When Frederick Temple, the late Archbishop of Canterbury, was a
poor boy, wearing patched clothes and patched shoes, he had the
good fortune to have a wise mother who stimulated and encouraged
the right kind of ambition, and directed his zeal. One day the
boy waxed critical over the inconsistency of English spelling,
when his mother chided him gently: “Freddie, don’t argue;
do your work.” The lesson was not lost on his open mind. He
followed the sage advice. And long years after, when as primate
of all England he had arisen to a position scarcely second
to any in dignity and influence in the land, he acted on his
mother’s counsel: “Don’t argue, do your work.”
(3505)