ncluding, to some extent, political
matters. How he is to study the customs, usage and manners of polite
society among the upper ten thousand it is hard to say. Not a few of us
are weak on this point, and feel ill at ease when dealing with the
_nuances_ of the customs of Mayfair. The study of books on _Savoir
Faire_ and the Manners of Polite Society certainly will give very little
assistance.

Lastly, in this catalogue, which is far from exhaustive, he must study
the art of writing, so that he may at least be able to keep clear of the
vulgar faults. No one expects him to show any absolute merit in
style--space and circumstances of time and place are against him, and to
accomplish the negative is quite a positive triumph. Correct grammar,
avoidance of hackneyed _cliches_, clearness of phrase, reasonably
scholar-like use of words, abstinence from alliteration unless there be
due cause, and escape from uncouthness of expression and monotony of
sound are all he can hope to exhibit in the way of virtue. Of course a
little wit or humour does no harm, provided that no sacrifice of truth
is made for the sake of it. Of the moral qualities nothing need be said;
he will be exposed to a few great temptations and many little ones: to
some of the latter he is certain to yield.

If and when he has acquired all this knowledge, it will be his duty
almost to conceal it. It is to be employed as apparatus for the
formation of judgments rather than the embellishment of them, though, of
course, it may be used reticently by way of illustration, explanation
and the like. Yet it may be useful and not illegitimate for him
sometimes to try to convince the reader that his criticism is from the
pen of one who knows more about the subject than lies within the range
of the Man in the Street.

The critic is not superior to the amateur judge by reason of a greater
natural aptitude for judging, but because he has a larger stock of
knowledge on which to base his judgments, possesses a wider basis for
comparison--the foundation of all opinion--and has trained his natural
aptitudes; consequently, whilst his criticism necessarily, like that of
the Man in the Street, is relative, not absolute, is after all merely an
_ipse dixit_, it is the personal view of the better-trained person.

The pessimist may suggest that it is hardly worth while to endeavour to
become such an Admirable Crichton, that the labour will not be
sufficiently remunerated, that the exi