Character

Front matter

CHARACTER

Xx>NDON» Noifember, 1878 .

IMPORTANT DATES IN THE PROGRESS OF. INDUSTRT AND SCIENCE WITH PARALLEL DATES FROM THE HISTORT OF INDIA.

Preface To The Original Edition

T he following book is in some respects a supple* ment to ‘ Self-Help.’ The powei and influence •of Character were briefly summarized In that book;

. but much more remains to be said.

Certain reviewers have observed notwithstanding their generous notices of the book, that I have not deflnitely stated what Character is. •

' Character, as applied to men, has no doubt many definitions. It means the distinctive qualities l)y which one person is kAown from another. It may mean weakness or energy, and exhibit itself in goodness or in badness. . It may also mean the adventitious qualities impressed by nature or habit on a person. He stands apart by himsell, and becomes known as. a regular character.”

Thus Douglas Jerrold wrote a book entitled' Men of Character.’ But the men of whom he wrote; were persons with some special moral twist in their lives-such as ” Job Pippins, the Man who couldn t: help it.” The works of Dickens also are full of men ; of chatacter, such as Ouilp, Smike, Pip, Squeers, and ^l^ickleby— exceptional men, odd, twisted, gnarledl,: ^ind ^metirnes half-crazy.

M ?K£FAC£)

Character, ftk described is die {oliowiD|>book, W ol a .difiere&t kind. I take Individnal Chatactjer .tb> be the highest embddifflent of the hunian beihjgMhe^ noblest heraldry of Man. It is that which di|nifiea lum, which elevates him in the scale of ma^oddiwhich forms the consdence of society, and (^eaW nd forms its best motive power. \

I have endeavoured, to the best of my power, to illustrate the power and efficiency of Individual Character by numerous examples taken from history,. from biography, and from persona} experieu^. It seems to me that there is no better method of im^- pressing the minds of young people, than by citing instances of noble behaviour from the lives of ibe . best men and wo^en who have ever lived.

It will be found from the following pages that Character requires the exercise of many supreme : qualities; such as truthfulness, chasteness, mercifulness; and with these integrity, courage, virtue, anti' goodness in all its phases.

It is a pleasure to me to state that this book has already befn exceedingly well received in this country. It has also been translated into nearly every European language, and into several of the languages of; Asia. In America its circulation has been as. great, ^ in Britain.

S. S.

London, Noiemher, 1878.

CHAPTER I Influence of Character PAGE

Character a . Sreat power in the world — Common dtttj^— Character above learning and wealth — Character a propertjr— Honest of character— Pnncipies — Reliabieneen — ^Practical wisdom —

Sheridan and Buike-^haracter and circumstances— Formation of character— The late Prince Consort — ^Force of character— The conscientious man— The quality of reverence-intrepidity of charactet^Lord Palmerston — Confamousness of energy— The Napiers and Sir John Moore— Washington, Wellington — Influence of personal character — ^Reverence for great men — Luther, Knox, Dante— Character a great legacy— Character of nations— Washington Irving and Sir Walter Scott-*<]haracter and freedom— Nations strengthened by trials— Noble and ignoble patriotism — Decline and fall of .nations— Stability of character of nations , 1—31

CONTENTS

CHAPTER V COUKAGE

PAGS.

Moral courage — Martyrs of science — Perseoition qf ’ 4reat discoverers — ^Hostility to new views — , ■: Socrates, Bruno, Galileo, R. Bacon, Vesalius, and others — Martyrs of faith — Aaxie Askew,

Mary Dyer, Sir Thotpas More — Fortitude of Luther — Strafford and Eliot — Success often won through failure — Common courage of doing — Tyranny of " Society ’’—Moral cowardice — Pandering to pt^ularity — ^Intelleetual intrepidity— Energetic courage— Courage and tenderness — Generosity of the brave — The Douglas — Liqslace— The magnanimous man— Education of women in courage — Moral strength of women . Heroism of women — ^Story of Sarah Martin and her ministrations in Yarmouth Gaol . 123 — ^157

CHAPTER VI Self-Control

Sdf*coi?trol the root of the virtues— Value of discipline— Supremacy of self-control- -Domestic diftdpline — Self-discipline— Virtue of patience — Character of Hampden— Evils of strong temper* — Strafford, Cromwell, Princes of Nassau, Washington, Wellington, etc. — ^Instances of self-control — ^Faraday, Anquetil, Outram — ^Forbeftr- .ance of speech — ^Honest indignation— Forbear- . ance in conduct— Faraday’s practical philosophy ^

GONTlSNirS ; /ioEF want.;. of leK-controi — ^Beranger — Tyiianny appetite — ^Hpn^ty of living — Die^

honeety of iinprovidence-~Public hone^ — Sir Waiter Scold’s heroic efiort to pay his debts — l^ockhart rad Scott . . . . . ISSr- 188

CHAPTER VII

Duty— Truthfulnbss

Upholding sense of doty — Conscience and will — Sense of honour-rVittoria Colonna — Sacredness of duty — ^Freedom of the individual— Epictetus on duty— Washington’s sense of duty— Wellington’s ideal — ^Nelson and Collingwood — Devo-^; tion to duty — Duty of nations — ^Baron Stofiel’s . report on the cau^ of the decadence of France .

— Great Frenchmen of the past— The Abbe de ' St.-Pierre — Duty and truthfulness— Wellington and his aurist — Truth the' bond of society — Equivocation — ^Pretentioiisness-^The life of George Wilson ; his labours, sufierings and ^ death . ... . •• 18^216

CHAPITER VIII ’

Temper

'Gheetfolness oi di^osition — Jeremy Taylor— Cheer- ' fulness a tonic— A. beam4n the eye — Dr. Mar-' -sh^- Hall. .Luther. -Lord Palmerston — Gredt iJttvi CONTENTS

PACE.

men cheerful — ^Fielding, Johnson, Scott, Arnold, . Sydney Smith — Cheerfulness of men of l^nius^— Euler, Robinson, Abauzit, Adanson, Malcolm, Burke— Basis of cheerfulness — ^Beneficence and benevolence — Power of kindness — Shallowness <. of discontent— 'Morbidity of temper — Querul* oumcss — ^St. Francis de Sales dh the Little Virtues — Gentleness — Cheerfulness and hope 216 — ^235

CHAPTER IX Manner — Art

'Manner the ^race of character — ^Influence of manner — ^Politeness — “ Etiquette "—True courtesy — Self-restraint — Practical unpoliteness — ^Ease of manner — Indications of self-respect — ^Politeness of foreigners — Good taste an economist — Instinctive tact of women — Superficiality of manner — Blunt men — ^Khox and Luther — ^Johnson's ^gruflness — Shyness and reserve — Shyness of Teutonic races-rShy Englishmen — Shakes peare's shyness — ^Archbishop Whately and others — Shy Americans— Shy men and colonization— ■ Why the French fail as colonizers — ^'I'he English race inartistic— Art and civilization . . 236—264

CHAPTER X Companionship of Books

Men are known by the books they read — Good .books the best society — Interest of biography —

GONTEm'S xxvit

PAGB

Th 0 &Kat lesson of biography— The Book of Books— History and biography— Plutardi’s

‘ Lives/ their influence — Plutarch’s art — ^Trifles in biography- Portraiture of character— Autobfography — French ‘ Memoires pour servir ’ — Saint-Simon and La Bruyere — ^Biography and ficnon — Great biographies rare — Boswell’s ‘ Johnson ’ — Men and their contemporaries — Unrecorded lives — ^Favourite booki of great men — eBooks the inspirers of youth — Good ' books resemble good actions — Books necessaries of lifoT-Moral influence of books . 265 — ^299'

CHAPTER XI

Companionship in Marriage

Character influenced by marriage — Mutual relations of man and woman — ^Vicws of woman’s character — Early education of the sexes — ^Woman’s affcctionateness-r-The sentiment of love — Love an' inspirer and purifier — Man in the home — A Christian household — ^The woman’s kingdom — Brain-women and heart-women — Qualities of the true wife — ^The golden rule in marriage — Marrying for beauty — Moral influence of the wife — De Tocqueville, Guizot — Burke's portrait of his wife — Mrs. Hutchinson’s portrait’ of her husband — Lady Rachel Russell — ^Wives of Bunyan, Baxter, Zinzendorf, Livingstone, RomiHy, Burdett, Graham — Wiv^ as helpers of scientific men — Wives of Buckland, Hubjer, Sir W, xwui CONTENTS

PAGE.

H^ilton, Niebuhr, Mill, Carlyle, Faraday,

Tom Hood, Sir W. Napier—A ^azy of nobk women — ^Wives of Grotius, Heine, Herder, , j Fichte, Cobbett— Character of Cobbett . 30(][— 343

CHAPTER XII

The Discipline of E»?esience.

Practical wisdom, how learnt — Evils of seclusion—

The school of life the true school of experience — Youthful ardour — ^Romance and reality — ^En* thusiasm and perseverance— The apprenticeship of oifficulty— Poverty a stimulus— Cervantes—

The lessons of failure — ^Failures of £reat men— Struggles of genius — Dante and Camoens— The revenges of time — Sufferings of great men— Flinders the navigator — ^Illustrious prisoners' and prison-writers — ^Failure not always loss — Advei^ity a touchstone— Trials and blessings — Work and amidst sufiering — Resignation in affl'ction — Is happiness an illusion?- -The mys*. tery .of life — Duty the aim and end of being 344—^73 Notes . . . ... . . 37S-39S

CHARACTER

CHAPTER I

Influence of Character

Unless above himself he can Erect himself, how poor a thing is man !— /)a«»e/.

Character is moral order seen through the medium of an indivi- <lunl nature. . . . Men of character are the conscience of the society to which they belong.—Emerson.

I*

The piosperiiy of a country depends, not on the abundance of its revenues, nor on the strength of its fortificationsJ nor on tlie beauty of its public buildings; but it consists in the number of its cultivated citizens, in its men of education, enlightenment, and character; here are to be found its true interest, its chief strength^ its real power.— Jlfar/in Luther,

C haracter is one of the greatest motive-powers in the world. In its noblest embodiments it exemplifies human nature in its highest forms^ for it exhibits man at his best.

Men of genuine excellence in every station of life— men of industry, of integrity, of high principle.

SPHERIC OF COMMON DUTY [Chap, i of sterling honesty of purpose — command ihe spontaneous homage of mankind. It is natural to believe In such men, to have confidence in them, and to imitate them. All that is good in the world is upheld by them, and without their presence in it the \^orld would not be worth living in.

Although geniiic: always commands admiration, character most secures respect. The former is more the product of brai!'-power,.the latter of heart-power ; and in the long-run it is the heart that rules in life. Men of genius stand to society in the relation of its intellect, as men of character of its conscience; and while the former are admired, the latter are followed.

Great men are always exceptional men; and greatness itself is but comparative. Indeed, the range of most men in life is so limited that very few have the opportunity of being great. Bui each man can act his part honestly and honourably, and to the best of his ability. He can use his gifts and not abuse them. He can strive to make the best of life. He can be true, just, honest, and faithful, even in small things. In a word, he can do his Duty in that sphere in which Providence has placed him.

Commonplace though it may appear, this doing of one’s Duty embodies the highest ideal of life and character. There may be nothing heroic about it; but the common lot of men is not heroic. And though the abiding sense of Duty upholds man in his highest attitudes, it also equally sustains him in the Transaction of the ordinary affairs of every-day existence. Man’s life is “ centred in the sphere of common duties.” The most influential of all the virtues arc those which arc the most in request for daily use. • They wear the best and last the longest. Superfine

SUSTAINING POWER OF DUTY 3

virtues, which are above the standard of common men, may only be sources of temptation and danger. Burke has truly said that “ the human system which rests for its basis on the heroic virtues is sure to have a superstructure of weakness or of profligacy.”

Wh'.'ii Dr. Abbot, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, drew the character of his deceased friend Thomas Sackville, he did not dwell upon his merits as a staiesman or his genius as a poet, but upon his virtues as a man in relation to the ordinary duties of life. ” How manff*" rare things were in him !” said he. “ Who more loving unto his wife? — ^who more kind unto his children? — who more fast unto his friend? — who more moderate unto his enemy? — who more true to his word?” Indeed, we can always better understand and appreciate a man’s real character by the manner in which he conducts himself towards those who are the most nearly related to him', and by his transaction of the seemingly commonplace details of dally duty, thjin by his public exhibition of himself as an author, an orator, or a statesman. .»

At ihe same time, while Duty, for the most part, •applies to the conduct of affairs in common life b^ the average of common men, it is also a sustaining power to men of the very highest standard of character. They may not have either money, or property, or learning, or power; and yet they may be strong in heart and rich in spirit — honest, truthful, dutiful. And whoever strives to do his duty faithfully is fulfilling the purpose for which he was created, ahd building up in himself the principles of a manly character. There are many persons of whom at may be said that they have no other possession in

4 CHARACTER ABOVE LEARNING [Chap, i

the world but their character, and yet they stand as firmly upon it as any crowned king.

Intellectual culture has no necessary i elation to purity or excel lence of character. In the New Testament appeals arc constantly made to the heart of man and to “ the spirit we are of,” whilst allusions to the intellect are of very rare occurrence. “ A handful of good life,” says George Herbert, “ is worth a bushel of learning.” Not that learning is to be despised, but that it must be allied to goodness. Intellectual capacity is sometimes ^ found associated with the meanest moral character — with abject servility to those in high places, and arrogance to those of low estate. A man may be accomplished in art, literature, and science, and yet, in honesty, virtue, truthfulness, and the spirit of duty, be entitled to take rank after many a poor and illiterate peasant.

“ You insist,” wrote Perthes to a friend, ” on respect ror learned men. I say, Amen 1 But, at the same time, don’t forget that largeness of mind, depth of thought, appreciation ot the lofty, experience of the world, delicacy of manner, tact and energy in action, love of truth, honesty, and amiability — that all these may be wanting in a man who may yet be very learned.”

When some one, in Sir Walter Scott’s hearing, made a remark as to the value of literary talents and accomplishments, as if they were above all things to be esteemed and honoured, he observed, “ God help us ! what a poor world this would be if that were the true doctrine ! I have read books enough, and observed and conversed with enough of eminent and splendidly cultured minds too, in my time; but I assure you I have heard higher sentiments from the

CHARACTER ABOVE WEALTH lips of poor uneducated men and women, when exerting the spirit of severe yet gentle heroism under difficulties and afflictions, or speaking their simple thought!' as to circumstances in the lot of friends and neighbours, than I ever yet met with out of the Bible. We shall never learn to feel and respect our real calling and destiny, unless we have taught ourselves to consider everything as moonshine compared with the education of the heart.”

Still less has wealth any necessary connection with elevation of* character. On the contrary, it is much inoK frequently the cause of its corruption and degradation. Wealth and corruption, luxury and vice, have very close affinities to each other. Wealth, in (he h.inds of men of weak purpose, of deheient self-control, er of ill-regulated passions, is only a temptation and a snare — the source, it may be, of infinite mischief both to themselves and to others.

On the contrary, a condition of comparative poverty is compatible with character in its highest form. A man may possess only his industry, his frugality, his integrity, and yet stand high jn the rank of true manhood. The advice which Burns’s father gave him was thi best :

He hnJe me net a manly part, though 1 had ne*er n farthing.

For without an honest manly heart no man was worth regarding.

One of the purest and noblest characters the writer ever knew was a labouring man in a northern county, who brought up his family respectably on an income never amounting to more thati ten shillings a wefek. Though possessed of only the rudiments of common education, obtained at an ordinary parish school, he was a man full of wisdom and thoughtful-

6 HONESTY OF CHARACTER [Chap, i

Mc\s.s. His library consisfed of the Bible, ‘ Flavel,’ and ‘ Boston ’ — books which, excepting the first, probably few readers have ever heard of. This good man might have sat for the portrait of Wordsworth’s well-known ‘ Wanderer.’ When he had lived hi.s modest life of work and worship, and finally went to his rest, he left behind him a reputation for practical wisdom, for genuine goodness, and for helpfulness in every good work which greater and richer nten might have envied.

When Luther died, he left behind him, as set forth in his will, “ no ready money, no treasure of coin of any description.” He was so poor at one part of his life that he was under the necessity of earning his bread by turning, gardening, and clockmaking. Yet, at the very time when he was thus working with his hands, he was moulding the character of his country ; and he was morally stronger, and vastly more honoured and followed, than all the princes of Germany.

Character is property. ’It is the noblest of possessions. ,It is an estate in the general goodwill and respect of men ; and they who invest in it — though they may not become rich in this world’s goods — will find their reward in esteem and reputation fairly and honourably won. And it is right that in life good qualities should tell — that industry, virtue, and goodness should rank the highest — and that the really best men should be foremost.

Simple honesty of purpose in a man goes a long way in life, if founded on a just estimate of himself and a steady obedience to the rule he know% and feels to be right. It holds a man straight, gives him strength and sustenance, and forms a mainspring of

KPICTETUS v’igorous action. “ No man,” once said Sir Benjamin Rudyard, “ is bound to be rich or great — no, nor to he wise ; but every man is bound to be honest.”

But the purpose, besides being honest, must be inspired by sound principles, and pursued with undeviatin^* adherence to truth, integrity, and uprightness. Vv’ithout principles, a man is like a ship without I udder or compass, left to drift hither and thither with every wind that blows. He is as one without law, (.r rule, or order, or gov’crnment. “ Moral principles,” says Hume, “ are social and universal. 'I liey form, In a manner, the parly of humankind against viee and disorder, its common enemy.”

I '.pictetus once received a visit from a certain tnagniticcrU orator going to Rome on a lawsuit, who wished to learn from the Stoic something of his philosophy. Epictetus received his visitor coolly, not believing in his sincerity. “ You will only criticize my style,” said he; ” not really wishing to learn principles.” — “ Well, but,” said the orator, “ if I attend to that sort of thing, I shall be a mere pauper, like \'ou, with no plate, nor equipage, no,r land.” — 1 don’t a’«nf such things,” replied Epictetus; “ and, besides, you are poorer than I am, after all. Patron or no patron, what care I? You do care. I am richer than you. / don’t care what Caesar thinks of me. 7 flatter no one. This is what I have, instead of your gold and silver plate. You have silver vessels, but earthenware reasons, principles, appetites. My mind to me a kingdom is, and it furnishes me with abundant and happy occupation in lieu of your rcstldss idleness. All your possessions seem small to you ; mine seem great to me. Your desire is insatiate — ■mine is satisfied.”

RELIABLENESS

[Chav, j

TaK-nt is by no means rare in the world; nor is even genius. But can the talent be trusted? — can the genius? Not unless based on truthfulness — on veracity. It is this quality more than any other that commands the esteem and respect* and secures *hc confidence of others. Truthfulness is at the foundation of all personal excellence. It exhibits itself in conduct. It is rectitude, truth in nction, and shines thiough every word and deed. It means reliableness, and convinces other men that it can be trusted. And a man is alreddy of consequence in the world when it is known that he call be relied on — that when he says he knows a thing, he does know it —that when he says he will do a thing, he can do and does if. Thus reliableness becomes a passport to the general esteem and confidence of mankind.

In the affairs of life or of business it is not intellect that tells so much as character — not brains so much as heart — not genius so much as self-control, patience, and discipline, regulated by judgment. Hence there is no bettrr provision for the uses of cither private or public life than a fair share of ordinary good sense guided by rectitude. (Jood sense, disciplined by experience and inspired by goodness, issuer, in practical wisdom. Indeed, goodness in a measure implies wisdom — the highest wisdom — the union of the worldly with the spiritual. “ The correspondences of wisdom and goodness,” says Sir Henry Taylor, ” are manifold ; and that they will accompany each other is to be inferred, not only because men’s wisdom makes them good, but because their goodness makes them wise.”

It is because of this controlling power of character

SHERIDAN in life ilint we often see men exercise an amount of influence apparently out of all proportion to their intellectunl endowments. They appear to act by means of some latent power, some reserved force, which acts secretly, by mere presence. As Burke said of a powerful nobleman of the last century, his virtues were his means.” The secret is, that the aims of such men are felt to be pure and noble, and they act upon others with a constraining power.

Though the reputation of men of genuine character may he of 'slow grow'th, their true qualities cannot be 'wholly concealed. They may be misrepresented by some, and misunderstood by others; misfortune and adversity may, for a time, overtake them; but, with patience and endurance, they will eventually inspire the respect and command the confidence which they really deserve.

It has been said of Sheridan that, had he possessed reliableness of character, he might have ruled the world ; whereas, for v’ant of it, his splendid gifts were comparatively useless. He dazzled and amused, but was without weight or influence in life Or politics. Even the poor pantomimist of Drury Lane felt himself his superior. Thus, when Delpini one day pressed the manager for arrears of salary, Sheridan sharply reproved him, telling him he had forgotton his station. “ No, indeed. Monsieur Sheridan, I have not,” retorted Delpini ; “ I know the difference

between us perfectly well. In birth, parentage, and education you arc superior to me ; but in life, character, and behaviour 1 am superior to you.”

Unlike Sheridan, Burke, his countryman, was a great man of character. He was thirty-five before he gained a seat in Parliament, yet he found time

10 FORMATION OF CHARACTER [Chap, r

to carve his name deep in the political history of England. He was a man of great gifts, and of transcendent force of character. Yet he had a weakness, which proved a serious defect — it was his want of temper; his genius was sacrificed to his irritability. And without this apparently minor gift of temper the most splendid endowments may be comparatively valueless to their possessor.

Character is formed by a variety of minute circumstances, more or less under the regulation and control of the individual. Not a*day passes without its discipline, whether for good or for evil. There is no act, however trivial, but has its train of consequences, as there is no hair so small but casts its shadow. It was a wise saying of Mrs. Schimmelpenninck’s mother, never to give way to what is little; or by' that little, however y'ou may despise it, you will be practically governed.

Every action, every thought, every feeling, contributes to the education ?jf the temper, the habits, and the understanding, and exercises an inevitable influence 'upon all the acts of our future life. Thus character is undergoing constant change, for better or for worse — either being elevated on the one hand, or degraded on the other. “ There is no fault nor folly of my life,” says Mr. Ruskin, “ that does not rise up against me, and take away my joy, and shorten my power of possession, of sight, of understanding. And every past effort of my life, every gleam of rightness or good in it, is with me now, to help me in my grasp of this art and its vision.”

The mechanical law, that action and reaction are equal, holds true also in morals. Good deeds act

ACTION AND REACTION

:ind rcacf on the doers of them ; and so do evil. Not onlv so ; they produce like effects, by the influence of example, on those who are the subjects of them. But man is not the creature, so much as he is the creator, of circumstances and, by the exercise of his freewill, he can direct his actions so that they s all be productive of good rather than evil. “ Nothing can work me damage but myself,” said St. Hei naid ; ” the harm that 1 sustain I carry about with me: and I am never a real sufferer but by my own fault.” •

I'he besH sort of character, however, cannot be formed without effort. There needs the exercise of constant self-watchfulness, self-discipline, and self-control. 'I'here may be much faltering, stumbling, and tenipftrary defeat — difiBculties and temptations manifold to be battled with and overcome; but if the spirit be strong and the heart be upright, no one need despair of ultimate success. 'fhe very effort to advance — to arrive at a higher standard of character than we have reached — inspiring and invigorating; and even though we may fall short of it, we cannot fail to be improved by every honest effort made in an upward direction.

And with the light of great examples to guide us- representatives of humanity in its best forms — every one is not only justified, but bound in duty, to aim at reaching the highest standard of character : not to become the richest in means, but in spirit ; not the greatest in worldly position, but in true honour; not the most intellectual, but the most virtuous; not the most powerful and influential, but the most truthful, upright, and honest.

It was very characteristic of the late Prince

1 ?

GREAT EXAMPLE

LChap. 5

Ooiisort- ninn himself of the purest mind, who powerfully impressed and influenced others by the sheer force of his own benevolent nature — when ilrawin^ up the conditions of the annual prize to be fiiven by Her Majesty at Wellington College, to determine that it should be awarded, not to the cleverest boy, n(!r to the most bookish boy, nor to the most precise, diligent, and prudent boy, but to the noblest boy, to the boy who should show the most promise of becoming a large-hearted high-motived man.

Character exhibits itself in cbnduct, guided and inspired by principle, integrity, and practical wisdrrm. In its highest form it is the individual will acting energetically under the influence of religion, morality, and reason. It chooses its way considerately, and pursues it steadfastly, esteeming duty above repuSalion and the approval of conscience more than the world’s praise. While respecting the personality of others, it preserves its own individuality and independence; and has the coprage to be morally honest, though it may be unpopular, trusting tranquilly to lime and experience for recognition.

Although the force of example will always exercise great influence upon the formation of character, the self-originating and sustaining force of one’s own spirit must be the mainstay. This alone can hold up the life, and give individual independence and energy. “ Unless man can erect himself above himself,” said Daniel, a poet of the Fdizabethan era, “how poor a thing is man !” Without a certain degree of practical efficient force — compounded of will, which is the root, and wisdom, which is the stem, of character — life will be indefinite and purposeless, like a body of stagnant water, instead of a running

FORCE OF CHARACTER sticnm doing useful work and keeping the machinery of a district in motion.

When the elements of character are brought into action by determinate will, and, influenced by high purpose, man enters upon and courageously perseveres in the path of duty, at whatever cost of worldly interest, he may be said to approach the summit of his being. He then exhibits charade! in its most intrepid form, and embodies the highest idea of manliness. The acts of such a man become repeated in the life and action, of others. His very words live and become; actions Thus every word of Luther’s rang through Germany like a trumpet. As Richter said of him, “ His words were half-battles.” And thus fvurher’s life became transfused into the life of his coui'itry, and still lives in the character of modern Germany.