I’ve been a considerable amount of my online time on the blog of Herrick Kimball, The Deliberate Agrarian, since that is where we seem to be going. Anyway, in his archives I came upon this snippet of Samuel Allen, an agrarian who lived at the time of Charlotte Mason. These are the habits he sought to develop in his life. Sound familiar?
Precepts of Samuel L. Allen
(found among his earliest papers)
[slightly edited]
Acquire the Habits of :
Punctuality in everything. Attention. Observation. Patience. Doing things systematically. Finishing everything undertaken. Untiring industry.
Cultivate the Habits of :
Thoroughness in every study. Doing everything well. Learning something from everyone. Thinking deeply, powerfully, and comprehensively. Reviewing — remembering that next to perseverance it is the great secret of success as a student.
Cultivate the Habits of a Gentleman:
Politeness. Cheerfulness. Good humor. The memory, by observation, reading, conversation and reflection. Command over my temper. The conscience.
Cultivate the Habits of:
Daily prayer. Self-control of the tongue. Self-control of the feelings. Self-control of the thoughts. Self-control of the heart. Soundness of judgment. Humility and liberality of heart.
Beware of: Temptations:
Light reading (which enfeebles the mind and corrupts the heart). Silly speeches. Silly acting. Fault finding. Bad company. The first step in sin. Secret sins. Bad books. Indulging in reveries of imagination. Contracting the habit of procrastination. Levity upon sacred subjects.
Do not refuse to walk in a difficult path of duty. Never neglect any opportunity of self-improvement. Strive to improve thoughts when alone. Have a plan laid beforehand for every day. Have regard to the position of the body. Be simple and neat in personal habits. Treat properly my parents, friends and companions. Seek to ” know thyself.” Form fixed principles on which to think and act. Faithfully review my conduct at stated intervals. LiveNever neglect any opportunity of self-improvement. Strive to improve thoughts when alone. Have a plan laid beforehand for every day. Have regard to the position of the body. Be simple and neat in personal habits. Treat properly my parents, friends and companions. Seek to ” know thyself.” Form fixed principles on which to think and act. Faithfully review my conduct at stated intervals. Live to do good and make this my aim in company and conversation. Do not waste the company’s time or my own by talking trifles. Do not endeavor to be a wit or punster. Do not view words in an unnatural light for the sake of smart sayings. Beware of severe speaking. Be careful in introducing topics of conversation. Say as little as possible about myself, friends, deeds, etc.