Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-12-21
The Discipline of Genius.

1t is still the fashion in certain ouartarx
to depreciate collegiate education by e.;,
| ing the examples of men who have risa,,
to eminence In various intellectual cali
| ings without having been trained in tho
| schools. We are hidden to observe that
many OF the worlds greatest orators
| poets, and statesmen, as well as soma
men whose names stand high on the rolls
of art and science, were 1.-THE unt,urbt
! children of nature" Whence il drawn
the inference, expressed or implied. that
after all, elaborate mental training is of
doubtful value, even if it be not a positive
| hindrance in the struggle for success
This kind of talk, at all times sufficiently
| common, is especially rife each wear i'm
| medlately after the close of the COM
mencement season. The present, there
| fore, seems to be good opportunity for
stating few plain facts in refutation of
a mlschlevous and groundless delusion.
vi course no one denies that individual
instances of splendid mental achievement
by persons not literally educated NAV be
easily pointed out; but to assume that. as
rule, these men were ''untaught" is to
commit an egregious blunder When
ever the veil is lifted and the world gets
a glimpse of the inner life of one of these
diamonds in the rough, it is discovered
that the diamond was most assiduouslv
polished. That the polishing was not
done by professional lapidaries in insti
tutions established for the purpose is a
fact of minor importance
A favorite instance with the decrier,,
OF culture is Patrick Henry. But the
most recent and authentic biography of
the famous revolutionary orator shows
that Unpopular impression about him is
all wrong in SO far as it conceves Mr..
Henry to have been an unframed prodigy
OF genius. In the first place his school
ing was much more and better than fra
ditlon has accounted it; and in the sec
ond place, instead of leaping at a bound
into fame and fortune. he climbed nv
slow, toilsome steps. Instead of neg
Letting the books and trusting to torrents
of eloquence for success at the bar. Pat
rick Henry was, through all his early
career, patient, plodding student. both
of law and general literature.
A still more familiar instance is that
of Robert Burns. Certainly he affords
a wonderful example of genius triumph-
ant over adverse conditions. His school
ing was indeed meager. Yet it is doubt
trained, even in the technicalities of his
art 1t is a thousand pities that those
who talk so glibly aboA,t Burns as poet
of nature and nothing else, do not read
his autobiography. In that too brief
story of himself the immortal Scottish
bard lets us see the process through
which he went in learning to do his
work. 1t was process exactly the
same in all essentials. as that which is
repeated year after year by collegians of
the present time. In the deplored alb
sence of living teachers. Robert Burns
sought instruction from books. He
studied words, made lists of RHYMES, an
alyzed sentences i'll prose and verse, dill
gently gave heed to all the printed di-
rections for the formation of style which
came within his reach observed and in
vestigated, with a view to avoiding like
errors, specimens of bad poetry, and I'M
sparingly criticised his own productions
i'll the light of all the knowledge gained
by unwearied efforts. Boston Adver-
tiSpr