The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-06-23
Genius and Fortune.

tive Of the large profits made by On actor
OF great eminence. 1t Is also an indica-
ton that the popular impression that dra-
matte genius. and artistic genius gener-
ally. is incompatible with the keeping OF
money, is not justified by the facts.
Mr.. BOoTH's fortune must have been
gathered almost wholly during the last
twenty years of his life. or since the failure
of the theatre which he established for him
self. in 1862 at the corner Of Twenty-third
street and Sixth avenue The circumstance
that it consists Of personal estate only. with
the exception OF q place at Newport. sug-
gests also that it grew altogether out Of his
professional gains during that short period:
and it indicates how great those were and
how prudent he was in their management.
In this prudence. however. he was not
extraordinary among actors. EDWIN For
REST. with whom he competed for the pop
ular favor at the beginning OF his successful
career. left a large fortune also. when he
died in 1872 CHARLOTTE CUsHMAN. whose
dramaticscareer was simultaneous, and who
died in 1876. left very handsome estate.
Mr.. HENRY IRVING. the distinguished Eng
lish actor. is a man Of fortune; and many
Of the men and women Of the stage are
now the possessors OF wealth or Of a COM
petence which renders them pecuniarily in
dependent. The great mass may spend as
they go along, taking no thought for the
morrow. or having no faculty for accumu-
lation even when they have incomes large
enough to afford an opportunity for its ex-
ercise; but it is the same with the run OF
other people. of men Of affairs and profess
sional men.
The genius for making money and the
genius for keeping it are apart and distinct.
II they always went together. the decrease
in the poverty of the world would be enor-
nous: but proportionately they seem to be
united in men OF artistic genius as often as
in those without that great gift OF heaven.
II not oftener. Nearly all the artists Of
high distinction at this time. in music,
painting. sculpture. architecture. and tho
drama. have accumulated fortunes, which
in many cases are large. They are receiv-
ing incomes which justify extravaganza;
but they are not wasting money more than
other successful men. they are not more
likely to acquire habits of dissipation, and
apparently there is not less practical sa-
gacity among them.
An art which may not be SO conducive to
great material prosperity is the literary
art. Very few writer's. no matter how
great their distinction. have ever got
rich out of writing, and at the present
day the number who have done SO Is
30 small that we could include them all
in short list. Fortunes like that of
EDWIN BOOTH and those tho illustrlous
painters. sculptors. musicians. and archi-
tects OF this time are almost unknown
among the men Of literature. The incomes
of the great body OF writers best known to
the people are meagre as compared with
those OF the others. They are much less
than the incomes OF lawyers and physicians
of parallel professional eminence.
AS things are. II man wants to get rich,
literature alone offers him poor show for
the qualification Of his ambition. He may
get along very comfortably; but the chances
are against his accommodating a fortune
like Mr.. BOOTHS out OF his professional
gains. no matter how clever his art how
saving he may be. and how extraordinary
his business sagacity. That is why Mr.
WALTER BEsANT and his colleagues are find
Ing SO much fault with the publishers. They
think that the publishers are getting rich at
fuel. and that the publisher warns himself
by the fire while the author stays out in the
cold. But what other remedy is there than
that the author should be both the writer of
the book and Its manufacturer for the
market? He must unite both profits In
himself, or take for his manuscript what
the competition Of trade will give him. II
he have not a combination OF quail
ties and aptitudes. enabling him to DO
both man OF business and writer,
he must pay for his defects. The
picture is done when 1t is painted.
The book requires the expenditure of
abor, capital. and enterprise upon it after
It has been written by the author: and
without that expenditureit is worthless.
Hence. when fortune comes to literary
men. outside OF ton or fifteen In genera
ton. 1t comes to editors who get both the |
writing and manufacturing profit. but |
these too. are few. The capacity to make a
successful newspaper Is rare. and like all |
rare gifts It Is sometimes richly rewarded.