How many a lad, when he looks upon the sea stretching away into the boundless distance and sees the white-sailed ships that move majestically on it like things of life, is seized with a restless desire to be a sailor. He pictures the foreign ports where* he will land, and the strange people he will see ; he longs to see the tropical splendor of the sunny south, or the sublime desolation of the northern seas. It seems womanish to him to stay at home and work at some hum- drum calling, and die like his fathers, knowing nothing of the great world except one little corner of it. Even a father's objections and a mother's tears are not strong enough in their influence to keep him ashore. Away he sails till his native land is left far away behind him. Sometimes the rough experience of a sailor's life suits his hardy and adventurous nature, but in many instances he repents his choice before the first voyage is over and wishes he had stayed on land. But if he now abandons the sea after some months of seamanship, he will find it harder to settle down into the routine of trade or business than before. Many captains even are heard regretting that they chose the seafaring life, and advising young lads not to do the same. It is a great mistake to imagine that regular attention to commerce or trade prevents a man from feeling an interest in anything eke and makes his mind narrow and unsympathetic. Some of the greatest of our modern poets and historians have been bankers and merchants; many farmers and field laborers, as well as clerks in public and private offices of business, have written beautiful poems and stories, or made great political .speeches and been chosen by their fellow-citizens to represent them in the national legislature. A man's mind may travel 144 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. / far and wide while he is toiling with his hands and arms. Of course, however, he must not forget what he is about or let his imagination interfere with his figures or his mechanical skill. To succeed in any wprk one must have one's heart in it. When a man gets up in the morning it makes all the difference in the world whether, when he bids his home good-bye for the day, he thinks " Now for another day's slavery " at that abominable trade or busi- ness, or as he looks at the clock feels eager to be at his desk in the store, or at his work in the field, and go on with the job he is doing, just where he left off yesterday. It is pleasant to watch the honest pride and pleasure which some men take in their work. The gardener points with kindling eye to his beautiful flower-beds, and as he culls some pretty specimens tells you all about the nature of the soil and the time and trouble he has taken to make such and such plants grow in it, or asks you what you think of the shape of the beds, the effect of his combinations of colors, the neatly trimmed borders, the even grass plots, the greenhouse with its tropical and early produce. The cabinet maker shows you his last piece of work, and tells you how long it took him to carry out his ideal of what the piece of furniture should be in design and ornamentation. The artist begs you to notice the light and shade in his last picture, and tell him what you think of the effect of his grouping and colors.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

How many a lad, when he looks upon the sea stretching away into the boundless distance and sees the white-sailed ships that move majestically on it like things of life, is seized with a restless desire to be a sailor. He pictures the foreign ports where he will land, and the strange people he will see ; he longs to see the tropical splendor of the sunny south, or the sublime desolation of the northern seas. It seems womanish to him to stay at home and work at some humdrum calling, and die like his fathers, knowing nothing of the great world except one little corner of it. Even a father's objections and a mother's tears are not strong enough in their influence to keep him ashore. Away he sails till his native land is left far away behind him. Sometimes the rough experience of a sailor's life suits his hardy and adventurous nature, but in many instances he repents his choice before the first voyage is over and wishes he had stayed on land. But if he now abandons the sea after some months of seamanship, he will find it harder to settle down into the routine of trade or business than before. Many captains even are heard regretting that they chose the seafaring life, and advising young lads not to do the same. It is a great mistake to imagine that regular attention to commerce or trade prevents a man from feeling an interest in anything eke and makes his mind narrow and unsympathetic. Some of the greatest of our modern poets and historians have been bankers and merchants; many farmers and field laborers, as well as clerks in public and private offices of business, have written beautiful poems and stories, or made great political .speeches and been chosen by their fellow-citizens to represent them in the national legislature. A man's mind may travel 144 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. / far and wide while he is toiling with his hands and arms. Of course, however, he must not forget what he is about or let his imagination interfere with his figures or his mechanical skill. To succeed in any work one must have one's heart in it. When a man gets up in the morning it makes all the difference in the world whether, when he bids his home good-bye for the day, he thinks " Now for another day's slavery " at that abominable trade or business, or as he looks at the clock feels eager to be at his desk in the store, or at his work in the field, and go on with the job he is doing, just where he left off yesterday. It is pleasant to watch the honest pride and pleasure which some men take in their work. The gardener points with kindling eye to his beautiful flower-beds, and as he culls some pretty specimens tells you all about the nature of the soil and the time and trouble he has taken to make such and such plants grow in it, or asks you what you think of the shape of the beds, the effect of his combinations of colors, the neatly trimmed borders, the even grass plots, the greenhouse with its tropical and early produce. The cabinet maker shows you his last piece of work, and tells you how long it took him to carry out his ideal of what the piece of furniture should be in design and ornamentation. The artist begs you to notice the light and shade in his last picture, and tell him what you think of the effect of his grouping and colors.

The hearthstone; or, Life at home