The sun., 1884-01-06

dard which Mr.. Arnold has himself
applied TO Emerson. II must bc placed
rs poem below "Bohrsb and Rustum." Two
or three extracts, however. will explain why
not n fcw Of those who are on some accounts
best qualified to appreciate Mr.. Arnold, deem
Empedoclcs on Etna" his best work. Take this
for example. on tho relation OF the individual
to beredity and environment. II was writtcn
We should remember. before the publication oi
Mr.. Darwins book on the Origin OF Species:
In AnS Sai" wonr our rsn. rsS. w".d w,',; f.sabas..
I.in,its we did mt set.
Condition nIl We do;
Born into life We are and ifs mas, bc our mould.
Born wn,,S in,G s,n te &. man .,sT,,,,,n srIy;
Aid s CIe,"I. 1"u u,s,r "lr siooas. rs those
a q o. ,, 'ns1. "a are , S,en. mt IL ts "a.
Horn into lfei-veJrng
Ard when here. each thing
To tunes we did not cali our being must keep chime
Born into lifel-n vain
The obstinate inud DEGREES;
Experience. like n sea. nouks nlledacinz in.
The lines above quoted nre from tho chant In
which Empedocles. before his suicide. nvows the
hopelessncss of mans effort after knowledge.
Tho poet accepts the Berkeleian hypothesis
regarding tho nature OF cogntlon-who. In
deed can refute It ?-nnd In tho flist two stanzas
OF the chant points out that we only catch re-
flections Of realities. and OF those reflections
only fugitive glim pses:
The outspread world to span
cord the gods first siuns
Arh rhl.. men Il. tle SOU ,M,, ,rt- OF .nsn mm
And bade the winds through iiel the gusty toy
litNer md thiiher spins
The wind dbornc. mirroring soul.
A thousand Hliinpsee wins
Looks once and drives elsewhere and leaves it. last
employ.
The narrow world OF mirrorcd and subjective
phenomena which lies open to, our ken. is far
too spacious for our faculty OF comprehension
nor can single man hope to master even the
little store of relative knowledge accumulated
by mankind:
Look; the The wo, wonIa 'Esmp,H, tempt !; "nT ar, eve
We map the starry sky,
We measure the sea tides WE number tho sea sands;
We scrutinize the dates
The bounds Of eHaccd states,
The lines of decea-e.l kings:
mems hands;
Inw minds are madc.
What springs Of thought they Use.
How ris.,en'd. how bctrayed-
And spend our wit to name what most employ unnamed.
The mass swells more and more
or volumes yet t.. read.
OF secrets vet To explore.
Our hair grows gray our eyes nre dimmd oar heat is
Is mind merely a mode of matter: IN energy
Of matter organized and temporarily main
tained in motion? That is what the material
lists say. Or arc what we term mind and
matter only two aspects OF the same undcry-
ing all pervasive being? That is the af-
flrmanco OF the Pantheism which forms
tho basis not only OF tho Buddhistic.
but OF some modern European philosophy.
Or. as Prof. Clifford thought. does the
cosmos consist entirely Of "mind-stufr."
what is called the material universe being only
an imperfect representation OF the mind-stufl
outside the particular observer? To Emped-
ocles there is something appalling in the con-
ception of the indestructibility or inconverti-
bility Of mind. involving. us he deems 1t would.
the drcary prospect OF reiterated metempsy-
Ghosts whereas he gains Infinite solace and
peace from the belief IN utter reabsorpton into
the elements. But belief is perhaps too strong
word. for it seems to be rather with fervent
hopo than assured tnith that Empedocles seeks
complete annihiiation by casting himself into
the crater OF Etna. We cite some Of his last
words: