The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-26
Curious Traits in Men Of Genius
BY PROF. CEsARE LoMBRoso

getfulness, hyperaesthesia, or morbid ex-
cess OF sensipility, and. above ALL of the
slowness and of the extreme quickness Gas
the case may be) Of personal sensibility that
one notes among men OF genius. In the case
of the eleven men of genius 1 have myself
studied eight had more delicate sensibility
than the average, only gave the maxi
mum. two the minimum, when tested under
ordinary circumstances.
Amnesia is very common with the man of
genius. Newton one day rammed his niece's
finger into his pipe. Tucherel once forgot
his own name. The Archbishop of Munster.
seeing in the door of his visitors room
notice which said. THE master of this house
is out" remained there awaiting his return.
Hyperaesthesia is not less frequent. Mus
set. Goncourt. Flaubert possessed such a
delicate and developed sense of hearing that
street noises and the striking of clocks were
absolutely unsupportable to them. Baude-
laire had a most delicate sense of smell.
The painter Francia died from happiness in
the street on seeing picture by Raphael.
EARLY DEATHS AMONG POETS.
Mr.. w. Thayer, in ap article in the Fo-
rum. wishing to show the longevity of An
glo-Saxon men of genius during the nine
teenth century, is nevertheless unable to
deny the premature death of many poets.
OF forty-six cases. showing an average age
of sixty-six years, nine poets died between
the ages of twenty-six and thirty-seven-
Byron, Shelley, Keats, Leopard and Poe
among them. OF thirty-nine artists and
sculptors, the average age attained being
sixty-six, one, Fortuny, died young, aged
thirty-six. OF thirty musicians. with an
average age of sixty-two years, Auber was
eighty-nine years old when he died and
Verdi lightweight, whilst four others died
young-BelIini, Bizet, Schubert. Mendels-
sohn.
Certain men of genius have retained their
physical activity to a most advanced age;
Humboldt until he was eighty years old and
Verdi and Goethe (who wrote Faust when
he was eighty-one). Beccaria. on the con-
trary, ceased all work when thirty-two
years old; many more. as Leonardo da Vinci
and Flaubert, left their work incomplete
through their slowness of execution.
Precocity is also mark Of genius. Dante
wrote a sonnet to Beatrice when he was
nine years old, Mozart gave a concert at six,
Tasso wrote verses at ten and Pascal at
thirteen. But 1T is on the other hand true
that some men have been backward. Alfieri,
Wren, Humboldt, Linnaeus, Flaubert, Do
menichino (whom his friends called 1.-The
great bullock'), for instance.
HATRED OF MUSIC.
Numerous great thinkers, in particular
men Of genius In literature, philosophy,
history, had veritable horror of music.
Johnson, Victor Hugo, Catherine III, lola
and Napoleon preferred the simplest music;
Fontenelle could not understand four
things-the world, music, women and dane
ing; according to Gautier music is the
worst Of noises. But to all these outspoken
enemies of music we could oppose Aris-
totle, who considered it one Of the most
powerful Of moral educational agencies,
and among recent authors Daudet, OAR
win, Goethe, Carlyle according to whom
who perfected his poems by setting them
to music and said his words were poor in
comparison, and Ruskin, who described
music as 1.-The nearest at hand, the most
delicate and the most perfect of all bodily
pleasures; it is the only one which is equal
ly helpful to all the ages of men,"
We are now, then, in a position to con-
clude. after studying all the particular
characteristics Of men of genius from their
height and their personal sensibility to
their views on music, that these character
istics. whilst following a regular plan.
possess nevertheless lines of demarkation
In one sense perfectly opposed. In the case
of epilepsy this is altogether so. for one
notes the most singular contrasts in height.
brain capacity, intellectual and nervous
energy, the whole yielding a majority in
short stature, understood Uranium and
dullness Of intellect
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