The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1889-04-19
INDICATIONS OF GENIUS.
.iidycS&cd 10 lolRg People.
HI ROBEEr WATERS.

i'll this respect is sure sign of medi-
ocrity. He who does not care what he
is going to Be is sure never to be any
thing.
Most young men care for nothing so
long as they get enough to eat, drink
and be merry: but the better sort,
those that look upon the world as
something more than place to amuse
themselves in, are desirous of knowing
the full scope of their powers, and of
making the most of them. They wish
so to live, that departing, they may
Leave behind them
Footprints on the sand of time,
Footprints that perhaps another
Sailing DER iife's solemn main.
\ foTIorn and siiipwreckci brother.
Sccirg, shall takc heart again"
These are the choice and master
spirits of the rising generation that
are destined 10 lead the progress of the
world, to make their lives blessing to
humanity, and place their names among
the imperishable stars of the intellect
nal armament. ''In each class" saws
Matthew Arnold, speaking OF the three
glasses in which he divides the English
people, ''there are born Il certain num-
of natures with Il curiosity about their
best self, with a bent for seeing things
as they are, for disentangling them
selves from machinery, for simply con-
cerning themselves with reason and
the will of God, and doing their best
to make these prevail; in a word, 4
bent for the pursuit of perfection.
"A bent for the pursuit of perfec-
ton" What a lovely phrase. Would
that all men loved it, morally and in
tellcctually. Would that every young
person made perfection his aim. 1t is
4 pursuit, an attainable pursuit; and,
whether ever attained or not, is sure to
confer happiness on han that pursues
it. For it is only by the highest aims
that we ever attain anything worthy.
"What We truly and earnestly aspire to
be" says Mrs. Jameson, THAT in some
sort We arc: for the mere aspiration,
by changing the frame Of the mind for
the moment, realizes ITSELF Every
bright boy who wishes to become a
brave, true man, man of superior
stamp. realizes his wish to certain ex-
tent; and every bright boy who wishes
to know whether he possesses genius or
not, gives thereby an indication that he
possesses it: for he is impelled to seek
such knowledge by the very quality he
is looking for. And suppose it is the
same with every bright girl; although
of this / am not so sure; for, as one of
my teachers used TO say, | never was a
girl and cannot speak positively. A
girl, am inclined TO think, comes
sooner to this knowledge than boy;
for she ripers faster and has quicker
powers Of perception than the boy
She soon comes to know that she has
talent for certain things; that she
can draw, and paint, and fascinate, and
so long rs she succeeds in these she
| is not anxious to know whether it
amounts 10 genius or not.
Many young persons, in their ankle
ty to know what they are capable of,
seek the assistance OF that amiable dis
penser of rare gifts anl talents, the
phrenologist. This person is harmless
enough: for although phrenology is an
uncertain science, no young man of
common sense is likely TO be deceived
by being assured that he has qualities
similar to those of Demosthenes,
Shakespeare or Napoleon. \ sensible
man soon comes 10 perceive that no one
can tell him his powers so well as him.
self. | remember going on two differ
ent occasions with another boy to Il
phrenologist, in order TO see what kind
of talents had-for that | possessed
talents of some sort | had no doubt
and remember too that the man Of
bumps compared my head, in some
| things, to those of various great
men, ancient and modern. But | was
not deceived by his utterances; | took
them all. rs the Greeks say; with Il
grain of salt. Indeed | should have
been simplcton if | had taken for
gospel all that he told nm. | think |
looked upon the phrenologist in pretty
much the same way rs love lorn maid
en- looks upon Il fortune-teller, that is,
with certain misgivings as to the ma
ture of his art and Il strong suspicion
that his utteranccs were founded more
on fancy than on fact | am somewhat
inclined, even at the present day, to
| look upon the phrenologist and the as