Genre:

Miscellaneous

Subjects:

Endeavour, Invention

    The narrator relates having often observed among his pupils 'a disposition to feel discouraged by the want of immediate success in some of their pursuits'. Urges the need for persistence, observing that '[t]he mariner's compass, the telescope, the construction of a ship, and that noble invention the steam engine, were not brought to perfection at once, and no doubt future experiments will afford further proof of their extraordinary powers'. (224) Relates several stories illustrative of the theme.