"--"Yes," said he, "rather
crowded below, but there is plenty of room above." Littleness and
mediocrity always seek the paths worn by superior men; and the truly
illustrious in literature and science are few in number compared with
those who attempt to tread in the footsteps of their illustrious
predecessors; but none of these things ought to deter young men of
ability, industry, and integrity, from boldly entering the lists,
without fear of failure. The world is usually just, and it will
ultimately award the tokens of its approbation to those who deserve
success.
And there is a happy peculiarity in talent,--the variety is so great
that the competition is small. Of all the living authors, are there two
so alike that they can be considered competitors or rivals? The nation
has applauded and set the seal of its approbation upon the eloquence of
Henry, Otis, Adams, Ames, Pinckney, Wirt, Calhoun, Clay, and Webster,
not because these men resembled one another, but because each had
peculiarities and excellences of his own. The same variety of excellence
is seen in living orators, and in all the eloquence and learning of
antiquity which time has spared and history has transmitted to us. It is
said that when Aristides wrote the sentence of his own banishment for a
humble and unknown enemy, the only reason given by the peasant was that
he was "tired with hearing him called the Just.
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