The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1889-05-03
Select 1(isecllanp.
INDICATIONS OF GENIUS
addressed 10 Young People.
El ROBERT WATERS.
~.

remember being struck by the re-
mark Of Il French writer Il have for
gotten his name-who declared that if.
in reading work of genius, one takes
deep interest in it, and feels in the
reading of it some of the enthusiasm
which the author must have felt in the
writing of it, this is Il proof that the
reader possesses some of the spirit
which created it, or a spirit similar to
that of him who created it. This is,
think, Il fair inference; it commends
itself to the mind as a just conclusion;
for every one naturally loves to associ-
ate with persons of his own cast of
mind, and difference in degree is rot
difference IN quality. Tell ME whom
You admire, says Sainte Beuve, land
will tell You what YOU are" Tell lie
what books YOU admire, and will tell
you what qualities of mind you pos
sess; nay, what qualities of heart too;
for your predictions in this respect
are sure indications of moral as well as
OF mental qualities. Dantes sarcastic
answer to the Prince of Verona was.
after all, nothing but the statement of
simple truth. The prince asked him
how he could account for the fact that
IN the household of princes the fool was
IN greater favor than the philosopher.
''Similarity of mind, replied the poet,
sis, the world over. the source of
friendship"
When one of the common multitude
happens to light upon work of genius,
he does not take that deep, abiding, az
iectlonate interest in it which a kim
dred spirit takes in it. He does not,
like such Il spirit. fall in love with it;
dote on ii; dwell with rapture on its
beauties; return again and again to it,
and see new beauties in it every time.
He does not let it sink into his mind.
and cause his whole intellectual being
to be suifused by it; he does not, like
the kindred spirit, make it a seed bed
for new crop ideas. No: his interest
is something like that with which a
peasant regards marble statue, fine
edlilce, or masterpiece of painting;
lie sees it, admires it in way. and
passes on without remembering it; or
If he does remember it, it is simply to
say that he has seen and admired it,
1t does not abide with him nor have
any perceptible influence on his life OF
thought 'llow often | have been
struck ut observing" SAYS John Foster,
Il Shrewd observer of men. '.that no ef-
feet at all is produced by the noblest
works ofgenius on the habits of thought,
the sentiment and talk of the general
ty of readers. Their mental tone be
comes no deeper, no mellower; they
are not equal to Il iidle, which improves
by being repeatedly played upon. The
curious and the novel cannot seize
their attention; neither the grand nor
the sublime finds any upper story
above the kitchen apartments of their
minds; the tender cannot awaken
their languid insensibility, nor the pa
thetic touch their torpid hearts.
When | was in London | was INTRO
dnced to young New Yorker, Just ar
rived, who wished to sec the rcmar a
places OF the English took him to
the Abbey. the Parliament Houses,
the ROYAL Academy, the bank, the ex-
change, the kensington Gardens. and
other places: ard when he got through
he exclaimed with an air of great salts
faction Now | can tell nv friends in
New York that | have seen these
places. That man WAS Il fair sample
OF the multitude; in fact. he was more
intelligent than most of the multitude:
but he was decidedly lacking in genius.
lie had no proper appreciation of the
works of genius; and | am sure he
had us lit interpretation of the speeches
of Bright or Gladstone. or the pictures
OF Turner and landseer, rs he had of