Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1892 — Dalzao's Pineapp es. [ARTICLE]

Dalzao's Pineapp es.

The Journal of the late Alfonse Karr, a famous gardener as well as a novelist, relates an amusing' episode id Balzac’s career. Talking with Karr once about gardening, Balzac suddenly romarked: “I have bought, as you know, a lit: tie estato at Villo d’Avray. I am convinced that the people need notlv ing so much as pineapples, and plenty of them. But in order that they may be able to eat them they ipustbe able to buy them at a franc apiece, and I am going to ralHo pineapples for the people on my estate at Villo d’Avray. ’’ “But you can’t raise them for a franc apiece, Balzac.” “Hal” he exclaimed. “Ican’ti Sir, nothing is impossible to genius. Don’t you think that if a man of the highest intelligence put his whole mind to the task of raising pineapples at a franc apiece, he could do it?” That very day Balzac took steps toward hiring a small shop in Paris. . “Well, what are you going to do with that?” Karr asked. . “I am going to sell my pineapple! to the people In It.” “But,” said Karr, “it takes three years to get your first pineapples after you begin to raise them; and what are you going to do with your shoj all those three years?” “Bah!” exclaimed Balzac, contemptuously. “Three years! Why, don’t you know, man, that nothing is impossible to genius? Don’t you suppose that If a man of the highest intelligence gave his mind to producing pineapples in one year he could do it?” '/ Balzuc departed, full of his project, but he had forgotten all about it in about three days. Forgetting its own impracticable schemes is fortunately one of the things that are not Impossible to genius.