Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-04-06
Wornur,'S
- ~ Clubs
CONTINUED from page thirteen.)

these at least, the world pronounces
great.
But are these the greatest poets? Are
these distinguished by the highest SER
iousness,' by the most powerful and
beautiful application of ideas of life? Is
it to these that we should return for corr
ISOLATION and strength for inspiration, for
glints of the highest joy?
LAS long as the world lasts, all who
want to make progress in righteousness
will come to Israel for inspiration, as to
the people who have the sense for right
eousness most glowing and strongest;
righteousness being right living. and the
Office of the highest poetry being to In
struct in this. according to the laws Of
poetic beauty and tru,h-can We rul1y
and finally agree with the critic when he
rests upon the great eight?
The word God is term of poetry and
eloquence; how, then, can the great
words concerning God, stamped in near
ly one-half the writings of the Old Testa-
ment with awful sublimity, with pro-
found wisdom, and vast passion. the
great, bright, round words rolling au-
gustly through the highest heavens Of
imagination-how can they be anything
a question, then as 10 whether, to speak
roundy, one half of the Old Testament
is poetry. not poetry and eloquence, but
wholly poetry?
Great minds in the presence of the in
scrutable, opening on the noblest themes
are imbued with imagination: they rise to
poetry, the music of thought conveyed
to us in the music of language"
Prose does not serve at those supreme
moments when the intellect is pressed to
its utmost, when the very feelings rise to
thought and the spirit itself may be
made to think. The whole being rocks
with the rythm, to the measure, Of life,
life which certain philosophers have ad-
mirably styled moving music
The ancient Hebrews appeal from the
seen to the unseen, from the low to the
most high, could not be made without elo-
Quence I'm its most impassioned, its surest
its highest form. ii could not be made
save in the golden cadence Of song.
Here belongs a saying Of Hegel; This
superiority this impressiveness of the In
finite, ne immeasurable distance which
separates it from the finite-this is what
the art Of the sublime should express It
Is the religious art the art par excellence:
it's sole distinction is to celebrate the
glory OF 1Ou.
For to the glory Of God and the sing
ing Of his glories, no man dares deny man
chiefly made says old Geo. Chapman
and what art reforms this chief end Of
man v h so much excitation and express
sion - poesy, Moses. David, Solomon,
Job, Esau, Jeremy chiefly using that to
the end above said?'
Where in Aeschulus, or in Sophocles in
Dante or in Milton shall we find an
equal number of lines the perfect form
Of which does not shrink and shrivel i'll
the presence of that most august song
that has ever fallen from the lips Of man,
the Goth Psalm? Recall the closing words
the words of all words for the supplica-
ton Of the sovereign poet
Let the beauty of the Lord our Col
be upon u.s.
And where. pray, may we look in the
classics for solace, for defense against
the wreckful seige such as is to be found
in the 23rd Psalm
He leadeth me beside the still waters
"He restoreth my soul"
'Hark again to the old sweet words
return, the words growing forever In the
Hebrew poets soul, burning steadfastly,
brightly, behind the darkness:
why are thou cast down. O, my soul?
And why art thou disquieted within
me?
Hope thou in Cod
II have not time for life sketches OF
any of those sweet and ancient singers
but leave them with YOU