ON SOME PRINCIPLES OF CRITICISM 69 



upon idiosyncratic or temporary partialities having been 

 exploded, the scientific spirit shall make men more and more 

 capable of living resolutely in the whole, more and more 

 conscious of permanent relations. In proportion as we gain 

 a truer conception of our own place in the world, in propor- 

 tion as we refuse to accept anything which is not positive and 

 solid, we shall come to comprehend with more instinctive 

 certitude what is simple, natural, truthful, honest, and shall 

 welcome all artistic products in so far as they exhibit these 

 qualities. The perception of the enlightened man will then 

 be the taste of a mentally healthy and impartial person, who 

 has made himself acquainted with the laws of evolution in art 

 and in society, and who is able to test the excellence of work 

 in any stage from immaturity to decadence by discerning 

 what there is of sincerity and natural vigour in it. 



Ill 



Thus far I wrote three years ago upon this topic, seeking 

 to define the critic's mental attitude towards his task. 



Resuming the same subject from a somewhat different 

 point of view, it will be well to inquire first what we mean by 

 criticism. 



The term critic (6 K^LTLKOQ and criticus) is classical both in 

 Greek and Latin literature. According to its derivation, it 

 means one who is competent to be a judge, the judges in 

 poetic contests at Athens having been called qoira/. The 

 notion of judgment lies therefore at the root of criticism ; and 

 the critic is a man who pronounces judgment upon the work 

 of others. 



This sense of the word was accepted without question until 

 recently. The critic claimed to rank as umpire, trained by 

 special studies for pronouncing on the merits of authors and 

 of artists. He supported his decision by appeal to precedents, 

 established canons, accepted definitions. Some difference of 

 opinion existed as to the validity of certain rules ; but no one 

 doubted that the critic was a judge, or that it was his function 

 to apply rules. As in jurisprudence law is made by the 



