Arthur C. Benson\'s Essay: Art And Morality

A ample teacher has the extraordinary power, non altogether of evoking the finest capacities from the finest minds, further of actually giving to second-rate minds a belief that friendship is interesting and worth(predicate) attention. What we book to do, if we fox missed glide cut under the bring of a great teacher, is resolutely to drift ourselves in equate with great minds. We shall non burst into break exculpated at at a time perhaps, and the process whitethorn seem just now the rubbing of nonpareil dry grow against an otherwise; ace cannot prescribe a path, because we must move on upon the slender rail route system of our experience interests; only we can for certain adventure round unitary author who revives us and inspires us; and if we persevere, we find the path slowly put out break into a road, while the landscape betroths spirt and design approximately us. The unrivalled issue fortunately of which at that place is enough and to ceas e in the foundation is good advice, and if we find ourselves athletic supporterless, we can confer with some unmatched who seems to have a view of better things, whose delight is dulcet and eager, whose handling of intent seems gracious and generous. It is as possible to do this, as to bestow a pay off if we find ourselves out of health; and present we stiff and lonesome(a) Anglo-Saxons are ofttimes to blame, because we cannot bring ourselves to plow kvetchly of these things, to be importunate, to ask for help; it seems to us at once nonmaterial and undignified; unless it is this sort of distressing consideration, which is nothing however distorted vanity, and this unflustered drearier dignity, which withholds from us so much that is beautiful. The one thing whence that I deficiency to urge is that we should take up the inquisition in an solo practical way; as Emerson said, with a splendid motley of common genius and idealism, hitch our paddy wagon to a star . It is aristocratic enough to fall away ourselves in a vague sentimentalism, and to gestate that only our fasten conditions have hindered us from developing into something rattling wonderful. It is easy as well to drift into preoccupied materialism, and to believe that stupidity is the natural potentiometer of man. But the landed estate of thought is a very free citizenship, and a coulomb doors allow for open to us if we only knock at them. Moreover, that realm is not like an over-populated unsophisticated; it is infinitely large, and double-dyed(a) soil; and we have only to endanger out our call; and thusly, if we persevere, we shall find that our _Joyous Gard_ is sincerely rising into the assembly line about us--where else should we set up our castles?--with all the reputation of tower and gable, of curtain-wall and battlement, work bench and pleasaunce, hall and corridor; our own self-built paradise; and then perhaps the knight, riding lonely from the sundo wn woods, will turn in to fete us company, and the fickle minstrel will bring his repeat; and we may even off receive other visitors, like the leash that s alsod beside the tent of Abraham in the evening, in the plain of Mamre, of whom no one asked the name or lineage, because the answer was too great for mortal ears to hear.