in his various attempts; and the genius which could thus form a clock, in time formed a fluting automaton. We owe the great discovery of Newton to a very trivial accident. As he was reading under an apple tree one of the fruit fell, and struck him a smart blow on the head. When he observed the smallness of the apple he was surprised at the force of the stroke. This led him to consider the accelerating motion of falling bodies; when he deduced the principle of gravity and laid the foundation of philosophy. La Fontaine at the age of twenty-two had not taken any profession, or devoted himself to any pursuit. Having accidentally heard some verses of Malherbe he felt a sudden impulse, which directed his future life. Dr. Franklin attributes the cast of his genius to an accident. "I found a work of De Foe's, entitled an Essay on Projects, from which perhaps I derived impressions that have since influenced some of the principal events of my life." As we have already stated, a man might be considered a perfect genius in one profession and a dolt in another. Though, again, some persons possess such varied abilities that they might manage to maintain a fair position in most vocations, provided, of course, they go through the necessary training, so as to secure at all events artificial or acquired talent. Few men, however, attain the "highest pinnacles of glory" in more than one profession. Life is short, and if a false step be taken in the outset in the selection of a profession the individual will be irretrievably lost, though there are instances of men abandoning one profession for another, in which they ultimately attained the most exalted positions. These are instances of rare and prodigious talent, and consequently we should be misguided were we to adopt them as precedents. Inasmuch as education is intended to develop the faculties, we think it is unreasonable to expect a youth to show any decided inclination till he has received a fair education. Those who have the care of youths should endeavour to ascertain by observation whether the predisposition or bent of mind exhibited throughout early life is discernible at seventeen or eighteen years of age, and sometimes a few years later. As a rule, then, the taste which has been so maintained, or that which is acquired about this period of life, ought to be cultivated, provided circumstances do not show that it is merely a transient taste, and family arrangements justify the cultivation of the natural inclinations. We think that the choice of a profession will invariably exercise a certain influence on the mind. The mind is so peculiarly constituted that every faculty, however weak, will admit of its being developed and strengthened, and if, for instance, a man who possesses a philosophical mind is put to a trade for which he is wholly unfitted, he will, of course, have no means of cultivating his natural powers; indeed he will injure them, while his practical or business-like habits might be regarded by an unskil ful or bigotted individual as a general indication of his abilities. We are firmly of opinion that literary and scientific minds might be rendered abortive by the possessors being placed in a sphere unsuited to their mental endow ments. Even placing a youth in a subordinate position and subjecting him to chastisement will mar his spirits. In support of this assertion we may mention that not a few luminaries have attributed their timidity in after life to the fact that their nerves were sorely taxed when they crouched beneath that most odious, savage, and utterly despicable system known as fagging, in pursuance of which the "bullies," who, as a rule, possess less talent than the fags, chastised them within an inch of their lives! We know that the fag in time becomes a "bully," but some exercise their powers with discretion. Undoubtedly the mind becomes cramped or weakened by the possessor being placed in a subordinate position or in a profession unsuited to his taste or powers. Some vocations exercise a certain influence on individuals. Do we not often hear the remark, "He looks like a doctor, or an engineer, or a tailor," as the case may be? On the stage they endeavour to cultivate appearances, not only by altering the dress, but also the features of the actor. It thus shows that certain associations have their effect on the body and the mind, and, indeed, on the conversation of the individual. The face is in most cases an index to the mind. Many great readers of mankind have volunteered to tell at a glance the professions or trades of persons. The great Prince of Condé was very expert in a sort of physiognomy which showed the peculiar habits, motions, and postures of familiar life and mechanical employments. He would sometimes lay wagers with his friends that he would guess, on the Pont Neuf, what trade persons were of that passed by, from their walk and air. CHAPTER III. A REFLECTION! FEW studies afford the student of an antiquarian tendency more real pleasure than to make himself acquainted with the lives of men who have contributed in no small measure to the happiness and enlightenment of the present age. Not by any means the least distinguished are the eminent musicians who have afforded us charms which we are scarcely able to realize! They have given utterance by means of an inspired art to the most lovely and enchanting works. Strange it is that most of these geniuses evinced their extraordinary and sublime powers in, we may safely say, their infancy, and, loved as they were by the gods, death snatched them in the zenith of their glory, and when they had scarcely attained the prime of their lives. Some of those whose names we intend to mention have never been surpassed in invention and sublimity of style. Before Mozart was four years old he could play on the harpsichord. In his sixth year his father took him to Munich and Vienna, where the little artist was introduced to the imperial court, and the unequalled execution of the boy excited universal admiration. In 1763, when young Mozart was seven years old, he was taken to Paris, where he remained six months, and was overwhelmed with attention and applause. Here he published his first sonatas. In 1770 he composed, in his fourteenth year, his serious opera of "Mithridates," which had a run of upwards of twenty nights in succession. In his fifteenth year he was commanded, in the name of the Empress Maria Theresa, to compose the grand theatrical serenata "Ascanio in Alba" for the celebration of the nuptials of the Archduke Ferdinand. When in his thirty-fifth year, and in a state of great physical debility, he undertook the composition of his sublime "Requiem," and died in the same year. Before Bellini had completed his twentieth year he had produced "Bianco e Fernando" at the Theatre San Carlo. He died at the age of twenty-nine, having composed various operas, which are agreeable, tender, elegant and harmonious. "Il Pirati," "La Sonnambula," "Norma," and "I Puritani" are the best, and have gained him undying celebrity. The precocity of Mendelssohn's talent surpassed even that of Mozart. Before he was eight years of age the accuracy of his ear, the strength of his memory, and above all his incredible facility in playing music at sight, excited the wonder of his teachers-Zelter and Berger. In his ninth year he performed at a public concert in Berlin to the admiration of his audience, and when he was twelve years old he composed his pianoforte quartett in C minor, which is still found to be full of interest and originality. In his eighteenth year he made a musical tour through Italy, France and England; and it was upon this occasion that he conducted at the Philharmonic Concert in London his first symphony and his overture to the "Midsummer Night's Dream." He died at the age of thirty-seven! Schumann showed at a very early age a strong passion for music, and remarkable talent both for playing and composing. He produced one great work after another, overture, symphony and quartett in rapid succession. He became insane at thirty-eight, and died at the age of forty-one! We may here mention that not a few of the most eminent musicians became insane at an early age. Before Donizetti had completed his twentieth year he had produced "Enrico di Borgogna," an opera in which Madame Catalani sustained the principal character. His mind gave way at the age of forty-six! and after four years' residence in a maison de santé near Paris, he was removed to Bergamo, where he died at the age of fifty. The genius of Beethoven very early showed itself, and his musical education was begun by his father at the age of five and continued by the court organist, who introduced him to the works of Sebastian Bach and Handel. When he was twenty years of age Mozart spoke in high terms of his marvellous power. When about forty years of age he was attacked with deafness. He became more and more the victim of morbid irritability, causeless suspicions, and hopeless melancholy, ending in confirmed hypochondria, so that he was lost to the world at the age of forty, though he lingered in his painful condition till he was fifty-seven. Vincent Wallace was born with a passion for music, which was early cultivated by his father, a military band-master. Having attained considerable skill as a pianist and violinist he set out at the age of eighteen on a long course of wanderings, visiting successively Australia, New Zealand, India, South and North America, practising his art and winning a high reputation as a performer. He died at the by no means advanced age of fifty. The above are but a few of the many cases we could mention in illustration of our remarks. With an eye ever open A tongue that's not dumb, The spirit of angels Is active I know, From Heaven they sail, Ahead then keep pushing In life's rosy morning, In manhood's firm pride, Your footsteps to guide; We'll onward and conquer, • The first verse of this poem appeared in a previous No. of this Magazine. CHAPTER V. THE QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION HELD ON THE 13TH AND 14TH OF MAY, 1874, WITH THE ANSWERS. I, English Composition. Candidates were requested to write an essay or letter, not less than two pages in length, on one of the following subjects: (1.) The choice of a profession. (2.) Books. (3.) Silence. (4.) The Seasons. (5.) Ridicule. (6.) Death. (7.) Letter-writing. II. English Language. 1. State the rule for forming the plural of English nouns, and name some exceptions. The ordinary rule is to add's to the singular. Exceptions: Names ending in s, sh, ch (soft), x, or o, form the plural by adding es; as dress, dresses; fish, fishes; church, churches; box, boxes; potato, potatoes. When y is preceded by a consonant, es is added, and the y is changed into i; as lady, ladies. After a vowel nouns in y follow the general rule, as money, moneys. Nouns in f or fe, of A-S. origin, add es, to the singular, and change f into v; as knife, knives. Exceptions in f: those which end in ff, and in f when preceded by two vowels. Those in fe takes s. Some plurals are formed from singulars by changes to be found only in words of A-S. origin :— (a) By suffixing en, as oxen. (b) By modifying the root vowel; as man, men. (c) By adding er to the singular; as child, child-er-en, children. 2. Mention any nouns which have two plural forms with different meanings. 3. Into what classes may adjectives be divided? How are the degrees of comparison formed? The most useful method of classifying adjectives is the following: an, &, the. (1.) Definitive, as this, that. thine, ours, &c. (2.) Qualitative, implying absence or possession of a quality; power of im parting; fitness, &c., as unfeeling. |