American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-12-04
Eenius and Labor.


Genius has been defined many times as
industry or capacity for hard and pro-
tracted labor. The correctness of this
definition is sustained by the example OF
a large number of eminent authors whom
the world had by common consent re-
garded as men OF genius. AT the head of
the list stands Plato, whose flowing lines,
that glide as from swIft-running pen,
were really the product of slow and tedi-
Gus elaboration. There is an anecdOte
that the opening sentence of -" The Re
public was found on the authors tablets
written in thirteen different versions.
When finally summoned by death TO cease
from his labors, the philosopher was sit
ting at his desk, as Dionysius says, comb
ing, and curling, and weaving and I'M
weaving his writings, after a variety of
fashions" Plato was eighty one years OF
age when called "to JOIN the great ma
iority beyond"
Addison, whose graceful, unaffected
style has excited the envy and admiration
of cultivated readers, composed with pain
full deliberation. The press was frequent
ly stopped after nearly a whole edition OF
the Spectator had been struck OIL, in order
that he might change proposition in one
of his sentences. While he held the posi-
ton of Under-Secretary it fell to him to
communicate to Prince George of Han
over intelligence of the death of Queen
Anne and the vacancy of the throne. The
fastidious author was so puzzled TO make
n choice of expressions in which to con-
vey the news that finally the task of writ
ing the Prince was given to clerk, who
boosted of having done what Addison
found impossible.
Lamb expended immense labor upon
his humorous essays-the delicate, dainty
fancies being fashioned with the most
critical nicely. II is said that . playful
letter to friend often cost him the work
of q week. 1t is related of Tennyson that
he wrote the song, Come Into the Gar
suited him; and that he spent eight hours
u day, for nearly sIxweeks together, alter
ing and polishing - Locksley Hail." The
first draft of the poem was produced in
two days, but the exquisite perfection OF
the finished work was the result of this
enormous drudgery. Moore accomplished
but seventy lines of Lalla Rookh" in q
week, when his mood for writing was
most felicitous. Kinglake wrote :" EOthen"
five or six times over before II was given
into the hands Of the publisher. Button
was fifty years completing his Studies OF
Nature" and copied tine entire work
eighteen times ere it was finally dispatched
ID the printer ''He composed in q sin
gular manner, writing on large-sized
paper, in which, as in ledger, five dis
tirct columns were ruled. In the first
column he wrote down the first thoughts,
in the second he corrected, enlarged and
pruned it, and so on, until he had reached
the fifth column, within which he finally
wrote the result of his labor. But, even
after this, he would recompose a sentence
twenty times, and once devoted fourteen
hours to finding the proper word with
which to round off q sentence"
La Rochefocauld spent fifteen years in
preparing his little book of "Maxims,"
John Foster often pondered hours over
the construction Of a single sentence; and
Rogers worked for fortnight over note
10 his Z" Italy," that embraced q very few
lines When Balzac had completed the
plan of one of his novels, and, by labCrious
research, gained all the materials lie
wished to put into il, 1t was his custom to
shut himself up in the privacy of his dark
ened rooms, and by artificial light work
day and night at the business OF compo-
sition. His faithful servants attended up
on him, supplying his wants and saving
him all thought with'regard to his physi-
cal needs When at last Balzac emerged
from his seclusion, with his romance CON-
pIeted, hisaspect vas tIatof a dead man.
But, the toll over, his manuscript was not
then ended 1t was altered and amended
while In the printers hands until printer
and publisher were reduced to despair.
Gibbon says Of the manner in which he
labored over the " Decline and Fall Of
the Roman Empire: "Many expert
ments were made before could hit the
middle path between dull tone and
rhetorical defamation; three times did 1
compose the first chapter, and twice the
second and third, before + was tolerably
satisfied with their effect." When BulweI
began his career as novelist, it is said
that seventeen lines day was all he could
at first accomplish. By practice he grad
ually acquired facility, until he was at
last able to write several pages daily.
Albany Foublanque, the editor of the
Eraminer, of whom Leigh Hunt once re-
marked that he was the successor 'of the
Swihs and Addisons them<clves-profuse
of wit even beyond them, and superior in
political neutrality-suspicious. very slowly.
The utmost he was ever able to produce
was two or three editorials week, and
these were many times revised. 1t was
mot . singular occurrence for him to re-
write an editorial ten times.
4Sainte- Beuye, the brilliant French critic,
regularly gave about four toilsome days to
each of his eekly articles. A portion of
his time was spent in the seclusisn of his
apartments, to which, during that inter-
val, no person save his servant was adj
United upon any pretext.-Chioago 1rib-