GENIUS 353 



On the other hand, he who by reason of physical inefficiency or en- 

 vironmental conditions spends his life in inhibiting physical action, 

 finds a substitute for action in thought. 



The intellectual life has two main attitudes: active reasoning and 

 esthetic contemplation. Though these two complement one another, 

 we find them variously accented in different individuals. The scholar 

 leads, in the main, an intellectual life, yet the esthetic complement 

 to his nature may be very slightly developed. His reasoning processes 

 have the aim of elucidating and, therefore, of bringing peace of mind 

 with respect to some phase of life. But his pleasure is more largely 

 in the business of thinking, in the solving of his concrete problem, than 

 it is in the contemplation of a complete result such as' characterizes the 

 esthetic attitude. The true artist has his esthetic ideal always before 

 him. His function is to express this ideal as a complete and con- 

 formable whole. Whether his work be of head or of hand, it is always 

 informed by such an ideal and the artist's genius rests all in his ability 

 to give adequate expression to this ideal. 



Each of us has these esthetic ideals in some degree, but only a few 

 of us attempt to express them. We seek, rather, an expression for 

 them in the work of another and, finding it, we obtain esthetic pleasure 

 in the contemplation. But he whose ideas become crystallized to such 

 an extent that he can objectify them and give them expression in a 

 picture, a drama or a symphony, he has a peculiar talent which the 

 rest of us, however esthetically appreciative we may be, do not possess. 



The genius must possess a certain technical skill to enable him to 

 express himself objectively, and he must also be so imbued with the 

 force of his ideas that he is, in a sense, impelled to give them such 

 expression. This necessity of artistic expression is one of the factors 

 of his esthetic nature. A demand is felt to realize a certain ideal, to 

 give it a clear objective expression such as must always be lacking so 

 long as it remains clothed only in the vague imagery of the mind. The 

 hack author, painter or musician may make a mere business of his 

 talent. In so far as he does this his work must be of low merit as art. 

 It is forced rather than spontaneous. It caters to an audience instead 

 of being a natural expression of his own ideas. 



There is something very intimate about true art. It always ex- 

 presses the man behind it and, in the last analysis, its merit is a token 

 of the character and mental bigness of the artist. Those who have 

 no clear and definite ideas, but busy themselves with vague intentions, 

 only reflect in their works the unrest of hyper-sensitive natures. We, 

 their audience, may recognize and sympathize with their unhappy 

 states and, indeed, derive a certain esthetic enjoyment from their ex- 

 pression, but it remains for the man able to give a positive impetus to 



VOL. LXVIII. — 'i3. 



