Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-06-12
Illustrisus Ounces.

An interesting chapter might be written on
the subject of the Illustrious Dunces-dull
boys but brilliant men. We have room, how
ever, for only q few instances Pietro di Cor
tOna, the painter, was thought so stupid that
he was nicknamed "Ass Head" when a boy;
and TomasO Guidi, was generally known as
Heavy Tom (MassOccia Tomasaccio,) though
by diligence he afterwards raised himself TO
the highest eminence. Newton when at school
stood at the bottom of the lowest form but one
The boy above Newton having kicked him,
the Ounce showed his pluck by challenging
him to fight, and beat him Then he set to
work with will, and determined also to van
quish his antagonist as a scholar which he did
rising to the top Of his class Many of our
greatest divines have been anything but
preccciOus Isaac Barrow when at the Char:
ter schOol-house was notorious chiefly for his
strong temper, pugnsciOus habits and proven
bal idleness as a scholar, and he caused sueh
grief to his parents, that his father used to say
that IL : pleased God to take from him any Of
his children, he hoped it might be Isaac. the
least promising Of them all. Adam Clarke
when boy, was proclaimed by his father to
oe "a grievous Ounce, though he could roll
large stones about Dean Swift, one of the
grestest writers Of pure English, was ''plucked''
at Dublin University, and only obtained his
recommendation to Oxford, 'speciala gratia. /"
The we'll known Drs. Chalmers and Cook were
boys together at the parish school Of St. An
drews; and they were found so stupid and
mischievous that the master, irritated beyond
measure, dismissed them both as incorrigible
ounces TI- =.
Ine brilliant Sheridan showed so little capa-
city as boy, that he was presented to q tutor
oy MS motner with the Complimentary accom-
RzIinent, tnat ne was an incorrigible Ounce
w after Scott was all but Ounce when a bow,
always muen readier for 'sbicker,, than ant
at his lessons. At the Edinbury JTn;ysrs;tT
Professor Dalzel pronounced upon him The
sentence that Ounce he was, Ounce he would
remain: ChattertOn was returned ON his,
mother hands as "a fool, Of whom nothing
could be made. Burns was dull boy, rood
only At athletic exercises Goldsmith :nofe ~
himself as plant that lowered late. AI6er;
left college as wise as when he entered il and
did not begin the studies by which be distin-
guished himself, until he had run over half of
Europe. Robert Give was a Ounce if not
reprobate, when youth; but always full of
energy, even in badness His family. gIad To
get rid OF him, shipped him of to Madras; and
he lived to lay the foundation of the British
power in India. Napoleon and Wellington
were both dull boys, not distinguishing them
selves IN any way st school. OF the former the
Duchess Of d'Abrantes says, 'he had good
health, bat was in other respects like other
bsys." John Howard, the philsnthropist, was
another illustrious Ounce, learning NEXT to
nothing during the seven hears be was at
school Stephenson, as a youth, was distin.
tinguished chiefly for his skill at butting and
wrestling and attention to bis work. : The
brilliant Sir Humphrey Davy was no cleyerer
than other boys; bis teacher, Mr. Davies Gill
bert, says Of him, ''while he was with me, I
could not discern the qualities by which he
was most distinguished. Indeed, he himself
in sitter hfe, thought il fortunate thst be had