Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 September 1876 — Genius and Morality. [ARTICLE]

Genius and Morality.

The man who believes in debt, and cites plenty of men of genius who run in debt, is either silly eqough to suppose himself a fenius or to mistake folly for genius. len who write wisely against running in debt may also, like many other preachers, fail utterly to practice their own preaching. Thus, Lord Bacon wrote on the wisdom of business, and ran desperately in debt. Men of genius are not always ninnies in their expenditures, though we can recall thousands who are, from Bacon to Webster. Men of genius may also be able, like Pitt and Webster, to have the most correct idea of public finances, and yet fail utterly in Managing their own affairs. Pitt received never less than equal to $30,000 a year, sometimes equal to $50,000, and died equal to $200,000 in debt. Bherid&n was another spendthrift, and spent all of hfe first wife’s fortune hi six weeks, and the fortune of his second wife in a few months. Fox was a great gamester, and at one sitting of twenty hours lost equal to $55,000. It is just this kind of genius which should have no imitators, ana which has proved the misery of thousands of families and the dishonor of all the men who indulge in such personal extravagance and plunder of other people’s property.—Boston Transcript.

—ln Atlanta, Ga., a few days ago a young man named Thomas Jourdan was working before a saw making 40,000 revolutions a minute. He slipped on some shavings and fell forward upon the saw, which cut through his body m an instant. He lived only long enough to send some messages to friends andyay farewell to the workmen who gathered around him.