Crowds Part 71

Our genius is a moral genius, the genius of each man for fulfilling himself. Our religion is the finding of a way to do it beautifully.

Let Russian men be an army if they like--death and obedience. Let German men keep on with their faithful, plodding, moral machines if they want to, and let all French men be artists, go tra-la-laing up and down the Time to the beautiful--furnis.h.i.+ng nudes, clothes, and academies to a world.

But we--England and America--will stand up on this planet in the way we like to stand on a planet and sing, "I will, I will!" to G.o.d.

If we cannot do better, we will sing, "I won't, I won't!" to G.o.d. Our wills and our won'ts are our genius among the sons of men. They are what we are for. With England and America I will and I won't are an art form, our means of expressing ourselves, our way of invention and creation, of begetting an age, of begetting a nation upon a world.

We do not know (like great men and children) who we are at first. We begin saying vaguely--will--will!

Then i will!

Then I will!

Then WE WILL!

THE BEGINNING.