38	SIR ERNEST OPPENHEIMER
	♦ X ♦ 'Greatness', so a recent writer has asserted, 'is seldom lovable'; and, indeed, when thought is given to the qualities to which the attainment of eminence in any field is generally attributed the point is well taken. Fortunately, there are exceptions to every rule, and Ernest Oppenheimer's career is a striking example to the contrary. In his case, indeed, there is the danger that his own modesty as well as the affection which he inspired may distract attention from the arduous nature of his life-work and lead to an underestimate of his contribution to the building up of modern Southern Africa. Everywhere in the modern world (with the doubtful exception of the United States of America) the climate of opinion is not, generally speaking, appreciative of the contribution which business leaders have made to the expansion of the economy and to the rise in the over-all standards of living induced thereby: in the specific case of South Africa, both in the past and in the present, political and racial passions have adversely affected judgement and prevented an impartial appreciation of the facts. And yet it remains the case that without the work of men like Ernest Oppen-heimer in creating the basis for further advance in the economic field, the outlook for Africa, difficult as it already is, would be even more uncertain.