The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1899-09-15
DECENT ESTIMATE
Most Great Men Have Had of Their
Own Abilitiea

Most Great Men Have Had of Their
Own Abilities.
If 1t be true that "man's greatness
may almost be measured by his modes.
ty," ~ is at least equally true that there
are more than sufficient exceptions to
prove the rule; for there have been
times when many Of the greatest men
the world has known have been be-
trayed into expressions of concelt
which would have been discreditable
In much smaller paen.
That Balzac had at least an adequate
estimate of his powers was proved by
his saying, on more than one occasion,
there are only three writers In
France-Victor Hugo. Theophile Gau-
tier and myself"
This verdict, fiattering as 1t was, In
a sense, to Victor Hugo, was by no
means indorsed by him. When the au-
thor Of LES Miserables" heard of 1t,
he is said to have remarked: 'Tf you
remove Gautier and Balzac, l have no
doubt that will be the verdict of pos
terity."
When lady of rank once said to
Malherbe, the famous French poet,
whose morals were as faulty as his
verses were perfect, Il want to show
you some of the most exquisite verses
ever written; they will be revelation
to you," Malherbe answered: Pardon
me, madam. If, as you say, the verses
are the most perfect ever written. l
have already seen them, for they must
be my own"
Mirabeau, one Of the most prominent
figures In the French Revolution, main
tained his vanity to the last. AS he
was dying he said to his favorite at.
tendant, Prop up my head carefully,
for 1t is the most remarkable head In
all France" Mirabeau was honored
with a public funeral, and his remains
were placed in the Pantheon; and yet
within a few months he was declared
traitor by the very assembly OF
which he had been the master spirit
and President.
Perhaps one Of the most striking ex-
amples of vanity, even In French an
nails, was furnished by a letter written
by Victor Hugo to Prince Bismarck, in
which the following sentences occur;
Il love thee because am greater than
thou art. Were we allied as one man.
history would cease. Thou art the
body, l am the spirit; thou the cloud,
and the lightning; If thou art power,
am fame. Which is the greater, vic
tor or vanquished? Neither. l, as
poet, am greater than either, for cele-
brate both"
Rossini could not restrain his vanity
even In the home circle. Many Of his
letters to his mother bore this inscrip-
ton: 'sTo Mrs. Rossini, the mother OF
the famous maestro"
Wagner, In his early days Of obscur-
ity and neglect, was constant prey to
mortified vanity. Mozart, Mendels-
sohn," he would say. bah! Who are
they? Their suns will all have set long
before mine is at the meridian" But
expressions such as these were, per-
haps, outbursts due to sense of per-
sonal injustice, rather than express
siOns Of honest opinion, for when the
sun began to shine for Wagner few
men were more modest or charitable
than he.
Michael Angelo, the greatest painter
and sculptor of all time, was intensely
jealous of Raphael, whose star rose
but few years later than his own and
threatened to eclipse 1t. Raphael"
Michael Angelo used to say, "will never
be anything more than my pupil. The
little art he knows be learnt from
mo -