You have already been informed, that verbs are the most important part
of speech in our language; and to convince you of their importance, I
now tell you, that you cannot express a _thought_, or communicate an
_idea_, without making use of a verb, either expressed or implied. Verbs
express, not only _the state_ or _manner of being_, but, likewise, all
the different _actions_ and _movements_ of all creatures and things,
whether animate or inanimate. As yet I have given you only a partial
description of this sort of words; but when you are better prepared to
comprehend the subject, I will explain all their properties, and show
you the proper manner of using them.
A word that is generally a _noun_, sometimes becomes a _verb_; and a
verb is frequently used as a _noun_. These changes depend on the sense
which the word conveys; or, rather, on the office it performs in the
sentence; that is the _manner_ in which it is applied to things. For
instance, _glory_ is generally a noun; as "The _glory_ of God's throne."
But if I say, I _glory_ in religion; or, He _glories_ in wickedness, the
word _glory_ becomes a verb. The _love_ of man is inconstant. In this
sentence, _love_ is a _noun_; in the next, it is a _verb_: They _love_
virtue. He _walks_ swiftly; Scavengers _sweep_ the streets; The ship
_sails_ well. In these phrases, the words _walks, sweep_, and _sails_,
are verbs; in the following they are nouns: Those are pleasant _walks_;
He takes a broad _sweep_; The ship lowered her _sails_.
Thus you see, it is impossible for you to become a grammarian without
exercising your judgment. If you have sufficient resolution to do this,
you will, in a short time, perfectly understand the nature and office of
the different parts of speech, their various properties and relations,
and the rules of syntax that apply to them; and, in a few weeks, be able
to speak and write accurately. But you must not take things for granted,
without examining their propriety and correctness. No. You are not a
mere _automaton_, or _boy-machine_; but a rational being. You ought,
therefore, to _think_ methodically, to _reason_ soundly, and to
_investigate_ every principle critically. Don't be afraid to _think for
yourself_. You know not the high destiny that awaits you. You know not
the height to which you may soar in the scale of intellectual existence.
Go on, then, boldly, and with unyielding perseverance; and if you do not
gain admittance into the temple of fame, strive, at all hazards, to
drink of the fountain which gurgles from its base.