Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-17

THAT vague word, Temperament ZA%NA
How is to know that ~ ~
possesses it, possesses what the I'M
world calls genius? And yet how IN !
many thousands of young people N
nowadays firmly convinced <N@
that they destined to be num- ~S>s. g
bered among the worlds elect in
Art that nothing will convince them
to the contrary! And what is
to say to these young enthusiasts
young women and young men,
merous as they in all the great
cities of all the great countries? Should one
point out only the dangers and the failures the
ninety-nine who fail compared with the
single one who succeeds?
1t seems wrong to discourage them. Nothing
great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm,
and it to that enthusiasm for the
achievement of some high end is a very
good thing, must necessarily broaden and uplift
its possessor. The world is full of common clay,
and the only force which change the COM
clay into fine porcelain is the desire within.
And So with 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 l do not know
what to say. 1t is a very complex question.
Those who urged me to write such an article said
You 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.
But | not of that 1t seems to me
that | know nothing about it. | have met MANY
really great in my life. Some of them were
successful and some not. And the successful
could explain their success-that is
reduce it to a formula by which others might sue
ceed-than the failures could explain their failure.
1t seems to me sometimes that the successful
those who never think at all about
cess but simply work They love Art, and they
toll. They make no speeches, seek to impress
others with the certainty of their success; never
in fact bother their heads about others the
opinion of others at any time. They work pa
tently, they work year after year. their work i'm
proves little by little; and they awake day
to hear a loud outcry along the bou1evards see
long articles about themselves in the papers, and
surprised to find themselves famous And
they, the true the great ones, always
astonished at this than anyone else Their friends
have it 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 proverb in France which
describes the two different kinds of people who Sue
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 the
patient workers; the latter the dplomastS those
who succeed not by talent but by social diplomacy
The latter, strongly egotstical, egotstical in
fact than able, always impressing others, fiat
terng the critics. entertaining the editors losing
opportunity to advertise themselves" log rolling
it is called, for some reason, in America And
such successes to be met-noveists, doctors,
oalnters-in the salons of all countries But they
are always noisy, and they never at ease with
themselves. They must always be beating the
big drum; it is their policy, their road to great