian dark ness.  There are beautiful pearls in the slimy bottom
of the ocean, but they are found only here and there;
and would you feel it worth your while to dive after
them, if there were many probabilities that you would
stick and die in the mud in which they are imbedded,
or, if not, that you certainly shorten and embitter life,
in the process of diving and obtaining them?
Would you thank a man for fitting up your study,
and adorning it with much that is beautifuil, if, at the
same time, he filled it with images and ghosts of the
most disgusting and awful description, which were to
abide there, and be continually dancing around you
all your life? Is he a benefactor to his species, who,
here and there, throws out a beautiful thought, or a
poetic image, but, as you stoop to pick it up, chains
upon you a putrid carcass which you can never throw
off? I believe a single page may be selected from
Byron, which has done more hurt to the mind and
O
150
They cannot live long.
Danger of such writers. 
THEI STUDFENT'S MANUAL.
Moore.    Scott    Hume.    Paine.    Bulwer.    Cooper.
the heart of the young than all his writings have ever
done good. But he will quickly pass from notice, and
is doomed to be exiled from the libraries of all virtuous men. It is a blessing to the world, that what is putrid must soon pass away. The carcass hung in chains
will be gazed at for a short time in horror; but men
will soon turn their eyes away, and remove even the
gallows on which they swung.  "But," say you, "has
my author ever read Byron and Moore, Hume and
Paine, Scott, Bulwer and Cooper? " Yes, he has read
tem all, and with too much care.  He knows every
rock and every quicksand; and he solemnly declares
to you, that the only good which he is conscious of
ever having received from them is, a deep impression
that men who possess talents of such compass and
power, and so perverted in their application, must
meet the day of judgment under a responsibility which
would be cheaply removed by the price of a world.
Those who wrote to undermine or to crush the belief
of the Christian-those who wrote to show how they
could revel in passion, and pour out their living scorn
upon their species-and those who wasted life and gigantic powers merely to amuse men-have come far
short of answering the great end of existence on earth.
Talents and influence were given for purposes widely
different. But is it not necessary to read works ot
this kind, especially those whose design is only to
amuse and awaken the interest of the reader? There
151
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THE STUDENT'S MANUAI,
Effects of such writings.        Chalmers.        Edmund Burke.
is no more necessity than there is to be acquainted
with all the variety of dishes with which the palate
may be pleased, and the body stimulated, and the
stomach weakened. Were these the only books in the
world, the case would be different. But who does not
know that they who are given to reading works of fic tion, leave a mass of most valuable and solid reading
untouched and unknown? When you have read and
digested all that is really valuable, and which is com prised in what describes the history of man in all
lights in which he has actually been placed, then be take yourself to works of imagination. But can you
not, in works of fiction, have the powers of the imagi nation enlarged, and the mind taught to soar? Perhaps so. But the lectures of Chalmers on Astronomy
will do this to a degree far beyond all that the pen of
fiction can do. Will they not give you a command
of words and of language which shall be full, and
chaste, and strong? Perhaps so. But if that is what
you wish, read the works of Edmund Burke. There
you will find language, gorgeous at times, but, for co,
piousness and wealth, hardly to be equalled by any
uninspired pen. He is a master on this subject; and
I hope no one, who intends to strike for a character
for language or thoughts, strength or beauty, will
ever be trying to clothe himself with the puissance of
a novel, when he can boast the language of Burke as
being his mother tongue.
I
152
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Testimony against n6vels.           How kuow what to read.
The question in regard to works of fiction  usually
has a definite relation to the writings of Walter Scott.
There is such  a manic thrown aound him, that it
cannot be but we are -safe there.  Is t so?  Because
the magician can raise mightier spirits than other magicians, and throw more of supernatural light about
him than others, is he therefore the less to be feared?
No; the very strength of the spell should warn you
that there is danger in putting yourself in his power.
While I have confessed that I have read him-read
him entire-in order to show that I speak from experience, I cannot but say, that it would give me the
keenest pain to believe that my example would bes
quoted, small as is its influence, after I am in the
grave, without this solemn protest accompanying it.
How shall you know what to read?-a very important question; for some books will positively injure,
if they do. not destroy you. - Others will have no
positive good effect; and from all, a tincture, like that
left upon the mind by the company you keep, will be
left.  Do not expect to read all, or even a small part
of what comes out, and is recommended, too, in this
age of books. You take up a book, and read a chapter.   How shall you know whether it is worth your
reading, without reading it through?  In the same
way that you would know whether a cask of wine was
good.  -If you draw one glass; or two, and find them
stale and unpleasant, do you  need to drink off the
7*
Q
153
Testimony against no'vels.
How kiiow what to read.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,
Stndr auhr.Ra  norbos
whole cask, to decide that you do not want it?  "I
have somewhat else to do, in the short day allotted me,
than to read whatever any one xnay think it his duty
to write. When I read, I wish to read to good pur pose —; and there are some books, which contradict, on
the very face of them, what appear to me to be first
principles. You surely will not say,' I am bound to
read such books.' If a man tells me he has a very
elaborate argument to prove that two and two make
five, I have something else to do than to attend to his
argument. If I find the first mouthful of meat which
I take from a fine-looking joint on my table is tainted,
I need not eat through it to be convinced I ought
to send it away." But there is a shorter route, and
one every way still more safe; and that is, to treat
books as you do medicines; have nothing to do with
them till others have tried them, and can testify to
their worth. There are always what are denominated standard works at hand, and about which there
can  be  neither doubt nor mistake.   You  cannot
read every thing; and if you could, you would
be none the wiser. The lumber would bury up and
destroy all the valuable materials which you were
laying up. Never feel any obligation to read a trifling
author, or one whose thoughts are spread out like
gold-leaf over a wide surface, quite through, in hopes
of finding something better as you proceed.   You
oill be disappointed. An author may reserve some
e
I
154
Standard authors.
Read no poor books.
a 
THE STIJDENT'S MANUAL..
How begin to read an author.
of his happiest thoughts for the close of his book,
but he has great poverty of intellect if he makes you
travel over a long, sandy road, without any spots that
are refreshing. Leave such books —you will find
better; and you are not bound to spend time and
strength on a mere possibility. Will you stand till
wearied, to hear a dull, impertinent coxcomb talk,
when, by turning away, you can find instructive company?
How shall you begin to read a book? Always
Iook into your dish and taste it, before you begin to
eat. As you sit down, examine the title-page; see
who wrote the book-where he lives; do you know
any thing of the author? where, and by whom published? Do you know any thing of the general character of the books published by this publisher?  Recollect what you have heard about this book. Then
read the preface, to see what kind of a bow the author
makes, and what he thinks of himself and his work;
why he has the boldness to challenge the public to
hear him. Then turn to the contents, see what are
the great divisions of his subject, and thus get a glance
of his general plan. Then take a single chapter or
section, and see how he has divided and filled that up.
If, now, you wish to taste of the dish before further
examination of the contents, then turn to the place
where some important point is discussed, and where
some valuable thought professes to be expanded or
0
155 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL..
How to know an author.            How to read with the greatest profit.
illustrated, and see how it is executed. If, after some
few such trials, you should find your author obscure,
dull, pedantic, or shallow, you nped not longer fish in
these waters. It will be hard to catch fish here, and,
when caught, they will be too small for use. But if
you find the author valuable, and worth your attention,
then go back to the contents. Examine them chap ter by chapter;, then close the book,  and see if you
have the plan of the whole work distinctly and fully
in your mind. Do not proceed till this is done. After
you have this map all distinctly drawn in the mind,
then get the first chapter vividly before you, so far as
the contents will enable you to do it.  Now. proceed
to read.  At the close of each sentence, ask yourself,
"Do I understand that? Is it true, important, or to the
point?  Any thing valuable there which I ought to
retain?"   At the close of each paragraph, ask  the
same questions.  Leave no paragraph till you have
the substance of it in your mind.  Proceed in this
manner through the chapter; and, at the close of the
chapter, look back, and see what the author tried to
accomplish by it, and what he really has accomplished. As you proceed, if the book be your own,
or if the owner will allow you to do it, mark with
your pencil, in the margin, what, according to your
view, is the character of each paragraph, or of this or
that sentence. To illustrate what I mean, I will
mention a few marks which I have found very useful
-                                                                *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
156
How to know an author.
How to read with the greatest profit.
a 
THE STUDENTS MANUAL.
TIIE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Marginal marks.
to myself: these, or any thing similar, will answer the
end to be attained. Perhaps the remark had better
oe made here, that you can neverjread to advantage
unless you feel well, and the mind and spirits are
buoyant.   Otherwise,  any  author will  be  stupid.
"No one will read with much advantage, who is not
able, at pleasure, to evacuate his mind, and who
brings not to his author an intellect defecated and
pure; neither turbid with care, nor agitated with
pleasure."
Signifies, that this paragraph contains the main,
one  of the main propositions to be proved
or illustrated in this chapter; the staple, or one
of the staples, on which the chain hangs.
This sentiment is true, and will bear expanding,
and will oper. a field indefinite in extent.
>    This, if carried out, would not stand the test of
experience, and is therefore incorrect.
? I Doubtful as to sentiment.
?!  Doubtfill in point of fact.
Good, and  facts will only
tion.
a
.
157
s
strengthen the posi. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
I
W I Bad; facts will not uphold it.
Irrelevant to the subject;,had better have been
*mi
ornitted.
0 I Repetition; the author is moving in a circle.
*  Not inserted in the right place.
0  In good taste.
| In bad taste.
0
Such marks may be increased at pleasure. I have
found the above sufficient. These need not be adopt ed, as each one can invent them for himself; but care
should be taken always to make the same mark mean
the same thing.  But w11 not this method of reading
be slow? Yes, very slow, and very valuable. A
single book read in this way, will be worth a score
run over. It will compel you to think as well as reaa,
to judge, to discriminate, to sift out the wheat from the
chaff. It will make thought your own, and will so fix
it in the mind, that it will probably be at your command, at any future time. The first thing to be done,
m order to make what you read your own, is to think
as you read; think while you read; and think when
you have closed thlie book.
158
Marginal marks.
Read slow.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL..
Redn  shudb  akdoe.                    Rveigbos
It is also very important to talk over the subject
upon which you are reading, with a friend. Be candid enough to tell him that you have just been reading, so that he may know that you do not claim what
you have, as your own.  If the circle embrace several
who really wish to fix what they read in the mind by
conversation, so much the better.
" Thought, too, delivered, is the more possessed:
Teaching, we learn, and giving, we receive."
"Quicquid didiceris id confestim doceas; sic et tua
firmare, et prodesse aliis potes. Ea doce qua noveris,
eaque diversis'horis, aliis atque aliis conveniet inculcare. Satis sit, si quispiam te audiat, interea exercitatione miram rerum copiam tibi comparaveris."
If your friend is reading the same book, or if one
is reading to the other, the advantages of conversation
will still be greatly increased.
No small part of the time should be spent in reviewing what you  have read.  The  most eminent
scholars think that one fourth of the time spent in
reading should be thus spent. I believe the estimate is none too great. But is it not evident, that, if
you read with the marginal marks made by the pencil
in your hand, as described above, you can review the
author, and your own judgment too, in a very short
time? One glance of the eye will show you what is
the character of each paragraph. You will see just
159
Reading should be talked over.
Reviewiiig books.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,
Classification.
where the fish is, and what he is, and at once you can
put your hook in and take.him out.
Thfiere is another very important thing to be attend ed to in reading. I mean classification. We need a
power, which, in the present state of our existence, we
do not possess,-a power of keening all that ever
passes through our mind which is worth keeping.
Erasmrus  (de  Rat. Stud.) dwells upon this  point
with great beauty and force.  "Inter legendum auctorem non oscitanter observabis, si quod incidat insigne
verbum, si quod argumentum, aut inventum acute,
aut tortum apte, si qua sententia digna que memorim
commendetutir: isque locus erit arta notula quapiam insigniendus."  "Quanto pluris feceris exiguum proventum, tanto ad altiora doctrina.e vestigia es evasurus.
Qui vilissimos quosque nummos admirantur, intuentur crebro, et servant accurate, ad summas soepenumero divitias perveniunt; pari modo, si quis aptavit sudorum metam bene scribere, discat mirari bene
scripta, discat gaudere, si vel nomina duo conjunxerit
venuste."
We cannot write out, or copy, what we read. We
can remember but a very small part of it. What shall
w-e do?  For one, I have been in the habit-of making
an Index Berum of my reading.   The  book is so
classified, that, in a single moment, I can refer to any
thing which I have ever read, and tell where it is found,
-the book nd the page.  It saves the labor of a corn
160
I
a
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Index Rerum.       Newspapers and magazines.
mon-place book, and yet preserves all that can be preserved. About a year since, I published the plan of
my own Index Rerum. And as I have not, from the
first, had any pecuniary interest in it, I may say that
the plan is highly approved. One large edition has
been sold, and a second widely scattered. I find, also,
since its publication, that the late venerable President
Porter made himselfsuch an index, on principles somewhat similar, which he used all his life. This plan,
pursued for a very few years, will give you an index
of inestimable value. A single year will convince
you that you cannot afford to lose its benefits.*-,
What shall be said of the newspapers and magazines with which we are flooded? Few things weaken
the mind of the student more than light, miscellaneous
reading. You find it the fashion to hive read a world
of reviews, magazines and papers. They are not
written with the expectation of being remembered.
And after you have spent hours over them, it is very
doubtful whether you have done any thing more than
crowd the mind with vague images and impressions,
which decidedly weaken the memory.  Every time
you crowd into the memory what you do not ex
* I may respectfully refer to my Index Rerum for the plan and
explanation of the work. While the kindest things have been
said in regard to it, nothing to the contrary has ever been said
by those who have used it. It, or something like it, should be the
constant companion of every student
.
I
161
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Reading with pen in the hani             Oifrcts in reading.
pect it to retain, you weaken its powers, and you lose
your authority to command its services. The fewer
of such things the student reads, the better. Perhaps
you may, now and then, crowd sweet-meats into the
stomach, which it neither can nor will digest; but the
fewer, the better.
There is another very important point to be kept
in mind; and that is, that, in reading, you should
always have your pen by you, not merely to make a
minute in your index, but to save the thoughts which
are started in your own mind. Did you never notice,
that, while reading, your own mind is so put into open
ration, that it- strikes out new and bold trains of thinking,-trains that are worth preserving, and such as
will be scattered to the winds, if not penned down at
the moment of their creation? A wise man will be
as careful to save that property which he himself
makes, as that which he inherits. The student
should be; for it will be of vastly more value to him.
I cannot close this chapter without saying what
seem to me to be distinctly the three great objects of
reading.f 1. Reading forms your style.
It is impossible to bring your mind, for any length
of time, under the influence of another mind, without
having your language and modes of thinking influenced by that mind. Suppose you wish to write in
an elevated, measured, dignified style,coul(I you
162
Objects in reading.
Reading with pen in the hand.
a 
THE STUDENT'S ltAN'UAL.
Style.                               Edwards on the Will.
easily avoid doing it, were you first to sit down a fort
night and'read Johnson's works? If you wish to
write in a style pure, simple, Saxon, read John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress through some half a dozen
times, and you will write thus.  Could  you  walk
arm in arm with a man for days together, without
catching his step and gait? It is a law of nature that
our minds insensibly imbibe a coloring from those
with whom we associate, whether they are brought inrt
contact by the living voice or on the written page.
Th.e insect that lives on the bark of the tree is no more
certain to be of the color of that bark. Hence the
importance of reading good authors,-those who, in all
respects, make a good impression upon you. Books
probably do more than all other things to form the
mintellectual and moral habits of the student. A single
bad book will fiequently give a tone and a bias to the
mind, both as to thought and language, which will
last during life. Hear the testimony of the late distinguished President Porter.  "If I may  be allowed
here to speak of my own experience, as a theological
student, I would say that to Edwards on the Will,
which I read at three several times, before I entered
the ministry, besides frequent reviews of it since, I
am more. indebted than to all other human productions. The aid which it gave was to me inval
uable."
l13
Style.
Edwards on the Will.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,
Illustration.                Stockingathe mind with knowledge.
A  lady, who now and then writes in rhyme, in  formed me that she first discovered that she.possessed
.iy of the rhyming powers, after having made a busi:ess, for some time, of copying the poetry of others.
Owing to this insensible, undesigned and certain imi  fation, such writers as Addison are always recommend  4 l to the young.   I may mention the author from
whom I just quoted, as an example of pure, clear and
b)eautiful style.  Be  as careful, then, not to read
what would vitiate your style, as you would not to
- keep company with those who would corrupt your
manners.
2. Reading stocks the mind with knowledge.
This is the grand object of reading. We come into
the world ignorant of every thing. The history, the
experience of other men and other generations, can be
ours only by reading. Human nature, in all ages, is
the same. The laws of mind and of matter do not
alter; and thus we can, in a short life, know as much,
and judge as accurately, by the use of books, as we
could by living centuries, having no light to guide us,
except that of our own individual experience. He who
would be compelled to go across the Atlantic to ob tain a narration of facts which can be read in two
hours, would need the years of the antediluvians, and
then die a very ignorant man. " Without books,"
says the quaint but enthusiastic Bartholin, "God  is
0
164
Blustration.
Stocking the mind with knowledge. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
I&tholin's remark.                       Stimulating the mind.
silent, justice dormant, physic [natural science] at a
stand, philosophy lame, letters dumb, and all things
involved in Cimmerian darkness."
You must not only read, and make books the fountain from which you draw your knowledge, but you
must expect to draw from this fountain through life.
What you read to-day, will soon be gone- expended,
or forgotten; and the mind must be continually filled
up with new streams of knowledge. Even the ocean
would be dried up, were the streams to be cut off,
which are constantly flowing into it.  "How few read
enough to stock their minds! And the mind is no
widow's cruise, which fills with knowledge as fast as
we empty it. It is the' hand of the diligent which
maketh rich.'"
3. Reading stimulates and puts your own mental
energies into operation.
If you were driven into a corner, and compelled to
produce something as your own thoughts and opinions
on an important point, at once, you would wish to
stimulate your mind, and key it up to the highest
point.  How would you do it?  You might reach it
through the body, and, by stimulating that with wines or
,opium, might excite the mind.  But, then, the resaits
thus produced would be uncertain.  They might be
correct, and they might be like the ravings of the
mind excited by disease. But, at any rate, the body
and mind would both suffer by this unnatural excites
165
Itartholin's remark.
Stimulating the mind.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Safe stimulus.            Pleasures of reading.
ment. The reaction is awfully great; and, therefore,
you may not do it. What can you do? I reply, that
you can stimulate your mind at any time, when the
body is healthful, by reading. So one can read the
speeches of Burke, of Chatham, and of our own Patrick Henry, without being moved. No matter what
you are writing upon, or upon what you are to speak,
you cannot read a good book without being stimulated. The dream of Clarence, and the speeches of
Hamlet, in Shakspeare; the speeches of men in the
senate; the addresses of men from the pulpit; and,
above all, the overwhelming torrent of clear thought,
in burning language, which the masters of ancient
times poured out,-will swell the bosom, rouse the soul,
and call all your own powers into action. This effect
of books will last through life; and he who knows how
to read to advantage, will ever have something as
applicable to his mental powers, as electricity is to
move the animal system. The man who has sat over
the workings of a powerful mind, as exhibited on the
written page, without being excited, moved, and
made to feel that he can do something, and will do
something, has yet to learn one of the highest pleasures
of the student's life, and is yet ignorant of what rivers
of deight are flowing around him througlh all the
journey of life.
I close by repeating, Do not read to, many books:
read thoroughly what you undertake. Buy but few
166
Safe stimulus.
Pleasures of reading.
a
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Buying books.
books; and never buy till you can pay for what you
buy.  You cannot more than half enjoy any thing
for which you owe. Make all that you do read
your own; and you will soon be rich in intellectual
wealth, and ever be making valuable additions to
your stores.
167
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CHAPTER V.
TIME.
THERE is no point, upon which I wish to touch, so
difficult as this; and yet not one upon which so much
good might be done, if the right things could be said,
and said in a right way. It is easy enough to write
prettily about the shortness and the fleetness of time,
but not so easy to give specific rules how to improve it
as it flies; but it is far easier to do this, than to confer
the disposition, and create the determination, to use it
to the best possible advantage. A miser will frequently become wealthy,-not because he has a great income, but because he saves with the utmost care, and
spends with the greatest caution. This is a precept
taught us in the very morning of life, but generally
not learned till late in the evening.  "It is a prodigious
thing to consider that, although, amongst all the talents
which are committed to our stewardship, time, upon
several accounts, is the most precious; yet there is
not any one-of which the generality of men are more
profuse and regardless. Nay, it is obvious to observe,
that even those persons who are frugal and thrifty in
every thing else, are yet extremely prodigal of their
best revenue, time;' of which,' as Seneca nobly says,
f 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Fari of Chatham's habits.       Minote knowledge.
' it is a virtue to be covetous.' It is amazing to think
how much time may be-gained by proper economy."
This is a hard lesson, but it must be learned.  "Ad
summa perveniet nemo, nisi tempore, quo nihil esse
fugacius constat, prudenter utatur."
The celebrated earl of Chatham performed an
amount of business, even minute, which filled common
improvers of time with utter astonishment. lie knew,
not merely the great outlines of public business, the
policy and intrigues of foreign courts, but his eye
-was on every part of the British dominions; and
scarcely a man could move, without his knowledge
of the man, and of his object. A friend one day
called on him when premier of England, and found
him down on his hands and knees playing marbles with his little boy, and complaining bitterly that
the rogue would not play fair, gaily adding, "that he
must have been corrupted by the example of the
French." The friend wished to mention a suspicious
looking stranger, who, for some time, had taken ut
lodgings in London.  Was he a spy, or merely a pri
vate gentleman? Pitt went to his drawer, and took
out some scores of small portraits, and, holding up
one which he had selected, asked, "Is that the man?"
"Yes, the very person."  "0O! I have had my eye
on him from the moment he stepped on shore."
All this was accomplished by a rigid observance of
8
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169
.   F-arl of Chatham's habits.
Minute knowledge. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,
Must feel the necessity of improving time.    Johnson's reflections.
time, never suffering a moment to pass without press
ming it into service.
No one will try to improve hb time, unless he first
be impressed with the necessity. Remember that,
at the very best calculation, we can have but a
short time in which to learn all, and do all, that we
accomplish in life. There is something melancholy
in the following picture, drawn by the great hand of
Johnson:-" When we have deducted all that is ab sorbed in sleep; all that is inevitably appropriated to
-the demands of nature, or irresistibly engrossed by
the tyranny of custom; all that passes in regulating
the superficial decorations of life, or is given up in the
reciprocations of civility to the disposal of others; all
that is torn from us by the violence of disease, or stolen imperceptibly away by lassitude and languor,-we
shall find that part of our duration very small, of which
we can truly call ourselves masters, or which we can
spend wholly at our own choice." At the beginning
of each day, see what, and how much, you want to
accomplish before you sleep, and then at once begin
to execute your plans, suffering no time to run waste
between planning and acting. At the close of the
day, be impartial and thorough in reviewing the day,
and noting wherein you have failed. There is much
to be learned from the somewhat humorous account of
the Indian Gymnosophists, in their plans for educating
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170 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The Indian Gymnosophists.             Apulejus.
their disciples. The account is from Apuleius, a Platonic philosopher of the second century.  "When
their dinner is ready, before it is served up, the masters
inquire of every particular scholar how he has employed his time since sun-rising: some of them answer, that, having been chosen as arbiters between
two persons, they have composed their differences,
and made them friends; some, that they have been
executing the orders of their parents; and others, that
they have either found out something new, by their
own application, or learned from the instructions of
their fellows. But if there happens to be any one
among them who cannot make it appear that he has
employed the morning toadvantage, he is immediately
excluded from the company, and obliged to work,
while the rest are at dinner." I shall be excused, if
I here introduce the dream of the amiable Bolton. If
my young readers have met with it before, they will
see that it will bear a review.
"Dipping into Apuleius for my afternoon's amusement, the foregoing passage was the last I read, before
I fell into a slumber, which exhibited to me a vast
concourse of the fashionable people at the court-end of
the town, under the examination of a Gymnosophist,
how they had passed their morning. He. began with
thl)e men.
"Many of them had only risen to dress-to visit-to
e
. I
171
7%e Indian Gymitoso'phists.
Apuleius.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Dream.             imaginary examination.
amuse themselves at the drawing-room, or coffee house.
"Some had, by riding or walking, been consulting
that health at the beginning of the day, which the close
of it would wholly pass in impairing.
"Some, from the time they had got on their own
clothes, had been engaged in seeing others put on
theirs-in attending levees-in endeavoring to procure, by their importunity, what they had disqualified
themselves for, by their idleness.
"Some had been early out of their beds, but it was
because they could not, from their ill luck, the preceding evening, rest in them; and when risen, as they
had no spirits, they could not reconcile themselves to
any sort of application.
"Some had not had it in their power to do what was
of much consequence: in the former part of the morning, they wanted to speak wvith their tradesmen; and in
the latter, they could not be denied to their friends.
"Others, truly, had been reading, but reading what
could make them neither wiser nor better —what was
not worth their remembering or what they should wish
to forget.
"It grieved me to hear so many of eminent rank,
both in the sea and land service, giving an account of
themselves that levelled them with the meanest under
their command.
172
Dream.
Imaginary examination.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. 
Virtuosi.         Encouraging artists.            Buying books.
"Several appeared with an air expressing the fullest
confidence that what they had to say for themselves
would be to the philosopher's entire Satisfaction. They
had been employed as virtuosi should be,-had been
exercising their skill in the liberal arts, and encouraging the artists. Medals, pictures, statues, had undergone their examination, and been their purchase.
They had been inquiring what the literati of France,
Germany, and Italy, had, of late, published; and they
had bought what suited their respective tastes.
" When it appeared that the completing a Roman
series had been their concern who had never read over,
in their own language, a Latin historian; that they
who grudged no expense for originals, knew them
only by hearsay, from their worst copies; that the
very persons who had paid so much for the labor of
Rysbrack, [an Italian landscape-painter,] upon Sir Andrew's judgment, would, if they had followed their
own, have paid the same sum for that of Bird's; that
the book-buyers had not laid out their money on
what they ever proposed to read, but on what they
had heard commended, and what they wanted to fit a
shelf, and fill a library that only served them for a
breakfast-room;-this class of men the sage pronoun.ed the idlest of all idle people, and doubly blamable,
as wasting alike their time and their fortune.
"The folly of one sex had so tired the philosopher,
that he would suffer no account to be given of the
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173 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
F
other. It was easy for him to guess how the females
must have been employed, where such were the ex  amples in those they were to honor and obey."
There are certain thieves who hang around a stu dent, and who daily destroy much which might be
of seat value to him.   I will mention some of these,
that you may know when you even hear their foot steps; for hear them you certainly will, and, if you
have any thing of the desires of a student, will often
cry out, "0 fures, —latrones-O tyrannos crudelissi mos quorum consilio mihi unquam periit Hora!"
1. Sleep.
Nothing is easier than to cultivate the habit of sleep
so that the system demands, and will be deranged if
the demand be denied, eight or ten hours out of the
twenty-four. Physicians usually say that six hours
are sufficient for all the purposes of health; and, were
the eyes to close the moment you reach the pillow,
perhaps six hours would be sufficient for the bed.
But suppose you allow seven, and rigidly adhere to
that number as a rule. Would you not have much
more time than you now have?  Were you faithfully to
apply that time to your studies, which is now occupied
by your bed, over and above the seven hours, would
you not make great advances in almost any departmnent of study?  But the waste of time is not all.
The whole system is prostrated by indulging the lux.
ury of sleep; and you are as really and as certainly
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174
Thieves.
First thief-sleep.
a 
THE STUDENTIS MANUAL.
Sleeping after dinner.        Se pond thief-indolence.
disqualified for severe study, after ten hours of sleep,
as if you had over-loaded the stomach with food.
The body and mind are both weakened by it. Take,
then, two hours from the sleep of most who call themselves students, and add to it the value of two hours
more, saved by increased vigor of mind, by the diminution of sleep, and you have a decided gain.
What shall be said of the practice of sleeping after
dinner? A few words will suffice. If you wish for
a dull, feverish feeling, low spirits, prostration of
strength, full, aching head, and a stomach'that refuses
to work for such a master, thenlbe sure to eat hearty
dinners, and sleep immediately after them. The call
will be as regular as the dinner. But your fate, as a
student, is sealed, if the practice be continued
2. Indolence.
Indolence differs from sloth and idleness in the same
way that the parent differs from the child. It consists
in the indulgence of a heavy, inactive disposition, entreating you to delay, till some future time, what ought
to be done now. This will beset you by day and by
night, unless you act from principle, and a high sense
of moral responsibility. It can be resisted and over come only by making your studies a duty, rather than
a pleasure. They may, at times, be a pleasure, but
should always be a duty. Dr. Fothergill, an eminent
Quaker          physician, says, "I endeavor  to follow my
business, because it is my duty, rather than my iater
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175
Se tond thief-indolence.
Sleeping after dinner. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Third thief-sloth.              Madame de Genlis.
est: the latter is inseparable from a just discharge of
duty; but I have ever looked at the profits in the last
place."
3. Sloth.
This has frequently and justly been denominated
the rust of the soul. The habit is easily acquired; or,
rather, it is a part of our very nature to be indolent.
It grows fast by indulgence, and soon seizes upon the
soul with the violence and strength of an armed man.
The exhibitions of human nature, in the time of
Seneca, were the same as at our day.  "Quadam tem pora eripiuntur nobis; quaydam subducuntur:  qua dam effluunt; turpissima tamen est jactura qua  per
negligentiam venit."
The great mistake with us seems to be, that we feel
that we cannot do any great thing, unless we have all
our time to devote to that particular thing.  "If I only
had the time to go and sit down, day after day, for a
number of days, or weeks, to examine that subject,
and to write on that point, I could then do something."
But, as it is, what can you do with such fragments as
you gather, here and there, by sitting up late, or robbing your pillow at the dawn of day?  Can you do
any thing with them? No; you must wait for leisure,
and for sonme great change in your outward circumstances, before you can hope to accomplish much!
This is a great mistake. Madame de Genlis tells us,
that, when a companion of the queen of France, it was
176
Third thief-sloth.
Madame de Genlis.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL..
Author's experience.    Variety grateful to the mind.    Erasmus.
her duty to be at the table and waiting for her mistress
just fifteen minutes before dinner. These fifteen
minutes were saved at every dinnpr, and a volume or
two was the result. No change, great and marked,
in your general course, is necessary to make new and
rich acquisitions; only save every moment of time
which you now throw away, and you will be able to
do any thing. If I may speak from my own experience, I can testify that very nearly all that I have
ever attained, or done, out of the regular routine of
any professional duties, has been by taking those odd
moments which are so easily thrown away. There
are little vacancies, in the most crowded periods of
every man's duties, which are thrown away in resting
from the great object of pursuit. But there is no way
of resting the mind more effectual, than to have something on hand to occupy it. The mind is not like a
hand-organ, which wears as fast after you have shifted
the key, and taken a new tune, as before. I have a
friend, who is most laborious in his profession, and so
active in his duties, that one would think he could
never enter his study; and yet, should he live and
labor for the coming ten years as he has for the last five,
he will die with a celebrity, as an author, that will not
be doubtful. He accomplishes it all by improving the
fragments of time. The well-known Erasmus spent
the greater part of his life in wandering from country to country, chasing promises of patronage, which
$*
177
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. 
Fourth thief-visiting.
were held out only to deceive. Yet, by an undevi ating and vigilant improvement of those hours which
will always remain amid the greatest activity, this poor
scholar, compelled by poverty to solicit from the
great, continued to write more valuable books than
most men, in like circumstances, would have felt able
to read. Johnson declares that he will forever stand
in the first rank of literary heroes, having transmitted
the most complete and perfect delineations of the
manners of his age.
4. Visiting.
There can be no doubt but some of our time should
be given to the cultivation of the social affections. But
if the visiting be formal and ceremonious, it cannot
well be too seldom, or too short.  It is frequently
said — that the student should visit, and, in the society
of the ladies, to relax his mind. I could never feel
that this is any thing different from an insult to the
sex. If you do visit with them, it should, in part, be,
to be instructive and useful to them, and not to consider them in the mere light of " parlor ornaments,"
with the admiration of which it is very pleasant for
you to relax your mind after severe study.
And how many dinner or evening parties can the
S-udent attend weekly, and yet be a student?  Not
any. He who would obtain knowledge, must have his
body in the proper condition, his mind in his room,
his attention all his own.   You will find many  stu
178
a
. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL..
Fifth thief-reading useless books.         Novel-clubs.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
dents who visit much; but they are not what we
mean by good scholars. But how shall you ever become acquainted with society, and become familiar
with good manners? I answer, By your vacations.
Nearly a quarter of your time is given up to vacations
for this and similar purposes; and is not this sufficient?
5. Reading useless books.
After what has been said on reading, perhaps you
will feel impatient that it should be introduced again.
But you are probably not aware how much time is
consumed in many colleges and academies in reading
such books.  Clubs exist for the very purpose of
purchasing and reading novels; and circulating libraries are exhausted of their trash. A club of such
worthies have been known to be all in their places in
the chapel on the Sabbath, each with a novel under
his cloak, which he most assiduously read during the
services.  I once heard it asserted in "great company," where the voices were too many and too loud to
be resisted by my feeble remonstrance, that "nine
tenths of all the students in our colleges spend most of
their time in reading novels." The assertion is not
true; but there is too much truth in it. A noble
mind and a manly spirit can soon become so much
interested in what will be of use in future life, as not
to need or even to relish the morbid excitement of
fiction.
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Fifth thief-reading useless books.
Novel-clubs. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Sixth thief-improper study.                 Whipping dogs.
6. Improper method of study.
May I not hope that what I have said under the
chapter on Study, will enable.you $o understand what
is meant by study, and also to form habits which will
soon make it pleasant? Many students will begin
studies which have no present use, and no immedi ate relation to their prescribed course.   They are
useless or puerile.   You may conquer them;  but
cui bono? A gentleman was riding through one of
our large towns, when a dog came out and began to
bark at the chaise.  He began to strike at him with
his whip. This only increased the clamor of the dog,
which brought some ten or a dozen more to his aid.
It now became a serious business.   All the doors
were on jar, and the old women and children laughing
at the contest. What was to be done? Was a gentleman to be put down so? No. He descends, ties
his horse, applies his whip, and actually whips and
drives away the yelping tribe. But as the conqueror
ascended his chaise, his laurels began to wither, as an
old lady cried after him, "Why, after all, you have
only chased away a dog!"  Are there not many such
battles fought by students who pursue studies that are
out of the way, and which, if chased, are as honorable as the conquest just mentioned? These remarks
do not apply to any thing in the course prescribed for
the class.
Music, painting, drawing, and the like, are appro
I
180
Sixth thief-improper study.
Whipping dogs.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANLUAT,.
Seventh thie.-wear~~~~~ed mind.  Eighth thief-procrastination.~~~~~~~
priate, and very desirable, in their places; but how
many have wasted their time in their pursuit, and
thus not merely thrown away their opportunities for
making solid attainments, but acquired wrong habits,
which clung to them  through  life!  Leave  your
flute at home, and let it be one of the many things to
cheer you during vacations, and one of the pleasures
which you forego in term-time, to avoid temptations.
7. We lose time by pursuing a study when the
mind is wearied.
There is danger in mentioning this, lest you mistake that restlessness, and that uneasiness of mind, so
uniformly attending early discipline, for real weariness. But the mind, as well as the body, may be
jaded; and even a horse, in that condition, ought not
to be spurred.  Nil  invita MIinerva.1 Relief  and
refreshment will be quickly found by turning to some
other study.  "Post lectione seu stylo defessus, nihil
nitor repugnante natura; sed exercitii genus aliud
quaro, quo tedium varietas minuat."
8. Having our studies press us in consequence of
procrastination.
It is impossible to have the mind free and unembarrassed, if you suffer your studies to be driving you.
If you defer your lesson to the very last moment in
which you can possibly get it, you are not your own
1 Hor. Ars Poet.
.
181
Eightli tliief-procrastination.
Seventh thiei'-wear:ed mind.
I
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Illustrated.                              mike of Newcastle.
master.  A man may do a full day's work in the after  noon; but if he puts it off till that time, he will be
unhappy all the morning, overoaboring in the after  noon, and sick in the evening. He who does any
thing in haste, no matter what his powers of mind may
be, cannot do it well. If I have fifty miles to ride to day, I can do it all after dinner; but to undertake it
would be unwise, and cruel to myself and my horse.
'there should be no loitering in the morning, because
you can retrieve the loss in the evening.  Punctuality
in getting your lessons is of the very first importance.
"It is like packing things in a box: a good packer will
get in half as much more as a bad one. The calmness
of mind which it produces is another advantage of
punctuality. A disorderly man is always in a hurry:
he has no time to speak with you, because he is going
elsewhere; and when he gets there, he is too late for
his business, or he must hurry away to another before
he can finish it. It was a wise maxim of the Duke of
Newcastle-' I do one thing at a time.'  Punctuality
gives weight to character.'Such a man has made
an appointment; then I know he will keep it.' And
this generates punctuality in you; for, like other virtues, it propagates itself. Appointments, indeed, become debts: I owe you punctuality, if I have made
an appointment with you, and have no right to throw
away your time, if I do my own."
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182
Illustrated.
Duke of Newcastle.
0 
THE STUDENTI S MANUAL.
Nit the-o   opeigorpas                         aeso    eis
9. We lose time by beginning plans and studies
which we never complete.
If the habit of entering upon Wat  is not carried
out and completed, be allowed in early life, the evil
increases as long as we live. A friend put into my
hands a bundle of papers which belonged to one
who was reputed a genius.  "Were they worth publishing?"  was the question.  Honesty required the
answer to be-" No."  There was hardly a single thing
completed. Here was a poem begun; there t sonnet
nearly completed; there a calculation of an eclipse,
about two thirds finished, with great accuracy and beauty; there a composition commenced, or a letter about
half finished-evidence  sufficient that he possessed
mind, and even genius; but had he lived, with those
habits, he could never  have arrived at eminence
Never begin any thing, without carrying it through,
unless in so doing you must sacrifice some moral
feeling or principle. He who desists, re infecta,
not only loses all his labor, but allows himself in a
vicious habit.   The man who begins to build, but,
for some reason or other, cannot finish, has been
the object of ridicule for centuries. It is not essential that you devote all your time to the point on
which you wish to receive or bestow light; but
do something every day, and in time the thing will
be completed, however formidable it appears at the
commencement
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183
Ninth thief-not completing our plans.
Papers of a genius.
a 
E     STUDENTIS MANUAL. 
Order sential.          Order must be perfect.            Trifling pursits.
Order is essential to a proper division and improve.
ment of our time. Any one who has never made the
trial, is an utter stranger to the calmness and pleasure
with which the soul meets her daily duties, however
various, or however arduous, if they return periodi cally at the same hour.  There will be a sufficiency
of variety to afford relief, and also stimulus. But the
order should be as complete as possible. A-wheel
that turns constantly may move a vast power, if every
cog of the wheel be right; but if there be one broken
here, and another there, the whole machinery will
suffer, and eventually break in pieces. So, if you try
to have order in all your arrangements of study, you
will suffer whenever it be broken in upon. The result will be, that you will abandon it, and let the ship
go as she pleases, and how she pleases, or you will
seize the helm with an arm more resolute and nerved,
and keep her true to her course.
If you would make time valuable, beware of low
and trifling pursuits. Do nothing of which you will
ever be ashamed, either here or hereafter. Is it right
that one who has your advantages and your responsibilities should be descending to tricks, or even to
trifles? What is the verdict of a world against Nero,
who, when emperor of Rome, went up and down
Greece, challenging the fiddlers to beat him?   Eropus, king of Macedonia, spent his time in making lanterns,-a very useful article, but no business for a king.
.
184
Order essential. Order must be perfect.
Trifling purst.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The hunting patriarch.                     Dressing.
Harcatius, king of Parthia, employed his time in
catching moles, and was one of the best mole-catchers
m the kingdom; but does it tell to his credit?  Was
Biantes, of Lydia, a useful man,' or worthy ruler,
though he was excellent at filing needles? In the
tenth century, there was a patriarch in the church, by
the name of Theophylact, who had his time employed in rearing horses.   He had in his stable above
two thousand hunting horses, fed upon the richest
'dates, grapes, and figs, steeped in wines.  To say nothing about the waste of money, does not the voice of
mankind execrate such an abuse of time, and talents,
and station? And yet, what is the difference between
such a waste of life, and that which too many young
men make, excepting that, in the former case, the
responsibility may be greater?   What "diseases of
labor" truly!
By many, much time is wasted in dressing the per son.  You will. rot unfrequently find those who will
spend from one hour to two and a half every morning
in shaving and dressing. What do they accomplish in
life? They usually have smooth chins and look neat.
As for accomplishing any thing good or great, they
will never do either. Dress and neatness are highly
commendable; but we cannot have our wagons of
mahogany, and highly varnished, if we expect to carry
heavy loads over mountains with them.
I shall speak of the necessity of exercise in another
185
Dressing.
The huntin,, patriarch.
0 
T'HE STUDENTS MANU
Diversions.      Life may be doubled.        Locke's observations
place; but, instead of that exercise which is to reiresh
and invigorate, how many spend much of their time
in sports, and call them recreations! We may have
sauces to our dinner; but he who should try to live
solely upon them, would find himself shortly becoming lean.   Taylor calls such diversions "garments
made all of fringes," neither comfortable nor becoming. You are in danger from any recreation which
you love much; for men always give their time freely
to what they love.
He who can make two spires of grass grow where
but one grew before, is said to be a benefactor to his
species; and I doubt not that he who would show
you a method by which you could double or treble
the length of your existence on earth, would be a
benefactor also. It seems to me that this may be
done.
Locke observes "that we get the idea of time or
duration, by reflecting on that train of ideas which sucI ceed one another in our minds; that, for this reason,
when we sleep soundly without dreaming, we have no
perception of time, or the length of it, while we sleep;
and that the moment wherein we leave off to think,
till the nmment we begin to think again, seems to
have no distance. And so, no doubt, it would be to a
waking man, if it were possible for him to keep only
one idea in his mind withcut variation, and the suc cession of others; and we see, that one who fixes his
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186
. 
THEI STUDENT'S M1ANUAL.
Who lives longesL  Thou~~~~~~~t fro ~~~ the prophet.~~~
thoughts very intently on one thing, so as to take but
little notice of the succession of ideas that pass in his
mind, while he is taken up with the earnest contentplation, lets slip out of his account a good part of that
duration, and thinks the time shorter than it is."
Hence, on this principle, you will notice that life
always seems short, in looking back, to those who
have been troubled with but few thoughts. Idiots,
and sick people, frequently have weeks pass away,
while to them they seem scarcely so many days. Of
course, it follows, that he who has the most thoughts
pass through his mind, and the most rapid succession
of distinct ideas; will take most notice of time, and, in
the same space of time, will live the longest; so that
the curious remark of the philosopher Malebranche is
far from being improbable. The thought is beautiful,
as well as curious.  "It is possible that some creatures
may think half an hour as long as we do a thousand
years, or look upon that space of duration which we
call a minute, as an hour, a week, a month, or a whole
age." If Locke's theory be correct, it follows that
time will seem long or short, just in proportion as our
thoughts are quick or slow.  Hence he who dies in
the very morning of life, not unfrequently lives "onger
than another who falls at threescore'and ten.
Hence, too, the prediction of the prophet may be literally true-"The child shall die an hundred years
old." The Eastern nations have long, to all appear
e
187
Who lives longeSL
Thought fro:c the prophet.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,
Curious illustration.  Turkish story.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ance, had this thought. I will give the exquisite
illustration drawn by the masterly pen of Addison.
"In the Koran, it is said, that the angel Gabriel
took Mahomet out of his bed one morning, to give him
a sight of all things in the seven heavens, in paradise,
and in hell, which the prophet took a distinct view of,
and, after having held ninety thousand conferences with
God, was brought back again to his bed. All this,
says the Koran, was transacted in so small a space of
time, that Mahomet, on his return, found his bed still
warm, and took up an earthen pitcher which was
thrown down at the very instant that the angel Gabri el carried him away, before the water was all spilt!
"There is a very pretty story in the Turkish Tales,
which relates to this passage of that famous impostor,
and bears some affinity to the subject we are now
upon. A sultan of Egypt, who was an infidel, used
to laugh at this circumstance in Mahomet's life, as
what was altogether impossible and absurd  but, conversing one day with a great doctor in the law, who
had the gift of working miracles, the doctor told him
he would quickly convince him of the truth of this
passage in the history of Mahomet, if he would consent to do what he would desire of him. Upon this,
the sultan was directed to place himself by a huge'
tub of water, which he did accordingly; and as he
stood by the tub aiii.,dst a circle of his great men, the
holy man bid him plunge his head into the water and
.
lss
Curious illustration.
Turkish story.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. 
The exiled king.                    King returned.
draw it up again.  The king accordingly thrust his
head into the water, and at the same time found him self at the foot of a mountain on the sea shore. The
king immediately began to rage against his doctor for
this piece of treachery and witchcraft; but, at length,
knowing it was in vain to be angry, he set himself to
think on proper methods for getting a livelihood in
this strange country. Accordingly, he applied himself
to some people whom he saw at work in a neighbor ing wood. Those people conducted him to a town that
stood at a little distance from the wood, where, after
some adventures, he married a woman of great beau ty and fortune. He lived with this woman so long,
that he had by her seven sons and seven daughters.
He was afterwards reduced to great want, and forced
to think of plying in the streets as a porter for his
livelihood. One day, as he was walking alone by the
sea side, being seized with many melancholy reflect tions upon his former and his present state of life,
which had raised a fit of devotion in him, he threw
off his clothes, with a design to wash himself, accord ing to the custom of the Mahometans, before he said
his prayers.
"After his first plunge into the sea, he no sooner rais ed his head above the water, but he found himself
standing by the side of the tub, with the great men of
his court about him, and the holy man at his side.
He immediately upbraided his teacher for having sent
0
ISO
The exiled king.
King retumed. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,
The moral.   Who enjoys most.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
him on such a course of adventures, and betrayed him
into so long a state of misery and servitude, but was
wonderfully surprised when he heard that the state
he talked of was only a dream and a delusion; that
he had not stirred from the place where he then stood;
that he had only dipped his head into the water, and
immediately taken it out again.
" The Mahometan doctor took this occasion of in  structing the sultan, that nothing was impossible with
God; that he, with whom a thousand years are but as
-one day, can, if he pleases, make a single day, nay, a
single moment, appear to any of his creatures as a
thousand years."
If life may thus be prolonged, why will it not hang
heavy upon us, as it does with many now? The
reason is this, that he who has a constant stream of
useful and valuable thoughts passing through his mind,
will enjoy each one of them, while he who has few
I thoughts, will have more passions in exercise; and the
soul soon palls upon being forced to attend only to the
passions.  "The latter is like the owner of a barren
country, that fills his eye with the prospect of naked
hills and plains, which produce nothing either profit able or ornamental; the other beholds a beautiful and
spacious landscape, divided into delightful gardens,
green meadows, fiuitful fields, and can scarce cast his
eye on a single spot in his possessions, that is not cov
ered with some beautiful plant or flower"
190
The moral.
Who enjoys most.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
S- "' f                o
Some men, while young, rush into open, high-handed sin, and plunge headlong into guilt, which quickly
leads them to the slaughter-house, pr which, if they
survive, lays up food for future repentance and deep
remorse. But this is not the history of the great
majority of our educated men. But the sin which, of
all others, most constantly lies at their door, is the
waste of time while young, and, indeed, all the journey of life. An evening is spent in chatting and
smoking; it seems a small space of time; but when
lif closes, and we leave time to go into eternity, how
many of these fragments lie scattered and murdered
by the way-side! How deep will be our repentance
when too late to remedy the defect, if not too late to
seek forgiveness! There is no one thing of which
students are so prodigal, as of their time. There are
some exceptions-.rari nantes; but multitudes would
bf amazed at their conduct, had they been as prodigal
of any thing else. You cannot read that page in
Tacitus readily; you never read any of the Latin
poets except the drudgery spent on Virgil and Horace; but have you not wasted moments and hours
sufficient to have made you at home in Latin?  You
cannot run that Greek verb through all the synopsis,
and are blank at a page in Homer; but might you
not have made yourself an adept in Greek, and conquered the dialects, and the idioms, had you wasted
no time? You neglect duties, public and private, and
.
191L
Save the fragments of time.
What might be done.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL..
Necessity of prayer.   Evening review.   Queen Elizabeth.
satisfy conscience, that you have not time to fulfil
tlcmn all.  But the wasted hours cry out against you.
T'rley should have been seized apd stamped with what
.-ould have met the approbation of conscience and of
God, as they winged their way to his throne.
In this place I may add, that your time will pass
neither smoothly nor profitably, unless you seek and
receive the blessing of your Maker upon you daily. 1
am not now speaking as a theologian, but as an observ er of men; and I can unhesitatingly assure you, that
there is no one, and no ten things that will so much aid
you to improve your time as the daily practice of prayer.
"Bene precasse est bene studuisse;" according toagreat
master in study. In the morning, ask the blessing of
God upon your studies, that he who created the mind,
and has his finger upon it every moment, would keep
it sound and clear, and instruct it; that he give you
a disposition to spend all your time in his fear, and to
improve it for him. In the evening, recall the day, and
the hours, and see wherein you have come short of
duty, and what you have this day done, or omitted
doing, which the conscience, quickened by prayer,
tells you should have been done.  Alas, how many
have squandered this precious gift, and then, when
they oame to lie on the bed of death, have reproached
themselves with a keenness of rebuke, which language
was too poor to convey! The lofty Queen Elizabeth,
on her dying bed, cried out, "Millions of money for
192
6
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Dr. Young.
one inch of time!" How many such inches had she
thrown away!  The piercing cry came too late.  "0,"
said one, as he lay dying, "call back -time again: if
you can call back time again, then thsre may be hope
fo- me; but time is gone!"
"Where is that thrift, that avarice of time,
(Blest avarice,) which the thought of death inspires?
O'ime! than gold more sacred; more a load
Than lead to fools; and fools reputed wise.
What moment granted man without account?
What years are squandered, wisdom's debt unpaid I
Haste, haste! he lies in wait, he's at the door,
Insidious Death! should his strong hand arrest,
No composition sets the prisoner free.
Eternity's inexorable chain
Fast binds, and vengeance claims the fuill arrear.
On all important time, through every age,
Though much and warm the wise have urged, the man
Is yet unborn who duly weighs an hour.
Who murders time, he crushes in the birth
A power ethereal, only not ador.ed."
9
a
193 
CHAPTER VI.
CONVERSATION.
"WHAT a delightful evening we have spent!" said
a student to his companion, as they were returning
home from a visit during vacation.
"Yes, I do not know as I ever spent one more
agreeably; and yet I cannot tell exactly what it was
that rendered it so agreeable. The circle all seemed
to be happy, and parted so; but, for myself, I was so
taken up with the conversation of that stranger, that I
took little notice of what the rest were doing."
"That was precisely my own case.  Without seem   ing to know it, he possesses uncommon powers of con   versation."
And this was the whole secret of the pleasures of
the evening-that there was one in the circle, who, by
nature and education, was fitted to instruct and please
by his conversation.
There are few things more neglected than the cul  tivation of what we denominate conversational powers;
and.yet few which can be more subservient to bestow  ing pleasure and advantage.  The man who knows
precisely how to c:.verse, has an instrument in his
e
a 
THE ST'UDENl"T'S MANUAL.
Conversation the gift of our Creator.     Power of persuasion.
possession with which he can do great good, and vh
will make him welcome in all circles.
Take notice as you are introduced to a stranger.
In a short time, you find he is interesting.   You are
in the stage; you hear him, and forget the time, and
are surprised at the rapidity with which you approach
the place at which you must part. What makes him
so interesting? It is his powers of conversation.
The advantages of this mode of communicating
ideas need not be dwelt upon here. It is the method
devised by the infinite Creator for the happiness of
man, in all circumstances. It is the most perfect way
of giving and receiving instruction. It is simple, as
are all his works. We may produce strong, dazzling
lights, by chemical combinations; but the pure light
of heaven is the most perfect. We may tickle the
appetite by artificial drinks, but the pure water which
God has provided for man, in all circumstances, is the
most perfect drink. Speech, between man and man,
is the universal medium of transmitting thought, and
it is, by far, the best that can be devised. We now
wish to know how we  may best cultivate and use
this faculty. Every one feels the importance of this
knowledge. If you haVe a friend whom you wish to
warn, or upon whose mind you wish to make a deep
impression, you know the most perfect way of doing it,
is withthe tongue.   You first think over his situation,
his prospects and dangers; you think over all his
e
195
a 
-6 THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Use in obtaining information.
terbptations, what apologies can reasonably be offered, and what he will probably offer for himself; you
then think of the motives with which to impress him.
-You then go to him; you try, by tones and voice, to
convince him that you are his friend; you tell him
your fears in language chosen and tender, and then
you pour out your heart upon him, just as you had
planned beforehand. You are perfectly aware that
you have used the best and most appropriate means
in your power, when you have exhausted your powers of persuasion in conversation. If you cannot reach
his heart and conscience in this way, you despair.of
doing it.
If you wish for information on a particular subject,
and there is a book which has it all drawn out on
paper, and there is a friend who perfectly understands
it, why do you go to that friend and hear him converse, rather than to the book?  Because you know
that the latter method is not the most interesting and
easy way of obtaining information. You can ask light
on particular points; you can state your objections;
you can compare with what you already know; you
can soon know all that your informer knows. Varilles
has said that, "Of ten things which he knew, he had
learned nine from conversation."
Make it a matter of study, then, to understand this
subject, and not merely try to free yourself from faults,
but t: make it an accomplishment,-a part of your
196
I
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Flatn  thuhs                         Ciyrabtn
education. There is scarcely any way by which you
can gain a stronger hold upon the circles in which you
may move, or in which you may do more good.   In
conversation all are free-booters, and may carry away
and appropriate to themselves as much as they can;
and there is a vast quantity of thought and information afloat upon the great mass of intelligent mind,
which never has been, and never will be, committed
to paper. He who is permitted to draw from this
great fountain, can hardly fail of having thought poured upon him sufficient to render him intelligent, even
though he should never open a book. You will see
this every day in our cities. There the mass of men
are too busy and hurried to read. They do not read;
and yet, when you meet a man from the city, you expect to find him an interesting and an intelligent man.
If he has long resided there, you will hardly be disappointed. The reason is obvious: he is thrown where
all this thought is floating from mind to mind; where
mind is constantly coming in contact with mind; and
he feels the influence. A light that is hardly seen
when standing alone, will, when placed among others,
not only give but receive light.
This constant, direct contact of umind with mind,
invariably tends to soften and refine the feelings; so
that, when you hear it said of a man, that he keeps
the best of company, you have no doubt but he is a
man of refinement and politeness. The language
0
197
City;rhabitants.
]Floating thoughts.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL,
Conversation refines the feelings; but a poor substitute for books.
which he has been accustomed to use has, at least,
the appearance of conveying refined thought and
feeling, and we insensibly conform our feelings to the
dress in which we clothe them. An actor who personifies a king or a hero, and uses his language, frequently feels that he is what he represents; and were
he never to put off the habits and language which he
represents for a few hours, he would soon use the language of kings as his own, and have his feelings correspond. There are two dangers to which people in
cities, and to which those who are similarly situated,
may be exposed: the one is, that of using the language of kindness and refinement till it becomes a
habit, when they do not feel it, and thus make dupes
of others, and soon make dupes of themselves. Any
hypocrisy may be practised till it no longer seems a
borrowed character. At any rate, there is danger
that, when the forms are greatly studied, the heart,
under those forms, is seldom exercised. The other
danger is, that the information gathered from conversation alone, be incorrect, and yet be esteemed of good
authority. No information thus acquired can be relied upon. Books are the only correct reporters of
facts; and even they will sometimes invent facts, and
imagine history.   A  man  who  relies solely upon
conversation and society for stocking his mind, will
be a very ready man, a very inaccurate man, and,
consequently, incapable of being an accurate judge
e
198
a 
THE SrUDENT'S MANUAL..
Student's advantages.    First suggestion -taking upon trifles.
He can amuse you-he can interest you-he can give
you new views of things; but you cannot rely upon
the soundness of his judgment. 
The student has an immense advantage over all
other classes of the community; for he can unite the
two most perfect and desirable methods of gaining
information-the accuracy and profound thoughts
which can be found only in books, and the general information concerning men and things, which conversation and society will bestow. Consequently, under
certain restrictions, it becomes as really his duty to
improve by conversation as by books. But as conversation is a kind of commerce, towards which every
person ought to pay his share, you act against all
nonorable rules of commerce, if you are not so prepared as to furnish your quota. If you would draw
out facts and information, and elicit mental effort from
others, which may be useful to you, it is certainly
your duty to cultivate your talents and powers, so that
they may, in turn, derive the same benefit from your
society. You act an ungenerous part, if this be not
the case.
Allow me to continue to be specific in my hints, as
it is always true, that, when judicious advice is given,
the morespecific it is, the more valuable.
1. Do not waste your time, and that of the compas
ny, in talking upon trifles.
The amount of attention bestowed upon trifles and
e
l
X 199
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Every circle may have profitable conversation.
follies, frequently renders conversation so nauseous to
an intelligent mind, that it is disgusted. The consequence is, that such a man withdraws from company,
and loses all the advantages of. society. He cannot
bear to spend hours of precious time in hearing the
narrow-minded dwell upon the merest trifles in the
world. He has no taste for entering into them, and
he sits silent till he takes a final leave. While I would
not applaud a taste that is delicate and fastidious to
a fault, and which could endure nothing short of the
exquisite, I would, at the same time, earnestly request
every trifler, in society, to inquire if he is aware that,
by his flat and trivia] conversation, he is driving every
sensible man from the circle in which he moves. But
the man of sense ought not to withdraw. He must
have courage to turn the tide. You need not sit silent because the rest are talking trifles.  In every circle, you will find, at least, one who is able and willing to communicate instruction. Seek him out; ply
him with interrogations, and be in earnest to obtain
information which you need. In this way, every one
will be able to learn, if he chooses. If there are not
two, at least, in the circle, who are engaged in profitable conversation, it is your fault, and you ought not
to complain that the company was dull or trifling. It
is to be lamented, that even gifted minds and exalted
talents are frequently of no other use, in company,
th)an to give countenance to trifling, when they migh
0
Q
I
200 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Great minds.      Robert Hail.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
and ought to be used to give a right direction to the
conversation, and rightly influence the excited, inter ested minds present.  There should be a bearing to wards usefulness which is systematic. The want of
this is a great deficiency. Even Robert Hall failed
here.  "Often, indeed, has Mr. Hall lamented thls~
defect: often, as we have been returning from a party,
which he kept alive by the brilliancy and variety of his
observations, has he said,'Ah, sir, I have again con tributed to the loss of an evening, as to every thing
truly valuable: go home with me, that we may spend,
at least, one hour in a manner which becomes us.'
A man given to severe study and thought, is in peculiar danger here; for, when he goes into society, he
drops-all study, forgets the train of thought in which
he had been engaged, and at once has his spirits, not
elastic, merely, but even, at times, highly excited.
Then the temptation is, to forget that he ought to use
his knowledge and talents to instruct and enlighten
that circle of friends; and that, if he does not improve
the opportunity, he throws all the weight of his character into the vote to drive all valuable thoughts and
conversation from the room.   I do not mean that
you are to strive to monopolize the conversation,
to shine and show yourself, and your attainments.
Far otherwise. But I mean that you should not
waste your time, and the time of those who are kind
enough to hear what you have to say, in saying things
9*      1 Sir James Mackintosh.
.
20)
Great minds.
Robert Hall.
0 
rHE STUDENT'S MANUAL. 
A common mis. eke.    Second suggestion-severe speaking.
which might be said and repeated to the end of times
and no human being would be either the wiser or the
better. Do nothing, hich has the appearance of supeliority;. but he who relies upon his "small talk"
to render him long useful o, agreeable in society, has
much mistaken human nature. It may be pleasant and
pretty; but who would thank you'o invite him to dine
frequently upon custards and ice-creamns? If you leave
a company without being able to reflect that you are
wiser, or have made somebody else wiser, than when
-you entered it, there is something wrong in the case.
2. Beware of severe speaking in company.
No matter whether the company be large or small,
you may be sure that all you say against an absent
person will reach him. You have done wrong, and
an avenger will be found.  I admire the warning
which St. Austin is said to have had inscribed in the
centre of his table at which he entertained his fi-iends
Quisquis amat dictis absentem rodere amicum,
Hanc mensam indignam noverit esse sibi."
There is an almost universal propensity in mankind
to slander each other, or, at least, to throw out hints
which detract from the good opinion which they suppose may be entertained of their fellows. The detractor cheats himself most egregiously, but never
others. He tacitly believes that he is pushing this
one, and thrusting that one, with the charitable pur
e
m
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The ichneumon.       Detractors.      Notion of the Tartars.
pose of keeping the unworthy out of the seat of those
who merit the esteem of all.  "I remember to have
read in Diodorus Siculus an account of a very active
little animal, which, I think, he calls the ichneumon,
that makes it the whole business of his life to break
the eggs of the crocodile, which  he is always  in
search after. This instinct is the more remarkable,
because the ichneumon never feeds upon the eggs he
has broken, nor any other way finds his account in
them. Were it not for the incessant labors of this
industrious animal, Egypt, says the historian, would
be overrun with crocodiles; for the Egyptians are so
far from destroying these pernicious creatures, that
they worship them as gods."
Do not those who may be denominated detractors
of mankind, congratulate themselves that they are disinterested, like this little animal, and are really acting
the part of benefactors of mankind? They probably
deceive themselves so frequently; but the deception
is only upon themselves. But how do others view
them? The rest of the world know that, if you detract, it is for the same reason that the Tartars are
eager to kill every man of extraordinary endowments
and accomplishments, firmly believing that his talents,
how great or high soever, and what station soever they
qualified him to occupy, will, upon his death, become,
as a matter of course, the property of the destroyer.
Were this theory correct, it would be an apology for
I
20O
i.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,
Cruelty of wit illustrated by the dying Socrates.
those who indulge in severe remarks upon the absent;
for, in most cases, it would be their only hope of pos sessing great excellencies of character. What you
say in detraction will not merely reach the ear of the
individual against whom it is said, but it will prejudice
the circle against him. We love to be prejudiced
against people; and while you may say ten clever
things of him which are forgotten, the two or three
which you say against him, will be remembered. Nor
is this all. Such remarks leave a sting in your own
conscience.   You cannot thus speak disparagingly of
the absent, without giving conscience the right to call
you to an account, and tell you, in language which
cannot be misconstrued, you have done wrong, and
not as you would be done b,.
Aristophanes was the enemy of Socrates:  ~ e slander'
ed him and abused him, and even wrote a Comedy to
ridicule him, and especially his notions of the doctrine
of the immortality of the soul. As Socrates was present to see the comedy acted upon the stage, and was
not at all moved, it was thought that he did not feel
this dastardly treatment. But it has been remarked,
by an acute observer, that he did feel it most deeply, though too wise to show it; for, as he was taking
the bowl of poison, and about to drink it off, as he was
entertaining his friends and strengthening his own
mrnind by a conversation on the immortality of the soul,
he remarked, that in did not beliqve the most comic
204
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL
A  iermr.Croseape
genius could blame him for talking or such a subject
at such an hour. He probably had his detractor,
Aristophanes, in his mind, on mak~wg this remark.
He that indulges himself in ridiculing the little
imperfections and weaknesses of his friend, will, in
time, find mankind united against him. The man who
sees another ridiculed before him, though he may, for
the present, concur in the general laugh, yet, in a cool
hour, will consider the same trick might be played
against himself; but, when there is no sense of this
danger, the natural pride of human nature rises against
him, who, by general censure, lays claim to general
superiority." Unless you have had your attention
particularly called to this subject, you are probably
not aware how many of these light arrows are shot
at those who are absent.
An honest fellow was introduced into the most
fashionable circle of a country village; and though he
was neither learned nor brilliant, yet he passed off
very well. But he had one incorrigible fault: he
always staid so as to be the-last person who left the
room.   At length, he was asked, categorically, why he
always staid so long. He replied, with great goodnature and simplicity, that "as soon as a man was gone,
they all began to talk against him; and, consequently,
he thought it always judicious to stay till none were
left to slander him."
The habit of flattering your friends- and acquaiwt,
206
Curious example.
A wise remark.
a
I 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. 
Flattery.                      Its philosophy.
ances is pernicious to your own character. It will in jure yourself more than others.  It is well understood
among men, that he who is in the habit of flattering,
expects to be repaid in the same coin, and that, too,
with-compound interest.  This is a very  different
thing from bestowing that encouragement upon your
friend in private which he needs for the purpose of call ing forth praiseworthy efforts. Flattery is usually be stowed in public-probably for the purpose of having
witnesses, before whom your friend now stands corn-mitted, to return what you are now advancing to him.
But judicious encouragement will always be given in
private. If you flatter others, they will feel bound to
do so to you; and they certainly will do it. They
well know that there is no other way in which they can
cancel the obligations which you have imposed upon
them; because no compensation but this will be satisfactory. Thus you hire others to aid you to become
your own dupe, and over-estimate your excellencies,
whatever they may be.  For a very obvious reason,
then, you will deny yourself the luxury of being flattered.  And especially do not fish for such pearls.
You cannot do it, in a single instance, without having
the motive seen through.   You may have been asto.
ished at seeing young men greedily swallow praise,
when they could not but know that he who was daubing was insincere. It used to be a matter of surprise
to me, how it is that we love praise, even when we
e
206
Flattery.
Its philosophy.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Dr. Johnson's keenness.       Goldsmith's character of Garrick.
know that we do not deserve it. Johison, at a single
plunge, has found the philosophy of the fact.  "To
be flattered," says he, "is grateful eeven when we
know that our praises are not believed by those wiho
pronounce them; for they prove at least our power,
and show that our favor is valued, since it is purchased oy the meanness of falsehood." The desire of
the approbation of others, for their good opinion alone,
is said to be the mark of a generous mind. I have
no doubt it is so. Against this desire I am breathing
no reproach. It is the character ascribed to Garrick
by Goldsmith, against which I am warning you.
"Of praise a mere glutton, he swallowed what came,
And the puff of a dunce, he mistook it for fame;
Till, his relish grown callous almost to disease,
Who peppered the highest was surest to please.
But let us be candid, and speak out our mind:
If dunces applauded, he paid them in kind"
3. Never indulge in levity upon what is sacred.
It is nearly impossible to treat any sacred subject
,vith levity, in a mixed  company, without  greatly
wounding the sensibilities of some one. It is no
mnark of strength of intellect, or of freedom from prejudice, or of any good quality, to do it. It shows
nothing but a heart that sins without excitement and
without temptation. He who can speak lightly of
God, his Maker, and his best Friend, or of any thing
that pertains to him, will always be known to carry a
.
1. 207
Dr. Johnson's keenness.
Goldsmith's character of Garrick.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUALS
Third suggestion-ridicule nothing sacred.     The voice of experience
heart that will easily yield to a temptation to treat an
earthly friend in the same way. You may set it down
as a rule to which there are po exceptions, that he
who treats religion, or any of the ordinances of his
God, with lightness and irreverence, carries a selfish
heart, and is not fit to be your bosom friend.   Levity
of manner, or matter, in regard to sacred things, will
ruin your character, or that of any other man. Hear
the testimony of one who was "unquestionably one
of the first preachers-perhaps the very first preacher
of his time."  "I set out with levity in the pulpit.
It was above two years before I could get the victory
over it, though I strove under sharp piercings of conscience. My plan was wrong. I had bad counsellors.
I thought preaching was only entering the pulpit, and
letting off a sermon. I talked with a wise and pious
man on the subject.' There is nothing,' said he,' like
appealing to facts.' We sat down Ad named names.
We found men in my habit disreputable. This first set
my mind right. I saw such a man might sometimes
succeed; but I saw, at the same time, that whoever
would succeed in his general interpretations of Scripture, and would have his ministry that' of a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed,' must be a laborious
man. What can be produced by men who refuse
this labor?-a few raw notions, harmless, perhaps, in
themselves, but false as stated by them."
I need hardly allude to the practice of profane
208
a 
THE STUDENT'S MA-UAL.
Profane language.       Lord Chesterfield.      The profane bishop.
language; for I have no expectation that any one,
who has so far forgotten what self-respect demands,-to
say nothing about higher claims,-as to use such language, will read a book like this.  Such are seldom
seen in company as reputable as a book designed to
do them good. But still, some may be exposed to the
temptation, who never yet yielded to it. Lord Chesterfield, who is universally quoted as a master in the
school of politeness, declares that such language is
never that of a gentleman. When you hear any one
use profane language, you will not wrong him if you
conclude, that this is only one of a nest of vipers
which he carries in his heart; and although this is the
only one which now hisses, yet each, in his turn, is
master of the poor wretch who is giving his life-blood
to feed them.
In France, men frequently hold both civil and ecclesiastical offices.  An elector, who was als an archbishop, was one day very profane before a peasant.
Seeing the man stare, he asked him at what he was
so much amazed.
To hear an arch-bishop swear," was the reply.
I swear," said the elector," not as an arch-bishop,
but as a prince."
"But,  my  lord," said the peasant, "when  the
devil gets the prince, what will become of the archbishop?"
e
209.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Beautifuil satire.      Fifth suggestion-topics of conversation.
"'A Persian, humble servant of the sun,
Who, though devout, yet bigotry had none,
Hearing a lawyer, grave in his address,
With adjurations every word impress,
Supposed the man a bishop, or, at least,    God's name so much upon his lips,-a priest,
Bowed, at the close, with all his gracefuil airs,
And begged an interest in his frequent prayel,s."
Every approach to any thing like profaneness ought,
at once and forever, to be banished. If you wish to
fit yourself for the dark world, it will be time enough
to learn its language after you have prepared for it by
more decent sins. I am happy to say, that an oath
is now seldom heard among people who lay any
claim to respectability, and that I have not heard one
for years, except where I had evidence that it was stimulated, and was borne on breath tainted and poisoned by ardent spirit. Politeness needs not embellishments which belong to spirits accursed; and truth
and sincerity always despise and asdain such auxil
3aries.
4. Be careful in introducing topics of conversation.
There are some people, who move in a sphere so
contracted, and the range of their thoughts is in so narrow a circle, that you can anticipate what are to be
the topics of conversation, what stories you must hear
repeated, and where the circle will return into itself.
If you allow yourself to have favorite top:cs, you will
1 Cowper.
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210
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
No   oueyu   atredn.Ilsrtd
insensibly and surely run into this habit. Nothing can
be more tiresome and unwelcome than such a talker.
The same round is to be passed over, the same corn pliments repeated, the same jests broached.  To avoid
the possibility of this, some writers will advise you to
make use of your last reading in conversation; and
thus you will have topics and a store of information to
communicate. The objections to making this a rule,
in my mind, are great. It does not seem to me to be
honest. Your hearer is led to suppose that you are
now using information which you have some time or
other acquired-that it is a part of your capital, and
not that which you have just borrowed. Is it fair for
a scholar, who has just laid down the writings of Aristophanes, to come into company and talk about "the
Crown; " how keen it was; how Socrates winced under
it; and how much ground there was for the satire?
Perhaps I have never heard of " the Crown" before,
nor have any of the company. Perhaps he had not,
two days since. He may inform us of his discovery,
and amuse and instruct us with the information; but
if he talks about it as if it were one among the thousand things which he knows, and thus palms it off
upon us as if it were a part of his capital, he deceives
us, and it is dishonorable to do so.
Some will go out of their way to harp upon topics
which they suppose particularly agreeable to you, and
thus flatter you by talking upon what they suppose
211
Not to use your last reading.
Illustrated.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
A  contemptible method of flattery.               Illustrated.
you are particularly pleased with; just as i' they
were to invite you to dine,'and then load your plate
with some odd food, of which they supposed you were
peculiarly fond, though they and the rest of the
company loathed it. It is worse than insulting you,
because you have all the mortification of the insult,
without the power of resenting it. If, for example, a
man knows me to be a Calvinist in my religious opinions, and spends his breath, every time he meets me,
in lauding John Calvin-in praising the Puritans-when I know that, in his heart, he despises both-I do
not thank him for taking all this pains to tickle me.
If he sincerely desires information on these, or any
other subjects with which he supposes me to be acquainted, he does me a kindness by giving me the
opportunity to communicate what I know; but if the
subject be dragged in, and that frequently, few things
can be more nauseous. The reproof which was given
to one who indulged in this practice was severe, but
just. A man supposed his acquaintance particularly
fond of conversing about the characters drawn in
Scripture, and took every opportunity to bring these
upon the tapis.  "I affirm," said he, on one of these
occasions, "that this Samson was the strongest man
that ever lived, or ever will live."
"It is not so," said he for whose special gratification
the subject was introduced-" it is not so: you yourself
are a stronger man than Samson."
212
A contemptible method of flattery.
Illustrated.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Conversation an intellectual feast.
"How can that be?"
"Why, you have just lugged him in, by head and
shoulders!"
Conversation is an intellectual iast; and it can not be enjoyed if each one rust have a particular dish
by himself; and to suppose that you cannot eat the
same dish that the rest do, is treating you unnanasomely. You do not wish to have a little table spread in
the corner for yourself alone, but to enjoy the feast in
common. Remember, then, that the treatment which
would be disagreeable to you, will be equally unpleasant to others; and be careful to avoid a practice very
common, but which always gives pain.
As a topic of conversation, you cannot do better
than to introduce yourself as little as possible. We
are all in danger of this; but, probably, the danger decreases from youth to old age.  "It is a hard and nice
subject for a man to speak of himself," says Cowley;
"it grates upon his own heart to say any thing of disparagement, and the reader's ears, to hear any thing
of praise from him." It is especially dangerous to
speak of yourself, if your circumstances are such that
you are, in any way, tempted to ask for aid. A beggar will be relieved, if his wants are real, and known.
But if he takes pains to expose his sores, those who
would otherwise befriend him, turn away in disgust.
Say as little about yourself, your friends, your deeds.
as possible; for f you say any thing, it.is supposed to
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213
aI 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Speak little of self.
be done for the purpose of challenging admiration or
pity. A good writer recommends his readers not to
talk about themselves, unless they are of some considerable consequence in the world. But this rule is
unsafe.  For who  is there that is not, in his own
opinion, of consequence enough to be the subject of
conversation?
If not exceedingly careful, you will be in danger of
repeating old jests as if new, and, perhaps, of appropriating to yourself, as your own, what was said generations
before you were born. You have heard, or have read,
the bon mot: the circumstance of reading or hearing it
has escaped your mind, while the jest remains. You
repeat it, and will be mortified, at some future time, to
find in print what, for years, you had supposed your own
property, honestly acquired.  It is better to pass for a
man of plain, common sense, in ordinary conversation,
than to attempt to be brilliant or facetious at an expense which you cannot well bear for any length of
time. Few can deal in this commodity without feeling
their need of borrowing; and he who  is in the habit
of borrowing, will soon cease to remember that what
he freely uses, is not his own.
While upon this subject, I may say that, if you are
tempted to indulge in humor and wit, you are beset in
a weak and dangerous spot. Wit, and the faculty of
producing stnart sayings, may be cultivated. They
are so; and I have known a company thrown into
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THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Danger of being witty.
shouts of laughter by sallies and strokes which were
taken to be impromptu, but which would have been
welcomed with coolness, had it been known that they
were studied and arranged in private. This must always, more or less, be the case with smart sayings;
and the great talent disFlayed, is in passing them off
as if they were the creations of the moment. There
are two special dangers in the indulgence of wit: the
one is, that it is impossible to flourish a tool so sharp
without wounding others. Strive against it as much as
you please, your best jokes, and keenest arrows, will
be spent upon men and upon living characters. This
will cause enmities and heart-burnings. Enemies, and
bitter enemies, he must have, who tries to be a wit.
And when you hear of a man who "had rather lose a
friend than a joke," you may be sure that he will soon
cease to be troubled by the officiousness of friendship.
Every man knows that he has peculiarities and weaknesses of his own; but they are a part of his nature;
and he cannot, and will not, love a man who wounds
him through these. These weaknesses are ours; and,
though we may feel ashamed of them, as we are of
our "poor relations," yet we do not like to have them
ridiculed. We repel the man who feels so conscious
of superiority, that he may sport with the characters
of others. He may excite the laugh, and he may be
flattered for a while, but it must be among those
whom he has tacitly promised to spare.-The second
.
215
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THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Example from Gil Bias.
danger of trying to be a wit, is, that you injure your
own mind. No one can be a wit without assiduously
cultivating peculiar and odd associations of ideas. The
thoughts must run in channels  tiknown to common
.-,ds.  A  strange light must invest every thing at
which you look; and the mind soon becomes habitu
ated to eccentric associations.   The result will be,
that the mind ceases to be a well-balanced instrument
of acquiring or communicating information. And the
man who sets out to be a wit, will probably succeed
so far as to be second-rate, and useless for every thing
besides. The character of a witling, as drawn by the
pen of Gil Blas, is true to the life. " He is, moreover, the most self-conceited man in Spain, though he
spent the first sixty years of his life in the grossest ignorance; but, in order to become learned, he employed a preceptor, who has taught him to spell in Latin
and Greek. Besides, he has got an infinite number
of good stories by heart, which he has repeated and
vouched so often, that, at length, he actually believes
them to be true. These he brings into conversation;
and one may say, that his wit shines at the expense of
his memory." It is important, also, to remember, that
he who says a great many brilliant things, says a vast
many that are weak and foolish; for pearl-divers always
find that the waters which yield the most sparkling
pearls, yield also the most shells. The best that can
be hoped for, is, that the few witty things that are
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. 
THE STUDENT'S ANUAL.
How to become a wit.          Avoid pedantry.
said, may be retained and repeated, while the worthless may be forgotten.
"Silva," said one of the archest among them, "we
shall make something of thee, my friend. 1 perceive
thou hast a fund of genius, but dost not know how to
use it to advantage. The fear of speaking nonsense
hinders thee from talking at a venture; and yet, by
this alone, a thousand people now-a-days acquire the
reputation of wits. If thou hast a mind to shine, give
rein to thy vivacity, and indifferently risk every
thing that comes uppermost: thy blunders will pass for
a noble boldness; and if, after having uttered a thousand impertinences, one witticism escapes thee, th
silly things will be forgot, the lucky thought will be
remembered, and the world will conceive a high
opinion of thy merit.  This is what every man must
do who aspires to the reputation of a distinguished
wit.,,
You will be careful, also, in conversation, not to
make any display of knowledge or superior learning.
No company likes to confess that they are ignorant;
and when one makes a parade of his learning, it is a
silent invitation for them to acknowledge his superiority, and to confess that all the rest are ignorant. No
invitation could scarcely be more unpleasant. I once
knew a student do his utmost to be popular in the social circle, but without success. It was difficult to
discover the reason; but a single evening explained
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How to become a wit.
Avoid pedantry. 
THE SIUDENT'S MANUAL.
Quoting Latin and Greek.
the whole.  He quotea Latin and talked in Greek,
and took great delight in tracing things up to their
sources: thus, for example, he took great pains to
show the company that the terrh comedy had somewlhat lost its original meaning, for it was composed of
x,u, street, and Can, song, meaning a street-song, which
they used to act in a cart in the streets of the city.
This was all true, but the pedantry was insufferable.
It is no evidence of learning, since a single hour spent
over Webster's large Dictionary would produce learning enough to torment a circle the whole evening.
He who is really a scholar, will make but little noise
about it. The half-educated physician, who is constantly afraid that you will suspect him of ignorance,
is the man who uses the hard technicalities of the profession, and turns even the precise terms of the pharmacop~eia into bombast. It is probably for this rea..
son, also, that pedantry is so odious. If you meet a
man who spouts Latin, and bores you with Greek,
you may generally suppose that his learning is about
as deep as is the courage of the impudent house-dog,
who barks loudly whepever you pass his master's
house. If you are among students alone, the case is
altered; but, in mixed companies, the cases are rare
in which even a pun or a jest is welcomed, if it must
come in an unknown tongue.
In all your conversation, be careful to maintain purity of thought. All approaches towards what is in
.
218
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THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Double entendres. Impurity of expression. Proper use of anecdotes.
delicate, will be at once discountenanced by all good
society. Indeed, you can find none who are pleased
with it. The vilest person is displeased with double
entendres, and the like, in company. The reason is
obvious.  None  love to have so  much  disrespect
shown them as must be, when you take it for granted
that they will be pleased with such conversation. It
is a downright insult to a man of pure mind and pure
morals.  And never have I known any thing but disapprobation expressed, and felt, on occasions when
things thus improper have been introduced, even by
those whose hearts were known to be impure. Never
allow any thino to drop from your lips which you
would not be willing to have your sister or your mother hear you say. Your recitals of facts, anecdotes,
and all that you say for the purpose of enlightening or
amusing others, should be pure in language and pure
in thought.
How are anecdotes and stories to be used? They
are of great importance and value, when properly
used, and worse than useless when employed improperly.  You have known men, of all professions, whe
are forever relating ( necdotes and telling stories.
Their fund seems inexhaustible when you first become
acquainted with them; but, on further acquaintance,
you will find the stock really limited, and that thf.
same things are repeated and laughed at many times
every year.  One is noted as "an old story (ell r r
Q
219
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Two cautions.
another is remarkable for keeping the company in good
humor, or in shouts of laughter, by the hour together.
And yet these individuals are not, and cannot be,
s a general thing, very highly respected.   No one
would esteem it an enviable point to gain, if he
might gain the same distinction. And yet every one
is in danger of becoming one of these "hoary buf foons," if he indulges in stories and anecdotes. At
the same time, stories and anecdotes are facts which
illustrate important principles, and cannot well be dispensed with. How shall you avoid Scylla, and not
fall upon Charybdis? I answer, You may and ought
to use stories and anecdotes. They are very important; and you cannot interest, and instruct, and impress
without them. You may make abundant use of them;
I had almost said, you cannot make too much. But
there are two important cautions to be given here.
1. That you use the fact just as it occurred. Do
not add, nor take from it in the least, for the sake of
embellishing or making it more striking and to the point.
You belie history, if you add or diminish aught. Some
men cannot repeat a fact in the shape of anecdote without having it so distorted and discolored, that you
would hardly know it to be the same thing. The
habit is bad; for you will soon be unable, if it be al
lowed, to state an interesting fact as it was.
2. The second caution is, do not tell stories, or repeat anecdotes, for their saker,and to amuse by them
220
0 
THE STUD)ENT'S MANUAL.
Cautions illustrated.
Their use is, to illustrate what you are talking or
writing about. When they are used otherwise than to
illustrate, they are out of their place.  Never commence a conversation, or pen a paragraph, for the sake
of the anecdote which will be brought out by way of
illustration.  A guide-board is a very convenient thing
as you travel a tedious and difficult road; but, though
every road ought to have them at its branches and
corners, yet what would you say of the man who
should lay out and build a road for the sake of its
guide-boards? He who is in the habit of investigating
subjects by analogy, will be very likely to illustrate them
in the way in which they are presented to his own mind.
Let your comparisons, figures, and illustrations, all be
natural. Were I to see a man building a house, and,
all at once, as he wanted a stick of timber, easily and
naturally take his axe and go out into the woods and
cut it, and bring it, and put it in its place, my opinion
of the man would be raised; but if he evidently built
the house for the purpose of showing that he could do
such things, he would fall, and that greatly, in the estimation of all.
In these remarks 1 hope I shall not be understood
to advise that you be in the habit of tedious minuteness in all your relations of facts and anecdotes. This
is intolerable. It is like trying to eat some of our
small fish-slow in process; and when you have done,
you remember the bones while you forget the meat.
0
PI
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e21 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Envy to be avoided.       Noble example.        Cheerfulness.
A man in haste would not thus dine, if he could well
avoid it.
Keep your conversation clear of envy;-and to do
s, the heart must be kept clearf   I shall not stop to
write a tirade against this crying sin. But I will point
you to a noble example.   Virgoil and Horace were
contemporaries-both poets-both panting after distinction-both patronized by the same hand-both
caressed by the same nation-and both living and laboring for an immortality on earth; and yet they ate
at the same table, and, in all their race, were friends.
Envy and jealousy never soured their dispositions,
never marred their peace. Envy is one of the besetting sins of the student. He is sensitive, nervous, and
longs for the approbation of men. He sees others, by
some apparently fortuitous circumstances, prospered,
caressed and honored, while he is forgotten and passed
by. What is more natural than that he should feel
envy, and should show it in words, in severe, perhaps
unjust remarks? Guard against this temptation. Envy is a demon which invariably dances attendance on
men of small minds; and, so far as it is shown, all
tderstand it to be so.
Be cheerful in all your conversation. It can be made
s habit, and will always render you agreeable. We
heve so many weaknesses, so many crosses, and so much
itiat is down-hill in life, that we love to meet a friend
;.t is cheerful.  The veriest cripple, and the sour
a
222 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Mason's excellent rules.
est of men, love to pause and forget themselves, while
they listen to the prattle and the cheerful shouts of
the group of children.   The cultivation of cheerful
tones, and a cheerful manner of conversation, will add
to your own comfort, and also to that of all with whom
you associate. The hares of the sensitive Cowper
were his evening companions; and he informs us that
their cheerfulness and frolicsomeness beguiled his
hours of sadness.
The following are the rules, much abridged, which
the judicious Mason gives to the student, in regard to
conversation.
1. Choose your company for profit, just as you do
your books. The best company and the best books
are those which are the most improving and entertaining. If you can receive neither improvement nor entertainment from your company, furnish one or both
for them. If you can neither receive nor bestow ben
efit, leave that company at once.
i. Study the character of your company. If they
are your superiors, ask them questions, and be an attentive hearer; if your inferiors, do them good.
3. When the conversation droops, revive it by introducing some topic so general that all can say something upon it. Perhaps it will not be amiss to stock
your mind, beforehand, with suitable topics.
4. When any thing is said new, valuable, or instructive, enter it in your memorandum-book. Keep
I
go
223
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Rules.
all that you can lay your hand on that is worth keep inng; but reject all trash.
5. Never be a cipher in company. Try to please,
and you will find something to By that will be accept able. It is ill manners to be silent. What is trite,
if said in an obliging manner, will be better received
than entire silence; and a common remark may often
lead to something valuable. Break a dead silence, at
any rate, and all will feel relieved and grateful to you.
6. Join in no hurry and clamor. If a point is han dled briskly, wait till you have seen its different sides,
and have become master of it. Then you may speak
to advantage. Never repeat a good thing in the same
company twice.
7. Remember that others see their foibles and mistakes in a light different from what you do; therefore,
be careful not to oppose or animadvert too freely upon
them in company.
8. If the company slander or are profane, reprove
it in words, if that will do; if not, by silence; and if
that fails, withdraw.
9. Do not affect to shine in conversation, as if that
were your peculiar excellency, and you were conscious
of superior ability.
i 0. Bear with much that seems impertinent. It
ay not appear so to all, and you may learn something from it.
11. Be free and easy, and try to make all the rest
a
-                                                                s~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
224 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Temper to be preserved.     Disputes improper in company.
feel so. In this way, much valuable thought may be
drawn out.
To these I would add, never get out of temper in
company.   If you are ill treated, or affironted, that is
not the place to notice it. If you are so unfortunate
as to get into dispute with a loud, heated antagonist,
keep cool-perfectly so.  "It is cold steel that cuts,"
and you will soon have the best end of the argument.
The sympathy and respect of the circle will always
move towards him who is cool under provocation.
"If a man has a quarrelsome temper, let him alone.
The world wi]l soon find him employment.   He will
soon meet with some one stronger than himself, who
will repay him better than you can. A man may fight
duels all his life, if he is disposed to quarrel." What
is usually understood by dispute, i. e. something in
which the feelings are strongly enlisted, and in which
there is strife for victory, ought never to be admitted
into company. The game is too rough. And discus.
sion, when it approaches that point, should be dropped
at once.
I cannot close this Chapter without reminding my
reader, that the power of communicating our thoughts
and feelings by conversation, is one of the greatest
blessings bestowed on man. It is a perpetual source
of comfort, and may be an instrument of great useful
ness.  The tongue is an instrument, also, of vast me
thief. It is our chief engine for doing good or mis
10'
a
I
225 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Responsibility of the power of conversation.    Student's accountability.
chief. The gift brings a vast responsibility upon us.
The emotions of the soul, when expressed in language,
will always affect others, more or less. Tf they are
rightly affected, good is done; if improperly, evil is
the result.  You will never pass a day without having a heavy responsibility rest upon you for the use
of this gift. Every word is heard by him who planted
the ear; and, for every word, you are bound over to
give an answer at the great day of accounts. The
student, with a cultivated mind, with a fund of ready
knowledge, with manners and habits that make him
welcome wherever he goes, with an influence which
cultivation always gives,-the student can do much
for the good of man, the honor of his God, and for his
own future peace, by the manner in which he uses his
powers of conversation.   His words, his tones, will
pour delight into the soul of friendship; they will form
the character of the little prattler who listens to him;
they will pave his way to high and glorious scenes of
usefulness;-or they will fall heavy on the ear of affection, and will roll a deep night of sorrow back upon
his own soul. Remember that every word you utter
wings its way to the throne of God, and is to affect
the condition of your soul forever. Once uttered, it
can never be recalled; and the impression which it
makes, extends to the years beyond the existence of
cartlh.
226
0 
CHAPTER ViI.
POLITENESS AND SUBORDINATION.
THE students of a certain literary institution were
assembled in commons at tea, at the commence ment of a new academical year. A new class were
thus, for the first time, brought to eat together. Their
advancement in life and in education was such, that
each one ought to have been a gentleman.  As  they
sat down, one says to his friend at his right, "We shall
soon see who is who." Presently a large, brawny
hand came reaching along up the table, pushing past
two or three, and, seizing the brown loaf, in a moment
had peeled it of all its crust, and had again retired
with its booty to the owner. "Hold, there! " cries
one, " to say nothing about politeness, where is the
justice of such a seizure?"   "Oh! I love the crust
the best."  "Very like; and perhaps others may also
have the same taste." Here the conversation ended.
But that unfortunate coup-de-main fixed an impression
concerning the student which was never removed.  He
was at once marked as a man destitute of politeness,
and justly, too. All believed that his heart was more
to blame than his hand.
If my readers have ever watched at the door of the
e
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Fis imrsin.                        Hwaplt!a stetd
stage-office, as the load of wearied passengers came
out, one by one, they are aware that we almost instinctively and almost invariably judge of men by their
Grst appearance-their  address. e They will  notice,
too, as they enter a stage for a journey, the inquiring
glance goes eagerly round the circle, and at once, unhesitatingly, and almost intuitively, each one has made
up his mind who are, and who are not, polite men in
the company. In any company, a polite man will be
selected as the one in whom all feel that they have a
kind of friend and protectorone who will neither disregard their rights nor suffer others to do so. When
among strangers, at the public table, the politest man
is selected to carve and distribute to the company, because all have confidence in the uprightness and goodness of his heart. And such a man always carries,
in his very manners, what is better than a letter of
commendation. The lettelr may deceive, or it may
be seen but by few, while his manners will be seen
by all. As politeness will not only add to your personal comfort, and the comfort of all among whom you
move, but will also greatly add to your usefulness, I
feel that no apology is necessary for introducing the
subject here. Indeed, I should feel that the book was
very deficient without it.
cations and communities differ as widely in respect
to pofiteness as, perhaps, any one thing. The French
are polite to a proverb; but we, as a people, seem to
228
First impressions.
HiDw a polite man is treated.
0 
THE STUDENT'"S MAllNUAL.
National character.           Two curious examples.
be characterized as being a very impolite nation. I
need not stop to vindicate our national character, even
if it can be vindicated. But this is certain, that we
can lay no claims to be considered irl danger of being
too polite. I have seen a gentleman in a large circle,
in attempting to sit down, supposing a chair stood behind him, fall flat on his back. The company all
laughed or tittered at his awkward situation, excepting a French gentleman present, who  ran to him,
helped him up, hoped it had not hurt him, gave up
his own chair, and at once entered into a lively conversation, to make him forget the accident. The
company all felt rebuked by the politeness of the
Frenchman; but 1 doubt whether, had the same
accident recurred the next evening, they would not
have repeated the same conduct. Politeness was
a habit with him; but with the rest of us, it was not
a habit. In the same walk in a city, I have inquired
at an American store for a place which I wished to
find, and received an answer that was hardly civil, and
no direction that was of any use. On inquiring at a
French store, a few rods distant, the polite owner
came out, showed me the street, and even went with
me till the house was in sight. Which of these was
the polite man?-and at which shop would I be likely
to stop and make purchases in future? Yet it was not
this motive that induced the man to be polite. It
was his habit.
a
.
229
National character.
Two curious examples. 
TIIE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Dagro  tdns                             ere   hlrn
Perhaps no class of men are in greater danger of
neglecting to cultivate politeness, at the present day,
than students. I will suggest some of the causes of
this danger.                   e
The habits of children are formed very differently,
now, from what they used to be.  Formerly, there
was a -distance-I will not say it might not have been
too great-between the parent and the child. The
child was taught to reverence his parents, and to feel
that he must look up to them, through all the years
of childhood and youth. A child was not then
brought,forward and exhibited as a prodigy in geometry, in languages, or in oratory. But now, we have
mathematicians at four and five, deep proficients in languages at seven, orators that can vie with Pitt at ten,
and finished statesmen before the teens. The result
is, that these learned children are brought forward,
and, like the hot-bed plants, force themselves into
notice even before the spring opens.  The tokens of
respect which used to be paid to age, and worth, and
parental care, are all prostrated. The child is not to
be blamed; but if, when he becomes a student, his
manners are even tolerable, he is greatly to be commended. It is not now thought proper to enforce
family-government in the old-fashioned way marked
out by Solomon; and thus you will find children in
early life wiser than their parents in every thing wherein the will of the parties comes in contact. And he
230
Danger of students.
Leaxned children.
a
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THE STUDENT'S MANUA,.
One danger.              Danger to religious students.
who, from his childhood, has been permitted to show a
want of respect and deference to his parents, will not,
in manhood, be polite to the rest of mankind. If the
principles of a polite, deferential behavior be not plant ed in early life, they will rarely become a part of a
man's character.
Many students, and the very best too, were origi nally from humble life, and unaccustomed to society.
When they began to study, they were secluded from
society, and confined to their books; and, not knowing
the forms of politeness, nor its uses, they soon learned
not merely to neglect, but to despise both. They thus
commenced habits which will effectually prevent their
ever becoming polite men.   Mistaken in the notion,
that no one can cultivate politeness unless he moves
in a brilliant circle, they neglect their daily habits, till
they are clowns for life.
Religious young men are even still more exposed
to danger. They are looked upon as the promise and
the hope of the church, and are treated with the utmost kindness. They are the sons of the church of
God, and all feel something of the partiality of parents towards them. They are in great danger, consequently, of being much more ready to receive attentions than to bestow them-to receive, or even
exact deference, than to bestow it upon those whose
years and character should at once make them forget
themselves. There is an impertinence, a s#rt of
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231
One danger.
Danger to religious students.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Effects of vacations upon the student's politeness.
smirking manner, about some young men, which is endured only because the kind hope is indulged, that
experience will correct the evil, and some other hand
will deal the rough blows necssary to bring them to
their proper places; just as the tender mother spares
her child, in hopes that he will do better as he grows
older; by which she means, that she hopes others
will bestow those corrections which he so richly deserves, but which she cannot inflict. I most sincerely wish that young men of this class, who are thus
exacting the attentions which old soldiers only deserve, could hear even but a part of the severe remarks which are made upon them the moment they
have left the company. The evil of which I am
speaking, and speaking, too, with the kindest of feelings, would be quickly remedied.
It is frequently supposed, that the vacations of students will enable them to throw off the stiffness of
their habits, and to become polite. This ought to be
their effect. But if you will watch the progress of a
student's life, you will find that there is danger of
having a contrary habit formed by vacations. We
will suppose you have studied closely and faithfully.
through the term, have passed the customary examination at its close, and are now prepared to go home.
You are weary, worn down, and almost sick. You
reach home with a countenance pale, and eyes sunken.
Your parents find that, for the last week or two,,ou
0
232 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Visiting the ladies.
have been drooping. Your brothers and sisters dance
around you in pure joy. You are now to be a visitor
for a short time, are to be nursed and revived, and
sent back in good health, and in fine spirits. Every
one in the family is to do all for you in his power,
to make your visit pleasant and cheering. The
walks, the rides, the visits, every thing, even to the
diet, is regulated with a regard to your happiness.
What is the result? You are happy, you are gratified; and vacation is delightful; but I ask you, are
you not in danger, by these delightful attentions, of
receiving all this as your due, and of expecting it all,
without feeling a corresponding obligation to return
kindnesses, and to make others as happy?  Are you
not in danger of feeling that these kind attentions are
something which are the right of the student, and, consequently, of expecting them from all men, and of
feeling disappointed if you do not receive them? Beware of cherishing the feeling, that you are not bound
to bestow attentions and kindnesses, as well as to
receive them.
Some depend upon becoming polite men and gentlemen from the fact, that, during vacations, they visit
much, and, especially, that they then associate much
with the ladies. With all due respect to their influence, I must be allowed to say, that every association
of the student, connected with their society, is too ideal
to do much towards forming habits of politeness. It
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0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL..
Effects of radicalism upon politeness.       New England students.
is thought, that any thing which intoxicates for a season,
is pernicious to regular habits of life. If the remark
is ever true, it probably is in thi ease.
The radical notions of the present day, so prevalent in regard to almost every subject and department
of life, with how much good soever they may be associated, have certainly a deadly influence upon habits
of politeness. He who believes mind and matter to
be of equal worth, and that the great thing necessary,
to recover a planet which has wandered from its orb,
is to put it in a whirl, is not very likely to be the man
who will acknowledge real worth, and pay deference
to genuine merit,-much less to be an angel in kindness towards equals and inferiors. But few men are
radical in theory; but lest they should be thought too
far removed from it, too many sacrifice their politeness
as a peace-offering to this divinity.
Perhaps students in New England are in special
need of caution in regard to their manners. The
very air we breathe is republican; and nothing is current among us but pure republicanism. I am proud
to have it so; and may there never be a breeze, which
shall pass over the blue hills and the sweet valleys of
New England, which shall not give breath to men of
these principles. But, at the same time, while we
cultivate iron sinews, high enterprise, and freedom of
thought and feeling, there is no need of downright
roughness of manners, or savage tones ot.peech.
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234 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Southern manners.             Profassional men not polite
We justly admire the easy, graceful politeness of our
southern  brethren.   They  are  always  welcomed
among us, and make all happy among whom  they
move. We may and ought to have more of their
pleasing manners, without sacrificing any thing of the
New  England  character,  which  is truly valuable.
From their infancy, they exceed us, altogether, in
reverence for their parents, deference to superiors,
and urbanity towards their associates.
Professional men are too frequently destitute of
real politeness, and in very many cases wofilly so.
I shall try to account for this shortly. But, lest the
position should be doubted, look at a few facts. The
good people of New York city are in the habit of
opening their houses every spring, to receive clergymen who may wish to attend the anniversaries of the
religious societies. A few years since, long and imposing cautions were published in their papers, guarding the clergymen who might attend, against spitting on carpets, and other acts of impoliteness of a
similar nature. Without asking whether such a public reproof was altogether delicate or not, it shows the
light in which the profession is viewed by a city population. The offices of lawyers and of physicians
can seldom boast of any thing that looks towards refinement, unless it be the occupant. And even at
the capitol, at Washington, it is said that, when Congress adjourns, they leave the halls in a situation which
0
235
Southern manners.
Professional men not polite 
THE STUD)ENT'S MANU fL.
Illustrated.               The philosophy of the fact.
indicates that almost any thing has been there, rather
than the most refined gentlemen of whom our land
can boast. The manners of professional men, too, are
frequently blunt, slovenly, and boorish. The remark is
not to be confined to any one profession. And why is
it so?  Why are not professional men among the most
refined and polite in their manners? I will tell you.
Their profession is their character. Upon this they rely,
and upon this wholly. It is not that they despise dress
and politeness, but because they do not give them their
real value. An advocate can manage a cause, and make
a plea, so that the whole court will bow to his learning
and powers. He relies upon this character, and neglects
manners, which, it may be, are all that another man has
for his support. That physician, whom you see walking
the streets, would not be tolerated in refined society, with
his present manners, were it not that he stands so high in
his profession. And that clergyman, so eccentric, and
so uncouth, even at table, would be intolerable, were it
not that, in the pulpit, he can show a powerful, cultivated intellect, and a warm heart. Is not this just as
well as if professional men were more particular, anc
as if every one was a model of politeness? I reply,
no. Look a moment at the philosophy of the thing.
Every one loves to gaze upon a beautiful picture, or a
beautiful statue.   You can gaze for the hundredth
time, and, at-each look, receive an emotion of pleasure.
This is true of every man, whoever he may be. We
e
236
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Illustrated by a French lady.        Politeness always receives attentions.
all love to look at what is refined and beautiful; and,
when the thoughts recur to it, we dwell longer and
more intently upon what is graceful and beautiful.
The consequence is, that a man, with the same talents and attainments, who is a refined and a polite man,
is looked at and remembered with vastly more pleasure than his equal, who is awkward, uncouth, and
impolite in his manners. The French lady who declared that she could not read her prayers with any
comfort, except from a beautifully-printed and elegantly-bound Prayer-Book, based her remark, not upon
fancy, but upon true philosophy. If, then, the physician would be remembered with interest, and have
his image recalled with pleasure by his feverish, suffering patient, let him be a polite, finished gentleman
in all his appearance and demeanor. If the lawyer
would have his skill and his eloquence remembered,
let them be associated with manners refined and inviting, and they will be the more often recalled, as
they will be associated so intimately with his person
If the clergyman would have his instructions take deep
hold on the affections of his people, and his visits at
their houses hailed with warm greetings, let him cultivate manners that bring no associations connected
with his person which are not decidedly pleasurable.
Some trample on all the forms of politeness, for the
purpose of challenging and receiving attentions, especially in public places   But  they greatly mistake
.
237
41
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Consistent with independent feelings.        Want of it no mark of genius
human nature. Who does not know that he receives,
and welcomes, and waits upon a polite man, at his own
lhouse, with much more cheerfulness and alacrity than
he does one who has an opposite character?   If you
would be waited upon and receive the attentions of
others, by all means be a man of politeness yourself.
Some feel that politeness is inconsistent with independent feeling. The reverse is true. He who cannot but half respect himself, and can place but half a
confidence in himself, is the man to be jealous of
others, and to demand of them by impudence what he
fears they will not yield him without.  "An envious
and unsocial mind, too proud to give pleasure, and too
sullen to receive it, always endeavors to hide its malignity from the world and from itself, under the plain
ness of simple honesty, or the dignity of haughty independence." You may regard the convenience of
others, and do all that politeness requires, and your
own independence will be actually strengthened by it.
Others feel that it is the mark of genius, or of a
great mind, to be slovenly in appearance and uncouth
in manners. If this be a sure index, the world is certainly in no danger of suffering for the want of genius
and talents. A man may be great and influential
in spite of his manners; and so can the elephant do
wonders with his trunk. The most refined lady cannot thread her needle quicker than he can; but would
she be improved by exchanging  her hands for his
a
238
. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Clement XIV.        Hints.       Good humor necessary.
trunk? If genius requires such manners, the Graces
should have been hawkers of fish in the streets, and
Genius himself a canal-digger.
No station, rank, or talents, can ever excuse a man
for neglecting the civilities due from man to man.
When Clement XIV ascended the papal chair, the
ambassadors of the several states represented at his
court, waited on his holiness with their congratulations. As they were introduced, and severally bowed,
he also bowed, to return the compliment.   On this the
master of ceremonies told his holiness that he should
not have returned their salute.  "0, I beg your pardon," said he; "I have not been pope long enough to
forget good manners."
The following hints are suggested as worthy of your
consideration:
1. That good humor is essential to politeness.
Perhaps you will think I should have used the term
good nature. But that seems to be usually confined
to a negative character.   By good humor I mean "the
habit of being easily pleased." The poet has beautifully said, that the art of love ought, on Saturday, to
sup at the house of the art of pleasing; that is, if I
rightly understand him, the art of pleasing comes next
to that of loving.
"Au nom du Pinde et de Cyth~re
Gentil Bernard est averti,
Que l'art d'aimer doit samedi
Venir rouper chez l'art de plaire."
e
.  239
.'t
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Kind feelings necessary.
Addison has beautifully illustrated this trait of char acter in his somewhat whimsical description of his
walk with his friend Will Honeycomb It seems that
Will had picked up a pebble, wlich, on account of its
shape, he determined to present a friend of his who
was gathering such valuable articles. In the mean
time, he discovered, by the looks of his friend, that he
wished to know the time of day. Pulling out his
watch, he "told me we had seven minutes, good.  We
took a turn or two more, when, to my great surprise,
I saw him squir away his watch a considerable way
into the Thames, and, with great sedateness in his
looks, put up the pebble, he had before found, in his
fob. As I have naturally an aversion to much speaking, and do not love to be the messenger of ill news,
especially when it comes too late to be useful, I left
him to be convinced of his mistake in due time, and
continued my walk."
I trust I have said suffic ent, under the head of conversation, to prevent my being misunderstood, and to
prevent your mistaking good humor for any thing like
buffoonery. It must arise from kind feelings within; and
a smile must be ready to aid those feelings in expressing themselves. It may be an encouragement to know
that every exercise of these kind feelings will surely increase them; so that what is begun as a duty, will soon become a pleasure. We all know that outward expressions
of kindness have no value any further than as they ale
240
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL
Conscience to be cultivated.         Gospel principles ad to politenes&
an index of the feelings within; but it is a kind provision
of Providence, that even the outward expression of kind
ness hasa tendency to cultivate the fe;elings of good will.
2. That the cultivation of the censcience will in
crease your politeness.
The very spirit of the gospel is, that you love your
neighbor as yourself; and all know that this is true
politeness; so that, when you see an impolite man
make great pretensions to religion, you give him credit
-or having probably deceived himself. You may now
be able to think of a man who is notorious for being
wicked. Look at him, and see if he be not far from
being a man of politeness. Look again, and see if
his wickedness did not first commence at the point of
being impolite towards men; for impudence towards
men will almost invariably lead to disrespect of God,
so that he who begins by throwing aside kind and
proper feelings towards his fellows, will most assuredly end in despising the commands of his Maker.
The best way, then, to become a man of politeness, is
to begin with the heart, to act on the principle of
making every one as happy as in your power, because
you would have all others do so to you. No one
can act on this principle, for any length of time, without possessing all the essentials of politeness. You
should, therefore, never try to see how much of kindness you can express, but how much you can feel.
Every feeling of deference towards your Maker; every
241
Conscience to be cultivated.
Gospel principles lead to politenes&
11
0
0 
THE STUDENTS MANUAL.
Cheerfulness essential.
feeling of contrition before him; every season o' selfabasement for your sins,-will bring you nearer and
nearer that state in which you will hardly fail of being
a man of politeness. If we were made for ourselves
alone, and had no other aim but to demand new in
dulgences from others, we might say nothing about
the heart. But if you are to love your neighbor a#
yourself, and if there be a score, a hundred, or a
thousand, who are so situated that they are your neighbors,-then, as you divide off the happiness which you
distribute, you will seek but your share; of course,
your great object will be to distribute to others.
3. That cheerfulness is essential to a polite man.
A gloomy, melancholy man can never think of
much except himself. He cannot forget so important
a personage to attend to you. He may have cause
for all his bad feelings, sufficient to excuse them; but
you cannot count any of them as being very kindly
towards others. A sick man, as he lies on his bed,
will hear the voice of one man as he enters the house,
and dread to see him. Why? Because he knows
that he has so long brooded over himself, that hlie has
not a single kind, cheerful expression for'any one else.
Another man enters, and the very sound of his voice
cheers him, and the smile and the visit are a reviving
cordial. He is a man of cheerful feelings and habits;
and, having these, he tries to commun'cate them to
others. When you cultivate cheerfulness, then, youl
0
"2
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Health essential to cheerfulness.
cultivate, at the same time, the habit of politeness.
T'here is a keenness, a razor-like irony, about some
men, which assumes the airs of cheerfulness, but
which, in reality, is only a genteel way of snarling.
MIuch that is impolite, and really bitter, escapes in
this way.
For the purpose of appearing cheerful, you must
really feel so; and to feel cheerful, you must be in
good health. No one can feel cheerful with a severe
toothache upon him, or when turning and tossing
under a burning fever.  Your health must be good,
and kept good by a frugal diet, and a regular course
of bodily exercise. It is impossible for the mind to
be cheerful and the spirits buoyant without this. No
man ought to undertake to pass himself off in company, or expect to render himself even tolerably agreeable, for a single day, unless he has prepared himself
by some suitable exercise. The cheerfulness and
buoyancy of a hunting party is proverbial: it is owing
to the fact that they are all taking an agreeable exercise, without having an object before them of importance enough to do any thing more than barely excite
them.  "There is no real life but cheerful life; therefore valetudinarians should be sworn, before they enter  ito company, not to say a word of themselves
urtil the meeting breaks up." Never suffer your
body to droop, for the want of exercise, so as to sink
below the power of wishing to please and to be
pleased.
2a
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Friendship cultivates politeness. SUBoRDsATsON.
The cultivation-of friendship will add to your politeness; for, so far from rendering the heart selfish by giving warm affections to a few choice friends,
it will become more generous. towards others. " He
that has no one to love, or to confide in, has little to
hope. He wants the radical principle of happiness;"
and he who wants this, will in vain strive to be a
happy man, or to confer happiness upon others.
I shall do great injustice to my readers unless 1
speak on the subject of SUBORDINATION with great
plainness. What need be said will not occupy a long
space, especially as I shall pretend to offer no new
theory on the subject.
The mind loves to be free; and so strongly does it
disdain confinement, and a relinquishment of its own
wishes, that it is not unfrequently unwilling to see the
necessity for its doing so.
"Order is Heaven's first law."   From the earliest
dawn of reason to the hour of death, when we reluctantly take the last bitter medicine, we have to
submit our wills, more or less, to the will of others.
We cannot, in childhood, see that the motive which
induces our parents to lay us under restraints, is a regard to our future happiness. It seems to us to be
caprice, or, at least, arbitrary dictation. But we learn
to submit our wills to theirs; and here is the foundation of government, and here commences a system of
bonds and obligations which abide on us through life.
e
.m
F,riendship cultivates politeness.
SUBORDI19ATION.
I
a 
THIE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Subordination to the state-laws.          Laws of friendship.
As we advance in life, we see that the reason of family-government is not a love of authority, or of an infliction of punishment; but it arises from compassion
to our ignorance, and a desire to form' our characters
for the world in which we are to live and act.
As we leave the paternal roof, the laws of the state
reach us, and throw their obligations around us. If
we violate them, the laws to which all have agreed to
abide, take hold of us. The judge is only the mouth
of the law, and the magistrate who punishes is only
the hand. But it is the law, the naked law, which
no one or two can alter, which reaches the highest
and the lowest in the community with entire impartiality, that compels us to bow our wills to its mandates.
Without this, no community could be safe or prospered.
Life, character, and property, would alike be a prey
to the wicked, without this power and majesty of law.
If you step aside from the laws of the land, and
seek for a circle of most valued friends where the
heart may revel in its freedom, you will find that even
here there are the nicest of laws, which you must
obey, or you are expelled from that circle, and your
friends renounce you. These laws are not the enactments of legislatures or senates, but they are as well
defined and settled as if they were, and their infraction will as surely and as speedily be visited with
punishment as if the magistrate stood with his sword
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945
It -
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THE STUDENTS MANUAL.
Laws of the street.                       Illustrated.
to revenge their violation. The most delicate and
nice laws must be obeyed, if you would have friends.
The cords are silk, and the first thread that is broken
will bring retribution upon you.'
Even the loose acquaintance of the street in which
you daily walk, throws its laws over you, and you
must obey them; be civil in your appearance and
manners; return kind salutations and kind looks; or
you lose character and friends also. It would be
easy for you to ruin your influence, and almost your
character, by a violation of these unwritten rules. I
once saw a student standing under a tree at the cor ner of the street, sketching a building with his pencil.
Another student came sauntering along withl his companion, arm in arm. As they passed the corner,
one says to the other, "Well, well, something is now
to be done!" in a tone which can be conceived, but
not expressed on paper. The poor limner blushed,
crammed his paper into his pocket, and walked away;
but the sting of that rudeness will never entirely leave
his heart. The form, the gait, the tones, of that rude
young man, will ever remain vividly before him. Was
there any need of such rudeness? Were not the laws
of good breeding violated?
You cannot expect, then, to go to an academy, a
tollege, or to any other institution, at which scores
and hundreds of youth are educated, without finding
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246
Lasts of the street.
Illustrated. 
T   STUDENT'S MANUAL.
A book needed.
laws,-laws that are definite, tangible, and which are
made to be obeyed, and which must be obeyed, or the
'character of the institution is gone. 
One of the most useful books that could be written,
would be a particular and accurate " History of College Rebellions;" and I cannot but hope that some
one-and the individual could easily be selected-who
is well qualified, will undertake it. The only danger
would be, that the work would be too voluminous.
As you open the work, the chapters would read something like the following:-' A brief history of the
Great Stomach Rebellion; wherein is set forth how
a whole class refused to eat-how they assembled and
defied the faculty-their eloquent speeches reported
-how half the class, including every rebel, were expelled from college, and went home in disgracehow many of them became dissipated, and all of them
disappointed the hopes of their parents, and their own,
and never accomplished any thing which endears their
memory to their survivors,' &c.' A concise history
of the Green-pea Rebellion, which arose because that
when the steward obtained all the peas which he
could, he did not obtain more; and which resulted in
the final expulsion of only sixteen from the College.'
' An authentic history of the Window-breaki7g Rebellion, wherein is set forth the severity of the faculty,
inasmuch as they would not commute the punishment
of one who broke seven windows in one night, though
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247
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUA.
Specimen of the contents of the new book.      Four suggestions.
the class petitioned it; but, on the contrary, on receiv  ing the vote of one third of the class, that they would
not recite till said class-mate was restored, proceeded
to discipline the third.'' The melancholy history of
the Gunpowder Rebellion; showing the arbitrary
proceedings of the faculty in punishing ten of the
most promising young men that ever lived, for the
trifling, inconsiderate amusement of blowing up five
of the out-buildingls with ten pounds of powder; with
an appendix, containing the votes and speeches of
the students, together with their thrilling and soul-har rowing appeal to the public.'
These are but the mere specimens of the titles of the
chapters. The book should be faithfully written, and
if it could be embellished with a portrait or two of the
greatest sufferers, in each chapter, it would be a most
valuable vade mecum for the student.
Now, before you ever engage in a rebellion, there
are four points of consideration at which I beg you
carefully to look:   i. That, at such times, the faculty are always acting on right principles, and the students always on
wrong.
In every contest of the kind, you will remember
that you are to act against, and measure strength with
men, who have the coolness of age and the wisdom of
experience. In your vacations, or at any other time,
vou would be highly offended at the suggestion that
248
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THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The faculty are on right principles.      Their character is good.
your instructors are not men of candor, of judgment,
and of kind feelings.  But you come back, and, at
some unexpected turn of affairs, all on a sudden, these
men are so changed that they are neither wise nor
prudent, neither just nor humane. How came they to
be altered so greatly, and so suddenly? Is it so that
they have altered? or do you now look at themn through
the medium of excited passion? You will remember
that their age will not be likely to permit your teachers to be thrown into acts of indiscretion by passion:
their character, their reputation, their interests, their
standing before the community, all unite to urge them
to treat you fairly, and honorably, and kindly. Even
if they were all bad men, and had scarcely a particle
of moral feeling in exercise, every selfish motive of
the human heart forbids their abusing any power which
they may have over you. In a country like ours,
where the very breath of our nostrils is the good opinion of the public, and where schools and colleges are
so numerous, that each has to be very circumspect in
order to get its share of students, the danger is very
small, indeed, that the hand of oppression will be heavy
upon the students.   I am not anxious to press this
view of the subject, because it is unnecessary. Men
cannot be found, intrusted with our high literary institutions, who are capable of being on the wrong side of
the question, when a contest arises between them and
the students.
11*
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249 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Public sentimenet always in favor of the faculty.
2. The second suggestion is, that, in every rebellion,
public sentiment will always set against the students.
Multitudes have been disappointed in this respect,
and that, too, most grievously.   A  great number get
excited on some subject,-a subject about which, individually, they would be ashamed to murmur, if they
had to do it alone: they have meetings, they talk, they
inake most thrilling speeches, and work the thing up,
till, in the medium through which they are looking,
Lheir sufferings are intolerable, and the conduct of the
faculty is atrocious.   Never  were  young  men  of
such character and promise so treated before. They
pass resolutions heated in the furnace of passion; they
transmit these to their instructors, and then breast
themselves in their positions, and, in tones of defiance,
ask, in all the spirit of a command, that the faculty
meet  their wishes.   The  faculty have  seen  such
storms before: secure in their own upright designssecure in the confidence of the whole community-they
coolly tell their threatening pupils, that they are the
party to yield, to submit to law, to acknowledge wrong,
and promise to do better.  But they will not yield,not they. They will strike a blow which will shake
,he institution to its very foundations. They will leave,
and appeal to the public. To the public they appeal,
in tones loud and high-wrought. The good public
hears them; and, here and there, a very radical newspliper utters a faint echo of sympathy; bus, for the
e
$50
a 
THE STUIDENT'S MANUAL. 
The student misses his aim in rebelling.
most part, at least in ninety-nine cases out of a hun dred, the good public laughs at the appeal, despises
the threatenings, mocks at the idea Chat these misguided youth are not lost to any useful purpose, turns and
applauds the firmness of the institution, and gathers
round it with new confidence. Others now rush to
fill their places, rejoicing to put themselves under men
who have laws and regulations, and who will, at any
rate, see that these laws are respected and obeyed.
3. The third suggestion is, that, in these cases, the
students always miss their aim.
The aim of every rebellion is, to free the students
from the exercise of severe, arbitrary power. But,
so far from doing this, the very first moment you rebel, you place yourself entirely within the grasp of
that power. While you obey the laws, they are your
protection, and no injustice can be done to you; but,
the very moment that you violate them, you lie at the
mercy of those who execute those laws. You hold
your place in your class, and in the institution, entirely by courtesy; and, of all the situations for a noble
mind to be placed in, this is the most humiliating. " A
great mind disdains to hold any thing by courtesy, and
therefore, never usurps what a lawful claimant may
take away."  Such is the testimony of one whom every
student in the world reverences. Do the young men
think of this, when they rush into a rebellion? Like
the p'.,r fly attempting to free himself from a web, intq
e
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THE STULENT'S MANUAL.,
Folly of rebellion illustrated.
which he voluntarily thrusts himself, every plunge, and
every agony of passion, only takes from his strength,
and places him more and moreeat the mercy of his
destroyer.  Was  a class, or any part of a class, ever
known to better themselves, in any respect, by a. rebellion? It is a very expensive way of gaining redress; and, what is worse, the redress is never gained.
A man, who has been considered almost an oracle to
the nation, once contrived a new kind of saw-mill.
It was to go by wind. But, for the purpose of having
the wind, he built it on the highest hill in the reg;on.
There the wind was strong and unfailing.  The mill
was built, and worked to admiration. But there was
one capital defect, after all. The hill was so high and
so steep, that he could never get a log to his mill.  It
would repay for the great efforts necessary to get up
a rebellion in college, were there any possible way of
making it of any use, when once excited. But this
will always be an unanswerable objection to the whole
system.
4. The fourth suggestion is, that a rebellion gen
erally results in the ruin of several nmembers of the
institution.
When an excitement first begins, it is usually among
some two or three, who feel that they possess popularity among their fellows, and who are conscious that
they are none too popular with their instructors. They
raise the cry of oppression, and, in order to lead others
.
252
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Runu  -lso  eelo.                 hwee~eti rdcd
forward, at once make two or three plunges, which,
they are aware, put their own characters beyond recovery. Their all is now staked, and Ahe more they can
draw away with them, the better they will feel; just as
highwaymen are said to feel that their vocation is honorable in proportion to the number of outlaws they can
muster. Having once committed themselves, their
song is,
"Rebellion is my theme all day;
I only wish'twould come
(As who knows but perhaps it may?)
A little nearer home."
The excitement becoming more general, the great
body who fall in and plunge with the rest, do not stop
to ask whether they have a cause that will justify them
in so doing; nor do they ask who are the leaders in
it, nor what will be the results; but they are afraid o.
losing popularity by any appearance of reluctance.
They cannot stand before the finger of contempt,
which, at once, points at them, nor endure those names
and keen reproaches which are so intolerable to a man
of generous spirit, if in any measure deserved. Four
fifths, at least, who are drawn into a rebellion, do it
from fear of losing their popularity among  their fellows.
I have known those who could bluster at a public
meeting, and talk of trampling the "sheep-skin," or
diploma, under foot with contempt, go away to their
rooms sad weep at the thought that they were prepare
e
Ruinous results of rebellion.
Ilow excitement is produced.
a 
I'HE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,
A mistaken notion.
ing a cup of sorrow for a father, whose heart was
bound up in his son, or were about to dash the hopes
of the fond, widowed mother, who had denied herself
all the luxuries, and many of the comforts of life, for
years, that she might educate her son. And then,
there is an affectation of manly feeling, the show
of a spirit that can rise above the loss of hopes and
prospects, and dare to make its own destiny. Few
things are more insupportable to the young man
than to have his courage challenged. He will throw
himself headlong into a rebellion to show that he
is a lad of spirit and courage. Brave youth! he
need not pay such a price for what is already acknowledged to be his. Nobody will, or does, doubt
the courage of our young men at our seminaries. Educated as they are, they have a courage which deathl
could not destroy. Why should they commit suicide
to prove what needs no proof?
I beseech my young friends to consider the results
of a rebellion. It may not injure him who is now
reading these lines. But a rebellion must and will
result in prodigious evils.  Seldom does an institution
pass through such a scene without having a third, a
half, and not unfrequently the whole, of a class expelled, or sent away with such marks of disgrace and disapprobation, that no respectable college will hereafter
receive them. The result will be, that the rebellion is
purchased by the ruin of nearly all those who are sacri
254
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Two reasons why a rebellion is so ruinous.'lle first reason.
ficed in the contest.  You may take the names of all
those who have thus violently broken away from col lege, and you will be surprisei to spe how few of them
ever reach eminence, or even respectability, in any pro fession. It has always been so, and must continue to
be so. There are two reasons why it must be so.
First, a young man cannot go through a rebellion, and
be sent from college, without receiving such a shock in
the process, that it will be next to impossible to recover
from it. No sudden changes can be otherwise than in jrious to the mind. Scarcely any change can be great er than takes place when a student is, in a moment,
thrust from the bosom of his college into the world,
with a character unformed, and without the power
of retrieving his loss. He may laugh at his prospects,
talk with contempt about being "incapacitated from
admission into every institution of our country, and
writhing beneath the indignation of a father, and the
weeping reproaches of a mother;" but when the die
is once cast, and he is thrown out upon the world, and
separated from the cheering voices of those who are in
like condemnation with himself, he will find his heart
is desolate indeed. Home, the most delightful spot
upon earth, can bring no joy to him. He goes there,
and meets the face of the father whose goodness he
has abused, and whose hopes he has blasted; of the
mnother whose sorrows and anxieties he has repaid by
dushing the fend pride of one whose heart's blood
.
255
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THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. 
Difficult to recover.           The second reason.
would freely flow for him; of the sisters who used to
come around him as their guide, and cheer him on by
every means in their power. 411 is disappointment
at home.  Does he leave horin  and turn to his ac quaintances?  They  despise  one who  could  thus
throw away the highest advantages, and prefer his
will, at the expense of the happiness of his family, and
of his own prospects. His soul has been frenzied almost to madness, and the passions have been called up
till the reason sunk under them; and now, when the boil- ing waters subside, and Reason once more looks abroad,
she sees what was before a rich and beautiful vale, now
desolated and seared by fire. Of all who know him,
he can receive sympathy from none, whose sympathy
is not a disgrace. He is now in great danger of flying
to stimulants to relieve and drown his troubles, or of
sinking down in misanthropy and inactivity.   The
shock which his whole character and plans have received is inconceivably great. The bankruptcy of
the merchant who falls fiom profuse wealth even to
eating the bread of charity, will not, in any measure,
compare with it. Few can ever hope to recover from
such a fall.
The second reason why such young men as are thus
sent from college can hardly ever reach respectability,
is, that they forever deprive themselves of the very
discipline of mind which is absolutely essential to form
a distinguished character. I am not wishing to pass
.
2m
Difficult to recover.
The second reason.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Discipline of mind lost.    Rebelling a dishonorable business.
a universal censure, nor to say that there may not be,
here and there, a rare instance in which the loss has
been made up, and the young man has been saved.
These, if the cases do ever occur, are exceptions.
But break off a young man from his studies when he
has'out just commenced the discipline of his mind,
shut him out from every institution in the land, and
let him feel that he has committed an error which can
never be retrieved, and where is he to obtain that
mental discipline, and that thorough education, which
are essential to his future success?  His plans are all
broken up; his associates in study are all dissevered
from him; his instructors are all taken from him; and
his prospect of ever becoming what he once justly
hoped, is small indeed. You will never find a man
over the age of forty, who ever was engaged in a college rebellion, or who ever saw one, who will not
s;peak of it in terms of the most decided disapprobation.
Besides, are you acting a generous, manly part?
You have voluntarily placed yourself under the laws of
your college, and under the men who administer those
laws; you have promised solemnly to obey them. And
now, what shall be said about the honor of a young man
who engages in a rebellion, and talks about his "hon-.
or," while.he is violating that honor which he pledged
when he became a member of that institution? If
you feel that you are not dealt with justly and fairlythat you are degraded and abused-ask and receive an
.
257
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THE STUDENTS MANUAL.
No need of it
honorable di3mission, and go to some other college,
where you will be properly treated. But do not
plunge yourself, your class-mates, your parents, and
the whole circle of friends, into deep trouble and last
ing sorrow, with the vain hope of making it clear that
you are a young man of honor, nice feelings, or of
true courage.  No  one doubts that you possess all
these. But you run too great a hazard, when you
stake your character, and that of others younger than
yourself, who will follow you, upon the desperate attempt of dictating conditions to a literary institution.
It is thoughtlessness of the consequences, rather than
deep depravity, which draws so many into these
troubles. If you are such a genius that it must work
out of your fingers' ends, and your hands cannot keep
out of mischief, go home, and employ those hands in
some mechanical business. But do not stay where
you are acting a part dishonorable to your own feelings, which will, sooner or later, end in lasting disgrace. Have the hardihood, if it be required, to
overlook petty inconveniences and vexations in your
present situation, and, while you are a student, stand
up in all the strength of an honorable, high-minded
man.
"Os lhomini sublime dedit
Coelumque tueri."
That you will meet with many things, in themselves
disagreeable, and trying to your habits and your pa.
.
2m
a 
THE STUD)ENT'S MANUAL.
Student's life one of trial.
tience, you must expect. The whole season of study
is one of unpleasant restraint and of severe discipline.
It will cost many sacrifices of feelingo to obtain a good
education; but, when once obtained, you will be your
own master, and will be fit to govern yourself, and will
feel amply repaid for all that you endure. But if you
would respect yourself through life, be free from perpetual mortification, never engage in a coUege rebellwn.
259
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CHAPTER VIII.
EXERCISE. DIET. ECONOMY.
So much has of late been written on the subject of
exercise, that it is in danger of becoming a stale subject, even before it is understood, and long before it is
reduced to systematic practice. It must be plain to
my reader, in the very outset, that the whole hopes,
prospects, every thing dear to the student, must depend upon his health. If the powers of the body be
palsied or prostrated, or in any way abused, his mind
must so far sympathize as to be unfitted for making
progress in study. You may let the system run down
and lose its tone by neglect, and, for a time, the mind
retains its activity, as the fires created by some kinds
of fuel burn brighter and brighter, till they sink away
at once. Sometimes, while the poor house in which
the soul resides is rapidly preparing to fall, the mind
is even more active as decay approaches, and the fires
of the soul burn with a more beautiful and intense
glow. So it is said, that the ear will frequently become so exquisite, just before dissolution, that it can
gather music from the room of death; the harp is
about to be ('rushed in pieces, but, ere it breaks, it
a
. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Health every thing to the student.     Vhy this necessity is not felt.
sends forth notes that are sweet beyond expression,
till it breathes itself away into ruins.
In other employments, if health fails, it may be recovered, in very many cases, by care and exercise.
The business goes on, and the loss of time and property usually do not suffer at once. Not so with him
whose all depends upon the constant employment of
the mind. Three months' loss of time, while in college,
will blast many fair hopes and bright prospects: it
will depress you and perplex you as a scholar, and,
probably, have a material influence upon you through
the whole of life.  You may be poor-you may have
had but small advantages heretofore; but above these,
by industry and application, you may rise. But if
your health be gone, you are, at once, cut off from
doing any thing by way of study. The mind cannot,
and will not, accomplish any thing, unless you have
good health. Resolve, then, that, at any rate, so far
as it depends upon yourself, you will have the mens
sana in sano corpore.
It is frequently the case that the student, as the
fields of knowledge open before him in all their boundless extent, feeling strong in the buoyancy and elasticity of youth, and knowing that his character must all
depend upon himself, sits down closely to his books,
resolved to stop for nothing, till his scholarship is fair
and high. The first, the second, and the third admonitions, in regard to his health, are unheeded, till, at
261
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THE STUDENT'8 MANUAL.
Henry Kirke White.
last, he can study no longer, and then, too late, hlie discovers that the seeds of death are planted in him.
The more promising the student, the higher are his
aims, and the stronger are the asprations of his genius,
the greater is the danger. Multitudes of the most
promising young men have, within the last few years,
found an early grave;-not because they studied too
intensely, but because they paid no attention to the
body. The beautiful lament which was sung over
the gifted White might be repeated every year, and
.be equally applicable to many who were of equal
promise, though their names are "unknown to song.'
"Oh! what a noble heart was here undone,
When Science' self destroyed her favorite son!
Yes, she too much indulged thy fond pursuit;
She sowed the seeds, but Death has reaped the fruit
'Twas thine own genius gave the final blow,
And helped to plant the wound that laid thee low:
So the struck eagle, stretched upon the plain,
No more through rolling clouds to soar again,
Viewed his own feather on the fatal dart,
And winged the shaft that quivered in his heart.
Keen were his pangs; but keener far to feel,
He nursed the pinion which impelled the steel;
While the same plumage that had warmed his nest
Drank the last life-drop of his bleeding breast"
It may, no doubt, be true, that the man who sits
down to study, and gives his whole soul to it, without
much if any regard to health, may, for a time, impro
262
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0 
4
I HEi STUDENT S MANUAL.
Rapid maturity of the mind not desirable.        A  fashion in this country.
fast, and mature with great rapidity. He may pass
over the ground fast, and appear a prodigy of genius
But it is almost certain that such a one is soon to
reach the limits of his attainments, and, if he does not
speedily find his grave, will soon be too feeble to do
any thing but drag out a discouraging existence. For
one, I do not feel that it is so very desirable to mature
the mind as early as some strive to do; and, perhaps,
we labor under a great mistake, on this point, in this
country.  Our country is a youth, and nothing but
what is elastic and youthful, is in fashion. Our legislators, our professional men, must all be young to be
popular. The stars are to be looked at only while
they are rising. A man of fifty is considered almost
superannuated, with us. Such is the fashion. It is
not so in other countries. Even La Fayette would
not have been considered fit to stand at the head of a
great national army, in times of revolution, in this country, after he was eighty. In England, the throne is
usually surrounded by a galaxy of talent which is the
admiration of the world. Are they men who matured
in boyhood, and whose education was completed at
twenty-five? Far from it. They are usually old
men, whose minds have been slow in becoming mature, whose judgment has been made sound by reading, by thought, by observation, and by years. I
make these remarks, because I would have our young
men feel that the business of study is for life; and
a
M...
a 
4
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Study endaiigers the health. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Vho is a hero.~~~~~~
that, instead of trying to do all that can be done in a
very short time, they should lay their plans and make
their calculations to live long, and for many years be
improving and ripening for usefulness.
It is impossible for any man to be a student with out endangering the health. Man was made to be
active. The hunter, who roams through the forest, or
climbs the rocks of the Alps, is the man who is
hardy, and in the most perfect health. The sailor,
who has been rocked by a thousand storms, and who
labors day and night, is a hardy man, unless dissipa tion has broken his constitution. Any man of active
habits is likely to enjoy good health, if he does not
too frequently over-exert himself. But the student's
habits are all unnatural; and by them nature is con tinually cramped and restrained. " Men err in noth ing more than in the estimate which they make of hu man labor. The hero of the world is the man that
makes a bustle,-the man that makes the road smoke
under his chaise-and-four,-the man that raises a
dust about him,-the man that ravages or devastates
empires! But what is the real labor of this man, com pared with that of a silent sufferer? He lives on I)is
projects; he encounters, perhaps, rough roads, incom modious inns, bad food, storms and perils, weary days
and        sleepless nights;-but what are these?  His pro ject, his point, the thing that has laid hold on his
heart, glor y,   a name, consequence, pleasure, wealth
a
264
Study endangers the health.
Who is a hero. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
WVe try to mature too soon.
these render the man callous to the pains and efforts
,of the body. I have been in both states, and there  fore understand them; and I kn(wv that men form
this false estimate.   Besides, there is something in
bustle, and stir, and activity, that supports itself. At
one period, I preached and read five times on a Sun  day, and rode sixteen miles. But what did it cost
me? Nothing! Yet most men would have looked
on, while I was rattling from village to village, with
all the dogs barking at my heels, and would have call ed me a hero; whereas, if they were to look at me
now, they would call me an idle, lounging fellow.
'He gets into his study- he walks from end to end
he scribbles on a scrap of paper-he throws it away,
and scribbles on  another,-he sits down-scribbles
again-walks about!' The man cannot see that here
is an exhaustion of the spirit which, at night, will leave
me worn to the extremity of endurance. He cannot
see the numberless efforts of mind, which are crossed
and stifled, and recoil on the spirits like the fruitless efforts of a traveller to get firm footing among the ashes
on the steep sides of Mount Etna."
There can be no room for doubt, in the mind of an
attentive observer, that one cause why so many of our
promising young men sink into a premature grave, is,
that they try to do so much in so short a time. By
this I mean, that they feel that the great work of disciplining and stocking the mind mutist be done before
12
.
a
, 265
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. 
Difficulties which prevent exercise.             First difficulty.
the age of twenty-five. Whoever embraces this notion must, at once, abandon the idea of ever excelling,
or else he must sit down to his kooks with an intensity of application that cannot but endanger life.
There are several difficulties in the way of your
taking regular, vigorous exercise.
1. You do not now feel the necessity of it.
We take no medicine till necessity compels us;
and exercise to the student is a constant medicine.
You are now young; you feel buoyant, have a good
appetite, have strength, fine health, and fine spirits.
Time flies on downy wings. Why should you teacih
yourself to be a slave to exercise, and bring your.
self into habits which would compel you, every day,
to take exercise?  It seems like fitting yourself with
a pair of heavy crutches, when you have as good legs
to walk with as ever carried an emperor.  Let those
who are in danger of the gout, or of falling victims to
disordered stomachs, begin the regimen; but for yourself, you do not feel your need. No, nor will you
feel it, till you are probably so far gone, that exercise
cannot recover you. On this point, you must take
the testimony of the multitudes who have gone over
the ground on which you now stand, and who understand it all.  They will tell y u, that it is not at your
option whether you will take exercise or not; you
must take exercise, or you are lost to all your hopes
and all your prospects.
e
266
Difficulties which prevent exercise.
First difficulty.
a 
TIHE STUDENT'S MANUAI,.
Second difficu1t.                  Third difficuI.
2.  You feelpressedfor time, and therefore cannot
take exercise.
Your hours of reciting are all marked out. The
bell will ring at the moment, and, prepared or not, you
must be at recitation.  You have such a pressure of
studies-perhaps labor under some peculiar disadvantages-and so many extra efforts to make out of the
regular study hours, that you really cannot find time
to exercise. Let me tell you that you miscalculate
on one important point. If you will try the plan of
taking regular, vigorous exercise every day for a single term, you will find that you can perform the same
duties, and the same amount of study, much easier
than without the exercise. The difference will be as
tonishing to yourself.  The time spent in thus invigorating the system will be made up, many times over,
in the ease and comfort with which your mind takes
hold of study.
3. You do not feel interested in your exercise, and
therefore do not take it.
Many schemes have been devised, by which the student will take regular exercise, and, at the same time,
be interested in it. The manual labor system has been
greatly extolled. The gymnastic system was no less
so. In the latter, I have never had any confidence;
and, though I would not speak decidedly against the
former, inasmuch as it may, in certain cases, do good,
yet I must say that I do not believe it will prevail, in
267
Second difficulty.-.
Third difficulty.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The manual labor system.           Objections to it.
our systems of education, to any great extent. The
system must stand, if at all, by appealing to the self ishness or waits of the student, and telling him that
in this way, he can earn money.   But this will not be
true in all cases, and probably not in a majority of instances. But there seems to me one great objection
to it; and that is, it is too monotonous. When you
lay aside your books, you want something to do which
will not merely relax the mind from the fatigue of
study, but which will also tend to enliven it, and
render it cheerful. The monotony of the work-shop
will hardly do this. Judging from experience, I decidedly prefer walking to all other exercise for the
student. Buchan urges it as the best possible exercise, as it calls more muscles into motion than any
other which is not positively painful. The advantages of this mode of exercise are, that it is shnple.
The apparatus is all at hand complete. You need
not wait for any importation of machinery.  It is in
the open air, so that the lungs can, at once, receive
the pure air of heaven, and the eye gaze upon  hill
and dale, upon trees and flowers, upon objects an'mate and inanimate. Thile very objects of sight and
sound cheer and enliven the mind, and raise thie spirits.  Tile noise of the -hamnmer or saw, tlhe walls of
the shop, and whole interior of thie work-shop, have a
very different effect upi-n the feelings and slpirits. If
any one is skeptical on  lis point, a few mnotlts' trial
268
The manuaj labor system.
Objections to it.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Wa]kin,, the best exercise for students.         Fourth difficuity.
in the two places will remove all doubt.   Another
advantage of walking is, that you can have a friend to
walk with, and unbend the mind, an; cheer the spirits,
by pleasant conversation. This is a point of great
consequence; and it can be attained only in walking.
You hear the same sounds, you see the same objects,
you relieve the way, and the fatigues of exercise, by
conversation. For this reason, you should calculate,
in most cases, to have company in your walks. Once
try the method of walking with a friend regularly for
a few weeks, and you will be surprised at the results.
On those afternoons in which study is not required,
be sure and take long walks, and lay up health for
days to come. I once knew two students who invigorated their constitutions astonishingly by this simple
process. During one summer, they walked over two
hundred miles in company, counting no walk which
was under five miles. In a short time, you will feel
so much at home in the exercise, that you will not
inquire what weather it is, but, Has the hour for walking arrived?
4. The habits of the student make any bodily exertions fatiguing; and therefore you neglect exercise.
There is no need of going into the physician's department, and assigning the reasons why, by disuse, the body
soon comes to a state in which we feel it a burden to
make exertions. The fact is unquestionable. You may
go to your books, and shut yourself up in your room
a
260
Walking the best exercise for students.
Fourth difficulty. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. -
How to meet this difficulty.
for weeks almost constantly, and the idea of walking two or three miles will almost fatigue you of itself.
The muscles, the joints, the wlioi house, reluctates at
the thought of moving. The limbs will ache in a few
moments, and the will has not the power to enforce
obedience. Every day you put off the habit of exercise, the difficulty becomes greater; so that he who
has not regular times for taking exercise, will soon
cease to take any. Nothing can make it pleasant, or
even tolerable, but the constant practice of it. You
cannot snatch it here and there, and find it an amusement, as you can take up a newspaper; for it will be
a burden. Many have, now and then, taken what
they call "a dish of exercise;" and when over, they
felt worse than when they took none; indeed, it came
near making them sick; and so they sagely conclude
that exercise does not agree with them. Like the
Indian, with a single feather under his head on the
rock, and which made him wonder how any one could
sleep on a whole bed of feathers, they wonder what
they do who exercise daily. Exercise is pleasant or
otherwise, not in proportion to its being light or heavy,
but to its regularity. The habits of the mind, and more
especially those of the body, will forever forbid your
enjoying the luxuries and the benefits of it, unless it
be regular.  Keep this in mind, and it will probably
account for much of the unwillingness which you mnay
now feel to taking exercise.
a
270 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Exercise must be regular.           Must be agreeable.
Exercise, then, to be a blessing to you, must be
qualified by the following rules:
(a.) It must be regular, and daily.
Nature has planted hunger within  so that we
shall daily bring supplies, to meet the astes of the
body. But, without exercise, the system has not the
power to appropriate these supplies, and reduce them,
so that they become nutriment. Be as regular in
taking exercise, as you are in taking your food.
There can be no good excuse, so long as you have
feet, which, in a few moments, will give you the best
of exercise.
(b.) It should be pleasant and agreeable.
The tread-mill would afford regular and powerfui;
exercise; but it would be intolerably irksome. It
might give you iron sinews, but the soul would be
gloomy and cheerless. It is of the first importance,
that you take pleasure in the exercise. Walking is
good, but not-if you must walk in a bark-mill. Rid
ing is good, but not-if you had to ride a wooden horse
or a trip-hammer. Be sure and have your hour ol
exercising cultivate cheerfulness. " Writers, of every
age, have endeavored to show that pleasure is in us,
and not in the objects offered for our amusement. If
the soul be happily disposed, every thing becomes a
subject of entertainment, and distress will almost want
a name. Every occurrence passes in review like the
figures of a procession: some may be awwward, others
271
Exercise must be regular.
Must be agreeable.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL
It shul  rea  h   id                          dnlD    ez
ill-dressed; but none but a fool is for this enraged with
the master of the ceremonies."
(c.) It should relax the mind.
Philosophy can teach us to be stubborn or sullen
when misfdnes come; and religion can enable us
to bear them with resignation; but to a man whose
health and spirits are good, they never come with their
full power. We should aim to keep both the mind
and body in such a condition, that our present circum stances are pleasant, and the future are undreaded.
But this cannot be done if the mind be always keyed
up like the strings of the musical instrument.   The
mind that attains the habit of throwing off study and
anxiety, and relaxing itself at once, has obtained a
treasure. It was this that gave the famous Cardinal
De Retz his power over his circumstances, and which
could enable him to smile at his destiny. When fallen into the hands of his deadliest enemy, and confined a close prisoner, he laughed at himself and at his
persecutor.  "In this mansion of distress, though secluded from his friends, though denied all amusements,
and even the conveniences of life, teased every hour
by the impertinences of the wretches who were employed to guard him, he still retained his good humor,
laughed at all their little spite, and carried the jest so
far as to be revenged, by writing the life of his
jailer."
(d.) It should be increased at convenient seasons.
0
272
Cardinal De Retz.
It should relax the mind. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Exercise to be increased at particular times. Professional met. PauL
My reader will understand by this that I mean, he
should improve his vacations to recover from the
fatigue of the past, and gather strength and health for
the future. At a very trifling expense, two young
men can set off on foot, and, while they are at entire
leisure, can perform a long journey, see a great va:ety
of new objects and curiosities, become acquainted
with a variety of character, have their spirits raised,
the tone of the whole system regulated, and all this
Juring each vacation. I would urge this, because it
is naturally impossible for a student to live long, without some such course. All professional men must
have  the relaxation of travelling.   Lawyers have
more or less of it in attending courts. Physicians are
constantly moving; and clergymen must take a journey almost every season, or they sink into the grave.
I have heard, now and then, a severe and captious remark on this point. Must professional men, and especially clergymen, every year or two, take this expensive journey?   Farmers and mechanics do not.
True; but they would be compelled to do it, if they
used their minds, and that to the necessary neglect of
the body. But did not Paul preach continually,
labor vastly more than we do, and yet live to old age,
without relaxation? I answer, no. Far from it. In the
first place, he travelled almost the whole of the timtj
while preaching; sometimes by land, and then again a
passenger on the water; but most of the time on some
1.29*
a
273 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Illustrious men have labored with the hands.
journey. His circuit lay round Jerusalem, the diameter
being about a thousand miles. In the second place,
Providence so ordered it, that he was, every now and
then, taken off from his labors, arid shut up in prisons.
Here lie had no desponding feelings, for his religion
supported him; here his friends visited him; and
here, necessarily, he relaxed and rested, long enough
to recover from the wearing of preaching, and yet not
long enough to sicken for the want of exercise.
I should be sorry to have my remarks construed as
tending to discountenance any manual labor by which
the student or the professional man may benefit himself. Mlany illustrious men have alternately followed
the plough, harangued in the forum, commanded
armies, and bent over their books.  The patriarchs
and the distinguished son of Jesse were shepherds, as
were Moses and some of the prophets. Paul, though
no mean scholar, was a tent-maker. Cleanthes was a
gardener's laborer, and used to draw water and spread
it on his garden in the night, that he might have time
to study during the day. He was the successor of
Zeno. _Esop and Terence, whose names will live
while language lives, were slaves. Cesar, as every
student knows, studied in the camp, swam rivers holding his writings out of the water in one hand; while his
clothing was spun and woven by his sisters. Mahlomet "made his own fires, swept his own house, milked
his ewes, and mended his shoes and pantaloons,
a
.
274 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Examples.        Summary of the advantages of exercise.
with his own sacred hand." Charlemagne, great in
war, and greater in peace, filled his palace with learned men, founded schools and academies through his
dominions, and yet was so industrious that he could
frame laws even to the selling of eggs. Of Gustavus
Vasa it is said, "a better laborer never struck steel."
It is by no means certain that these men would ever
have been as distinguished for mental excellence, had
they not endured all these fatigues of the body. If
you can feel as cheerful and happy in the garden, the
field, or the work-shop, as you can while walking with
a companion, it is altogether to be preferred to walking. But that regular daily exercise which is most
pleasant to you, is that which, of all others, will be
the most beneficial.
Permit me to say, in a word, that no student is doing
justice to himself, to his friends, or to the world, without being in the habit of a uniform system of exercise; and that for the following reasons:
1. Your life will probably be prolonged by it.
It is little less than suicide to neglect to do that,
without the doing of which you are almost sure to
shorten your days. The Creator has not so formed
the body, that it can endure to be confined, without
exercise, while the mind burns and wears upon its
energies and powers every moment.
2. You will enjoy more with than without exercise.
This   remark is to be applied only to those who ex
.
275
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Mind strengthened by exercise.
ercise daily; and to such it does apply with great
force. Every one who is in this habit will bear ample
and most decided testimony to this point.
3. You add to the enjoyment of others.
A cheerful companion is a treasure; and all will
gather around you as such, if you are faithful to yourself; for exercise will make you cheerful, and cheerfulness will make friends.
4. Your mind will be strengthened by exercise.
Were you wishing to cultivate a morbid, sickly taste,
which will, now and then, breathe out some beautiful
poetical image, or thought, like the spirit of some most
refined essence, too delicate to be handled or used
in this matter-of-fact world, and too ethereal to be enjoyed, except by those of like palate, you should shut
yourself up in your room for a few years, till your
nerves only continue to act, and the world floats before
you as a dream.   But if you wish for a mind that
can fearlessly dive into what is deep, soar to what is
high, grasp and hold what is strong, and move  and
act among minds conscious of its strength, firm, resolved, manly in its aims and purposes, be sure to
be regular in taking daily exercise.
"We consist of two parts, of two very different
parts.; the one inert, passive, utterly incapable of directing itself, barely ministerial to the other, moved,
animated by it. When our body has its full health
and strength, the mind is so far assisted thereby, that
I
276
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Confirmation.                  DIET.
it can bear a closer and longer application; our apprehension is readier; our imagination is livelier; we
can better enlarge our compass of thought; we can
examine our perceptions more strictly, and compare
them more exactly; by which means we are enabled
to form a truer judgment of things; to remove, more
effectually, the mistakes into which we have been led
by a wrong education, by passion, inattention, custom,
example; to have a clearer view of what is best for
us, of what is most for our interest, and thence determine ourselves more readily to its pursuit, and persist therein with greater resolution and steadiness."
In regard to DIET, no class of men are more apt to
go from one extreme to another than students. You
will see one, to-day, swallowing hot bread and cold,
meats and vegetables, and whatever else may fairly
come in his way. He takes more food into the
stomach than it can manage, feels sick, and takes to a
rigid system of dieting, which lasts- till he gets well.
He hears of such a distinguished man who uses no
meat, and he must, from his success in study, be considered right. Another uses milk only, and has become a great man; and therefore the mAk diet must be
the best. He flies from one thing to another, is capricious and  variable, usually for two good reasonsFirst, he exercises so little, or so irregularly, that no
kind of food can sit kindly upon his stomach; and,
secondly, his appetite demands more in quantity than
e
'277
Confirmation.
DIET.'
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Students fickle on this subject.    Dryden's account of thile first diseases
a sedentary man should eat. Hence the student has
no confidence in his own judgment or experience, and
thus frequently presents a ludicrous picture of incon stancy. He is really a dyspeptic, and has a weight
upon him, which, with his habits, must be heavier
and heavier, till he cannot support it.  "Propter stomachum, homo est, quod est," is a maxim which carTies too much of truth in its very face at this day.
The calls of appetite are listened to till the appetite
becomes morbid, the stomach oppressed for weeks;
and then the spirits sink, resolution droops, and nothing can now give a start to the clogged machinery
but the prescriptions of the physician. When you
have come regularly under the influence of medicine,
and must rely upon that to do for you what diet and
exercise should have done long ago, you are far down
the hill.
"The first physicians by debauch were made;
Excess began, and sloth sustains the trade.
By chase our long-lived fathers earned their food:
Toil strung the nerves and purified the blood:
But we, their sons, a pampered race of men,
Are dwindled down to threescore years and ten:
Better to hunt in fields for health unbought,
Than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught;
The wise, for cure, on exercise depend:
God never made his work for man to mend."
In this case, as in most others, the cure of the student must consist in prevention. He can, by care and
278
0
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Diet must correspond with exercise.
prudence, in most cases, live long, enjoy good health,
be a severe student, and do a great amount of good;
he may also, by carelessness, in a short time, seal his
own fate, and ruin himself. There are a few hints
which I am wishing to suggest on the subject of diet,
which may be expressed briefly.
1. Your diet must correspond with your exercise in
the open air.
Many shut themselves up entirely, in unpleasant
weather, during the long winter, or whenever they find
a yressure of business within, or unpleasant weather
without; and yet they eat just as voraciously as if they
took exercise every day. To say that no attention
is to be paid to diet, is madness. You must pay attention to it sooner or later. If you are faithful to
take regular, vigorous exercise every day in the open
air, then you may eat, and pay less attention to quantity and quality. But if you take but little exercise,
you may be sure that you are to be a severe sufferer
if you do not take food in the same proportion. I
do not ask you to diet, i. e. to be as difficult, and
as changeable, and as whimsical, as possible, as
if the great point were to see how much you can
torment yourself and others; but I do ask you to beware as to the quantity of food which you hurry into
the stomach three times each day, without giving it
any rest. It is the quantity, rather than the kinds of
food, which destroys students: it is certainly true, that
279
Hints — )n diet.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Fasting.                 Effects of our habits.
the more simple the food, the better. If you are un usually hurried this week; if it storms to-day, so that,
in these periods, you cannot go out, and take exercise,
-let your diet be very sparing, though the temptation
to do otherwise will be very strong. When, by any
means, you have been injured by your food, have over stepped the proper limits as to eating, I have found, in
such c-ses, that the most perfect way to recover is to
abstain entirely from food for three or six meals. By
this time, the stomach will be free, and the system be
restored. I took the hint from seeing an idiot who
sometimes had turns of being unwell: at such times,
he abstained entirely from food for about three days,
in which time nature recovered herself, and he was
well. This will frequently, and perhaps generally,
answer instead of medicine, and is every way more
pleasant. The most distinguished physicians have
ever recommended this course. It is a part of the
Mahometan and pagan systems of religion, that the
body should be recruited by frequent fastings.  "Let
a bull-dog be fed in his infancy upon pap, Naples' biscuit, and boiled chicken; let him be wrapped in flannel at night, sleep on a good feather-bed, and ride but
in a coach for an airing, and if his posterity do not become short-limbed, puny, and valetudinarian, it will be a
wonder." If there is any one thing in the history of
the celebrated Mathers which tends to account for
their long lives, notwithstanding their astonishing labors
280
Fasting.
Effects of our habits.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Dr  Spigspecito.                          euaiyo  it
as students, it is their frequent and stated days of fasting. A man of property, who had for years been
abusing his stomach, at last found his health on a
rapid decline. Nature could endure it no longer.
He went to consult the celebrated Dr. Spring, of
Watertown, Mass. He stated the symptoms of his
case so clearly, that the learned physician could not
mistake the nature of the disease.  "I can cure you,
sir," said he, "if you will follow my advice." The
patient promised most implicitly to do so. " Now,"
says the doctor, "you must steal a horse."  "What!
steal a horse?"   "Yes,-.you must steal a horse.
You will then be arrested, convicted, and placed in a
situation where your diet and regimen will be such,
that in a short time your health will be perfectly
restored."
2. Be regular in your diet.
Nature loves regularity. She will permit you to
dine at any hour you please, and will conform to your
wishes in almost every thing, if you will only allow
her to depend upon regularity. Some will tamper
with themselves, and cultivate a morbid appetite, by
eating something, if it be nothing of more worth than
a handful of hot peppermints, between almost every
meal. And then, at night, among the last things they
do, they eat something before retiring to rest.   That
weariness and faintness which are the calls of nature
.
281
Dr. Spring's prescription.
Regularity of diet.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Singular instance of one irdulgence.
for rest and sleep, are met by a new supply of food.
One of the best remarks that Jefferson ever made, was,
that nobody ever repented having eaten too little."
This is true to the letter, in retard to eating between
meals. I do not wish to go into particulars; but the
hatbt of closing the day or evening by loading the
stomach with fruit or food, will, sooner or later, visit
you with fearful retribution.
3. Be simple in your diet.
In no profession of life are men likely to accomplish any great and good enterprise, who are in any
measure slaves to their palates. Buonaparte was temperate and simple to notoriety during his wonderful
career as a general; and Washington, during all his
campaigns, was remarkable for the simplicity of his
diet. Many times he was known to sit on his horse
all day, making his dinner of bread and a slice of
pork. The habits of the epicure are the last which
the student should cherish. No one thing should be
considered as essential to your comfort-. A distinguished lawyer used to congratulate himself that the
only luxury in which he indulged, was good coffee in
the morning: to make it to his taste, it amounted to
just half as much ground coffee  as he drank liquid.
He shone brightly while he lived, but, without any disease or sickness upon him, he sunk into the grave before the age of forty. He died worn out, and seemed
Sixnplicity in diet.
a 
'IHE -STUlDENT'S MA.NUAL.
Stimulating drinks.
-n old man. Without wishing to descend to particular
3rticles of food, it should be a general rule to be as
simple as possible at the table.
I cannot persuade myself that I need say a word on
the subject of stimulating drinks; for I cannot believe
that any one, who has self-respect enough to read a
book designed for his improvement, will need a single
caution on this point. Many classes of men are more
frequently in the way of temptation from this quarter,
than the student; but no class has half the temptatioh from within. There is a depression, and a sinking of the animal spirits, at times, which makes the
desire for artificial stimulants almost irrepressible.
And when the experiment has been once made, and
the appetite once indulged, you are, probably, too
completely in the hands of your enemy to be saved.
Let it alone: never suffer a bottle, a decanter, a wineglass, to come into your room, or to touch your lips.
You could be pointed to men who, in their several
professions, were brilliant while they lived, and whose
tongues and pens were made eloquent by artificial
stimulants. Their suns, almost without exception, set
in clouds, and what they wrote will lie unread, at least
till the memory of the authors has passed away. But
if you could take the catalogue of our colleges, and
hear the history of those who, by the star, are marked
as having gone to the grave, you would be astonished
at the number who were destroyed by this fatal in
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUALS
Bad effects upon the student.                      EconoMY.
dulgence. The student who, even occasionally, uses
strong drinks, may be marked as one who will soon
cease to be in your way as a P'val, and whose career
will probably be marked, hereafter, only with shame
and degradation. While I feel that I almost insult
my reader by cautioning him on this subject, I must
be permitted to say that the danger, to the student, is
very great, and that, owing to the peculiar excitabili ty of his nerves, and the relaxed state of his system,
he probably receives treble the injury, by stimulants,
that any other man does.
I shall close this chapter with some remarks upon
ECONOMY.
The great mass of our students are any thing but
wealthy. There are many who, to render their
standing in life respectable, go through college, when
they have no expectation of relying upon themselves
for support. Few of these lay any claim to the
character of students. They rely upon their wealth
for character and influence in life. Among these
there are some who make fine scholars; but, though
their number is greater than we should expect, it is
small. Those who are to inherit wealth, as a class,
will never feel a pressure sufficient to make them severe students. And those who are seeking wealth,
will never seek it in the way of study. If it be your
object to become rich, you can find a thousand paths
which will lead you to wealth, before that of study.
284
Bad effects upon the student.
EcoNOMY.
0
. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Indigence nDo injury to a student.
No class of men in the world, considering the amount
of capital expended in obtaining an education, and the
amount of labor in their professions, are so poorly paid
as professional men. It has been said, with empha sis and truth, "that merely to obtain wealth, a man
would be more likely to succeed, to begin with a
wood-saw and axe, than with an education, which cost
him ten years of hard study, and all the money he
could borrow." A professional man, in this country,
by untiring industry and economy, may have a com petency, in most cases; but it will require the union
of these two qualities to give it. You will see the
necessity, then, of looking at the subject now, and of
beginning life with those habits and views which will
be safe. It is certainly true, that without economy
no student will ever be rich; and, perhaps, it is equal ly true, that with it very few will ever be poor
through life.
Set it down as an axiom, that poverty will do you
no injury as a student. While multitudes have been
ruined by wealth, few have ever been, by being poor;
for there is no pressure so direct, so constant, and so
powerfill, as that of poverty. Pythagoras long ago
remarked, "that ability and necessity dwell near each
~ other: " they usually inhabit the same building.  The
strong, gigantic character of Johnson was probably ow ing, in a very great measure, to his poverty. He used
to say, that Richard Savage and himself often walked
0
285
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Johnson and Savage.  Poverty of Savage.~~~~~~~~~
till four in the morning,-in the course of their con versation, reforming the world, dethroning princes,
giving laws, &c.,-till, fatigued with their legislative
oQffice, they began to want refreshment, but could not
muster more than four-pence-half-penny between them.
If, in a country where so much is thought to depend on
hereditary rank and affluence, poverty only presses a
man into greatness, it is no less true, certainly, that,
in this country, it cannot injure you.   Savage cornposed his most admired productions while walking over
the corn-fields; and then, stepping into the shops and
begging a pen, he wrote on scraps of paper picked up
in the street, what he had composed during his rambles. And that burning, indescribable passion fore
knowledge and high attainments which the student
ought to have, can no more be quenched by his poverty, than the deep river will cease to roll on with its
ourden of waters, because you cut off a mountain rill.
Indeed, the circumstance of his being poor, is decidedJy favorable to the hope that he will stand high as a
student; for who does not love to rise above obsta.
cles which, being no reproach to us by lying in our
path, and which, being seen by all, only show the
strength of character and of purpose which can carry
us over them? The discipline which poverty adds to
the character is often more severe than language can
describe; but the spirit that can bow to its yoke, and,
awd4r it, carry forward all the burdens connected with
a
*6
Johnson and Savage.
Poverty of Savage.
6
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Students should not be ashamed of poverty.
study, is the spirit to be hereafter felt and revered
by others. The temptations to dissipation, to dress,
and extravagance, to take the mind away from his
books, are greatly lessened by his being poor. Look
at the men on the stage of life, whose voice, whose
pen, whose influence are felt the widest, and who are
the ornaments of our country.  Were many of them
cradled in affluence? Did they acquire their strength
'  on beds of roses?  Or are they those who have made
themselves by their own efforts, little aided by circumstances that may be denominated fortuitous? The
most indigent student in the land need not fear the re; sults of such an investigation.
Never be ashamed to have it known that you are
poor, provided that your poverty is owing to no Osr
,~....
man#agemet of yours.  The remark, that "it is the
eyes of otherpeople which cost us so much," is so
true, ttit,       t those eyes, some will be extrava  gant, an rill be odd, in their appearance.
"A celebueneral used to dress in a fantastic
manner, by           aking himself better known.  It
is true, people w,;say,' Who is that old fool?' but
it is also true, that the answer was,'That is the fa  mous General, who took such a place.'  No
one ever stands high in the estimation of others, who
goes beyond his means to adorn his person; and
while the student should, in all respects, study to be a
gentleman in his deportment, it is no more desirable
~.E 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Be anxious to keep out of debt.        What to do if debts are necessary.
for him to rely upon dress for character, than it is for
a lady to adorn her face with chalk, which the rain
will wash off, or with paints, which the sun will melt
away.
As far as possible, keep out of debt.  Nothing, short
of loss of character, ever weighs down the spirits
of a student, like a load of accumulating debts. To
say nothing about independent feeling, which he can
no more enjoy, than an "empty bag can stand upright," 
there is an agony about it of which the stirring, ac-d
tive, bargain-making man cannot conceive.  It haunts
the soul day and night; and the man who can prosper in his studies while sinking'in debt, must have  4
feelings peculiar to himself, and be made of "sternerJf
stuff" than most men. All the efforts of denying
yourself the luxuries, and even the comforts of life,
are light, in comparison with the burden of owing.
But perhaps you will say, that your circumstances
are such, that you must relinqui   studies, at
once and forever, or be in debt.  W hall you do
in such a case?  I reply that, if o  iust meet an
evil, and carry a burden on your back for years,
make every effort to have it as light as possible. You
must be in debt, we will suppose. Try, then, and see
how little you can be in debt, and possibly get along.
In this case, in order to have the mind as free as you
can, borrow your money at one place, and in sums so
large, that you need have no small debts upon which
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288
Be anxious to keep out of debt.
What to do if debts are necessary.
'I.
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THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Not to consult taste in purchases.
you think, and over which you ache, every time you
walk out. Keep - small book, in which you register
all the items of your expense, and frequently look it
over, and see if there be an item registered which you
might have saved, by the most rigid economy.
If the taste of a young man improves as it should
during the progress of study, he will be in danger,
when he makes purchases, of consulting his taste and
fancy, rather than his judgment or his means. It is
natural, if the taste be cultivated, to be unsatisfied
with purchases which do not bear marks of having
been prepared for a refined-taste; and such preparations are always to be paid for dearly. You must resist this appetite, and consult your judgment, rather
than your taste, or be very sparing in your purchases.
I have known a poor student pay thirty or thirty-five
dollars for a flute, when one seventh of the sum would
have procured one of a tone every way as good; and
the instrument, inasmuch as he never made any thing
more than an ordinary proficient upon it, every way
as valuable to him. Pay as little to gratify your taste
as you please, at present. You can at any future
time do that.
Buy nothing because it is offered cheap. The
question should be, not, Is this article worth, and more
than worth its price? but, Can I not possibly get along
without  it? For this pu pose, keep away from places
where cheap things are o be sold, such as auction              13
289
O 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Temptation of buying books.
rooms, and the like.  "He who buys what he does
not need, will often need what he cannot buy." Nor
can you expect to purchase any thing like all that
you want-all that would add to iyour comfort. We
must not only deny ourselves many things which
would be pleasant, but also many which, at first A Lew,
seem essential. Beware of buying books. The
temptation is great here. But there are obvious reasons why you should resist it. One is, that few books
will be sufficiently valuable to you to be worth the
interest of your money. Another is, that every year
brings books more and more within your reach, as
every edition of a valuable work is likely to be
cheaper than the preceding. You may think you get
this and that volume cheap; but, ten years hence,
you will not think so. I could mention a gentleman
who entered his profession under an embarrassment
of four hundred dollars, for books. But before he
could possibly pay the debt, the interest which he
paid on the money would have purchased what would
have been more valuable to him. Excepting your
text-books, purchase but few books-perhaps some
three or four volumes a year;-the Institution at
which you study, will furnish you with books during
term-time, and your own purchases will fill up the vacations. It is amusing, in reading the correspondence
of the amiable Cowper, to see him':orrowing most
of the books which he read, beca'Lse hi finances would
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THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Formn habits of economy for life.
not allow him to purchase,-and debts he could not
endure.
The habits of economy which you now form are
for life; and upon these habits are to depend the
questions, whether your journey through life be one
of independence and comfort, or of mortification and
inquietude. If you will read over the curious document embracing the minute expenses of Washington,
during the whole of the revolutionary war, and which
he kept with his own hand, you will be struck with his
economical habits, and feel that such traits properly
go into a great character. That is a mistaken notion
which supposes that a want of economy is a mark of
genius, and that profusion, extravagance, and debts, are
inseparable from a man who is to be distinguished for
mental attainments. Nothing is beneath you, which
will keep you from anxiety, and permit the mind to
pursue the paths of knowledge unclogged and unfettered. While it should be impressed on the student,
that " wealth cannot confer greatness, because nothing
can make that great which the decrees of nature have
ordained to be little; that the bramble may be placed
in a hot-bed, but can never become an oak;" it should,
at the same time, be equally impressed upon him,
that he must feel prodigal of his mental powers who
can strike for a high character, knowing that much of
the strength of these powers is to be expended in the
embarrassments of debts. As to being useful, there
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0
29i 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Make your expenses a matter of conscience.
ever has been, and ever will be, so much of disgrace
connected with being in debt, that you cannot be as
useful while you owe. If you must be in debt, strive
to make the bondage as light as~possible, and seek for
freedom the first hour that you can.
Finally, one of the very best safeguards against the
least waste of property, is to consider yourself accountable to God for all that you have,-that you must answer to him for its use or abuse; and especially if you
have not of your own, but live by borrowing of others,
will he hold you most strictly accountable for all that
you expend. While you have no items on your book
at which you cannot look with pleasure, be careful,
also, to have your conscience, on this subject, enlight
ened by a regard to the eye of your God.
292
0
. 
CHAPTER IX.
DISCIPLINE OF THE HEART.
My reader will have noticed, that I have said Ittler
or nothing thus far on the high subject of the moral
feelings. The omission was designed; not that I
deem this subject of small importance to the student,
but because I wished to present each topic by itseif, hoping thereby that the light which fell upon
each would be stronger, and that thus each would make
a deep and a distinct impression. The two chapters
which now remain of this little book are, in my view,
by far the most important of any; and I cannot but
hope that they will receive the attention of the reader
in proportion as they are important. 
One of the first steps to be taken, if you would
have a character that will stand by you in prosperity
and in adversity, in life and in death, is to fortify your
mind with fxed principes.
There is no period in life in which the heart is so
much inclined to skepticism and infidelity as in youtlh.
Not that young men are infidels, but the mind is toss
ed from doubt to doubt like a light boat leaping from
wave to wave. There is no positive settling down into
deism or infidelity, but the heart is so full of doubt
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
n               no
ing, that the mind has no position, in morals or religion,
fortified. If the restraints of education are so far
thrown off as to allow you to indulge in sin which is in
any way disgraceful if known, you will then easily
become an infidel.  "The nurse of infidelity is sensuality. Youth are sensual. The Bible stands in
their way. It prohibits the indulgence of' the lust
of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.'
But the young mind loves these things, and therefore
it hates the Bible, which prohibits them. It is prepar-ed to say,' If any man will bring me arguments against
the Bible, I will thank him; if not, I will invent them.'
I never gathered from infidel writers, when an avowed
infidel myself, any solid difficulties, which were not
brought to my mind by a very young child of my
own.' Why was sin permitted?-What an insignificant world is this to be redeemed by the incarnation
and death of the Son  of God!-Who  can believe
that so few will be saved?' Objections of this kind,
in the mind of reasoning young persons, prove to me
that they are the growth of fallen nature. As to infidel arguments, there is no weight in them. They are
jejune and refuted. Infidels are not themselves convinced by them. What sort of men are infidels?
They  are loose, fierce,  overbearing  men.   There
is nothing in them like sober and serious inquiry.
They are the wildest fanatics on earth. Nor have
they agreed among themselves on any scheme of truth
.
294
'lvhat sort of men are infidels 7
Infidel notions.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. 
Testimony of one who had been an infidel.
and felicity. Look at the need and necessities of
man.' Every pang of grief tells a man that he needs
a helper; but infidelity provides nope. And what can
its schemes do for you in death?' Examine your conscience. Why is it that you listen to infidelity? Is
not infidelity a low, carnal, wicked game? Is it not
the very picture of the prodigal,-' Father, give me
the portion of goods which falleth to me?' WhLy, WHY
will a man be an infidel? Draw out the map of the
road of infidelity. It will lead you to such stages, at
length, as you could never suspect."
This is the testimony of one who had faithfully
travelled the road of infidelity; a man whose testimony would have rung through the world, had he continued a low, grovelling, sensual infidel; but whose testimony has never been noticed by infidels, since he
became a better man, and an eminent Christian. I
will here put it to my reader to say, whether he can
recollect, in all he has known of men frem history or
observation, a great, discriminating and efficient mind,
-a mind that has blessed the world in any degree,which was thoroughly imbued with infidel principles?
Take the writings of such a mind, and you will be
astonished at the vulgarity, sophistry, puerility, and
weakness, which are continually marking its progress.
Suppose him a politician. In the unpublished language of a young friend of mine, "it may be said that
his religion has nothing to do with his political opin
295
I
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
No safety in opinions if religious views are loose.
ions. But this is not clear: it is justly remarked by
some writer, I know not whom,' that the mind which
has been warped and biased upon one great subject, is
not safely trusted upon another.} And can we say of
a man,'It is true that the evidences of the Christian
religion, which carry along with them the soundest
judgments, and the most profound minds, did not meet
a reception in his? It is true that his intellect did not
lead him to such conclusions on this subject as we
consider to be the necessary conclusions of a balanced
mind,-but yet, in politics, he was great, deep, search ing, divine!"  Learning, poetry, and literature, walk
hand in hand under the light of the gospel. They
are destined to do so; and no where else on earth can
they now be found. It is absolutely impossible for
any mind, amid all this light, to veil itself in infidelity,
and expect to be known, revered, or influential among
men. Were there no warpings of the mind, and no
outrages committed upon it, when it was led to embrace infidelity, still it asks too much of its fellows,
when it demands admittance to their communion, and
asks permission to reach other minds, when it pretends
to pour nothing but the cold light of a December
evening upon them. There is so little of sympathy
between the mind of an infidel and the enlightened,
Christian part of the community, that, if he hopes to
have any influence upon men, it must be upon those
who have already made shipwreck of character and
.
I
2m
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAI,.
Settle your religious views early.
hopes, and who will hear him speak or write, because
he holds out the last, faint glimmering of hope to them,
ere they are thrust off upon the dark waters, upon
which nothing else sheds a ray of light.
Should you be among those who have no fixed
principles in morals and religion, for your own peace
and usefulness, I beg you to settle this subject at once
and forever. Has God ever spoken to man? If so,
when and how? These are the most important questions ever asked. And they should be answered and
settled, so that the mind may have something to rest
upon so firm that nothing shall move it.  "We  are
mere mites creeping on the earth, and oftentimes conceited mites too." We can easily unsettle things, but
can erect nothing. We can pull down a church, but,
without aid, cannot erect a hovel.   The earlier in
life you settle your principles, the firmer, more mature,
more influential, will your character be. Search the
Bible, and try it as you would gold in the furnace. If
you doubt its inspiration, sit down to its examination
with candor, and with an honest desire to know what
is truth: let the examination be as thorough as you
please; but, when once made, let it be settled forever. You will then have something to stand upon.
You will have an unerring standard by which to
regulate your conduct, your conscience, and your
heart. The ship that outrides the storm with the
greater ease, is the one which has her anchors out,
13*
I
297
a
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THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Resolutions of Edwards.
her cables stretched, and her sails furled, before the
strength of the storm has reached her; and the navigator, who must stand at the help through the long,
dark night, does not wait till that night comes, ere he
sees that his compass is boxed and properly hung. He
who has his religious principles early fixed, has nothing to do but at once, and continually, to act upon
them-to carry them out in practice. He has not the
delays and the vexations of distrust and doubt every
little while, when he stops to examine and settle a
principle. Every reader will be convinced of this,
who will read over the seventy resolutions of President Edwards, all of which were formed before he was
twenty years old, and the most important of them before he was nineteen. No mind could form, and act
upon, such principles from early life, without becoming great and efficient. I cannot refrain from selecting a few of these as a specimen.
"1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to
be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit,
and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without
any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so
many myriads of ages hence. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good
and advantage of mankind in general.  Resolved, so
to do, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many
soever, and how great soever."
" 4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing,
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298
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends
to the glory of God, nor be, nor suffer it, if I can
possibly avoid it. 
"5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time,
but to improve it in the most profitable way I possi
bly can.
"6. Resolved, to live with all my might while 1
do live.
"7. Resolved, never to do any thing, which 1
should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of
my life."
" 20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temper ance in eating and drinking.
" 21. Resolved, never to do any thing, which, if I
should see in another, I should count a just occasion
to despise him for, or to think any way the more
meanly of him."
"34. Resolved, in narrations never to speak any
thing but the pure and simple verity."
"46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of
any fretting or uneasiness at my father or mother.
Resolved, to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the
least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye, and
to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our
family."
The whole of these seventy resolutions are every
way worthy the attention and the imitation of every
young man. And while this example is before you,
299
Resolutions. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL
Resolutions of a distinguished man.
allow me to present a few brief resolutions which
were formed by a young man before he entered college, and which formed a character known and revered widely, and whose death was sincerely lamented.
"For the future direction of my life, I resolve,
"1. That I will make religion my chief concernment.
"2. That I will never be afraid or ashamed to
speak in defence of religion.
"3. That I will make it my daily practice to read
some part of the Holy Scriptures, that I may become
-acquainted with the will of God, and be quickened
and comforted, and qualified to serve Christ and promote the interests of his kingdom in the world.
"4. That I will every day reflect upon death and
eternity.
"5. That I will daily pray to God in secret.
"6. That, upon all proper occasions, I will reprove
vice, and discountenance it, and, to my utmost, encourage virtue and religion.
" 7. That I will dispute only for light, or to communicate it.
"8. That I will receive light wherever and however offered.
"9. That I will give up no principle before I am
convinced of its absurdity or bad consequences.
"10. That I will never be ashamed to confess a
fault to an equal or to an inferior.
" 11. That I will make it a rule to do no action, at
a
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Boo 
THE STUDENT'S M1ANUAL.'
A common prejudice among students.            Religion exalts the mind.
any time or place, of which action I should not bo
willing to be a witness against myself hereafter."
It is frequently the case that young men have an
idea that there is something in the cultivation of the
heart, and in the restraints of religion, which degrades
or cramps the soul; that a mind which is naturally
noble and lofty, will become grovelling and contract ed by submitting to moral restraints. This is a mere
prejudice; and it does little good to deny a prejudice.
But go into that library, and examine the shelves, and
see who are those who have penned what will be
immortal, and influence other minds as long as earth
shall endure. In almost every instance, the work
which will hold its place the longest, was dictated by a
Christian heart. The loftiest minds, the most cultivated intellects, and the most solid judgments, have bowed
at the altar of God, and have been quickened and
ennobled by the waters which flow from his mount;
and if we go up from man to those higher orders of
beings who compose "the presence" of the Eternal,
we shall find them, after having shouted for joy over
the creation of this world, when the morning stars
sang together; after having watched the providences
of God, and seen empires rise and fall; after having
hlung around the good in all their wanderings on earth,
still studying the Gospel, to have their views enlarged, their conceptions of the infinite wisdom expanded,
and still d.'siring to look into these  things.   May
301
a 
THlS STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Means of diseip1irnn the heart.            First suggestion.
not the sublime idea of the modesty of these "angelic
students" rebuke the ignorance, the darkness, and
consummate pride, of those who-feel that their greatness would be diminished by bowing to the gospel of
God? The angels diligently look into the mystery of the gospel; and they are the companions and
fellow-students of all who thus study it.
By disciplining the heart, I mean, bringing it into
subjection to the will of God, so that you can best
honor him, and do most for the well-being of men. I
shall suggest some means by which the heart may be
disciplined and the feelings cultivated.
1. Let it be your immediate and constant aim to
make every event subservient to cultivating the heart.
We are in danger of acknowledging the importance
of this subject, but at the same time of putting it off
to a convenient season. You suppose your present circumstances are not favorable. There are difficulties
now, but you are looking forward to the time when
things will be different. Your studies will not hurry
you so much; they will become much easier; and
you will have conveniences which you have not at
the present time. But when you shall go to another
place, or commence a new study, or enter upon a more
pleasant season of the year, or have a new companion
in your room, then you can begin to take care of
your heart, and have intercourse with God. But you
greatly misj,.dge. Every thing, every circumstance
302
Means of disciplining the heart.
First suggestion.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. 
Every thing may contribute to it.
in our condition, is designed by Infinite Wisdom as
a part of our moral discipline; and He who wafch es the sparrow when she alights, and directs her
how and where to find the grain of food, he directs
all things relating to your situation; and he designs
to have every thing contribute to your moral improve ment. There is not a temptation which meets you,
nor a vexation which harasses you, nor a trouble
which depresses you, but it was all designed for your
good. Do not put off, and plead that the path in
which your Heavenly Father is leading you is differ ent from what you would have chosen, and therefore
you are excusable for not doing his will. No prin adple of action is of any worth, unless it leads you
continually to take care of the heart. I have spoken
already of the difficulty in subduing the mind, so as to
make study easy. You will find the heart no more
readily subdued.   Every indulgence of vice, every
neglect of duty, strengthens the habits and propensities to do wrong and to go astray.
Should the hand of Providence strike down your
best earthly friend, you would feel that you were called upon to make the event contribute to moral culture. But do you feel that it is best to wait for such
providences?-to tempt God thus to visit you with
afflictions? Every event under his government is designed to do you good; and he who does not make it
Lis daily business to cultivate his heart, will be in
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303
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THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,
Second suggestion.                Cultivate the conscience.
great danger of never doing it. You cannot do it at
any time, and in a short period. A virtuous and holy
character is not built up in a dqy: it is the work of
a long life. Begin the work at once, and make it as
really — a part of your duties daily to cultivate the
heart, as it is to take care of the body, or to cultivate
the intellect.
2. ]NIake it a part of your daily habits to cul
tivate your conscience.
A man never became intemperate or profane at
once. He never became a proficient in any sin by a
single leap. The youth first hears the oath, blushes
as he falters out his first profane expression, and goes
on, step by step, till he rolls "sin as a sweet morsel
under his tongue." It is so with any sin. In this
way, the conscience is blunted and the heart hardened. In this way, too, the conscience is recovered,
and made susceptible to divine impressions. Were
you seeking only for a powerful motive to impel you
onward in your studies, and were you regardless of
your moral culture, still I would urge you, on this
ground alone, to cultivate conscience most assiduously.
I will tell you why.
There are but few men who can be brought to task
their powers so as to achieve much by motives drawn
from this world only. With the mass of educated
men this is true.   Wealth cannot bribe to steady, unwearied efforts; ambition may lay an iron hand on
304
Second suggestion.
Cultivate the conscience.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Us    facliae   oscec.Ilsrtos
the soul, but it cannot, excepting here and there, do
it with a grasp sufficient to keep it in action: the soft
whispers of pleasure can do nothing towards shaking
off the indolence and sluggishness of man; and fame,
with a silver trumpet, calls in vain.   These motives
can reach only a few. But conscience is a motive
which can be brought to bear upon all, and can be
cultivated till she calls every energy, every suscepti bility, every faculty of the soul into constant, vigor ous, powerful action. Every other motive, when
analyzed, is small, mean, contemptible, and such as
you despise when you see it operating upon others.
The soul of man is ashamed to confess itself a slave
to any other power. But this is not all: any other
motive soon loses its power. Trials, and misfortunes,
and disappointments, damp, kill any other governing
motive.  But this is not so of the man who acts from
conscience. You can crush him only by destroying
his life. Shut him up in the prison, and he writes
the Epistle to the  Hebrews-a work which is yet
0o do wonders, I doubt not, when  the "scattered,
peeled" sons of Israel are called in. Shut him up
'n prison, and his conscience arouses him, and carries
him onward to exertions unthlou,ght of before.  The
cold walls of his dungeon grow warm  while he desc,ibes the Pilg,riin's Progress up to eternal day, and
scatters the food of angels over the earth;-while he
deri'ber the Saint's Everlasting Rest, and actually
1 Note 3f.
305
Use of a cultivated conscience.
Illustrations.
a 
TIIE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
How the greatest efforts of the mind can be called fo th.
does more for the good of man, under the pressure of
conscience, in adversity, than during all the days of
his prosperity.
Only fix the impression on the mind so that it will
be abiding, that we are accountable to God for all
that we accomplish, and the amount of effort and
success will be almost unmeasured.   Connect the
immeasurable demands of eternity with every effort
to conquer sin, to subdue your appetites and passions, and thus make the soul and body more disciplined instruments of doing good, together with every
noble resolution, and every exertion, whether it be
for life or for a moment,-and you will not do small
things; you will not walk  through life unfelt, unknown, and you will not go down to the grave unwept.   Every unholy  desire that  you conquer;
every thought that you treasure up for future use;
every moment that you seize as it flies and stamp
with something good, which it may carry to the judgment-seat; every influence which you exert upon the
world for the honor of God or the good of man,all, all is not only connected with the approbation of
God and the rewards of eternal ages, but all aids you
to strike for higher and nobler efforts still, till you
are enabled to achieve what will astonish even yourself. Think over the long list of those mnen who
have lived and acted under the direct and continued
influence of a conscience which chained every exer
306
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Thoug1it at a rave.           We must meet with temptations.
tion and every thought directly to the throne of God.
Go, stand at the grave of one of these men; and you
will go away musing and heart-smitten, to think that
he finished  his work, and did it so soon, anrid went
home to his rest in the morning of life, while you
have never even contemplated doing but little good.
The stone over the dust of such a one will soon crumnble away; but the light which surrounds that grave
will grow brighter and brighter, till seen the earth
over, because his faculties were under the continued
direction and control of conscience.
Had I no other aim, then, than merely to excite
you to high and noble enterprise, to make great efforts while you live, that motive which I would select
as incomparably superior to all others, to lead you to
effort, is a cultivated, sanctified conscience.   But I
have an aim higher than even this, in urging you to
cultivate your conscience.
The path of life is beset with temptations. This is
a part of our moral discipline. We must meet them
every day: we cannot go round them, nor go past
them, without being solicited by them; and nothing
but a conscience increasingly tender will enable us to
meet and overcome them. For example, you will,
every week, if not every day, find seasons when you
are tempted to be idle, to waste your time. There is
no motive at hand which will arouse you. These fragments of time are scattered all along your path.
"307
Thouglits at a,-rave.
We must meet witli temptations.
0
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Examples of temptations.
Nothing but a cultivated conscience will enable you to
save them. But this will. It cannot be created and
brought to bear upon you when indolence has seized
you. No, it must be done before.
You will often be tempted to smite with the tongue.
The company indulge freely in their remarks uponi
absent characters. Opportunities occur in which you
can throw in a word or two handsomely, and therefore keenly. You can gain credit by the shrewdness
with which you judge of character, and for your insight into human nature. No motive of kindness, of
politeness, no sense of justice, will now avail to meet
this temptation: nothing but a tender conscience will
do it.
You are a student. Your health may not be good,
-your nerves are easily excited,-you are easily
,irown off your guard, speak quickly, and evidently
with a great loss of self-respect, which aids in increasing your ill-humor and your tartness. You cannot reason yourself or shame yourself into a good
temper: a cultivated conscience is the only thing
which will sweeten the temper.
In the course of your life, you will be making bargains, and be more or less in habits 6f dealing with
men.  You may intend to be an honorable and an
honest man; but you  will be strongly tempted,  at
times, to cheapen what you buy, and over praise
what you sell, or to do as you would not that
0
308 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Examples continued.    Third suggestion.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
others should do unto you, unless you are under the
direction of a clear, discriminating conscience.
You know how much we esteem our character in
the sight of men.   Many will fight For it, and quarrel
for it, and prefer death a thousand times to the loss of
character, in the eyes of their fellow-men. This love
of character is as it should be. But what is it to be
judged of men, in comparison to being judged of God?
Of what consequence is it what men say of us, or think
of us, in comparison to what God thinks of us? Who,
that believes in the justice of God, and in the immortality of the soul, would not prefer to have his approbation
to that of the universe besides? But you can never
gain his approbation; you can never stand fair in his
sight; you can never have him for your friend, unless
you have a heart that is continually under the discipline of a well-regulated, cultivated conscience.
3. Avoid tcmptations.
It is wisdom in beings as frail as we are, not only
to use every possible means to overcome sins which
beset us, but, as far as possible, to avoid meeting them.
If you are on a journey, with a high object in view to
be attained, and you may be beset with enemies, you
will feel anxious, not merely to be so well guarded
that they cannot overcome you, but, as far as possible, to avoid meeting them. There is something in
the simple piety of Baxter which pleases us, when
he gravely tells us what a blessing he received in
a
30D
Examples continued.
Third suggestion. 
THE STUDENTS MANUAL.
Avi   epain.Esl-eetigtmttos
narrowly escaping getting a place at court in the early
part of his life. We all believe in a superintending
Providence; and we know that many of the best
men who have ever lived, have b)een not merely shut
out from wealth, and station, and honors, but made
objects of suffering, and even of derision to the rest
of mankind.   The  hand  that covers them  seems
rough, and frequently oppressive.  But  multitudes,
who have been ornaments to society, and blessings to
their species, and who, after having done their work
here, have gone to the rewards of the perfect, have
owed their character chiefly to the fact, that their ctrcumstances shielded them from temptations. Were
you to mark any number of young men in the same
class, who you would fear will accomplish little or
nothing for the good of man, you would be likely to
select those who, by their situations, are peculiarly exposed to temptations.
There are said to be certain peculiar sins which
easily beset every man; and there are certainly temptations which are peculiar to every one. Into some
you fall oftener and more easily than into others.
Some will meet you in one place, and some in another; some in one shape, and some in another. It is
important, for any improvement in moral character
to know where you are peculiarly exposed; and at
those points set a strong and wakeful guard.
There are certain individuals with whom you can
310
.Easily-besetting temptations.
Avoid temptation.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Companions.                       Conversation.
not associate, with whom you cannot spend an hour,
without hearing things said, and receiving impressions,
which tend to lower your standard of honorable feeling, and of purity of heart. Their ~ociety may, in
many respects, be enchanting, their conversation bewitching, while, at the same time, there may be a
subtle poison which will gradually destroy your moral
sense. You love to walk with some of these; you
love to visit them in their rooms; and you hope you
may have some good influence upon them. Perhaps
you will have; but the danger is all on your side.
The impressions which the soul receives, and the
modes of feeling into which the heart is gradually led,
will not be likely to startle you at first, even though
their end is moral death. How can you hope to
strengthen your moral habits, and grow in character,
if you frequently yield to the temptation of conversation which deadens the moral sensibilities? Here is
one plain temptation; and the way to grow in purity
of heart is, not to frequent such company, and there
try to throw some feeble influence in favor of virtue,
and then go away, and lament and pray over the instances in which you yielded to temptation; but
keep clear of the danger; break off from all associates whose influence is against the great object of
disciplining the heart.
Some sins meet you at particular seasons.  For
example, you notice that, after study, or after tea, ~
311
a
. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Patclrsaos a-ua   soitos
at some particular hour of the day, you have less
patience than usual. You are inclined to be irritable,
or you are low in spirits. You are in danger of cultivating a bad habit of feeling and speaking, and of
trying the temper of others. Here you are beset at
a particular time of the day; set a watch over yourself, and avoid the danger. You can easily see the
rock, for it is above the waves.
At some particular time of the day, or in some
particular situations, you find yourself exposed to debasing and corrupting thoughts. They fill the mind
and crowd out every thing that is good. These associations arise only when you are -alone, or when you
are conversing on some particular topics, or when
something is recalled by the memory. Can you hope
to conquer these legions, and drive away all these unclean birds, by any other means than by fleeing from
them? As there are some demons which, it is said,
cannot be cast out except by prayer and fasting, so
these can be overcome only by avoiding and resistingo them, when they approach the heart, and by the
most sincere prayer when they have once entered it.
Suppose you were attempting to grow in moral
character and worth, and yet should, now and then,
indulge yourself in reading a bad book. The book
seems to have fallen into your hand by accident.
You do not often read it, but sometimes look into it;
or, if you do not own it, some one may, who offers to
0
312
Particular seasons.
Pardeular associations.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Vile reading                             Little failing.
ioan it to you. Here is a temptation thrown before
you. You may never know what that book contains,
if you do not now learn it; and should you not know
what such books contain, in order to warn others
against their influence? I reply, Beware; and yield
not to this temptation. One yielding, when thus
tempted, may be your ruin; or, if it be not, it will
take you a long time to recover from  the mischiefs
which you are bringing upon yourself. Temptations
should be met at a distance: if you see the bird once
gaze upon the serpent, she begins to fly round and
round, and at every revolution coming nearer and
nearer, till she falls into the mouth of the devourer.
You have what are usually called "failings," or
"little failings." By a proper attention and study
of yourself, you can know what these are; but if
you find any difficulty in discovering, you have only
to ask your near neighbor, and he will name many
which you never had claimed as yours. Now, what
are these failings, except places at which you are constantl~ yielding to temptations? And how can you
hope to cure yourself of them, except by avoiding
them? Suppose you are naturally of a turn of mind
which is bold, impetuous, and forward. It leads you
to make remarks that are rash, and to do things which
you ought not. Should you not avoid every temptation to it? If Peter be naturally impetuous, and in
danger of striking at the first head which he meets,
14
e
313
Vile reading.
Little failings. 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Natural temperament.      Beware of temptations to which you incline
ought he not to leave his sword behind him? You
may be of such a temperament, that all company excites your animal spirits, and you are so easily elated,
that you lose your balance at the time, and have an
equal degree of depression following it. In this case,
are you wise to allow yourself to run into temptation I
Suppose a man have an innate propensity to be dis
honest, so that he can hardly touch the property of
others without appropriating something of it to himself; can he hope to clear his hands and his heart so
long as he continues in the place of temptation?
Should Judas carry the bag, when he has fully proved
to himself that he cannot do it without stealing from
it? Should a passionate man, whose temper is easily
excited, throw himself in situations in which he will
certainly be tempted to anger?  Whatever be your
weakness, or the spot at which you fall, beware of it,
and shun it. I once knew a gifted young man, who,
in very early life, had indulged a love for ardent
spirit, which was almost fatal. Under the influence
of conscience and religion, he finally conquered himself, and for years did not taste a drop.  In *conversation with him on the subject, he told me that so
strong was his appetite, that, even then, the sight of
a decanter was painful; and that, whenever lie heard
liquor running from the cask in a store, he immediately ran out as fast as possible, whether his errand
was or was not done. His safety was only in flying
314
Beware of temptations to which you incline.
Natural temperament.
0 
THE STUDENT'r'S MAAN  AL.
Fourth suggestion.           Example of a sul)dlled temper.
So it is in regard to any temptation. The best way
to overcome sin, is to flee from its approach. He
who tampers with a temptation is already under its
power. The lion will frequently let his victim move,
and will play with it before he crushes it.
4. Watch over your temper.
There is much said about the natural disposition and
temper of men; and the fact, that any one has a temper which is unhappy and unpleasant, is both accounted and apologized for, by saying that his temper is
".naturally" unpleasant. It is a comfortable feeling
to lay as much blame upon nature as we can; but the
difficulty is, that the action, to use a law term, will not
lie. No one has a temper naturally so good that it
does not need attention and cultivation; and no one
has a temper so bad, but that, by proper culture, it
may become pleasant. One of the best-disciplined
tempers ever seen was that of a gentleman who was,
naturally, quick, irritable, rash, and violent; but, by
having the care of the sick, and especially of deranged
people, he so completely mastered himself, that he
was never known to be thrown off his guard. The
difference in the happiness which is received or bestowed by the man who guards his temper, and that by the
man who does not, is immense. There is no misery
so constant, so distressing, and so intolerable to others,
as that of having a disposition which is your master,
and which is continually fretting itself. There are
315
Example of a sul)dtied temper.
Fourth suggestion.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Temper maybe cultivated.    Roger Sherman.            His patience.
corners enough, at every turn in life, against which we
may run, and at which we may break out in impatience, if we choose.
No one can have an idea of the benefits to be derived from a constant supervision and cultivation of the
temper, till he try them; not that you will certainly cultivate the moral feelings, if the temper be subdued; but
you certainly will not, if it be not subdued. Few men
ever had, naturally, a more unmanageable disposition
than he who, at forty, frequently appears among the
most amiable of men. Look at Roger Sherman. He
made himself master of his temper, and cultivated it
as a great business in life. There are one or two instances which show this part of his character in a light
that is beautiful. He was, one day, after having received his highest honors, sitting and reading in his
parlor. A roguish student, in a room close by, held
a looking-glass in such a position as to pour the reflected rays of the sun directly in Mr. Sherman's face.
He moved his chair, and the thing was repeated. A
third time the chair was moved, but the looking-glass
still poured the sun in his eyes. He laid aside his
book, went to the window, and many witnesses of the
impudence expected to hear the ungentlemanly student severely reprimanded. He raised the window
gently, and then-shut the window-blind! I can.
not forbear adducing another instance of the power
which he had acquired over himself.
316
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Remarkable example of a subdued temper.
"He was naturally possessed of strong passions;
but over these he at length obtained an extraordinary
control. He became habitually calm, sedate, and self possessed. Mr. Sherman was one of those men who
are not ashamed to maintain the forms of religion in
his family. One morning, he called them together, as
usual, to lead them in prayer to God; the' old fam ily Bible' was brought out and laid on the table.
Mr. Sherman took his seat, and beside him placed
one of his children, a small child-a child of his old
age; the rest of the family were seated round the
room; several of these were now grown up. Besides these, some of the tutors of the college were
boarders in the family, and were present at the time
alluded to. His aged and now superannuated mother
occupied a corner of the room, opposite the place
where the distinguished judge of Connecticut sat. At
length, he opened the Bible and began to read. The
child, which was seated beside him, made some little
disturbance, upon which Mr. Sherman paused, and told
;t to be still. Again he proceeded; but again he paused, to reprimand the little offender, whose playful disposition would scarcely permit it to be still. At this
time, he gently tapped its ear. The blow, if it might
be called a blow, caught the attention of his aged
mother, who now, with some effort, rose from her
seat, and tottered across the room. At length, she
reached the chair of Mr. Sherman, and, in a moment
317 
THE STUDENT'S MIANUAL.
Example continued.         Necessity of attending to the temper.
most unexpected to him, she gave him a blow on the
ear, with all the power she could summon.' There,'
said she,'you strike your child, and I will strike
mine!'
"For a moment, the blood was seen rushing to the
face of Mr. Sherman; but it was only for a moment,
when all was calm and mild as usual. He pausedhe raised his spectacles-he cast his eye upon his
mother-again it fell upon the book, from which he
had been reading. Not a word escaped him; but
again he calmly pursued the service, and soon after
sought, in prayer, an ability to set an example before
his household, which should be worthy of their imitation. Such a victory was worth more than the proudest victory ever achieved in the field of battle."
Suppose, at the close of the day, as you look back
upon what you have done and said, you see that,
in one instance, you answered a companion short
and tartly; in another, you broke out in severe invective upon one who was absent; in another, you
were irritated and vexed at some trifle, though you
kept it to yourself, and felt the corrosions of an ill
temper without betraying your feelings, otherwise than
by your countenance. Can you now look back upon
the day with any degree of comfort? Can you feel
that you have made any advancement in subduing
yourself, so that you can look at yourself with cheerfulness and respect, during this day? And if this be
318
Example continued.
Necessity of attending to the temper.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Example of Sir Walter Raleigh.
so, from day to day, and from week to week, can you
expect that your heart will be more and more subducd? You may be sure, that no one, who so gives
way to his temper, during every day, that, at night, he
has to reproach himself for it, can be growing in moral
excellence.
You need not be discouraged in your attempts to
correct a quick, an irritable and a bad temper, even
though, at first, unsuccessful. Success, on this point,
will certainly follow exertion. It is one mark of a
great, as well as a good man, to have a command over
the temper. Sir Walter Raleigh was challenged by
a hot-headed young man; and, because he coolly refused to fight, the young man proceeded to spit in his
face, in public. Sir Walter took his handkerchief,
and, calmly wiping his face, merely made this reply:"Young man, if I could as easily wipe your blood
from my conscience as I can this injury from my face,
I would this moment take away your life." The great
Dr. Boerhaavel was always unmoved by any provocation, though the practice of medicine is by no means
well calculated to soothe the nerves. Upon being
asked how he obtained such a mastery over himself, he
stated, that "hlie was naturally quick of resentment, but
that he had, by daily prayer and meditation, at length
attained to this mastery over himself."
You will have strong temptations to irritability of
temper; for it is impossible to be a student, and not
1 Note N.
a
319 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Irritability ofathe temper.  ifth sgestio
have the system in such a state that little vexations
will jar upon your nerves. But the indulgence
of such a temper will not merely mar your present
peace, injure you in the eyes df all who know you,
hurt your usefulness, hasten on a premature old age,
but it is fatal to that peace of mind which consists in
"a pure conscience."   The heart sickens in despond  ency, when, at the close of the day, you go to the
closet and have to reflect, that your temper is still un  stbdued; and that, while you oulght to be above being
moved by the little troubles which meet you, they
constantly oppress you. If you now have no more of
chlaracter than to give way to your disposition, while
ill the retirement of the study, what will you do when
the multiplied vexations of active life come upon you?
5. Be careful to improve your thoughts when
alone.
There will be seasons recurring frequently, when
you must be alone. You will walk alone, or you
will sit in the evening shade alone, or you will lie
on a sleepless pillow alone. Every student ought
not only to expect this, but to desire it; and never, if
faithful to himself, need he be less alone than when
alone. The appetites and passions are so apt to ramble, that we esteem him to be good at self-government
who subdues them; but the thoughts are but little behind in giving the conscientious man trouble. The
two difficulties which will meet you most constantly,
320
Irritability of the temper.
Fifth suggestion.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Improvement of thoughts when alone.
are, to keep the thoughts from wandering, and from
wandering in forbidden paths. What is vain and vis ionary will easily steal in upon you when alone, and
you will soon become a most wretched companion to
yourself, and your own tempter. You can easily get
into the habit of looking back, and recalling what you
have read or studied, and examining what way-marks
you have put up, or of reviving the memory of information and knowledge which you have received by conversation; but if you do not cultivate this habit, there
will be one at your elbow ever ready to enter the
heart and become the strong man of the house. The
memory and the judgment may both be cultivated by
employing your thoughts upon whatever you have
been studying or reading for the last twenty-four hours.
Your process will be, first, to recall any thing valuable
which you have met with, and then classify it, and
weigh it, and judge as to the occasions in which you
may wish to use it.
I have spoken of the practice of building castles in
the air,-a practice which will be very apt to steal in
upon you till it becomes a regular habit, unless you
are very carefuil. You can hardly be too solicitous to
keep clear of this habit. I have also spoken of worse
results of permitting the thoughts to wander when
alone,  evils which want a name, to convey any conreption of their enormity.
14*
321
Cautions.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Adatae  ofbigaoe                      h   uuet  eatcptd
There are many great advantages in taking frequent
opportunities of employing your thoughts alone.
Tile mind and feelings are soothed by the process; and this is an object every way desirable. Who
can rush into the responsibilities, the anxieties, and
the labors of the student without strong excitement?
Who can see the field of knowledge continually and
boundlessly opening before him, with multitudes who,
like himself, have staked their character, hopes and
happiness upon success, ready to compete with him,
without having the excitement continually increasing
and growing upon him? There will be little disappointments frequently, little trials, mistakes, which
harass and vex you beyond measure. You need seasons of meditation, by which the feelings become
soothed and softened, and the judgment rendered
clear and decided.
The future lies before you.  It will come-it will
bring changes to you; some of them will be severe
and heavy to bear. There will be sorrows and disappointments in your progress. You need to anticipate the future, so far as you can do it by sitting
down and looking calmly at the possible events which
may be before you. He who never looks out and anticipates a storm, will be but poorly prepared to meet
it when it comes. I do not mean that you should go
into the future, and there take a possible calamity, and
0
3V
Advantages of being alone.
The future to be anticipated.
a 
THIE STUDENT'S MANUAL
Yourself your own teacher.
then grapple with it as with your destiny, and thus
mentally endure evils which probably will never
come; for no one is likely to hit upon the real evils
which will overtake him; but I mean that the thoughtless man, who never communes with himself, is the
man who meets troubles with the least resignation.
You have plans, too, for the future, which need to
be laid in your own bosom first-matured there-reviewed there till they are perfected, under all the
light which frequent contemplations can throw upon
them.   Your  thoughts, while alone, are the best
instruments with which to ripen the fruit of future
exertions.
Some are afraid of themselves, and dread few things
more than to find themselves alone. Every thought
of the past or of the future only discourages; and
they can be comfortable only by forgetting themselves.
But this is not wise. Were it possible for a friend to
whisper all your failings, deficiencies and faults into
your ear, without wounding your feelings, and causing you to revolt under the discipline, it would be an
invaluable blessing to you. What such a friend might
do, you can do for yourself, by your thoughts, when
alone, and that without any mortification. A man can
thus be his own teacher, and, after repeated trials,
can weigh his actions, conduct and character very
accurately.
He who does not know himself, will never be ready
0
323
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Study your own character.              You will fiDd deficiencieg.
so to make allowances for others, as to be greatly be.
loved. He will be in danger of being harsh and cen.
sorious. While he who is in the habit of measuring
himself, in the cool moments of retirement, will sel domin fail of knowing so much of himself that he will
regard with tenderness the failings of others.  In
studying your own character, you have a wide field
opening before you. You will fail of doing yourself
any good, if, in looking at yourself, you do not make
it your determination faithfully to reprove yourself for
your failings and faults. Mark the places where you
trip, and be sure to shun them the next time. Note
every instance in which you trespassed upon the kindness, the feelings, or the rights of others; and in all
cases in which you have failed to observe the golden
rule, reprove yourself with due severity, and see that
you amend. You will find that, at somne particular
places, you have shown a heart that was selfish or
wanton-a temper that was revengeful and unkind-a
spirit that was jealous, or envious, or malicious-a self-,iceit that was unpleasant-or a positiveness that required others to acknowledge your infallibility. No
one can be alone, and look over his character, and the
manifestations of that character, long, without seeing
numerous deficiencies, and marking many places, at
which he will set a guard in future.
One of the best criterions by which to judge of your
character, is, to examine the characters of those of
324
Stady your own character.
You will find deficiencies.
0 
THE STUDENT'S iMANUAIl,.
No other way but meditation to correctly understand the divine character.
whose society you are especially fond. You will be
more intimate with some than with others. They will
be more likely to flatter you; and no better index can
ever be found to a man's real character, than those
who are his flatterers. If you can discover-and who
cannot, if he tries?-who are most frequently flattering you, it will be easy for you to see where you
stand. In no moral excellence will you be likely to
be above those who pay for your company by their
flatteries. You can, in this way, most accurately
know the state of your heart; and in your hours of
meditation you will be unwise to neglect to submit
your life to this ordeal.
By attention to your thoughts when alone, you can obtain what can in no other situation be obtained-definite
and correct views of the character of God. No reading, or preaching, or conversation, can ever give you
clear conceptions on this great subject, without meditation. From our infancy we hear the character of
God described; we read the descriptions of his character in his word; but, after all, we are not likely to attach correct and precise ideas to this language, unless
we reflect much alone. On other subjects it is not so.
If, from ycur infancy, you should hear the characteristics of a steam-engine described, as you grew up,
your ideas would become definite and settled by ex.
perience. You would see the engine frequently, ol
e
32'5
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Sixth suggestion.         Daily reading the word of God.
converse with those who had seen it. But our conceptions of the character of our Maker do not become
definite by experience. The same terms may convey
wrong impressions, all the way through life, if we
never make this the subject of meditation. Let my
young reader try it, and he will find that a single houi
of close thought alone will give him views of the
character of God which are more definite, clear, and
satisfactory, than any thing of which he has ever
made trial.
6. Be in the daily practice of reading the word of
God.
The whole journey of life is a continued series of
checks,  disappointments,  and  sorrows.   In  other
words, all the dealings of Providence towards us are
designed forthe purposes of moral discipline. On no
other supposition can we reconcile his dealings with
his infinite benevolence, or feel resigned in the circumstances in which we are frequently placed. But
those views of God, and of ourselves, which are essential to our peace, and discipline of heart, are to be
found only in the word of God. I have often been
struck with a passage in the Travels of the celebrated Mungo Park, describing his situation and feelings when alone in the very heart of Africa.  "Whichever way I turned, nothing appeared but danger and
difficulty. I saw myself in the midst of a vast wil.
826
Sixth suggestion.
Daily reading the word of God.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Mungo Park.
demness, in the depth of the rainy season, naked and
alone, surrounded by savage animals, and men still
more savage. I was five hundred miles from the nearest European settlement. All these circumstances
crowded at once on my recollection, and I confess
that my spirits began to fail me. I considered my
fate as certain, and that I had no alternative but to lie
down and perish. The influence of religion, however,
aided and supported me. I recollected that no human
prudence or foresight could have arrested my present
sufferings. I indeed was a stranger in a strange land;
yet I was still under the protecting eye of that Providence who has condescended to call himself the stranger's friend. At this moment, painful as my reflections
were, the extraordinary beauty of a small moss in
fructification irresistibly caught my eye. I mention
this to show from what trifling circumstances the mind
will sometimes derive consolation; for, though the
whole plant was not larger than the top of one of my
fingers, I could not contemplate the delicate conformnationI of its roots, leaves, and capsula, without admiration.
Can that Being, thought I, who planted, watered, and
brought to perfection, in this obscure part of the
world, a thing which appears of so small importance,
look with unconcern upon the situation and sufferings
of creatures formed after his own image? Surely not.
Reflections like these would not allow me to despair.
I started up, and, disregarding both hunger and fatigue,
a
327 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Two revelations from heaven.          A parallel between them.
travelled forwards, assured that relief was at hand; and
I was not disappointed."
This is a touching incident in the life of a brave
man, and is-beautifully expresseid. But let us notice
the fact that God has made two distinct revelations
of himself to this world, each of which is perfect in
its kind. The one is by his works,-so clearly re vealing his eternal power and Godhead in these, that
the very heathen are inexcusable for not worshipping
him. The heavens, the earth, all his works, even to
the little "moss" which lifts its humble head in the
sands of the desert, unite in teaching his wisdom, his
power, and his goodness. And it was very natural
for Park thus to gain confidence and instruction from
this microscopic forest, planted and watered by an unseen hand; but 1 am confident, that, had he, at the
same time, looked at the other revelation which God
has made, and drawn from the Bible, he would have
had a confidence still stronger, and even joy in again
committing himself to One who suffers not the sparrow to fall without his special direction. In the nineteenth Psalm is a beautiful parallel drawn between
these two revelations of heaven, and the superiority
of the written most decidedly extolled. The monarch
of Israel seems to have been walking on the top of
his palace, on one of those clear, delightful evenings
which hang over Palestine, and contemplating the
works of his Maker. He breaks out in praise, declar
328
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Inspired eulogy.            Uninspired eulogy.
ing that the heavens and the starry firmament beam
out the glory of God; and looking down upon the
earth, he says that every day speaks to the one that
is to follow it, and every night to ifs successor-declaring the character of God; and though no speech
is heard, and no language is uttered by the works of
God, yet they reveal him through all the earth, wherever the sun shines.  He then seems to forget all the
brightness of the heavens and the glories of earth as
hlie turns away to the word of God,-that better revelation of himself.  His harp rises in its strains as he celebrates that; for here is a revelation which is perfect,
complete, reaching the soul, commending itself to the
conscience, gladdening the heart, enlightening the understanding, enduring in its effects upon the soul, gratifying the taste, and, beyond all, restraining from sin
and purifying the heart. This spontaneous burst of
the sweet singer of Israel is probably the most perfect eulogy upon the word of God which the world
has ever seen.
Perhaps the best uninspired eulogy upon the Bible
is from the pen of that masterly scholar, Sir William
Jones.' It was written on a blank page in his Bible,
and also inserted in his eighth Discourse before the
Society for Asiatic  Researches.   "The Scriptures
contain, independently of a divine origin, more true
sublimity, more exquisite beauty, purer morality, more
important history, and finer strains both of poetry and
1 Note 0.
.
329
Inspired eulogy.
Uninspired eulo,-,y.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Sir William Jones.           Comprehensiveness of the Bible.
eloquence, than could be collected, within the same
compass, from all other hooks that were ever compos ed in any age, or in any idiom. The two parts of
which the Scriptures consist, are connected by a chain
of compositions, which bears no resemblance, in form
or style, to any that can be produced from the stores
of Grecian, Indian, Persian, or even Arabian learning
The antiquity of those compositions no man doubts;
and the unstrained application of them to events long
subsequent to their publication, is a solid ground of
belief that they were genuine predictions, and conse quently inspired."
Deists and skeptics, in swarms, have studied the
revelation of nature, and professed to see and know
God; but from this source they draw no truths in
which they can agree, no precepts which in any
measure break the power of sin within the heart, no
consolations which bow the will to that of God in the
hour of suffering and trial, and no hope that can sustain and cheer the soul when she is called to feel her
house shake and fall in pieces.
"The Bible resembles an extensive and highly cultivated garden, where there is a vast variety and profusion of fruits and flowers; some df which are more
essential or more splendid than others; but there is
not a blade suffered to grow in it, which has not its
use and beauty in the system. Salvation for sinners is
the grand truth presented every where, and in all points
a
330
Sir William Jones.
Comprehensiveness of the Bible. 
THE STrUDENT'S MANUAL.
The Scriptures must be read dwly.       Example of Elizabeth.
of light; but the pure in heart sees a thousand traits of
the divine character, of himself, and of the world,some striking and bold, others cast, as it were, into the
shade, and designed to be searched for and examined,some direct, others by way of intimation or inference."
You cannot enjoy the Scriptures unless you have a
taste for them; and, to this end, it is absolutely essential that you read them daily. Many have tried to
read the Bible, and were entirely unsuccessful. They
have obtained new editions, in different forms, and yet
there was no enjoyment in reading. One reason was,
that they never were in the habit of reading the Bible
every day; and unless you have this habit, it is in vain
ever to hope to see or feel any of those excellences
wthich others praise. You could enjoy no study, if
taken up only now and then. Every student knows
that he feels interested in any study in proportion as he
continues to attend to it day after day for some time.
This is true of the mathematics, where the taste has but
little to do. Take up Euclid once in a year, and look
over a few propositions, and you feel but little interest
in it. Open Shakspeare once in many months, and
you read with no interest; and the longer the intervals are between reading him, the less is the disposition to recur to him. So of any other book.
Perhaps few characters have ever had their time
more fully engrossed with business than Queen Elizabeth; yet she is said to have found time to read the
.
331
The Scriptures must be read daily.
Example of Elizabeth.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Locke.        Hints for reading the Bible.        First hint.
Scriptures daily, and to have acquired a decided taste
for them.   "I walk," says she, "many times in the
pleasant fields of the Holy Scriptures, where I pluck
up the goodlisome herbs of sentences by pruning, eat
them by reading, digest them by musing, and lay them
up at length in the high seat of memory by gathering
them together; so that, having tasted their sweetness,
I may perceive the bitterness of life."
A little before his death, the great Locke, being
asked how a young man could, "in the shortest and
surest way, attain a knowledge of the Christian religion,
in the full and just extent of it," made this memora ble reply: "Let him study the Holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament. Therein are contained
the words of eternal life. It has God for its author,
salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of
error, for its matter."
I would not only most earnestly recommend you to
read the Scriptures daily, but would add a few hints as
to the best method of doing it.
(1.) Read the Bible alone in your retirement.
The reason of this is obvious. Your mind will be
less distracted, the attention less likely to be called
off, your thoughts less likely to wander. You can
read deliberately, slowly, understandingly, and with
personal application. It will soon become a delightful
habit; and you will shortly greet the time when you
are to be alone with your Bible, with as much interest
332
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUIJAL.
Second hinit-translation to be used.
as if you were to be with your dearest earthly friend.
No taste is so much improved by habit and cultivation
as the taste for the word of God. There is a condensation in language, a power in the'poetry and eloquence of the Bible, aside from its moral influence,
which brings the taste of the reader to its own standard, with astonishing rapidity.
(2.) For all practical purposes in your daily reading, use the common translation of the Bible.
For accurate and critical study, the student will of
course go to the original, and to commentators. But
to obtain a general knowledge of the revelation in our
hands, and to cultivate the moral feelings of the heart,
the common translation is incomparably superior to any
thingff else. It is of great importance to obtain such a
knowledge of the Bible as you will obtain by reading
it in order. I suppose the word of God was given in
parcels, from time to time, as was best adapted to the
state of the world, and best adapted to give us correct
conceptions of the character and government of God.
I would have one part of your time employed in reading
the books in order, going regularly through the Bible in
this way as fast as your circumstances will admit. At
another sitting, and in another part of the day, I would
read some.part that is strictly devotional, such as the
Psalms, the Gospels, or the Prophets.   No  young
man can be too familiar with the book of Proverbs.
There is an amazing amount of practical wisdom
333
a
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The book of Proverbs.         Third hint-disposition.
treasured up there; and the young man who should
have that at his command, will be likely to do
wisely. All the proverbs and wise sayings of the
earth can bear no comparisoh to those of Solomon
for value; and there is scarcely one of any value,
the essence of which is not already in his. I would
not recommend commentaries of any kind for your
daily reading. They are like putting crutches under
the arms of a man nearly well. They will aid him
now for a short time, but will eventually do injury.
He who uses a commentator constantly will soon feel
that it is essential; that the Scriptures contain but little,
while the commentary is rich; and that he must rely
upon it for all his opinions. WVhat opinions you have,
will also leave you at once; for what comes easily,
will be sure to go as easily.
(3.) Read the Scriptures with an humble, teachable disposition.
The strongest of all evidence in favor of the inspiration of the Bible is the internal-that which the
good man feels. This, indeed, is such as no arguments of the infidel can shake. On other evidence
you can throw doubts for a moment, bring objections
which cannot at once be answered, suggest difficulties
which perplex;-but you  may  heap difficulties up
like mountain piled upon mountain, and the good man
feels that his Bible is from God. This is just as you
would suppose it would be with a book from heaven
334
Third hintsposition.
The book of Proverbs.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Difficulties in reading the Scripture.
But, aside from this, there is evidence enough to crush
every doubt forever. It is well to measure the base
and examine the foundations of the building, if your
circumstances will allow of it; but if you cannot do it
just now, reserve it for some future time. But you
cannot derive good from the Bible, unless you have an
humble mind. A child might say that the sun and
stars all moved round the earth; that his reason taught
him so; and that it was befitting that God should thus
form the universe. But the reason of the child cannot decide such points. You must not say that you
can decide what and how much God ought to reveal.
We cannot explain or understand the mysteries which
hang around every grain of sand and every drop of
water; much less can we expect at once to have a
revelation about a Being whom no eye ever saw, and
a country from "whose bourne no traveller" ever returns, without meeting with difficulties and mysteries.
Humility will teach us to sit at the feet of Revelation, and receive her instructions without cavilling.
Reverence towards the author, the contents of the
Scriptures, and our Qwn everlasting welfare, demand
that we read with humility. We must be docile.
We are ignorant, and need instruction; we are dark,
and need illumination; we are debased by our passions
and sins, and need elevating. The torch of reason
cannot enlighten what hangs beyond the grave; the
conjectures of the imagination only bewilder; and
335
0
O 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Fourth hint-responsibility.         Why you may not neglect tne Scripture.
without receiving the Bible with the spirit of a child,
you will conjecture, and theorize, and wilder, till you
find yourself on an ocean of uncertainty, without a
chart to guide you, a compass by which to steer, or a
haven which you can hope to make.
(4.) Read the Scriptures under a constant sense
of high responsibility.
If the book in your hand be the only revelation
which has been made to man, and if God has spoken
his mind and will in that, then you have a standard to
which you can at all times bring your conscience, by
which you can cultivate your heart and grow in purity. You have a book which is able to fit you for the
highest usefulness,-to point out the noblest ends of
your existence,-the best method of attaining those
ends;-which can soothe you when the heart is corroding by vexatious cares, which  can humble you
when in danger of being lifted up by prosperity;
which can sustain you when your own strength is
gone, and which, after having led you as the star
led the wise men of the East, through life, will at
last lead you to a world where the soul shall live
and act in her strength, the mind be enlarged to the
utmost of its capacity, and where your wishes will
only be commensurate with your enjoyments. Can
you neglect this book without doing yourself injustice?
You are but of yesterday, and have had time to learn
but little of what is around you; and without divine aid,
e
336
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Seventh suggestion.              Faithful reviewing.             Sickness.
you never would learn what is the destiny of your
nature, nor the path which lies before the soul in the
eternal world; but God has given yu his own word
to teach, to direct, and to sanctify you. If you have
any thing of wisdom, you will read the Scriptures
daily: if you do not do it, you may be sure the
reason is, that you are so in love with sin, that you
are unwilling to have a light poured upon you which
would rebuke you.
7. Be in the habit of faithfully reviewing your
conduct at stated seasons.
When these stated seasons shall be, and how often
they shall recur, is not for me to say. But they
should recur often, and periodically.   A  heathen
philosopher strongly urged his pupils to examine,
every night before they slept, what they had been
doing that day, and so discover what actions are worthy of pursuit to-morrow, and what vices are to be
prevented from slipping into habits. There are particular times when, by the providences of God, we
are especially called to examine our conduct, which
are not periodical. For example, if the hand of
sickness has been laid upon you, and you have been
made to feel your weakness and helplessness, the
time of your sickness and of your recovery should
both be seasons in which to pause and hold close
counsel with your heart. If you change places, go
from home, or go to a new institution for study, such
15
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Changes in circumstances. Examination of the heart on Sabbath evw ing,
a change affords you the best possible opportunity to
examine and see what habits, what moral delinquencies you ought to change for the better,-what have
been the rocks of temptation onewhich you have split,
-what the companions who have led you astray,what the sins you have fallen into which would grieve
your parents, which have pierced your own soul with
sorrow, and which, if persisted in, will eventually
destroy you for any service, in the holy kingdom of
God. These changes in your circumstances ought always to be made pausing places, at which you faithfully review all your life, and, with penitence for the past:
and new resolutions, set out for a better life in future.
But these are not the periodical times which I am
especially urging. At the close of every Sabbath,
you should make a conscience of performing the duty,
and retire and review the week which is now past.
It is a good time. You have had the soothing rest
of the Sabbath, and you are now one week nearer the
hour of dying, and the hour of being judged. You
have had the advantages of another week; now is the
time to see how you have improved them: you have
had another week in which to influence others; now
is the time to see what that influence has been: you
have had the responsibilities of forming a character,
under the highest possible advantages, for the service
of God during the past week; now is the time to
inquire how you have acted under such responsibili
0
.i_:..1B,~itn 
338 
THE  STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Use of dreams upon moral character.
ties. Make this review thorough, and be sure not
to omit it once. If you allow the season to pass
you without this close self-examination, you will be
likely to do it again and again; for. there is no duty
in all that pertains to the discipline of the heart so
irksome as that of self-examination. Some will say
that they had rather their friends would point out their
defects. But why should you be like the child who
asks for a looking-glass in which to examine his hands,
to see if they need washing?   No doubt it is more
agreeable to have a friend to do this, than to do it
yourself; and for the obvious reason that you will see
a thousand sins, and a thousand wrongo motives, which
his eye cannot reach. If I may be allowed to suggest,
[ know of no one thing, aside from the Bible, so useful to aid in examining the heart, on these occasions,
as Buck's Closet Companion. It is clear, brief, and
to the point.  Every question is searching; and he
who will use that little treatise in his attempts at examining his heart on the evening of the Sabbath, will
not long fail of having definite views of himself, and
very moderate views of his excellencies. Such a season, too, is exceedingly well fitted to close the Sabbath, and to fasten upon the soul those sacred impressions for which that day is especially designed.
It has been said by some, that we can judge of the
bent of our characters by examining every morning
to see about what our thoucghts have been employed
339
A help sug,-ested.
0 
THE STIJDENT'S MANL. L.,
Review of night important.
during the night, as it is supposed we shall, of course,
when off our guard during sleep, go about the business
which we should like best, if our inclinations might
be followed. There may be some truth in this, but
not enough, probably, to enable you to make it any
criterion by which to judge of your character; for
every student knows that a noise like the falling of a
pair of tongs, may hurry him away to the field of
battle; a single coverlet too much, may cause him to
groan with a mountain upon him; and a single move ment of his bed-fellow, may cause him to commit
murder-in his sleep.  This much is generally true;
that, if you have a troubled night, you have either
abused the body by eating or drinking too much, or
tasked the brain by too great a draft upon its functions at a late hour at night. Dreams will at least
indicate how much you are abusing your corporeal
and mental powers.
But at night-at the close of the day, when you
have passed through the day; have added it to the days
of your existence on earth; when its hours have fled
to the judgment-seat and reported all your doings, all
your words and thoughts-the day which must inevitably have more or less effect in shaping your destiny
forever;-this is the season when you ought to review,
most faithfully and most strictly, all your conduct.
You may not at once see the advantages of doing so
bul thev are really greater than language can describe.
.
340
a 
T'HE STUDENT'S MAIANUAL.
Effects of the evening review.
You will find duties omitted during the day;-will
not the examination lead you to repent of what was
wrong, and to avoid it to-morrow. You will find
time wasted, an hour here, and half an hour there;
will not the examination do you good? You will find
that you have spoken unadvisedly with your lips, that you have said what will wound the sensibilities,
either natural or moral;-and ought you not to know
of these instances? You will find that you have
sinned with the th9ughts, and that you have spread
out feelings which the Divine Mind, of course, must
retain forever, and which were vile;-will it not do
you good to recall these instances?   Perhaps you
have made one effort to resist temptation, and to do
your duty; —and it will cheer you to recall it. Tomorrow you will be still more likely to be successful.
Every man, at night, can tell whether he has made, or
squandered, or lost, property during the day; and so
every one, by proper care, can tell whether he has
gone backward or forward in disciplining his heart, at
the close of every day. He who passes on for weeks
and months without this frequent, faithful review, will
wonder, at the end of these long periods, why he has
not grown in moral character, and why he has no
more confidence in his hopes for the future. The
fact is, we may live, and be heathen, under the full
light of the gosp6, and perhaps, too, while we are
cherishing some of ts forms. But life will pass from
341
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.. 
The dying heathen philosopher.       Eighth suggestion.   Daily prayer.
you while you are making good resolutions, and
hoping to do better, unless you bring yourself to ac count daily; and when death stall come to call you
away, you will find the touching and affecting lan guage of the dying heathen philosopher most suitable
to your case: —Fede hunc mundum intravi, anxius
vivi, perturbatus egredior,-causa causarum miserere
mei:-"I was born polluted, I have spent my life
anxiously, I die with trembling solicitude,-O thou
Cause of causes, have pity on me."  The pain which
our deficiencies and sins give us on the review, will
be salutary, desirable, and necessary; and it is at a
fearful hazard that any one under as great responsibilities as those under which we are placed, ever retires to rest without such a review of the day as I am
recommending.
8. Be in the habit of daily prayer.
Though much of the novelty of the style and manqer of Johnson has passed away, yet his works will
ever bear the impress of a great mind; and as long
as the English language exists, he will stand high in
the estimation of the student. Yet Johnson, as far as
he was from enthusiasm, is found making  use of an
humble and beautiful form of prayer when taking his
pen to write a work which will be immortal. The most
distinguished authors-such,  I mean, as have been
the most widely useful-have always sought the
)blessing of God upon their studies. Doddridge used
.
m
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Stdet  eseilyne   ryr                       xueo  aign   ie
to observe fiequently, "that he never advanced well
in human learning without prayer, and that he always
made the most proficiency in his studies when he
prayed with the greatest fervency." When exposed
to dangers which threaten the body, such as the perils
of a journey, the malignant plague, the storm at sea,
or the rockings of the earthquake, no one esteems it
enthusiasm or weakness to ask aid and protection
from God. But how many feel, that, when they sit
down to study, when they are tempted to go astray in
a thousand paths of error, when liable to have their
opinions, views, plans, habits, all the traits of their
character, wrong, they have no need of prayer! The
very heathen felt so much need of aid in their mental
researches, that they seldom, if ever, began a study or
a book, without invoking the aid of the gods. Surely
the student who knows his dependence upon the true
God, and who knows how easily the mind of man is
thrown off from its balance,-how important it is that
the mind be clear, and all its powers in full vigor,will not feel that, as a student, to say nothing about a
higher character or destiny, he can do his duty to
himself with forming and cultivating the habit of
daily prayer.
I know that thousands, when pressed on this point,
will say that they have no time,-their studies are so
pressing, so urgent, that they have neither the timo
e
343
Students especially need prayer.
Excuse of having no time.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Hints in rgard to payer.    Reglar hours
nor the spirit necessary for prayer. I reply, that it
will not hinder your studies. On the contrary, the
mind will be calmed, rested, and refreshed, by being
daily turned off from your sttudies for prayer. Ask
any distinguished man, who has ever tried both methods of study, and he will tell you that he has been
prospered in his studies in proportion to his faithfulness
in performing this duty. What shall be said of such
a man as Andrews,' who was such a proficient in
study, that he could read fifteen different languages,
and yet never spent less than five hours daily in private devotion?
You will find, as I trust, the following hints of advantage to you in the performance of this duty.
(1.) Have regular hours of prayer.
Habit, in regard to every duty, is of the first importance; but for none is it more important than in
regard to prayer.   You cannot walk  and lift your
heart to God, or sit in your room and do it, as well
as to be retired. The direction of Christ, to enter
the closet, was founded on the philosophy of human
nature. Have particular seasons, and when the hour
arrives, you will hail it as that which is the most
pleasant in the whole day. The return of the hour
brings to mind the duty, which might otherwise be
crowded out of mind. System should be rigidly adne'ed to, in this duty, for the sake of insuring its
1 Note P.
.
344
Hints in regard to prayer.
Regular hours.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MAANUAT,.
Morning and evening, the best time for devotion.
prompt performance, and especially for the sake of
enjoyment. No man ever enjoyed his religion who
had not regula. seasons devoted to prayer.
(2.) These hours should be in the morning and in
the evening.
In the morning the mind is calmed; the tempta..
tions of the day have not beset you; the duties of the
day have not filled the mind and begun to vex you.
Before you go to the duties of the day, to its cares,
and anxieties, and temptations, begin the day with
prayer. Temptations you certainly will meet; trials
of virtue and patience will overtake you; and many
times before night, you will need the aid of your
Father to shield you. Go to him, and ask his counsel to guide you, his power to uphold you, his presence to cheer you, his Spirit to sanctify you. Then
will you have done what is equivalent to half the
duties of the day, when you have thus engaged his
care and assistance. And when the evening comes,
when you have done with the duties of the day, the
body is wearied, and the mind is jaded, when the
world is shut out by the shades of night, when you
come to look back and review the day, when you see
how many deficiencies have marked the day, how
many imperfections still cluster around you, how
many sins stare you in the face, how little you have
done for yourself or for others, or for God, the day
15*
345
e 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Examples of praying men.        Conscience to be kept pure.
past, then-is the hour of prayer. It will be sweet
to feel that you have one to whom you can go, and
who will hear you; one who will forgive you, if you
are penitent, and ask in the narnhe of Jesus Christ;
une who will accept your evening sacrifice, and give
you strength for the morrow, and gird you with his
3wn righteousness. This hour, if rightly improved,
will be like the cheering countenance of a most beloved
friend. Take care that nothing comes between you
and these hours devoted to God.   "Think of Daniel,
prime minister of Persia, with the affairs of one hun
dred and twenty provinces resting on his mind, yet
finding time to go'into his chamber, three times a
day, that he might p-ay and give thanks to God.'
Think of Alfred, with the cares of monarchy; of Luther, buffeted by the storms of Papal wrath; of Thornton, encompassed with a thousand mercantile engagements, yet never allowing the hurry of business to
intrude on their regular hours of devotion."
(3.) Keep your conscience void of offence in other
respects, if you would enjoy prayer..
If you are aware of any sin, be it what it may, in
which you allow yourself, you may be sure that will
ruin your devotional hours. Either that, or communion with God must be relinquished, and certainly
will be. If you do not keep the Sabbath; if you are
light and foolish in conversation, jealous and censo
346
Examples of praying men.
Conscience to be kept pure.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MA.NUAL.
Excuse of not being a Christian examined.
rious upon others, or given to the indulgence of vile
thoughts and practices in secret, you cannot welcome
the hour of prayer.
It may seem strange to some of my readers, that I
urge this duty upon them, when they do not profess
to be Christians, or religious people. But am I to
blame, if they do not even profess to wish to obey
and honor their God? Are they in any way above
the reach of want, so that they need not prayer?
What if you have no relish for prayer; will neglecting the duty cultivate, or even create, such a relish?
If you have lived so long under the government of
God, under all the advantages which you have enjoyed, under all the responsibilities which have been
resting upon you, and still are living without prayer,
are you in the path of duty to plead this neglect of
prayer, as a reason why it should not be urged upon
you? Shall I be a faithful friend to admit this excuse, and to allow, that, because you have so long
tried to escape the eye of God, and have neither
thanked him for his mercies nor asked him for his
goodness, neither sought his friendship nor deprecated
his displeasure, you ought still to be left, and no
warning voice reach you? No. And if you urge
that you have not been in the habit of prayer, I assure you that you are inexcusable; that you are losing
great peace of mind, and daily satisfaction in laying
ll your wants and trials before Him who can relieve
e
347
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Pray in Christ's name.
them: you are losing those great principles which
make character good, great, and stable, and you are
losing opportunities which are passing away rapidly,
and wLhose mnisimprovement will'hereafter bring down
great anguish upon you.
(4.) Offer your prayers in the name of Jesus
Christ.
He is the only Mediator between God and man.
He it is who sits with the golden censer in his right
hand, and who ever lives to intercede for us. He is
a great and a merciful High Priest, who can be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. We have no
righteousness of our own; we can have no confidence
in offering prayer in our own names. But he who
has most of the spirit of Christ; who comes near
to him in his contemplations and devotions; who has
the most exalted views of the Redeemer, and the
most abased views of himself, —will enjoy most at the
throne of grace. Your prayers will be cold unless
they go from a heart warmed by his love. Your petitions will not be fervent unless you feel your need
of an almighty Saviour.' The songs which are the
loudest and sweetest in heaven, we are told, are kindled by the exhibitions which he has made, of what
he has done for us.
(5.) Ask the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
When God directs us to pray, it is not that he may
sit at a distance, and, in the coldness of a sovereign
I See Biokersteth on Prayer, and H. More's Privato Devotions.
.
348
0 
THE ST'rUDENT'S MANUAL.
Ask for the Holy Sp)irit.
monarch, hear our prayers, and receive our homage;
but- it is, that we may draw ourselves near to him,
as one in a boat, with a boat-hook, would not draw
the shore to the boat, but the boat to the shore.  His
promise of the Holy Spirit to those who ask him, was
sincere; and no gift can be compared to this. All
that is done for man in the way of calling his attention to eternal things, sanctifying the heart, and preparing the soul for the service of God here and here
after, is done by the Holy Spirit as the agent. Solemn warnings are given in the Bible lest we should
abuse this last, best gift of Heaven. He is the Sanctifier to purify your heart, the Comforter to sustain
and cheer in life and in death. Ask his assistance,
and you will be shielded from temptation, trained for
usefulness here, enlightened in your views, expan.
sive in your feelings, pure in your aims, contented
in your circumstances, peaceful in your death, and
!orious in immortality beyond the grave.
.
349 
CHAPTER X.
THE OBJECT OF L.'E.
How many beautiful visions pass before the mind
in a single day, when the reins are thrown loose, and
fancy feels no restraints!  How  curious, interesting
and instructive would be the history of the workings
of a single mind for a day! How many imaginary
joys, how many airy castles, pass before it, which a
single jostle of this rough world at once destroys!
Who is there of my readers who has not imagined a
summer fairer than ever bloomed,-scenery in nature
more perfect than was ever combined by the pencil,abodes  more  beautiful  than  were ever  reared,honors more distinguished than were ever bestowed,homes more peaceful than were ever enjoyed,-companions more angelic than ever walked this earth,and bliss more complete, and joys more thrilling than
were ever allotted to man? You may call these the
dreams of the imagination, but they are common to
the student. To the man who lives for this world
alone, these visions of bliss, poor as they are, are all
that ever come. But good men have their anticipaions-not the paintings of fancy, but  the realities
which faith discovers.   Good men  have  the most
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Visiois of good men.         Our visions a test of character.
vivid conceptions. Witness those of old. As they
look down the vale of time, they see a star arise, the everlasting hills do bow, the valleys are raised,
and the moon puts on the brightfness of the SUIT.
The deserts and the dry places gush with waters.
Nature pauses. The serpent forgets his fangs; the
lion and the lamb sleep side by side, and the hand of'
the child is on the mane of the tiger. Nations gaze
till they forget the murderous work of war, and the
garments rolled in blood. The whole earth is enlightened, and the star shines on till it brings in everlasting day. Here are glowing conceptions, but they
are not the work of a depraved imagination. They will
all be realized. Sin and death will long walk hand in
hand on this earth, and their footsteps will not be entirely blotted out till the fires of the last day have melted the globe.  But the head of the one is already bruis
ed, and the sting is already taken from the other.
They may long roar, but they walk in chains, and the
eye of faith sees the hand that holds the chains.
But we have visions still brighter. We look for
new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness.   No  sin will be  there  to mar  the
beauty, no sorrow to diminish a joy, no anxiety to
corrode the heart, or cloud the brow. Our characters may be tested, in part, by our anticipations. If
our thoughts and feelings are running in the channel
of time, and dancing from one earthly bubble to
351
Visionjs of good men.
Our visions a test of character.
0
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The youth returning from a whaling voyage.
another, though our hopes may come in angel-robes,
it is a sad proof that our hearts are here also.
Is there any thing of weakness in these hopes of
good men? Are we not continually seeking rest for
the soul?-A few years ago, a youth went up to the
mast-head of a large whale-ship, and there sat down
to think. He was the only child of his mother, and
she a widow. He had left her against her wishes and
remonstrances, her prayers and tears. He had for
many years been roaming over the seas, and was now
returning home. He was thinking of the scenes of his
childhood,-all the anxious hours which he had cost
that mother,-all the disobedience on his part, and that
love on hers which no waters could quench. Would
she be sleeping in the grave when he once more came
to her door? Does his home still look as it used to?
-the tree, the brook, the pond, the fields, the grove,
-are they all as he left them?  And his mother,
would she receive him to her heart or would she be
sleeping in death? Would she recognize her longabsent boy, and forgive all his past ingratitude, and
still love him with the unquenchable love of a mother? And may he again have a home, and no more
wander  among strangers?  The  pressure of these
thoughts was too much. He wept at the remembrance of his undutifulness. Troubles and hardships
did not break his spirit, did not subdue his proud
heart; but the thoughts of home, of rest, of going
352
0 
THE STUDENTIS MANUAL.
The dying thought o Hooker.    The world wider an immense mistake.
out no more, stffering no more, engrossing the love of
a kind parent, melted him.   Is not this human nature?
And is it weakness in a good man to rejoice at the
thought of that day, when death shall be swallowed
up in victory? when the Lord God shall wipe away
all tears, and take away the rebuke of his people, that
they may be glad and rejoice in his salvation?  "I
am going," said the great Hooker, "to leave a world
disordered and a church disorganized, for a world and
a church where every angel and every rank of angels stand before the throne in the very post God has
assigned them."
The world, the great mass of mankind, have utterly misunderstood the real object of life on earth, or
else he misunderstands it who follows the light of
the Bible.   You look at men  as individuals, and
their object seems to be to gratify a contemptible
vanity, to pervert and follow their low appetites and
passions, and the dictates of selfishness, wherever
they may lead. You look at men in the aggregate, and this pride and these passions terminate in
wide plans of ambition, in wars and bloodshed, in
strifes and the destruction of all that is virtuous or
lovely.  The  history of mankind  has its pages all
stained with blood; and it is the history of a race
whose object seemed to be, to debase their powers,
and sink what was intended for immortal glory, to the
4eepest degradation which sin can cause. At ope
353
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL. -
Th   ryo  exe.Tecuae
time, you will see an army of five millions of men fol.
lowing a leader, who, to add to his poor renown, is
now to jeopardize all these lives, and the peace of his
whole kingdom. This multitude of minds fall in, and
they live, and march, and fight, and perish, to aid in exalting a poor worm of the dust. What capacities were
here assembled! What minds were here put in motion!
What a scene of struggles was here!  And who, of
all this multitude, were pursuing the real object of
life?  From Xerxes, at their head, to the lowest and
most debased in the rear of the army, was there one,
who, when weighed in the balances of eternal truth,
was fulfilling the object for which he was created, and
for which life is continued? Look again. All Europe rises up in a phrensy, and pours forth a living
tide towards  the Holy Land.   They  muster  in
thle name of the Lord of Hosts. The cross waves on
their banners, and the holy sepulchre is the watchword by day and night. They move eastward, and
whiten the burning sands of the deserts with their
bleaching bones.  But of all these, from the fanatic
whose voice awoke Europe to arms, down to the
lowest horse-boy, how few were actuated by any
spirit which Heaven, or justice, to say nothing about
love, could sanction! Suppose the same number of
mnen, the millions which composed the continent which
rose up to exterminate another, and who followed the
mran who was first a soldier and then a priest and
.
354
The army of Xerxes.
The crusade.
a 
THE ST''UDENT'S MANUAL.
Peter the Herni-it.      A wonderful example of avarice.
hermit, and who has left the world in doubt whether he
was a prophet, a madman, a fool, or a demagogue, had
spent the same treasures of life, an&.of money, in trying,o spread the spirit of that Saviour for whose tomb
they could waste so much; and suppose this army had
been enlightened and sanctified men, and had devoted their powers to do good to mankind, and to honor
their God, how different would the world have been
found to-day! How many, think you, of all the then
Christian world, acted under a spirit, and with an object before them such as the world will approve, and
especially such as the pure beings above us will
approve?
Look a moment at a few of the efforts which avarice has made. For about four centuries, the avarice
of man, and of Christian men too, has been preying
upon the vitals of Africa. It has taken the sons and
daughters of Ham, and doomed soul and body to debasement, to ignorance, to slavery.  And what are
the results? Twenty-eight millions-more than twice
the population of this country-have been kidnapped
and carried away from the land of their birth. The
estimate is, that the increase in the house of bondage
since those times, is five-fold, or nearly one hundred
and seventy millions of human, immortal beings, cut
off from the rights of man, and, by legislation and
planning, reduced far towards the scale of the brutes.
lis is only a single form in which avarice has been
a
355 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Anintigos                     xeieto  aaim
exerting  its power.  Suppose  the same  tirie and
money, the same effort, had been spent in spreading
the arts of civilization, learningt and religion, over tihe
continent of Africa, what a vast amount of good woula
have been accomplished! And at the day when the
recording angel reads the history of the earth, hown
very different would be the picture, and the eternal
condition of untold numbers! If the marks of humanity are not all blotted out from that race of miserable
men, it is not because oppression has not been sufficiently legalized, and avarice been allowed to pursue
its victims, till the grave became a sweet asylum.
I am trying to lead you to look at the great amount
of abuse and of perversion of mind, of which mankind
are constantly guilty. When Christianity began her
glorious career, the world had exhausted its strength
in trying to debase itself, and to sink low enough to
embrace paganism; and yet not so low, as not to try
to exist in the shape of nations.  The experiment had
been repeated, times we know not how many. Egypt,
Babylonia, Persia, polished Greece, iron-footed Rome,
mystical Hindooism, had all tried it. They spent, each,
mind enough to regenerate a nation, in trying to build
up a system of corrupt paganism; and when that system was built up-let the shape and form be what it
might-the nation had exhausted its energies, and it
sunk and fell under the effects of misapplied and perverted mind. No nation existed on the face of the
0
356
A.ncient kingdoms.
Experiment of paganism. 
THE STUDEiYr'S MANUAL.
The experiment of the Romish church.
earth, which was not crumbling under the use of its
perverted energies, when the gospel reached it. Our
ancestors were crushed under the weght of a Druidical
priesthood, and the rites of that bloody system of re ligion.
Another striking instance of the perversion of mind,
and the abuse of the human intellect and heart, is the
system of the Romish church. No one created mind,
apparently, could ever have invented a scheme of de lusion, of degradation of the soul, the intellect, the
whole man, so perfect and complete as is this. What
minds must have been employed in shutting out the
light of heaven, and in burying the manna, which fell
in showers so extended! What a system!  To gather
al]l the books in the world, and put them all within the
stone'walls of the monastery and the cloister,-to crush
schools, except in these same monasteries, in which they
trained up men to become more and more skilful in doing the work of ruin,-to delude the world with ceremonies and fooleries, while the Bible was taken away,
and Religion muttered her rites in an unknown tongue,
-and all this the result of a settled plan to debase the
intellect and mock poor human nature! And, when
the Reformation held up all these abominations to
light, what a masterpiece was the last plan laid to stifle
the reason forever!-the inquisition.  It was reared
through the Christian world: the decree, by a single
blow, proscribed between sixty and seventy printing
.
I
367
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Fate of Galileo.
presses, and excommunicated all who should ever read
any thing which they might produce. A philosopher
who, like Galileo, could pour light upon science, and
astonish the world by his discoveries, must repeatedly
fall into the cruel mercies of the inquisition. The ingenuity of hell seemed tasked to invent methods by
which the human mind might be shut up in Egyptian
darkness; and never has a Catholic community been
known to be other than degraded, ignorant, superstitious and sunken. Let light in, and all who receive it rush to infidelity. But what a mass of mind
has been, and still is, employed in upholding this system! And what a loss to the world has it produced,
in quenching, in everlasting darkness, the uncounted
millions of glorious minds which have been destroyed
by it! If 1 could find it in my heart to anathematize
any order of men,-and I hope I cannot,-it would
be those who are thus taking away the key of knowledge, and preventing all within the compass of their
influence from fulfilling the great object for which they
were created.
Was man created for war? Did his Maker create
the eye, that he might take better aim on the field of
battle? give him skill, that he might invent methods
of slaying by thousands? and plant a thirst in the sou!,
that it might be quenched with the blood of men?
What science or art can boast of more precision, of
more to teach it, to hail it with enthusiasm, and to cel.
&58
a
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The spirit of war universal.           Career of Buonaparte.
ebrate it in song?   Genius has ever sat at the feet of
Mars, and exhausted his efforts in preparing exquisite
offerings. Human thought has never made such gigantic efforts as when employed in scenes of butchery.
Has Skill ever been more active and successful-lhas'
Poetry ever so kindled, as when the flames  of Troy
lighted her page?  What school-boy is ignorant of
the battle-ground, and the field of blood, where ancient
and modern armies met and tried to crush each other?
Has Music ever thrilled like that which led men to
battle, and the plume of the desert-bird ever danced
so gracefully as when on the head of the warrior?
Are any honors so freely bestowed, or cheaply purchased, as those which are gained by a few hours of
fighting? See that man, who, so late, was the wonder
of the world, calling out, marshalling, employing and
wasting almost all the treasures of Europe, for twelve
or fifteen years. What multitudes of minds did he
call to the murderous work of war!-minds that might
have blessed the world with literature, with science,
with schools, and with the gospel of peace, had they
not been perverted from the great and best object of
living!  Says a philosophical writer, speaking on this
subject, "I might suppose, for the sake of illustration,
that all the schemes of ambition, and cruelty, and inrigue, were blotted from the page of history,-that,
against the names of the.plendid and guilty actors,
.
359
The spirit of war universal.
Career of Buonaparte.
0 
TIlE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
A striking contrast supposed.
whom the world, for ages, has wondered at, there
were written achievements of Christian benevolence,
equally grand and characteristic-and then ask what
a change would there be in the scenes which the
world has beheld transacted, and what a difference in
the results! Alexander should have won victories in
Persia more splendid than those of Granicus and Arbela; he should have wandered over India, like Buchanan, and wept for another world to bring under the
dominion of the Saviour; and, returning to Babylon,
should have died, like Martyn, the victim of Christian
zeal. Cesar should have made Gaul and Britain
obedient to the faith, and, crossing the Rubicon with
nis apostolic legions, and making the Romans freemen of the Lord, should have been the forerunner of
Paul, and done half his work. Charlemagne should
have been a Luther.  Charles  of Sweden should
have been a Howard; and, flying from the Baltic to the
Euxine, like an angel of mercy, should have fallen,
when on some errand of love, and, numbering his days
by the good deeds he had done, should have died like
Mills in an old age of charity. Voltaire should have
written Christian tracts. Rousseau should have been
a Fenelon. Hume should have unravelled the intri
cacies of theology, and defended, like Edwards, the
faith once delivered to the saints."
We call ours the most enlightened nation on earth
e
360
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Estimation in which war is now held.
inferior to none m owning the spirit of Christianity;
and we claim this as an age behind none ever enjoyed,
for high moral principle and benevolent, disinterested
action. But what is this principle in the great mass
of mankind!   When clouds gather in the political
horizon, and war threatens a nation, how are the
omens received? How many are tnere who turn
aside and weep, and deprecate the guilt, the wo, and
the indescribable evils and miseries of war? The
great majority of the nation feel that the path of glory
is-now opening before them, and that the honor which
may possibly be attained by a few bloody battles, is
ample compensation for the expense, the morals, the
lives, and the happiness, which must be sacrificed for
the possibility. Let that nation rush to war for some
supposed point of honor. Watch the population as
they collect, group after group, under the burning sun,
all anxious; all eager, and all standing as if in deep
expectation for the signal which was to call them to
judgment. They are waiting for the first tidings of
the battle, where the honor of the nation is staked.
No tidings that ever came from Heaven can send a
thrill of joy so deep as the tidings that one ship has
conquered or sunk another.
Was it any thing remarkable, that, in the very
heart of a Christian nation, a single horse-race brought
ove     r         fifty thousand people together?  Were they act               16
361
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
A horse-race.          Prostitution of mind unlamented.
ing so much out of the character of the mass of mankind as to cause it to make any deep impression upon
the moral sensibilities of the nation?
Suppose it were known that -'a mind was now in
process of training, which might, if its powers were
properly directed, be equal to Milton or Locke; but
that, instead of this, it will waste its powers in creating
such song as Byron wrote, or in weaving such webs as
the schoolmen wove. Would the knowledge of such a
waste of mind, such perversion of powers, cause a
deep sensation of regret among men? or have such
perversions been so common in the world, that one
such magnificent mind mnight be lost to mankind, and
no one would mourn? The answer is plain. The
world has become so accustomed to seeing mind prostituted to ignoble purposes, and influence which might
reach round the globe like a zone of mercy thrown
away forever, that we hardly think of it as greatly out
of the way.
A generation of men come on the stage of action;
they find the world in darkness, in ignorance, and in
sin. They live, gain the few honors which are easily
plucked, gather the little wealth which toil and anxiety will bestow, and then pass away. As a whole, the
generation do not expect or try to throw an influence
upon the world which shall be redeeming. They do
not expect to leave the world materially better than
362
O 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
. The world left to sink.
they found it. Why do we not mourn that such
myriads of immortal minds are destined to pass away,
and never to break out in acts of mercy and kindness
to the world?  Because we  have so long been so
prodigal of mind, that we hardly notice its loss.
For thousands of years the world has slept in ignorance, or groped in utter darkness. Nations have
come up,  and  bowed  and worshipped the sun, or
wood, or brass, stone, or reptile, and then have passed
away. The heart of man has been broken by vain
superstitions, by cruelties, by vileness, under the name
of religion; and, aside from the Bible, we see no hope
that it will be otherwise, for as long a period to come.
But does this immense waste, this immneasurable loss,
for time and eternity, trouble mankind? Is the world
at work for its redemption, and disenthralment?  By
no means!  A  small portion of the Christian world
alone have even looked at it with any interest. This
small part are making some efforts. They are taking
the gospel of God, and with it carrying the arts of
civilization, the light of schools, the sacredness of the
Sabbath, and the influences and hopes of immortality,
to the ends of the earth. But how are these labors
esteemed by the mass of society? Where is the sympathy for the solitary missionary of the cross, as he
takes his life in his hand, and goes to the dark places
of the earth, full of the habitations of cruelty? The
world laulghs at the idea that the earth can be re
.
363
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Who is great.         Individual examples.         The merchant.
covered; and, though lions and tigers are constantly
tamed, and the deadly serpent is charmed, yet there
is no faith that the moral character of man is ever to
be any better. The schemes ofthe missionary are fanatical, the Bible is powerless as the cold philosophy of
the world, and preaching has no power but that which
depends upon the eloquence of the tongue which utters
it. But the question is, How do you account for it, that
the community at large so coolly make up their minds,
that the world can never be any better, and each one
goes about his business, as if it were all of no sort of
consequence? I account for it, by saying that mankind are supremely selfish; so much so, that the situation of a world lying in wickedness, does not move
them-that the great majority of men always have,
and do still, mistake the true object of life.
"Nothing in man is great, but so far as it is connected with God. The only wise thing recorded of
Xerxes, is his reflection on the sight of his army, that
not one of that immense multitude would survive a
hundred years. It seems to have been a momentary
gleam of true light and feeling. The history of all
the great characters of the Bible is summed up in this
one sentence;-they acquainted themselves with God,
and acquiesced in his will in all things; " and no other
characters can be called great, with any propriety.
Look at individuals. You walk down on the wharf
of one of our large cities. You notice a man bv
0
364 
TIle qTUDENT'S MANUAL
The politician.
himself alone. He walks with a quick, feverish step,
backwards and forwards, and, every few moments,
looks away at that dark speck, faroff on the "dark
blue sea." He is waiting for that ship to loom up,
that he may see his own flag at mast-head. For
nearly three years she has been gone, and comes
home now, probably, richly freighted. During all
this time, he has followed her, in his thoughts, day
and night: when it was dark-when the storm rushed —when the winds moaned-he thought of his ship;
and not for a single waking hour at a time has that
ship's image been out of his mind. His whole soul
went with her; and yet, all this time, he never lifted
a prayer to Him who holds the winds and the waves
in his hand; and even now, when his heart is swelling
with hopes that are realized, still he thinks not of
raising a breath in thanksgiving to his God; thinks
of no acts of mercy which he will'perform; feels no
accountability for his property. Is such a man, living
for property alone, pursuing the real object of life?
Look at another man. He is walking his closet:
his brow is contracted; his countenance faded; his eye
sunken, and he is full of troubled anxiety. He looks
out of his window for his messenger, and then sinks
down in deep thought. It would seem as if nothing
less than the salvation of his soul could cause such an
anxiety.  He is a cunning statesman, a crafty politician, and is now waiting to learn the result of a new
365
0
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.  -
The refined scholar.
scheme, which he is now executing, with the hope
that it may aid him in climbing the ladder of ambition.
He eyes every movement in the community, watches
every change, and carries a solicitude which, at times,
must - be agonizing. There are thousands of such
minds, trying to make men their tools, regardless of
means or measures, provided they can fulfil their great
desireexalt themselves.   Are  such men pursuing
the real object of life?
Look again.-There is a man of cultivated taste
and refined feeling. His soul is full of poetry, and his
feelings alive to every charm that is earthly. He can
look out on the face of the evening sky, or watch the
tints of dawn, and admire such beauties; but his soul
never looks up "through nature's works to nature's
God." He can enter into deep communion with what
is perfect in the natural world, but he holds none
with the Father of his spirit. Music, too, is his delight.
He can eagerly give himself away to the melody of
sweet sounds; but, with all this, he stands without the
threshold of the moral temple of God, and has no wish
to enter in and eat the food of angels. The thorns
which grow on Sinai are unpleasant to his soul; but
not more so than are the roses which bloom on Calvary. The blending tints of the summer-bow awaken
a thrill of pleasure; but the bow of mercy which
hangs over the cross of Jesus, has in it nothing that
can charm.  He live,, plans, and acts, just as.he
366
a 
THiE STUDEN'"S MANUAL
Thought of Pascal.           Every one has an object.
would were there no God above him, before whom
every thought lies naked. Is this man-this refined,
cultivated scholar-pursuing the object for which he
was created? And if every cultivated man on earth
should do precisely as he does, would the world advance in knowledge, virtue, or religion? Man was created for purposes high and noble-such as angels engage in, and in comparison with which, all other objects sink into insignificance, and all other enjoyments
are contemptible as ashes.
The distinguished Pascal has a thought which is
well worth examination, especially by all those who
are conscious of living for other aims than those which
ought to be the real end of life.  "All our endeavors
after greatness proceed from nothing but a desire of
being surrounded by a multitude of persons and affairs
that may hinder us from looking into ourselves; which
is a view we cannot bear." Probably few are conscious that this is the reason why they so busily waste
their lives in unworthy pursuits, though none can be
insensible of having the effect produced.
Every youth who reads these pages expects to be
active, to be influential, and to have some object of
pursuit every way worthy of his aims. That object
will be One of the four following-pleasure, wealth,
human applause, or genuine benevolence.
I shall not stop to dwell upon these. No argument
need be urged to show how utterly unwoUI Lthy of his ed
.
I I
367
Tbougbt of Pascal.
Every one has an object.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The appetites and passions.
ucation, of his friends, and of himself, he acts, who so
degrades himself as to make the appetites and passions
of his animal nature the object of life, and who looks
to them for happiness. Let hin know that there is
not an appetite to be gratified, which does not pall
and turn to be an enemy the moment it has become
his master. It makes him a slave, with all his degradation and sorrows, without any of the slave's freedom
from thought and anticipation. You cannot give way
to any appetite, without feeling instant and constant
degradation; and he who sinks in such a way that he
despises himself, will soon be a wretch indeed. Conscience can be deadened and murdered in no way
so readily as by such indulgence: the mind can be
weakened, and every intellectual effort forever killed
in no way so readily as in this. If you would at once
seal your degradation, for time and eternity, and forever blast every hope of peace, greatness, or usefulness, I can tell you how to do it all. You have only
to cultivate your appetites, and give way to the demands of your passions, and drink of those stolen waters
which are sweet, and eat of that bread, in secret, which
is forbidden, and you may rest assured that you have
chosen a path which is straight-but it is straight to ruin.
The pursuits of wealth are less debasing, more refined, and every way more honorable. But they are
not worthy of you. You can pursue wealth and culLivate selfishness at every step: you may do it with a
368
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Seeking after wealth.            Life of ambition.
heart that idolizes what it gains, and, could it know
that what it gathers to-day would continue in the famnily for centuries, and be constantly increasing, would
idolize it still more. But here let me say, that if wealth
be your object, you have mistaken your path. A
student seeking wealth!  There is no situation in the
land in which you could not obtain it easier and faster,
than by study. No class of men are in so poor a situation to become wealthy as students; and no class
of men, in proportion to their time. their labor, and
their efforts, are so poorly paid as professional men;
and if wealth were my object, I hardly know of any
business which I would not rather undertake as a
means by which to obtain it, than either of the professions, in this country. A student cannot become
wealthy, in ordinary circumstances, without contracting his soul to a degree which destroys all his claims
to be a student.
But the strongest temptation which will beset you,
is to live and act under the influence of ambition, and
to sell your time, and efforts, and yourself indeed, for
human applause. There is no stream so sweet as
that which flows from this fountain. But you little
know the dangers which wait around the man who
would drink here-the archers which lie in ambush.
There are so many things to diminish the gratifications
which ambition bestows, that, were there no higher,
no nobler end of existence, it would seem dangerous
16*
.
369
Seeking after wealth.
Life of ambition.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANT'AL.
The vexations of the ambitious man.
to pursue this. How many begin life with high hopes,
with expectations almost unbounded, who, in a little
time, sink down into discouragement and listlessness,
because they find the tree higher up the mountain
than thley expected, and its fruit more difficult to be
obtained! But suppose a man be successful, and the
measure of his desires begins to be filled. As you
come close to him, you discover spots which were not
seen at a distance, and blemishes which the first
glare of brightness concealed. These weaknesses are
noted, trumpeted, magnified, and multiplied, till it
seems astonishing how a character can be great under
such a load of infirmities. These are vexations; they
are like little dogs which hang upon your heels all the
day, and which give you no peace at night. But
these you can endure. You may live in spite of having every blemish, which your public character exposes, published abroad. But suppose you make a
single false step, as you mount the hill-where then
are you?  How many, who have made the applause
of men the breath of their nostrils, have seen all their
hopes dashed, in the very morning of their lives, by
some step which they took in furtherance of their object, but which, in fact, was a mistaken step! The
wheel was broken at once, and with it, their schemes,
and perhaps their hearts. But this is not the worst of
what is before you, if you live for applause. Admiration for any thing on earth cannot endure long. It
370
0
0 
THE STUDENT'S MIANUAL.
Admiration short4ived.          Difficulties in sustailling a reputation.
will always be short-lived; and there is quite as much
difficulty in keeping up a reputation, as in gaining it
at the first.  It takes us but a short time to say all our
pretty sayings, and all our smart things. A reputation which has cost you years of toil to obtain, is no
less difficult to keep than to acquire. If that reputation be not still rising and increasing in splendor, it
will soon begin to droop and decay. Your best actions must become better still-your highest efforts
must become higher still-or you sink; and, after all,
do what you will, and as well as you will, still you do
not more than barely meet expectation. You exert
yourself, and you make a fine speech; or you produce
a masterly dissertation; or you write an interesting and
a valuable book; and the question is, not whether you
have fallen below the subject, or below yourself, but
have you not fallen below the standard which others
have capriciously set for you? If you have, you are
going down the hill, in fame. A man writes a book:it is his first effort. There was no expectation about
it. It is received well, even with applause. He
writes another; and now he is not to be measured by
what hlie did before. He must be measured by the
standard of public opinion; and a reception which
would raise a new author, is ruin to him. All this
price you must certainly pay, if you live for the applause of your fellow-men. They will bestow no
more of it than they can avoid; they will recall it as
soon as an opportunity allows; and they will feel that
371
Admiration short-lived.
Difficulties in sustaining a reputation.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
No one satisfied with his reputation.    Restlessness of ambition.
neglect is your due, in future, as a counterweight to
what has been  so liberally thrown  into the other
scale. The pursuits of ambition are successions of
jealous disquietudes, of corroding fears, of high hopes,
of restless desires, and of bitter disappointment. There
is ever a void in the soul-a reaching forth towards
ihe empty air, and a lighting up of new desires in the
heart. It seems to me to have been mere affectation in Cesar, who said-and his repeating it so
often strengthens the supposition of affectation-that
he "had enough of fame "-se satis vel ad naturam,
vel ad gloriam vixisse. Few can believe that the
emperor could have been sincere in this declaration.
There are other vexations, and certain disappointments, attending him who lives for the good opinion
of men, which are unknown till they come upon you,
but which are distressing in the extreme, when they
do come. That desire after fame which moves you,
soon becomes feverish, and is constantly growing
stronger and stronger. And in proportion to your
desire for applause, and the good opinion of men, is
your mortification deep and distressing, when applause
is withheld. If praise elates and excites you, the withholding that praise will proportionably sink your spirits and destroy your comfort. You are thus a mere
foot-ball among men, thrown wherever they please,
and in the power of every man; for every man can
take away your peace, if he pleases, and every man
is more tempted to bestow censures than applause.
372
a 
THE STUDENT'S:MANUAL.
Example of a disappointed r. an of ambition.
One thing more.  If you set yctlr heart on the applauses of men, you will find that, if you receive them,
the gift will not, and cannot, bestow positive happiness upon you, while the withhoding of them will
clothe you with certain and positive misery. A disappointed man of ambition is miserable, not because his
loss is really so great, but because his imagination has,
for years, been making it appear great to him. I
could point you to the grave of a most promising man,
who lived for honors solely. The first distinct object
on which he fixed his eye, was to be a representative
irt congress. For this he toiled day and night. He
was every way worthy; but just as he was on the
point of succeeding, when the convention had met to
nominate him, one of his best friends felt that such an
appointment would interfere with his own schemes of
petty ambition, and, therefore, he stepped in and prevented the nomination. The poor man returned home
sick, cast down, and broken-hearted. The loss of that
election certainly was not of any great consequence,
but he had brooded over it till it was of immense consequence, in his view. The blow withered him, and
in a few months he went down to his grave, the prey
of disappointment. Is such a pursuit worthy of man?
Is this the high end of life on earth? A distinguished
writer, who thus lived for fame, not only outlived his
fame, but the powers of his own mind; and many
were the hours, in broken old age, which he spent in
weeping, because he could not understand the books
378
a
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Character of fame.
which he wrote when young. What a picture could
the painter produce, with such a subject before him!
"We blush, detected in designs op praise,
Though for best deeds, and from the best of men -
And wlhy?-because immortal. Art divine
Has made the body tutor to the soul:
Heaven kindly gives our blood a moral flow;
Bids it ascend the glowing cheek, and there
Upbraid that little heart's inglorious ainim,
Which stoops to court a character from man:
Ambition's boundless appetite outspeaks
The verdict of its shame. When souls take fire
At high presumptions of their own desert,
One age is poor applause: the mighty shout,
The thunder by the living few begun,
Late time must echo, worlds unborn resound.
We wish our names eternally to live.
Wild dream! which ne'er had haunted human thought,
Had not our natures been eternal too.
Fame is the shade of immortality,
And in itself a shadow;-soon as caught,
Contemned, it shrinks to nothing in the grasp.
Man must soar.
An obstinate activity within,
An insuppressive spring, will toss him up
In spite of fortune's loads.
And wihy?-because immortal as his Lord
And souls immortal must forever heave
At something great-the glitter or the goldThe praise of mortals, or the praise of Heaven."
This brings me to the point at which I am wish
ng to come.  This " something great," at which we
374
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The worth of ambition imaginary.
"heave," may be great in reality, or only great because
we make it so. But while I have thus briefly tried to
show you that in neither of the ways described will
you find what ought to be the olect of living, you
will understand that there is nothing in the spirit or
philosophy of the gospel, which throws the soul back
upon herself without giving her any object upon which
her powers may be exerted. If we would drive the
love of pleasure, the love of wealth, and the love of
human applause, from the heart, we do not propose to
leave that heart cold and desolate, with nothing to
cheer or warm it, or to call forth its warmest, holiest,
noblest sympathies. Far from it. But what I wish
is, that you may so lay your plans, and so pursue the
object which  you place before the mind, that you
may have continued contentment and peace while pursuing it, the consciousness of not living in vain, while
your soul is expanding in all noble, heavenly qualities,
and preparing for a destiny which is blessed with the
pure light of immortality.
"At tibi juventus, at tibi immortalitas:
Tibi parta divium est vita.  Perment rr utuis
Elementa sese et interibunt ictibus.
Tu permanebis sola semper integra.
Tu cuncta rerum quassa, cuncta naufraga,
Jam portu in ipso tuta, contemplabere."
He who has the advantages and the responsibilities
of the student, needs to act under a motive which is
.
375
a 
THE STUDENT'S MAN LJAL.
We need a high motive of action.         A high standard is practicable.
all-pervading, which guides at all times, in all cir.
cumstances, and which absorbs the whole soul. It
should be such as will lead to a high, noble standard
of action and feeling, and as wild call forth the highest
efforts of the whole man, body and soul, in enterprise
which will do good to men. There is but one motive
which has these qualities; and that is, to secure the
approbation of God, and act on a scale which measures eternity, as well as time. Under the light of the
Bible, with the wish to do what God would have you
do, you will not fail of meeting and fulfilling the great
object of life.
You will naturally ask here, is it practicable to
have the high standard of acting for the glory of God
constantly before you? I reply, unquestionably yes.
You know that we have the power of choosing any
object on which to fix the heart, to look at the motives
which should gather the affections around that object,
and then we have the power of bending the whole energy of the soul to the attainment of that object.   Denosthenes was  an  ambitious  young man.   He  is
thought to have had very little principle; but he fixed
his eye on fame-on that species of popular applause
which eloquence alone can command. The mark at
which he gazed was high.  From it he never turned
his eye a single moment. Difficulties, which nature
threw in his way, were overcome. He gave his heart,
his soul, to seeking:enown; he climbed up a hid
376
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL
Examples of a wrong standard.  Example of Lile right standard.~~~~~~~~~~~~
where most would have slid down, and, with his own
hand, he wrote in the book of immortality, at the top
of the hill, his own dethless fame.  His  admirer,
Cicero, tells us, that he alwbays had a standard of greatness before him which was unmeasured-infinite.
He determined to stand by the side of Demosthenes.
He labored; he toiled; he achieved the victory, and
stands, perhaps, as high up the hill of fame as his
master. He made himself. We often speak of selfmade men, of high renown and wonderful deeds.
What made them great?  What made Buonaparte the
terror of the earth? He fixed his eye on the dominion of Europe at least, and towards that goal he ran
like a strong man; and to it he would have attained,
had there not been an Omnipotence in heaven which
can make the strong man as tow. He made himself
his own idol, and determined that the whcle world
should bow to it.
What made Paul the man that he was? It was his
fixing his eye on one vast object, and never looking
away. That object was, to bring the whole world to
a knowledge of the gospel, to the obedience of the
faith, and to lead them up the paths of life. No
smaller object filled his vision; and with such a p'lrpose filling his soul, he could trample on earth, and
walk upon the thorns which persecution threw iln his
path, as if they were roses. What made David
Brainerd?  He forgot himself; he threw himself away;
377
Exwnples of a wrong standard.
Example of the right standard.
0
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.,.
-     a   isdt.Tsioyo  esn
he fixed his heart on bringing the wanderers of the
desert to sing of redeeming mercy. For this he lived,
toiled, wore out, and came to'his rest in the grave, till
the morning of the resurrection.
You know that this man has the power of fixing his
heart on ambition, and dreaming over his schemes, till
they swallow up every thing else;-that another can
fix his heart on wealth; and another on the pleasures
of sensual indulgences; and every man on the object
which is most congenial to himself. Can you doubt
that you have the power of making the glory of God
the polar star of life?-of living for it and to it?-of
rising high and strong in action?-high and bright
in personal holiness, and having the image and superscription of God engraven on your heart?
Is it your duty to make the will of God your only
standard of life?
Ask your reason. What says she? "Shall I give
my heart to seeking wealth, and the treasures of
earth?"   No: it will take to itself wings and fly
away. Death will shortly be here, and seize you
with a grasp so finrm, that you must let go of wealth.
You sigh after gold deeply: you must shut your eyes,
shortly, upon all that is called wealth. Remember
that he who "maketh haste to be rich shall not  be
innocent." But your soul spreads in her desires; she
thirsts; she rises: and do you suppose that any amount
of wealth which you can obtain will satisfy her? Will
378
A"at is duty.
Testimony of reason.
a 
'rHE STUDEN' S MANUAL.
restimony of conscience.
the little time which it is yours, cheer the soul in her
everlasting progress? No: the bag in which you drop
your gains will have holes in it. Emery river which
flows over golden sands, like the river of Eg,ypt, will
turn to blood.
Ask reason, "Shall I give my heart to honors?to seeking the notice of men?-to draw their attention by this or that effort? " How poor will be your
reward for your pains! If you draw the eyes of man
towards you, he will envy you. If you do not, you
wilt be bitterly disappointed. There is no house on
the shores of time, which the waves will not wash
away; there is no path here which the foot of disappointment will not tread; there is no sanctuary here
which sorrow will not invade. There is a home provided for the soul, but you can reach it only by living
for God: to none others than those who thus live
will its doors be opened.
Consult your conscience also. What does she say
is the great end of life? Listen to her voice in the
chambers of your own heart. She tells you that
there is only one stream that is pure, and that stream
flows from the throne of God; but one aim's noble
and worthy of an immortal spirit, and that is to become the friend of God, so that the soul may wing
her way over the grave without fear, without dismay,
without condemnation. There is only one path passi;ag over the earth which is safe, which is light, and
.
371.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Advantages of the true standard.           The soul is filled.
which is honorable. It is that which Jesus Christ has
marked out in his word, and which leads to glory.
Let conscience speak, when you are tempted to waste
a day, or an hour, or to commit any known sin, to
neglect any known duty, and she will urge you, by
all the high and holy motives of eternity, to live for
God, to give your powers to him, to seek his honor in
all that you do.
My young reader will now permit me to present
what appear to me the motives which ought to bear
upon the mind, to lead it thus to act-making the
honor of God the great end of life.
We naturally love to have the soul filled. We
gaze upon the everlasting brow of the mountain
which rises beetling and threatening over our heads,
and the feeling of admiration which fills the soul is delightful. We gaze upon the ocean rolling in its mighty
waves, and listen to its hoarse voice responding to the
spirit of the storm which hangs over it, and we feel an
awe, and the emotion of sublimity rises in the soul.
So it is with the desires. There is something inexpressibly delightful in having the mind filled with a
great and a noble purpose-such a purpose as may
lawfully absorb all the feelings of the heart, and kindle
every desire of the soul. Who ever reared a dwelling
perfect enough to meet the desires of the soul? Who
ever had a sufficiency of wealth, or of honors, when
these were the grand objects of pursuit?  Who  ever
e
380
Advantages ofthe true standard.
The soul is filled.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
This standard engrosses the whole heart.        Conquers sin.
had the thirst quenched by drinking here? And who
ever had an earthly object engrossing the heart, which
did not leave room for restlessness, a desire of change,
and a fretting and chafing in its pursuit? Not so when
the glory of God fills the soul, and the eye is fixed on
that as the great end of life. You may live near him,
and draw continually nearer; and the soul does not feel
the passion of envy, or jealousy, or disappointment, as
she comes near the object of her desires. Having, increases the desire for more, and more is added; for
sin has no connection with the gift. They who are
near the throne are full of this one thought,-how can
we do most to promote the glory of Him who is over
all, God blessed forever? No contracted plans, no
trifling thoughts, no low cares enter their bosoms; for
they are already filled.
Who does not, more or less, feel the burden of sin?
Make God the object of litfe, and you will not sin as
you now do. The word of life is choked by cares; it
is shut out by ambition; it is treated with scorn, when
the soul presses on for present gratifications. The
tempter never has so complete mastery over you, as
when you fill the heart with this world, and live for its
rewards. Not so when you live for your Maker. In
vain he walked around the Redeemer, and heaped up
his temptations; he found no place in him-not a spot
where he could lodge a temptation. Do you never
lament, at the close of the day, that you have fallen,
381
This standard engrosses the whole heart.
Conquers sin.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Leads to activity.
here and there, during the day?-that your heart is
frozen and fearful, when you attempt to pray?-that
a dark cloud rolls in between you and the Sun of life?
Fill the heart with good, and etil is shut out.
You need a principle which will lead you to be active for the welfare of men. Your reason and conscience may decide, that you ought to live for the
good of your species; and, at times, you may rouse
up; but the moving power is not uniform and steady
You need a principle which will ever keep you alive
to duty. You can act but a few days on earth. Between every rising and setting sun, multitudes drop
into eternity. Your turn will come shortly. You
will soon know whether you are forever to wear a
crown, or be clothed with shame and everlasting contempt,-soon know how bright that crown is, or how
deep that despair is. All the retributions of the
eternal world will soon be rolled upon you, and you
want a principle abiding within you, which will bear
you on min duty, active, laborious, self-denying, widening your influence, and adding strength to your character and hopes through life; but this principle is to
be obtained only by seeking His approbation from
whom you receive every mercy that has ever visited
your heart, every joy that has cheered you, and
every hope for which the heart longs.
You love to see the results of your exertions in any
cause; but you cannot, in all cases in which you
O
s82
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Shw    aubersls.N    at   fefrg
plan, and fill up your plans. You may determine to
be rich, and yet die a poor man. You may long for
distinction, and yet never have it. You may sigh for
pleasure, and yet every cup may be dashed, and every
hope flee from you. All things around you may forsake you and elude your grasp. Not so if you live
for God. Lay up wealth in heaven,-and you may
increase it daily,-and it cannot fail you. Try to
subdue that temper, so irritable, so unholy, and you
will find that, if you do it for the purpose of honoring God, he will give you strength. Try to conquer that covetousness which is idolatry, and you can
do it effectually and thoroughly by subduing the heart
for the sake of living entirely to God. You offer a
prayer for men;-it shall not be lost upon the wind.
You send a copy of the Scriptures to the destitute;it shall not be lost by the way-side. The messenger
of mercy, whom you aid in sending abroad, will find
the hungry, who will receive the bread of life. And
when, at last, you come to be gathered to the home
of prophets and apostles, and the spirits of just men
made perfect, then will you still more clearly see the
results of a life whose aim was to honor God. Then
will the poor whom you fed, the sick whom you visited, the stranger whom you sheltered, the distressed
whom you relieved, gather around you, and hail you
a benefactor.
You ought to act upon principles which conscience
e
383
Shows valuable results.
No waste of efforts.
. I
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Ensures the approbation of conscience.
will, at all times and in all cases, approve. Do you
know what it is to sit down to meditate, at the close
of the day, and have something hang upon the soul
like lead,-to have a cloud between  you  and  the
throne of prayer? Do you know what it is to lie
down at night, and look back upon the day, and the
days that are passing, and find no bright spot upon
which the memory lingers with pleasure? Do you
know what it is to lie on your pillow and feel the
smitings of conscience, and have-the heart ache, while
the clock slowly measures off the hours of night?
This is because conscience is at her post, calling the
soul to account. She lashes, she heaves up the
waves of guilt, till the soul feels like being burled
under them. Do you not thus commune with your
heart, at times? But if you will live for God-wholly
for God-conscience will soothe you, comfort you, and
bring hope to your soul, even in your darkest hour.
No friend can be found to supply the place of a peaceful conscience. Men will give their property, their
time, do penance, give their lives-any thing to appease conscience. Let them live for God and his service, and she will not chide; she will guide to the
paths of peace and blessedness. The world will honor the man who lives for God. At times, men will
shun the face of the pious, and profess to be disgusted
with piety; but they will garnish the sepulchres of
prophets, while the bones of the wicked lie forgotten.
e
384
a 
THE STUDENT'S MIANUAL. 
Obtains the approbation of the world —and of Heaven.
The name of Howard will never perish; fnor will
the name of Martyn, or Mills, Brainerd, or Hannah
More; while thousands of wicked men, with equal or
more influence while living, die, and are forever gone
from remembrance. But the approbation of men is
of no consequence. You wish the approbation of
Heaven.   Though they are ten thousand times ten
thousa'ld, and their voices are without number, and
though they enjoy the perfection of knowledge, the
perfection of holiness, and the perfection of bliss, yet
they are all witnesses-a great cloud-of your race.
They bend over your pathway, as you run towards the
New Jerusalem. Who would not be cheered, could
he have the entire approbation of all his friends and
acquaintances? But, though you cannot expect this,
you can have what is far better.  You can have the
approbation of all the redeemed, of all the angels in
heaven, and of the eternal God himself; and this, not
for an hour, a day, or a week, for a fleeting year, but
forever!  The heavens shall depart as a scroll, and
ill things shall pass away, except the approbation of
;od.  That shall never pass away.  It would  be
eorth your life to have his approbation a single hour
,vhen you come to die; but you will have him your
Father,' Friend, and Glory forever.  Have you any
doubt in your mind where wisdom would now lead
you?  "My first convictions on the subject of religion
were confirmed from observing that really religious
17
38-l
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
The dying mother.         Feelings of an author in closing his book.
persons had some solid happiness among them, which
[ had felt that the vanities of the world could not give.
I shall never forget standing by the bed of my sick
mother.
"' Are you not afraid to die?'
cc C No.'
"' No! Why does the uncertainty of another state
give you no concern?'
"'Because God has said to me, Fear not; when
thou passest th,ough the waters, I will be with thee;
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee!'
"The remembrance of this scene hat oftentimes
since drawn an ardent prayer from me, that I might
die the death of the righteous."
It is a solemn season with a man who acts from
conscience, when he comes to close his book, and bid
his reader adieu. His motives may be good, yet it is
human to err. He knows that he may have made
impressions which may give a wrong bias to some, from
which they will never recover.  He may have wasted
his strength, and his reader's time, upon some point
of comparatively no importance, while that which was
really of great importance may have been omitted.
He may have disgusted where he hoped to instruct;
-he may have offended where he intended to impress.
At any rate, he is about to send a book out into the
.world, which, whatever may be its fate, has given him
-*e opportunity of doing good;  and under that re
.a 
.886 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
How the reader is entreated to act.          State of the world.
sponsibility the writer must continue. If I mistake
not, a sense of this responsibility is now felt by the
author of these pages.  I have addr,essed a class of my
fellow-men who will yield to none in point of respectability, prospective influence, and importance. I have
tried to throw before them such hints as my own wants
and limited experience have suggested; and I am
now about to take my leave of them till I meet them,
face to face, at the last great day of assembling, where
we shall all meet. I am speaking to you, reader, in
your own behalf, and in behalf of a world which needs
your influence, and your highest, holiest efforts. Others may talk of philanthropy and benevolence; but who
give their hearts and their energies for the salvation
of the world, except those whose minds have been enightened, and whose hearts have been impressed by
the truths of Christianity?  Who built the first hospita] known on earth?  A Christian.   Who conceived the idea of free schools for the whole community?
A Christian. Who are the men who have pushed
civilization among the barbarous, who have broken the
fetters both from body and mind, and created civil liberty for man? Who ever made efforts, vigorous, systematic, untiring, to spread free inquiry, to instruct the
ignorant; to invigorate the mind, and raise the intellectual and moral character of mankind? They are
the enlightened men who act under the influence of
the Bible The only effort which is now making, on
387
How the reader is entreated to act.
State of the world.
a
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL..
Mech depends on students.          Circumstances in which we are to act.
the face of the whole earth, for the good of mankind,
is making by the church of the living God.   Upon
this, and upon this alone, all our hopes for the salva  tion of the world from darkness, ignorance and sin,
rest. To the youth of our nation-to those whose
minds are now in a process of cultivation and discipline,
we now look for the spirits who are soon to go abroad
over the face of the earth, scattered, like the Levites,
among all the tribes, for the good of all. Upon these
young soldiers of the cross do we look, as God's ap pointed instruments for doing a great and a glorious
work.   If the mind of man shall ever be raised from
its brutishness and debasement-if knowledge, human
and divine, are to go abroad-if liberty is to wave her
banner where tyranny now sits-if the female is ever
to occupy the station for which she was created-if
domestic happiness is to be known and enjoyed through
the world,-the youth in our schools, who have been
baptized by the Holy Ghost, have a great work to do.
Never did young men approach the stage of action
under circumstances more intensely interesting —ircumstances which demand a regenerated, purified
heart, a balanced, disciplined mind, a burning zeal and
el )quence, and a love for doing good which many waters cannot quench, nor floods drown. You tread upon ground bought with hardships, tears and prayers;
enfranchised by toil and blood; amid institutions found* d by the most devoted piety and anxious solicitude
.
Much depends on students.
Circumstances in which we are to act.
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAL.
Responsibility of our situation.
of our fathers.  It is the land of the    Pilgrims,-where
the bones of more worthies sleep than were ever befort
buried in the same length of time. You enter among,
men in a country in its infancy.  Iie nation is young'
-has all the joyous elasticity of the young giant-fdill
of enterprise, growing in wealth, in population-increasing in daring experiments and hazardous enterprise.
An experiment in regard to civil freedom, and the de'
tiny of a nation let loose, with nothing to check or hoil
it but the intelligence and the religion which are difftid'
ed,-a nation let loose, and many centuries in advane'
of all other nations in the science of       government, it
least, and yet having the offals of all other Christihn
nations constantly floating to it,-is now making>.
You are to live and act among those who will give perJmanency to our institutions, or who will begin the work
of undermining. You areconling forward at a time
when mind seems to be exhausting itself, and Genius:t'(
be leaving poetry, that he may aid in subduing matter,
so that a score of miles may be reduced to nothingb
and time and space so annihilated, that a journey
through the length and breadth of a continent is only
a delightful excursion. Nature seems to bend to tlhe
torturing; and winds and tides, mountains and valleys,
make no pretensions to being considered obstacles in
the way of men. You are to act in a day when public opinion is omnipotent.   A  standing army retii''
before it, anti marshals only in the shade of the
.
396
0 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAT
Poe  ofrahn   e.                   TeBbl   h  ra  ntuet
thrones of tyrants. Every thing is controlled by it,
and yet  -very one may do his part to mould that pub lic opinion according to his pleasure.  Every man has
the best possible opportunity to db good or hurt. You
mlay pen a sentence or a paragraph, and it will travel
through the nation, into tens of thousands of families,
and, in a few weeks, pass through Europe, and influ
ence millions of immortal beings. You are coming
forward at a time, and in a nation, where a good edu cation is a sure passport to respectability, to influence,
to office.  No difficulties stand in your way.  The
teeming, busy millions of this land invite you to mingle your destiny with theirs, and aid them to rise in
virtue, in knowledge, and in religion, as they roll on
towards the judgment-day. You have friends to cheer
you on in every worthy enterprise, who will uphold
your hands when they fall, encourage you when the
spirits fail, share your burdens, and rejoice in your
success.   You come forward with the history, the experience of all other nations before you; and at your
feet lie pictures of men whose example it will be honor, and glory, and immortality to follow, as well as
of men whose example is death. You have the BiI)le, too,-that mightiest of all weapons,-under whose
broad and poweriffl aid, individual and national character soon ripens into greatness, and one which is, of
ill others, the grand instrument of blessing the world.
Tens of thousands, breathing the spirit of that book,
.
390
Power of reacbing men.
The Bible the great instrument.
a 
TilE' STI'JI)ENT'"S MlANUAI.
Eoorgenitst  etol  Rwrs  faliewllset
ere already in the field at work, trying to bless and
save the earth.  Some fall-strong ones, too-"too
itiuch for piety to spare;" but the plan is the plan of
God, and the removal of this or that agent does not a
moment retard his great plans. Under the full, the
pure, thle purifying light of tile gospel, you are called
to live and act. If you live for God, fulfil the hi,gh
destiny which is before you, you have thousands all
around you to cheer you onward, to strike hands with
you, and go forward as agents of a benevolence whose
aim is, to bring many sons and daughters to glory.
Above you are the pious dead, watching around your
steps, and ready to minister to your wants. And there,
high above all principalities and powers, sits the everlasting Redeemer, holding a crown which shlall shortly
be yours, if you are faithful to him. He will be near
you. You shall never faint. Every sin you conquer
shall give you new strength; every temptation you
resist will make you more and mnore free in the Lord;
every tear you shed will be noticed by your great
High Priest; every sigh you raise will reach his ear.
Up), then, my dear young friends! up, and gird on
the armor of God.   Enlist under the banner of Jesus
Christ, and let your powers, y3our faculties, your energies, your heart, all, all be his. Bright and glorious is the day before you; white and full are the
fields that wait for you; girded and strong are the
companions who will go with you; beautiful upon the
391
Ejicourageineiits to acti(,ji.
Rewards ot'a life well spent.
a 
THE STUDENT'S MANUAIo.
Conclusion.
mountains shall be your feet, wherever they carry tidings of mercy. The state of the world is such, and
so much depends on action, that every thing seems
to say loudly, to every man, "Do something "-" do
it! "-" do it!"  Keep your heart with all diligence;
break away from every sin; repent of every sin; live
unto God; and your reward shall be what "ear hath
not heard, eye hath not seen, neither hath it entered
into the heart of man to conceive."
a
392l 
NOTES.
NOTE A.
JAmEs FERGUSON, one of the most remarkable of self-educated
men, was born in the year 1716, in the village of Keith, in Scotland. It was the practice of his father, who was a day-laborer, to
teach his children himself to read and write, as they successively
reached what he deemed the proper age; but James was too impsatient to wait till his turn came. While his father was teaching
one of his elder brothers, James was secretly occupied in listening
to what was going on; and as soon as he was left alone used to get
hold of the book and work hard in endeavoring to master the lesson
which he had just heard. In this way, with the assistance of an
old woman, he actually learned to read tolerably well before his
father had any suspicion that he knew his letters. Being feeble
in health, he spent some of his early years as a keeper of sheep in
the service of a farmer in his native place, and while his flock
were feeding around him he used to busy himself in making
models of mills, spinning-wheels, &c., and in studying the stars
at night. After the labors of the day he used to go at night into
the fields with a blanket and a lighted candle.  "I used," says
he, "a thread with small beads upon it, at arms' length between
my eye and the stars, sliding the beads upon it till it hid such and
such stars from my eye, in order to take their apparent distances
from one another, and then, laying down the thread on a paper,
I marked the stars thereon by the beads." Being compelled to
work for his daily subsistence, he was sometimes reduced almost
to destitution. At one time he relates that a little oatmeal and
water was all that was allowed him. At another, being out of
service, and in a weak state from an injury received ill his arm,
he could not be idle, but, as he says, "In order to amuse myself
in this low state, I made a wooden clock, and it kept time pretty
well." The bell on which the hammer struck the hours was the
neck of a broken bottle. He had accidentally seen a watch and a
clock, and immediately made one of each in wood.  In 1744 he
came to London, and, in consequence of his astronomical rotula to
show the new moon and eclipses, he was introduced to the learned
and ingenious, and made fellow of the Royal Society. He was a
man of inoffensive manners, mild and benevolent in his character
175
a 
84          NOES
George In., at his accession, granted him a pension of fifty pounds
a year, and occasionally took great delight in his conversation.
He died in 1776. He wrote Select Mechanical Exercises, 1773;
Introduction to Electricity, 1770 - to Astronomy, 1772; Treatise
on Perspective, 1775, and Astronomy Explained on Newton's
principles, edited for the fourth time, 1770; Lectures on Mechanics, Hydrostatics, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, edited the fifth time,
1776, &c.
NOTE B.
Christopher Clavius, a Jesuit and mathematician, born at
Bamberg, Germany, 1537. He was considered the Euclid of his
age, and was employed by Gregory XIII. in the reformation of the
calendar, which he ably defended against Joseph Scaliger. His
works were printed in 5 vols. folio He died at Rome, 1612.
NOTE C.
Edmund Waller, an English poet, born March 3d, 1625, at
Coleshill, in Herts, near Amersham.  He was educated at Eton and
King's College, Cambridge, and was chosen, when scarce seventeen, member for Amersham in the last Parliament of James I.
In his parliamentary conduct he warmly opposed the measures of
the court, and in the impeachment of Judge Crawley he spoke
with such eloquence that twenty thousand copies of his speech
were sold in one day. He was, in 1642, one of the commissioners
who proposed conditions of peace from the Parliament to the king
at Oxford; but, in the following year, he, with several other members of Parliament, was condemned to death on an accusation of a
conspiracy to reduce the city of London and the Tower to the
service of the monarch. He purchased his liberty, after a year's
confinement, by a fine of ten thousand pounds. He retired for a
while to France; but such was his address that he was the favorite
of Cromwell, Charles II., and James II. He died at Beaconsfield,
Oct. 1, 1687, and was buried there. As he was the first poet who
showed us that our language had beauty and numbers, he is called
the parent of English verse.
NOTE D.
Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia, was born May 29th, 1736,
in Hanover county of that State. His education was obtained at
a common school. After spending some time as a farmer and
merchant, he studied law and soon rose to eminence, rather by his
resistless eloquence than the extent of his legal knowledge. In
1765 he was elected a member of the House of Burgesses, and, by
some resolutions he introduced in reference to the Stamp Act,
obtained the honor of being the first in commencing the opposition
to the measures of the British government which terminated in
894
NOTES.
a 
NOES -                      5
the revolution. In 1774 he was elected a member of the Continental Congress, and here distinguished himself by his eloquence
and zeal in the cause of liberty. On the retreat of Lord Dunmore,
in 1776, he was chosen the first republican Governor of Virginia,
and was afterwards repeatedly reelected to the office. In 1788 he
was chosen a member of the Convention of Virginia, appointed to
consider the Constitution of the United States, and exerted himself
strenuously to prevent its being accepted. In 1795 he was nominated, by Washington, Secretary of State, and by Adams, in 1799,
Envoy to France; but he declined the'appointments. He died
June 6, 1799, at the age of 63, highly respected by his fellowcountrymen. The Virginians boast of him as an orator of nature.
His appearance and manners were those of a plain farmer. In
this character he always entered on the exordium of an oration.
His unassuming looks and expressions of humility induced his
hearers to listen to him as they would to an honest neighbor.
After he had thus disarmed prejudice, the inspiration of his eloquence, when little expected, would pour on his audience with the
authority of a prophet.
In-private life he was as amiable and virtuous as he was conspicuous in his public career.  Me was temperate and never
known to utter a profane expression. There is, however, some
doubt as to the purity of his religious principles. He appeared
too fond of his money, and remarked to a friend, just before his
death, who found him reading the Bible, "Here is a book worth
more than all the other books which ever were printed, yet it is
my misfortune never to have, till lately, found time to read it
with proper attention and feeling."
NoTE E.
Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury of the United
States, was born in the island of St. Croix, in 1757. At the age
of sixteen he accompanied his mother, who was an American, to
New York, and entered King's College. While a student he gave
proofs of his extraordinary talents, by the publication of several
papers, vindicating the rights of the colonies, which exhibited such
strength and sagacity that they were ascribed to the pen of Mr.
Jay. He entered the American army, at the age of eighteen, as an
officer of artillery, and soon attracted the notice of Washington,
who, in 1777, selected him as an aid, with the rank of LieutenantColonel. In the campaign of 1781 he commanded a battalion, and
at the taking. of Yorktown led the American detachment which
stormed and took the British works.  After the capture of Cornwallis, he studied the profession of law, and soon rose to distinc.
tion in New York. In 1787 he was appointed a member from
New York of the federal Congress which formed the Constitution
of the United States, and in 1789, when the government was
organized, was placed by Washington at the head of the Treasury,
.
I., 895
NOTES.
a 
39*                                        rOIS
where he rendered most important services to his country. He
had charge of the troops employed in 1794 to suppress the insurrection in Pennsylvania. After being at the head of the Treasury
six years, he retired from public life to make a more ample provision for his family by his profession. In 1798, when the provisional army was raised, at the instance of Washington he was
appointed second in command. He -as challenged by Col. Burr,
Vice-President of the United States, and, though in principle
opposed to duelling, he accepted the challenge, and, on the eleventh
of July, 1804, he fell on the same spot where, a few years before,
his son had fallen a victim to the same miscalled principle of
"honor," and in a similar violation of the law of God. On the
following day he expired, universally lamented, second to none of
his survivors in energy of understanding, extent of legal and
political knowledge, lofty eloquence, integrity and promise of
usefulness to his country.
NOTE F.
Roger Sherman, Senator'of the United States, was born at
Newton, Mass., April 19, 1724, and rose by the force of his superior genius to his distinction as a lawyer and statesman, without
the advantage of a college education. In 1754 he began the
practice of law in New Milford, Ct. In 1761 he removed to New
Haven, and four years after became Judge of the County Court.
In 1776 he was advanced to a seat on the bench of the Superior
Court. In 1774 he was elected a member of Congress. He was
one of the committee appointed to draw up tlie Declaration of
Independence.  He was a conspicuous member.of the Convention
which formed the Constitution of the United States. In 1791.he
was chosen a Senator, which office he filled till his death, in 1793,
in his seventy-third year.  He received an honorary diploma of
Master of Arts from Yale College, and was for many years treasurer
of that institution.  He was a profound and sagacious statesman,
an able and an upright judge, an exemplary Christian. President Jefferson remarked of him, "I He never said a foolish thing in
his life."
-~-.     NOTE G.
Oliver Ellsworth, LL. D., Chief Justice of the United States,
was born at Windsor, Ct., April 29, 1745, and graduated at New
Jersey College in 1766. In 1777 he Was elected a delegate to the
Continental Congress, and in 1784 appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut.  In 1787 he was chosen a member of
the Convention which framed the federal Constitution. On the
organization of the government, in 1789, he was elected a memtber
of the Senate, and continued in this office till hlie was appointed,
in 1796, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, as the succesor,f
Mr. Jay.  In 1799 he was appointed Envoy ExtraoCdinaiy to
a
396
NOTES.
I
t 
\hOTES.                   897
France. His health failing, he resigned this office towards the
close of the year 1800. He died in the year 1807. He was unassuming, economical in his own dress, equipage and mode of living,
but liberal in promoting useful and benevolent'designs. Meetings
for social worship were countenanced by his presence, and in the
cause of missions he was greatly interested. He made a profession
of religion in hiis youth, and in all his intercourse with the polite
and learned world he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
NOTE H.
Hugo Grotius, or de Groot, was.the son of John De Groot, a
respectable burgomaster of Delft.  He was born April 10, 1583
and very early showed a strong mind and retentive memory. Ir
1598 he accompanied an embassy to France, and was presente&
by Henry IV. with his picture and a gold chain. The University
of Paris granted him a doctor's degree before his return'to Delft,
where he pleaded his first cause, and, though scarce seventeen,
gained great applause.   Though he wrote poetry, which was
translated into Greek and French, he published in the same year
the Phenomena of Aratus.  In 1603 he was appointed Historiographer to the States of Holland. Next he was appointed Advocate-general for the fisc of Holland and Zealand, with an increased
salary.  For his treatise "De Antiquitate Republices Batavse,"
to assert the independence of his country from the Roman yoke
and the modern usurpations of Spain, he received the unanimous
thanks of the States. In 1613 he was elected pensionary of
Rotterdam. In consequence of the condemnation of the five articles of the Arminians by the Synod of Dort, Nov. 15, 1618,
Grotius, who- had been an able defender of this sect, was condemned to perpetual imprisonment. After a captivity of nearly
two years, on pretence of removing books which she declared
proved injurious to her husband's health, his wife was permitted
to send away a small chest of drawers, of the length of three feet
and a half, in which hlie was confined. Thus carried by two soldiers
from the fortress of Louvestein, the chest was removed to Gorcum
on horseback, and at the house of a friend the illustrious prisoner
was liberated and immediately escaped, disguised as a mason
with a rule and trowel, to Antwerp. From this city he wrote an
apology, declaring his conduct was actuated by the love of his
country; but it was received with such indignation that all persons were forbidden to read it upon pain of death, and the author
was to be seized wherever found. Near Boulogne, in 1623, he
began his great work on "The Rights of Peace and War."  In
1631 he made a short visit to Holland, but was threatened with
persecution, and retired from his ungrateful country. He went
to Sweden, was appointed Counsellor to the Queen, and for eight
years, till 1644, he was Swedish Ambassador to France. Weary
of political cabals, he embarked for Lubec, Aug. 12, 1645. -The
a
.N'OTES.
397 
.9                  0T8
vessel was driven by a storm into Pomerania, and after a journey
of sixty miles to Rostock, exposed to the rain, he died of a fever,
Aug. 28, 1645. He was buried at Delft. His monument bears
this inscription, written by himself: -" Grotius hic Hugo est Batavfim captivus et exul, Legatus regni, Suceia magna, tui."
NoTE I. "
George Louis le Clerc Count de Buffon was born at Montbard,
in Burgundy, Sept. 7, 1707. His father intended him for the
profession of law, but, after travelling in Italy and England, he
returned home and began his career of fame by devoting fourteen
hours every day to his studies in Natural History. At the death
of his mother, he inherited a fortune of about twelve thousand
pounds per annum; but he still continued his researches.  He
translated Newton's Fluxions and Hale's Statics, but his great
and immortal work is his "Histoire Naturelle," 35 vols. 4to, or
62, 12mo, 17491765.  In his private character hlie was a libertine, occasionally vain and puerile.  "The works of men of genius," he would exclaim, "are few, only those of Newton, Montesquieu, Leibnitz, and my own." He died April 16, 1788. His
funeral was attended by the learned and the great; and twenty
thousand spectators are said to have assembled to see his remains
borne to the vault of Montbard, where he wished to be placed near
his wife.
NOTE J.
Daniel Wyttenbach, a learned philologist, of the Dutch school,
was born in Berne, 1746. His father being appointed professor
at Marburg, he was admitted a student to that university. He
afterwards went to Gottingen to study under Heyne, with whose
assistance he published, 1769, "Epistola Critica, ad Ruhnkerium." This learned work procured him the friendship of Ruhnker, whom he visited at Leyden, and who obtained for him the
professorship of philosophy and literature in the College of the
Remonstrants, in Amsterdam. He subsequently devoted his talents to the illustration of the works of Plutarch, and, in 1772,
printed at Leyden the treatise of that writer, "De Sera Numinis
Vindicata," with a learned commentary. In 1779, the magistrates of Amsterdam created a philosophical professorship at an
institution called the "Illustrious Athenseum," to which Wyttenbach was presented, and in 1799 he was appointed Professor of
Rhetoric at Leyden, where he died in 1819. The result of his
researches relative to Plutarch, appeared in his excellent critical
edition of the moral works of Plutarch, published at Oxford, 1795,
1810, 7 vols. 4to.
Prof. Wyttenbach was the author of "Prscepta l)hilosophim
logic."  Amsterdam, 4to, 1781.  "Selecta Principum  GrciMn
398
NOTES.
k
a 
TL'S.                   399
Historicorum," with notes, 1793, 1807.   "Vita Ruhnkerii,"
1800, 8vo, and some other works.  His "Opuscula" appeared
at Leyden in 1821, and there is a Life of him by Mahne. Ghent,
1823.- Convers. Lexicon.
NOTE K.
Alexander M. Fisher, Professor of Mathematics and Natural
Philosophy in Yale College, was born in Franklin, Mass., in 1794.
He was graduated at Yale in the year 1813, and in 1815 was
appointed Tutor. In 1817 he was promoted to the professorship
of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. He early discovered
very uncommon talents for the acquisition and communication of
knowledge, and excited the highest expectations of his usefulness
and distinction. His power of attention, quickness and clearness
of apprehension, rapid discernment of the relations of objects,
accuracy of judgment, and independence, caution and originality
in investigation, are rarely equalled, and constituted a genius of
the highest order for the department of science to which he devoted
his attention; and his attainments were as extraordinary as his
endowments. After having once delivered his course of lectures,
he undertook a voyage to Europe, to improve himself in his professional studies, and perished in the wreck of the packet Albion,
on the coast of Ireiand, on the 22d of April, 1822, at the age of
twenty-eight. He possessed great amiableness, modesty and delicacy of taste, and his conduct ivas marked by an. uncommon regard
to religious obligation. Several of his scientific papers may be seen
in Silliman's Journal of Science and the Arts, among which is a
very remarkable one on Music.
NoE L.
Edward Daniel Clarke, LL.D., Professor of Mineralogy in the
University of Cambridge, England, was educated in Jesus College,
Cambridge, where he took the degree of Master of Arts in 1794.
In 1799 he commenced a tour through the north of Europe, a part
of Tartary, Circassia, Asia Minor, Greece and Turkey, of which
he afterwards published a very copious narrative.  He died April
9, 1822..
NoTE M.
Richard Baxter, a non-conformist, was born at Rowton, Shrop
shire, Nov. 12, 1615. He compensated for the deficiencies of a
neglected education by unusual application, and, when only twenty-three years of age, was appointed head master of the endowed
school   at Dudley. I n 1638 he was ordained by the Bishop of
Winchester,  an      d       tw o  years afterwards settled as minister at Kidderminster. On the breaking out of the war between Charles I.
and the Pa          li       arent, he   accepted the office of Chaplain in the par
.
399
NOTES.
0 
400                  XOTES.
liamentary army; but he opposed the usurpation of Cromwell, and
had the boldness to defend monarchy in his presence. At the
Restoration he was appointed one of the chaplains to Charles II.,
and was offered the bishopric of Hereford, which he declined.  In
1685 he was tried before the infamous Lord Jefferies, for some
passages in his paraphrase of the New Testament, and imprisoned
for a short time. During this period, and while suffering frqm
illness at the house of a friend, he wa's led to meditate on the
"everlasting rest."
" It was a very narrow stream
Between lhis heavenly rest and him,
For he had lived beside its brim."'
Within six months he wrote the "Saints' Everlasting Rest,"
with no books but a Bible and Concordance. Though he was a
great sufferer he continued writing and p.aching till his death,
1691. His writings amount in all to forty-five treatises, including
his "Call to the Unconverted," in which, as well as in his " Saints'
Rest," being dead, he will speak as long as the world endures.
NoTE N.
Dr. Herman Boerhaave was born Dec. 31, 1668, at Veerhout, a
village two miles from Leyden. It is said that he was intended for
the ministry, but that in his twelfth year, when suffering excruciating pains from an ulcer in his left side, which baffled the skill
of his surgeon, he cured himself by a fomentation of salt and wine.
This decided his profession. As his father was a clergyman, and
died when Dr. Boerhaave was in his sixteenth year, leaving him
the oldest of nine children, his studies were continued under many
discouragements. His education was obtained at the University
of Leyden,.in which he was after Professor of Botany, Chemistry
and Medicine. He was an honorary member of the Royal Society
of London, and the Academy of Sciences at Paris. - Several European princes committed pupils to his care, and when Peter the
Great went to Holland, in 1715, to perfect himself in maritime
affairs, he attended the lectures of Boerhaave. So well was he
known in Asia and Europe, that a letter to him from a mandarin
in China, inscribed "To the illustrious Boerhaave, Physician in
Europe," came to him without mistake or delay. His.property,
at the time of his death, amounted to nearly a million of dollars,
yet he was benevolent to poor patients. "These," he would say,
"are the best patients, for God is their paymaster."
The charity and benevolence so conspicuous in his whole life
were derived from a supreme regard to religion.  Ile used to say
that "it was his morning hour of meditation and of prayer that
gave him spirit and vigor in the business of the day.v."  He die(l
on the 25th of Sept., 1738, in the seventieth year of his age, much
400
NOTES.
t
a 
XOTES.                  4O
honored, beloved and lamented. His funeral oration was spoken
in Latin, in the University at Leyden, before a very numerous
audience; and his works were afterwards published in five large
quarto volumes. The city of Leyden erected a monument to his
memory.
NOTE 0.
Sir William Jones was born in London, 1748.  He has given to
the world an example of wonderful attainments, while engaged in
the duties of a most laborious profession. In conformity to his
rule of never neglecting an opportunity of improvement, while
making surprising exertions in the study of the classic and oriental languages at Oxford, he took advantage of the vacations to
learn riding and fencing, and to acquire a knowledge of the Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese languages; thus, to use his
own expression, "with the fortune of a peasant, giving himself the
education of a prince." Being appointed to a judgeship in India,
immediately on his arrival he exerted himself to form a society in
Calcutta on the model of the Royal Society of London, and officiated
as its president as long as he lived. Almost his only time for study
was during the vacation of the law courts. He says, "In the morning, after writing one letter, he read ten chapters of the Bible, and
taen studied Sanscrit Grammar and Hindoo Law." His afternoons
he devoted to the geography of India and Roman History, closing
the day with a few games of chess or a little Italian. His hour of
rising was between three and four. Writing from Cristhma, his
vacation residence in 1787, he says, "Though these three months
are called a vacation, yet I have no vacant hours."
NOTE P.
Bishop Launcelot Andrews was born at London in 1555. While
a student at the University at Cambridge he received a scholarship, and gained great reputation for his eloquence as a lecturer in
theology.             After the accession of James I., who greatly admired
his pulpit eloquence and respected his piety, his promotion was
ra    pid   and wonderful.    He was appointed Lord Almoner, Privy
Councillor          of England and Scotland; Dean of the Chapel Royal,
Bishop of C         hichester, Ely, and finally of Winchester.   He was
distinguished for great learning, industry and humility. Though
bountifu        l           and even elegant in his hospitality, he "rejoiced to
release the prisoner in his cell, and to send clothing, food 6r medicine to the sufferer, preferring to do it so secretly that they might
not discover whence the benefaction came." To Mr. Mulcaster, the
instructor of his boyhood, he continued through life to manifest
t h e           most respectful regard, and caused his portrait to be placed
over the door of his study. A teacher of his earlier childhood
having  died, he sought out his son and bestowed upon him a valu
.
401 -
NOTES.
0
a 
4O                  NOTES.
able rectory. He delighted to search the universities for young
men of promise and piety, that he might promote them. He possessed a knowledgeib- fifteen languages, afid in the conference at
Hampton Court, his name stands first of those to whom the new
translation of the Scriptures was committed. The portion executed
by him was a share of the Pentateuch and the books fiom Joshua
to the first of Chronicles. His "Private Devotions, and Manual
for the Sick," have passed through more numerouqeditions than
any of his published writings. They were originally composed in
Greek, he having a peculiar fondness for that language. This
manuscript work which was not translated until after his death,
he often used in his closet devotions. During his last illness it was
almost constantly in his hands. "It was found worn thin by his
fingers, and wet with his tears." He left in his will a bequest of
several thousand pounds, the interest of which was to be divided,
four times in a year, among widows, orphans, prisoners and "aged
poor men, especially seafaring men." His filial affection suggested the last, for his father was a mariner. At the close of life
his lips moved in prayer even while he seemed to slumber, till at
last the uplifting of his eyes alone told the prayer of his heart.
He died at the age of seventy-one, Sept. 27,1626. - Mrs. Sigourney's Examples of Life and Death.
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