The dew of his youth
comes from Ben Nevis, and the comfort of his soul is cordial gin. He is
a walking barrel, a living drain-pipe, a moving swill-tub. They say
"loath to drink and loath to leave off," but he never needs persuading
to begin, and as to ending that is out of the question while he can
borrow twopence.
STICK TO IT AND DO IT.
Set a stout heart to a stiff hill, and the wagon will get to the top of
it. There's nothing so hard but a harder thing will get through it; a
strong job can be managed by a strong resolution. Have at it and have
it. Stick to it and succeed. Till a thing is done men wonder that you
think it can be done, and when you have done it they wonder it was never
done before.
In my picture the wagon is drawn by two horses; but I would have every
man who wants to make his way in life pull as if all depended on
himself. Very little is done right when it is left to other people. The
more hands to do work the less there is done. One man will carry two
pails of water for himself; two men will only carry one pail between
them, and three will come home with never a drop at all. A child with
several mothers will die before it runs alone. Know your business and
give your mind to it, and you will find a buttered loaf where a sluggard
loses his last crust.
LIKE CAT LIKE KIT.
Most men are what their mothers made them. The father is away from home
all day, and has not half the influence over the children that the
mother has.
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