Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-11-10
Difficulties to Be Overcome Greater
Than In America.

AIHeIlCdIS are HeNtT llTeu VI lei.ii6
us that theirs Is the country for self
made men. 1t Is, however, open to
question If there ever was an age or
country in which a man Of strong
character and ability could not force
himself to the front and open a career
pretty much according to his will.
Even under despotic governments
wonderful stories are told Of men Of
plebian origin obtaining high rank for
some service to the state accomplish
ed under the patronage Of the court
In eastern empires large proportion
Of the most successful statesmen and
western Europe there is always some
circumstance Of the period which ia
vors the rise of low born ability. In
war time a great soldier or engineer
is recognized without thought of his
parentage. There has always been
plenty of military ability when ambi-
ton has been attracted in that direc-
ton!
Lord Eldon once boasted that Eng
land was a country where every man
might raise himself from the humblest
origin to the highest Office in the state.
He fnstanced himself as proof Of the
fact. The advantages enjoyed by the
present generation are far greater
than I'm his time, nevertheless the up
ward path is far more difficult and the
difficulties to be overcome far greater
thar IN America The superiority Of
knowledge among the instructed, the
fixedness Of all classes in the station,
and to the employment to which they
have been born unite to render the
pressure very heavy on any artisan de-
sirous Of rising to position Of distinc-
ton. Yet the age is favorable, for 1t
is period Of scientific development.
So many men of humble birth and
training have risen to fame and for
tune in this country during the last
two generations that we quite expect
to hear that every successful inventor
is the son Of laborer Of one sort or
another. Arkwright, Wedgwood.
Brindley and Telford were types Of our
self-made men in one generation. just
as Stephenson, Paxton and Whitworth
were types of later date. At the end
of the eighteenth and beginning of the
nineteenth centuries, when new ques-
tioas occasionally arose Of which aris-
tocratic statesmen were ignorant, 1t
was felt that some clever and well in
formed middle class man would un-
derstand them better in all their bear
ings. Then arose Canning and Hus-
kisson. called in their day political
adventures"
Few poets and artists now spring
from the working classes. AS knowl-
edge and taste have advanced the need
of cultivation is more generally per-
ceived by the public. II not by the as
pirant We do not expect a Burns to
be repeated. The poetry of plough
boys is priced. If at all. for its clear re-
Election of nature. and not because II
proceeds from ploughboy. The same
change has taken place among artists.
More knowledge is now requisite for a
man to be considered a great painter
than was dreamed of by our forefath-
ers before the art treasures OF the con-
tinent were open to our study. John
Opie, the Royal Academician, was a
case in point. He was son OF car
penter in Cornwall, and as a lad was
always scrawling likenesses Of people
and things with chalk on every sur
face within reach. He attracted the
notice of DR.. Wolcot (Peter Pindar).
who brought him to London and in
| troduced him to his friends as heav-
en- born genius. Opie had the sense
| to perceive in course of time the i'm
portance of study. Instances of artists
| born in humble circumstances becom-
| ing famous are not numerous, proDa-
bly, because education In Its widest
sense is necessary for mastery In the
| art.
In the sister art of music less disad-
vantage is experienced from lowly ORR
gin. The means of a scientific mus-
cal training are becoming more ana
more accessible and abundant. We
may yet hope to see, as one Of the re-
suits of the extended cultivation OF
music in England, the rise of some
lark. springing from the furrow,
mounting on high to win the worlds
ear with music. Musical genius Is
matter of organization in which there
Is no respect Of persons. 1t Is like
mathematical genius, mainly inherent
while susceptible Of incalculable en-
largement by application and gene