Hillsdale Whig standard. (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1846-1851, 1850-09-10
From Blackwood's Magazine.
GOLDSMITH.

from BHchNOOu MaSdzlHe.
GOLDSMITH.
Ii an illustration were wanted Of that sub
tile quality. or rare combination of qHsiIies
which we designate BY the name geuius--
which comes DOT al oar bidding, which no
learned discipline can secure, which grows
up by an education of Its own--ln educatiun
lawless, caprlci0us. indi-cribsble, lnpeicep-
t,bIe tn any but the learned himself, and not
recognized by hin ull the hun of study has
long since passed-We could not point To any
one mOIe perfect than may be found 10 the
intellectual history of Goldsmith. School
masters, Professors, Colleges, Tutors, can
make nothing OF him; he has neither patience
nor industry, nor perhaps aptitude, to learn
any thing from them. Never was so dull
boy; he seemed impenerrably stupid!' says
NJ lss Delap the Schoolmisress who was 10
teach hlm his letters lie is the same at
school. the same at college. Every teach
er tells The same st0Iy; every Miss Delap
fluids IN, ImpeDetrabiy stupid. He can learn
nothing that Others learn, of as Others Team
II Al the University OF Dublin he makes
10 figure. Ia the lecture room he Is an Idler
ur a Irnant. He is "a luungei at the College
gaze" But he Is a student there. He Is
reading something IN those streets OF DublIn.
There, or In any book picked up by chance,
he finds lis lecture room. La this process of
study, lie has quIe uoconsc,ousiy taught
himself To wrUe ballads, which the street
musician 81 gs. AMI f,ds profitable. extract
ing lherewifh ltom many "a pucket-surely
uo slight testimony vi hrm pOwef-jhe halt
pencr devoted TO applse and gingerhread.-
Goldsmith steals Out al night aud hears them
sing lie is designed by his good uncle,
oh. l,,r.
sell To- he bishop Tor ordination. aud s tejec
led. Some have LAID the blame upOn a par
ui scarlet h.et chrs. IA winch he thpughi %
array htmse I tot E-iscopai iuspecuou. Bat
Tie whole scholastic cdtcer ul the youth
pldtuy denun,trites that II was no, the out.
ward nor the neither tuan that was In fault
Has uncle then dispatched hlm t. the tenn
pie Oi tlie law. Here, lie does not even get
Iuto uis school tOum. Stopping 10y the way,
al Dublin, lie loses al hIs M puey At the gam
bling Table, aud returns tU be dispatched 10
quue different dir cllon. and Tor a quIte dit-
letent purpuse--.o EdInburgh, u sIudy
medicine. AZ Edinburgh, ne Is disuug nlsh-
cd lar hts cuuSivial tdleGls, and his iIIsh
sopgs. Bat he = seized with a strong pass
lOu iot studying mcdlctue at Legion ~ Pa
rs. Nruiirr at l.eydeu on al T. liuburgh
does he ever get 20 much medical scleuce as
would Justify him ia prescribing tor case OF
measles on tie chicken-pON. Such, at least,
Is our sttong COZ vlctIun.
We are persuaded that he woulI have
picked up more medical kuuwiedge from his
ceIlaDeous read aud observation, IT he
had never designed TO practice u, ttIdu, hdv-
lug to get his lWIng ny bis profession, lac tho't
II prudent To acquire. Years alter, when he
couied gold headed cane, aud dressed for
The part 0i physician, (lt was an The prep
arauon he even made Tor n.y. he could not
PASS ms examination for scTs cons .natC
| la all the highways OF learUIug science, he
makes 40 adVdbCt-he Is a sluggari, OF d
loIeter, or 4 iTuaHi. But IA this trudnt idle
ness. along some by ways 0i las Ow0. he has
been going through a course of study winch
we Cdu give 10 account OF, except lhdt his
Own warm heart aud Ovei1JwIng sympathies
have had much 10 do WIN IL. Wneu luun-
ger 1T the college gales, it had already taught
hm 10 wrte ballads winch drew audience IN
the stIeels OF Dubliu. Pursued sIll farther,
1t taught hun To wrlie lOr three Kingdoms,
Tor ali hearts and loi all time, the veIy sweet
est pastoral lbat-n0 production OF Greece ar
Italy excepted WAS ever penned. IL Is ~
this vagraui, occult manner ti:at the mau OF
genius always studies. But land let tie sa-
vIug clause De uoted,) Al follows not that he
should fan 10 0tner aud ordinary methods of
study. The higher spIrus--ine Ddute's aud
MiltOus--the 'thfnnes aud prlUcIpaliiies
take al leaning Tor heir rovIuce.
Of Gutdsmitn, however, u may be SAID,
that he slGdIed ~ this aud ia no other way.
Like Barns, aud sOme other names that
might be mentioned, hIs mind was Indebted
only 10 what, beng unable TO describe II, we
call the desperation of genus. That beautl-
TOT style OF his, how aud where did he get ~
| tie spent hts Time much among the FOSTERING
colleges, or the choice spiflIs Oi rustic ale
/ huuse--the club that met AT the Three J0lIy
| Pigeons and he has hardly taken ms peu Ia
hand Than he writes m Style chsste as
! Addison s-gfdceiul, musical, refued. And
what is more surprising, this refinement OF
mind pervades oil his writings, how did he
cOnlIvo to obtain aud preserve u through
| the influence OF so loose and unsettled lie.
wherein cOsrsei pleasures took their turn ADD
the excitement OF gambling, and all those
hardening and degrading arufices that pow
eIiy must have resource To, II poverty would
eat! The only answer we hear of aud can
report ~, that goldsmith was a man Ol gen
! ius.
ii the contradiction seems extraordinary
between this visIbly blundeung process OF ed
ucatio1 winch our poet goes through, aud the
/ intellectual power winch he nevertheless
mailests, how still more striking Is the con
uadiclion between that intellectual power
between that being which we call the auth
orfs mind Ind ,he htnpdertnp huoVant vas.