Read it through once

These three duties may sometimes conflict. The critic's loyalty to tradition may seem to obstruct his sympathy with the new; his sympathy with the artist may make him appear to the public as an advocate rather than an impartial judge; his duty to the public may compel him to moderate his judgments for the sake of clarity and acceptability. The critic must strive to reconcile these duties, to balance them so that none is sacrificed. This balance is not a matter of compromise but of insight: the critic must understand the relations between past and present, between artist and audience, and must be able to translate his understanding into persuasive criticism.