State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1831-1836, 1836-07-26
COMMUNICATIONS.
For the Stite journal.
TIE STUDY OF THINGS.

traveller and the student oil things, ana oil
perpetuating it for the benefit of future
generations; and, also as means of its
general dissemination among those whose
want of leisure and opportunity preclude
their obtaining it from its original fountains;
vet, he who would be finished scholar
must not be content with the second hand
knowledge which books afford. lie must
look beyond the picture, to the original,
from whence it was drawn. lie must look
into the book of nature and study not
what men have written about it, but what
nature u.s. Who are the men whose genius
commands the respect of future genera
tons, but men who, by critical observation,
have obtained an accurate knowledge of
things Books may have discovered the
taste of these men 10 themselves, and, thus,
have led to the development of talents,
which, without such Indictment, they
would forever have remained unconscious
Of possessing; but books to them, were
only the streams, which seemed to guide
them M to the fountain of knowledge
For they did not stop to slake their thirst
at the muddy brook or tepid pool but
hasteued onward that their spirits might
be refreshed with the cooling draught from
the crystal spring. Some men, who have
neglected the book ofnature, may, by some
peculiar management, have obtained an
ephemeral popularity but this Fictitious
popularity has gone down to the grave with
its posSessor, when il, at length was sub
mitted to the Judgment of dsintercsted and
impartial critics. Nothing will long sur
vive, in which nature does not see reflected
an.image Of herself The productions of
human genius, that have longest survived
the wreo Of time, are those whose authors
We're obliged from necessity, to collect their
knowledge from travelling and observation;
and thus formed their conceptions directly
from what they saw, rather than from the
ideas of others. Homer, as is generally
supposed was a wandering singer in the
regions of Asia Minor. He had do doubt
travelled over the site of the famous Troy.
And when he conceived the design of the
Miad, the land of Priam was no doubt be-
fore him. The mountain scenery with
which it was surrounded, the plain of Hi
am with its murmuring rivers and me-
anderng streams, and the distant rolling
sea were all in his eye. 1t was the sight of
these objects which enabled him to paint TO
the life aud what he had seen of human
nature enabled him TO infuse into his poem
that fire, for which, this work has been
celebrated in all after ages. The reasons
why the writings of Homer are thought TO
display more genius than those of Virgil
is, that the latter on account of his greater
familiarity with the writings of others, has
rendered his vein of thought less original
than that of his great predecessor. Both
studied nature with assiduity and care.
But Iiomar was, probably, obliged by
necessity, to read, almost Exclusively, from
her pages; and to this circumstance, rather
than 10 the superiority of his powers of
mind his poem may be indebted, for those
characteristics in which it eXcelS. Had
Homer passed his life shut up in the Ii
brary Of Gcrman or English University.
he might still have been great poet, but
he probably would have been something
less than Homer
What rave the eloquence of Demosthenes
superiority over that Of Cicero, but It's
being formed, more exclusively, on the
model of things, while that of Cicero was
formed on the model of books?
1t is known that the ancient statuaries
exceeded all WAC have lived after them, in
delincalng the delicate proportions of the
human figure; and their success in this is
attributed to their being accustomed to the
sight of naked men at the public games.
IT'S thus we see, that what is usually
denominated genius, is nothing more, than
the paintings Of the mind irsm real life.
Fancy may sketch thousand fairy forms,
but these vanish away and are forgotten
with the minds that conceived them. All
the wild romance cf Imagination, when
weighed in the balance of Judgment, is
found to be valuelcsS and hence is consign-
ed to oblivion. Whilefhe Writings of an
tiquity have come down to us as the monu-
ments of genus, all the legendary lore OF
the dark ages has persisted, or is preserved
only to illustrate the wilduess and eXtrava-
game, to which the human mind will
wander, when it ceases to be guided by
truth and reulity. Judging from the past
we may suppose how little Of the literary
fiction of the present day, will he likely Il
go down TO posterty. Only, inOsmnch n
this may give true picture of real life, i
will be likely to be preserved. If the nam'
of Sir Walter Scott, may, hereafter, bt
celebrated in song, it win not be, because
he has written novels. hut, because hi
novels exhibit true picture of his country
men. 1t will be, because in preparing his
mind for his literary lahors, he was no
content with the perusal of books merely
nor with following the romantic wander
ings of morbid imagination, but tool
pains to become accurately acquainted
with the manners and customs and charac
ter of the inhabitants Of the country, wher
he laid his PRINCIPAL scenes. Because nue.
ofthc scenery Of his descriptions was draw
from actual observation. AS he told lis i
Que of his ballads:
He cmcd the dark brow Of the mighty Helveln
and there with his own eyes,
Tie marked the sad spot where the wand'rer HI
died.