Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-12-26
THE tIALF-MAD IN HISTORY.
All Men of Genius Are Said to Have
Been Partly Insane.

Inray1tfv has been variousiy delheu
in different eras and from many view
points-those of the scientist, the phy-
stcian. the lawyer the psychologist
the philosopher the mar on the street.
And little wonder, considering the al
most infinite complexity of human psy-
chis,ya. Besides, to define insanity Win
precision one must first answer the
question what is mind? p VINO mas
ever done that successfully!
All gradations of the perturbed nave
haan made. from the loyably dart TO
the hopelessly demented. And the point
of view has. in the course OF civil
eatior constantly been changing Ihat
of the present day is quite ultra sci
ao+ific having hean developed from tiAe
..rationalisn" of VoItaire in the elsh-
tenth century; it is a finding whlch
viii certainly be modified by future
oonenations. For it considers many IN
sopa or at least halfmad. who in other
agas were rightly lauded as genluses'
sain4e benefacters and world-coh-
relIsrs 1t ignores the legendary
fYhieh is so fundamental in human ma
t,r. and so dear to humanity; 1t
talxes no account of the emotional tue
noetic the soul-stirring - entitleS
which after all make living the most
worth While. .!.i4,. Of
prof 7 Grasset. of the University OF
N4o,t,elier has in his book aDeml-toas
ct Denni- response bles,' designated as
,,olf insane Lombroso would nave
deemed them afflicted with genus IN
so,,itv,,l such men as Pascal, Comte'
n.l1ac Hugo. Moliere, Wagner. scum
Ia,. I,ascartes. Cromwell, Goethe, Mo
4art Rvron. Tolstoi, Ampere, Dante,
cso,nnobus - even Shakespeare - anu
,,,onv another. obviously, when one
INSIDERS such men demi-fous, there Is
hing wrong with the definition.
MA & paul or St. Francis see VS.
;o,so What would civilization De
tToy had not? Did Beethoven rough
So, the homes of his princely
enio,,ds who sought to relieve MS
reedso What matter to any one VIZ
~ hoard the Ninth Symphony? was
cesar an epileptic? Was Napoleon
t1oacanorate and a hypochondriac? was
noor chopin,s immortal music tiiisee
LII LII the toxemia Of his CONSUMPTION
1Tas Poe an alcoholic? Schopenhauer
,1,isanthrope? Did Newton abstract
civ stick his financee's finger INTO nus
lighted pipe ifle nlSN @
DR. Holiness neighbors DOUBT ms
ity when he put out ESQ 1t IS enron m,,
cIed, q sign small fevers thankluiis
recejved?" Darwin used to surprise ms
friends by starting all sorts OF appa.
emily crazy experiments. or wnat lnd.s
tor All these things; of what use 70
caI such men as these neurotcs, o1
mysteries of -fous? Where Wouie
b,na nkind be today had not they ana
such as they, lived? Who woula ho''
if he could. be in such company
Grasset most wisely refuses as 10
generally done. to divide humanity IN
70 two hard and fast groups, the sane
md the insane; the group whlch - %
should be placed in confinement, anu
mat which confines it, Part Oh hls
work is given to the discussion VI
responsibility. limited RESPONSE
bilitv and. attenuated respohslollt's'
to the end of that scch clstilie-
tions may md place in French Jurls-
prudence. 1t seems they have aireauy
been accepted in many Continents
Conrts though not at all in our own OF OF
in those of Great Britain-Scientiiic