Harvey Newcomb

“ Hearing much of the Theatre, and seeing it puffed in the newspapers, he thought he would go once, just out of curiosity, to see what was done there. But, he was so fascinated with what he heard and saw there, that he went again; just as some birds are so charmed with the gaze of the serpent, as to run straight into his mouth! There William fell into evil company, who enticed him away to the haunts of infamy. Intoxicated with these things, he continued to frequent the theatre until the expense was more than his earnings. ”

“ They will begin, perhaps, with by-words and little oaths, which show a disposition to be profane, without courage to carry it out. But they will not long stop here. They will soon overcome the chidings of conscience, and then they can be as foul-mouthed as any of their companions. This vice hardens the heart, and prepares it for every other; for he who despises God will despise man. He who takes the name of God in vain, will not hesitate to break all his commandments. Profaneness is one of the meanest of all vices. It involves every thing that is little and mean. ”

“ If any of my young friends, who read this book, think it a hardship to work, I hope they will go into the fields, and like this untutored Indian, learn lessons from the creatures whom God has made. There they will find the little ants busy in rearing their habitation; the mole in raising his hill; the birds in building their nests; and the little busy bee, in sucking honey from every flower. Yet all these little creatures appear happy and contented with their lot. If God made them to be happy, as we suppose he did, why did he not make them to live an idle, inactive life? ”

“ But if a man is driving a flock of sheep, and one of them gets frightened and turns out of the way, all the rest will follow, no matter if it is over the railing of a bridge into a river. The boy that drinks or swears or plays truant, or breaks the Sabbath, because his companions do, is as courageous as—a sheep! ”

“ As the traveller was preparing to go, he thought to himself, “This woman is in very great want of a Bible. O that I had one to give her! But I have not. As for money to buy one, I have none to spare. I have no more than will be absolutely necessary for my expenses home. I must go: but if I leave this woman without the means to procure the word of God, she may perish for lack of knowledge. What shall I do?” These passages of Scripture then came to his mind, “He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord.” ”

“ With one arm extended, the only unbroken limb in his body, he speaks: “I must die—I know it—I must die, but thank God I am ready to die. Yes, I am willing to die, if it is God’s will. And yet, I should like to live. ”

“ Jefferson, one day, as he was pointing out to a friend the distinguished men in Congress, said of him, “That is Mr. Sherman, a man who never said a foolish thing in his life.” Mr. Sherman was a self-educated man, a shoemaker, and a Christian. He was brought up, after the old New-England fashion, in a pious Connecticut family. And, as was the boy, so was the man. If you would be a good man, you must be a good boy. If you would be a wise man you must be a studious boy. If you would have an excellent character, it must be formed after the model delineated in the Holy Bible. ”

“ The two brothers lived thus affectionately together, as if it had been common property, till the death of the elder put the artist in possession of the whole. How happy every family of brothers would be, if they would thus share with each other all they have! ”

“ INDUSTRY, LABOR, &c.
EARLY discipline, in laborious and useful occupations, is indispensable to the formation of a good character. If God had designed that we should live at ease, without exertion, he would have furnished every thing to our hand, without any effort of our own. In his holy word he has taught us the necessity of helping ourselves, requiring us to labor six days for one of rest, and ordaining that, “if any would not work, neither should he eat.” The same lesson he taught an untutored Indian, by the voice of Nature. ”

“ Few young persons are sensible of the importance of punctuality, because they are not aware of the value of time. But time is money; and to rob a man of his time, by obliging him to wait beyond the appointed hour to meet your engagement with him, is equivalent to robbing him of so much money as he could have earned in the lost time. The habit of punctuality must be acquired early. ”

“ Now, boys, don’t hunt the squirrel. Whatever you begin, stick to it till it is finished—done, and well done. If you always follow this rule faithfully, you cannot fail of being somebody and doing something. But, if you go through life hunting the squirrel, when you die, nobody can tell what you have done, and the world will be neither wiser nor better for your having lived in it. ”

“ I have noticed that young people are fond of reading anecdotes, narratives, parables, &c. This taste of theirs sometimes leads them to devour all the trash that comes in their way, with no other object than mere amusement. But, if properly guarded, it may be the means of conveying truth to their minds in a form not only more attractive, but more readily understood. The design of this book is, to supply reading of this kind, which shall be not only entertaining but instructive. I never write for the amusement of the reader merely. ”

“ When I look at myself, I find I have got hinges all over my body. I have hinges to my legs, hinges to my jaws, hinges to my feet. If I want to take hold of any thing, there are hinges to my hands to do it with. If my heart thinks, and I want to speak, I have got hinges to my jaws. If I want to walk, I have hinges to my feet. ”

“ The water of the pond began to gully away the gravel over which it was made to run, and having formed a regular channel, defied all human control, and, in the space of six hours, cut a ravine seventy feet deep, and let out the whole pond, sweeping away the mill, foundation and all, and carrying away a house and blacksmith’s shop, which stood near, not giving the owner time to save any thing of consequence from his house.
Such, Solomon says, is strife. When you begin to quarrel, you know not where it will end. ”

“ If we would look around us, we should find ourselves indebted to others, on every side, for the comforts which we now enjoy—first to God, and under him, to those whom he has employed as his agents to give them to us. Ought we not, then, to strive in some measure to repay these obligations, by doing something to promote the happiness and well-being of others? Who gave us the Gospel? The missionaries, who preached the gospel to our Saxon ancestors, and the Reformers, who opened the treasures of God’s word, when they were hid under the rubbish of Popish superstition. ”

“ What a power must this passion have over a man, when he will play at the hazard of his own liberty, which most men esteem dearer than life! Young man, if you once contract this habit, you will have no power to restrain it. You will gratify the passion at the hazard of every thing. My mother used to relate an anecdote of some young men, who retired to a garret to play at cards, where they would not be seen. ”

“ IT is a great advantage to any one to have the confidence of others, so far that his word will always be taken for the exact truth. This confidence is to be acquired only by always speaking the truth; and especially, by adhering so closely to the fact that people will not only believe that we mean to speak the truth, but that they will feel confident that we have neither mistaken the facts, nor added any coloring, nor kept back any thing, to make it appear different from the reality. ”

“ When a parent denies the requests of his children, he does it, not to deprive them of pleasure, but because he sees a good reason for it. If the child submits, he will one day see that his parents had a good reason, although he could not then perceive it. ”

“ All nature, animate and inanimate, calls man to labor. If old ocean did not ebb and flow, and roll its waves, it would stagnate, and become so noxious that no animal could live on the face of the earth. ”

“ And so in whatever direction we look, we shall find some blessing for which we are indebted to the noble generosity, public spirit, or christian benevolence of others. Let us return the blessing, with interest, into the bosom of others. Dr. Franklin, having done a favor to some one, and being pressed with thanks, requested the person whom he had obliged to embrace the first opportunity of doing a kindness to some other person, and request him to pass it round, as all mankind are friends and brothers. A greater than he has said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Thomas Cromwell. ”

“ If we seek for perfection, we may roam the wide world over, and never find it; but, if we learn to bear patiently what we cannot help, almost any situation in life will be tolerable. Every one, however, is disposed to think his troubles the worst of all. ”

“ I resumed novel-reading, of which I had been very fond, and compromised with my conscience, by resolving that at the end of one year I would throw all such books aside, and seek the salvation of my soul. Only two thirds of that year are gone, and here I am dying! Fool, fool that I was, to sell my soul for a [142] novel—to prefer the excitement of an idle tale to the joys of religion.”
The minister begged him, whatever had been his past folly and guilt, to look to Christ for the forgiveness of all. But while he was speaking, the young man’s reason began to fail. ”

“ Thus were these two boys punished for their disobedience to God and their parents.
But one Sabbath in the week.
A person being invited to go on an excursion for pleasure, on the Holy Sabbath, replied, “I should like an excursion very well; but I have but one Sabbath in the week, and I can’t spare that.” This expresses an important truth in an impressive manner. When we have but one day in the week exclusively devoted to the concerns of eternity, while six are devoted to the affairs of time, can we spare that one day for pleasure? It is the best of the seven. It is worth more than all the rest. ”

“ Honesty and integrity of character lie at the foundation of all true greatness. You must cultivate sincerity, honesty, and fair dealing in early youth, if you would lay the foundation of future greatness. ”

“ DO you remember what Solomon says about bad company? “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. For they sleep not except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.” ”

“ Section III.—Contentment.
THE true secret of happiness lies in a contented mind. If we would be happy, we must be satisfied with our lot as it is. There is no condition in which there is not something unpleasant. ”

“ TRUE GREATNESS. True Greatness does not consist in feeling above others.
FOOLS think themselves great, in proportion to the show they can make; but it would take a great heap of copper coins to make as much value as a very little piece of gold; and an empty tin kettle will make more sound than a golden vessel filled with the choicest delicacies.
When Mr. Jefferson was President of the United States, he was passing a stream on horseback, in Virginia. ”

“ As they grew up, and entered upon the world for themselves, all the older apprentices fell into habits of dissipation, and finally sunk into the drunkard’s grave. But the little boy, at whose abstinence they used to scoff, grew up a sober and respectable man, engaged in business for himself, and a few years ago, was worth a hundred thousand dollars, and had in his employ one hundred and ninety men, none of whom used ardent spirits. ”

“ This anecdote shows the folly of those young men, who set up for gentlemen, and despise labor and useful employment. Though they may begin with a good capital, they will soon run down, if they depend upon others to do their business. If they have nothing, they will certainly gain nothing. Laziness, poverty, and rags, will go together. ”

“ Some children obey their parents because it is right, and because they love them. This is true, conscientious obedience—the obedience of the heart. And those who render to their parents this kind of obedience, will be just as careful to obey them, when out of their sight, as in their presence ”

“ There he was kept for several months, in company with counterfeiters, murderers, highwaymen, and gamblers, whose principal amusement was card-playing; when he was discharged penniless, in rags, and with a bad character. This was the commencement of his career of vice, his reformation from which is the next thing to a miracle. All this came upon him in consequence of keeping bad company. Learn from it to avoid evil company and betting. The boy that suffers himself to bet the smallest amount, has already entered the downhill road of the gambler’s career. ”

“ She immediately took her younger son and went in pursuit of him. But, the only intelligence they could gain concerning him was, that he had been ruined by a company of gamblers. The father immediately started for New-Orleans, in search of his son, but hearing nothing from him, he, in despair, took to drinking, and returned, after two years’ absence,—“his frame worn—his cheek pale—his eyes wild and fevered—his lips parched—his [88] hopes crushed—his very life only the motion of excitement and passion—his very soul shattered—his property mortgaged.” ”

“ Henry was the coward. He had neither the courage to resist temptation nor to face danger.
Fruits of dishonesty.
A young man from the State of Maine, of good abilities, went to Washington city, where he was admitted as a member of the bar, to practice law, with fine prospects. He was respected in society, and was a leader in the choir, in one of the churches in the city. But, in an evil hour, he discovered that there was a considerable amount of money in the Treasury, which had been allowed to claimants, but which had never been called for, and was not likely to be. ”

“ True greatness never feels above doing any thing that is useful; but especially, the truly great man will never feel above [99] helping himself. His own independence of character depends on his being able to help himself. Dr. Franklin, when he first established himself in business, in Philadelphia, wheeled home the paper which he purchased for his printing office, upon a wheel-barrow, with his own hands.
True Greatness does not make a man difficult about his own accommodations. ”

“ The opportunity of pursuing a liberal course of study is what few enjoy; and they are ungrateful who drag themselves to it as to an intolerable task. You may also learn from this anecdote, how much better your parents are qualified to judge of these things than yourselves. If John Adams had continued his ditching instead of his Latin, his name would not probably have been known to us. ”

“ THERE is a certain kind of Independence of Character, which is indispensable to success in any undertaking. I do not mean a proud, self-confident spirit, which despises advice, and makes one self-willed and headstrong. ”

“ BY Filial Piety, I mean the exercise of those feelings of reverence, submission, and love; and the faithful and conscientious discharge of those duties, which children owe their parents.
The first duty which man owes, is to God; the second, to his Parents. They are his appointed guardians, in the season of helplessness and inexperience. God has entrusted him to their care; and in return for that care, he requires honor and obedience. A child cannot be pious toward God without being pious toward his parents. The corner stone of a good character must be laid in piety towards God ”