was the habit of his life. He began from his boyhood, for he
taught a little village school when he was only about twelve years
old--keeping the school in winter, and working upon his father's farm
in summer. He would sometimes urge himself and companions to study by
the stimulus of a bet, though bred a Quaker; and on one occasion by
his satisfactory solution of a problem, he won as much as enabled him
to buy a winter's store of candles. He continued his meteorological
observations until a day or two before he died--having made and
recorded upward of 200,000 in the course of his life.

With perseverance, the very odds, and ends of time may be worked up
into results of the greatest value. An hour in every day withdrawn
from frivolous pursuits would, if profitably employed, enable a
person of ordinary capacity to go far toward mastering a science. It
would make an ignorant man a well-informed one in less than ten
years. Time should not be allowed to pass without yielding fruits, in
the form of something learnt worthy of being known, some good
principle cultivated, or some good habit strengthened. Dr. Mason Good
translated Lucretuis while riding in his carriage in the streets of
London, going the round of his patients. Dr. Darwin composed nearly
all his works in the same way while driving about in his "sulky" from
house to house in the country ==writing down his thoughts on little
scraps of paper, which he carried about with him for the purpose.
Hale wrote his "Contemplations" while traveling on circuit. Dr.
Burney learnt French and Italian while traveling on horseback from
one musical pupil to another in the course of his profession. Kirke
White learnt Greek while walking to and fro from a lawyer's office;
and we personally know a man of eminent position who learnt Latin and
French while going messages as an errand-boy.

Hugh Miller was a busy man of observant faculties, who studied
literature as well as science, with zeal and success. The book in
which he has told the story of his life("My Schools and
Schoolmasters"), is extremely interesting, and calculated to be
eminently useful. It is the history of the formation of a truly noble
character in the humblest condition of life, and inculcates most
powerfully the lessons of self-help, self-respect, and self-
dependence. While Hugh was but a child, his father, who was a sailor,
was drowned at sea, and he was brought up by his widowed mother. He
had a school training afte