New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-19
CONTRASTS IN CRITICISM.
TWO INTERPRETATIONS OF THE SECONDARY
MEANING OF THE DIVINE COMEDY.

MEANING OF THE DIVINE COMEDY.
2HAsRs, OF THOUGHT AND CRITICISM. BY Brother
Azarias PIP v. @6s. Houghton, Mifnsn d Co.
ESSAYS ON LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY BY
267: Y. 553. Macmillan Is Co.
Its possible that thos. who fingered with delight
over the pages Of Brother Azariass vivid and racy
study OF the beginntngs Of English literature may not
be 50 well pleased vih his latest work. He mas
not the genius Of mysticism. and without that genius
NJ Ia impossible give vitality to criticism which deaIs
with the facts. real supposed. OF the inner me
II Is thoroughly modern. practical man VINO "r@es
here much out of his own vein that DIS styie MS
iost something OF It's own verve and elasticity without
Cunning anything from the masterpieces 70 which ne mas
devoted his study. downright mystic IN unfoionS
the hidden sense OF the Imitation Of Christ would
surely have caught some of the epicurean relish lor
devotion which makes that book 50 sweet 10 many
souls. The somewhat unressoning optimism OF Kenny
sons In Memoriam" would naturally not evoke 'he
sympathy Of "A Catholic Churchman But the treat
ment of Dante Is hardly more penetrating. 1t would
seem as though tie critic. perhaps through fear OF
weakening the weighty moral lesson Of the DIVINE
Comedy, had hesitated to draw the Inc hr'hiy DC
tween the literal and the concealed meanings when
the poet himself both to be found Ia the
text
The medieval fashion of explaining book
from which the moderns have at least partially es-
caped-wss thoroughly suited to the nina OF Dah'e'
as he showed In that passage OF the "CohVi'o "here
he declared that four different interpretations were
pessibe-the literal The allcgorca the moral ana the
mystical or spiritual In this place Dante was think
ing mainly OF the ancient poets and OF his own poems
hut medieval scholars generally would not have hesi
tatea 10 apply the formula to any work that they
deemed worthy of the trouble. One can not be quite
sure Mt any given point in Brother Azariass exposi-
ton whether he has IN mind one OF Dante's meanings
rather than another. lie aims, indeed at the spirit
us sense but it must be remembered that
m a
letter to Can Grande, the literal meaning OF
the poem related to the spiritual world, while the
mystic purpose to "rescue those living In this
life from of misery and to lead them to state
of happiness" From the modern point Of view the
latter purpose far the more useful Of the two
That e. seemed otherwise TO medieval readers Is a
proof Of the rrevocable change which has come over
the world in the meantime. II was doubtless hard
then to understand spiritually or allegorcay OF this
world what taken to be literally true Of the other
world; Just as IL is hard now 20 accept the poem
literally Of any world but 10 accept If not TO act
upon the moral lesson It teaches. Brother Azar1as,
indeed. alludes and again to what Dante would
have called the spiritual sense Of the poems. but
what he dwells upon under the name Of spiritual
sense is the argument which the work bears on Its
faoe-the s,mltude OF that tnpartite world In which
the wrongs of this world righted.
II is continually said that Dante was Child OF his
age yet those who repeat the saying hardly ever cx
emplify it in a thoroughgoing way. If Dante spoke
with the voice OF the people, he must have done 40
not here and there, but all the time. But Brother
Azarias will not allow that 1t was popular verdict
OF the time which condemned Pope Ceestine for
renqushing the Papacy. lie speaks Of the fierce
and scornfu words Of Dante as sign that there was
in him still some leaven Of the old Roman opposition
10 Christianity Professor Card in the leading essay
Of the volumes the title OF which has been given
discussing the theology and ethics of Dante, expresses
the opinion that the poet "sympathized with the re
sentiment Of the so-caled spiritual Franciscans those
who sought to maintain in all its srctness the original
law OF ST. Francis as TO poverty-when after short
interval they saw worldly policy restored 70 the
Papal throne in the person Of Boniface" But 1t IS
sust as likely that the feeling was far more wide
spread and that Dante expressed In this case not the
sentiment of class, but that of the masses Just as he
did when he relegated the learned Michael scot to a
place among the sorceere hOnored traditional hero
by relieving Cato from the punishment due 10 the
soul Of suicide and Saladin from that Of an enemy
Of the faith or when he put in form the popular YER
dict which had anticipated for Clement the pun
ishment that lie TO receive after his death
Villains reference 10 Clement Is remarkable testi
mony not merely popular superstition but to popu-
lar alertness in those times the events and char
acters Of current history 1T was related Of this
Pope while he still alive" says the annallst,
that being stricken with grief account of the
death of a nephew whom he had made cardinal he
Obliged master Of necromancy to discover to him
what had become Of the soul Of the dead man. The
magician by virtue Of his art forced the demons u
carry one Of tie Popes chaplains hell where they
showed him palace within which was bed OF
namee whereon lay tie soul of the said
dead nephew. The soul explained that this punish
mert was to simony. The chaplain saw In his
vision another palace opposite the first one and THIS
he was told, was intended for Clement himself 1t
was inst because Dane's Intellectual horizon was as
wide that OF all the people and therefore wider
than that OF any that he made the labors OF
civil life equal In merit with the quiet perfection OF
the clostral existence. 1t is 70 he feared that
monkery has not even yet arrived at this enlarged
conception Of virtue.
In contrast 10 Brother Azarias, Professor Card may
almost be said 10 have made tho letter 10 Can Grande
already mentioned, the pivotal point Of his solution
OF the Daptean philosophy. lie is tempted ito re
gard Dante's representation as mere artistic FORM
under which tho universal meaning OF our present
life Is conveyed" Even If Dante had not been con
pcious OF THIS II was a logical outcome of tho task
which he performed cie ancient world wrought out
the thought OF tie essential unity Of the world Of
sense and spirit and formulated II IN that resonant
battle-cry Of the schools. DOnysus is Hades" ser
vius raised tho doubt which has never yet been re
solved Whether Virgil desired his renders to accept
descnp tions OF tho other world as facts; and The
incesssnt stream OF medieval visions covered
by an equally nccssant now Of categorical interpre
tation, until finally the whole matter became so well
understood the haec fabula docet was discarded
as super fuous and the imagination was less and less
called into play TO emphasize the doctrine OF
future nfe-a doctrine with which IN fact the fancy
cannot NEEDLE without doing harm. 1t was Inevitable
that the medieval conception waverns thus between
the literal and the allcgoncal should have been
duaisc. Dante reconciled this dualism and Professor
Card thus explains how he accomplished this ap-
parently insupeIsblc task Dante holds 70 the
medieval point of view. In so far as he makes this
world altogether secondary and subordinate 10 the
other; yet he escapes the medieval dualsm by cX
hibtng the other world simply the clear revelation
OF ideal forces which hidden from amid the con
fused phenomena OF earthly existence. In effect,
though not in many words, the postponement Of
this world TO the other comes simply to tho
OF no f,rnf