nding thirst for knowledge, but alas! the idea
was entertained that he had no time to read--no time to study--no time
to think. And resting on this plea as satisfactory, he has gone down to
the grave the victim not only of indolence and ignorance, but perhaps
of vice;--vice, too, which he might have escaped with a little more
general intelligence.

No greater mistake exists than that which so often haunts the human
mind, that we cannot find _time_ for things; things, too, which we have
previously decided for ourselves that we ought to do. Alfred, king of
England, though he performed more business than almost any of his
subjects, found time for study. Franklin, in the midst of all his
labors, found time to dive into the depths of philosophy, and explore
an untrodden path of science. Frederick the Great, with an empire at
his direction, in the midst of war, and on the eve of battles, found
time to revel in all the charms of philosophy, and to feast himself on
the rich viands of intellect. Bonaparte, with Europe at his disposal,
with kings at his ante-chamber begging for vacant thrones, and at the
head of thousands of men whose destinies were suspended on his
arbitrary pleasure, had time to converse with books. Caesar, when he had
curbed the spirits of the Roman people, and was thronged with visitors
from the remotest kingdoms, found time for intellectual cultivation.
The late Dr. Rush, and the still later Dr. Dwight, are eminent
instances of what may be done for the cultivation of the mind, in the
midst of the greatest pressure of other occupation.

On this point, it may be useful to mention the results of my own
observation. At no period of my life am I conscious of having made
greater progress than I have sometimes done while laboring in the
summer; and almost incessantly too. It is true, I read but little; yet
that little was well understood and thoroughly digested. Almost all the
knowledge I possess of ancient history was obtained in this way, in one
year. Of course, a particular knowledge could not be expected, under
such circumstances; but the general impressions and leading facts which
were imbibed, will be of very great value to me, as I trust, through
life. And I am acquainted with one or two similar instances.

It is true that mechanics and manufacturers, as well as men of most
other occupations, find fewer leisure hours than most farmers. The
latter class of people are certainly more favorably situated than a