Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-03-16
THE TRAGIC IDEAL
BY PROF. CLARK.
Splendid Illustration Of the Rela-
ton Of Literature to Daily
Life.
TEST OF TRUE FRIENDSHIP
Man is Co.Equal With God-He is the
Master Of His Own Fate, the Cap.
tain Of His Own Soul.

public oh the relation OF literature to
life, and It sums w pretty well his
doctrine on the drama. On this occa-
sion there was larger percentage OF
students Of the various city schools In
attendance than at the first evenings
recital.
Mr., Clark began by asking why peo-
pie should be required to devote so
much time and attention to literature,
and especially the tragic drama-a
thing which, II would seem, might bet
ter be left to women's clubs and soft
headed professors? Because, he answer
ed. literature Is not merely literary, but
social and moral. The standard Of our
Intellectual and very largely our moral,
life Is measured by what we read. Not
that he would undervalue the many
excellent works on science, philosophy
and history, but these do not have
general circulation Most people buy
the books they like to read without
inqulring so much into the quality of
them. Every book demands a judgment
OF the reader he cannot escape arriv-
ing at Il conclusion OF some kind re-
gardhg 1t. Hence, even the highest
and most ephemeral literature, pushed
to It's last analysis, involves a moral
question. Usually We prefer the book
that ends we'll Anyone, he remarked,
can wind up book satisfactorily.
The greatest problem IN life is TO
see tn proper proportion between small
things and big, That literature, there
fore, is the greatest which shows up
the proportions of life ehe best The
great artist abstracts bit Of life and
puts II forever on canvas for us; he
points out what is essential and what is
not. How does the great writer
estimate the values Of lIfe?-
that Is the supreme question TO
ask of the book you read. Now, TRACE
dy places the emphasis on the real
values Of life better than other forms
or literature In other words, since
In life the worth Of character is brought
out by the success II has in rising
above the Tragedies Of life, so this
form of the drama calls into proper
proportion those events In life that are
OF most worth In developing character
II Is easy to offer money 10 your friend
when you know he does not need IT,,
but the test OF friendship lies In your
offering II when he is In distress. Only
In struggles is our moral fiber tested.
Hence all the great artists are at their
best In tragedy. Whoever heard of u
play or novel with millionaire for Il
hero? II Is not the smooth sailing ships
that attracts the artists notice, but
rather the stranded vessel.
There Is always a spiritual Idea DOM
mating a great plot, interpreting "spir-
itual" In Its widest sense. Macbeth"
would not be a great play II the thane
OF Cowdor were merely arrested, tried,
and punished for the murder of the
gracious Duncan" And this spirit
ual idea finds access to the soul OF the
reader through the emotions. Hence,
In pernsng great plot you experience
an uplift, which Is totally lacking in
inferior literature. The only defect that
the spiritual can suffer is to be false to
the highest ideal OF love, duty. and
honor. There are not many great
pieces of literature sculpture, painting,
or architecture In the world but those
that do exist have done more for the
upllftmont OF the race than all the
merely practical things put together,
though We have often been unconscious
Of this influence Of art
Tragedy Is not something to be avoid
ed. II Is not something that Is merely
dark and bloody. IL always works,
however through the feelings Of pity
and terror. But so many people shun
the tragic in literature because there
Is enough tragedy, they think, In life;
and when they read or see tragedy
they do not appreciate II on account of
the improper attitude they bear to-
wards II. II person does not learn
the Intellect. II he does not
know when the author Is honest
and when he Is merely playing upon
the emotions, he IL In bad state.
The reading Of a great tragedy once a
month would prove the salvation OF
anyone. II this We're done. we might
risk our chances on the rest; for the
reading of every good book tends TO
destroy 2est for inferior literature.
Prof Clark explained here that he
had no objection to q limited reading
of even the most trivial literature, but
the point which he Insisted on was that
you know what you are reading and
not think when you are reading the
worst that you are getting the best
The deeper the tragedy In life, the
more strength there comes TO us II we
face II, But We cannot often get the
truth out Of life, because we are so
imprlsiye and unreasonable, We cam
not always tell the difference between
things, Nowadays everything has to
be written large before we win notice
IT, one page year of advertising,
the business man tells us Is worth a
line day for II months. We are grad
ually losing the power Of seeing little
II lngs.
The question has often been asked
why the great writer's are attracted to
tragedy, Shakespeare, Goethe, Dante.
Tcnnyson. and the rest, all had a
keen eye 10 a bargain and would have
been successful In business. Yet they
were not only attracted by the tragic
in life, but are at their best IN tragedy.
The answer Is clear: Only In tragedy
does man find the supreme test OF his
being. a tragedy IL a struggle carried
o0 between n strong but imperfect
character and the oyerpowering forces
OF life. These great tragedies teach
us that characters are great IN proper
ton to the trials overcome. only great
characters can have great fall. Yet
II Is not the falling that Ia defeat, but
the staying fallen.
One OF the deepest bits Of reasoning IN
Mr., Clark's lecture was IN that part
where he referred to the need there Is
OF an imperfect world. In perfect
world there can be no freedom OF the
will no choice, and therefore no
growth, no possibility Either we are
oo-equal with God, or We are mere pup.
pets. The very mistakes we make
though we do not try to make them,
bring us growth. In our errors lie our
possibilities. Tragedies therefore, said
the speaker In concluding teaches Ms TO
look the tragic straight In the face. put.
ting our past behind us II Is well for
us to remember he said that man is
master OF his fate and captain OF his