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POETICAL SOLUTION TO THE CHARADES IN NO. 24.

1. A town in Kent is Maidstone, am I right?

2. The next is Shakespeare, once an idle wight,

3. But now no bookcase (filled though it may be 5. With tales of fairyland and chivalry)

Can be complete without his revelry.

4. Coal-box comes now, and then (6) I think a nettle (Tell) ? Though somewhat dubious of the man of mettle.

7, 8. The smoke of commerce darkens Liverpool,

9. And bird-lime snares the robin,-though no fool!

10. But seamanship must now increase the numbers of my line,

11. And sunbeam*, I have heard them say, in cucumbers may shine. 12. Be that as 't may, no outrage I'll commit,

But sing of cauliflower and then exit.

J. C. Z.

We have received answers to the Charades in No. 24 from Bonnie Dundee, Alfred Trip, G. S. Williams, William Sevestre, T. B., Andrew Lawson, J. J. Gorton, James Sevestre.

ma eb nus.

DECAPITATION.-Madam, Adam, Dam, Am, M (1000).

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THE DEBATING CLUB.

IS AMBITION A VICE, OR A VIRTUE?

VIRTUE.

THERE were many men, famous in history, who, through ambition, rose high in the world, lived useful, sin-hating lives, and died, leaving mankind considerably benefited by the results of their aspirations.

These were James Watt, George Stephenson, Lord Clyde, William Pitt, Benjamin Franklin, Charles James Fox, Nelson, George Washington.

Whatever station of life we may be in, whatever vocation we may follow, it never does us any harm to be ambitious, provided always that our desires are pure and attainable by honest means. Every soldier should enter the army with the hope of one day becoming a general; for though the chance is very small, still it will make him more attentive to his duty, more obedient to his superiors, and more careful as to his habits, than if he had no other desire than to remain a private soldier all his life. The same rule applies to every other profession. The desire to be something greater than we are makes us more willing to do our duty in the present state of life, knowing that by such conduct our desires have a greater chance of being realized than if we passed our time in pleasure, murmuring, or idleness. J. C. BRENAN.

Nor the ambition of the meaner earth,
Such as gave Julius or Napoleon birth,
Or sent the Carthaginian from his home

To fight the Romans and to threaten Rome---
These were the heroes of the bygone days,

Who sought an earthly prize and earthly praise,--
But the ambition of the saints of old,

Who scorned both earthly fame and earthly gold,
The martyrs who have left immortal names,
But gave their bodies to the burning flames.
Oh, by a hard and thorny path they trod,
Ambitious of the mansions of their God!
And may not we, poor souls in sinful clay,
May we not follow where they led the way?
May we not leave our earthly hopes behind,
Scatter our passions to the earthly wind,

Fill heart and nerve with heavenly hope and love,
"Fix our affections on the things above?"

That were ambition worthy of a man,

That the ambition of the heav'nly plan,
That the ambition of the chosen few,
That an ambition virtuous, grand, and true.

O. M. O. D.

man

THE natural dignity of man would be entirely lost without ambition, it being an essential element in that principle of self-esteem the exercise of which fosters that regard for one's own standing and character which has ever been more or less felt by all rational and civilized beings. Were it not for that inherent self-regard, would hopelessly sink (as he sometimes does) to the level of the brute; and it is ambition (that natural, intense, and earnest desire for preferment, progression, and success) which keeps alive the respect principle that is implanted in the breast of every right-minded individual. Man without ambition would be but a poor, grovelling creature, low and debased in taste; and without its influence there could be no elevation of character, no rising in the scale of intellectuality. Like fire, ambition may be considered a warming, genial, animating element in its legitimate application, and can in no way approach to an evil except in its excessive abuse. That there are various grades or degrees of ambition no one will venture to

deny in some it is so feebly marked as to be scarcely perceptible, in others it is ardent and glowing, and has led many to make those great and important scientific discoveries which are the source of so much wonder to the world at large. Ambition induces perseverance to overcome the greatest difficulties, and, as Bacon observes, "it makes a man active and earnest," and has often proved the truth of the old saying, "Nothing venture, nothing win." Numerous illustrations might be quoted as to the value of the principle of ambition. What would Arkwright, Watt, Stephenson, and a host of others, have been without it? How often has it given fresh energy to the exhausted and worn-out traveller, and how frequently has it led him on, until his renewed efforts have given to the world some important discovery, which has proved the means of blessing and civilizing multitudes of its inhabitants. Without ambition nothing great can be accomplished, and it ought to be the "guiding star of every path, and should animate the spirit of all who would become wise and good.

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VICE.

H. GARDNER.

To use the words of Bacon, "it is very much like anger, which makes men full of alacrity if it is not checked, but if it is checked in any manner, and not able to have its own way, it becomes malign and venomous." If this definition is correct, ambition cannot be called a virtue; and as there is not a middle course left, it must be a vice. An ambitious man is never satisfied, for if he gains one point, he only regards it as a reason for being higher: as the Duke of Northumberland, who lived in the reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., and Mary; his ruin was ambition. It also made Richard III. murder his nephews. It led Jugartha to kill Hiempsal and Adherbal. Ambitious men seldom succeed finally. Julius Cæsar was assassinated. A passion that does not scruple at murder, usurpation, and advancing itself at the expense of others, cannot be called a virtue. F. C. PHILIPS.

AMBITION has been considered a vice by innumerable writers. It is condemned in Holy Writ. An ambitious man, to gain his desire, considers no crime too great. Ambition caused the archangel Satan to be cast forth from heaven; he aspired to be equal to God. Absolom and Nebuchadnezzar were both ambitious: Cæsar, Alexander the Great, and Wolsey were ambitious. The latter acknowledged that nis ambition had estranged him from his Maker.

An ambitious man, after a long and wearisome life, spent in endeavouring to attain some great end, will fail, or should he obtain his desire, his constitution will be so shattered and undermined, that he will not live to enjoy it. Shakespeare tells us that " Vaulting Ambition hath o'erleapt itself."

F. C. WHARTON.

A GOOD man would be contented to remain in that station in life in which he might be placed. It is not so with an ambitious man: however opulent or important his position may be, still he must rise higher-his desires are insatiable.

Supposing the ambitious man to have gained his end, must not power in the hands of such a man be extremely dangerous to those who are immediately under its influence? It would be dangerous to the world, or at least a large portion of it, Virtue would exercise justice aright: if ambition were a virtue it would do so, but we know that it does not. As an ambitious man gains his power, so does he exercise it, unjustly.

It banishes all happiness. A man who has the consciousness of crime on his mind, who is never satisfied with what he has, knows no happiness. And when he has reached the height of his ambition he never lives long to enjoy it: the fatigue he has endured in procuring it, the weight of the burden it places on his shoulders, the continual dread of being deprived of it, of his being assassinated by some one of his numerous enemies, all is too much; he either sinks at once, or lingers out a few years of unhappiness. And as ambition was his curse through life so is it his ruin in the end.

Among the many examples that can be given of ambitious men are Cæsar, Antony, Brutus, Wolsey, Henry I., Cromwell, Cardinal Richelieu, and Napoleon. Space will not admit of recording their lives; besides, they are too well known to need it. But these are some of the more notorious cases; there are many ambitious men in a lower

station of life, and consequently are less known-the effects of their ambitious actions are confined to a certain quarter. But whoever he may be, as far as the effects of his actions are felt, the deeds of an ambitious man are evil.

Now, has ambition ever done for the world anything that may justify its being called a virtue? No; on the contrary, its actions are exactly opposite to those of virtue. Again, if the actions of an ambitious man are good they must have good effects, but this is contrary to all we know of ambitious men and their deeds. No instance can be given of a really ambitious man having done good by those actions which were committed only for the accomplishment of his own designs. A good man in the pursuance of his own plans is not unmindful of his fellow-creatures; he does not persist in that line of action which is hurtful or obnoxious to them; if he cannot perform what he desires by any other means, then he would rather relinquish it entirely. It is not so with the ambitious man: he has no regard for the welfare or comfort of any one else when his own plaus are in question; he will not give up any of his extravagant ideas; in fact his actions and their effects are exactly opposite to those which might be supposed to be the actions of a good man. Now these are facts, and as such can hardly be disputed. I conclude with once more maintaining that ambition is a vice. G. S. WILLIAMS.

AMBITION may be regarded as a dangerous stimulant to the human mind, and should, therefore, not be allowed to create an undue excitement in our ideas of the result which its powerful inducements impress upon our fancy.

It is to be regretted that the most eminent statesmen have been misguided by its influence when unattended with that control which a philosophical judgment can alone ensure.

Its baneful effects are well known to those who allow themselves to be carried away by the glittering prospect it presents, which as they continue to approach it as fast recedes, and thus the pursuit is never at an end; and he who would fain obtain the object of his wishes seldom finds more than the shadow of the substance he so eagerly sought after, disappointment ultimately affecting those whose breasts heave with that worldly ambition which, although admired by some, proves, after all, but a burden upon the mind of its possessor, and not unfrequently generates an unfriendly spirit towards those whose position by birth and rank render them superior.

I therefore conclude, from the false virtues it exhibits, and the evils arising from the unceasing desires it entails, that it is better far to be content with an easy and laudable emulation than to be deceived by a baneful ambition. W. J. FENNELL.

AMBITION is a vice because it leads people to covet and desire things that do not belong to them; for what is the coveting of anything but the desire of having it? History has many pages which recount the troubles which have been occasioned by ambition, such as the Wars of the Roses, or the Civil Wars which ended with the death of Charles I. of England, or the war in Italy in the 16th century; or, later still, the wars in the latter end of last century and the beginning of this, in which Napoleon the Great played so prominent a part. In the first of these instances the Duke of York on the one side, and the Duke of Lancaster on the other, were each ambitious of the crown, and there was hardly a family in England which had not to mourn a departed relation; in the next, Italy was laid waste by foreign armies fighting for the dominion of Italy; in the last, every nation except our own was subdued by the ambitious Artillery Officer.

The very derivation of the word indicates that it is a vice, for it is composed of ambo and eo, and signifies "to go between," and shows its double-sidedness. Ambi tion leads to avarice, and makes the man who is subject to it a cruel master and a mistrustful friend. It is never satisfied, is the source of all troubles.

GROSVENOR HODGKINSON.

The result of this debate is that ambition is a vice. The defeated competitors can, however, console themselves with the reflection that they fought three against five; for two of their comrades, Ivanhoe and Excelsior, shamefully neglected to forward their arguments. So satisfied are we with the papers we have read that we present the February number of EVERY BOY'S MAGAZINE to each of the eight competitors.

The next subject for debate will be announced in No. 26.

LAYS OF THE BATTLE-FIELDS.

BY HENRY G. HUNT.

No. 1.-CULLODEN, 1746. 'TWAS morning; the sun from the orient brought day,

And scared the pale moon from the heavens away;

He brighten'd all Nature, made everything gay,

And drank up the dew on Culloden Moor.

So hoped royal Charles, as the conquering sun,

To keep the fair kingdom so nearly won; To drive away BRUNSWICK, and, everything done,

To quaff of sweet nectar all Victory's store.

Vain hope, that is doom'd to lie wither'd and dead!

Like lightning from clouds waging war overhead;

One short vivid flash, and for ever 'tis fled,

And the gloom is intenser by far than before!

Duke Cumberland comes in hot haste to the fight,

To decide by his might the old question of right

The strongest Prince will be King tonight,

The White Rose must triumph or perish in gore!

And now do they meet,-and the pride

and the bloom

Of each army are hid in the tumult and gloom;

The cries of the fallen are lost in the boom

Of thundering cannon and musketry's roar.

One fights to regain, the other to save; The struggle is fierce, for both armies are brave:

There many a veteran findeth his grave;

But STUART gives way, and the battle is o'er.

Away fly the Highlanders, sad is the rout,

Their arms and their baggage are scatter'd about;

The lamp of their hope is for ever burnt out,

And trampled in earth lies the
Scottish claymore.

Proud HANOVER triumphs, and Charlie is fled :

A fugitive man, with a price on his head. He escapes-gains a ship-and the canvass is spread

And the cause of the STUART is dead evermore !

RETURN OF SPRING.

LET Winter, with his icy fingers, flee, And gentle zephyrs whisper in each lofty

tree.

Let freshening dews on Flora's offspring fall,

And sunshine soon dissolve the snowy pall.

Then shall each bud put forth its beauteous head,

And fragrant blossoms deck each garden bed.

The lofty trees shall be with verdure clad, And singing birds shall make each forest glad.

'Tis morn! the dewdrops glisten on each flower,

The ivy climbs and forms a radiant bower;

The bees go forth to gather honey for their store,

And then go forth again in quest of more.

'Tis eve! Phoebus is sinking in the west,

The earth is falling into peaceful rest; The sheep-bells now are tinkling on the hills,

And softly now is heard the rippling of the rills.

'Tis night! and darkness reigneth all around,

Except where struggling moonbeams touch the ground,

And nought is heard (but silence reigns supreme),

Save now and then the gurgling of a

stream.

Thus Winter, with his icy fingers, fled, And Spring return'd to deck each garden bed.

The trees are therefore now with verdure clad,

And birds have home return'd to make the forests glad.

T. D. P.

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