Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-03-26
EecEErRlcIrlEs oF GENIUS
Truly Great Men Often Rave
Remarkable Weaknesses


The innocent week.-mrs. ~ sI7. De
.disheJ men fern all #HfeFes. Hs +a
tor in their h,Stor, ard usu- hazs
been indebted tor Their peP1iazs. a
wider circles to their pecuIar.ties.
The rooms in which they have
thought and worked. thelr domestic
life. their Sreat and little qualities
rrCjuifces ana taHcies have been as
often the subject Of remark IS their
prominent capacities and deeds
Thus often there is an understandable
charm in penetrating into ,he con
hdeutial society of gifted minds. and
lot seldom has the special fascination
in the biographies Of noted persouaees
consisted in The relating Of some ap
psreutlv insignificant facts n their
more private life
Who Is not interested n Ike crook
,-dly button vest of Schiller as char
acteristic type of his mind2 Who
yould be willing 10 lose al the little
traits OF character and minor occur
,euceS which Goethe has given Us OF
bis YOUTH
Biche and Phoebe. lie srevEOUuls
OF the great Frederick. Riehelieus ca,
Jean Paul's lspdoS and Napoleons
gray coat are OF importance 10 Us, for
they belong to the image which holels
before as of those individuals.
Distinguished persons often appear
n private lie very diferer. than n
their public works
The noted astronomer TYchO de
Brahe used 10 condemn, with the SO
rerest contempt those persons who
sscrbed any omen or prestige 10
olipses OF the sun or moon, TO comets.
tie aurora borealis. or other ap
pearance.s in the heavens.
Tie himself was SO supclsl,to9s
taat if he CHANGED 70 meet an old
woman 10 his morning walk, be a
once retraced his steps home. feariu@
that such meeting might bring
disaster
Montaisne the moral Philosopher
ras full OK preiudces and supersti
nuns He would never SIT at table
here thirteen persons were seated
would commence no kind OF business
On a Friday. and was violently asl-
tated II hare crossed the patH be
fore him
The liberals spirited Byron vas
equally supersttious. lie believed in
ghosts in forebodings, omens and
dreams. FRIDAY was black DAY in
his calendar He remembered with
terror that he had entered upon his
Journey to Greece on Friday.
In Genoa he once dismissed tailor
because he brought him new salt on
FRIDAY. In Asia he sought one dsv
for a distinguished lady. whose ac
duaintance he desired very much. bG.
on arriving at the door. he turned
away as ne remembered il was Friday
The learned Dr. Johnson had
pecial dislike OF stepping over
threshold with The left foot foremost.
and he was often seen 70 make
1reat circuit in order to avoid Ger
tain valley in Leicester Fields. which
he believed 10 be fatal to him
Not a few famous men have been
noted for their eccentricitv OF dress.
bnfion, the naturalist. was particular.
almost TO righteousness IL his dress
l. was his delight To dress n SNOWY.
costly material and 70 wear idces and
iewes He curled his hair With special
attention. and when at work wore il al.
ways in curlpapers
The English poet. Alexander Pope,
crossed like dandy. and his mons
trous bag OF hair, his elegant sword.
his tight velvet hose and his exces.
sively wide ruffles. gave to his little.
crooked figure comicai appearance.
Voltaire always fanciej elegant
toilets and adorned himself in =
striking manner Dickens and the
earl OF Beaconsfeld were fops OF the
FIRST water.
/ But perhaps Goldsmith was the
most addicted TO fine clothes an
/ startling effects. lie was fond saws
one Of his contemporaries "oi OK
h,biting his muscular little person in
7 The gayest apparel of the day. towhich
y as added bagwig and sword
Thus arrayed he would figure about
in the sunshine in the Temple Gar
dens, much to his own satisfaction
hut TO the amusement OF his az.
quaintances.
Jean Paul was az much OF sI0ten
as Goldsmith was fop With bare
chest, without neckerchief or hat. in
2 WORKOUT coat and with unpublished
boots he wandered through the streets
cf Bayroot.
Once he was even arrested a \
sagahond on account of his uncivli2ed
appearance, and only the arrival OF
he mayor OF the city saved the poet
from the hands OF the jealous officer.
Several other literary men have prac
zeal striking eccentricities, thouan
not in dress. Picart, the comic writer
composed all of his pieces in bed. The
famous Bossuet worked in cold
room, with his head warmly euveloped
II is said that Schiller. before con-.
posing, put his feet in cold water
Monesquieu could compose only in y
/ rns,,b,t.a .,t,L 49, 49,. -, . .....I..