Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-03-02
SAYINGS GREAT MEN
Goethe, George H., Louis XIV, Burke.
H&Chcstcrfic1d, Franklin, Cesar. Ma
-pO1eOn.

thur Bent has Just given us on the sa,
ings of great men nothing, perhaps
strikes one more than the interest attacl
ing to the sayii gs of persons of very poo
capacity, so long as that poor capacit
has been weighed with sufficient self-cor
fidence to make it measure itself COOL
against the world. The most memorabl
quality attaching to the sayings of emi
nent men is not usually the wit or tn
wisdom, or the truth OF the saying, bu
the stamp of n distinct personality upoI
it. A hundred wise or witty sayings e
astray in the world, and get fathered up
OH wrong parents, for every one sharpl,
marked characteristic saying that thu
goes astray. For example, .Goethe's say
ings are very many OF them really wis
and instructive, but it is often ex
tremely difficult to remember from whom
they proceeded, because they are no
stamped with distinct personality
stupidity is without anxiety" or "Arch
itectnre is petrifed music" or "Master,
is often considered n kind of egotism,
for instance, are all sayings of interest
but not sayings which shed much ligh
on the character of the sayer, and there
fore, not closely associated with the say
er. But when George III. said, "Wa.
there ever such stuff as great parts o.
Shakspere Is that not sad stuff? Bu
one must not say it" it is impossible tc
forget this courageous attempt of the pool
old King to cut himself out, as it were, il
Il bass-relief ON the background of Shaks
pere, and to mark even his British
difference to widespread admiration
which he did not in the least share. Mr..
Bent might also have recalled King
Georges remark, when he was asked tc
give preferment to Archdeacon Paley.
and replied, with reference to Paley's eel
ebrated illustration of the ortiiicial char.
acter OF the institution of property taken
from the demeanor OF a crowd of pigeons
scrambling for their share of heap ei
What, Paley, Paley, pigeon-pll-
ey? No, no, no, no. George III gain.
ed from his crown only the ability, which
most dull people lack, to have confidence
in himself--to hold his own opinion
against the universe, however, Infinitely
little that opinion may have been and it
is this power to annex an opinion, to
make it part of n mans own character,
much more even than the greatness or
truth of it, OF even the brillint manner in
which it is expressed, which makes it
memorable for us.
George Ill savings are, like his own
image, stamped on copper, poor in express
sion, but very strongly stamped. 1t was
the same with Madame dc Pompadour's
celebrated expression Of recklessness-
"Apres nous, lie deluge," n saying which
has become part of history, partly from
its truth, partly from its vivid expression
of the seltishness and recklessness which
made it historical. And it is this quality
of personal eypressiveness which, when
the character so stamped lis not poor, but
has anything magnificent or noble in it,
that makes great saying take rank with
a great deed, Louis XlN.'s declaration
on his death-bed to Madame de Mainte-
non, 81 imagined it more difficult to die, u
us though his departure at least must
have involved n convulsion Of nature
and Pitts grand farewell to power when
he returned dying from Bath, Fold up
the map of Europe are excellent speci-
mems of the sort OF sayings which though
containing no thought at all, nothing but
n great consciousness of power, yet I'M
press us more than the most vivid wisdom
or the most poignant wit. This is why
dignity tells for SO much in saving Of
this kind-for SO much more, indeed, than
even truth. Burkes grand sentence on
the hustings, when referring to the death
OF another candidate, "What shadows we
are, and what shadows we pursue r.
makes an even greater impression ON the
imagination than the other sentence. II
do not know how to draw up an indict-
ment against whole people, not be-
cause it embodies half the political wis
dom Of the second sentence, but because
it recalls Burke and his soaring imagina-
tion more impressively to the mind. Even
Lord Chesterfield, with all his thnness
and superiiciality, makes his mark upon
us directly he begins to delineate him
self. "There is a certain dignity to be
kept up in pleasures, as well as in bust
ness, and, knowledge may give weight
but accomplishments give lustre, and
many more people see than weigh paint
SO exactlya man thoughtfullv and con-
sistently anxious about appearance, that
they impress us almost as much as one of
DIR. Johnson's vivid self portraitures of q
much nobler kind. Indeed, they impress
us not only almost as much, but for near
ly the same reason, that by imaging The
man, who lived in appearances, they
throw up in strong relief on our minds tie
recollection OF meu to whom mere appear
ances were naught.
|
not convey IN them any self-portraiture,
are seldom vividly associated with their
true authcrs. How many of our readers
Will remember who it was that said,
Nothing is certain but death and taXes;''
or, I'VE must al hang together, else we
shall all hang separately :" or, even, ''It
is better to wear out than rust out, "
which last does represent the energy of n
| 1I al Of
so common that it marks rather Il class
than an individual. benjamin Franklin
said the two first sayings, and Bishop
Cumberland the last, but we should be
surprised to find any one in company of
literary men who could have pronounced
on the spot to whom any one Of the three
was to be attributed. On the other hand,
we seldom misappropriate sayings con
tanning much less than it is worth while
to remember, if only they vividly portray
a memorable fgure-like Frederick the
Greats indignant "Wollt ihr INNER
leben ~ C"Do you fellows want TO live
for ever?'D, when his soldiers showed
some destinations to being shot down, or
Gambetta's peremptory ''Il faudra on sc
soumettrc, on Sc demettre," or Marshal
MacMahon's Government of Combat. "
Thus, the most impressive of all sayings
are probably those of great rulers who
contriyed to embody the profound conf
dence they felt that life of command
was before them, i'll few weighty words.
Julius Caesars "Veni, vidi, vici," and his
question to the skipper who feared for the
loss of his boat, "What dost thou fear,
when Caesar is on board 2" or his disdain-
ful apology for an unjust divorce,
| "CRSar'S Is wife Oupht to he free even from
suspicion" are likely to be in every ones
mouth as long as the world lasts. And
SO perhaps, is Napoleon's 81 succeeded
not Louis XIV, but Charlemagne, and
the same great mans remark, "Imagina,
! ii1., ,.,Ilas Il. y 4