English literature is
perhaps something from which Arnold would have shrunk, but it
endears his memory.

[Illustration: Signature: Geroge E. Woodberry]

INTELLIGENCE AND GENIUS

From 'Essays in Criticism'

What are the essential characteristics of the spirit of our nation? Not,
certainly, an open and clear mind, not a quick and flexible
intelligence. Our greatest admirers would not claim for us that we have
these in a pre-eminent degree; they might say that we had more of them
than our detractors gave us credit for, but they would not assert them
to be our essential characteristics. They would rather allege, as our
chief spiritual characteristics, energy and honesty; and if we are
judged favorably and positively, not invidiously and negatively, our
chief characteristics are no doubt these: energy and honesty, not an
open and clear mind, not a quick and flexible intelligence. Openness of
mind and flexibility of intelligence were very signal characteristics of
the Athenian people in ancient times; everybody will feel that. Openness
of mind and flexibility of intelligence are remarkable characteristics
of the French people in modern times,--at any rate, they strikingly
characterize them as compared with us; I think everybody, or almost
everybody, will feel that. I will not now ask what more the Athenian or
the French spirit has than this, nor what shortcomings either of them
may have as a set-off against this; all I want now to point out is that
they have this, and that we have it in a much lesser degree.

Let me remark, however, that not only in the moral sphere, but also in
the intellectual and spiritual sphere, energy and honesty are most
important and fruitful qualities; that for instance, of what we call
genius, energy is the most essential part. So, by assigning to a nation
energy and honesty as its chief spiritual characteristics,--by refusing
to it, as at all eminent characteristics, openness of mind and
flexibility of intelligence,--we do not by any means, as some people
might at first suppose, relegate its importance and its power of
manifesting itself with effect from the intellectual to the moral
sphere. We only indicate its probable special line of successful
activity in the intellectual sphere, and, it is true, certain
imperfections and failings to which in this sphere it will always be
subject. Genius is mainly an affair of energy, and poetry is mainly an
affair of genius; therefore a nation wh