Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-03-07
unrrmunerated Thouaht.


Unremunerated Thought.
When a man eminent in letters or in
politics intrudes himself q "a Lspsrtlne on
ute and clamors for thousands as q proper
E @ reward for the good he has done, we are
very properly disguised. And we regret
such an instance the more because 1T be.
numbs the charity which would otherwise
have flown spohtaneously to many other de-
serving objects. The world, seeing a rich
man begging to be made richer, exelaims
against the ayarice, folly, and unthrift of
genius, and the upshot Is mat one weak
brother seriously INJURIES a score Of The more
II we look at plain facts and common
sense, we shall, however, find that the
world docs great injustice to its leading
minds a9d 70 nSes Ib Uy Ff9 dn itgg Ud men an 2,
Eight its battles entirely at their own ex-
pense. II is scarcely possible to name a
thinker, q writer, aretormer, an art critic,
3 a Journalist, q man urging improvements in
agriculture or education, or a poet, who has
~, not a very great Influence on the world and
its wave. We arc warranted by experience
sou and INQUIRY long directed to this subject, in
sayi q that the action on the world by men
ofthis stamp is not merely enormous-it is
ItWBs once a mystery to the world how
IL YVES that strange plants sprung, up in
straI pc places how germs developed them
selves in soil whence all visible seed had
been carefully excluded-and at the same
time the world was wont to be entertained
with much philosophizing on the s%pontane-
Gus gro With of genius The microscope and
statistics Of ger ersl information have done
away with much of this marvel. Thought,
like love, is all penetrating:
a3 "over the mountains
m o1 APd dM mn faar tSf sSVs'i
And under the graves"
Over and under all fly the white winged
soul butterflies of printed sheets, awaking,
like Psyche, life and light wherever they go.
p - Yet the world, almost TO an individual,
exacts of its leaders, its teachers, of the men
who conduct its faiths and opinions aud
tastts that they shall do all this in a great
measure at their own expense, in q state of
-4.g semi poverty, with the cheering prospect OF
an old age of restitution. Is not this not
So the case with a great majority of those men
of genius to whom the world has acknowl-
edged its deepest obigations2 What more
hazardous experiment can any man try than
to leave the beaten track Of industry aud of
money. making, for the extremely dangerous
career of exerting genius, of acting philan-
thropically, of promoting reforms, of ex-
banding art, of doing good2 Possibly his
books may sell; he may Cf he will sacrifice
the main question so as to be entertain
ing') become a tolerably popular" lecturer.
Unfortunately, a by no means insignif-
cant proportion Of the most important books
ever written have not been popular" SO as
to sell in q remunerative manner. We know
of one American book which has made the
author an undying reputation, which has
been translated into half the languages of
Europe, and called forth the correspondence
of a hundred bodies of savans, yet from the
Gales of which the author never received
more than 800. According to the vulgar
judgment of the world which was greatly
benefited by this book, its author made q
very poor investment of his years of study,
And the more shame to the world for think
ing so. q
In England the obligations of the world
togepius are occasionally admitted and hon
orably acted on. Mr.. Golden, who has de-
voted so much time and talent to the indus
trial and commercial interests of his coun-
trymen, has been. and is the recipient of
substantial tributes from those whom he has
obliged. With the harrassiug pressure of
poverty removed, genius draws amuch freer
breath and acts with far greater decision.
When we look around and see how limited
is the number of such thinkers, we are
amazed at public ingratitude. Among our
81, 000, coo there are not more than 1000
minds of the stamp to which we refer, and
among these there are not, in all probability,
CT 200 who enjoy full facility for self develop
t' meDt.
ta The artist must give lessons to live, the
refoImer must p'ow with one hand while
he fights with the other; and while the
rich, as well as poor, admire immensely the
ability Of their f%avorites, instances of prac-
tical aid are so rare that the gift of q silk
dfes tsucb as most ladies give their gov
ernesses at Christma'G from a quadruple
millionaire to au eminent auLhoress, is
trumpeted through The newspapers as though
the lady were one of the luckiest creatures
in existence. "a.
Take away the men of genius from a
country aud it becomes a wretched, charac.
terlees place. Its citizens when abroad are
not Individually held to be of much account,
they sink into mere nobodies. What is a
German, if you take from him compatriot.
ism, with Luther, Goethe, Schiller, and their
mi like2 What are we go proud of as of our
great men-and what co Is us so little as
go this, our greatest source of pride 2 OF all
the necessaTies of life, of all its luxuries, of
all sources of pride, there is not one more
essential to a nation than its men of
thought-yet for these men, for their sup
port, you who read do not, in all probability,
either directly or indirectly, pay one single
cent per annum. l..