The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-09-11


of lunacy, plunged carving knife into
| the bosom of his mother. This apparent
ly was the premonitoy cause of his men
tai condition becoming unhinged. He
also contracted habits of intemperance.
Mary Lamb and her brother Charles, in
| their affection, both occupied the same re-
| treat-Bay Cottage, at Enfield. Haunted
| as he had been for years by the dread of
| what he fOresaw was imminent, and with
| the hideous nightmare of what he recol-
| lected of his sisters attack of murderous
| frenzy, his apprehension ultimately cul-
minated in reality in an attack of "Folie
circulaire."
1880. Charles Lloyd had recurrert
| melanchOlia.
1892 Percy Bysshe Shelley, contem-
| porary Of Byron's, was confirmed opium
| eater. His mind was so completely alb
| sorbed in his studies that one day he
| wandered into Leicester Square and un-
| consciously threw himself on the pave
ment near the center ratings, where he
| was discovered at an early hour next
! morning. His mind was prone to delu-
| sfons of deep and painful sentiment; at
| one time he was demonomaniac, at an
other time a cheiromaniac. While a boy
| at Elton he was easily affected by vision
| airy studies.
| Shakespeare has truly said that the
| lunatic, the lover and the poet
Are of imagination all compact
| 1893 John Glare died Of partial demen-
! tia with transient CLEANS of intelligence.
| 1885 James Gates Percival, of Connec-
| ticut, United States, suffered from mel
ancholia, following eccentricity of ge-
! MUS
179S Henry Scott Riddell had religious
| melancholia, and the suicidal depression
| n
| fined in an asylum.
1906. Charles Fenno Hoffman, the
great American poet, suffered from ina
| mia ezra bunda."
| 1871. Edgar Allen, poet, suffered from
| moral insanity. He possessed an eXcita-
Die, unstable fascinating and ill-trained
disposition, but he had his admirers and
| followers Ele seemed to revel in morbid
agitation of one sort or the other, and to
take solace and delight in artificial ex-
| cltement which gave strength and inspi-
ration, if but only of temporary char
| acter.
| A number of poets, ranging from Cow
ley, Etheridge, Parnell, Denham, Lee
and Moore, have, either directly or indi-
| rectly, become the victims Of intemper-
ance, having rushed to it, probably, in
| their dependency and despair.
| 1t is not the genius of poetry, art, sci
ence and literature who alone falls
| victim to mental disorders Those minds
|
| lision and jealousies of the political arena
| are often found to fall in the struggle.
| Fit, Fox and Canning died in the meri-
| dian of their fame, their lives cut short
| by the constant strain Of overwhelming
| mental excitement.
| Liverpool the prime minister, became
apoplectic and died, 1928.
| The Marquis of Londonderry, better
known as Lord Castlereagh, secretary to
the foreign department, committed sui
eide in. 1922. Sir Samuel Ramilly, solic-
| 1tor general, and the leading legal lum-
| nary of his era, persisted by his own hand
IN 1878 while in state of acute delirium,
as also did Whitbread. These were all
| political geniuses, whose minds had be-
| come unhinged
| Lord Randolph Churchill is DIR latest
example of a genius cut short in his prime
| from whom great things were expected,
| and whose career 1 have closely watched
| With curious psychological interest his
| condition being perfectly apparent to me
| for some time previous to his death This
| is typical illustration of the decadence
| OF master mind Frustrated by disease,
| which had it's origin in undue and alb
| normal political excitement
Ii we glance at the comparative statis-
ties of mentality in genius. we may form
| some notion of the final effect of different
| studies and pursuits. At the upper and
| lower extremities of the scale we have
| the natural philosopher and poet: the
aggregate duration Of the lives of the
| former may be stated to be Is. of the
| latter 81. In the quiet contemplation Of
nature by the philosopher, the mind is
| usually under calm and devout inf1u-
encc, winch sOftenS. the acuteness of
| feeling. 1t is the study of Gods book.
Inc nina OF the astronomer especially,
| whose enraptured eye contemplates the
| majestic roof fretted with golden fire"
! is carried far above the influence of hui
| man passion. But the labor of the poeti-
cal mind is creation. To the Creator, a
weird, a universe, is but the work Of a
| will, wish, a fiat; but to the creature
! even the birth of thought may be an
| overwhelming struggle, convulsive
| pang of originality. Nearly all ina gina
| tive writers are of an irritable nature
Many hard brain workers continue their
| laborS long after they have received a
warning, as indicated by attacks of acute
| headache In bodily illnesses we usually
| obey the dictates of sensation; when ia
| t1gued we rest, but not so with the brain,
and Notwithstanding the caution sent us
| we persevere with our mental labor
| needless Of what must be inevitable
Burton who wrote the Anatomy of Mel
| ancholy," became himself in that state
| of which he had been describing Hood
| who kept the world in laughter, was him.
| self silent and morose Liston and Grim
| adj were melancholy men, and I have
| had under my persinal observation one Of
| the leading London comedy actors, who,
| on his OW II duUlISlSOI, lelL IuCllIleu TO CUT
| his throat whilst waiting in the wings
| but whose entrance on the stage was
greeted with roars of laughter. Carlini
| the celebrated French harlequin. whose
| tricks on the stage delighted and amused
| every one, once consulted physician in
Paris. He was informed that he knew Of
| but one remedy for his hypochOneriasis,
| and that was to see Carlini on the stage.
| The reply was given in piteous tones,
| ALAS, alas / am Carlini." Unheeded
nd no
depression. asthenia, apathy, oblivion fol-