The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-07-06
Howe About:
Lincoln
Cause of foundations
Genius
By ED HOWE
@. Bell syndicate.-wNU Service.

what l have had to undergo. could
find 1t in my heart to pity Satan him.
self"
Still Lincoln was far better Off than
millions of his fellow citizens during
the Civil war. Think of the thousands
Of good Union men starved in Libby
and Andersonville prisons; Of the hum
dreds Of thousands who were targets
for enemy bullets; of the millions who
suffered war privatiOns. Lincoln was
at least occupying public office pay
ing $4,000 year, and lived In
palace provided at public expense.
Whether his Judgment was good or
bad, his salary went on, and all the
time he was accommodating great fame.
The war hopelessly ruined many mill
lions, but made Lincoln rich and
famous.
We have heard of the poverty of
his widow; read the other day she
was rich woman when she died; and
how little she deserved!
have no sympathy for the woes of
statesmen on the public payroll From
1860 to 1864 millions of Americans
had bad luck that Abraham Lincoln
might have their share Of good luck.
During his four years in the White
House, Lincoln should have daily
thanked the gods, instead of complain
ing. l had an uncle George, with a
young wife and baby at home, who
had hard luck at Pittsburgh Landing
that Abraham Lincoln might get $780,
600 a year and endless fame.
Let any man think of the greatest
degradatiOns and humiliations through
out his life, and believe he must
decide sex was at the bottom Of most
of them. It is the one thing we should
endeavor to subdue and regulate, yet
it is the thing we regulate least, and
let run wild. Our social system, our
literature, encourage wildness in sex
rather than regulation. The man bull
is forever permitted to below his
lust, instead of locking him up until
his services are needed. And instead
of trying to keep him quiet, the OBJ
jects of his believing aggravate him
all they can.
An envious dull man once said
genius is insanity, and other dull men
have made the saying famous. 1t was
never true, for genius has always
meant special ability. There are mill
lions of geniuses; thousands climbing
to distinction, hundreds to great dis
tinction. l have known several prom
Using candidates in small towns where
1 have lived. Among cats, dogs, cattle,
and the lower animals generally,
scrub never won a blue ribbon, but it
is characteristic in the human family
that scrubs oftener achieve great dis
tinction than thoroughbreds. Prob
ably this comes about because there Is
no stud book among men. Goethe had
fourteen mistresses and no great
progeny.
Mozart attracted attention all over
Europe as a musician when six years
old. Before he died at thirty-fve he
had written symphonies and operas
now performed somewhere every week
in the year.
He never sat down to display his
genius that he was not disturbed by a
bill collector, by the screaming of
woman in labor, a row with relatives,
or some other incident of love affairs.
h. 70
time to music as "Reigh Count" was to
devote his time to winning races, there
is no telling what heights Mozart
might have easily reached. Many PAM
pered race horses have won a quarter
of a million dollars in two years.
Mozart received less than a thou
sand dollars from Figaro" don
Giovanni" and the Requiem, and, when
he died, was so poor his funeral cost
under five dollars.
Except In the case of the late Thorn
as A. Edison l do not at the moment
recall another American who became
widely popular, and really deserved it.
Mr.. Edison was quiet, well-behaved,
and a great worker; what little he
said was proper for both young and
old to remember, but somehow he at
tracted the popular fancy. 1t
is a very rare case. Millions of other
popular men have been unworthy of
popularity, as they have acted badly,
and taught bad lessons. Look at Jean
jacques Rousseau. He was scarcely a
respectable man, yet his popularity is
growing a long time after his death.
Millions Of people in all parts of the
world regard him as almost a saint,
and his teaching as very important.
Rousseau was once kept" by woman.
When she threw him over, he took up
with a kitchen wench, and sent their
children to orphan asylums: he never
later saw one of them.
1t is pitiful to see sweet little girl
grow into habits a woman must have.
A little girl unreservedly trusts
her father, believes In him; loves him.
A woman knows she must trust, love
and believe in a husband and father
with great caution. / took
part in quite romance the other day.
On the street l saw a little girl, three
or four years old, walking with her
parents. She was holding her fathers
hand, but occasionally let go and ran
to look at something in the windows.
Once when she came back, with her
hand out, to be led, took it, but she
was still looking at the wonderful win
dows: she thought she was still walk
ing with her father. It was quite a