VALUATIONS OF PLEASURE AND PAIN 111 



works have imparted to multitudes of their fellow creatures. 

 With some great conquerors, for instance, the claim is 

 obviously absurd. It is not equally absurd in the case of 

 great artists and men of letters, but even with them it 

 dwindles to comparatively small proportions under a close 

 examination. The multitudes, while they can appreciate 

 great actions, derive but little satisfaction from great art, 

 and, if the amount of enjoyment conferred by a fugue of 

 Bach be compared, in respect to the numbers affected, 

 with the enjoyment conferred by a successful music hall 

 melody, the former would be hopelessly left behind. What 

 is esteemed in great music is, first, the genius of the composer 

 for its own sake ; secondly, the elevating effect it has on 

 the minds of its hearers ; and, only in the third place, the 

 pleasure it gives them ; and the same thing is true of all 

 great art. But the total effect of an increased elevation 

 of character is an equal increase of pleasure and pain, 

 and not pleasure only. If we take for our illustration great 

 philosophers like Aristotle and Kant, whose writings are 

 not recommended by literary charm, the mere pleasure which 

 they have conferred on succeeding ages is quite insufficient 

 to account for the honour that is paid them. Still less 

 is the honour paid to the happiness they acquire for them 

 selves. As often as not, the man of genius is of all men the 

 most unhappy. 



The difficulty which these considerations help us to 

 clear up is Mr. Mill s observation that some kinds of pleasures 

 are more desirable than others, although they may have 

 no superiority or even a manifest inferiority in point of 

 quantity. His explanation is that in some pleasures there 

 is a superiority of quality which is so great as to more than 

 compensate for any deficiency in quantity. As there is 

 no better means of enforcing views that are correct than by 

 the criticism of the views which are opposed to them, I pro 

 pose to examine Mr. Mill s argument in the light of the 

 conclusions which have been reached in this essay. It is, 

 to the best of my comprehension, as follows. (The word 

 pleasure includes throughout avoidance of pain.) 



