The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-10-06
CONCERNING BOOKS.
BY e. cAvAzzA.


L
| Poetry, Comedy and Duty, By @. G. Eve
rett, LII. ID. 1t is sign of the progress of
liberal thought that, in New England, pro-
fessor of theology should write Of these three
topics, separated by no greater barriers than
a comma and a conjunction. Fifty years ago
writer of Professor Everett's authority
concerning doctrine would have SHE'D at the
idea Of poetry and baked outright before
comedy, and arrived at his essay on duty by
the path of polemics Nothing finer has
been said in praise Of the quality of imagina-
ton than the eloquent recognition of it in
the opening chapters of Professor Eyerett's
essay on Poetry-nothing, it may with equal
truth be added.which more clearly proves the
eulogist also the possessor. 1t would be a
satisfaction to quote at length from the
volume; put this denied by the restrictions
of space, it shall be attempted to give, at
least, such an idea of the line of thought in
this noble work as to lead readers to follow
1t for themselves in its original representa-
ton. Professor Everett defines clearly the
important distinctions between Imagination
and fancy-the latter delightful indeed, but
irresponsible, more or less disconnected
from reality, while Of the former he writes:
"The world Of Imagination may be more
natural than that of nature herself"
Imagination traces the path which science
follows; its intuitions are materialized by
analysis and experiment; it flies where rea-
son can attain only with laborious steps,
But it is indispensable that the Imagination
be first trained and enobled for no fantastic
visions that wander aside from the ways of
1 Matt will ha tod f,16 Cd 1xvI,
Those persons who are wont to complain
that the daily task Of collecting ones dues
from the world which owes every man liy-
ing, is a prosaic and continual hindrance to
the development of Imagination, which they
conceive to be concerned only with art, liter
AZURE or the intangible and improbable day
dreams Of the unframed fancy. will be
cheered by Professor Everetts' assurance
that the word poet "means maker, and every
maker, the money-maker as truly as the
maker of statues or of verses, is also maker
in the poetic sense of the word that is, he is
one who creates by the power of the imagin-
ation." 1t is, indeed the pervading life of
the imagination that Is the inspiration and
| Joy of every form of work, that saves it from
being merely mechanical or instructive toll,
that raises the world from hopeless realism
to which the last day would be the only end
| and consolation. Professor Everett grace
fully compares imagination to Cinderella,
mistreated as handmade by her sisters
science and business. Asking the test ques-
tion, ITO whom does the world rightfully
belong?" he himself replies, "To the faculty
that creates 1t for us, from whose hands we
receive it." Science can accept or give
nothing that may not bedemonstrated; bust
ness wants the earth, but cannot lay hold of
1t until imagination "lends it to science to
analyze, to study, to reason about; lends it to
business to work with. or to play with,
whichever word we choose to take" Then
as Cinderella took from her pocket the other
slipper and became transformed to the glory
of queen, imagination brings forth art and
poetry. and shows herself complete mistress
| of the world.
From the simplest and humblest to the
most unbounded ideals, from earth to heaven
it Is by the eye Of Imagination that we have
| vision.
Religion says Professor Everett, sis poetry
peieyed IN, Just as the outward world is poetry
than anything beside The conception of each is
reached in the same way, and demands a like
and then the poet of the race, becomes at last its
seer its prophet ana its priest. The senses give
Outstanding gives us only lifeless fragments. The
| Imagination gives US the universe In its whole
Divinity"
The conclusion may be summed up thus:
The Imagination should be trained and slim
ulated to its utmost powers of usefulness
and pleasure, in order that men shall be able
to discover and accept new truths. AT first
these will appear as poetic visions, then will
seem prosaic because no longer novel, finally
will become the material of a constantly en-
riched art. 1t is the half-comprehended
which is prosaic; the unknown and the
known are poetry.
Professor Eyerett's judgment of the dis
| puted maxim, Art for Arts sake, is exceed
ingly sound and sympathetic, deciding that
In its principle. the motto is good one,
| while the moralist may occasionally have
cause to quarrel with some of its results. 1t
is certain that moral purpose is apt to over
strain art, and is usually in its right place as
| an inspiration to the character of the artist
| instead Of direct conscious purpose of his
work.
Professor Everett's definition of tragedy,
its causes. its limitations and its art, is fine
enough for an ancient Grecian. He proves
also his right to treat of comedy by more
than few witty and humorous touches, and
an excellent restraint in citation of exam
pies. After searching the hidden springs of
mirth, the curious inconsistent emotions that
| fly back and forth until the tension relieves
itself in burst of laughter, Professor
Everett closes with delicious little myth,
all his own, of those superstitious days
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transit to the dignity of man.
| There was an ambition, he says, such as has
not since then existed upon the earlb. 1t was
time OF trial. How the foremost individuals of
one generation must have differed from those of
the last even from the less cultivated of their
own Think Of the burdens of polite society
But finally one of the more elegant of the
anthropoids gave an odd cry, our fabulist re-
lates, at some awkwardness of his friends,
and finding it relief, adopted the cry as a
habit The other models of refinement pinned
and died. crushed by series of shocks to
their sensibilities, while the Laughter grew
fat.
| His children inherited the habit which began
| with him, and with 1t inherited his cheerful
strength; and thus, while other families dwindied
and passed away, the descendants of the man who
laughed alone endured, TO form the race of man
who laughs.
There is much wisdom within this excel
| lent fooling; and who can say how many
serious persons unable to repress laugh al
the Professors clever little Apologize will
form the good habit of audible smiling, and
SO confirm their strength and that of their
sons and their sons sons. If the capacity to
laugh differentiates the man from the ape.
'here Is also no more delicate test of The hui
man individual than observation of the
causes Oh his laughter. Two men may agree
on pohtlcs, art and letters, their friends may
be mutual. their interests similar; and one
day theshearing ola coarse Jest will separate
them far and forever-in the laugh of him
whose mind responded to the stupid anpeaI
the better man has recognized the dirpe of
their friendship. Or. to suppose pleasanter