but every man ought to be able to distinguish between praise that is merited and flattery that means nothing. The man who lives for flattery is blinding himself to his own deficiencies. The clever man watches for his weaknesses and strives to over

come them. “A man is known only to himself and God," is a true saying. If we are praised for doing work which may be good enough in itself, but is not the best we could do, we ought to be ashamed rather than pleased.

Learn to blame yourself. A successful man once told me that when he was negotiating with a firm for an agreement for long employment, he said to the principal, "If I do not satisfy you, you will never need to ask me to go. I shall go myself before that is necessary." Such a man does not rely on others for praise or blame. He judges every action as he performs it. If it is done according to the best of what he is capable, he is satisfied; otherwise, he blames himself. Do not be content to judge yourself by what others do or by what others think. You know what you are capable of, and you should never be satisfied with anything short of your most perfect work.

We are for ever assuming that vices grow upon us, and we should do well to remember that our virtues do also. The habit of doing our best work will develop our powers of will and make our

work better and better. The men who succeed are

those who always try to go one better than their competitors. Every man in your office is a competitor for the top place. The man below you wants your place, just as you should want the places that are above you. A man who employed hundreds of clerks and workmen all over the world, when asked to give some suggestions for success in life, remarked, in the course of his reply: "I have often heard it said that there are not so many chances for a young man to rise nowadays as formerly. I do not agree with this view. I believe that there are even greater chances for young men than ever before. But these greater opportunities demand greater qualities qualities that can only be acquired by an increased devotion to studyto greater self-discipline, and to an unconquerable determination to master the principles that underlie the profession or business engaged in. Less opportunity for getting on! Why, one of the greatest difficulties of large thoroughly capable men to

employers is to find manage the various

there are many who

departments of their concerns; think themselves capable, but few who can stand the test.

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It has been said that 'Knowledge is Power,' but a man may have a great deal of knowledge with very little wisdom. Wisdom-which is distilled

knowledge—is, undoubtedly, a powerful factor in human affairs, and happy is the man who possesses it. Knowledge is no longer a steep which few may climb; the opportunities for acquiring it are now so many and so various that to be ignorant is quite unpardonable. It has been truly said that experience keeps a dear school, but it is the only one fools will attend. Happy is the man who is always prepared to avail himself of the experience of others."

There is a man in London now making an income running into well over ten thousand pounds a year. Only a few years ago he was an obscure clerk. One day he said: "It is no use trying to do just the same work as other people; I must do more." He started taking work home with him so that he could get through more than his competitors in his office. He was not content to conform to the usual office hours, and he developed such a capacity for work that he found all sorts of possibilities which the others never discovered, so he soon left them far below him on the ladder of success which all were starting to climb.

Be sure that you need not go looking for your opportunities if you do your daily work with all the powers of your mind. Carlyle says: "Our grand business, undoubtedly, is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what is clearly at hand."

Do your work faithfully and do as much work every day as you can, and opportunity will come knocking at your door. Only the lazy complain of the fickleness of fortune, and their ill-luck, as they term it, is their just reward for idleness. Remember what Ruskin says in his Lectures on Art: "Life without industry is GUILT," and it is guilt that surely brings its own punishment. You have all the experience of the past to profit by. Believe that, as the days go on and your experience increases, knowledge will increase with it, and that with industry you will acquire wisdom, and with wisdom gain everything that you can desire.

"Whatsoever the mind has ordained for itself it has achieved."

MOST

SENECA.

OST people are mentally lazy. They may be active and energetic enough as regards their bodily faculties, but they absolutely refuse to use their minds more than they can help. Those who complain of "brain-fag" are very often suffering from mental lassitude because they do not give their minds enough exercise. It ought to be known by everybody that the brain requires judicious exercise quite as much as the body does. People with active minds do not complain of brain-fag; it is the mentally indolent who do that.

Why is it that country dwellers are not so quickwitted as those who live in the great cities? It is simply due to the fact that business life in the big towns is a constant process of sharpening the intellect. Daily intercourse with large numbers of people, and the continual interchange of thought with them on diverse subjects, make the mind