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Excerpts from Souvenir Submitted by David M. Waid |
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ADVICE
TO YOUNG MEN "In the morning when thou risest,
let this thought be present--I am rising to the work of a human
being."
M. Aurelius.
To say I do not love the young men of our land, especially those
of my acquaintance, would be to utter a falsehood.
Then, you may reasonably ask of me,what am I willing to do to
prove my friendship for the young man, and my answer is that I am
willing now not only to give him, as best I can, my own little
experience in life (having lived nearly fifty-four years), but to gather
what knowledge I can from other sources, and so present the same in this
book, hoping it will be acceptable and prove useful.
Many young men who may read these words are acquainted with the
writer; but allow me to assure you, my dear young man, whoever you may
be, that whether we are personally acquainted or not, I feel interested
in your welfare and happiness, both here and hereafter, or I would not
engage in the present undertaking.
Money is not my object; in proof whereof I intend this
volume to come into the hands of its future possessor free,
"without money and without price." But I have an object in employing my means and time in
this way, and that object is to benefit the reader, and do him good.
I am aware that many young men fail at the commencement of
business to keep any book account, trusting to their memory the
comparatively few business transactions they may have at first.
Thus they form a habit or custom in getting along, which, as
business increases, proves very injurious to them.
My advice to every young man is to keep a correct account of his
daily transactions, and, in the words of Chesterfield, to "lay down
a method for everything, and stick to it inviolably."
Many a one has been wronged out of his dues because of trusting
to his memory instead of keeping a regular account, as he should have
done.
Here I will jot down a few of the old maxims of life, in the
observance of which I have profited so well, and I believe the young man
who reads them and treasures them up will be no less benefited.
In my youth and early manhood I carried with me a copy of these
maxims, most of which I had clipped from a newspaper, so flint I might
read and ponder over them at my leisure: Earn money before you spend it. Never borrow if you can possibly
avoid it. Keep good company or none. Never be idle. Always speak the truth. Make few promises. Live up to your engagements. Your character cannot be essentially
injured except by YOUR OWN ACTS. If anyone speaks evil of you, let
your life be so that no one will believe him. Save when you are young to spend when
you are old. Money saved is better than money
earned, because it can be saved in less time than you can earn it. Do not forget to profit by your own
experience. Never speak evil of anyone. Be just before you are generous. Good character is above all things
else. When you retire to bed think over
what you have been doing during the day. When you speak to a person look him
in the face. Ever live (misfortune excepted)
within your income. Drink no intoxicating liquors.
Do not fail to read the best book--The BIBLE, which contains the
most valuable knowledge in the entire catalogue of books, and if you
would be refreshed each day of your life with some good thought, recall
some passage you may have learned from the "Book of Books."
Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction;
but he that regardeth reproof shall be honored (Prov. xiii:18).
"A young man idle is an old man needy."
I do not advise the young man to become a miser, by saving, nor a
spendthrift by extravagance. Seneca says: "It
is one thing to know how to give, and another thing not to know how to
keep," and all acts of generosity or benevolence should be governed
by the moral laid down by Thomas Kempis--"Man
considereth the deeds, but God weigheth the intentions."
If you arrive at the cross-roads (figuratively speaking) stop and
think before you farther go. There
is one right way, but here you find two wrong ways.
Do not choose either of them; turn not to the right nor to the
left, the straight path is duty and leads to honor.
Remember that not what we earn but what we save Will help us in
the future. Thrift is
the fuel of magnificence. Years
ago some one speaking of the writer inquired, "How does he get
along so well? I can't see
for my part; I know he doesn't earn any more than I do or anyone
else." The reply came:
"You seldom go to the bank except to borrow money, and they
say he goes there regularly every week to deposit part of what he has
earned or taken in during that period."
Well, in truth, I did save part of what I earned, and to my wife
is due a great share of the credit.
The following colloquy between some ladies, my wife being one of
them, I happened to partly overhear one day on coming in from labor.
They were comparing my twin brother with myself as regarded our
respective dispositions in the matter of generosity. Said one of the ladies [who had been a school-mate of mine],
"Frank [as my twin brother was usually called-] was always very
liberal with his apples, or whatever he had, at school; he would give
away the last he had;" and to this my wife added:
"Yes, and you could not say that of his mate."
To this I replied, as I entered the apartment:
"I admit Frank gave more apples and candy to the school
girls than I did; but I have had time to improve my generosity since
then, and now I have the pleasure of presenting some of these girls with
a copy of my SOUVENIR. Strange to say, some of my old school-mates are still single,
but I intend to treat all who are yet living as generously as my brother
did." "Life is before you, from the
fated road You cannot turn, then take you up the
load, Not yours to tread or leave th'
unknown way, You must go o'er it, meet you what
you may, Gird up your souls within you to the
deed, Angels and fellow-spirits bid you
speed."
Butler
Reader, if you have access to the book entitled "The Royal
Path of Life," from which above lines are taken, I entreat you to
read it. If you have not
the work, and wish to have a good book, get it; the perusal of it will
fill your soul with happiness. A
certain writer has said, "We are known by the company we
keep," while another avers that "we are known by the books we
read." Depend upon it,
whatever we do bears some relationship to our character.
It is like a finger-board pointing out the path in which our
future lies, and when we arrive at our destination we are commended or
condemned according to our deeds. "Labor conquers all
things."
"We want not time, but diligence, for great
performances," says Dr. Johnson, and if half our lives is spent in
idleness, you know what the world will call us.
A good recommendation for a young man is to have it said of him
that he is industrious, and is careful of his earnings.
He who saves to-day is a day better off than he who puts it off
till to-morrow. It is in the plastic youth that habits, good, bad or
indifferent, are formed; and let no one think he can conquer the first
impressions of his youth, and in youth there should be no such word as
fail. Buhver
Lytton puts the following in the mouth of Richelieu:
"In the lexicon of youth, which Fate reserves for a bright
manhood, there is no such word as 'fail.'"
When we look around us to find out who the successful men in the
community are, do we not discover they are those who do, not those who
say and do not? Mark Twain
humorously illustrates this: "The
hen," says he, "displays true wisdom--she never cackles until
after she has laid." Many
a young man talks, but fails to perform.
What is the use of theory without practice? "If little labor, little are our
gains; Man's fortunes are according to his
pains."
Herrick
On December 24, 1886, while in Meadville on business, and after
settling with Mr. S. Merrill, the hay
merchant, who is known as the "farmer's friend," he paid my
boys a pleasing compliment. I
remarked to him that Fred had brought a
load of apples to market that day, and that Frank and
Guinnip had gone with their teams to Warren
County, Penn., to haul logs to a mill which they were helping to stock
(Written since their return. The
boys spent the winter chiefly in McKean County, working for George
Rush). "You have three boys," remarked Mr. Merrill, as he
handed me a check for nearly $250, "You have three boys, of whom
you need not be ashamed. I
am acquainted with them, and I don't know where you will find any better
boys." I do not
mention this with the opinion that my sons are better or more deserving
of praise than other boys, but to show the estimation people have of
them for right doing, and to prove that if we deserve credit assuredly
we shall get it, and may our rule of life be such as we may all merit
it. "Let another's and
not thine own lips praise thee."
Young man, ask those whom you consider well off, as this world
goes, how they began life, and nine-tenths will claim that they
commenced at the foot of the ladder; that they earned the first dollar
by hard labor--yes, and took care of it when it came into their hands,
and in the same way they earned ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred.
And what others have done before, why not you?
Of course you can, by industry and prudence in the management of
what you earn. Try
it--Be not discouraged. Remember
the Lord is good to all, and you are no exception.
His tender mercies are over all His works, and right doing will
bring its reward. "God
helps those who help themselves."
He has given us the trees, men build the houses and ships; He
made the earth, men raise their living by cultivating it.
Young man, allow me to give you the benefit of what little I
know. I wish to offer not
only words of encouragement, but also those of TRUTH, and to call your
attention to the doings of my youth, for I doubt not many a farmer's
son, as well as others, will read these lines.
I was not only the youngest child in my father's family, but, in
my own opinion, as well as in that of my friends, the most delicate,
feeble and sickly, and in general terms the least inclined to farm life
of any member of the family, so much so, indeed, that it was frequently
said I would never make a farmer; my physical disability, as well as
mental, seemed to militate against me in choosing my occupation, but
"Where there's a will there's a way," and I feel grateful for
the little success which has followed my daily efforts in farm life; and
I must say I have enjoyed it. In
the words of Bacon: "They
are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations;" and
somewhere in the writings of Shakespeare we read these words of truth: "To business that we love we
rise betimes, And go to with delight."
Of my choice of life's work I am proud, and as a farmer I read
with unalloyed pleasure the saying of Jonathan Swift:
"and he gave it as his opinion that whoever could make two
ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon the spot where one
had grown before, would deserve better of mankind, and render more
essential service to his country than the whole race of politicians put
together."
In this world our ears eatch the sound of the three best words in
the English language--MOTHER, HOME and HEAVEN.
Well do I know what it is to have a mother; and that mother did
much toward making a home. I
ask, should a young man do less in trying in the morning of life to lay
the foundation toward securing a good home?
The best sisters INDUSTRY has are ECONOMY and PRUDENCE; the
latter will aid you in building your home after the other two have
provided the material. He
who does not value a home may spend all his life without ever owning
one, and never realize the solid comfort derived by a family possessing a
good home of their own. Permit
me to quote a single sentence from Col. C.
Charlton's letter to illustrate what must be done if success is
to be courted: "You
battled with poverty and untoward circumstances, and you triumphed over
all obstacles." This
remark by Col. Charlton brings to my recollection something a venerable
man, still living, said of me years ago: "He not only hopes for success, but forces it by
diligent labor and prudence."
Young man, if life is a battle, do not give up the field to the
enemy. Remember, others
have won the victory, so can you. As
I have already intimated, when I began the struggle to secure a home, I
was like a disabled soldier. Many
obstacles towered up mountain high before me.
In the opinion of some of my friends my early marriage was a
hindrance to success, financially.
My frail constitution and infirm health generally was a barrier
in my way, especially so were I to follow farming; then my dullness of
apprehension, in choosing an occupation I was but ill-fitted for, was
another reason advanced why I should fail. Many more reasons could I give, but I will forbear.
Yet it seems that in my "lexicon of youth" there was no
such word as fail. The ship
was not only built, but launched and finished, ready for her trial trip,
and four years' service as a common laborer seemed to satisfy the
lookers-on that I was now able to begin farming on my own account, or
(to follow up my figure of speech) put to sea in charge as captain of
the ship. Do you care to
know how I felt as I looked out on life's open sea, hoping at least for
a part of what was before me? I
hope I will not be charged with excess of language when I say I felt
within me that same venturesome spirit and true courage that inspired
the founders of our Government to write the Declaration of Independence;
and it only remained for me to be as loyal to God, my country and my
fellow-citizens, to which I can add that any failures of my life can be
attributed to a lack of compliance with this loyalty.
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