Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-09-16
From the Pittsbnrg Morning Post.
The Fate of Genius.

| ward Sumuel Lincoln Fairfield. The unfortunate
and wretched child Of song was at that time tray
| cling to the South, with n view to the improve
| ment of his health lie was accompanied by bis
son. remarkable bright and beautiful youth Of
ten or twelve years of age. In conversation with
the poet. we remarked that the lad seemed TO pos
sess genius and gave promise Of distinction and
Usefulness. With deep. heartful sigh, the uil-
hnppy father replied. 81 fear your words are too
true. The boy has fine parts, but | would rather
he an IDIOT than a genius. As an idiot, he
would be- obscure aud comparativetivcly happy; as
n genius. he would be envied, hated, eccentric. and
wrctchcd. II in. to most parents, hattering to be
told that their offspring is gifted. but would rn-
Their my poor boy in hiI grave than know that
he is rossoesor Of that fatal thing called gcniu."
A few weeks after. in locking over n paper pub
lished in New Orleans, we saw the announcement;
of the death OF poor Fairfield. The unfortunate
and brilliant man died in misery and want ia the
very primo Of life, and was, wo believe buried at
the expense Of his irendan school-fcllow, George
d. Prentice Esq. Of the Louisville JournaL
Fairfield was n man Of fine education and splendid
poetic endowments, but misfortune marked him
for his own. and now far from his native hills. he
lies in an obscure corner, with no hand to scatter
flowers upon his grave, and no one to drop pre-
cions tcar 10 his memory.
Thus it is too often with men Of genius. Proud
sensitive and aspiring. they become soured aud
chagrined. avoid their fellows. and frequently die
in want and misery. 1t il said that between his
for.eth aud sixtieth year. Sir Walter Scott realiz.
ed by tho productions of his pen at lenst half a
million Of money -. Then followed u terrible re-
verse and the panic of 1896 came leaving the great
magician in debt to the amount Of one hundred
and thirty thousand pounds, The gentle aud gc
NAL old man lahored hard to relieve himself from
his cmbarrassmenia. His productions yielded him
during six years some ghty thousand dollars II
year but his health failed, and at last he persisted
in giant-likc effort to satisfy his creditors,
John Keats,
"Who sparkled was rxhalcd, and went to Ilcay-
en- lived long enough to dazzle the world with
his genius. and then died from the effects of pos-
on, administered by heartess, viperish review
or.
The fate Of Chatterton. the "maryel Ions boy.
who persisted in his pride" is alas two well
known. Prolignl!y endowed with wonderful in
,ontve powers, daring fancy, and nm intellect
brilliant rs it was original and gorous, he cx-
pcrienced cruel neglect. suffered from hungerand
finally. in moinent Of. despair, persisted by his
own hand. Thus passed away one whose youth
full productions has made his name immortal und
whose more mature Efforts would have doubtless
ranked him second only to him who first cxha,Is-
ted worlds, land then invented new" His biograph
or tells us that he was buried without ceremony
among paupers. ia Shoe Lane His identity
could with difficulty be established, when the fact
known.
In his Lives Of the Poets" William Hewitt
SAYS: "By oi those acts which neither science
nor curiosity can excuse, the skull of Pope is NOW
in the private collection of aphrehologst. The
manner in which it Mns obtained is said to have
been this. On some occasion Of alteration ia the
church, or burial ef some one in the same spot
the coffin Of Pope dlsinterred and opened to
see the state of bis rcmains that 10y bride to the
sexton of the time, possession was obtained for
night, and anotberskull returned instead of il. |
have hcarl that fifty pounds were paid to manage