The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-03-22

We have the right to insinuate that Franklin
or ebakespear might have beea imnensura>
bly superior with an education = coQDl Dor
perfect as their ages could afd. Ibsques-
ton is thrown into the dom6insf eo1mon
sense for decision. We would state ne ease
in this manner:
For every single farmer or mechanic who
has enjoyed the very best advsneassa sor cd
uc.tion Al our colleges, there arc i've thou
mnd.sxhn hxre not. Now Il u attcgssher
possible that other circumstances, physical
he.lsh md the natural mental abilities, Of
m@r psrssss anosK tbs i've thosssad~ssy'
be vastly superior 70 those Of the single indi-
vidaA apsciksd, inshich $50 y need not
be wonderful if some man helped little out-
strips BIN who has been helped much. Ac>
cording to the doctrine Of ehances-if the
educated mae has one hundred chancesin
his favor, he still hasfour thousand nine bum
areds to overcome IN his race for the most
disti6p6ished success III his Calling.
Were every "book-farmer, up to the pres
ent time failure, we would still feel Obliged
to stand up for scientific agriculture. After
all, what are the real facts in favor Of COT
Iege education imperfect as our universities
admitted tosbes They are--shat at least
uine.tenths Of our distinguished literary and
scientific men have had such advantages.
We must be permitted to exclaim agains.
that false and miserable statement, that the
world finds out either early or late in their
lives the real value Of our great men, and pnr-
chases them ike any marketable commodity.
Out upon such arrant nonsense and false
hood The world has been ever crucifying
her redeemers. She has more often stupid
soldiers javelin or bullet for either the an
Gent or modern Archimedes, than crown OF
gold. Did the world ever buy Newton, Ba-
con or Watt a, his real value? The inventor
of the rolling-mill, in this very century, saw
in his poverty and chsgrin hisinvention make
England the mistress Of the manufacturing
and commercial world.
Enlightened England has given more 10 es-
tablish the Duke of Grafton for being the IL
legitimate son OF worthless king, and TO
sustain the descendant of this poor scion OF
the Stewards, than to all the sons OF genius
in science and literature combined.
Ii cost England more than fourteen millions
to do honor to the Duke Of Wellington, in
his own lifetime; but An enlightened mind
- 70 oil
the inventor Of the spinning jenny or the
steam engine, than the hero Of Waterloo!
O,way, Fielding, DeEoe, and hundreds OF
other distinguished men in literature, science
and the arts, have ended their days in want
Edgar A. Poe, our own countryman, was
buried at the expense of his friends, and
failed before his death to pay to cd. Greeley
a note Of hand for fifty dollars, which the
aforesaid journalist has recently published to
the world as an interesting fact. We would
have thought that man who has been so sue
cessful in finding his 'smarket price" as hor-
ace Greeley, might have forgiven fellow
craftsman this loss, and maintained gensr-
Gus silence.
1t would not be difficult, perhaps, to raise
enough, at the rate of penny piece, from
he many Americans who have bsen enter
tanned by the writings OF this unfortunate de-
yotee of literature, TO reimburse friend
Horace.
Ii is safe if not pretty to kick dead lion,
nut doubtless Mr.. Greeley is too much OF
peace man 10 incur the nnpleasautness o. sud
len reprisals.
So compassionate man rs he who tray-
e!ed all the way,to Richmond to 20 bail for
that splendid villain, JEFF Davis, might be a
little less yindctive toward the memory Of
one of the most brilliant Of American
authors.
Benjamin franklin, who is 50 often cited
as self-educated man as if all men who are
educated at all, are not in the same sense,
self-educated), knew well among what class
OF minds he found those who appreciated him
most truly. He, moreover, did much to en-
courage the establishment of colleges and
other institutions Of learning in this country.
We do moi wish to decry H. G. in the much
rood he has done as journalist but. really,
ais head is mopping the stars; he sup among
The pinnacles and turrets of philosophy, with
,ut knowing how-he ever got there. He has
worked upward from the foundation in no
single sciece. He is sheologian, with little
biblical OF classical lore, a critic, but no lin.
,nist a physicist, wh6 has not learned that
lction and reaction are equal: chemist, with
mt the rudinen.s; q cosmogonist, who knows
rot one pebble from another, or periwinkle
from daisy, He discourses physiology TO
the faculty. and medicine to the doctors he
IS politician. bat not statesman; be is very
apt to rush in where angels fear to tread. Z
We fear, Notwithstanding his philanthropic
instincts and bis decided abilities, Fl. G. will,
in his striyings 10 be quaqueversal, fritter
away his chance Of being recognized as the
first journalist of his times.
Not long since, distinguished writer an
the Atlantic Monthly, in commenting upon
he newspapers OF New York, gave the frs.
,lace, Is editor, to j. G.. Bennett, Of the New
York Herald, who is wise enough to aspire,
u no degree, to the Office Of public teacher,
much less 10 tina. of philosopher
In closing, we hope to be forgiven for ex
pressing our conviction, that Horace Greeley
sill not be remembered hereafter as philos-
pher, or as great Fundamentally not as
safe one. We fear he has already done
much 10 discourage thorough education in this
ouptry q K