a dress rapier if the enemy takes up a sharp
sword.

The consequences of the nature of War, how ends and means act in it, how
in the modifications of reality it deviates sometimes more, sometimes
less, from its strict original conception, fluctuating backwards and
forwards, yet always remaining under that strict conception as under a
supreme law: all this we must retain before us, and bear constantly
in mind in the consideration of each of the succeeding subjects, if we
would rightly comprehend their true relations and proper importance, and
not become involved incessantly in the most glaring contradictions with
the reality, and at last with our own selves.

CHAPTER III. THE GENIUS FOR WAR

EVERY special calling in life, if it is to be followed with success,
requires peculiar qualifications of understanding and soul. Where
these are of a high order, and manifest themselves by extraordinary
achievements, the mind to which they belong is termed GENIUS.

We know very well that this word is used in many significations which
are very different both in extent and nature, and that with many of
these significations it is a very difficult task to define the essence
of Genius; but as we neither profess to be philosopher nor grammarian,
we must be allowed to keep to the meaning usual in ordinary language,
and to understand by "genius" a very high mental capacity for certain
employments.

We wish to stop for a moment over this faculty and dignity of the mind,
in order to vindicate its title, and to explain more fully the meaning
of the conception. But we shall not dwell on that (genius) which has
obtained its title through a very great talent, on genius properly so
called, that is a conception which has no defined limits. What we have
to do is to bring under consideration every common tendency of the
powers of the mind and soul towards the business of War, the whole of
which common tendencies we may look upon as the ESSENCE OF MILITARY
GENIUS. We say "common," for just therein consists military genius,
that it is not one single quality bearing upon War, as, for instance,
courage, while other qualities of mind and soul are wanting or have a
direction which is unserviceable for War, but that it is AN HARMONIOUS
ASSOCIATION OF POWERS, in which one or other may predominate, but none
must be in opposition.

If every combatant required to be more or less endowed with military
genius, then our armies would be very weak; for as