Ixxxvi MEMOIR OF ALEXANDER WILSON. 
mate conclusion, whicli the aspiring mind will draw from 
such examples, — that, what has been accomplished, may 
again be confidently undertaken. In this respect, the bf® 
of Wilson, furnishing a striking instance of successfib 
perseverance, may contribute to the general good, bf 
fostering the early hopes of humble but aspiring merit- 
There is yet another, and a more important truth, which 
it is well adapted to teach, — that the main cause why 
the course of genius is so often crossed by melancholy 
aberrations, impeded by grovelling tendencies, or premac 
turely closed in guilt and misery, is because its capacities 
far transcend the usual pursuits and employments of it^ 
station, impelling it to rush from object to object with 
reckless impetuosity, as each after each crumbles in it* 
giant grasp. Thus, in the marked contrast between 
Wilson’s early history, when he led an irregular, unsettled 
and wandering life, and that of his latter years, when hi* 
mind became fixed upon an object sufficient to engross it* 
whole powers, and demand its whole energies, — which 
object he thenceforward prosecuted with the most indC' 
fatigable and unswerving resolution, — we see the necessity 
and the wisdom of early entering upon a sufficiently 
ennobling and expanding career, especially when the mii'^ 
itself is noble and expansive. Had bis aspiring mb'^ 
never found any such sufficiently engrossing object, thef* 
is little reason to doubt, that his name would finally baV*- 
been found in the melancholy catalogue of unfortunate 
men of genius. And we conclude our memoir with 
one r-emark, — that while it may interest the philosopbc* 
to observe the spontaneous working of a mind powerfully 
and peculiarly constructed, to humble merit it furnishc* 
this valuable lesson, that upright integrity, unbending 
determination, and unwearied perseverance, will, sooner a* 
later, surmount every obstacle, and crown their possess®^ 
with the accomplishment of all bis wishes. 
W. M. S' 
