early. The risk is great enough anywhere, but
greatest in a new country, where there is an almost universal want of
fixed standards of excellence.

He was by nature an artist; a shaper with the pencil or the chisel, a
planner, a contriver capable of turning his hand to almost any work of
eye and hand. It would not have been strange if he thought he could do
everything, having gifts which were capable of various application,--and
being an American citizen. But though he was a good draughtsman, and had
made some reliefs and modelled some figures, he called himself only an
architect. He had given himself up to his art, not merely from a love
of it and talent for it, but with a kind of heroic devotion, because he
thought his country wanted a race of builders to clothe the new forms of
religious, social, and national life afresh from the forest, the quarry,
and the mine. Some thought he would succeed, others that he would be a
brilliant failure.

"Grand notions,--grand notions," the master with whom he studied said.
"Large ground plan of life,--splendid elevation. A little wild in some
of his fancies, perhaps, but he's only a boy, and he's the kind of boy
that sometimes grows to be a pretty big man. Wait and see,--wait and
see. He works days, and we can let him dream nights. There's a good
deal of him, anyhow." His fellow-students were puzzled. Those who
thought of their calling as a trade, and looked forward to the time when
they should be embodying the ideals of municipal authorities in brick and
stone, or making contracts with wealthy citizens, doubted whether Clement
would have a sharp eye enough for business. "Too many whims, you know.
All sorts of queer ideas in his head,--as if a boy like him were going to
make things all over again!".

No doubt there was something of youthful extravagance in his plans and
expectations. But it was the untamed enthusiasm which is the source of
all great thoughts and deeds,--a beautiful delirium which age commonly
tames down, and for which the cold shower-bath the world furnishes gratis
proves a pretty certain cure.

Creation is always preceded by chaos. The youthful architect's mind was
confused by the multitude of suggestions which were crowding in upon it,
and which he had not yet had time or developed mature strength sufficient
to reduce to order. The young American of any freshness of intellect is
stimulated to dangerous excess by the conditions of life into which