The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-09-22
Genius, Talent, Industry,


Talent is a quality which enables
its possessor to acquire knowledge by
learning from others and by unassisted
study.
Genius" on the other hand, is char
acterized by great independence OF
instruction; it takes its own course,
and originates new ideas and inyen-
Itons never thought of before. 1t may
of course enlarge its sphere of knowl-
edge by reading, by observation, and
by experiment; but it is by no means
characteristic of genius to be apt to be
taught; on the contrary, embryo gen
fuses are often dull fellows at school
and idle to boot. 1t rather dislikcs to
follow in the track of others, and rises
superior to obstacles of circumstances
and deficiencies of education. Genius
may safely be left to hew Il path for it
self Talent is greedy of instruction.
Hence the two have very different rela-
tons to education, a subject upon which
| should much like to dilate, but the
length into which | have been uninten-
tionally betrayed warns me to avoid the
temptation.
Arkwright perfected his invention of
the spinning frame in the uncongenial
atmosphere of a BARRIERS shop, in the
teeth of n scolding wife who more than
once broke up his models on the eve Of
completion. and who habitually up
braided him for neglecting the protita-
Bile occupation of 'an easy shave for u
penny with the elegant apostrophe,
"Cuss the 'cheenery" believe she
lived to be Lady Arkwright. Let S
hope that she learnt TO moderate the ran
cor of her tongue.
George Stephenson, inventor of the
locomotive and the father of railways,
developed his extraordinary engineer
ing genius in the obscurity, physical
and metaphorical, of a coal pit; eking
out his slender earnings by mendng
the boots of his fellow workmcn and oc-
.casionally a watch or clock.
Sir Humphrey Dayy, who was describ-
ed rs IN idle and incorrigible school
boy was apprentced to IN obscure
.apothccary in Penzancc; he aitcrward
became assistant in the laboratory of
DIR. Beddoes, of the llotwclls, Bristol,
well known to my father, who was then
serving his apprenticeship at the same
place, but | cannot discover that he
knew anything of the doctors more il
lustrious subordinate.
Faraday's father was Yorkshire
blacksmith, who migrated to London,
presumably in search of work, and Fara-
day himself was apprenticcd to n book.
binder. 4 chance attendance upon -four
lectures by Sir Humphrey Davv was the
immediate cause of his directing his at
tcntion to science, and he was some
time aflcrward introduced to the Labo-
ratory Of the Royal Institution through
DAVIS instrumcntaity.
Benjamin Franklin made his first en-
try into Philadelphia, a poor lad, with
all his possessions upon his back and Il
dollar in his pocket. As Mark Twain
dcpreciatingly remarks. Anybody
might have done that; the only Difficult
ty is to have the dollar But how few
out of the millions who nave begun life
with dollar. or even with less, have
arrived TO be Franklins,
On the other hand, it seem, absolute
" immaterial with what seemingly in
SuDtldBlt N1Si'N tIlAsl1tN -'ulbN Hllh bt
oppressed; it 'ciH make its way to the
surface and triumph over all.
Can industry then supply the place
of genius? Emphatically, Mo- Indus
try may compensate for paucity Of tai
ent; for talent, rs we have said, is
common heritage. and its presence or
absence is n matter of degree, and
whatever results are attributed to tai
ent are the joint product of talent null
tiplied by industry.
Genius is rs living organism, in
stinct with its own life, performing its
appointed functions spontaneously, rs
of necessity.
Talent is an elaborate engine,
skillfully devised to move many wheels
and to perform divers works, but want
ing the motive power.
Industry" is the motive power.
". GILES.