Southern telegraph., 1838-11-28


mental action, and nothing else, is genius.
And 50 far as there is any native predispO-
sition about this enyiable character Of mind,
It is predspOsition TO that action. That is
the only test Of the original bias; and he
who does not come to that point, though he
may have shrewdness, and readiness, and
parts, never had genius. No need to waste
regrets upon him, as without tina: he never
could be induced to give his attention or stu
dy to any thing; he never had that which he
is supposed to have lost. For attention it
is, thong h other qualities belong to this trans
cendent- power-attentIon it is, that Is the
very soul of genius; not the fixed eye, not
the pouring over a book, but the fixed
thought. 1t is, in fact, an action Of the
mind which is steadily concentrated upon
ono idea, or one series of ideas, which col
ects in one point the rays Of the soul, ill
they search, penetrate, and fire the whole
train of its thoughts. And while the fire
burns within. the outward man may indeed
be cold, Indifferent, negligent-absent in
appearance; he may be an idler, a wander
er, apparently without aim or intent: but
still the fire burns within. And what though
it "bursts forth" at length, as has been said,
"llke volcanic fires, with spontaneous, origi-
nal, native force?" 1t only shows the in
tense action of the elements beneath. What
though il breaks like lightning from cloud +?
The electric fire had been collecting in the
ornament through many silent calm, and
clear day. What though the might of gen.
| IIIo in u
in some moment of high debate, or at the
crisis ola nations peril! That mighty en-
ergy, though il might have heaved in the
breast of Demosthenes, was once feeble
infants thought. A mothers eye watched
over its dawning. A fathers care guarded
its eally growth. 1t soon trod with youthful
step the halls of learning, and found ia bers
to watch and wake for il, even as it finds
them here. Invent on ;but silence was up
on its path, and the deep struggling of the
inward soul marked its progress, and the
chershing powers of nature kindly minis
tered to it. The elements around breatheC
upon it, and "touched it in finer issues
The golden ray Of heaven fell upon it, anC
rpened its expanding faculties. The slow
revolutions of years slowly added to its col
lected treasures and energies; till in its hou
Of glory it stood forth embodied in the form
oflving, commanding, irresistible eloquence
The world wonders at the manifestation, anC
says--"Strange, strange that ii should come
thus unsought, unprecedented" But the
, truth is, there is no more miracle IN it, thar
, there is in the towering pre-eminent fores
tree, or in the flowing ofthe mighty and ;r
= resistible river, or in the wealth and the wa
wing of the boundless harvest.
Fathers and guardian Of our youthful
. learning behold it here-the jem of all tina
glorious power, in the strong and generous
and manly spirits ofthe rising youth arount
a you; and say if you would relinquish an Of
, fee, so honored, and so 10 be rewarded, To-
!, the sceptre of any other dominion. Youth
4 fnl aspirants after Intellectual eminence! for
/, get, forget, | entreat you; Danish, Danish for
= ever the weak and senseless idea, that an.
q thing will serve your purpose but study
intense, unwearied, absorbing study-"ani
Il mi assdua ct vehemens occupaIio."
i Our Yankee traveller, who saw the liv'
i IIooser, has again written to his mother.
- "Western people 60 their death on Ell
quette You can't tell a man here that h
lies, as you can downeast, without fighting
4 A few days ago, man was telling two
m his neighbors in my hearing pretty larg
70 story. Says "Stranger, that's Wrapper
n Says he, Lay there, strangerf" And in
:. twinkling of an eye, found myself in IN
i ditch, perfect quadruped, the worse fo
wear and tear. Upon another occasion, say
:, to a man never saw before, as woma
passed him, "That isn't specimen Of you
Z western women, is u" Says he, "You ar
8 afraid of the fever and ague, stranger, an
: YOUR, "Very much," says |. "Well," RI
piled be, ";hat lady is my wife, and if 20
" don't apologize in two minutes, by the hone
of gentleman, swear that these two pi
tolls" which he held cooked in his hand
ashall cure you Of that disorder entirely-s
n don't fear, stranger?" So knelt down an
|. apologized. admire this western countr
: much; but curse me If can stand so muC
etiquette; il always takes me so unawares
= Chicago Democrat.
= Scientific Description of the MOsqHetO.-
= We copy the following questions and a
!, swers in ornithOlogy, from the Cincinn'
- Gazette. The answers are as learned al
r. luminous as the questions are searching al
=. profound:
!. Tedcher-John, can youtell me what ella
=; :. and order ofthe insect tribe the Mosqueto
no longs tot
-. ~ BOy--Don't know sir.
~ Tedcher-Jacob, can you tellf
~ Bov-Yes, sir, he amt an insect, he
~. ~ longs to the bird tribe. and is a species
n n owl, and sings louder in proportion to
.uu bulk. and like the owl, commits his depre'
U ~, tons in the night. Father said that col