The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-19
The Temperament of Genius.

There used to be notion, prevalent
among the respectable classes of socie-
ty-the people who read and listened,
but did not produce-that genius was
necessarily accompanied with laxity of
morals. 1t is beginning to be dimly
realized that this notion Is false.
There is no doubt, of course, that
many men of genius have been law
unto themselves, and disregarded, with
happy waywardness or a diabolic
recklessness, as the case might be. all
tals-who loved, hated, stole, drank,
gambled, or murdered, as it happened
to suit their fancy to do; but the genius
of today is not likely to be of that sort.
The wild and reckless person nowadays
is apt to be the man who thinks he is
a genius, which is quite different from
being one, and takes much less time.
What is the reason of the change, If
there has been one? Or was it always
thus? Let us consider.
In the first place, the man of prom
inence is watched and observed, and
while he may be no worse than other
men of his time and place, all his pecca-
dillos are recorded and reported, which
is not the case with the ordinary man.
Moreover, it is no doubt true that great
talent brings with it certain tempta-
tons. The man whose abilities are I'M
common is likely to be especially sensi-
tive to all the pleasures of the world,
and if his will is not as strong as his
inclination, evil results may follow. The
problem in his case is, however, much
the same as that in the case of the or
binary man. In both, 1t Is question
whether love of work and of high ideals
will be strong enough to counterbalance
the love of pleasure. If the man of
genius loves amusement intensely, he
is also possessed by passion for crea-
ton: and in some arts, at least, the
creative genius cannot reach its fulfill
ment without an amount of toll and
steady, persistent drudgery which pre-
cludes the possibility of much harmful
indulgence.
The creative genius in these days is,
as a rule, hard worker. The time has
thing else, if he ever could. A mans
fame now does not rest on one poem or
one painting, but on the general excel
lence of his work. His rewards come
sooner, and his work is more regularly
rewarded than it used to be. The poet
is not compelled to depend on the favor
of some monarch, the artist need not
court and f1atter a Medici to gain rec
depends on the people, and So long as
he does good work, and keeps on doing
it, he is sure of a living. II his great
ness is shown in one book, picture or
song, and he never writes anything else,
but spends the proceeds of that one
success in riotous living, he is pretty
certain not to be a genius. There is
nothing like hard work to counterfeit
brilliant gifts and high standing in the
musical, literary, dramatic, or artistic
world who work far more steadily, deny
themselves more consistently, and are
better men in every way than the vain
poseur of dilettante who thinks he
proves his talent by alternating fitfuI
interval of feverish activity with long
period of idleness and carousal. The
artist has generally to make his own
habits, which sometimes seem irregular
to the outsider, but he works hard, and
he does not waste vitality.