industry, from which nothing will ever be able to detach them.

Persons of this latter description would do well to store their memory with a few apothegms chosen from the works of the ancient philosophers; so that whenever they find themselves disposed to indolence rather than to exertion, they may, by the recollection of some one of these, rouse the mind from its state of lethargy and inertness. Of this description are the following, μοχθεῖν ἀνάγκη τοὺς θέλοντας ἐντυχεῖν. "They who wish to enjoy happiness, should accustom themselves to industry."-Orλa έo0w & decños'. "He who is afraid of difficulty, is thereby rendered incapable of surmounting it.”—Οἱ δαφθάνοντες νεκροισιν ὅμοιοι εἰσιν. “ Sluggards are little better than lifeless carcasses."—"O0ŋ tó răv. 'Nothing is impossible to diligence.”—Exohyv Oníßorta xvdos xxi." "Disgrace is the reward of indolence."κύδος κιχεῖ." Ὅπου πλείων ὁ πόνος ἐκεῖ μείζων ἡ ἡδονη. “ The greater the labor, the greater the enjoyment.”—Ev oa rò μɛλnov ëžel, Ei Tò nagÓv EvTIOÑs. "If we make good use of the present, we shall have no reason to doubt as to the future.". As the diligent student doubtless will observe many passages of this nature in the course of his acquaintance with the Greek and Roman classics, a further selection will be needless.*

* I cannot omit this opportunity of quoting a passage from our own incomparable Shakspeare, which, if received with the spirit in which it is given, cannot fail to be of service to him who peruses it:

This morning, like the spirit of a youth
That means to be of note, begins betimes.

Let this be written in legible characters in a conspicuous part

Were more than has been already said, necessary to rouse youth from their indolent habits, let them look abroad upon the works of creation, and from the ant, which is indefatigably employed in the occupations of the mole-hill, to the sun, rising from his chambers in the east, to give light, heat, and fertility to our globe; he will find all but man, diligently pursuing the course pointed out by the great Creator. And is it for him, who exclaims that all things were made for his use, who proudly boasts himself superior to all created things besides, to be idle, whilst all around him are busily engaged in performing the tasks assigned them on the great stage of universal being? If he would but make use of that reason which he calls his sole prerogative, he would think that every blade of grass he treads upon, every insect which flutters around his path, every animal he meets with, might justly reproach him with being the only useless creature amidst such a display of universal industry. Let us then no longer suffer ourselves to be disgraced by a just reproach from the insects we tread upon. Let not the sun, whilst performing his daily revolution in the heavens, be witness to our want of industry. If the vassals of nature are actively engaged in these various avocations, much more ought the lords of nature to be so. Let us detach ourselves from things trifling and insignificant, and give ourselves up to things worthy our nature and capacity. We all value our

of the bedchamber of every literary student, so that it may strike his eye every morning as he awakes; and if he can recompose himself to sleep, neither this nor any other stimulus will be of the least service to him.

possessions, much more ought we to estimate our time. Yet such is the irrationality of our conduct, that if we should happen by some mischance to lose a portion of our property, which by industry may be easily recovered, we fill the air with our lamentations; but we not only bear the loss of time, which can never be recovered, with equanimity, but with manifest indications of joy and satisfaction.

CHAPTER XIX.

Our recreative amusements should, as far as possible, be rendered subservient to the purposes of literature.

It has been observed in a former chapter, that recreation is as necessary to the body as food is to the mind. Indeed the most rigid devotee of literature will scarcely deny, but that a temporary relaxation is highly necessary. The human mind is, as an ancient fabulist has ingeniously observed, like a bow; if it be always bent it will soon lose its elasticity, but if unstrung at intervals, it will long retain its wonted properties. But relaxation of the mind, as well as exercise of the body, should, as far as possible, be rendered subservient to the purposes of literature. It will thus be found to be doubly advantageous; for whilst it becomes an agreeable mode of communicating knowledge, it will at the same time prevent us from engaging in trivial and unmeaning amusements, which would not only consume a considerable portion of our time, but also detach us from, and incapacitate us for, matters of greater importance.

Suppose, for instance, the junior members of a college were to make a practice of meeting alternately at each other's apartments, for the purpose of discussing some interesting philosophical speculations, of unraveling the more curious properties of the mathematical sciences, or writing or conversing upon moral, reli

gious, or literary subjects, either in their own native tongue, or in the learned languages; they would find any of these occupations productive of more real pleasure than most of those which are, though falsely, termed amusements; and they would also find, that by these methods, they were gaining what, after all, is the main end of study-practical knowledge. In order to perceive the advantage of such a course of conduct, let the student weigh the pleasure derived from these sources, against that resulting from vain conversation, idle lounging, and dissipated practices, and if he do not perceive the balance preponderate in favor of the former, let him still continue to practice the latter; but that this, if he give the matter an impartial consideration, will be the case, we are not under the slightest apprehension.

But independent of such a course as the one prescribed being an agreeable mode of communicating knowledge, it has yet another advantage, which is by no means its least valuable one, viz., that of exciting emulation. There are many men who would not think it so degrading not to rank high in the classes of an university, as not to be able to equal their familiar companions in their researches after truth. Consequently, although in the former case, they might content themselves with being placed a remove above mediocrity, they would, in the latter, exert their ingenuity to the utmost stretch, lest they might incur the derision of their more intimate associates. Let such a principle as this be once fairly brought into action, what results might we not reasonably expect from it. Instead of seeing young men leave the university with