The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-08-09
Genius Is Not Insanity.
nv n. ADpiNcroN BRUCE,
Author Of The Riddle Of Personality.
Psychology and sParcnthood." etc

A mistaken notion which has done much to
encourage self-satished mediocrity. Is that gen
Jus Ia form Of insanity. This absolutely raise
idea needs to be rooted out OF the popular mind
| into which II was implanted chiefly by the ef
! forts OF q group OF European anthropologists
These gentlemen, headed by the celebrated
Cesare Lombroso arrived at their insanity
theory Of genius by an exceedingly simple II la
They secured through thousands of biographs
OF iIlustrious men, seeking evidence that al
some period in their lives these men had acted
"queerly."
genius who had indeed acted queerly, and
great many others who had been positively in
sane.
With this multitude of horrible examples as
convenient iumpinsboard Lomoroso ana nus
disciples then proceeded to leap to the aston
ishing conclusion that all men OF genius are
more or less insane.
To the weight OF their scholastic authority
and to the bulky books they have published Civ
ing details OF the vagaries OF certain men OF
genius Is largely due the erroneous belief SO
widespread today.
| Actually the proportion OF insanity among
men of genius is little II at all. higher than the
| proportion OF insanity among men in general
| This has been demonstrated perhaps most
l convincingly by the English psychologist Have
| lock Ellis
| Unlike the Lombrosians Mr.. Ellis made no
arbitrary selection of individual men Of genius
1
| Great Britain's most famous men and women as
| given In a standard dictionary OF biography.
OF the one thousand and thirty men and
women of acknowledged intellectual pre-emi-
| hence whose lives he analysed. he found only
| "A ascertainable cases OF insanity.
This is but AZ per cent And even this per.
| centage is unduly high. indicating any
definite relationship between genius and insan'
| ity.
For, OF the IL men OF genius who were at
some time or other insane the insanity Of IL
was merely the dementia so often observed in
old age. and developing long after the years OF
most productive activity.
Thus more than 80 per cent. Of Great Britain's
most eminent men and women have been as
sane as, perhaps saner than, the men and WON
en- OF average intellectual achievement.
So far as I en- aware. no similar survey has
| been made OF the men and women who have
done most 10 shed lustre on our own land But
| such survey, | have no doubt, would yield an
1 Identical result
| Indeed, a moments reflection ought to satisfy
anybody as TO the absurdty OF the insanity
| theory with regard 10 American genius.
| Was Washington insane? Or Jefferson, oil
Hamilton. or Franklin? Was insanity the dis
| tinguisbing mark OF Abraham Lincoln? Car
| Emerson, Longfellow, Lowell and Julia Ward
Howe be dismissed with wave Of the hand as
insane persons?
Coming down to the present day, would
| Thomas A. Edison be counted among the world
| foremost lunatics? Or Charles W. Eliot? Or
| Lyman Abbott?
The sooner people rid themselves of the false
insanity doctrine the sooner the way will b.
cleared for intelligent bordering OF the question
Is not the man Of genius. after ALL representa-
tive OF higher possibilities open TO the human
race, and Is IL not possible TO some extent &c
produce more men OF genius by proper training
and environment?
To this question | for one believe that ulti
mately an affirmative reply will be given.