I consist of seven letters. We 3, 4, 1, when a ditch is in the way. We 5, 3, 6, 1, our hands if we like the play. XVII. I consist of eight letters. My 4, 5, 6, 1, is no sham. My 6, 4, 5, 2, is an open space. My 1, 2, 3, 4, 2, a girl's name. My 5, 6, 4, is a part of the head. My 6, 7, 8, is what you did yesterday. My 1, 2, 7, 8, is never early. My 5, 6, 4, 1, is a titled nobleman. My 7, 4, 3, 8, is never false. My 7, 5, 6, 4, is a rent. My 7, 8, 2, 1, is a bird. My 4, 6, 7, an animal. And my whole a living poet. XVIII. CHARADE. One day as I was walking, I reached a gate, and over it I saved my life, but it's a fact I trembled like my whole ! ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN NO. 38. NUMBERED CHARADES. I. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 SEBASTAPOL II. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 CONSTANTINOPLE III. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 PHILADELPHIA Correct solutions have been received from W. Jennings; W. H. Smith;. George Travers; Henry Holmby; Bartie O'Callaghan; T. Vernon; S. H. R.; Daisy; J. B. F. Thompson; James Bayley; L. Stone; T. Noldwrit; W. Binley; J. J. Leek; James Willie Hunt; C. A. Burnaby; J. Smith; A Subscriber; Bernard Dawson; G. W. Tobin; G. Garrick, W. G. Brown; CONSTANT READER; and a large number of Correspondents whose names we are reluctantly compelled to omit for want of space. OUR PRIZE ESSAYS. ADJUDICATION.-SELF-MADE MEN. Self-made men! It is a grand subject, and a very grave one, to be handled by the upspringing generation by the men that are to be-the boys of to-day, the men of to-morrow. From the workshop, the factory, the field, the mine, the sheep-cote, the great men of the world-selfmade by honest industry and diligent enterprise -have put their mark on the world; they have become, amid every sort of privation, great chemists, engineers, discoverers, philosophers, poets, painters, astronomers, metaphysicians, architects, judges, prelates. What man has done, man may do. He elements of character in a self-made man. 'What's genius?' quoth Jack; Of doing things well.' "But the question may be asked 'How is this knack or art to be attained ?' I can say that anyone who wishes may attain it, if he will only have patience, practice, and perseverance. For what is called genius, and does its work, is generally the effect of self-culture. For as Gibbon says 'Every person has two educations, one which he receives from others, and one, more important, which he gives himself;' and Wordsworth tells us that, "Two things, contradictory as they may seem, must go togethermanly dependence and manly independence, manly reliance and manly self-reliance." essay is equally well-written throughout, and contains sketches of James Watt, Richard Arkwright, George Stephenson, James Ferguson, and others. The sketches are very well done, and the essay is, without question, the best that has been sent in. The W. DAVENPORT ADAMS sends an excellent essay, well written and carefully considered, showing considerable research. JOHN JENNINGS.- Ten well written biographies of George Stephenson, Antonio Canova, Galileo, Horatio Nelson, Sir Joshua Reynolds, George Washington, Sir Christopher Wren, Sir John Franklin, Napoleon Buonaparte, and Mozart. Each biography is of considerable length, and the whole would make a very readable volume. We shall probably print one or more of the sketches in this magazine. WALTER SCOTT SWINSCOE.-A good bold essay, written in a cheerful and a cheering spirit. He says: "Nil Desperandum' must be your motto, if you are determined to be a self-made man; you must be ready to meet opposition and sneers in climbing the stony path to the temple of fame. Thousands who chiefly owed themselves unto themselves, have paved their own way, made their own fortune, raised their own monuments, and thus gained more creditable laurels than any accident of birth or fortune could have bestowed, all in spite of the greatest hardship and opposition. A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man: kites rise against and not with the wind. Opposition is what a man wants, and what he must have to be good for anything. Hardship is the native soil of manhood and of self-reliance." The selfmade men to whom he draws attention are too many for enumeration here: he is evidently well acquainted with the stories of their lives, and takes for granted, perhaps a little too freely, that his readers are as familiar with them as he is himself. BARTHOLOMEW O'CALLAGHAN's essay is very well written; plainly he appreciates the subject, and emulates the good men of whom he writes. JAMES OGDEN.-A brief but clever paper, full of facts and of thoughts naturally suggested by them. A very creditable essay. ARTHUR THOMAS CARTER says:-"It is a singular peculiarity of all active and aspiring minds, that they uniformly endeavour to do whatever others have done. Thus, Franklin attributed his usefulness and eminence to his having read Cotton Mather's 'Essays to do Good,' and Samuel Drew, the 1 hilosophical shoemaker, tells us that he framed his own life, and especially his business habits, Life from the model left by Franklin, thus showing H. R. M'DERMOT.- An eloquent introduction, followed by several interesting biographies, thus divided-"Eminent Discoverers and Inventors," and "Self-made Proficients in Literature, Science, and Art." In his introduction, M'Dermot says:-"We know that the wisest and most benevolent government cannot provide complete education for the whole of its people. The avocations of many individuals, and the localities of others, must render it difficult, indeed almost impossible, for the best government to do more than provide them with the elements of tuition. The poet speaks truly when he says- Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its fragrance on the desert air.' But did not many (nevertheless) of those flowers, bloom in the desert air,' and put forth rich unfading blossoms? The mountain shepherd, the solitary cotter, the soldier, and the sailor, can have few educational advantages, yet each of those classes have produced individuals who made themselves renowned as scholars." J. D. WILLIAMS.-The essayist starts with the saying of Sir Walter Scott, that "Whatever may be said about luck, it is skill that leads to fortune." Taking this as the thesis of the theme, he shows us how the self-made men were not lucky but skilled. His illustrations are aptly chosen, and his style is perspicuous. WILLIAM EDWARD LEEK.-A series of interesting biographies well told, to which is appended a list of self-made men, their humble origin being given. This list is valuable. CHRISTOPHER WIGHTMAN.-A very good paper -the matter carefully collected and cleverly condensed. In his prefatory remarks, Wightman says: "The indomitable and aspiring youth who fixes his eye untiringly on the one great object of his desire, sees not the rough impediments that strew the path of his onward way; but will successfully surmount all obstacles, in spite of neglect, toil, and opposition; the strength of his spirit supports him, the voice of beautiful hope is ever whispering him onward, the light that shines in his eye illuminates the path on which he treads, and throws into the shade the obstacles that beset his path; onward and upward he climbs, until he reaches the goal he has so long sought to attain; respected by all as an upright and honest man: such an one is a self-made man.' H. M. ELLIS.-A well written essay, full of instruction and encouragement. PHILIP SMITH has done well, but he should have given more than the mere biographical sketches-he should have given us his views on self-reliance. We have no reason to complain of what he has done - we only demur to the omissions. BENJAMIN SHEEPWASH.-A good essay, healthy in tone, with the appropriate motto, "See'st thou a man diligent in business, he shall stand before kings." JAMES WHITEFORD MACKIE.- - A short but clever paper, thoughtfully considered, and well expressed. CHARLES GARRETT deals very candidly with the whole subject. Rendering honour where honour is due, he is not blind to the fact that some of the so-called self-made men are far from faultless. He undertakes to point out their deficiencies, and despatches the subject in the following manner: "First-There is in many of this class an overbearing pride, which occasionally stands in their own light. Sometimes offers of patronage are rejected with disdain, because they think they are sure at some future time to astonish the world with their unaided exertions and unlimited success. Secondly-Having as a rule been nurtured in the lap of poverty and hardship, and having thus acquired a fearlessness and fortitude, they take it as a matter of course that those with whom they come in contact have the same qualities, consequently they treat them as they would do themselves. This, of course, makes them shunned by that large class of persons whose education and culture lead them to prefer a quiet and unassuming demeanour. ThirdlyPersons of this class seldom begin at the beginning of the subject to which they devote themselves. They seize upon one or two favourite points, and work them out, through all their intricacies, to the end, while the remaining portion is not touched beyond its elementary parts. Here the want of a teacher and a more extensive education is felt, to direct their attention to the whole. Fourthly-There are many instances in which persons of this class, having amassed any considerable wealth, by their habits of frugality and economy, allow themselves to be carried away into the extremes of avarice and miserliness. Now, having glanced at both sides of their character, it must be owned that after all a self-made man is but a necessary evil.'" To this proposition we are of opinion that very few people will assent. WALTER C. TAYLOR gives the first place to David Livingstone as a self-made man; he adds James Ferguson, Captain Cook, and George Stephenson. There is an oddity about the essay, but it is interesting. NATHAN EDWARDS, after an appropriate introduction, furnishes sketches of William Carey, missionary and linguist; James Cook, circumnavigator; Benjamin Franklin, philosopher; Andrew Johnson, President of the United States; Samuel Johnson, lexicographer; Duke of Marlborough, military commander; George Stephenson, railway engineer. ALFRED WILLIAM TUFFEN gives but little biographical matter, and points out at large what he describes as the "defects" of the self-made men-many of these defects are, however, common to all men. Still the essay is interesting and suggestive. ARTHUR STEPHEN PLATTS writes well and to the point. J. MOORE.-A short but well compiled essay. JAMES DAVIDSON, who explains that he has been interrupted many times during the preparation of his essay, has done well, and deserves credit. ALEXANDER DAVIDSON is excused for writing on both sides of the paper, and complimented on his clever essay. DAVID LANGSTON is careless, he expresses himself crudely; spelling defective; writing bad. We think Langston could have done much better." Self-made men, depend on it, never succeeded by being in a hurry. JAMES S. PETERSON, SAMUEL HENRY HADGRAFT, WILLIAM HENRY KELSHALL ROBSON, HERBERT DONNINGTON, JAMES MITCHELL FULTON, ALPHONSO T. DE LA MARE, R. H. HADDON, and several others, whose names are given below. The essays of these competitors are very good. There is nothing in them, however, to call forth any special comment. One essay has reached us with neither the name nor the address of the writer. We must impress upon competitors the necessity for writing their names, ages, and addresses legibly on their MSS. We append the List of Competitors arranged in order of merit : 1. Thomas Mangnall Gribbin, aged 16, 108, Mill-street, Ancoats, Manchester, 2. W. Davenport Adams, aged 151, Bothwell, Lanarkshire. 3. John Jennings, aged 14, Orphan Working School, Haverstock Hill. 4. Walter Scott Swinscoe, aged 16, Upper Fitzalan-street, Sheffield. 5. Bartholomew O'Callaghan. aged 163, Clonbur, Ireland. 6. James Ogden, aged 15, Bolton, Lancashire. 7. Arthur Thomas Carter, aged 15, 7, Cliftonterrace, Torquay. 8. H. R. M'Dermot, Fair Hill, Clonbur, Ireland. 9. J. D. Williams, aged 16. 10. William Edward Leek, aged 13 years and 11 months, Newcastle-under-Lyne. 11. Christopher Wightman, aged 15, Highstreet, Camden Town. 12. H. M. Ellis, aged 15, Chudleigh, Newton Abbot. 13. Philip Smith, aged 16, Magnetic Telegraph Office, Swansea. 14. Benjamin Sheepwash, aged 17, King-street, Ramsgate. 15. James Whiteford Mackie, aged 15, Ayr, Scotland. 16. Charles Garrett, aged 15, Dorchester, 24. David Langston. 25. James S. Paterson, aged 14, Cupar, Fife, Scotland. 26. Samuel Henry Hadgraft, aged 16, Southsea, Hants. 27. William Henry Kelshall Robson, aged 12, Wilmslow, Cheshire. 28. Herbert Donnington, aged 15, Wrentham, Suffolk. 29. James Mitchell Fulton, aged 17, Glasgow. 30. Alphonso Theodore Dé la Mare, aged 14, Guernsey. 31. Robert Henry Haddon, aged 12, Liverpool. 32. John W. Reid, aged 17, Belfast. 33. T. A. M'Cullagh, aged 14, Sheffield. 34. George Rooks, aged 17, Tiverton, Devon. 35. George Henry Norman, aged 14, Man chester. 36. Wm. James Mac Auliffe, aged 16, Cardiff. 37. H. W. Sampson, aged 15, Norbury, Derbyshire. 38. Lionel T. Waller, Tottenham. 39. Walter Smith, aged 16, Dudley. 40. Horace Handley O'Farrell, aged 13, Kensington. 41. Robert John Harle, aged 16, Pimlico. 42. Wm. Alchin, aged 14, Croydon, Surrey. 43. Frederick Riechter, aged 13, Hadleigh, Suffolk. 44. James S. Cotton, aged 16, Stoke-uponTrent. |