The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-03-27
NOTHING,

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NOTHING.
MoSsrS. -ElIorS: I have taken my
pen to write something for your paper;
and yet | am as much ut u loss what.
TO write about rs ! was Yesterday
While rcading a learned editors week
~ review Of new books, in which he
says: "Writc"s Of genius, as distin-
tingnishcd from writers OF talent, sell
dom sec their power fully recognized
unless their lives arc prolonged beyond
the usual limit. Shakespeare, Milton,
Shelly. Hcatcs, Thackcrav, Hawthorne
- these arc among thc most glorious
names OF English literature; tut while
some OF them enjoyed certain deuren
of appreciation during their life time,
not one arrived at The full measure of
his fame until another generation had
come upon the stage" Now, these
well written and thoughtful sentences
may be all right, bat what puzzled me
was to draw an exact line Of distinc-
'loh between writers of genius and
writers OF talent. Failing to do SO
came to the obvious conclusion that
one or the other Of these, characters
must draw TIC distinction, while |
must be CONTEXT TO occupy a third
class. Add TO This last fact that have
nothing to write about, and YOU will
sec the impropricty of surprising that
! shall be able TO entertain your read
crs, much less yourself. Butt console
myself in the belief that / am not cn-
tirciy alone: for With, some writer's it
seems fashionable to write whether
they have anything TO write about or
not. II is with these, as with some
talkcrS-thoSe who have the least 10
say say the most. But "bclurc | dis
f:isi the suhicct' | think these two
words "gcnus" and 'ralcnt" arc dan
Ecr"us terms, and often convey to the
minds Of our boys and vounr men
erroneous and disrpurnyinp ideas. SO
many Of our youth with brilliant
minds (ncrding only proper lcvclop-
genius nor talent. and thus live and
'l'H ignorant OF their own powers.
read the other day the biography OF
sir Isaac Newton by that charming
Wri'cr, James Parlon-an inspiring
niue work OF nincty-iour pages which
every yong man should read. Mr..
F1rt"n tells us that Mr.. Newton, being
one day asked how he discovered the
law or Ernvitation, replied, .'By inccs-
sanity thinking about it, Butlon
said, "Gcnius is PATIENCE" Steven
son, the inventor Of the locomotive,
Gcc!nrcl that he surpassed The majority
OF mankind ''only iii paticncr.' Sir
isaac wa" dull at first so was Daniel
" cbSttr. Newton sometimes spent
the whole night in solving single
problem. and yet used to wonder how
4 man coald write a book SO simple
and obvious as Euclid. And vet bv
this patient toll he advanced farihcr in
science Gin one direction AT IcasD than
amy man on earth had ever done, and
at last uttered with his usual modes,
that memorable sentence, "If | have
seen farther than Dcscurtcs, il was by
standing on the shoulders Of giants"-
to Copcrnicus, Kcplcr and
Nall'c". were our young men to
spend all their leisure at home IN the
study Of valuable books they too might
stan'. upon The "Shouldcrs Of riants'
without stopping to inquire whether
they they had genius and talent or not
May Heaven bless our Young men!
The lu !urc of our country will be lust
what they make it. May thcv follow
the example Of such mcn as Newton
instead OF that Of drunkar,ls and swear
crs! Our country will be saved from
its present pcrilous condition if our
young men will save themselves.
Now. McssrS. Editors. shah dismiss
this subject, and having nothing to
write about shall conclude BY saving
lew words about it-t. G. n0thing-thc
genuine old Roman mini or ouiiu rcs
One Of WcbStcr's definitions of moth
lug is ga tritle", and one Of nothing
ness is "of no value.' How much of
lies precious time do we waste at
nothing: How i'll much Idle talk worth
nothing? How in much trashy reading
OF no value? None TO the head nor
heart, but only poisoning the ima9ina.
ton. How much labor and toll, care
and anxiety, all Of no value? How
much sacrifice we often make Tor plraS-
llrc which produces pain to mind and
body, and often uniting us for the
real duties Of life? How many law
Sni!S--how much strife and discord,
cnvicS and iHalousics to which tho chi
hon" may be applied? Onc man says.
81 have no timc-too busy to attend
to ii now" and yet he hurrirs away
10 spend two or three hours in idle
chit~chat. The bell rings for dinner,
men hasten to the table, cat mlrrir,lly.
ana hasten away TO spend tie uf. .cr-
noon--at nothingl
Now us this article looks barc-hcad-
cd without caption | shall write
"Nothing" at tho head, us IL may
amount TO that, but if You consiyn il
I" tho WaSte-baskct | shall try to write
on something next time.
B. i. CoRLEY.
---------.-deb~~.----
Invalid mothers, weak children, nor
volis and frctfnl infants arc benefited by