Ixxxvi MExMOIR OF ALEXANDER WILSON* 
mate conclusion, which the aspiring mind will draw from 
such examples, — that, what has been accomplished, may 
again be confidently undertaken. In this respect, the life 
of Wilson, furnishing a striking instance of successful 
perseverance, may contribute to the general good, by 
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 prema- 
turely closed in guilt and misery, is because its capacities 
far transcend the usual pursuits and employments of its 
station, impelling it to rush from object to object with 
reckless impetuosity, as each after each crumbles in its 
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 his 
mind became fixed upon an object sufficient to engross its 
whole powers, and demand its whole energies, — which 
object he thenceforward prosecuted with the most inde- 
fatigable and unswerving resolution, — we see the necessity 
and the wisdom of early entering upon a sufficiently 
ennobling and expanding career, especially when the mind 
itself is noble and expansive. Had his aspiring mind 
never found any such sufficiently engrossing object, there 
is little reason to doubt, that his name would finally have 
been found in the melancholy catalogue of unfortunate 
men of genius. And we conclude our memoir with 
one remark, — - that while it may interest the philosopher 
to observe the spontaneous working of a mind powerfully 
and peculiarly constructed, to humble merit it furnishes 
this valuable lesson, that upright integrity, unbending 
determination, and unwearied perseverance, will, sooner or 
later, surmount every obstacle, and crown their possessor 
with the accomplishment of all his wishes. 
W. M. H. 
