- 38 HOW TO ATTAIN TRUE GREATNESS. with something in his tone and manner s0_ like a distaste for the whole subject, that his friend felt unwilling to press it further upon his attention. The two young men here introduced had just graduated at one of our first literary ‘nstitutions, and were about selecting pro- fessions. But in doing 80, their acknow- ledged motives were, aS may be gathered from what has gone before, very different. The one avowed a determination to be what he called a great man, that he might have the glory of greatness. The other tried to cherish a higher and better motive of action. Abercrombie was not long in deciding upon a profession. His choice was law. And the reason of his choice was, not that he might be useful to his fellow- men, but because in the profession of law he could come in contact with the great mass of the people in a way to make just such an impression upon them as he wished. In the practice of law, too, he could bring out his powers of oratory, and cultivate a % *