Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-08-03
rho cir Of Genius.

n
nj But generalization is nc arly al
WAYS a dangerous process and IS very
ant either to go too far Or 70 iaIl
short in dealing with those me TRAITS
and subtle powers which are at one'
SO real aud so elusive, 1t is better
perhaps, to BEGIN, ut least, VITA &C.
tual and specific Instances Lst "
begin with very humble one ootl'
wears before the late war Of SECESSION
a little negro boy, hardly more tli'i
an infant, Il oil to sun hlmssH aug
lol on the steps to the gallery ~
front of an old fashioned plautst
house in one OF the Southern states
He was blind and unable TO joan Ia
the sports OF the children OF his own
aps. but it was his delight to listen
10 the piano music which the daugn-
ters OF the household played dairy III
their parsor. Shut ont from all tho
visible bsauty of the external worla,
without intelligent instruction OF any
sort, this poor urchin found yet open
to him one avenue commuh1eatihs
with a world Of perennial charm. bat
what more was il to him than the
Jingle OF baby's rattle? Did he I'M
derstand the music, or so mucn as
catch the tune? One day II new touch
was laid upon the keys OF that piano.
The young ladies in an adjoining room
took note of il, and wondered whose y
could be. They opened the door, ana
there upon the piauo-stool was perched
blind Tom. His little fingers were too
short TO sgau an octave, but from the
first he PLAYED in chords avoided dis
cords. In little while the boy was
famous, and he was appIaudel By won
dering audiences in many cities,
Wo called Blind Tom u genius be-
cause there was no other way OF ac-
counting for him. But what was the
mOtuS opsrandi OF that genius? Did
Blind Tom compose harmon!es, rs a
bird builds its nest, under the guild
ance OF an unconscious instinct The
bird shares it's constructive instinct
with all OF his species He gets II by
inheritance, uuimpaired aud unIm.
proved. He has no originally, no
!nveutycness. But Blind Toms par
ants were what we call common Held
hands, and, SO far rs en- be ascae-
.ained, entirely devoid 0! any eXeep-
.ional endowment
| Passing from one extreme 70 the
other, we find genius again in Ralph
| Waldo Emerson. He was boom into an
lld and educated family. His yonth
! was passed in an atmosphere OF serious
( thought He was supplied with the
| pest books and with all the appliances
Of culture which his country could al
lord at that time. Later on he enjoyed
I the advantages OF foreign travel and
: personal intercourse with some OF the
most eminent thinkers and literary
I workers of the age. He was always
under one sort of external inspiration
or another. But does all this account
for him? Can we say that he was the
product OF his time and his surround
Ings? Those things might have
made him an accomplished scholar
and u graceful writer. But Emer-
son was more than an accomplished
scholar aud a graceful writer
He was, we are inclined to think, the
most stimulating writer that America
has ever produced. He did not somuch
instruct as inspire his readers. His
thoughts cleaned like scattered cry 3
tails on his pages. He presented you
with no well-fOrmulated system; but
he touched, as il were, ut random pom
chords OF far-reachtng suggestion. He
could say more than any other nan
could say in single sentence. and his
sentences were short. There was oIte n
but little apparent connection between
them, and he said himself TINT they
were infinitely repellant particles. He
was not given toargdmeut: MS strength
lay in the intuitive faculty OF pure rea-
son rather than in the logica! under.
standing. He differed from other men
not so much in the degree rs IL the
quality Of his intellect We canno;
class MIN.
II is long way from Blind Tom Il
Emerson; but they both had that gift
which we name genius. Blind Tor
was all genius. He had no learning
and no talent; he was almost an idiot
Emerson was eminently sane and wide
" read. What was 1t that those tive
human beings had in common? !
was originality, not eccsntricity: in
sight without instruction. invention
without guidance, an innate power O
SVilE SblftlGHJ W inc luSdl. "
course, Blind Tom was not AWAY
creative. He played other people
] music; but he was a composer, too
We may say the same OF Emerson q
poet and philosopher. He was Away
. willing to learn, and he was wonder
| fully alive to the good work OF others
but he belonged to no school, he wa
nobody's pupil and nobody's imitatol
We will not contend with those pee
: pie who deny the existence OF genius
: or who assert that there is no differ
) ence between genius and % high degre
, Of talent highly cultivated. Fortur
I ately, the thing is here in the world /
J speak for itself. 1t came without
herald, and it remains without an e.
{ PLANTATION. 1t plays new tunes on III
: old strings, it says new things on III
: old subjects, and when it sets itself
noble tasks it kindles new and fadele,
lights in the armament OF art and 10
ters. 1t gives us new servants. ne
, instruments, and new methods. 1t
nothing II 1t is not original New O
!, leans Picayune.
s Hhino oud RafIunnda