The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-17


ton at the plumbers of genius-lndig-
nation, or regret. or scorn, or even a
certain pleasure at finding the demi-
gods so like men; but they are never
surprised. the secret belief which II
quite ineIadicable. even after one has
understood TenBysOn and Browning
and Matthew Arnold, three of the
sanest Of mankind. that there IS some
relation between genius and insanity.
prevents all wonder. and is probably
the ultimate, though often the uncon-
scious, cause Of the otherwise immoral
tolerance constantly extended, even by
the GOOD. to those errors Of genius
which i'm other men they wOuli heart
ily condemn. But why able men
should make the same blunder Is con-
stant cause Of surprise. The common
notion that they are carried away Oy
passion. though true sometimes, must
often be untrue. and in any case does
not explain why passion. men field OF
choice beng wide. does not fix ltseli
upon the right person. Ii IS said TO be
all summed uD in the word attraction
but allowing its full power 10 love.
when real love exists, 1t IS odd how
seldom the able who choose the one
friend out OF the world So badly, choose
their other friends without some sort
of Judgment. You will see woman
marry the man Of all others least suited
to her. and then gather cirle of
friends round her whose excellence does
but increase her trouble by rendering
4 a 4. hs ealf u l
thing, though it Is less perceived. y
third explanation - accident has a
title n it. as it has when
nut forward "a an explanation Of
any unaccOuntatie event ; hut it has
very little, aud Is never accepted when
? man has chosen an impractcable
PARTNER. or a sNIndling solicitor. or an
agent WHO cannot do his work. Be
sides, why should not accident. if we
are TO take it as a blind force regulating
chances. have gone right instead OF
wrong? There must be something which
clouds the judgment, and the some
thiag. we fancy. Is always one OF two
things either the unreasOning, almost
preposterous self confidence which
makes man quite sure that if woman
impresses him pleasantly he must there
fore understand her: and the other is
the action of caprice. that mental i'm
pulse hich is independent of reason.
and winch in both sexes seems
TO operate more strongly in choosing
companion for life than on any
other occasion. Why it should do so is
hard to explain; but it does, and we
presume the reason to be that on this
occasion the Will wakes up in unusual
trengtb: that, IN fact. caprice-by
which we mean fancy Independent OF
thought would govern able men very
often in all affairs, and in marriage
where it is reinforced by will, does gov
ern them. If that is the explanation
we should further say that caprice en-
tered into q great many more marriages
than is suspected. and becomes visible
only in that moderate proportion II
which uusuitableness is so great as 10 b'
patent to the whole world. We shoulC
Overselves. however. believe that thu
! former cause, overweenlng self-conti
depce. was the main one. A man
| somehow, who likes woman Away
believes that he knows all about her
resents advice from the outside, anC
will not even consider circumstantia
evidence patent To all except himself
| His amour propre is in arms in defenc,
of his own opinion. and he will no
even doubt, sometimes in the face OF
proof written all over the object of his
choice. that she has good temper
There is an inner vanity 10 most men
kept down by sense and experience. as
to their own judgment on points where
the world holds accuracy of judgment
20 be mark of intellectual power; and
when wife has TO be chosen, it wake
up in irresistible strength. At least, il
this il not the explanation. greal
macy marriages of the experienced
Fielding's, for example. and Lore
Stowell's. must remain inexplicable. -
London Spectator.