John Todd,D.D. （b. 1800,d. 1873）,was born in Rutland,Vt. In 1842 he was settled as a pastor of a Congregational Church,in Pittsfield,Mass,In 1834,he published "Lectures tChildren";in 1835,"The Student‘s Manual," a valuable and popular work,which has been translated intseveral European languages;in 1836,"The Sabbath-School Teacher";and in 1841,"The Lost Sister of Wyoming." He was one of the founders of the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.
1.None has a temper naturally sgood,that it does not need attention and cultivation2,and none has a temper sbad,but that,by proper culture,it may become pleasant. One of the best disciplined3 tempers ever seen,was that of a gentleman whwas naturally quick,irritable,rash,and violent;but,by having the care of the sick,and especially of deranged people,he scompletely mastered himself that he was never known tbe thrown off his guard.
2.The difference in the happiness which is received or bestowed by the man whgoverns his temper,and that by the man whdoes not,is immense. There is nmisery sconstant,sdistressing,and sintolerable4 tothers,as that of having a disposition which is your master,and which is continually fretting itself. There are corners enough,at every turn in life,against which we may run,and at which we may break out in impatience,if we choose.
1Control,subdue,restrain,govern.
2Culture,cultivation,improvement by effort. 3 Disciplined,brought under control,trained. 4Intolerable,not capable of being borne.
3.Look at Roger Sherman,whrose from a humble occupation ta seat in the first Congress of the United States,and whose judgment was received with great deferenceby1 that body of distinguished men. He made himself master of his temper,and cultivated it as a great business in life. There are one or twinstances which show this part of his character in a light that is beautiful.
4.One day,after having received his highest honors,he was sitting and reading in his parlor. A roguish student,in a room close by,held a looking-glass in such a position as tpour the reflected rays of the sun directly in Mr. Sherman’s face. He moved his chair,and the thing was repeated. A third time the chair was moved,but the looking- glass still reflected the sun in his eyes. He laid aside his book,went tthe window,and many witnesses of the impudence expected thear the ungentlemanly student severely reprimanded2. He raised the window gently,and then-shut the window blind!
5.I can not forbear adducing another instance of the power he had acquired over himself. He was naturally possessed of strong passions;but over these he at length obtained an extraordinary control. He became habitually calm,sedate,and self-possessed. Mr. Sherman was one of those men whare not ashamed tmaintain the forms of religion in their families. One morning he called them all together,as usual,tlead them in prayer tGod;the "old family Bible" was brought out,and laid on the table.
6.Mr. Sherman took his seat,and placed beside him one of his children,a child of his old age;the rest of the family were seated around the room;several of these were now grown up. Besides these,some of the tutors of the college were boarders in the family,and were present at the time alluded to. His aged and superannuated3 mother occupied a corner of the room,opposite the place where the distinguished judge sat.
1Deference,regard,respect.
2Reprimanded,reproved for a fault.
3Superannuated,impaired by old age and infirmity.
7.At length,he opened the Bible,and began tread. The child whwas seated beside him made some little disturbance,upon which Mr. Sherman paused and told it tbe still. Again he proceeded;but again he paused treprimand the little offender,whose playful disposition would scarcely permit it tbe still. And this time he gently tapped its ear. The blow,if blow it might be called,caught the attention of his aged mother,whnow,with some effort,rose from the seat,and tottered across the room. At length she reached the chair of Mr. Sherman,and,in a moment,most unexpectedly thim,she gave him a blow on the ear with all the force she could summon. "There," said she,"you strike your child,and I will strike mine."
8.For a moment,the blood was seen mounting tthe face of Mr. Sherman;but it was only for a moment,when all was calm and mild as usual. He paused;he raised his spectacles;he cast his eye upon his mother;again it fell upon the book from which he had been reading. Not a word escaped him;but again he calmly pursued the service,and soon after sought in prayer an ability tset an example before his household which would be worthy of their imitation. Such a victory was worth more than the proudest one ever achieved1 on the field of battle.
1Achieved,gained.