Du Buque visitor. [volume] (Dubuque, Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1836-1837, 1836-12-14

Boston pUst.
FRANKLIN NO GENIUS. fol-
lowing article from Biackwood's Maya
zine, has lately been running the rounds
of the papers and Judging from the at
tent'on paid to it, we should infer j,
had obtained considerable degree of
public favor.
DR.. Franki'n..--Th leading faculty Of
DR.. Fra.klin's MAD, the faculty which made
him remarkable, and set him apart from other
mcn---thc generator in truth, OF all his power
----was good sense, nothing more. He was
not man Of genius; there was no brilliancy
about him; little or no fervor; nothing like
poetry or eloquence; yet by the sole untring,
continual operation of this humble, unpretcnd-
ing quality Of the mind, he came to do more
in the world Of science----more in the revolu-
ton of empires---uneducated or self educated
as he was, than five hundred others migl.thave
done, each with more genius, more fervor.
more eloquence and more brilliancy."
DR.. franklin "n0 genius" To
this sentiment we must demur, It has
heretofore been our opinion, that II
American soil has ever produced a
genius" FRANKLIN was the man. But
lest we war about words. we enquire
what is meant by the term "genius?"
ADDISON uses it to mean-"A man
endo,ced scith superior faculties"
WALLER" Mental po'oer and IA
culties,"-'sDRYDEN,"- "Disposifi0n
By nature by ,ohich any one is quail,
fed far same Deculi0r enapIOyaneni.'
-[See Todtl's Johnson, Boston edi-
ition, improved.] Take the term in
any Of the senses and it will assurcdly
apply to DR.. Franklin. Had he moi
superior faculties,?" -strong "mental
power" Did he not give evidence
that he was qualified by nature for
some. yen, any ''empioyment," Did
he not stand at the head Of the nation
as mechanic philosopher, a states
man. Had Franklin possessed no &c.
MUS, would the i" lightning of heaven
yielded to his philosophy, "'-Would
a son Of Britain have said, when COM
pairing him with the ablcst statesman
Of his nation, 'smy lord they are mere
pigmics" by his side? Could he with
a common mind only. though exertine
the most unceasing enterprise ever have
elevated himself from poverty and
from obscurity, to be one, Of the first
men of his age?
/ Saws the article under consideration.
the DR.. had nothing like seloquence'
True! if cloquence as some suppose,
signifies nothing more than certain
trick Of speech: the art Of vanquish-
ing a weak argument plausibly; or Of
speaking SO as to please and tickle the
ear;'-but eloquence is what that mas
ter Of Rhetoric, DR.. Blair has defined
it to be-viz: s.the art of speaking IN
such a manner as to attain the end for
which you speak" then no man in
America was more eloquent than DR..
Franklin. It is said, his speeches in
Congress seldom exceeded FIVE or ten
minutes. Butyou are not to attribute this
brevity to any lack Of eloquence, but
to the perfection Of that art.
Ar occurrence which happened moi
long since, in our own town, is oppo.
site to this subject. A stranger hav'
ing visited one of our extensive -four
manufactories-the principal miller
very courteously conducted him t.
every part Of the extensive establish
ment; the visitant being much graft
lied with what he saw, remarked, ~
certainly has taken great genius tt
compass all this work, consisting as i
does Of as many parts" The miller
understanding, replied, :" It is sir fo'
the want Of genius that the concern
has so many parts; had the mechanics
understood his business he could have
accomplished the same results witt
one.fourth less machinery. !" The Dr.