THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS 



fluence of Scott, Byron, and Moore, of Goethe and 

 Schiller, of our own Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau. 



Even in the case of these men of supreme genius, the 

 influence of contact with kindred minds was notable, 

 demonstrable. How much greater, then, must be the 

 need of such stimulus to lesser minds. In fields of 

 work requiring patient research rather than brilliant 

 insight, this is particularly notable. Gibbon's Decline 

 and Fall of the Roman Empire, perhaps the greatest 

 historical work in any language, would probably never 

 have been produced but for the stimulus given to his- 

 torical investigation in England in Gibbon's early man- 

 hood by the writings of Hume and Robertson. George 

 Grote's History of Greece, second only to the work of 

 Gibbon among historical compositions in the English 

 language, was produced almost as a direct answer to the 

 History of Mitford. And in the field of the natural 

 sciences, the effect of propinquity, of mutual influence, 

 is so striking, that Galton names it is as almost an essen- 

 tial prerequisite to the full development of scientific 

 genius. 



By all means, then, put yourself in touch with other 

 workers of allied interests and aspirations if you can. 

 From them you will draw an inspiration that you can 

 scarcely gain from any other source. And by them 

 you can measure yourself as you can in no other way. 



Not the least valuable lesson of such association with 

 superior minds will be, perhaps, the object lesson you 

 will receive in the value of sedulous application. By 

 association with men of accomplishment, you will soon 



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