38 MORE IMPASSIONED AND REFLECTIVE MAN. 



of life have so far been little considered : perhaps it 

 would not be well to put, too Exclusively, all the brisk 

 and adroit minds into one group of callings and all the 

 leisurely pensive minds into another group. Alertness 

 of mind moreover and reposefulness of mind are tem- 

 peramental peculiarities not occupations, not vocations, 

 not missions, not careers. When the choice of vocation 

 is spontaneous and natural, it may well be that the 

 vigilant and less impassioned natures turn to the arts, 

 that is to execution ; and the great majority of vocations 

 appertain to art. Art demands the rapid, clear, and 

 accurate perception of truths and the concrete embodi- 

 ment of them for human purposes. That the higher 

 arts appeal to the feelings this is their physiological, 

 primary, and therefore unexplainable essence and 

 that art producers are as a rule not overburdened with 

 feeling is a seeming anomaly which cannot be con- 

 sidered here. The contemplative and emotional 

 natures may be expected to turn to the slower acqui- 

 sition, and all-round testing, and methodising of 

 truths which is the essence of science : and here, at 

 first sight, but only at first sight, the emotions do not 

 seem to be so needful. 



The leadership of men and movements is art in one 

 of its purest forms ; it consists in the confident seizure 

 of truths which have been slowly produced by, not 

 one, but many, contemplative minds and giving them 

 shape, acceptability, and potency. It is not sur- 

 prising to find that the greater number of known 

 names belong to the energetic and less emotional 

 class. Many of these have been artists, many have 

 been leaders in the various domains of life, politi- 

 cal, social, religious, or otherwise. In the domain of 

 religion which, by way of example, may profitably 



