The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-19
NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD

-.- . -
H NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD II
st. Paul as Poet--An English, Writer
Says That Before Everything ESQ the
Apostle Was Poet--If So, Was He Apos-
tie Because He Was Poet or Poet Be-
cause He Was Apostie7
st. Paul in the role Of poet strikes one
at first as rather novel, tho once the
hint is given it is iii no wise difficult
| to trace a strong poetic vein in all his I
| writings But to say that before and
beyond everything else we regard st. Paul
as poe" Is certainly novel enough TO
be striking. The words are those Of
r. p. sKellett, writing for the Expostor,
| London, and quoted at some length in
i the Literary Digest. Here is a very small
part OF what Mr.. Kellett says:
The doxologes and fragments Of church hymns |
Win which his epistles are studded may or may
not be his own, tho we incline to the view that
Ike W esley. he contributed to the hymnology
| Of his own services; but we are not left to
these for indications Of his
| to the Romans, after heightened and profound
| dlsquisition on the nature Of faith and the
doctrine of Justification, he begins to exhort his
readers II beseech YOU, therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that We present your
4 bodies living sacrifice. :" What a daring flight
! of poetry is this! 1t is a metaphor so deep
4 that scores of sermons have NOT exhausted its
| meaning, and only unforte6ate familiarity
with II prevents US from realizing how far re-
moved from prose 1t is. In the Epistle to the
i Ephes1ans again, having occasion to urge watch
4 fulness and courage upon his readers he gives
them a number Of metaphors OF which the ex-
4 IRENE holiness and beauty have long been lost
i thru use. but which, must have reused the minds
Il of his Enhesian readers, to whom they came
i fresh like the strokes of whip. ''Put on -
70 W hiS fav TO Jsaia
had given but the barest hint, '4the whole armor
i OF God Stand. having girded your loins with
q righteousness. and having shod your feet with.
4 the preparation Of the gospel Of peace; withal
taking the shield of faith; and take the helmet
4 of salvation. and the sword of the Spirit, which
Is the Word of God" II this is not poetry,
Y, then Sponsors 'Faerie Queene" itself. that most
poetical of poems. must be adJudged to be prose,
for what is the Faerie Queene" but expan-
I. sion of these few verses?
His words. indeed, do not fall into metrical
lengths his lines do not always begin with capt
:, tai letters; but their imagery, their passion,
their fine frenzy, glancing from heaven to earth.
from earth to heaven, seem literally to body
forth the forms of things unknown and to give
la a local habitation and name to the most airy
{ and impalpabe of spiritual things.
t Poetry, therefore, we will call musical
!, thought = says Carlyle. "The poet is he
/ who thinks in that manner At bottom
} it turns still on power Of intellect; it is
a mans sincerity and depth Of vision that
makes him a poet. See deep enough and
:. you see musically; the heart of nature
! being everywhere music, if you can only
3 reach it,
i Men since the human record began have
had faith in their poets and in their wit
ness to the existence. of realities answer
: ing to the highest aspirations of heart
. and mind, and it has been because of
= this deep-seeing of which Carlyle speaks.
Y The question, now that the fact that Paul
= is a poet has been brought so strikingly
j home to us, is: Was Paul poet before
< or not until after his conversion? Did
t his conversion open his eyes and awaken
d a 4keener .sensitiveness to a wider environ
y ment of the soul than average morta1s
: know? Or was the. poetic sensitiveness
8 and depth. of insight there before max
n ing the vision on the road to Damascus
: possible, or at least more easily brought
p about? Other poets have been stricken
t with a sense of the presence Of God;
: Lowell, for example. Is it fair to. as
n sumo, then that it was because - Paul
$ was poet by nature that an extraor-
$ binary revelation was made thru him
r Would this detract from the claim of re-
e ligious inspiration for Paul? Would It
r not rather support that claim, on the
e basis that a deepseer would be most likely
e when brought into contact with deep re-
+ ligious problems, with the deepest prob
= lems, of slife to- catch the real music In
p thea heart Il of nature" 2 y Furthermore
I would not Pau experience be. in supp
I portaof n1ankindsl confidence if1sthe truth
It Of the messages of. thet poets--tl1e rea-
it poets,<E not he sversi1ers ?rfs 49, ,s2f
y Futile. questions, perhaps; but it I:
o mans nature to question. b. h M.
Ie Henry HaEland the author Of MY 9Frfene
Is Prospero, is now the type of the success
It full and epulent novelist. The latest news
e from him is that he is travelling 1uxur
,e iousJy in ltaly with his. family. But i
ID was once quite different with him !
i friend Of his younger days gives an in
j. teresting picture of Harland "before talk
SIS ing his dose of popular success ~
i'd was at the time he was writing his frs
r: novel, Mrs. Peixada,' - he says. THAT
iii knew him. He worked feverishly goin.
NJ to bed at 7 each night and rising at SOM
le such ungodlyr hour as 4 or 5 o'clock in TIL
is morning, tos@write until breakfast Thei
ID he worked at his office where he earnes
s. his, daily bread-a lawyers office be
is lieve-and rushed back as soon as h
I'd could to work on the book an hour or s.
ay before going to bed. It takes a gTea
deal Of pluck to. give up everything Xix
that when man is young and fond Q
rt living" The Uneasy Chair.
as All hope abandon We who enter here.
p Would not that be the spirit of thos
k uninitiated in Dante's Inferno if the
al undertook the study Of that immortal wor
c. without the advice OF. those who hav
~ : {
n Adolphus II. Ennis. an italian and a
ed enthusiastic student Of Dante, has writ
er ten a little volume entitled An introduc
no tion to Dante's Inferno. The. book
he intended to fill the office of a mentor an
re to guide the beginner step by step thr
U the path followed by Dante and Virg
q: in the dark regions of the city of wo
ed It not only explains the obvious story
ISIS the poem, but seeks to interpret It's allie
nm CORY and mysticism. The work is trul
en- an introduction, and will be Of gres
mn value to the beginner in the study
ar. the Italian poet. L. S. K.
he THE MAGAZINE SAMPLER
on
!. - Poem by Secretary Hays Daughters
W TOMORROW
to Tomorrow and tomorrow. Shall there he :
om Perchance a morrow when may not see
Your face beside me any more? All, no.
My love-my love. cannot let yon go.
Like sun In Egypt, ever kind and fair,
~ - .....z 49,