It has been said of Sheridan that, had he possessed reliableness
of character, he might have ruled the world; whereas, for want of
it, his splendid gifts were comparatively useless. He dazzled and
amused, but was without weight or influence in life or politics.
Even the poor pantomimist of Drury Lane felt himself his superior.
Thus, when Delpini one day pressed the manager for arrears of
salary, Sheridan sharply reproved him, telling him he had
forgotten his station. "No, indeed, Monsieur Sheridan, I have
not," retorted Delpini; "I know the difference between us
perfectly well. In birth, parentage, and education, you are
superior to me; but in life, character, and behaviour, I am
superior to you."
Unlike Sheridan, Burke, his countryman, was a great man of
character. He was thirty-five before be gained a seat in
Parliament, yet he found time to carve his name deep in the
political history of England. He was a man of great gifts, and of
transcendent force of character. Yet he had a weakness, which
proved a serious defect--it was his want of temper; his genius
was sacrificed to his irritability. And without this apparently
minor gift of temper, the most splendid endowments may be
comparatively valueless to their possessor.
Character is formed by a variety of minute circumstances, more or
less under the regulation and control of the individual. Not a
day passes without its discipline, whether for good or for evil.
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