p
by the multitude keeps his place on the altar but a short time:

_Ich denke, das wahre Grosse in der Welt
Ist immer nur Das was nicht gleich gefaellt
Und wen der Poebel zum Gotte weiht,
Der steht auf dem Altar nur kurze Zeit_.

[Footnote 1: _Translator's Note_.--August Mahlmann (1771-1826),
journalist, poet and story-writer. His _Herodes vor Bethlehem_ is a
parody of Kotzebue's _Hussiten vor Naumburg_.]

It is worth mention that this rule is most directly confirmed in the
case of pictures, where, as connoisseurs well know, the greatest
masterpieces are not the first to attract attention. If they make
a deep impression, it is not after one, but only after repeated,
inspection; but then they excite more and more admiration every time
they are seen.

Moreover, the chances that any given work will be quickly and rightly
appreciated, depend upon two conditions: firstly, the character of
the work, whether high or low, in other words, easy or difficult to
understand; and, secondly, the kind of public it attracts, whether
large or small. This latter condition is, no doubt, in most instances
a, corollary of the former; but it also partly depends upon whether
the work in question admits, like books and musical compositions, of
being produced in great numbers. By the compound action of these two
conditions, achievements which serve no materially useful end--and
these alone are under consideration here--will vary in regard to
the chances they have of meeting with timely recognition and due
appreciation; and the order of precedence, beginning with those who
have the greatest chance, will be somewhat as follows: acrobats,
circus riders, ballet-dancers, jugglers, actors, singers, musicians,
composers, poets (both the last on account of the multiplication of
their works), architects, painters, sculptors, philosophers.

The last place of all is unquestionably taken by philosophers because
their works are meant not for entertainment, but for instruction, and
because they presume some knowledge on the part of the reader, and
require him to make an effort of his own to understand them. This
makes their public extremely small, and causes their fame to be more
remarkable for its length than for its breadth. And, in general, it
may be said that the possibility of a man's fame lasting a long time,
stands in almost inverse ratio with the chance that it will be early
in making its appearance; so that, as regards length of fame,