The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1904-03-04
mIsFoRTUNEs OF THE GREAT.
Men of Genius Afflicted with Mental
Disorders and Physical
Imperfecticns.

tm"per1ectlCns.
In a recent number OF the Northwest
Medicine is printed an interesting arti-
| Gle by DR.. Ernest Crutcher, of Montana,
ON The Penalty of Genius" which, if
answering no other purpose, says the
Chicago Tribune, is consolation to the
soldier in the great army of the medi-
OGRE who makes a carcass OF his body
and a jelly Of his brain"
The geography of his abiding place
may have something to do with the max
i'm with which he begins his reflections,
Genius, In one respect, is like gold
num bers of persons are constantly writ
ing about both who have neither" A
study Of the biography of the intellectu-
al geniuses of all history seems to indi-
cate that possession of great talent is
had at fearful price. The most cursory
examination of the list of great men
will manifest an appalling number Of
epileptics, insane, neurotics, moral per
verts, misanthropes, hypochondriacs, or
misshapen bodies,
Nor is the list limited to poets, authors,
statesmen and soldiers, for there is
scarcely a musician whose name has not
come down to us as famous who was not
likewise in some way afflicted.
Great wit to madness sure is close
allied" said old Dryden, and he spoke
truly. Macaulay declared "all poets in
sane" The writings of some of the
giant intellects of history plainly vow
uncomfortable impulses to insane acts
and many toward suicide. The roster of
self-destroyed men of letters is a long
one, nor was there any reasonable eX-
cuse for it except an uncomfortable i'm
pulse to such an act.
Swift, Johnson, Southey. Cowper, By
ron, Shelly, Goldsmith, Luther, Lamb,
Poe. Socrates, Richelieu, Goethe, Crom-
well, Rousseau, Joan of Arc, Mozart,
Chopin, Tasso, Beethoven-how long
the list might be made!-all exhibited
insanity in active form or were afflicted
with Authorizations. Caesar, Mo-
manned, Paul the apostle, Byron, Ma
poleon, Charles ", Cambyses, Peter the
Great, Moliere were epileptics. Pope
was a little CROOKED thing and a prey
to Authorizations.
To undertake to catalogue all the
noted men and women in the world of let,
) ters and music who suffered from nerv.
Gus complaints, melancholia, or de
~lusions of special sense would stretch
' the list out to startling length. In near
ly every instance Of extraordinary men
tai power, either of authorship, inven,
ton, or music, there seemed attached
or consequent some nervous affection o
strong disposition to insanity, Suicid,
has been the commonest ending of tn
great men of the world. Standing on
almost alone as a we'll balanced mar i
the name of the greatest of them all
1 Shakespeare. Pc'laC, MS nearest ap
proach 4 scope and power Of genius
lied at 80 of brain trouble.
: Emerson looms out in the sky Of lit
| erature cool in head and steady c
a nerve, but even he, like Swift. died d
6 the top 1t is a singular fact that til
majority of the geniuses of history ha
,, some o%bliquity of mind OF body. As
rule, the great geniuses of the worl
e died childless. No prominent GENT
was wanting in egotism.
1t Among the many thoughts which pre-
sent themselves is the one of the fe
y, female g~eniuses. The most prominel
| in literature were Nine. de Stael, Geors
Sand, and George Eliot.
l. Another thought is the smallness
lie figure of those possessing or being pc
sessed by fine minds. The list of larf
I'd or even tall men among the great is ma
m rowed, and those which occur are We
6, taire, Rousseau, S~chopenhauer, Petertl
a. Great, johnson and Scott. Gre
e. genius is almost always connected wi
small stature, or defective body, or on
Ike sided character.
lis The small proportion Of great min
that occur in a given number of millio
20. of people is beyond belief when COZ
puted. Prof. Schaler, in his book, "T
mt Individual" AYERS that after the lap
all Of 1000 years not one name in 100,0 0
900 is remembered.
ut 1t is common observation that in
man or woman who has talent of u
ed, usual sort in any special direction the
is found o%ne-sided characters who
I silly things, or are extremely nervo,
3 i or are intolerably irascible of temp
History is full of the names of brai
III men and women who have gone insa
Sc, because of some intellectual feat.
Men and women of unusual ment
he ity seem to hold it at the cost of physit
n degeneration. The greatest minds
history have been contained in &C
aw temptible bodies or frames that quicl
Ia became impaired-starved, perhaps
he the undue activity Of the mind.
sht
no A Practical Mind.
Ia The teacher was endeaYorfng to ID