they can never lose their equanimity, or be overcome by blind passion; on the contrary, this must always
happen whenever the noble pride of self-control is wanting, or as often as it has not sufficient weight. We see
examples of this most frequently in men of noble minds belonging to savage nations, where the low degree of
mental cultivation favours always the dominance of the passions. But even amongst the most civilised classes
in civilised States, life is full of examples of this kind--of men carried away by the violence of their
passions, like the poacher of old chained to the stag in the forest.
We therefore say once more a strong mind is not one that is merely susceptible of strong excitement, but one
which can maintain its serenity under the most powerful excitement, so that, in spite of the storm in the
breast, the perception and judgment can act with perfect freedom, like the needle of the compass in the
storm-tossed ship.
By the term STRENGTH OF CHARACTER, or simply CHARACTER, is denoted tenacity of conviction, let
it be the result of our own or of others' views, and whether they are principles, opinions, momentary
inspirations, or any kind of emanations of the understanding; but this kind of firmness certainly cannot
CHAPTER III. THE GENIUS FOR WAR 39
On War
manifest itself if the views themselves are subject to frequent change. This frequent change need not be the
consequence of external influences; it may proceed from the continuous activity of our own mind, in which
case it indicates a characteristic unsteadiness of mind. Evidently we should not say of a man who changes his
views every moment, however much the motives of change may originate with himself, that he has character.
Only those men, therefore, can be said to have this quality whose conviction is very constant, either because
it is deeply rooted and clear in itself, little liable to alteration, or because, as in the case of indolent men, there
is a want of mental activity, and therefore a want of motives to change; or lastly, because an explicit act of the
will, derived from an imperative maxim of the understanding, refuses any change of opinion up to a certain
point.
Now in War, owing to the many and powerful impressions to which the mind is exposed, and in the
uncertainty of all knowledge and of all science, more things occur to distract a man from the road he has
entered upon, to make him doubt himself and others, than in any other human activity.
The harrowing sight of danger and suffering easily leads to the feelings gaining ascendency over the
conviction of the understanding; and in the twilight which surrounds everything a deep clear view is so
difficult that a change of opinion is more conceivable and more pardonable. It is, at all times, only conjecture
or guesses at truth which we have to act upon. This is why differences of opinion are nowhere so great as in
War, and the stream of impressions acting counter to one's own convictions never ceases to flow. Even the
greatest impassibility of mind is hardly proof against them, because the impressions are powerful in their
nature, and always act at the same time upon the feelings.
When the discernment is clear and deep, none but general principles and views of action from a high
standpoint can be the result; and on these principles the opinion in each particular case immediately under
consideration lies, as it were, at anchor. But to keep to these results of bygone reflection, in opposition to the
stream of opinions and phenomena which the present brings with it, is just the difficulty. Between the
particular case and the principle there is often a wide space which cannot always be traversed on a visible
chain of conclusions, and where a certain faith in self is necessary and a certain amount of scepticism is
serviceable. Here often nothing else will help us but an imperative maxim which, independent of reflection, at
once controls it: that maxim is, in all doubtful cases to adhere to the first opinion, and not to give it up until a
clear conviction forces us to do so. We must firmly believe in the superior authority of well-tried maxims,
and under the dazzling influence of momentary events not forget that their value is of an inferior stamp. By
this preference which in doubtful cases we give to first convictions, by adherence to the same our actions
acquire that stability and consistency which make up what is called character.
It is easy to see how essential a well-balanced mind is to strength of character; therefore men of strong minds
generally have a great deal of character.
Force of character leads us to a spurious variety of it --OBSTINACY.
It is often very difficult in concrete cases to say where the one ends and the other begins; on the other hand, it
does not seem difficult to determine the difference in idea.
Obstinacy is no fault of the understanding; we use the term as denoting a resistance against our better
judgment, and it would be inconsistent to charge that to the understanding, as the understanding is the power
of judgment. Obstinacy is A FAULT OF THE FEELINGS or heart. This inflexibility of will, this impatience
of contradiction, have their origin only in a particular kind of egotism, which sets above every other pleasure
that of governing both self and others by its own mind alone. We should call it a kind of vanity, were it not
decidedly something better. Vanity is satisfied with mere show, but obstinacy rests upon the enjoyment of the
thing.
CHAPTER III. THE GENIUS FOR WAR 40
On War
We say, therefore, force of character degenerates into obstinacy whenever the resistance to opposing
judgments proceeds not from better convictions or a reliance upon a trustworthy maxim, but from a feeling of
opposition. If this definition, as we have already admitted, is of little assistance practically, still it will prevent
obstinacy from being considered merely force of character intensified, whilst it is something essentially
different--something which certainly lies close to it and is cognate to it, but is at the same time so little an
intensification of it that there are very obstinate men who from want of understanding have very little force of
character.
Having in these high attributes of a great military Commander made ourselves acquainted with those qualities
in which heart and head co-operate, we now come to a speciality of military activity which perhaps may be
looked upon as the most marked if it is not the most important, and which only makes a demand on the power
of the mind without regard to the forces of feelings. It is the connection which exists between War and
country or ground.
This connection is, in the first place, a permanent condition of War, for it is impossible to imagine our
organised Armies effecting any operation otherwise than in some given space; it is, secondly, of the most
decisive importance, because it modifies, at times completely alters, the action of all forces; thirdly, while on
the one hand it often concerns the most minute features of locality, on the other it may apply to immense
tracts of country.
In this manner a great peculiarity is given to the effect of this connection of War with country and ground. If
we think of other occupations of man which have a relation to these objects, on horticulture, agriculture, on
building houses and hydraulic works, on mining, on the chase, and forestry, they are all confined within very
limited spaces which may be soon explored with sufficient exactness. But the Commander in War must
commit the business he has in hand to a corresponding space which his eye cannot survey, which the keenest
zeal cannot always explore, and with which, owing to the constant changes taking place, he can also seldom [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]