Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-11-15

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pretty story enough, is related of the
wild boy of Newstead Abbey, who, by the
death OF the grandson of an old man at Cor
sica, was left with the title oflord. On hear
:, ing Of this, George ran up to his mother, and
asked if she perceived any difference in him
, since he was made lord, rs he could per-
ceive none in himself The next morning.
when his name was frs. called on, IN school,
1t came with the title of Dominus' prefixcd
to 1t. Unable TO. give the answer adsum'
he stood abashed before the comica gaze of
his schoo-iellows, and at last burst into tearx
But what could the title of Domnus' do for
that talsmanic genius which was slumbering
there in the soul of young Bvr0nl 1t is like
planting Mav-flowers around Trajan's COL
: nmn.' What IA merry making sound that
would lie, the title of Captain Shakespeare
and Lord Newton Genius is ii title higher
than kings can confer. That title comes
from the Creator. The world cannot take
1t from him who wears it. We know there
is a wondrous pity in this very sympathisng
and extravaganty charitable world for the
fate OF genus; there is so much of it which
is never heard of-compelled to die in OBJ
scurIty-held down by povcrty-poor gent
us, to live unknown and die unhonorcd -
All this is very clever in the good world, no
doubt, to be so sincere a mourner that so
much genius dies in obscurity. But there is
somewhat of ignorance in that weepinp.-|
Genius never heard of live in obscuritv, die
nnamented talk Of the sun shining and
never being seen, of the blazing comet pour
ing itself through the heavens, and never
arreSting the gaze of mOrials Talk oftal
t~ easily ..;si. ,i.k woman IS hand hold
Niagara in its palm, or crush the swelling
surees of an Atlantic storm, as poverty can
exlinguish the fires of genius In whatever
soul God kindes those fires, they burn unex-
tinguisliablc except by death.
Look at that boy of Stra,lord- on Avon;
and what of him very obscure, dirty,
embarrassing lad-,hc rascaIlv little deer
stcaler of his native village, prosecuted for
the ihctl-wlo cares for him? He will teach
YOU to care for him; he will teach this world
to be still that he may speak. Shakespeare
is in hln. The fires Of genius are there deep
down in the soul of tina, desplsed and ragged
deer stearr, and his name shall be Shak-
spearc, ringing in all the earth. Poverty
hath no power on soul like that.
Then thnse names that will be grca, forev-
err, Pope, Burns, Chaleron, and long list
: like them. They may make learned men,
= at Mahomct, born in the desert, and coming
r up 10 manhood without "a book, and with no
l man to teach him. This man is doubtless to
= die here in this sandy solitude and be forgot
: ten. Forgotten! Never there is genius
in liim. That man shall build shrine, and
more than one hundred and twenty millions
Of men shall bow before it. They have al
p ready worshipped there twelve centuries -
: aud all the rest of mankind stand back in ter
! ror at ms name.
$ Bat still we are told in newspapers and
r commentaries on history, that circumstances
i make great men, do every thing for genius,
call it out from obscuriiy, where it would
otherwise die, but for these gracious crcum.
I stances. What circumstances called ont
u Mahomel? What could the Arabian desert
: do for him 1t is better asked, what could
d Mahomrt do for the Arabian desert. The
t grim rocks of Mount Ilara-lhe wild, voice
s less solitude tlere-and tho rude beings
= wandering up and down, with no speech of
religion on their tongues-lhese called not
: after the name of Mahomet there was no
d favorable circumstances for this man-but he
a,
:. bounding from the rock mountains, over the
sands away, till life stood erect with ii new
!, impulse there. That was the voice of geni.
y us crying in the desert.
What could circumstances do for Shak-
i spcare lle was greater than circumstances,
:, and against circumstances he came ont IN.
hidden and filled the world full of himself
Who called out franklin, that son of the
q soap boiler? Doubtless it was those envious
friends who ridiculed the first efforts of his
f genius. Peradventure it was those three
;, rolls of bakers bread he ate in the streets of
Philadelphia to save himself from starvation?
r No, there was genius in that boy; and when
: that is spoken, we have said that he will 90
/, out himself-when that is told, it is revealed
tina, philosophy is to appear in the sky of
, Columbia. That boy will play with the
a lghtnings, nor will he wait long for crcum-
a stances to invite him TO NEEDLE with Jove's
=, thunder-bolts.
!, This world has not yet forgotten Robert
, Burns, nor will it while the stars shine that
noble peasant who came out from behind
his pillow on the mountains side, and stood
8 with brow unabashed in the presence of
f naughty splendor, because he felt that
"The rank is but the gulneas stamp,
The mans the gowd for that"
= And defying the circumstances of writing in
] the provincial dialect of rude northern land.
S still made himself the immortal representa-
7. tive of nation intellect. 1t will be long
time before circumstances will make Robert
Burns. Circumstances may make small
men but great men make circumstances
, They Gil this world full of events, and create
r the circumstances wherein they win their
laurels. Did no, Cyrus direct the energies
of the world at Babylon So did Caesar at
Rome and Constantine at Byzantiun'. These
men called upon their times, and their voice
,, was heard. Voltaire, Rousseau, Ilelvelius,
Diderot, Condorcet, Raynal and d'Alembert,
laid a train of circumstances which produce
ed an explosion that shook the world to its
centre. THIS was the work of genius-its