Project Gutenberg's From a College Window, by Arthur Christopher Benson

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: From a College Window

Author: Arthur Christopher Benson

Posting Date: August 18, 2009 [EBook #4614]
Release Date: November, 2003
First Posted: February 19, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM A COLLEGE WINDOW ***

Produced by Don Lainson and Charles Aldarondo. HTML version
by Al Haines.

FROM A COLLEGE WINDOW

By

ARTHUR CHRISTOPHER BENSON

Mens cujusque is est quisque

1906

NOTE.

Twelve of the essays included in this volume appeared in the _Cornhill
Magazine_. My best thanks are due to the proprietor and editor of the
_Cornhill Magazine_ for kind permission and encouragement to reprint
these. I have added six further papers, dealing with kindred subjects.

A. C. B.

CONTENTS

I. The Point of View
II. On Growing Older
III. Books
IV. Sociabilities
V. Conversation
VI. Beauty
VII. Art
VII. Egotism
IX. Education
X. Authorship
XI. The Criticism of Others
XII. Priest
XIII. Ambition
XIV. The Simple Life
XV. Games
XVI. Spiritualism
XVII. Habits
XVIII. Religion

I

THE POINT OF VIEW

I have lately come to perceive that the one thing which gives value to
any piece of art, whether it be book, or picture, or music, is that
subtle and evasive thing which is called personality. No amount of
labour, of zest, even of accomplishment, can make up for the absence of
this quality. It must be an almost wholly instinctive thing, I believe.
Of course, the mere presence of personality in a work of art is not
sufficient, because the personality revealed may be lacking in charm;
and charm, again, is an instinctive thing. No artist can set out to
capture charm; he will toil all the night and take nothing; but what
every artist can and must aim at, is to have a perfectly sincere point
of view. He must take his chance as to whether his point of view is an
attractive one; but sincerity is the one indispensable thing. It is
useless to take opinions on trust, t