, 1871-04-06
Great Minds in Little Bodies.

whether the size Of men had anything to
do with genius. The answer would seem
to be: Yes. That the creates. men who
have ever lived have been under the av>
erage height Of Americans, and it is very
wonderful how many great men have been
cripPles or physically deficient.
The most important question, however,
is what constitutes greatness
Won BulOw, one Of the most remarka-
bic analytical writer's, declares that men,
the greatest according TO the judgment of
the world. have not been those who pos
sessed original minds, but adaptive ones !;
tha; is to say, they are not the men who
are ahead Of their times, bat men who
keep just one step in front of public opin>
ion. or keep themselves Ahoat on the top
wave of the ruling idea of the Of the peo-
pie. Two remarkable examples of this
latter class we're Washington and Lincoln,
neither of whom were either original men
nor brilliant men. It is doubtful even if
they should rank in the third class of ex>
allied intellects.
Won Bulew says that the men who win
success at the present day may be tai
ented and smart, but not grniuses. They
know how Ia be led, and do not seek to
lead. They simply keep ahead, conceal
ing the most refined Machiavrllism under
the mask of moderation. They are not
such spirits as Lycurgus, who gave things
an entirely new direction. ROgniat con-
veys very much the same idea in his "COx-
alterations sur Art de Ia GueTre," where-
in he remarks that "the genius Of the
greatest men is always very circuEscribrd,
and an able general owes his snccess often
to nothing but the happy application Of
two or three novel ideas in aceordanc,
with existing circumstances = and his
success endurrs just as long Ss it takes
his antagonists TO apprehend his method
of action, or perceive bis line Of thought.
For example, Napoleon owed bic sue
cess to a new system inauguTated by Mas
sena, at LoanO, 1895, which has been at
tribuicd to Carnot When he met a man
who applied the zane principle, or, rather,
two men combined into one, Blucher and
Gneisnsu, tie latter to plan and the for>
mrr to execute, he event down."
This idea Of two men one man was
Blucher's own admission. He said
{" Gneisnau was the ApOthecary who made
the pills and the doctor who admins
tered them"
Almost all the triumphs of Napoleon
were due TO Frederic's q" Instruction to
his Grnerals,'' "always be beforehand
with an enemy" This, however, was an
element of success ~ old az Leo "A. D.
S65-9lll, set forth in his Military In-
structiOns." but it turns up almost aS new
in every century, as if it was perfect
novelty.
Prince Frederic Charles displayed his
ability in discovering that this was sx-
actly 'the way to beat the French" and
many years ago published pamphlet un-
der that very title, whose principles have
been applied by the PrussiauS with so
much success in 1870.
1t may seem rank heresy to enunciate
such an opinion as that heFeinbeiOre stated
as to Lincoln and Washington but the
fact is susceptible of truth. Indeed, the
warmest eulo0ist Of Washington, Everett,
did not sewn to claim for him the posses
sion of what is generally styled genius,
but considered tat his greatness consisted
in he balance Of his properties.
The poet declared, with wonderful truth,
that
"The world knows nothing Of its greatest men"
and those who study history recognize
the correctness Ot this line. He alluded
to such intellects as had given an impulse
to human progress, whose extinction, as
mortsls, realized WOOdswOrth's idea
"a power is passing from the earth.
Among these, the first class, were
Archimedes, Stevinus of Bruges, Pascal.
some whose names are scarcely alluded to
in any ordinary histOry-others who exist
only in their works.
If the butchers or eonquerers OF the
world are recognized as great men large
number of these have been as bulky in
frame as vast in their conqueSts,
or the brilIiancy of their executive SOL
diership. For instance, Charlemagns and
KIeber, Potemkin, and hundred well
known TO fame.
But even the rule Of gcvndeur Of mind
in ordinary tabernacleS tnds its applica-
tion to the class of under>sixed men, and
Ageselaus, Attila, Tameriane, Feth' Ali
Schah; were not only comparatively small,
but cripples and Suwarow was anything
but striking or sttrSetive in his appear
aneC