y had mastered their first
undertaking. Elihu Burritt mastered over forty different languages by
taking one at a time.

The writer, in early youth, learned a lesson which has ever been of
inestimable benefit to him. The next lessons would begin Fractions,
something we never had taken. We began to glance through that part of
the book, and soon became thoroughly convinced that we should never be
able to master their intricacies, at once becoming despondent. Coming
home at night, he spoke of his discouragement, when his father set to
work explaining the first principles. Thus, step by step, the stubborn
principles were mastered, and to-day, if there is any part of Arithmetic
in which he excels it is in Fractions.

"Never cross bridges until you come to them." A man should plan ahead,
but he should be hopeful--not confident--should never borrow trouble,
and must avoid all extremes. Another cause of failure is: The habit of
endorsing without security. No one should ever endorse any man's paper
without security or an equivalent. I hold that no man has a right to ask
you to endorse his paper unless he can either endorse for you or give
good security. Of course there are cases where a brother, who is young
and cannot give security, can be helped into business; but his habits
must be his security, and his duty is to have made his previous life a
guarantee of his ability to safely conduct the business. But even in
such cases a man's first duty is to his family, and he should never
endorse, even a brother's paper, to a greater amount than he feels that
he could reasonably lose.

A man may be doing a thriving manufacturing business--another man comes
to him and says: "You are aware that I am worth $20,000, and don't owe a
dollar; my money is all locked up at present in my business, which you
are also aware is to-day in a flourishing condition. Now, if I had
$5,000 to-day I could purchase a lot of goods and double my money in a
few months. Will you endorse my note for that amount?" You reflect that
he is worth $20,000, and, therefore, you incur no risk by endorsing his
note. Of course, he is a neighbor; you want to accommodate him, and you
give him your name without taking the precaution of being secured.
Shortly after he shows you the note, cancelled, and tells you, probably
truly, that he made the profit expected by the operation. You reflect
that you have done him a favor, and the thought makes you feel good.

You do not refl