The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-16

ing remarkable communication, which seems
to require some notice:
81 have hcsn constant reader Of Tnr srN for several
years on this ground presume TO ask advice IA
matter TO which have gwen much thought without
irving At settled conclusion
II am possessed oi considerable means and live a
siudiou, lite lam economical AMI have no tastc for dl.
Hlauon Under these circumstances have more money
than Know what g. do With Being OF liberal disros
ton dcsre 10 use ~ eNeni part II my fortune IN An
advantageous manner do wish a. invest m any
thin. that will bring me any financial return. because
have NOR, tuan enough already iorcNery want
WHAT wish toto Is to my money q charitable
purpose. am inclined a, present to assist
some poor GENUS.
Some struggling Poet
"Sume unfortunate Artist
"souc Truly Good Man
"ltSnu Will advise me what 10 do IN the premises
will have great wcishtn hel.as me to reach concu.
sion. "AWoulpsl BtNstAcroh"
Taking our correspondent at his word,
and having given his ease the careful con
sideratiUn due 80 generous and disintcrcstcd
4 person. we are prepared to say:
l. That. a. the first essential toward the
proper cooking OF hare is to catch your
hare. 80 the first thing necessary toward
the assistance Of poor Genius is to find
one. This Is probably not 50 simple mat
ter as it seems We suppose our correspond
ent wants to exercise his bcuevolcncc upon
y
on the spurious article, he has only to adj
vcrtse some morning for Genius TO as
sist. and before breakfast is over he will
have a choice assortment Of from two To- six
hundred alleged specimens at his basement
door. But he may confidently assume that
any man who comes to him saying, " | am
n Genius, assist me, II nothing better than
an impudcnt impostor Tho fine thing
about true genius Is ito modcsty. Very
often II is not even conscious OF It's own OK
istonce. The genuine Geniu-es will ho max
ing their way in the world by independent
cXortion and getting beyond the need Of pc
cuniary assistance while our benevolent
friend is engaged in examining and reject
ing couutcrirts and long before he finds
one Of the right kind his liberal turn Of mind
may have disappeared in the cynici~m u
advancing years and continual disappoint-
ment.
II. We arc inclined To- discourage the idea
of carrying ont the second proposition. The
divine gilt Of rocsy should carefully Ice
kept separate from mcrcenary considcra-
tions, except whore it is employed to meet
great popular demand as In the case of q.
WAsHISGroN CHILUs, A. NJ, when ii is right
/
Poets VINO struggle for the means of sub
sistcnce while they express their souls IN
song. have rather gone out If date In this
age and cline their incomes are generally
derived from other sources. and their strug-
giles are principally with difficulties OF
rhyme and metre, In which IT is advisable to
leave them TO struggle on in solitude.
III. Nor do We see how our opulent CORE
spondent can, with any real advantage to
! Art. bcstow his superiluous income in the
manner suggested in his third overture
Nowadays Art finds its own pathway to
dignity and wealth. The trouble is not so
much that good pictures will not sell, as
that bad pictures will and do sell. Dcserv-
ing artists are rarely, il ever. unfortunate
| The Offer of Il charitable loan or cash
! gratuity would be little less than an insult
to any artist who has the merit which wins
success, while pecuniary aid extended To an
undcscrying artist would be n mistaken
kindness, inasnuch as it would give him
false notions Of his prospects. and delay the
time when necessity should drive him out
Of Art into his proper sphere.
". Least OF all should we advise the pom
sioning Of True Goodness. The Truly Good
Man par trceUUce, Deacon RICHARD SMITH
Of Cincinnati, is already in the enjoyment II
an Income amply sufficient to his modest
needs. When he cleans out the wicked part
ners the revenue Of his Office will be still
larger; for many sincere admirers of Tue
| Goodness, who are at present deferred from
taking the Cincinnati Gdsctie by reason Of
the deprayity Of some Of its remarks, will
hasten 10 send in thciI subscriptions as soon
rs the columns of that newspaper are com
pletcly purified. There II no occasion, there
fore, for our correspondent to bcstow part Of
his riches on Deacon RICHARD SMITH. As to
| Deacon RICHARD Smiths less celebrated I'M
tators- those who have been led by his
shining example to try 10 become approx
matcly truly good-we should regard as in
furious and inJudicious in the extreme any
gift or benclaction tending to dcbase their
ondoavors 10y setting up mcrccnary induce
mcnts, True Goodness ought to be its own
reward.
What then, shall our correspondent do
with his fortune II seems to us that there
Is a fine field open 10 hlm. and one which, a.
iAf ms we know, has never been occupied by
any phllanthroIi-t We refer TO the founda-
tion and adequate endowment of an Imilrma-
ny for the Mendacious, where the habit Of
lying, which in many unfortunate Instances
becomes chronic, shall be treated as a moral
disease, just as habtua inebricty is treated
in the institutions known as Washngtonlan
Homes. Indeed, had not The name OF WASH
INGroN already been appropriated for the
nebriatc asylums, there could w no more