The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-09-28
.,,.. u,,.. u.a Nits.

sf,eo.,ns, we find review OF book written
by French physician, TO prove that madness
and genius are Identical They both arise
from the same cause, argues the writer tha'
is to say. from diseased condition of the ner-
vous centres and as both are owing to the
unusual activity of these centres. they must
be iden teal. The more diseased these nervous
centres are, the greater the genius and the
more violent the mailman. We suppose then,
that II a very ordinary man become very vio-
len,ly insane, he may stand fair chance of
hetne classed with SHAKsPKARR or NEwToN.
This seems strange enough TO us, who have
seen many violent madmen, and but very few
men OF genius.
In recalling long list of men of genius we
can fix upon very few who were mad, in the
common acceptation of the term, and these
never, or rarely ever, of the first order. The
faculties of NEWTON gave way to excessive
study, and the brain OF SCoTT sunk beneath
weight which human brain was never made
to bear There is no doubt that men of ge-
MUS, like all other men, may seriously impair
their mental faculties by laborious occupa-
ton in their libraries or Studies, coupled
with neglect of exercise and inattention TO
diet But, as a general rule, the strong brain
is strongest in all things, and can longest en-
dure what is put upon 1t. If men OF genius
differ from other men, ii is, we presume be-
| cause their pursuits, and the necessity OF de-
voting their whole time TO them, render them
| in a greater or less degree Indifferent TO the
| objects which usually occupy the affect tons Of
| the world. But in this respect they are not
| singular The man who devotes his whole
| life to money making, has little sympathy
with the mass Of his fellow men, and mingies
| but little with them. Yet such man is rarely
| ever a man of genius. Anybody, in fact,
| whose mind is exclusively occupied by par
ticular pursuit ia apt to be isolated, and there
| fore to be different from the mass of mankind.
| 1t sarely does not follow that he is a man of
| genius.
| We have heard much and read much abou t
the eccentricities of genius. The notice that
| has been taken of such eccentricities, If any
| such ever really existed, has done infinite harm.
Any brainless BOBBY can be eccentric If he will,
| The difficulty is in fact, for fool to be any
| thing else but eccentric. The idea, however.
! that all men of genius must be what is called
eccentric, has induced many blockhead to
| expose himself by affecting the eccentricities
| in question. This he can do easily enough
| very bad actor can catch the worst points
| of FORREST or BOOTH. OF all the imitators of
| BYRON who were so rife i'll our younger days,
| we do not remember one that ever write a
| COPY of verses which was not exeCrable.-
| Their limitations could go no further than
| lmping little, shaving the hair OFF the fore
| head On the right temple, protesting general
| contempt for women, and Boosting, like pup
| pies of the lowest kennel about their successes
| in gallantry. The unfortunate points, and The
| vicious Of the great poet, it was easy enough
| to copy. The genius, the only thing respec ia
! bic about him, was, of course, entirely beyond
| them. We cannot but think the fl st D'1sRA-
| kLLI's books about literary men, and their
| faults and eccentricities, has done the world
| great deal of injury.
Eccentricity, let all Durcedom know, is no
| proof of genius. Every man in the world is
| more or less eccentric We have seen some
| men with scarcely brains enough TO fill gill
pot behave habitually in a manner so slngu-
| lar that we thought they ought to be put IN
straight Jackets and so has everybody else
| So then eccen tricity is neither mark OF ge-
| MUS nor peculiar to it. Men OF genius are
| thought TO be improvident. 1t surely is 10
| distinctive mark OF genius to be improvldent,
| for some OF the greatest fools we ever met with
| were so. In fact, improvidence is sign Of
| a want of common sense, and genius is the
perfection of common sense. We dare say
| some men of genius are mprovident, and some
| careful, exactly like the lest of the world. In
MUS and eccentricity.