Letters from a Father to His Son

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INDUSTRY London, November 10th, 1848. My dear son, There are a few first principles—that is, a few leading and important truths—which, if strictly kept in mind and adhered to from boyhood to man's estate and through life, will ensure to us at least a moderate success in all our undertakings, and make us as happy and as well off in the world as we can reasonably hope to be. Life is checkered by joys and sorrows, and sometimes with the best zeal and care and the greatest propriety of conduct, our endeavors may seem for a time to fail in their object. We must, however, have patience. Let us steadily continue our work—and with truth, honesty, and industry for our guides and companions, we shall not fail. These companions will be to us what Greatheart you know was to Christiana in the "Pilgrim's Progress," that you were so fond of reading. They will cheer us along the way, overcome all the obstacles which beset our path, and finally crown us with a fair and reasonable proportion of happiness and prosperity. I have already spoken to you of truth, and honesty, and selfdenial. I am now going to write to you of another of these important companions and guides, and, next to truth and honesty, the most important, namely, INDUSTRY. This is the true Great-heart—this is the young man's sword to enable him to cut his way into a high place among his fellows. Industry, properly 14 of 55
directed, is power, and strength, and wealth, and greatness. It ensures all these things; without it, all these things are as nothing. A pleasing writer, called Zimmerman, says, "If you ask me which is the real hereditary sin of human nature, do you imagine I shall answer pride, or luxury, or ambition, or egotism? No, I shall say indolence. Whoever conquers indolence, will conquer all the rest." Dr. Isaac Barrow, who was an eminent scholar and divine in the reign of Charles II, observes, in one of his works, that "A gentleman has obligations to mankind, which demand industry. How can he fairly exist on the common industry of mankind, without bearing a share thereof? How can he well satisfy himself to dwell stately, to feed daintily, to be finely clad, to maintain a pompous retinue—merely on the sweat and toil of others, without himself rendering a compensation or making some competent returns of care and pain, redounding to the good of his neighbor." The English are naturally and nationally an industrious people. It is that which has made England the greatest country in the world. You have heard of savages and Indians, and you are aware that they cannot read or write. They have no books, no printing presses, no clocks or watches, few and rude inventions, such as canoes and sledges for conveying themselves from place to place, and they cannot even make gunpowder to hunt their food. If you reflect for a moment, you will easily conceive how wonderful must have been the industry of the civilized portion of the human race. Man, in his original state, knew no more than 15 of 55
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Page 3 and 4: TRUTH London, August 24th, 1848. My
Page 5 and 6: description, as a piece of wit; but
Page 7 and 8: particularly to attend to, were the
Page 9 and 10: SELF-DENIAL London, October 25th, 1
Page 11 and 12: got older he went to the pastry-coo
Page 13: Be moderate in all your wishes, and
Page 17 and 18: will not only be an incentive to ne
Page 19 and 20: ECONOMY/FRUGALITY London, December
Page 21 and 22: In this latter case, if you have at
Page 23 and 24: for the humble aspirant to fame and
Page 25 and 26: CONTENTMENT December 20th, 1848. My
Page 27 and 28: seated upon a rock, above the rage
Page 29 and 30: FRIENDSHIP London, January 10th, 18
Page 31 and 32: When, however, you have established
Page 33 and 34: GOOD MANNERS London, January 20th,
Page 35 and 36: In cases where you come into contac
Page 37 and 38: PRUDENCE London, February 2nd, 1849
Page 39 and 40: "Neither a borrower nor a lender be
Page 41 and 42: HEALTH London, February 20th, 1849.
Page 43 and 44: All of life is before you, and, the
Page 45 and 46: intelligible and more useful to you
Page 47 and 48: What I wish you to understand, is t
Page 49 and 50: in power, they elect to belong to t
Page 51 and 52: you, in the meantime, to attend to
Page 53 and 54: The conscience of a man tell him wh
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Letters from a Father to His Son

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