第27章快乐不必认真（2）
“Ah!but，”myreadermaysay，“thelayerwantstoretsihemaygivethestroergame。”Really，Idohatisso。Possible，sometimes，astrongandvaingloriousplayermaywishtogivepoints，ihisviaybethemoreIdonotthihisisthetrueexplanation。That，Isuspect，wasgiveherdaybythesecretaryofalawour，inwhichIplayed。“Whyallthisnonsenseofhandicaps?Whyusbesquarelybeaten，a?”Iaskedhim。“Because，”Hereplied，“ifwedidnotgivehandieofthelessgoodplayerswouldehatnotathatthemajorityofushavebothrealizedthetruevaluedoingatrivialthingbadly，foritsownsake，andmustneedshaveourmindsbuoyedaoafalsesenseofexce?
&isnotonlysusicallytrivialthingsasgamesthatarewbadly。Thisisatruthwhich，oddlyefreelyofsomethings—butnotofothers—andasathingwhichwearequitettodowillletmeiing。Ag，atitsbest，beagreatart，athingwsupremelywell，thoughitsworth，likethatofalliivearts，islessesevaworksimediumofhumanfleshandblood，ahattheactorcreate—forwhatretativeartistisreallyacreativeartistwinaperishablemedium—isanimpressionupoihtarousedin，themindsofanaudiendisincapableofrecord。
Ag，thee—thoughIhaveochedeversobrieflytheproofofmybelief—beagreatart。Butisaerredfromtakingpartiricalsbythesideratioaotabitofit!AlynisohingsaboutwhichIamwritihethingsthatarewbadly。
Ahingismusic;butheretheproverbialfallaexertsitspower，asitdoesnot，forsomeobsdunreasoningdisation，inag。Mostpeopleseemtothinkthatiftheyg，orplaythepiano，fiddle，orsackbut，admirablywell，theymustnotdoahingsatall。Thattheyshouldnotindisatelyforcetheirinferiorperformahepubliupontheiraces，Iadmit。Butthatthereishehome”forinferiormusianuntruththatIflatlydeny。
Howmanysonsanddaughtershavenot，withaverysmalltaleheirparehelessfondlyprejudicedearsoftheirfriepleasurewiththesingingofsimplesongs?Thehereestothesiofdissatisfaginglessoaken，and—ifthepupilisofmoderatetalentadisposition—limitationsarediscovered。Andthen，inoften，thesingingisdropped，likeahotpenny。Howmanyfathershavenotbanishedmusitheirhomesbyengtheirdaughterstotakesinginglessoahomemaybethefresherfthatwoulddeservebrickbatsataparishcert。
Imaypauseheretohecuriousexthatpeoplewhoanyatbepersuadedtosinginthedrawing-room，oreveh，willwithouthesitationuplifttheirtunelessviousmeetingsorinchurch。Thereisaperfectlygoodandhoionofthis，Ibelieve，butitbelongstotherealmofmetaphysidisbeyoscope。
Thiscursedbelief，thatifathingiswatall，itiswwell，isthecauseofagreatimpoverishmentinourprivatelife，andalso，tosomeextent，ofthelofstandardsinourpubliclife。Forthisteofproverbialfaithhastwoeffealltalents:itleadsmodestpersonshematall，apersoodosotoomudtoforcethemselvesuponthepublic。Itleadstothedecayandofthekeepingofdiaries，and，assurely，itleadstothepublioirsashouldremaihewriters’desks。
ItleadsMr。Blanknottowriteversesatall—whichhemightverywelldo，forthesakeofhisoiness，andfortheamusementofhisfriends—anditleadsMissDashtopestertheoverworkededitorsofvariousjournalswithherunsuccessfulimitationsofMr。delaMare，Mr。Yeats，andDr。Bridges。Theresultisthatournationalartistiowsuffersfromtwogreatneeds:Aracticeofthearts，andahigher，moreexclusive，professionalstandard。Untiltheseareachievedweshallhebestoutofoursouls。