, 1874-02-22
GENIUS AND EG0TisM.

/ THE 6UREST ATEECTA1on
| in him to pretend to be superior to it. Without
] a certain amount Of self-confdence, no man
would dare attempt anything eminently great OF
glorious, and the most giaat-like intellect
! would expend itself upon the tridea
Of = dwarf. Coleridge somewhere says
that "The decorous manners OF this age
attach disproportionate opprobrium to this
foible.'' There is no reason why the se1f-con-
/ scousness Of ren1 genius should b. Offensive and
the fact is, that few persons complain Of t. man
for talking NTH q modest pride Of his Own
achievements or abilities. It is only when be
exaggerates the merit Of tri1es, andsneers at the
talents and deeds Of others,--when, like the fly
upon the chariot wheel, some petty, insignificant
human insect boasts that he ra1ses ell the dust
and hubbub Of the work., THAT our indignation
is kind1od- We are not 80 much ve1ed st. a
man's turning his own trumpetar, as at his
pitching tho keynote Of his praises too high.
But for q nao OF really profound genius to AZ
feet to be unaware OF the greatness OF his en-
dowments, ID the most offensive kind OF egotism;
II is
tsruE rnDE THAT APES HUMILITY"
Some Of the most gifted men the world ever
saw have been tho rnost daring Of egotists. In
reading the writings of Shakespeare, Milton,
Byron, and Wordsworth, one is not moro struck
With the matchless beauty OF their creatlons
than with the intense egotism that peryades
them, and tho lofty confidence with which they
anticipate their immortality. It is often this
very quality that forms tho principal charm Of
their works. Their poeticI heroes, In the ma
iosity OF cases, are only pefBonfcatious OF their
own feelings aud passions. Who can doubt that
such men hare proud consciousness OF their
own genius when they dash or some glorious
work at q sitting, and with the rapidity and
happiness Of inspiration7 : Not to quote
from the ancient poets and prose-w1iters, from
Pindar and Horace downward, who are continu-
ally asBerting that they haze reared for them
selves monuments more lasting than brass, ~
let us Glance at come Of the great writer's Of
modern times.
SHAKESPEARE
does not hesitate to say in Que OF his aonnets:
Nor MARBLE nor the gllded monuments
OF Princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme; i.
and, to q large extent the interest OF his plays
depends upon the eeotism Of his hearers and he
roines Who does not love the egotism Of the
melancholy jacques, who fills the forest Of Ar
denne With the gloom OF hB own soul and IN
what but his proneness to selfish thoughtfulness
lies the charm OF Hamlet? The most fascinat-
ing passages IN otael1o arc tnoee III Nu'cn
the Moor speaks OF his herF love of battle. OF
his personal appearance ano history, ano o'os
farewell to the pride, pomp, and circumstance OF
var, in an outburst OF selfish sorrow. bfntns Ii
sternly egotiat1cal; and our interest IN macbeth
reaches its height only after the murder, whom
In rave,1a IN ia the workings OF his soul. now
driven in upon itBef.
,fnro1
,r,,oao ;ntonao r,rot;arn ha. boen nrononnced al
,noat 40 consnicuons ~ iis genius. e7ideutlv be-
1in.ad b;a e~ra.t en;c tn he a wor< Which the
world st swon1d not willingly let de- In the
ssaa1a s et ~ snnno,t 1rb,ct, bs daT;red IN t,a
+-..> +,a ,,~o,,g ro,oc;o,o,aaa at 4,ov.
no
Lost them ovrrz1ed
In 1lberty,s defense, my nohie task
" which ell Europe r1ngS .foN SLUG 70 soe'
r1eaoeAiy' ~ 4ep'5us ~ ~ ogp4nens' ~
olefesse8 tnso @n aeco@1As " nnAHe'' n'e ooae's
t1on' nls p'aus eeen1ns ~ eA' .sts4nDo5.
Ii l. 'onn Mh1on, naa u. eucn ant 6oIn Aoto>
cedente' win such anu sucn 1nselec1oai po"els'
quesuonaols oene7eo nlnsel1 20 pe LEG steatess
"lne1 Al !.ne "uo0o ,@Ao ~,
world OF mlpd Is the decree o. mas'st1a1o II
the order OF civil life. In this LOFTY self-asser~
tlon the great puritan poet put 1ouo"ed the o1-
ample OF has predecessor
oHAecsa,
who, shy ana tin1o as no vas IN company, caua-
1ng us host OF tne ianafa 70 say 70 MIN,
rnr toon -, a rs 11rapud eea tfea atars
rat d;d not acorn to enoek "A himso,f "a thu
e rnost noh1a nhi1oaonb;cal1 ooota IN Enpliebe y
,na ~ ssscrt that ..in noh1a savinoa ,, and many
at,,a~ o-oa11a,+ ,no,it;oa ~ , ma. ha .snaaaath
~, ot,ar r,,.ars y
W.. @-'~
JOIN DRYDEN q.
ras congratulated On the brilliancy OF his famous
f11e an 81 CeciHa's Dau-.s You are right" he
~or1;aa tts no31ar oao 1vaa naro1 ,rodnced and
-o1u- I'll, ba ~.
.,v7,~nrp poprta
oood on;n;on NJ r,;maatf ,e,ta mt in nn1neron.
n,aa,cea or .bia wr1tincs. pnh1iehinr his Essny
-, 3fon aronrmma1v ba snoke of II ~ . mastar-
n;eco or ita hind He evidently de.ued his
critica1 oninions "a ,nfallible as the religions
ones of pope Alexander.
1onn RAcox