politeness; descend into the
heart, there cherish the kind and moral sympathies, and speech will be
modulated by the sincere and endearing tone of benevolence.

With your commiseration for distress, join firmness of mind. Interest
yourself in general happiness, feel for all that is human, but suffer
not your peace to be disturbed by what is beyond the sphere of your
influence, and beyond your power to remedy.

A medical man has all the humane feelings, but they are merged into the
art of healing. When he sees a patient suffering, he feels no
perturbation; he feels only the desire, by means of his art, to relieve
the sufferer: thus should all our humane and social sympathies be
regulated, divested of their morbid sensibility, and reduced to active
and practical principles.

Some, when they move from the common routine of life, and especially on
any emergency, are embarrassed, perplexed, and know not how to resolve
with decision, and act with promptitude. Presence of mind is a valuable
quality, and essential to active life; it is the effect of habit, and
the formation of habit is facilitated by rule.

Command your feelings, for strong feelings disconcert the mind, and
produce confusion of ideas. On every occasion that requires attention,
learn to concentrate your thoughts with quickness and comprehension.
These two rules reduced into habits, if steadily practiced, will induce
decision of resolve and promptitude of action.

Precipitation spoils the best concerted plan; perseverance brings the
most difficult, when it is practicable, to a successful result. The
flutter of haste is characteristic of a weak mind that has not the
command of its thoughts; a strong mind, master of itself, possesses the
clearness and prescience of reflection.

In learning, concentrate the energy of the mind principally on one
study. The attention divided among many studies, is weakened by the
division; besides, it is not granted to an individual to excel in many
things. But, while one study claims your main attention, make occasional
excursions into the fields of literature and science, and collect
materials for the improvement of your mind, and the advancement of your
favorite pursuit.

Excellence in a profession, and success in business, can be attained
only by persevering industry. None who thinks himself above his vocation
can succeed in it, for we can not give our attention to what our
self-importance despises. None can be eminent in