LIVES OF THE ENGINEERS. Illustrated by 9 Steel Portraits and 342 Illustrations on Wood. 5 vols. crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. each.

Vol. I. EMBANKMENTS and Canals-VermuyYDEN; MyDDELTON;
PERRY; BRINDLEY.

II. HARBOURS, LIGHTHOUSES, AND BRIDGES
RENNIE.

III. HISTORY OF ROADS-METCALFE; Telford.
IV. THE STEAM-ENGINE-BOULTON AND WATT.

SMEATON ;

V. THE LOCOMOTIVE-GEORGE AND Robert Stephenson.

Each Volume is complete in itself, and may be had separately.

SELF-HELP; Or, Illustrations of Conduct and PERSEVERANCE. 6s. CHARACTER. A Companion Volume to SELF-HELP. 6s.

THRIFT. A Sequel to SELF-HELP and CHARACTER. 6s.

INDUSTRIAL BIOGRAPHY; IRONWORKERS AND TOOLMAKERS. 65. A BOY'S VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 65.

12214

LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET

AND CHARING CROSS.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

INFLUENCE OF CHARACTER.

Character a great power in the world - Common duty- Character

above learning and wealth- Character a property - Honesty of

character-Principles-Reliableness-Practical wisdom-Sheridan

and Burke-Character and circumstances - Formation of character

-The late Prince Consort - Force of character - The conscientious

man-The quality of reverence-Intrepidity of character-Lord

Palmerston-Contagiousness of energy- The Napiers and Sir John

Moore - Washington, Wellington - Influence of personal character

---Reverence for great men-Luther, Knox, Dante - Character a

great legacy-Character of nations - Washington Irving and Sir

Walter Scott-Character and freedom-Nations strengthened by

trials-Noble and ignoble patriotism - Decline and fall of nations

-Stability of character of nations
Pages 1-30

CHAPTER II.

X HOME POWER.

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Home makes the man- - Domestic and social life - The child-

Surroundings of children - Influence of the mother - Power of

example-Civilization dependent on good women- - Boyhood of

St. Augustine-Influence of early impressions-Homes the best

schools-The best nursery of character-Influence of women -

Mothers of great and good men - Washington, Cromwell, Wel-

lington, the Napiers - Mothers of great lawyers and statesmen ·

Curran and Adams - The Wesleys Mothers of poets - Ary

Scheffer's mother- Michelet's tribute to his mother - Lord Byron

- The Footes-Lamartine-Women and business habits-Educa-

tion of women-Nations and mothers-True sphere of women—

Women and work-"Enfranchisement" of women -Women and

the art of preparing food

CHAPTER III.

COMPANIONSHIP AND EXAMPLE.

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31-62

Influence of companionship-Force of imitation-Companionship of
the good - Power of associates-Boyhood of Henry Martyn and of

vi

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Contents.

Dr. Paley-Dr. Arnold an exemplar - Power of good example-

High standard of living - The inspiration of goodness-Admiration

of good men Influence of gentle natures-Sir W. Napier-Energy

evokes energy-Radiating force of great minds- Admire nobly -

Johnson and Boswell-Young men's heroes-The envy of small

minds-Admiration and imitation- The great musicians - Masters

and disciples-Enduringness of good example-Consolations of a

well-spent life

Pages 63-87

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CHAPTER IV.

X WORK.

Work the law of our being-The ancient Romans-Pliny on rural

labour- The curse of idleness Causes of melancholy-Excuses

of indolence-Industry and leisure-Work a universal duty - Lord

Stanley on work-Life and work- Dignity of work-Work and

happiness-Scott and Southey-Work an educator of character

Training to business - Business qualities-Wellington, Wallenstein,

Washington-Working geniuses-Genius and business -Literature

and business-The great men of Elizabeth's reign-The great Italians

- Modern literary workers-Workers in leisure hours - Business

value of culture-Speculative and practical ability-Napoleon and

men of science-Hobbies-Literary statesmen-Sir G. C. Lewis

Consolations of literature-Work and overwork

Moral courage

CHAPTER V.

COURAGE.

..

88-122

Martyrs of science-Persecution of great discoverers
- Hostility to new views-Socrates, Bruno, Galileo, R. Bacon,
Vesalius, and others - Martyrs of faith-Anne Askew, Mary Dyer,
Sir Thomas More - Fortitude of Luther-Strafford and Eliot.
Success often won through failure - Common courage of Doing
Tyranny of "Society". Moral cowardice - Pandering to popularity
Intellectual intrepidity-Energetic courage- Courage and ten-
derness - Generosity of the brave-The Douglas-Laplace - The
magnanimous man Education of women in courage. Moral
strength of women - Heroism of women- -Story of Sarah Martin and
her ministrations in Yarmouth Gaol

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CHAPTER VI.

XSELF-CONTROL.

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123-157

Self-control the root of the virtues - Value of discipline-Supremacy

of self-control - Domestic discipline

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Self-discipline - Virtue of
patience-Character of Hampden - Evils of strong temper - Straf-

ford, Cromwell, Princes of Nassau, Washington, Wellington, &c. —

Instances of self-control-Faraday, Anquetil, Outram-Forbearance

of speech - Honest indignation-Forbearance in conduct-Faraday's

practical philosophy - Burns's want of self-control - Béranger —

Tyranny of appetite-Honesty of living-Dishonesty of improvi-

dence Public honesty-Sir Walter Scott's heroic effort to pay his

debts-Lockhart and Scott
Pages 158-187

CHAPTER VII.

DUTY TRUTHFULNESS.

Upholding sense of duty-Conscience and will-Sense of honour -

Vittoria Colonna - Sacredness of duty-Freedom of the individual

Epictetus on duty - Washington's sense of duty - Wellington's

ideal-Nelson and Collingwood-Devotion to duty-Duty of nations

- Baron Stoffel's report on the causes of the decadence of France-

Great Frenchmen of the past - The Abbé de St.-Pierre-Duty and

truthfulness-Wellington and his aurist - Truth the bond of society

- Equivocation-Pretentiousness The life of George Wilson: his

labours, sufferings, and death
188-215

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CHAPTER VIII.

TEMPER.

Cheerfulness of disposition-Jeremy Taylor-Cheerfulness a tonic -

A beam in the eye- Dr. Marshall Hall, Luther, Lord Palmerston-

Great men cheerful-Fielding, Johnson, Scott, Arnold, Sydney Smith

- Cheerfulness of meu of genius - Euler, Robison, Abauzit, Adan-

son, Malcolm, Burke Basis of cheerfulness - Beneficence and

benevolence - Power of kindness Shallowness of discontent-

Morbidity of temper Querulousness St. Francis de Sales on the

Little Virtues-Gentleness-Cheerfulness and hope 216-234

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CHAPTER IX.

MANNER-ART.

-

Manner the grace of character-Influence of manner-Politeness

"Etiquette"-True courtesy-Self-restraint - Practical unpolite-

ness Ease of manner-Indications of self-respect - Politeness of

foreigners - Good taste an economist - Instinctive tact of women —

Superficiality of manner-Blunt men— Knox and Luther-Johnson's

gruffness-Shyness and reserve Shyness of Teutonic races-

Englishmen Shakspeare's shyness - Archbishop Whately and

others- Shy Americans Shy men and colonization - Why the

French fail as colonizers The English race inartistic-Art and

civilization
235-263

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-

Shy

iii

Contents.

CHAPTER X.

COMPANIONSHIP OF BOOKS.

-

Men are known by the books they read Good books the best society -

Interest of biography - The great lesson of biography - The Book of

Books - History and biography - Plutarch's Lives,' their influence

- Plutarch's art - Trifles in biography - Portraiture of character

Autobiography - French 'Mémoires pour servir '-Saint-Simon and

La Bruyère-Biography and fiction - Great biographies rare

Boswell's Johnson'-Men and their contemporaries - Unrecorded

lives-Favourite books of great men — - Books the inspirers of youth

- Good books resemble good actions - Books necessaries of life

Moral influence of books

--

CHAPTER XI.

COMPANIONSHIP IN MARRIAGE.

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-

Pages 264-298

Character influenced by marriage - Mutual relations of man and

woman Views of woman's character-Early education of the

sexes- Woman's affectionateness The sentiment of love- Love

an inspirer and purifier - Man in the home-A Christian house-

hold-The woman's kingdom - Brain-women and heart-women-

Qualities of the true wife The golden rule in marriage-Marrying

for beauty-Moral influence of the wife-De Tocqueville, Guizot

-Burke's portrait of his wife. Mrs. Hutchinson's portrait of her

husband-Lady Rachel Russell-Wives of Bunyan, Baxter, Zin-

zendorf, Livingstone, Romilly, Burdett, Graham-Wives as helpers

of scientific men -Wives of Buckland, Huber, Sir W. Hamilton,

Niebuhr, Mill, Carlyle, Faraday, Tom Hood, Sir W. Napier-A galaxy

of noble women- - Wives of Grotius, Heine, Herder, Fichte, Cobbett

-Character of Cobbett

-

-

CHAPTER XII.

THE DISCIPLINE OF EXPERIENCE.

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-

Cervantes-

-

-

299-342

Practical wisdom, how learnt - Evils of seclusion. The school of life

the true school of experience-Youthful ardour-Romance and

reality Enthusiasm and perseverance The apprenticeship of

difficulty-Poverty a stimulus

The lessons of failure

-Failures of great men- -Struggles of genius - Dante and Camoens

-The revenges of time-Sufferings of great men Flinders the

navigator-Illustrious prisoners and prison-writers - Failure not

always loss-Adversity a touchstone- Trials and blessings-Work

amidst suffering - Resignation in affliction-Is happiness an illusion?

-The mystery of life-Duty the aim and end of being 343-372