The state herald., 1894-06-08
THE WOES OF GENIUS.

THE WOES OF GENIUS.
HOW 1T HAS WORKED AND
STARVED IN PARIS.
Bcrlios, the Composer, Danieie Manln,
the italian Patriot, and Honore de
Baixso Struggled Against Poverty
Victor Hugo's EARLY Troubles.
Paris has always been the Lode
stone Of genius Here, as to NO
other city Of the world. have fooked
artists, musicians and literateurs to
find their level In its wonderful COS
Chopin. the must
cian. wrote in one Of his earliest let
tors from Paris: Every thing ID to
DO found hero, good and bad, sub
lime and ridiculous You may do as
you please, laugh, cry. go pleasure
hunting or think OF nothing but
business. Nobody takes any notice
OF you. l do not think there Is . city
on Garth where there are more
pianists or-more monkeys."
Some Of the youthful geniuses
which Paris absorbed starved. Some
killed themselves because they were
starving. Some eked out pitlful
existence at work distasteful to
them Some reached. through long
toll or at bound, the pinnacle Of
reputation and OF fortune.
Nothing 10 more pathetic than the
picture OF some OF these most brill
liant minds OF tho world dying. as
the boy poet Chatterton did In Eng
land, in poverty and obscurity, lesy>
ing posterity to SGT them on their
pedestals in the gallery Of the worlds
great
In this way died Berlioz. the dis
appointed musician, disguised with
tho worlds unappreciativeness and
misunderstood and belittled by
Franco, while Russia, America and
Germany worshipped him. He wrote
musical criticisms for Paris great
paper, Le Journal des Debats. bound
by the chain OF necessity and hunger
to turn out unnumbered newspaper
articles-"infernal" he called them
while unsung symphonies were in
his brain, and when his pom dropped
from his hand by reason OF weakness
and illness. Thus keeping Off the
wolf. he toiled on till his death. un-
able to complete tho work OF music.
writing which he had planned and
unconscious OF tho coming admira-
tion OF his genius
Almost within sight OF Berlioz' s
window In Paris lived Daniele Manin,
tho patriot OF Italy, and cx-presi-
dent OF the republic OF Venice. says
tho Philadelphia Times He was
very poor. lived up under the roof OF
u tall apartment house, and after
tho death Of his wife and daughter
gave lessons in Italian to exc out his
scanty living. Among his pupils
were the two daughters Of Charles
Dickens. This continued till his
death in poverty and disappointment,
tho sadness OF which might have
been mitigatcdcould he have bridged
the chasm OF years and seen the
honors that Venice now heaps 'apon
his marble tomb.
P0verty-stricken was tho earlier
Partisan experience OF Honorc do
Balzac. lilo lived in garrett whose
only furniture was bed, table and u
chair. Tho room no rented for three
sous Ohrce cents) u day. livod with
out fire, except a little charcoal,
wore flannel shirts TO save laundry
bills, and paid for his daily food. q
sum almost intellectually small. Is is
described In his correspondence. "
In these dark days he wrote to his
sister: al. thy brother. prcdcstined
to celebrity, am already nodrishcd
like great man; that Is to say,
am dying Of hunger" Even after
sixteen romancos had come from his
pom. and aftor his namo was known
through all France. no took refuge
with Jules Sandcau. and was afraid
to go out on tho street In tho day.
time for fear OF arrest for debt
From this place his creditors secured
his removal TO prison.
Unhappy. too. was tho fate Of Poo
MORGAN, who came to PARA from
Provins when a youth. and WIN, so
poor that no wandered about Tho
streets ut night, being upablo tn nav
for lodging. begged shelter on tho
boats of the Seine. or slept undor a
trce In tho Bots do Boulovno until
no was arrested. Moroau iiyod In
Paris five wears In pitinblo povertv
writing songs that have been suno
by all France, and at tho npo az d
literally starved to death. And vot
all have not been worstod in Tho r.
battle with poverty and some hnvc
seen appreciation and fortune.
Everyone knows of tho hard lise n,
Victor Hugo when n youth Of 10.
living In a gar-et with his cousin
who came from Nuchez To .tudv l.w