The L'Anse sentinel., 1908-03-28

that all great men are more
or less insane; and, second, that 1t is
not such very dreadful thing to be-
long to the "demi-fous," after all.
There is not, as Prof. Grasset points
out. any way in which to draw dis
line between sanity and
insanity. The shades, or brands, OF
one overlap and are interviewer with
the other to such degree that 1t is
impossible to show where the one ends
and the other begins. In other words,
you. for instance, can be both sane
and insane at the same time-perfect-
ly sane on certain subjects, but insane,
or partly so, on at least one other
There are SO many brands of insanity
that. fortunately, not all of US are In
sane on the same subject.
Between calm, cold reason and q
transport OF passion" says Prof. Gras
set, between originality and eccen'
tricity, between nervousness and agita.
ton, between person who Is slightly
touched and one who is demented,
there are all degrees Of transition, and
1t is impossible to say where insanity
begins"
Admitting for the moment, then,
that everybody is more or less insane,
1t is not question of Just how insane
a person is, but of the particular brand
of insanity he has inherited or &C,
quired, says writer In the New York
Sunday World.
The brands may be counted by the
score. Some of them are of real value,
especially to man of genius. Others
are useless, harmless or detrimental.
as the case may be.
The erotomaniac, for instance, falls
in love. But that is not all. He may
love two sisters with equal love at
the same time and, no matter how
hard he may try, he cannot make up
his mind which to marry. 1t is impos-
sible for him to bear the thought that
either of the young women he loves
should become the wife of another
He generally solves the problem by
giving them both up and marrying a
third.
The DIpsomanlae Class.
The dipsomaniac, who must not be
classed with the habitual drunkard
suffers from an affliction which impels
him to drink whenever an attack
comes on.
Then there are the kleptomaniacs
Prof. Grasset describes them as "sicl
people who are driven in spite o.
themselves to take what does not be
long to them, just as we have seer
that the dipsomaniacs are driven by
an irresistible power to drink"
Among other brands Of semi-insanity
may be mentioned sitomania, pyro
mania, monomania and megalomania
which are illustrated and briefly de
scribed. Then there are other brands
which are characterized by illusions
hallucinations, jealousy, conceit, boast
fulness, rashness, inertness, impulsive
ness. timidity and many forms of &c
centricity.
Prof. Grasset declares that from
childhood persons of unbalanced mint
are apt to draw attention to them
selves by their precocity. their quick
ness in taking hold Of everything ant
understanding 1t, and at the same tim,
by their whims, their headstrong ways
their cruel instincts, their violent ant
convulsive attacks of anger. Whei
they become men they are queer, com
plex. heterogeneous individuals, mad,
up Of contradictory qualities an,
faults. They are often as. highly gifte,
in one line as they are lacking in an
other. From the intellectual point O
view they sometimes possess the fac
ulties OF imagination. invention and ex
preston in a very high degree; that 4
to say. they are gifted in speech, Il
i the arts and In poetry"
Those Who Are "a Little or"
The originals and eccentrics sho,
lack Of equilibration to a still create
degree. These people," says Pro-
Grasset, "are what the public woul
describe as a little or on some on
subject; they either have some .,
culiar habit or wear some odd styl
of clothes or have queer manner G
wearing their hair or OF walking Q
writing or speaking. It may be etthe
a strange gesture, form OF speech,
tie or a grievance. The eceentricit
is often shown by an imperious q
obsessional tendency. as, for exampl,
to surround oneself with birds or nov
ers or cats; to collect uninterestin
objects, particularly articles of wea
Ing apparel, such az cravats. hats, foo
sear or wrappers Of every style an
color, or to be absorbed in researchs
and calculations and ridiculous invel
tions."
But, after all, semi-insanity In SON
forms has its advantages. Man
world-famous men--poets. mathem
ticians,., philosophers, historian
writer's, statesmen and scientists
would probably never have been heal
of but for that one little streak Of 4
sanity which lent luster and impetl
4 to THAR minds .and prompted them
accomplish something Of tremendol
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