Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/535

HENRY WATTEESON Bt Loqan Esabby OF all men a genius is the most hopeleas to his bio- grapher. His manner of thought and above all his man- ner of life are not along common lines. He does not move along conventional paths. For that reason no oonmion man can understand or appreciate hiuL Where oommon men plod along from point to point, he jumps from peak to peak, often without leaving along the course of his flights any trace by which he can be followed. Not only in his mental life but in his ordinary oondnot the genius is not impelled by ordinary motives. Society has marked out with tolerable accuracy a certain line of promotion along which successful men move as they progress through life. Nearly all men look upon this scale of promotion as being dominated by two factors, money and honor. A com- mon man may have a satisfactory position but if another posi- tion opens up with an increased salary he at once becomes a candidate for the new, higher-priced position. Likewise nearly all men look upon the public service as a very desir- able work. They will sacrifice quite a little in the way of sal- ary or convenience, or both, in order to gratify this thirst for public honor. The genius sees farther and, like Emerson, knows there is more honor in making a good mouse trap than in being a poor Congressman. In a single sentence, genius knows enough to follow its own bent and not to turn aside to the disappointing temptations of money and honor. Not being influenced by these like ordinary men, the genius acquires the reputation among his fellows of being eccentric. For that reason it is most difficult for a biographer to get at the facts concerning his life. Those who are too dull to feel any sympathy whatever with any purpose in life higher than accumulating wealth leave it as their conviction that he is lacking sadly in common sense. Another class who have an inkling of his ability fear him and label him as dangerous,