enius is, in fact, in its
essential character, no more related to one age than to another. It is
only in its phenomenal character (its outward manifestations) that it
has a _special_ relationship." And Mr. Corson very appositely quotes
Mr. Ruskin on Shakespeare's historical plays--

"If it be said that Shakespeare wrote perfect historical plays on
subjects belonging to the preceding centuries, I answer that they
_are_ perfect plays just because there is no care about centuries
in them, but a life which all men recognize for the human life of
all time; and this it is, not because Shakespeare sought to give
universal truth, but because, painting honestly and completely
from the men about him, he painted that human nature which is,
indeed, constant enough--a rogue in the fifteenth century being
_at heart_ what a rogue is in the nineteenth century and was in
the twelfth; and an honest or knightly man being, in like manner,
very similar to other such at any other time. And the work of
these great idealists is, therefore, always universal: not
because it is _not portrait_, but because it is _complete_
portrait down to the heart, which is the same in all ages; and
the work of the mean idealists is _not_ universal, not because it
is portrait, but because it is _half_ portrait--of the outside,
the manners and the dress, not of the heart. Thus Tintoret and
Shakespeare paint, both of them, simply Venetian and English
nature as they saw it in their time, down to the root; and it
does for _all_ time; but as for any care to cast themselves into
the particular ways of thought, or custom, of past time in their
historical work, you will find it in neither of them, nor in any
other perfectly great man that I know of."--_Modern Painters._

It will be observed that Mr. Corson, whose address deals primarily
with literary training, speaks of these absolute qualities of the
great masterpieces as the _first_ object of study. But his words, and
Ruskin's words, fairly support my further contention that they remain
the _most important_ object of study, no matter how far one's literary
training may have proceeded. To the most erudite student of Chaucer in
the wide world Chaucer's poetry should be the dominant object of
interest in connection with Chaucer.

But when the elaborate specialist confronts us, we are apt to forget
that po