New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-17

THAT vague word. Temperament n
How Is one TO know that one
possesses it possesses what the ~
world calls genius. And Yet how
many thousands of young people
nowadays are so firmly convinced
that they are destined TO be num-
ba-ad among the worlds elect in
Art that nothing VIII convince them
70 the contrary! And what IS one
10 say to these young enthusiasts,
Young women and young men, nu-
1-erols as they are II al the great
Cities OF all the great Countries2 Should one
point out only the dangers and the failures. the
1linety-nine who fail as compared with the
single one who succeeds
L seems wrong to discourage them. Nothing
q-eati IS ever accomplished without enthusiasm,
and Il seems to me that enthusiasm for the
achievement of some high end Is ever a very
good thing, must necessarily broaden and uplift
is DOssessOr. The world Is full of common clay,
and the only fo-Ce which can change the COM
mon clay into fine porcelain IS the desire within
And so, with q sincere wish TO say something
which shall be OF value on this subject, of
value IN guiding the multitude OF dreamers toward
the realization of their Dreams do not know
what to say. It IS a very complex question.
Those who urged me write such an article said;
You are a great genius; YOU have traversed the
road: YOU have reached the goal: the whole world
has heard your voice. and, VOLTA! OF course you
know all about It"
| am OF that II seems to me
that know nothing about It. l have met many
really great men IN nv life. Some of them were
successful and some were not. And the successful
ones could no more explain their success-that Is,
reduce 1t to formula by which others might sue
ceed-than the failures could explain their failure.
Il seems to me sometimes that the successful
ones are those who never think At all about sue
cess. but simply work They love Art, and they
toll They make no speeches. never seek to impress
Others with the certainty of their own success; never
IN fact bother their heads about others or the
opinion OF others at any time. They work pa
tientlv they work year after year: their work i'm
proves little by little; and they awake some day
10 hear a loud outcry along the boulevarIs, see
long articles about themselves II the papers, and
are surprised to find themselves famous. And
thew the true ones, the great ones, always more
asr5nlshed at this than anyone else Their friends
have seen II long before but the coming has
been too busy with his work too modest, thinking
ever of the difficulties which he cannot Yet van
quish. to think at all about the social goal
Perhaps the secret lies somewhere IN the neighbour
hood of this fact. We have prOveTb in France which
describes the two different kinds Of people who
coed as. Those who arrive by their talent; and
those who have the talent to arrive These two
classes exist IN all countries The former class are the
patient workers. the latter the dplOmatsts those
who succeed not by talent but by social diplomacy
The latter strongly egOtIstCal egOtlStlcal II
fact than able, always Impresslng Others, fiat
trlrg the critics entertaining the editors losing
oruortunitv to advertise themseves-' log-rollIng
a II IS called for some reason, IN America. And
such successes are to be rnet-nOVelStS, doctors,
75anters-in the salons Of all countries But they
are ALWAYS noisy and they are never at ease with
themselves. They must always be beating the
big drum; it IS their policy, their road to great