The daily gazette., 1875-05-29
Homes of Genius.
BY FRANCIS DAYTON.

! but loves rather to linger in the humble
home of the peasant, among the poor
and lowly. OF course there are excep-
tions to this, as to every other rule and
many of the rich and titled have be-
came famous, bat generally the favor
J its Of genius are those who have no
long line of ancestors to look back ON
with pride, no Golfers whose golden
cortents are never exhausted.
One of the trials, coming hand in
i hand with the fame and success which
ever attend men and women of eenius,
is the curiosity of the world. The pri-
vate life must be fully unfolded to the
public gaze, and they, patiently or not,
must submit to the rude scrutiny. This
curiosity, to some extent, belongs to
every one; we all would like to know
what Shakespeare done when boy,
what he did and how he acted; if Mil
ton was happy in his home life; If Mo-
zart everquarreled; if Michael Angelo
ale and drank like other men, and
thousand similar questions present
themselves to every mind when think
ing of the lives of some Of the great and
| famous.
| would not seek to raise the veil
which shields a home from the envi,
Gus outsiders, but since it has been
already uplifted, there surely can be
no improperly in taking little peep
beneath.
| In an old fashioned country village
! among the hills of Yorkshire stands a
quiet parsonage, where dwelt the au-
thor of "Jaue Eyre" The house is of
gray stone, strongly rooted with flags,
| ,, tn - In Ind i'll,
sweep tiercely across the moorlands.
The church is on one side, tho school
house on the other, while the purple
| moors stretch far away beyond. Under
! the windows of the parsonage grew
Il few plants, hardy ones, for such only
could endure the cold and vigorous eli
| mate.
In this dleary and desolatc place lived
and, wrote, and died that woman Of
true genius, Charlotte Bronte. The
bad road cut off all communication
with the surrounding country, and all
the intellect and education of the
Bronte family were far superior to
their neighbors; their lives, one may
say, were bounded by the home cir
Gle.
Their father spending all of his time
In her study, the mother an invalid
confined to her bed room, the brothers
and sisters early learned to depend
upon themselves. After tho death of
her mother and two elder children
Charlotte supplied their place to her
younger sisters, and the care incident
upon such a position caused her to
become old and thoughtful beyond
her years. Such were the home and
circumstances of Courier Bell" and
both had their influence upon her
works and Character.
| The bleak, cold winds infused some
of their own vigor and strength into
her writings, the purple heath some of
| its fragrance and beauty; her issolated
position, so unusual for a young girl,
gave her an originally and freedom 2f
thought that has made her famous
Yet, when we think of her small circle
of acquaintances, her unintercsting
and desolate surroundings it seems
! trulywonderful that thus situatedcould
| have given the world works of such
1 thrilling interest and power as "Jane
Eyre" "Vilcta" and "Shirely."
The home of Mrs. Browning, one
/ of the worlds favorite poets, was 10
England but more beloved than her
native soil was the land under Italia's
sunny skies. For Itally's freedom she
wrote and prayed, and it is truly fit
| ting that the last home of this "soul
! of fire inclosed in a shell of PEARL"
should be in beautiful Floranoe.
Where olive orchards CLEAN and culver
Among the banks of Amos river"
she now sleeps with the bright Etrus-
can roses bending over her, and the
sweet music of the golden river to sing
her requiem.
A clay-bullt cabin in Ayreshire was
the birthplace of Scotland's greatest
| poet, Robert Burns. He was q simple
peasant boy, but, nevertheless, Genius
| had endoW cd him with that immortal
fire which SO few possess. He deserted
the plough for the pen, and the Scot
ish rustic became the renowned poet.
His fame, however, brought him no
prosperity; feasted and tiattered for
time, lie was soon neglected and for
gotten, and died in obscurity and pov
erty.
Inat Genius is not always so-ficklc
and cruel to her favorites, is shewn In
the life of Washington Irving. His last
days were spent in his beautiful resi-
dence, Sunnyside, on the banks Of the
Hudson, where the
"Soil is rich with fancy's gold
And stirring memories Of old"
and around which cluster historical
stories and romantic legends.
There seems now to be ringing In
my ears the familiar rstrainst the ''H Home
sweet home," and think of Its author
who never experienced the delights
and comforts of which he sings, never
knew what it was to have home. A
wanderer all his life, he died at last in
a foreign land; but we wish that all
men and women of genius, be their
homes in poverty or in wealth, could
so live that 1t could be said of than as
of John Howard Payne:
True when thy gentle spirit fed
To realms beyond the azure dome,
With arms outstretched God S angel said,
Welcome to Heavens Home Sweet
Home"