The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-05

What, then. will Mr.. Guthrie say of idealism 7
In the hrst place. how will he defend It'll To
give. in fancy, free scope to the powers of ma
ture, to hasten the process OF their evolution
to bring in idea the process to Its apparently
rational conclusion. to its craved completion
and perfection; this. in his view Is to idealize.
1dealistic art %portrays the final state or some
visibly advancing stage in the process Of at
tainment. We are reminded how often in ma
turo We find isolated instances Of realistically
reproducible landscapes, faces. and color group
ings. These servo as educatiye hints. The ar
tist comprehends that these isolated instances
are what will bring q panic Of Joy to the hearts
OF men. A radiant sunset; a vast expanse of
nacreous waters; a spread of marsh, netted
with rejected blue or gold; q plain of
mingling fields and woods; q burst of
Icy peaks from among forested foothills:
. ravino loud with the rapturous tumult
OF torrents; tho upheaval of cloud.con-
tinents threatening to bury our awe-struck
world; a child In careless merriment; q woman,
the perfection Of all things seen; such isolated
phenomena, and q thousand like them. present
themselves again and again In the history OF
mankind. A hunger Is thereby whetted beyond
patient endurance. More! is tho cry; Morei
Thereupon the artist catches glimpses with his
souls eye OF the light that never was on Bea
or land made imaginable, however. by his
experience OF stars, and moon. and sun; and
with symbols. to-wit. visible forms. colors. must.
cal tones and words, he essays to lmpart his
visions; symbols which. while they present not
the things themselves, but only Q sense-sugeeS.
ton OF them, give us who are, at bottom, most
In love with things. a moments delirious illu.
sion OF seeing. hearing. having. and handling
tho things themselves. To the extent implied
In this requisite illusion, tho artist must DO q
realist. He must be plausible.
Roverting TO the problem Of perpetuity sor art,
the author suggests that We might bs able to
determine In advance what kind Of art would
DO permanently admirable. II we could but de-
eide which OF tho several philosophic hypothesis
VIII triumph. In other words. asked to solve q
riddle, the author docs but PROFOUND another
more difficult as q solution. He begins, for In
stance. by assuming the truth of positivism; that
isto say. he takes for granted. Professionally, that
the proper attitude OF the philosophio mind 10
that OF hostility to philosophy, waving all theory.
andcontenting itself with the mere accumulation
OF facts, the data OF experience. or course. a clas-
sincation. for convenience. will be made. and tho
notes OF each class will DO stated; but the classl-
ncauon must always be regarded as for con-
vehiehce only. and the notes Of each class as
tentative expressions; further experience may
require an entire reclassihcation and ontire re-
statement or tho Bo-called laws of nature. In
pain words. We arc to accept things as they
present themselves to uA. The law OF cause and
onect Is stated as q law OF phenomenal sequence.
observed facts arc all that 1t 10 licit to contem.
plate. II this DO tho true attitude of the intel.
neent' what becomes of arti What 10 It's ONCE .
oo'iouSly. to express the observed laws of ma
lure tho abstract statements Of her customary
workings, Allegorically for tho sake Of those who
arc yet unable to grasp them directly. Art. In
other words. takes the rank of a moro or less
unconscious expositor or handmade of science.
This Is tho rank that M. Tame assigns to 1t in tho
nrst chapters OF his Philosophy OF Art" On
the hypothesis. however. of continuous human
progress OF ultimate universal education, this
office OF art will become useless. Art will have
eventually a sinecure. 1t will be more and more
transparent. surrendering more and moro It's
concrete methods. Finally. art win be. ~ teach