Page:Calcutta Review (1925) Vol. 16.djvu/321

306 either society must be content without great men or the moral defects in the case of genius must be condoned :—which means that when an immorality is compensated by greatness in some other direction, it will have to be overlooked. And in view of the fact, that, society has need for great men, we cannot but accept the second alternative. In history, in biography and in newspaper estimate of public men, this is the alternative usually chosen.

But what does it imply? Does it not imply that, after all, society adopts utility as the standard of value? And that moral rules like office regulations are intended only to ensure discipline and certainly admit of exceptions?