Chapter I: Preface

In presenting this book of cheerful counsel to his youthful friends, and such of the seniors as are not too old to accept a bit of friendly admonition, the author desires to offer a word of explanation regarding the history of the making of this volume.

So many letters have been received from people of all classes and ages requesting copies of some of the author's lines best suited for the purpose of engendering a sense of self-help in the mind of youth, that he deems it expedient to offer a number of his verses in the present collected form. While he is indebted to a great array of bright minds for the prose incidents and inspiration which constitute a large portion of this volume, he desires to be held personally responsible for all of the rhymed lines to be found within these covers.

It may be especially true of advice that "it is more blessed to give than to receive," but it is hoped that in this present form of tendering friendly counsel the precepts will be accepted in the same cheerful spirit in which they are offered.

The author realizes that no one is more urgently in need of good advice and the intelligence to follow it than is the writer of these lines, and none cries more earnestly the well-known truth--

Oh, fellow men and brothers,
Could we but use the free
Advice we give to others,
How happy we should be!

While the title of this book and the character of its contents make it obvious that it is a volume designed primarily for the guidance of youth, no one should pass it by merely because he has reached the years of maturity, and presumably of discretion. As a matter of fact Time cannot remove any of us very far from the fancies and foibles, the dreams and dangers of life's morning hours.

Age bringeth wisdom, so they say,
But lots of times we've seen
A man long after he was gray
Keep right on being "green."

N. W.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I THE AWAKENING 11

The life partnership. When to begin. Foresight. "Boy Wanted." The power of mind. "Couldn't and Could." Selfmade men. "Deliver the Goods."

II "AM I A GENIUS?" 23

Genius defined. Inspiration and perspiration. "Stick to It." Genius and patience. "Keep Pegging Away." Examples of patience. "The Secret of Success."

III OPPORTUNITY 35

What is a fair chance? Abraham Lincoln. Depending on self. "Myself and I." The importance of the present moment. "Right Here and Just Now." Poverty and success. "Keep A-Trying."

IV OVER AND UNDERDOING 49

Precocity. Starting too soon as bad as starting too late. The value of health. "Making a man." The worth of toil. "How to Win Success." Sharpened wits. "The Steady Worker."

V THE VALUE OF SPARE MOMENTS 61

Wasting time. "The 'Going-to-Bees!'" The possibilities of one hour a day. "Just This Minute." The vital importance of properly employing leisure moments. "Do It Now."

VI CHEERFULNESS 75

The value of smiles. "To Know All is to Forgive All." Hope and strength. "A Cure for Trouble." Carlyle on cheerfulness. "The One With a Song." Pessimism as a barrier to success. "A Smile and a Task." A profitable virtue. "An Open Letter to the Pessimist."

VII DREAMING AND DOING 89

Practicality. "Hank Streeter's Brain-Wave." Self-esteem. "The Valley of Never." Opportunity and application. "Yender Grass."

VIII "TRIFLES" 101

The value of little things. Sowing and reaping. The power of habit. "'I Wish' and 'I Will.'" Jenny Lind's humble beginning. Canova's genius. Present opportunities. "'Now' and 'Waitawhile.'"

IX THE WORTH OF ADVICE 115

Heeding the sign-post. The value of guide-books. "The World's Victors." Good books a boy's best friend. The danger of knowing too much. "My Boyhood Dreams." Reading and reflecting.

X REAL SUCCESS 129

Are you the boy wanted? Money and success. "On Getting Rich." Thinking and doing. Life's true purpose. "The Mother's Dream."

ILLUSTRATIONS

LINCOLN'S BIRTHPLACE _Frontispiece_

PATRICK HENRY DELIVERING HIS CELEBRATED SPEECH Facing page 23

WHITTIER'S BIRTHPLACE " " 35

WATT DISCOVERING THE CONDENSATION OF STEAM " " 49

LONGFELLOW'S BIRTHPLACE " " 61

GARFIELD AS A CANAL BOY " " 75

BIRTHPLACE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN " " 89

WASHINGTON AND LAFAYETTE AT MOUNT VERNON " " 101

"BOY WANTED"