, and I
don't like the _trouble_. The servant can open it for me just as well.
Pray, what is the use of having servants if they are not to wait upon
us?'

"The servant was sent to open the gate. The boy passed out, and went
whistling on his way to school. When he reached his seat in the academy,
he drew from his satchel his arithmetic and began to inspect his sums.

"'I cannot do these,' he whispered to his seat-mate; they are too hard.'

"'But you _can try_,' replied his companion.

"'I know that I can,' said John, 'but it's too much trouble. Pray, what
are teachers for if not to help us out of difficulties? I shall carry my
slate to Prof. Helpwell."

"Alas! poor John. He had come to another closed gate--a gate leading
into a beautiful and boundless science, 'the laws of which are the modes
in which God acts in sustaining all the works of His hands'--the science
of mathematics. He could have opened the gate and entered in alone and
explored the riches of the realm, but his mother had injudiciously let
him rest with the idea, that it is as well to have gates opened for us,
as to exert our own strength. The result was, that her son, like the
young hopeful sent to Mr. Wiseman, soon concluded that he had no
'genius' for mathematics, and threw up the study.

"The same was true of Latin. He could have learned the declensions of
the nouns and the conjugation of the verbs as well as other boys of his
age; but his seat-mate very kindly volunteered to 'tell him in class,'
and what was the use in _opening the gate_ into the Latin language, when
another would do it for him? Oh, no! John Easy had no idea of tasking
mental or physical strength when he could avoid it, and the consequence
was, that numerous gates remained closed to him all the days of his
life--_gates of honor_--_gates to riches_--_gates to happiness_.
Children ought to be early taught that it is always best to help
themselves."

This is the true secret of making a man. What would Columbus, or
Washington and Franklin, or Webster and Clay, have accomplished had they
proceeded on the principle of John Easy? No youth can rationally hope to
attain to eminence in any thing who is not ready to "open the gate" for
_himself_. And then, poor Mrs. Easy, how _she_ did misjudge! Better for
her son, had she dismissed her servants--or rather had she directed them
to some more appropriate service, and let Master John have remained at
the gate day and night for a month, unles