The author’s personal interest having in this way been attracted to the subject of Self-Help, he was accustomed to add to the memoranda from which he had addressed these young men; and to note down occasionally in his leisure evening moments, after the hours of business, the results of such reading, observation, and experience of life, as he conceived to bear upon it. One of the most prominent illustrations cited in his earlier addresses, was that of George Stephenson, the engineer; and the original interest of the subject, as well as the special facilities and opportunities which the author possessed for illustrating Mr. Stephenson’s life and career, induced him to prosecute it at his leisure, and eventually to publish his biography. The present volume is written in a similar spirit, as it has been similar in its origin. The illustrative sketches of character introduced, are, however, necessarily less elaborately treated—being busts rather than full-length portraits, and, in many of the cases, only some striking feature has been noted; the lives of individuals, as indeed of nations, often concentrating their lustre and interest in a few passages. Such as the book is, the author now leaves it in the hands of the reader; in the hope that the lessons of industry, perseverance, and self-culture, which it contains, will be found useful and instructive, as well as generally interesting. _London_, _September_, 1859. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. SELF-HELP—NATIONAL AND INDIVIDUAL. Spirit of Self-Help—Institutions and men—Government a Page reflex of the individualism of a nation—Cæsarism and 1–26 Self-Help—William Dargan on Independence—Patient labourers in all ranks—Self-Help a feature in the English character—Power of example and of work in practical education—Value of biographies—Great men belong to no exclusive class or rank—Illustrious men sprung from the ranks—Shakespeare—Various humble origin of many eminent men—Distinguished astronomers—Eminent sons of clergymen—Of attorneys—Illustrious foreigners of humble origin—Vauquelin, the chemist—Promotions from the ranks in the French army—Instances of persevering application and energy—Joseph Brotherton—W. J. Fox—W. S. Lindsay—William Jackson—Richard Cobden—Diligence indispensable to usefulness and distinction—The wealthier ranks not all idlers—Examples—Military men—Philosophers—Men of science—Politicians—Literary men—Sir Robert Peel—Lord Brougham—Lytton—Disraeli—Wordsworth on self-reliance—De Tocqueville: his industry and recognition of the help of others—Men their own best helpers CHAPTER II.