I THE \ 0", \ ADV lOE TO YOUTH. \ nY n t:,. VA VID MAGIE, D. D. WIlt thO\lIHlt from ~bif.time rry unto mO, )Iy 'FaUII'f, thou n.r\ the guide (If my Y(lnlh! Jy.n.:I: 1. PUflLISliEH BY THE A'n;RIlJ.'\~ TUACT ~llCIETY, ":n~red o.coord,rr t<I A~l o{ CClIrn-, in the Tnr 16.>,;, hT O. R.. KII<u. IIn'",.n LI. Cl.rk'. Ulli.,. f", th~ &..them Distf'i.:t of , ... Turk. PREFACE . ..A. BOOK can scared,)' be said to be uncalleu for, aud certainly it is not of necessity render. e~ uscle:,;~because other books on the same gCllcral subject have preceded it. Every man h.ll."I his proper gift of God; and with Inod~ of thought yery much his own, and connections and relations in life peculiar to I Jlim.::;clf, he lUay hope to reach some to whom no similar work has found 11ccc.."S. nc~idc,::l, it ::eems to the author that, though new prin- ~ cip1cl'1 and rules for the guidance of the young may not w required, 'yet much can be done to aid tLtlm in applying principles and rules already understood to the exigencies of actual life. 'l'hc WcWtrc of the rising race ill his Own immediate neighborhood, and through the country at large, h:tS long Geen to him an iv PREFACE. object of deep and prayerful solieitude. A ministry, protracted beyond the average period, bas given him many opportunities of reflecting OJ! their peril~ nnd responsibil- ities, and awakened in him a desire. to do f'omcthing which they may regard as a token of hig interest in their wcHare. 'J.lhis bas VfOmpted him to wTik, ;.\IH] it encourages him to bct'ipcak for what he has writwn au earue.st and careful attentiou. COKTEKTS. 'I'm 5EA.!IO:>f OJ" YOUTIl rOWER 01' IBRIT. 50" (Vlldf'A"Y-l'TS I!To'TLn:xc. 07 l"lIl1.llR_lrq I"A~ A~-n M~'SRQt1El"('f,S (,~1;Tt('\X A~-O E",mrR..AllF.YF.'f!' HH" TRrTlT llRTWEI':'" }(\X ..l!<D )LA:'>f • .l::!li "I 1"f)~STI~T TlI£ RflAD 'I'll ~rrCt:"'1 . 1~7 Tit!': ,"HUH or GOOD PRtXlll'LlP lG:1 • 193 BY.T.F-CO:HROL • 211 111':\'""1'AJ. UfI'ROl"El.fE:\"T ),lE!t."TAI. ]"'PlIE~JOX~ IXIlELIDLE ]I'''I'I.NISS Il' YOl"Tn • • 276 THE mHLR T1IK ~or'S'o :\I\S'''' nOOK 292 CURl,.,. AS E't HIPL& TO YOUl'/) :\If.''' . 311 RI:UGIOlo" tUE VRI\"f;'Tl'\L Tm,,"O 32'1 TilE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. CIUPTEIl I. I;EAl'ION OF YOUTH. II SOLmrox my son is young and tender," \\'"Dll tbe remark of one of the best of men and kindest of father'S. There i~ nothing Rtriking ill lnnguage like this, viewed ~imply by itselfj and yet it c..'\n scn.rcely he uttereu 'without awakening a train of emotions in every gcn- QroU5 bo,-:;om. !\o other Jlf!riOll of life afTcctR ~o uL'Cply human character anu destiny, and. none other calls forth so many solicitudw and pra'yer~. Three cl:l.S3cs of pefsoD5 range thernsclvc::l around us-the fig-cd, the middle.agcd, and the YOllng. To each belong hop('~ and fcars, jo)",,, ano sorrow;';., 11t.~t:1I1iarto it.-!elf. .As men of gray hairs IUlYC trials and comforts which TIIJ: SPRtNG-TIMf1 OF I.IFF_ may very properly he denominated tbeir own, so it jfJ also with those in the meridian of lifl\ .nndwith bright and buoyant youth. At every I <liflhcnt ~rioo, cxi~tcncc n..Cl.'mmcfl.n. new pll:l...oc, II and requires to be adJrcsscd in Dew and ap' propriate t.€rms. Kone of these groups ofhu- man Leings must be overlooked j but if it be right to di~crimillatf', we can casily SCI) whcfC uur cllief iulcrl'.-.;t ~houltl be concentrated. '1'0 be useful to the young i~ to he u~cflll for the lOllgei>t time, and on tIlt:!largest scale. But who i~ sufficient to n.."~lIme the office of guide to a company of immortal bcingf', in the morning of life I I ft'd oppre~scd, beloved :routh, with the burden of rC'spol1f:ibility whicll I take upon myself in attempting harely to Rketch 111e path in which it will be t>afe for you to walk. Yot one thing encourages mc- II your dearest aud ~l frielllLs, parents; Chris- tinns nnd pntriot~, will n,1lnfford me their couu" t.enauC{). The plnu to be developed ill the cLaptcnJ uefore u.~, will be found to have n, compass Flomewhat large. ~fallY topics nrc to come under review, suited to improve your charae- THF. },lEA80~ OF yourl/, ter anu advance your respectability, which arE: not made the uasi:) of public iu!:!truction a.~ oficn as their importance d('mnnd~, My wish i8 that you should he thoroughly equipped for the gn~at work of lit~. Heligion i!:! indeed tQ give shape to each distinct theme; but it is to be religion n..q connected with every-day du- ties and elljoJulCIlts, awl alloriling every-Jay Btrength nnd consolation. Mn.king one's Il call- ing nnd f'lf'etion Fure," i~ not the only thing requir......J.-,yuu must ';Jo jw;tly alullo,-e mer- cy/' as well as ::walk humbly with God." I~t me IJCgin by r.alling YOUT3ttentioll to some r('mark~ on tlle SEASO::-;or YOUTH~con=:id. ercd ill it..'i bearing upon the whole after-life. 1. At no subseque1lt time are such Ofllil ,bte '1':- 'lul/;itious made, Now it is, that tlw ntTt!cliollS nr~ most n.rdent, the heart most susceptible, the memory mo~t rctentiv<" nnd all tIle mental, moral, and phYf'ical faculties 1I10t!l .sui:iccpliole of improvemeut. Everything lenves it~ im- })I'(''';" on the young: the conntenauc.e.s they look at, the voices they heal', till;} pla.ces tbey visit, the company they keep, nuu the books they reau. It i.q impo.s~iole to oyer-estimate 10 Till=: SPRI~G_TIME OF' I.ln:. tho importanco, for this world and the next,. which atL1.ches to a few of the c:J.rlior years of onc!~ exu.;tence. The first. fluarter of life is worth morrl fl..~ a peri<Xl of acquisition, than all the rest. Consider what att..'\inments arc maue hy tI. child within twenty or thirty lllonths from its birth. E\'en while a helplt:s:3 iufant, it lcarn~ to read inward feelings as cxpr('s.~c(l in tho cLnnges ,yhich tile countenance :~sumes, nnd cnn r('~'lililydi.".tinguish between a smile amI a frowll. Approneh it with carC-".:=e."i, a!lu iL~ l:,yC!:: sparkle amI it.'1 feature ... brighten. PUl on n forbidding a:;pect, URC angry wonl", :ll1d iUl bosom heaYl~!', it..'\ tears fall. 'l'his is the time fi}T the fecble ono to become acquainted with the difficult art of poising itself, :md standing crecL Before it hfLq re:lched a fourth of it"! f;izc, its litep is often as regular as if it nnucr8t<xxi nIl the laws of gr:n'iUltioll, anu its motions as graceful as if it had been trninctl by the most skilful hand. And stranger still, llllring thil'l very period the weak and np!,a- rentl)' ill:lUClltive creature masters n new 1all- gunge. '1'bnt wltich adults never acquire with- TilE SEASON or YOL"TIf. 11 out IOllg and p:lticnt study, a child gains without Grnmmar or Diction3.r~v, anJ with R;arcely a single painful exertion. Deem not Ruch thought" as these to be trivial nnd unimporL'mt. You will not judge so. uc 3.SSurcd, if JOu ever live to br~OIlH1 pl.\fl~nt8 your!'clvc:", aml arc permitted to enjoy the ex- qnl~itc plcusure of marking how a little SOil or daughter look~ l1p aud tries to rend your heart in your f:H:e. or of notidng the ill,::,;t {:nort~ which a sweet chilrl make,., to go alone, or of hearing the busy prattler utter words till they Lccome ensy, anrl join s'yllablc~ until they be- come intclligibk. nut T have high(,T rca.~Olll:i than all these, for thus pausing at the threshohl of Luman i"Xi:4l'uce, and fixing your attention on tho filuro mnn in his carlic~t days. :Much may 1e learned of the £1.thomJcsspurpm-c."of the Jlivinc mind, and the unravelled nl.".steric:1 of ProYiucncc. ill slIch a sight n.~tltis. Thnt child jUHl bcginnillg to fix it... gaze upon it~ father.s ftOature!', to make trial of the strcnhrth of it;.. own limb8, ann to lisp the nallie of mother, ma.y lw.,.e R. d{'.';tiny more gluriou;=;than yonder , i 12 TIIJ: SPRI:>G.TDU; OF 1,11"1-:. Flun shiniug in his StTflngth. \Vhat we:IS yet. beholJ is onl)" the first bursting of the bud, that the flower may elUit its fragrance :md dis- clo"e its tints. 'rhe putting fortll of lmch cf. fort.~ b.\' one ~o frail a.nu tender, i~ but break. iug the shell, so that the living thing within JUay finrl ogre.,.:, and open it.'! Willg:3l nnd plum!'! if ... fe.1tbcl"5, nnd prL'parc for i~ lofty flight. XOW', another immortal being is started tlTIit."! mnrn'llou3 and hitherto ullwrittcn course. A commencement Li nL.'ldc1 nud it.