And yet you are not required to crucify yourselves; but on the contrary, it is your duty, while striving to live for others, to live for yourselves, and thus make yourselves and your homes as happy as possible. It is not in the shade, but in the sunshine, that you should seek to live. It is only the _now_ of life, the fleeting present, of which you are certain. If, then, you would be prosperous, if you would be happy, if you would look to the future with a pleasing hope, so live as to feel that you are sustained, in all you do, by an approving conscience, and by the divine counsels of Infinite Wisdom. It is only by living thus that you can make life on earth what it should be,--a heaven-life. He who made all things has made no distinction between heaven and earth. It is man that has made the distinction. The natural atmosphere which surrounds the earth is pure and healthful; it is only the moral atmosphere that has become impure and deleterious. It needs no chemical agencies to purify it; it must be purified, if at all, by moral agencies. In other words, we must recognize our obligations to our fellow-men, and obey the "Golden Rule," as prescribed by the law of love, if we would succeed in making earth a heaven. Almost every American of culture has an object in view for which he lives,--some ultimate aim or aspiration which stimulates him to effort. It may be a desire to excel in some one of the learned professions, or to become a millionnaire, a hero in the battle-field, a Solon in the halls of legislation, perhaps President of the United States. In attempting achievements of this character, it should be remembered that knowledge is the basis of success. It is knowledge that gives power, and wisdom that should direct us in wielding it. Yet a man may be learned, and still be a cipher in the world. God gave to man a divine outline, and then left him to perfect himself, at least in a mental sense. This he must do, or remain an animal, and "feed on husks." Nearly all our great men are self-made men. This is true of Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, and scores of others who, like them, have acquired an enviable renown. Thus, in all ages of the world, have men of noble aspirations reached eminent positions and immortalized their names. It is somewhat surprising, however, that most of our American graduates look to the learned professions, rather than to a practical business life, as affording the widest field for the acquisition of wealth and high social position. This, it seems to me, is a great mistake. Not more than one professional man in ten ever rises above mediocrity in his profession, though he may prove to be useful, and succeed in acquiring a comfortable livelihood. In fact, the learned professions have yet to learn that the supply exceeds the demand. And hence there is but little use in attempting to shine as a "star" in any of the professions, unless you have a sufficient brilliancy to take rank as a "star of the first magnitude."