346 REVIEWS AND PAMPHLETS ON ART

it is no man’s business whether he has genius or not: work he must, whatever he is, but quietly and steadily; and the natural and unforced results of such work will be always the things that God meant him to do, and will be his best. No agonies nor heart-rendings will enable him to do any better. If he be a great man, they will be great things; if a small man, small things; but always, if thus peacefully done, good and right; always, if restlessly and ambitiously done, false, hollow, and despicable.

7. Then the third thing needed was, I said, that a man should be a good judge of his work; and this chiefly that he may not be dependent upon popular opinion for the manner of doing it, but also that he may have the just encouragement of the sense of progress, and an honest consciousness of victory; how else can he become

“That awful independent on to-morrow,

Whose yesterdays look backwards with a smile.”¹

I am persuaded that the real nourishment and help of such a feeling as this is nearly unknown to half the work-men of the present day. For whatever appearance of self-complacency there may be in their outward bearing, it is visible enough, by their feverish jealousy of each other, how little confidence they have in the sterling value of their several doings. Conceit may puff a man up, but never prop him up; and there is too visible distress and hopelessness in men’s aspects to admit of the supposition that they have any stable support of faith in themselves.

8. I have stated these principles generally, because there is no branch of labour to which they do not apply: but there is one in which our ignorance or forgetfulness of them has caused an incalculable amount of suffering; and I would endeavour now to reconsider them with special reference to it-the branch of the Arts.

¹ [“That blest son of foresight! Lord of fate!

That awful independent on To-morrow!

Whose work is done; who triumphs in the past;

Whose yesterdays look backwards with a smile.”

-YOUNG’S Night Thoughts, ii. 354.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]