Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-06-23
GENIUS.
A ScnOOlmasters Address to His Stu
dents, Who We're Going Home for the
Holidays.

A ScnOolmasters Address to His Stu
dents, Who We're Going Home for the
Holidays.
a. tell you, boys" said the school,
master, " it doesn't depend half so
much on special talent as on energy
and ambition, for success in life.
You've got to work, work, work, and
dig, dig, Dig right at thing if you are
going to succeed. If you have special
talent, all the better; but the finest ta'-
ent in the world VII not amount to
much without invincible energ5 and in
du,try along the line in which your
ia ent leads. There are few who have
special talent; but, boys, there are no g
who have ordinary abilities but can so
direct and cultivate them as to make OF
them a success.
As for genius genius has been de-
fined as an immense capacity for tax
ing trouble, which means, simply, ca
pacty for work.
There were two boys at school to
gcthcr. One could draw and caricature
anything; the other could not. But
one day one twitted the other.
You couldn't draw COW so il
could be told from the side of hous,
II cam" said Morgan Gray.
LETS scc!' cried Elliot Mandall.
Oh! such cow Is it COW? or horse?
or dog? or cat? or the side Of Il
house! See boys see this cow lIa.
ha! Morgan Gray's COW! o, boys, thi,
is too killing. Ho! no! ha! ha. My
kingdom for a cow"
''He d dnt mean TO be cruel, but he
could take pencil and switch OF a
COW, or any other creature he had seen,
in n minute.
81 can! and | will-some day sad
Morgan Gray; and from that moment
though with no special genius (eXccp,
for labor, he worked in that direct on.
unit to day he is one OF our leading
artists. He just went right in.o g
work. Why, he would 90 down to the
slums of cities to study the stagg ring
gait, or drunken leer of a drunkard, or
into Our penitentiarieS for lines of war;
Gus passions depicted on convict faces
to the operat the theater
He studied anatomy to GET the right
direction of veins and musclcs-all for
his work. He would sit for hours be-
fore 4 glass distorting his face in
various ways and then trying to get the
lines on paper as he struggled for some
/ particular facial expression. 1t was
sold, hard work for him-but he sue
ceeded
Zone other thing. boys don't divide
your energies. Decide on what yo2
want to do, and then do that one thing
Don't dabble in half a dozen different
lines, trying this and trying that.
Where is Elliot Mandall to-day? Oily
dallying between literature, art and
music-able to do little in each lu
not much in any one. He claims that
the world does not appreciate his
genius, when the fact is he has done
no worthy work for the world to APP
preciate.
" Now, boys, you are going home for
TIE holidays Many OF you will not re-
turn, but will 90 into the world to sue
coed or fall, according as you work.
Use the talent God has given you. De-
eide on what you want to do or become
Make your mark, then aim for it. Con
centrate your energy. But above all,
work, work, work, and dig, dig, dig!
Be not discouraged, but persevere, AMI
surely success of the best kind will at.
tend you, for you will have done the
best of which you are capable. AMI
the Lord asks no more-neither any
less-of any man. "-luOrning Star.