habits of neatness and order will hardly make a tidy housekeeper later in her life.
Those who in youth have no opportunity to habituate themselves to the usages of
society may study books on etiquette and employ private instructors in the art of
polite behavior all they please later in life, but they will never cease to be
awkward and ill at ease. None are at a greater disadvantage than the suddenly-
grown-rich who attempt late in life to surround themselves with articles of art
and luxury, though their habits were all formed amid barrenness and want during
their earlier years.
The Habit of Achievement.—What youth does not dream of being great, or
noble, or a celebrated scholar! And how few there are who finally achieve their
ideals! Where does the cause of failure lie? Surely not in the lack of high ideals.
Multitudes of young people have "Excelsior!" as their motto, and yet never get
started up the mountain slope, let alone toiling on to its top. They have put in
hours dreaming of the glory farther up, and have never begun to climb. The
difficulty comes in not realizing that the only way to become what we wish or
dream that we may become is to form the habit of being that thing. To form the
habit of achievement, of effort, of self-sacrifice, if need be. To form the habit of
deeds along with dreams; to form the habit of doing.
Who of us has not at this moment lying in wait for his convenience in the dim
future a number of things which he means to do just as soon as this term of
school is finished, or this job of work is completed, or when he is not so busy as
now? And how seldom does he ever get at these things at all! Darwin tells that in
his youth he loved poetry, art, and music, but was so busy with his scientific
work that he could ill spare the time to indulge these tastes. So he promised
himself that he would devote his time to scientific work and make his mark in
this. Then he would have time for the things that he loved, and would cultivate
his taste for the fine arts. He made his mark in the field of science, and then
turned again to poetry, to music, to art. But alas! they were all dead and dry
bones to him, without life or interest. He had passed the time when he could ever
form the taste for them. He had formed his habits in another direction, and now
it was forever too late to form new habits. His own conclusion is, that if he had
his life to live over again, he would each week listen to some musical concert
and visit some art gallery, and that each day he would read some poetry, and
thereby keep alive and active the love for them.
So every school and home should be a species of habit-factory—a place where
children develop habits of neatness, punctuality, obedience, politeness,
dependability and the other graces of character.