Some few great instances there have been, on the other hand, of
young men who hcxve qntered the ministry under protest, and quit::
against their own will, who have, nevertheless, become famous
preachers and attracted immense congregations by their eloquence
and earnestness. A man may learn to like an occupation which at
first is distasteful to him. Some little accident or incident may change
the current of his thoughts and feelings. Not seldom a disappoint-
ment in love, when a man has got over the first terrible distress and
anguish of learning that he has been loving one who never cared a
straw for him, but had given her affections, if she had any, to another,
and yet allowed him to woo her in delusive hope, changes the whole
character and aspirations and gives a tremendous, almost a desperate,
energy to a young man's career. Many great preachers and mission-
aries have been converted by such a terrible heart-sorrow to absolute
self-abnegation and self-consecration in the work of the ministry. One
of the greatest, and in the opinion of some very able judges of ser-
mons, the greatest preacher of the present century, Frederick William
Robertson, entered the ministry at the earnest desire of his family
against his own choice. He wished to be a soldier, and his sermons
are remarkable for their courageous and aggressive tone. Sins and
vices assumed to him the aspect of a rebel army arrayed against the
kingdom of God, and few who ever heard him could forget the thrill
produced by his appeals when he urged men to enlist under the ban-
ner of Christ as the Captain of Salvation.
It sometimes, though rarely, happens that a man has supreme
ability in several lines. Michael Angelo and Leonardo Da Vinci are
notable instances of this versatile genius, but Lord Bacon was great
in natural science, in mental philosophy, in theology and in law.
Shakspeare has been called a " myriad-minded man," but practical
success did not attend him in life because he did not work steadily at
any daily labor. There have been men and women, however, who
have achieved success in more kinds of work than one. Some men,
CHOICE OF OCCUPATION. 1 43
like Sir Walter Raleigh, have been soldiers, sailors, inventors, poets,
historians and the like. But, as a rule, each man and woman has his
or her own gift, talent, and calling, and the great thing is to find out
what it is. It is generally the " ne'er do weel " who goes fi"om one
thing to another and fails in each. "A rolling stone gathers no moss,"
says an old proverb, and life is too short to allow of our trying our
hand at half a dozen trades before we fix upon the right one.
Page 87
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Some few great instances there have been, on the other hand, of young men who have entered the ministry under protest, and quit against their own will, who have, nevertheless, become famous preachers and attracted immense congregations by their eloquence and earnestness. A man may learn to like an occupation which at first is distasteful to him. Some little accident or incident may change the current of his thoughts and feelings. Not seldom a disappointment in love, when a man has got over the first terrible distress and anguish of learning that he has been loving one who never cared a straw for him, but had given her affections, if she had any, to another, and yet allowed him to woo her in delusive hope, changes the whole character and aspirations and gives a tremendous, almost a desperate, energy to a young man's career. Many great preachers and missionaries have been converted by such a terrible heart-sorrow to absolute self-abnegation and self-consecration in the work of the ministry. One of the greatest, and in the opinion of some very able judges of sermons, the greatest preacher of the present century, Frederick William Robertson, entered the ministry at the earnest desire of his family against his own choice. He wished to be a soldier, and his sermons are remarkable for their courageous and aggressive tone. Sins and vices assumed to him the aspect of a rebel army arrayed against the kingdom of God, and few who ever heard him could forget the thrill produced by his appeals when he urged men to enlist under the banner of Christ as the Captain of Salvation.
It sometimes, though rarely, happens that a man has supreme ability in several lines. Michael Angelo and Leonardo Da Vinci are notable instances of this versatile genius, but Lord Bacon was great in natural science, in mental philosophy, in theology and in law. Shakspeare has been called a " myriad-minded man," but practical success did not attend him in life because he did not work steadily at any daily labor. There have been men and women, however, who have achieved success in more kinds of work than one. Some men,
like Sir Walter Raleigh, have been soldiers, sailors, inventors, poets, historians and the like. But, as a rule, each man and woman has his or her own gift, talent, and calling, and the great thing is to find out what it is. It is generally the " ne'er do weel " who goes fi"om one thing to another and fails in each. "A rolling stone gathers no moss," says an old proverb, and life is too short to allow of our trying our hand at half a dozen trades before we fix upon the right one.