The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1886-07-28
Republished BY request.l
MARKETABLE BRAINS.
A Bright Essay by a Young Lady
student at the Little RenE

n AbA = ~ A<Sy<HS N% - = V>At@k7 ~<<~>~S
Student at the Little ReoE
Unisssrs:ss.
Gazette Jane
AT the closing exercises Of the Lit
tie Rock University, a few days since,
the literary societies Of the Univer-
" had interesting exercises, at
which the following essay was read
BY Miss Berna Smade:
MARKETABLE BRAINS.
Commerce Is an interchanging Of
commodities. The country that has
the greatest interchanging of these
commodities is the one that occupies
the highest round on the ladder,
which is composed Of the civilized
nations Of the world. As a rule
those nations which have the great
est interchanging Of commodities
produce the best articles 81 merchan-
disc, but this, like all other rules,
has few exceptions. Almost all
countries have articles Of merchan.
disc peculiar to themselves, but there
is one very useful and important ar
ticle which is found IN all cultured
nations, and that is brains. Indeed,
it has been said by one of our great
men that brains are the most useful
of all commodities. During all the
ages of the past and all along the
line up to the present time, brains
have been to greater or less extent
on the market. Centuries and cen
turies ago when this vast world was
yet in its infancy, the brains of such
men as Plato and Aristotle found a
ready market, thus benefitting not
only themselves personally, but also
their fellows and their country, and
leaving a name on the scroll of fame
which the winters and summers Of
many, many years have failed to
fade. But probably in no period Of
the worlds history has there been
so great number of marketable
brains at one time as there is to-day.
Look for example at the number of
great statesmen and doctors and au-
thors who dwell in our prosperous
nation to-day. How is it that as
such they do this? They produce no
articles of merchandise. No, but
they have cultivated the gardens Of
their minds and place the produc-
tlons of these cultivated gardens ON
the market, where they find ready
sale. We do not have to 60 very far
to find an illustration OF this. Turn
your attention for short time to
the present governor of our state.
When lie announced himself as a
candidate for the highest position in
the state of Arkansas, a majority OF
the voters thought him better fitted
for that position than any one else
and the consequence was they gave
him the office, and the brains which
he put on the market no. only brlng
him now the more substantial things
OF life but also high degree of hon
or. Look again at Prof. Lewis, the
worthy president Of our University,
He, after cultivating and refining bis
brains, placed them on the market AT
a premium. The Freedman's Aid
society, deciding that he vas exact
| ly qualified for the position at the
head of our progressive school, hired
him and paid him that premium,
thus placing him in position OF
wide influence and great honor. Oh
course there is great variety shown
in the kinds OF marketable brains,
There is the mathematical brain, the
literary brain, the brain which is
adapted to business and q great
many other kinds. In fact there is
almost as much diversity shown in
the brains which are on the market,
as there is in nearly any other article
of merchandise, and even more than
is shown in some. A good article is
always in demand. 1t pays a person
therefore mach better when produc
ing an article which rs to be brought
before the public, to prepare it in q
thorough manner. There are great
many articles of merchandise put on
the market as being first class, which,
when tested, prove to be only sham.
To be sure the sale of these inferior
goods at a first class price, brings
the seller seeming profit, but IN the
long run it is great loss. This is
also true of brains as an article OF
merchandise Who has not seen i'm
portant positions held by those who
were incompetent and untrustwor-
thy? This seems to be true espec
Tally in politics, but follow the career
ola person holding such a position,
and see whether in the end he gains
or loses. There are few but that
would have marketable brains if cul-
tlvated in the right way, but there
are a great many whose brains do
not do them much good, because il
cultivated at all ii is in the wrong
way. Who could expect man to
be success as a doctor when he had
positive dislike to the profession
or who could expect man to make
a success as minister when be
wanted To be merchant? Yet we
often see cases Of this kind. Then
again there are those who really pos
sess extraordinary brains who never
make any mark in the world. What
Is the reason? 1t is simply because
l fhev lark 9nnii1h - Taka a .ltamnni