Prof. Huxley To Boys

Ajiid the flood of good fhings s:id on Coamiencemeut pialforins, we havo heard nothing, ou Uie whole, wiser, ajjier or more sagaeious than Professor llaxley'ss address to the prize-winners al the Universitycontest. Had ho added that religión is the strongest toree in the coaduct of life, wtiile lie would not have sacriliocd anything of the philosopher to the preaclier, lie would liave put a key-stone lu his beautiful arcii oi argument and appeal: " So, boys, lot me teil you that it ha. giveii ine great pleasure to come among jou to-day, and to hand you the prizes you have won for proficiency in all sorts of intellectual and some physioal exercises; and, as I have perfect eoniidence in the judgment and in the justice of those who iiward these prizes, I tm sure thnt you deserve the honors you have obtained, ánd I offer you my hearty con ins upon them. You have a rixht to take an houest pride ia your euccess, and I would even excuso a Jittle vanitj', if the fit is neither too strong nor too long. But though selfsatisfriction, if one comes by it honestly, is a very good thing in its way, the whole value of suocess, hert as elsewhere, does not lie in aelf-satisfactlon. In the present caso I should say that the chief value of success lies in the evidence which it afforda of the po sion of those faculties whieh will enable you to deal with those condiíionsof human existence into which you will be launched, to sink orswim, by and by. " Let me appeal to your knowledge of yourselves and of your school-fellows. What sort of fellows are those who win prizes? Is thero in all the long list which we have enne throagh to-day the name of a single boy who is dull, slow, idle and sickly? I am sorry to say !hat I have not the pleasure of kuowing :ny of the prize-.viiiners tiiis year personally - but I take upon myself to answer, eertainly not. Nay, I will go so far as to afflrm tiiat tne ioys to vviiom I have had the pleasure of giving prizes to-day, take them altogether, are the sharpest, quickest, most mdustrious and strongest boys in the school. But by strongest, I do uot exactly mean Üwi vrho can lift the greatest weights or ji.mp farthest - but those who have most eadurauce. You will observe again fchat I say take them altogether. I do not doubt that outsit'ic the list of prizewinners there may be boys of keener intellect than any who are in it. disqualified by lack of industry or lack of health. and there may be bighly indus',riou= boys who are unfortunately dull or sickiy: and there may be athletes who are still more unfon ■ Í1 her idle or stupid. or both. Quickness in (earning. readiness and accuracy in reproducing what is Learnt, industry, endnrance. these are the qualities. mixed in very various proportions, whifib-re fcuad in bovy who win prizss " Kow ihere is not the smallcstdoabt that every one of these qualities is of great value ie practical life. Upon ■vhatever career you may enter, intel lectual quickness. industry and the power of bearing fatigue are Üiree screat advantages. But T want to impress apon yon. and througb you upon Üiose who will direct your future course. Ihe conviction which I entertain that. ts a general rule, the relative importanee of these three qualifications snot rij estimated; and that there are other mnlities of no les? valué which ure not 'lirectly tested by school competitkm somewhat varied e.xperience of men has led rae. the lor.ger I live. to set the less value upon mere cleverness: to Rtach more and move importanee to iniustry and to physical endiirance. Inleed. I am mueh disposed to think that sndurance is the most valuable quality of all; tor industry. as the desire te work hard. does not come lo much if a feeble frame is unable to respoudto the desire. Everybody ivho has had to make his w&y in the world mus! know that while the occasion Lor lutellectual effort of a hiph order is rare. if coriïtantly happens thal a man'? future turns upon nis being able to stand a radden and a heavy strain upou his powers of endunince. To a lawver. a physician. or a merehant it may be everything to be able to work sixteen tiours a day for as as is needful without yielding np to weariness. Moreover. the patience, tenacity and ood humor which are among the most important qualifications for dealing with men are incompatible vvith an irritable brain, a weak stomach. or a defective circulation. If any one of you prize-winnerg were a son of mine. and a good fairy were to offer to equip him according to my wishes lor the battle of practical life, I should say, -1 do not care to trouble you tor any more cleverness; put in as much industry as you ean instead; and oh. if you please, a broad deep eliest and a stomach of whose existence he shall never "know anvthing.' I should be well content with the prospecta of a fellow so cndowcd. "The other point whiohl wish to impress upon you is. that competitivB examination. useful and cxcelient as it is for some purposes is only a very partial test of what the winners will bc worth in practical life. There are people who are neithei' very clevcr nor fery industrious. nor very stroug. and who would probably be nowhere in an examination. and who j'et exert a great inlluence in virtue of what is C&lled force of eharacter. Theymay not know much. but they tako care that what they do know they know well. They may not be very quiek. but the knowledge they aequire sticks. They may not even be particularly industrious or eiidurinir. but they ave stporu: of will ana örrn of purpose, undauated by fear of respemibility. siugfie-iöintted nmi trattworthy. lu practical life :i man of tliis soit i. worth iir.v numbcr of mcrely clever auil learaed peoplc. Of üourstj I do not mean to imply for. a moment that gnccees in examination i. incompatible with the possession .of character stK-ii as i have jnst detined it. but failurom examjnalion is no evidencc oi the want ol siu-U character. 'Andthis Icads me 1o admicister from ])y poinl of view the ennnb of coiufort whioli on these occasious is ordin.-irilv oltered to tliosc whoso nrmics du nol appear upon tlie prizelisl. It s quite truc tliat practical life is a kind of lonp; cotnpetitire examinaüoQ, conductcd by that severo pedagogue Professor Circumstunco. But my experieucc leads me to concludc that hismarks are jii ven miicli more for characier than for cleverness. Henee, tliough 1 have lm doubt tuut lliosc boys wlio liavc received pvizes to-day liave atreudy giveu rise to a fair hopo that the future may sec them prominent, perhaps brilliantly dlstinguisned members of society, vet ncither do ] l'iiiik it at all imlikely tliat arnon? the undistinguished crowd there may !ie the mak ing cf some simplo soldier whose practical sense and indomitable :ourae may save an army led by characterless cleverness to the brink of destrucüon, or some plainman oi' business who by dint of sheer honesty and finmies3 may slowly and surely rise to prosperity and lionor, when hia more brilliant comjieer, for lack of character, have gone down, with all who trusted them, to hopeless ruin. Sucli things do happen. Henee let none of you be discouraged. Those who have won prizes have made a good beginning; those who have not may vet m:!-e that good onding whieh is better than a gooa beginmng. iSo lite is wasted onless it ends in sloth, dishonesty or cowardice. No success is worthy of the name nnless it is won by honest industry and brave breasting of Üie wave of fortune. Unless at the end of lif'e some exhalation of the dn.wn stil] liangs abou the palpable and the familiar; vinless there is some transformation of the real into the best dreams of youth, depend upon it whatever outward success may have gathcred round a man, he is but an