Wichita eagle., 1888-07-29
THE NEER-DO- WEELS.
MEN OF GENIUS WHO WERE At
FIRST uNOeRRATED.

Once Laughed At-story Of the -Cgty
Duckling''-Foe ~ West r~..s-~..sr
Unfinished Manuscript.
The opinions of friends aod ueiSnhors
as TO q mans powers are rarely O! any
value Sometimes they ridiculonsly over
rate him and push some donkey forward
into a conspicuous position where the
length of his ears. as defined against the
back ground of the horizon. nay be &C.
cura,eiy and publicly aseerts;ned Bu.
mere frequensiy-and especially in the
case of man o; real genius-shey are
have come 10 regard - cne Of themselves.
NontNgle tells rs In his .-Essayss
that his stteIp, &C become 81 author
was laughed s.. Il his own presencs. sad.
even after lie bad won his faps. De found
that at home se WAS obliged 10 pur.
ers purchased him" BeIzsc's family wcS
sarcasticaIly indignant at his prc>ucains
10 believe that be could write and visited
three failures with the usual sxnsperat-
ing Il told Won So When Swit, intro
duced rarnelI TO Lord Boiinghroke and "a
the world ne made this entry in the iour.
nal 1T Is pleasant to see ono who hardly
passes fo- anything In ireland make his
way here with a little friendly forward
ing Daniei Webster in the very height
OF his fame. just after his famous Bunker
Hil speech. TOOK q run down 10 hts native
village. which 10 had no: visited In ~
many years that he was not recognized
by his former cronies Accosting an old
friend of the Wehsters. he gradually,
after due discussion OF the weather sad
the crops. turned the conversation upou
his own family Thereupon his compan.
ion burst out iato enthusiastic encoraiums
upon the virtues and abilities OF Daniels
elder brother. Ebenezer. who had died
young. and whose early death he fttingly
deplored Daniel slipped in q modest
query rs 20 whether there was not 3
brother named Dan He never wA
much account. said the old gentleman,
with shake of his head Il believe he
went 10 Boston and became SEINE kind q
q lawyer OF mother
Andersen has allegorized his own for.
lorn and Gnappreciated youth in the story
of the Ugly Duckling' which turned out
TO be swan This story is a favoritS
with Bismarck Il was an ugly dUckling
myself. be once told friend. my poor
old mother never would believe that there
was any good Ia me" Isaac Barrow's
parents conceived so mean an opinion OF
his temper and parts when he was a boy
III the Charter House school that his
father used to say If it pleased God to
take away FROM him any Of his children
II might be Isaac. the least promising
Adam Clarkes father was equally unrum
phmentary 10 his own flesh and blood
when be proclaimed his ION 20 be -
grievous Ounce Sher1dans mother pre-
scented him 70 new tutor 60 an iaeot
rigible Ounce.
Poe at West Point was a laughing stock
to his schoolnates Byron AZ Harrow
was in no wise distinES lshed above his
fellows. Napoleon and Wellington In their
school days were distinguished oaly for
dullness. The mother OF the ls;ier must
be added to our list Of complimentary
parents Arthur was good for nothing.
she thought. save as food for powder
Robert Gives family were thoroughly
Disguised with him by the time he was
Is years old. his reputation for stupidity
being then only equaled by his reputa-
tion for general wickedness. and gladly
accepting an Indian clerkship for him.
they shipped him of to Madras. TO make
a fortune or die OF yellow fever Gold.
smith. up 10 the time OF the publication
of The Traveller was looked upon as an
IDIOT by almost all who knew him After
ward be was dubbed an Inspired idiot.
Burns was dull boy good only at ath
.etic exercises SIR Humphrey Davy
h.. IseF
liant boy While he was with me-
says bis teacher David Gilbert. Il
could not discern the faculties by which
be- was so much distinguished And 10
sure that the good burgbers 81 Stratford.
on Avon saw nothing In VIII Shakespeare.
the butchers boy. but Wild. ha-un.
scarum scatter brain. whose only chances
IF future elevation lay In the chance opea
10 all rogues on tho gallows. Indeed. tho
Rev Mr.. -. who was pastor ia the
poet \ birthplace in 1913. says there vas
another butchers boy IN tho same town
who was deemed more than al equal II
Master Shakespeare in parts- This prod
gy won tie love Of the gods. and died
ToEDg
Scott tells us In his Diary" that for n
time re WAS moderated by most Of his
though subsequently getting
forward and held bold and clever fei-
ow. contrary 10 the opinion Of al who
thought hlia mere dreamer Ounce he
$ and Ounce lie VIII remain was tho
sentence passed upon hin By Professor
Dalzel at tbs Edinburgh university Tho
,olcness % his critical friends al the out
.et Of life had almost deferred him from
oOeticsl cor position. Is II afterwGrd
,arsed him 10 throw aside toe unfinished
o. "Wsverisy" 10 Inolder
away for eight years IN his desk- Tho
irEt sketch ef bis nlaiden Effort az o-tgi-
lal verse. ''Ths Lay u the Last MIN
Itrel. he read over ons e~eling after din
act TO lis friends Erskine and Crouneston-
They listened with Just as mach sypar~ut
.ttention as the laws Of eourtesy sbso-
utely commanded. smoked tAeu cigars,
Jassed the clAret. bemrsed drew . sigh
Il relief at the end OF tia first cAnto. AID
cturned without q word II comment 10
hs thread os COZ ve-aAtion which scott
.ad broken into with his cold dssh 81 Do
try. lie interpreted their silence a. TN
.ttered condemnation. sad threw tho
tan1zs asids r. disgust; nor was II until
eng after that they again Jaw ths high.
When He.ns read bis two stanzss. The
1rne AID The Pam. 70 . co.erss vhieh
numbered such men a. FoDqus. HcAisgsl.
etc. they all burst into ys.Is
Z tnsItiIs.likhabls laughter which vel
Ugh put Elra cut 81 concert With poem
whose farse II now weird wide Addison
dv.sed Pope not to tatro4soe Lis fairy
aythoIogy Eso ''ThS RATE Of the Lock-
y ozas~as<ht fy1s=1s aa t~sgcgis kta
o Lssy~ cot a h. vo1urre Of "Lyr.1Ai
.Allsds' Is poem I'VE are sev~n. as
orf.x In SheA !: would cy.rz 1oswa