A LESSON AFTER SCHOOL.
IT was the day of the award of the Franklin medals in the old Boston
Latin School, a day in June, and such a one as James Russell Lowell so
picturesquely describes. We say "old" Boston Latin School, not meaning
old Boston in England, but such an association would not be an untrue
one; for the Boston Latin School in Boston, Massachusetts, which was
founded under the influence of Governor John Winthrop and Rev. John
Cotton, and that numbers five signers of the Declaration of Independence
among its pupils, was really begun in Boston, England, in 1554, or in
the days of Queen Mary. It has the most remarkable history of any school
in America; it has been the Harrow of Harvard, and for five or more
generations has sent into life many men whose character has shed luster
upon their times.
To gain the Franklin medal is the high aim of the Boston schoolboy. It
is to associate one's name with a long line of illustrious men, among
them John Collins Warren, Wendell Phillips, Charles Sumner, Phillips
Brooks, S. F. Smith, and many others.
But one of the boys who had won the Franklin medal to-day had done so
amid the ridicule of his people at home and after very hard work. Boston
Latin boys are too well bred to laugh at the humble gifts of any one,
but those of this period could hardly have failed to notice the natural
stupidity and the strong, silent purpose and will of this lad. His name
we will call Elwell--Frank Elwell. He came from a humble home, where he
was not uncommonly taunted as being the "fool of the family."
He first attracted attention at this school of brilliant pupils by a
bold question which he asked his teacher one day that commanded instant
respect. After hard study he had made a very poor recitation. He was
reproved by his teacher, who was a submaster, but a kindly, sensitive,
and sympathetic man. He lifted his eyes and looked into the teacher's
face, and said:
"Why do you reprove me? I am doing the best I can, sir."
The teacher knew the words to be true. The boys that heard the question
turned with a kind of chivalrous feeling toward their dull companion,
who was doing his best against poverty, limited gifts, and many
disadvantages in life. The old school of Charles Sumner, Wendell
Phillips, and Phillips Brooks is not wanting in true sympathy with any
manly struggle in life.
The teacher answered: "Master Elwell, I have done wrong in reproving
you. He does well who does his best. You are doing well."
Frank Elwell won the Franklin medal by doing his best. On the evening
after his graduation he stood before his teacher and asked:
"Master Lowell" (for so we will call the teacher, and use the old term
in the vocative case), "Master Lowell, did you ever know any boy to
struggle against defects like mine?"
"Yes, my boy, I have."
"Did he succeed in life?"
"He did. He became the first citizen of Boston, and is so regarded
still."
"Who was it, sir?"
"Look at your medal. It was Benjamin Franklin himself."
Reader, Frank Elwell perhaps is _you_.
"More than wealth, more than fame, more than any other thing, is the
power of the human heart." Live for influences--live for the things that
live, and let the best influences of the Peter Folgers and Benjamin
Franklins of your family live on in you, and live after you. You will do
well in life and will succeed in life if you do your best; and if your
ideal seems to fail in you, it will not fail in the world, in whose
harvest field no good intention perishes.
Be true to those who have faith in you, and _to_ their faith in you, and
help others by believing in the best that is in them. Those who have the
most faith in you are your truest friends. An Uncle Benjamin and a Jenny
are among the choicest characters that can enter the doors of life, and
we will see it so at the end.
Do good, and you can not fail.
"Do thou thy work; it shall succeed
In thine or in another's day,
And if denied the visitor's meed,
Thou shalt not miss the toiler's pay."
APPENDIX.
FRANKLIN'S FAMOUS PROVERB STORY OF THE OLD AUCTIONEER.
"FRIENDS," said the old auctioneer, "the taxes are indeed very heavy. If
those laid on by the government were the only ones we had to pay, we
might more easily discharge them; but we have many others, and much more
grievous to some of us. We are taxed twice as much by our idleness,
three times as much by our pride, and four times as much by our folly;
and from these taxes the commissioners can not ease or deliver us by
allowing an abatement. However, let us hearken to good advice, and
something may be done for us. God helps them that help themselves, as
Poor Richard says.
"I. It would be thought a hard government that would tax its people one
tenth part of their time to be employed in its service; but idleness
taxes many of us much more; sloth, by bringing on diseases, absolutely
shortens life. Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears; while
the used key is always bright, as Poor Richard says. But dost thou love
life? then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of,
as Poor Richard says. How much more than is necessary do we spend in
sleep, forgetting that The sleeping fox catches no poultry, and that
There will be sleeping enough in the grave? as Poor Richard says.
"If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be, as
Poor Richard says, the greatest prodigality, since, as he elsewhere
tells us, Lost time is never found again, and what we call time enough
always proves little enough. Let us, then, be up and doing, and doing to
the purpose; so by diligence shall we do more with less perplexity.
Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all ease; and He that
riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at
night; while Laziness travels so slowly that Poverty soon overtakes him.
Drive thy business, let not that drive thee; and, Early to bed and early
to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise, as Poor Richard says.
"So, what signifies wishing and hoping for better times? We make these
times better if we bestir ourselves. Industry need not wish, and he that
lives upon hopes will die fasting. There are no gains without pains;
then help, hands, for I have no lands; or, if I have, they are smartly
taxed. He that hath a trade hath an estate; and he that hath a calling
hath an office of profit and honor, as Poor Richard says; but then the
trade must be worked at, and the calling followed, or neither the estate
nor the office will enable us to pay our taxes. If we are industrious we
shall never starve; for, At the workingman's house Hunger looks in but
dares not enter; for, Industry pays debts, while despair increases them.
What though you have no treasure, nor has any rich relation left you a
legacy; Diligence is the mother of good luck, and God gives all things
to industry. Then plow deep while sluggards sleep, and you shall have
corn to sell and to keep. Work while it is called to-day, for you know
not how much you may be hindered to-morrow. One to-day is worth two
to-morrows, as Poor Richard says; and further, Never leave that till
to-morrow which you can do to-day. If you were a servant, would you not
be ashamed that a good master should catch you idle? Are you, then, your
own master? Be ashamed to catch yourself idle, when there is so much to
be done for yourself, your family, your country, your king. Handle your
tools without mittens; remember that The cat in gloves catches no mice,
as Poor Richard says. It is true there is much to be done, and perhaps
you are weak-handed; but stick to it steadily, and you will see great
effects; for, Constant dropping wears away stones, and By diligence and
patience the mouse ate in two the cable; and Little strokes fell great
oaks.
"Methinks I hear some of you say, Must a man afford himself no leisure?
I will tell thee, my friend, what Poor Richard says: Employ thy time
well, if thou meanest to gain leisure; and since thou art not sure of a
minute, throw not away an hour. Leisure is time for doing something
useful; this leisure the diligent man will obtain, but the lazy man
never; for A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things.
Many, without labor, would live by their wits only, but they break for
want of stock; whereas, industry gives comfort, and plenty, and respect.
Fly pleasures, and they will follow you. The diligent spinner has a
large shift; and now I have a sheep and a cow, every one bids me
good-morrow.
"II. But with our industry we must likewise be steady and careful, and
oversee our own affairs with our own eyes, and not trust too much to
others; for, as Poor Richard says:
"I never saw an oft-removed tree,
Nor yet an oft-removed family,
That throve so well as those that settled be."
And again, Three removes are as bad as a fire; and again, Keep thy shop,
and thy shop will keep thee; and again, If you would have your business,
go; if not, send. And again,
"He that by the plow would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive."
And again, The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands;
and again, "Want of care does us more damage than want of knowledge; and
again, Not to oversee workmen is to leave them your purse open. Trusting
too much to others' care is the ruin of many; for, In the affairs of
this world men are saved not by faith but by the want of it; but a man's
own care is profitable, for, If you would have a faithful servant, and
one that you like, serve yourself. A little neglect may breed great
mischief: for want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the
horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost, being
overtaken and slain by the enemy--all for want of a little care about a
horseshoe nail.
"III. So much for industry, my friends, and attention to one's own
business; but to these we must add frugality, if we would make our
industry more certainly successful. A man may, if he knows not how to
save as he gets, keep his nose all his life to the grindstone, and die
not worth a groat at last. A fat kitchen makes a lean will; and
"Many estates are spent in the getting,
Since women forsook spinning and knitting,
And men for punch forsook hewing and splitting.
If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as of getting."
The Indies have not made Spain rich, because her outgoes are greater
than her incomes.
"Away, then, with your expensive follies, and you will not then have so
much cause to complain of hard times, heavy taxes, and chargeable
families; for
"Women and wine, game and deceit,
Make the wealth small and the want great."
And, further, What maintains one vice would bring up two children. You
may think, perhaps, that a little tea or a little punch now and then,
diet a little more costly, clothes a little finer, and a little
entertainment now and then, can be no great matter; but remember, Many a
little makes a mickle. Beware of little expenses; A small leak will sink
a great ship, as Poor Richard says; and again, Who dainties love shall
beggars prove; and, moreover, Fools make feasts and wise men eat them.
"Here you are all got together at this sale of fineries and knickknacks.
You call them goods; but if you do not take care, they will prove evils
to some of you. You expect they will be sold cheap, and perhaps they may
for less than they cost; but if you have no occasion for them, they must
be dear to you. Remember what Poor Richard says: Buy what thou hast no
need of, and ere long thou shalt sell thy necessities. And again, At a
great pennyworth pause awhile. He means that perhaps the cheapness is
apparent only, and not real; or the bargain, by straitening thee in thy
business, may do thee more harm than good; for in another place he says,
Many have been ruined by buying good pennyworths. Again, It is foolish
to lay out money in a purchase of repentance; and yet this folly is
practiced every day at auctions for want of minding the almanac. Many,
for the sake of finery on the back, have gone with a hungry belly and
half starved their families. Silks and satins, scarlet and velvets, put
out the kitchen fire, as Poor Richard says.
"These are not the necessaries of life; they can scarcely be called the
conveniences; and yet, only because they look pretty, how many want to
have them! By these, and other extravagances, the genteel are reduced to
poverty, and forced to borrow of those whom they formerly despised, but
who through industry and frugality have maintained their standing; in
which case it appears plainly that A plowman on his legs is higher than
a gentleman on his knees, as Poor Richard says. Perhaps they have a
small estate left them which they knew not the getting of; they think,
It is day, and it never will be night; that a little to be spent out of
so much is not worth minding; but Always taking out of the meal-tub, and
never putting in, soon comes to the bottom, as Poor Richard says; and
then, When the well is dry, they know the worth of water. But this they
might have known before, if they had taken his advice. If you would know
the value of money, go and try to borrow some; for, He that goes
a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing, as Poor Richard says; and, indeed, so does
he that lends to such people, when he goes to get it again. Poor Dick
further advises, and says:
"Fond pride of dress is sure a very curse;
Ere fancy you consult, consult your purse."
And again, Pride is as loud a beggar as Want, and a great deal more
saucy. When you have bought one fine thing, you must buy ten more, that
your appearance may be all of a piece; but Poor Dick says, It is easier
to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it. And it
is as truly folly for the poor to ape the rich, as for the frog to swell
in order to equal the ox.
"Vessels large may venture more,
But little boats should keep near shore."
It is, however, a folly soon punished; for, as Poor Richard says, Pride
that dines on vanity, sups on contempt. Pride breakfasted with Plenty,
dined with Poverty, and supped with Infamy. And, after all, of what use
is this pride of appearance, for which so much is risked, so much is
suffered? It can not promote health, nor ease pain; it makes no increase
of merit in the person; it creates envy; it hastens misfortune.
"But what madness must it be to run in debt for these superfluities! We
are offered by the terms of this sale six months' credit; and that,
perhaps, has induced some of us to attend it, because we can not spare
the ready money, and hope now to be fine without it. But, ah! think what
you do when you run in debt: you give to another power over your
liberty. If you can not pay at the time, you will be ashamed to see your
creditor; you will be in fear when you speak to him; you will make poor,
pitiful, sneaking excuses, and, by degrees, come to lose your veracity,
and sink into base, downright lying; for, The second vice is lying, the
first is running in debt, as Poor Richard says; and again, to the same
purpose, Lying rides upon Debt's back; whereas, a free-born Englishman
ought not to be ashamed nor afraid to see or speak to any man living.
But poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue. It is hard
for an empty bag to stand upright.
"What would you think of that prince, or of that government, who should
issue an edict forbidding you to dress like a gentleman or gentlewoman
on pain of imprisonment or servitude? Would you not say that you were
free, have a right to dress as you please, and that such an edict would
be a breach of your privileges, and such a government tyrannical? And
yet you are about to put yourself under such tyranny when you run in
debt for such dress. Your creditor has authority, at his pleasure, to
deprive you of your liberty, by confining you in jail till you shall be
able to pay him. When you have got your bargain you may perhaps think
little of payment; but, as Poor Richard says, Creditors have better
memories than debtors; creditors are a superstitious sect, great
observers of set days and times. The day comes round before you are
aware, and the demand is made before you are prepared to satisfy it; or,
if you bear your debt in mind, the term, which at first seemed so long,
will, as it lessens, appear extremely short. Time will seem to have
added wings to his heels as well as his shoulders. Those have a short
Lent who owe money to be paid at Easter. At present, perhaps, you may
think yourselves in thriving circumstances, and that you can bear a
little extravagance without injury; but
"For age and want save while you may;
No morning sun lasts a whole day."
Gain may be temporary and uncertain, but ever, while you live, expense
is constant and certain; and It is easier to build two chimneys than to
keep one in fuel, as Poor Richard says; so, Rather go to bed supperless
than rise in debt.
"Get what you can, and what you get, hold;
'Tis the stone that will turn all your lead into gold."
And when you have got the philosopher's stone, surely you will no longer
complain of bad times or the difficulty of paying taxes.
"IV. This doctrine, my friends, is reason and wisdom; but, after all, do
not depend too much upon your own industry and frugality and prudence,
though excellent things; for they may all be blasted, without the
blessing of Heaven; and, therefore, ask that blessing humbly, and be not
uncharitable to those that at present seem to want it, but comfort and
help them. Remember, Job suffered, and was afterward prosperous.
"And now, to conclude, Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will
learn in no other, as Poor Richard says, and scarce in that; for, it is
true, we may give advice, but we can not give conduct. However, remember
this: They that will not be counseled can not be helped; and further,
that, If you will not hear Reason, she will surely rap your knuckles, as
Poor Richard says."
THE END.
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Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page x, "ELECTRIFIELD" changed to "ELECTRIFIED" (THE ELECTRIFIED VIAL)
Page 54, "brought" changed to "bought" (name that bought)
Page 86, "waching" changed to "watching" (who stood watching)
Page 142, "endeavered" chagned to "endeavored" (him. I endeavored)
Page 148, "disapponitment" changed to "disappointment" (ended in
disappointment)
Page 253, "spinnnig" changed to "spinning" (of a spinning-wheel)
Page 265, "longed" changed to "long" (had long outlived)
Page 291, word "about" inserted into text (pupils about how to)
End of Project Gutenberg's True to His Home, by Hezekiah Butterworth