Year: 1873

or q Dante, or . Homer, would either
be, or be IN the way Of becoming
fool. Genius must so far be uncon-
scious that it Gun scarcely dare to rec
ognizc its own superlative merit, and
yet a man may conccivaLly be over
powered even by n revelation of only
n part of his own glory.


In nanothcr sense genius must be nec-
essarily more or less unconscious.
Newton is supposed to have said that
his mathematical excellence was due
to nothing but to his having laborcd
more perseveringly than others.
And the theory has been packed into
u formula that genius is nothing but
All infinite capacity for taking
trouble. In spite Of tho great
names which may be adduced in be-
half of this doctrine, we venture to
think il.at til, source Of the fallacy
is transparent. We will not dwell
upon the fact, which is sufficiently
obvious, that capacity for cndur-
ance is just as rare and valuable All
endowment as capacity for iinmc-
diatc insight; and that n man, for
example. who can keep his mind
fixed upon n mathematical problem
for many hours together, as Newton
is said 10 have done, has one of the
rarest of powers. But the argument
is more vitality defective. Newton
saw that, by allowing his mind to
dwell upon certain problems, they
gradually became clear 10 him, and
that the longer he could attend 10
them the clearer his mind became.
In other words, since his success in
mathematical operations varied as the
amount Of labor bestowed upon
them, hc assumed that the labor was
the one essential element OF success.
But obviously ii does not follow tliat
the same amount of labor from fee
bio brain would producc -cquai CT
fects. The length OF time during
which problem was exposed to the
action of his intellectual digestion
was one condition Of hls SUCCESS but
SO was the vigor of the digestion for
u given time. In short, Newton
could compare his own mental opera
lions, aud pronounce those to- have
been most fruitful which were most
luborious; but he could not look into
the mind of another man, and see by
comparison how slow and blunder-
ing was his reasoning machinery in
comparison with his own. We are
all liable TO make mistakes Of this
kind, in one way or the other. We
fancy that u mau OF genius las ac-
complished success by lucky hit,
because We cannot at all realize the
facility with which lie can, at given
moment, command all the resources
Of his mird. Aud, in revenge, the
man of genius attributes to obstina-
cy or idlencss what is the result OF
good, plain, honest stupidity. Each
Of us can only have direct experience
Of the working of one mind and we
naturally assume, I'LL the contrary
has been forced upon us, that all
other minds are cast in the same
mould. Perhaps it would be as well
il, for a brief period Of his life, every
body was condemned to be school
master or crammer, in order that


hc might more or less fatLom the
stupcndous abysscs of human stupid
uy. Mcanwh. .lc, it is easy to under.
stand how Newton or Pascal, tu
whom propositions ordinarily reach.
ed by long processes of calculation
appear to be sclf-cvidcnt truths, may
be unconscious Of the difference be.
tween himself and his fellows. II
does not occur 10 them that men cal


he SO blind as not to see in broad
daylight, and it is easy TO imagine


that they are wilfully closing theil
EYES.


Misconceptions, however, Of thi.


kind, though perhaps favorable ic


humility, are certainly compatible
even " til extravrg,nt vanity. Tht
estimate which we form of our own


talents has but an indirect relation


to what is really question Of char


actcr. A man may be intolcrabll


conccitcd Oh the strength of qualit, ,


which, even in his own showing, is +,


trifle. We have known clergym man


otherwise of apostolic humility, VIII,


could not conceal his appreciation o


u leg admirably adapted for episcopa


costume. If mans head may b.


turned by such tr.he, it is not sur


prising that even moderate estimate


of his intellectual excellence ma,


bave q similar effect. That men q
genius are in fact frequently sell
conscious does not require proof s.
much as it would require to be prove'
that some such men can still escap
; Self-cOnsclOusneSs; ana Inc excus
that they do not exaggerate their owl


merit is really irrelevant. 1t woul


be more judicious to point out i
r such cases that vanity within ccrtai
. limits il really al essential quality
> A disposition. at least which for q
; practical purposes is undistinguishs
4 BILE from vanity is q necessary stin
8 illus to youth who would do an,
thing gyeat. No young man, for 81
ample, however remarkable his Ia
II lent, could ever have been justified
3 cold blood Sin taking all knowleds
J. to be hisproyince.p The chances ,
. . complete failure were so. mus


lgreater than the chances Of even mo-