er, and
they fail in ordinary walks of life from the lack of resolution to lay the
foundations necessary to successful mediocrity.

No greater obstacle to progress exists than the reputation for talent which
this class acquire on a flimsy basis of superficial brilliance in
conversation or a penchant for witty repartee. They are self-opinionated
and egoistical, with a conceit and assurance out of all proportion to their
abilities. Their mental perspective is distorted and they are conspicuous
for their obstinacy. In conversation they are prolix and pretentious, and
they often contract religious mania, in which their actions by no means
accord with their protestations, for they have very elementary notions of
right and wrong, or no notions at all.

Often they are precocious, but untruthful, cruel, and vicious; the despair
of relatives, friends, and teachers. They combine unusual frankness with an
audacity and impulsiveness that is very misleading, for below this show of
fire and power there is no stability.

Their character is a tangle of mercurial moods, the neuropath being
passionate but loving, sullen one moment, overflowing with sentimental
affection the next, vicious a little while later, quick to unreasoning
anger, and as quick to repent or forgive, obstinate but easily led,
versatile but inconstant, noble and mean by turns, full of contradictions
and contrasts, at best a brilliant failure, vain, deaf to advice or
reproof, having in his ailing frame the virtues and vices of a dozen normal
men.

Mercier aptly describes him:

"There is a large class of persons who are often of acute and nimble
intelligence, in general ability equal to or above the average, of an
active, bustling disposition, but who are utterly devoid of industry.
For by industry we mean steady persistence in a continuous employment
in spite of monotony and distastefulness; an employment that is
followed at the cost of present gratification for the sake of future
benefit. Of such self-sacrifice these persons are incapable. They are
always busy, but their activity is recreative, in the sense that it is
congenial to them, and from it they derive immediate gratification. As
soon as they tire of what they are doing, as soon as their occupation
ceases to be in itself attractive it is relinquished for something
else, which in its turn is abandoned as soon as it becomes tedious.

"Such people form a w