332 ARISTOCRACY AND EVOLUTION 



Book iv independent of artificial assistance, many of an in- 



ferior, but still of an exceptional kind, are not ; and 



But genius of it cannot be doubted that the supply of these last 



a lesser kind, M11 - .. .. i i 



which would will depend very largely on the degree to which 



facilities for self-development are given by the State 

 to tnose wno desire to take advantage of them. 

 help Thus, though the spread of education in this country 



from the State ; r J 



has not increased the number of Shakespeares, it has 



enormously increased the number of those who can 



write good English. And no doubt in the domain 



of wealth-production it has had an analogous effect. 



This effect, however, though real, has been en- 



ormously exaggerated ; and it has been exagger- 



ated for a particular reason. Social reformers have 



confused two things together. They have confused 



talents which are exceptional in their very nature, 



though the with accomplishments which are exceptional only 



genius 1 isover- because they are not universally taught. Thus read- 



reformers, by m g an d writing, for instance, were rare accomplish- 



becausethey men t s once. Of all accomplishments they are the 



confuse talents 



rare in them- most universal now ; and there is not the least doubt 

 accomplish- that there are very many others which, with equal 



ments that are . . i i -111 11 



only rare opportunities, might be acquired by almost anybody, 

 dentally. ^ w jjj c jj vetj as a matter o f f act) are still con fined 



to a minority. In this fact that education may in- 

 crease the accomplishments of a community, social 

 reformers have fancied that they discovered an in- 

 dication of the extent to which education could elicit 

 exceptional talent. But to call into practical activity 

 by means of external help exceptional faculties, of 

 which the supply is necessarily limited, is a very 



