Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-12
Fiat Lux!

EldE LUX!
Why, pray, do you call me mad?
Because do not live exactly as the rest
Of the world does, because do not follow
blindly like sheep, because it is my habit
b remain in solitude for weeks or even
months-is that any reason why they should
term me madman? Do they know why it is
that live so? Many have asked how 1
occupy myself in my solitude. But if they
have sought to know, and have not chosen
to tells that, 1 ask, good proof that am
mad7
On the contrary, maintain that 1 am q
wise man, thanks to the life which l have
always led, and thanks, especially, to the
idea which 1 have conceived during that
life. One thing is certain: When this idea
was first born in me- was very far from
being mad.
1 had read much and studied much.
Toward philosophers and their teachings
1 was especially attracted. But / do not
like the philosophers of to-day; they are
no longer worthy of the name. In order
to conceive o system one must lead a con-
templative and solitary lie; a life with
but the one aim. But how are these condi-
tious to be gained in this restless world,
where through every pore one absorbs and
breaths distraction?
/ determined then TO interest myself with
the ancient philosophers alone. Bya refine
ment of study l selected those whose works
have been handed down TO us, mutilated
and fragmentary they may be, through
only tradition; such, ior instance, rs Lu-
cippuS, Dcmocritus, Empedocle, Heroditus
or Pafmenides.
Inexperienced u strange Joy in reconstruct
ing those old systems upon the skeletons OF
their remains, even M Cuvier from few
fossil bones has reconstructed antediluyian
monsters. Those men alone who are de-
voted TO such studies eau comprehend the
10Y which felt In thus resurrecting the
theories OF Anaxagarns aud others OF his
school. Side by side with these fragments,
became engroHEed In certain other
teachings, complete perhaps, but equally
obscure; the teachings OF myttcn
aud theologiRns, subtle depths into
which a mind trained by metaphysical
exercises plunres with delight The
AlexaBdrlans. Plotlnus, Porphyrius and
Iambicus have been source OF Joy TO me,
and have shared, too. the pleasures Of st.
Anselm and 81. Thomns Aquina.
II ] speak OF such studies-the simplest
Of which entities one 20 the name OF savant,
] am In no way prompted thereto by vanity
my object is 10 show that was simply
student and In no sense u fool, aud, above
all, IL IL for the sole reason OF explaining
how the, idea was born within me that
speak now. Heafken thenl
Throughout my Studies | have remarked
one thing, which IL the point OF departure
In my system; 10 know that In the midst OF
the cosmogencal aud theological hypothesis
the mind iulfills it, duties less from power
Of reasoning than from Intuition.
IN puGs mere 10 no question OF hyilogism,
since there is no possible connection be-
tween the known contaiuer and the unknown
contents What is needed Is 10 locate the
unknown cOntainer-in other words. TO dis
cover the absolute. To prove it's existence
matters nothing; IL must be seen. One sees
It or one does not see il. At each step In
my progress / experimental upon myself,
and, after long meditation, what had before
been utter darkness suddenly became as
light Rs day. What before seemed absurd,
was now an evident truth. ] experienced
what blind man, TO whom the nature Of
color had been in vain explained, would
feel IL suddenly gifted with light.
II, by this process, came TO understand
the metaphysical truths, il is because they
had also been discovered by means OF this
procedure. This was my first, initial step.
The inference drew was that in the abso-
lutte we have not a conclusion, but an appa-
rition. One fact, at first sight trfing and
unreasonable, furnished me with proof.
allude 10 the extraneously human meaning
which mere words sometimes assume. A
word, q collection Of words, a sentence is
there before me. In itselt it reads as an alb
surdity, mere hieroglyphie. repeat the
word or sentence without attaching any
meaning to It, L fasten, in a manner, my