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

boston rust.
FRANKLIN NO GENIus.-The fol-
lowing article from Biackwood' s Maya
zine, has lately been running the rounds
of the papers and judging from the at
tention paid to it, we should infer it
had obtained considerable degree Of
public favor.
IS DR.. Franklin. THE leading faculty Of
DR.. Fra:klin's miad, 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 sol. untiring,
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 migI.thave
done. each with more genius, more fervos.
more eloquence and more brilliancy."
DR.. franklin no genius" To
this sentiment we must demur, It has
heretofore been our opinion, that if
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 aOith superior, faculties"
WALLER" Mental pover anu ./a-
cultics," -"DRYDEN,''- -" Disposition
By nature By achich any one Is quail
fed far same peculiar ensploynsenf."
-(Sec Todd's Johnson, Boston edi-
ition, improved Take the term in
any Of the senses and it will assurcdly
apply to DR.. Franklin. Had he not
superior faculties? "-strong 'mental
power" Did he not give evidence
that he was qualified by nature for
some. yea, any ''cmpIoyment," Did
he not stand at the head of the nation
as mechanic philosopher, a states
man. Had Franklin possessed no &C.
MUS, would the lightning of heaven
yielded to his philosophy, ?"-Would
son of Britain have said, when COM
pairing him with the ablcst statesman
Of HIS nation, "my lord they are mere
pigmies" by his side? Could he with
common mind only, though exerting
the most unceasing enterprise ever have
elevated himself from poverty and
from obscurity, to be one. Of the first
men Of his age?
| Says the article under consideration.
the DR.. had nothing like sseloquence'
True! if eloquence as some suppose,
signifies nothing more than certain
trick Of speech: the art Of vanquish-
ing 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 manner as to attain the end for
which you speak," then no man in
America was more eloquent than Dr..
Franklin. 1t is said, his speeches in
Congress seldom exceeded FIVE or ten
minutes. But arenot to attribute this
brevity to any lack Of eloquence, but
TO the perfection Of that art.
Ar occurrence which happened not
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 to
every part Of the extensive establish
ment; the visitant being much graft
fed with what he saw, remarked, "lt
certainly has taken great genius to
compass all this work, consisting as it
does Of as many parts" The miller
understanding, replied, 1T is sir for
the want Of genius that the concern
has SO many parts; had the mechanics
understood his business he could have
accomplished the same results with
-. r -. - q. .HIyln n.