Excerpt from The True Idea of Success in Life: An Address Delivered Before the Union and Philanthrope Societies of Hampden Sidney College, June 10, 1857 I have accepted the invitation to address you on this anniversary occasion, not alone for the honor of being the first to represent before the public your conjoined me hership, never before united under similar circumstances. My chief motive for appearing here to-day sprang from the natural desire to take part in the annual festivities of an Institution of Learning, which was, during several happy years, the leading object of my thoughts and the foremost subject of my prayers. More gladly than I can tell, do I return to these scenes of a former labor and to this home of a past enjoyment. With unfeigned eagerness have I come up to this dear old place to meet those cherished friends who, not forgotten, have also, I feel sure, been not forgetting. But yet I would that this hour of gladness were not fringed with a sorrow, which, after all, makes me almost wish myself not here. I am oppressed by the fact, that, amid the familiar persons of well-remembered neighbors and friends, there are those absent whom these scenes used always to welcome, but whom their recurrence can never greet again. How shall I proceed to the subject of my address without pausing a moment for the purpose of letting my thoughts come back from the grave of that best Old man, who so lately stood the pastor of the church worshipping in this house, with feeble frame, but strong heart and unquenchable earnestness, to deliver divine messages from a pulpit, not yet filled by his successor. Excellent man! Noble Christian! Faithful preacher! May some attending angel carry thee our bless ings on this day of our assembling near that sacred desk upon which thy lamented virtues have left imperishable honor! About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.