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vindicating the claim of the most distinguished of our tribe for its birth-right; and the Poet might excuse me the picturesque extravagance of granting them

"An eye to Bards alone & Painters given- 
A frenzied orb reflecting earth & heaven."

But as a sober investigator of truth, I am impelled to the conclusion that the only Genius that is born with us is the instinct to seize upon the bounty of the Nurse; and even in this some individuals are slow to profit by instruction. Yet it is not to be denied, however the subject of Phrenology may be regarded, that some are born with better organs of sight, hearing & feeling than others; and, as they grow up, develope greater capacities for the acquisition of particular branches of knowledge. 

On the other hand it cannot be denied that opportunities of instruction are lavished in vain on some resisting intellect, notwithstanding a great desire to learn. [[strikethrough]] Yet these dull geniuses may be bright enough in some localities,, whether, or not, the Phrenologist can discover & point out the faculties which are most susceptible of cultivation. [[/strikethrough]] Without wishing, therefore, as a Painter, to claim too much from Nature, or to depreciate [[strikethrough]] too much [[/strikethrough]] the pretensions 

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of Genius, I may be indulged in my [[strikethrough]] humble [[/strikethrough]] opinion, that Genius, whatever may be its metaphysical or physiological nature - in whatever degree a young person may possess it - may be cultivated by education, enlarged by observation, refined by practice, and rendered more perfect by time & judgment. 

Painting is an art that [[strikethrough]] requires [[/strikethrough]] demands a variety of acquirements, when it aspires to [[strikethrough]] great [[/strikethrough]] distinction. The Artist must learn to see all forms accurately in their boundaries & proportions, and be able to lay them down on his Canvas. He must understand the [[strikethrough]] rules [[/strikethrough]] laws which regulate their lights & shadows, & must discriminate between every variation of colour, both in harmony & by contract. He must have learned to compound his tints from the [[strikethrough]] richer [[/strikethrough]] crude materials of his palette, with [[strikethrough]] the [[/strikethrough]] skill, curiously to transfer them to his picture, justly to imitate the effects of Nature. Much of this is merely the mechanical part of the art & may be acquired by many; but the accomplished Artist must possess other qualifications of more 

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Some strikethroughs are too hard to read