Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-16
A strong stomach.
CThe Observations OF a Philosophical
Friend Of Ours)

cThe Observations OF Philosophical
Friend of Ours)
"Mens sana in corpore sano."-Juvenal.
When some one complimented a dis
tinguished lawyer OF our State, some time
ago. on his wonderful genius. the honest
old gentleman thanked his fiatterer, but
begged leave to differ from him. 1t was
not great genius, but a strong stomach
that he had 10 be thankful for. 1t IS not
wonderful that men have. in the past,
located the mind in the stomach, though
fat paunches and lean pates are known
not infrequently to go together
Obesity or fairness does not bespeak a
strong and healthy digestion; on the con-
trary. It IS often a result of disease and
instead Of enlarglng physical proportions.
it may fasten itself on some organ and
prove fatal.
Shakespeare knew the value OF things.
Before the battle OF Agincourt he makes
Henry offer leave Of absence to him
chat hath no stomach for the fight"
Weak stomachs i'll adapted to greatness,
as they are death to physical strength.
It is familiar history that Napoleons
fortunes gave way with his stomach, and
that the weak policy Of Lord Raglan
showed to the world that his stomach
was utterly unequal to the Crimean war.
The man that despises the counsels of
his stomach will find it, at the last, to
laugh at his calamity and mock when
his fear comes, and serve him in the nick
Of all his fortunes a dog trick. Psychology
and gastronomy are very closely asso-
ciated. They have got to pull together,
or there'n be not much progress.
The physical results Of a strong and
healthy digestion are strength and vigor
and brightness and physical JOY clearness
Of vision. acuteness of hearing, and
smell. delicacy, correctness, and dis
elimination of taste. and fortitude and
endurance. The moral results of
healthy, moral, and intellectual diges-
ton are as positive, strong. lasting, and
invaluable in their way. Many "A man
has passed for genius for merely holding
his tongue and doing his duty. or saying
only what he saw or thought. Whether
Iohn Runyan and Boswell were geniuses
or merely simple and sincere and healthy
thinkers and writer's may be question
In this connection Gervinus's account
OF Shakespeare genius will be healthy
reading. The great dramatist read,
marked. learned, inwardly digested.
soundly, strongly, truly, perfectly. nor
mallv free Of the perversons and Toisons
and vanities that waste the intellectual
and physical digestive organs Of the com
mon man. And that condition In the
midst Of human hospital rats, as we are,
goes by the name Of genius. But read
what Gervinus says:
Mature and humanity were his book OF
revelation and experience the source OF
his wisdom. His sense must have been
the soundest that ever man possessed;
his eye a smooth mirror; his ear an echo,
which repeated all sounds and images
with the utmost fidelity. When he speaks
OF music, of pictures, Of inanlmate ma
ture. he is as perfectly at home in these
regions as i'm history and social life. With
this healthy keenness OF sense he must
have united "A desire Of knowledge 20
which nothing was Indifferent, a watch
fulness that nothing could escape, an
opcnness of feeling that left nothing un-
touched a memory which retained every
impression and was ready for use on all
subjects, far and near. And with the
same soundness with which all objects
were received by his senses. they were
transmitted by those TO his creative ge-
MUS. lie was In the happy case Of the
popular poet Of the earliest times. his
memory was not overloaded, his senses
We're not weakened by much knowledge,
his mind was uninjured by learning,
everything I'm him arose, at first hand,
from nature and experience. For this rea-
son every sensation Is so prompt, every
thought so striking, every image so de-
scriptive For this reason his sayings
are like swords, which cut the knots OF
intricate truths; they are like the words
OF Solomon upon the most pungent prob
lens. not only poetical. but practical. So
lutions OF problems. Shakespeare
like his Perdito. might consider himself
lucky In being devoid OF learning, at
least. OF overburdensorne learning. since.
even without H. he was a master for most
OF his teachers. II. then. what he adopt
ed was i'm this way so lively and ready,
we should be inclined 10 conclude that
his power Of production was as ready and
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