Stephens' Secret

An instructivo lesson niay bo found in the secret of Alexander H.'Stephen'a lifc, as he declared ït in a letter to kis brother WTitten sorue years ago. Tho seci'ot ke wroto was "revenge reversed - that is, to riso superior to the noglect or contumely of the mean of mankind by trying to do them good instead of harn), a determination to war oven against fate, to meet tho world i n all its forces, to master evil with good and to lcare no foe standing in my rear." Hi9 groat courage, ho deelared, had beea drawn froin kis doopest despair, aud the greatest eflorts of kis life had been tho fruits of a dotcrmination and firm resolvo excltod by oompartively lueigmuu.uiü unuuH. nus leenng was the mainspring of nis action. Wlienhe had looked upon tho world, he saw it iillud with knavcs and foolfj, and saw in tho wholo waste not ouo well of vvator froni which he could draw a drop to slack his thirstiug, parched soul; and when, with all hopes bJighted he had hoon ready to lie down and dio under tho weight of that grief whioh is greater than all other griefs, "a yoiing heart desolato in the wido worla," he liad often his wholo bouI aroused with the fnry of a lion and by tho ambition of a Ctesar by so slight a thing as a look. He had snffered indescribablo agony, too, froni a look, from tho tone of a remarle, from a supposed or an intended injury. But every such pang was a friction that brought out the latent lires. "My spirit of warring against tho world, however, never had in it anything of a desiro to cnish or trample on thoso who did me wrong; no, only a desire to get abovo them - to excel them; to onjoy the gratifleation of soeing them f eel that thoy were wrong; to compel their admiration- this ia the extent of mv ambition; this tlio length, bfeadth and depthof my revenge." That ho put these noble sentiments into practico is shown especially iu his magnanimous treatment of the man who eaused him years of sufforing, and of whom he alWaVS SDOkO in tnrms nf nnnairlovatinn and i'orgiveness. It would be vell íor tho country and woll for publio mon If all such wore governed by the same motives.