his shingle. People thought he would fail, but in his first
case he showed that he had a wonderful power of oratory. It then first
dawned upon him that he could be a hero in Virginia. From the time the
Stamp Act was passed and Henry was elected to the Virginia House of
Burgesses, and he had introduced his famous resolution against the
unjust taxation of the American colonies, he rose steadily until he
became one of the brilliant orators of America. In one of his first
speeches upon this resolution he uttered these words, which were
prophetic of his power and courage: "Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the
First his Cromwell, and George the Third--may profit by their example.
If this be treason, make the most of it."

The great natural philosopher, Faraday, who was the son of a
blacksmith, wrote, when a young man, to Humphry Davy, asking for
employment at the Royal Institution. Davy consulted a friend on the
matter. "Here is a letter from a young man named Faraday, he has been
attending my lectures, and wants me to give him employment at the Royal
Institution--what can I do?" "Do? put him to washing bottles; if he is
good for anything he will do it directly; if he refuses he is good for
nothing." But the boy who could experiment in the attic of an
apothecary shop with an old pan and glass vials during every moment he
could snatch from his work saw an opportunity in washing bottles, which
led to a professorship at the Royal Academy at Woolwich. Tyndall said
of this boy with no chance, "He is the greatest experimental
philosopher the world has ever seen." He became the wonder of his age
in science.

There is a legend of an artist who long sought for a piece of
sandal-wood, out of which to carve a Madonna. He was about to give up
in despair, leaving the vision of his life unrealized, when in a dream
he was bidden to carve his Madonna from a block of oak wood which was
destined for the fire. He obeyed, and produced a masterpiece from a
log of common firewood. Many of us lose great opportunities in life by
waiting to find sandal-wood for our carvings, when they really lie
hidden in the common logs that we burn. One man goes through life
without seeing chances for doing anything great, while another close
beside him snatches from the same circumstances and privileges
opportunities for achieving grand results.

Anna Dickinson began life as a school-teacher. Adelaide Neilson was a
child's nurse. Charlotte Cushma