The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-24
NEW hooks.
Some subtle Inquiries.

IL u ulHlcuIJ science. AS
the name declares, it is beyond physics
and sometimes it seems to be a little beyond
comprehension. 1t is agreeable, and WI
think not usual, to find a metaphysical
treatise 30 we'll and keenly written as is Mr..
Hartley Burr Alexander's book, Poetry
and the Individual" "a. p. Putnam's Sons)
This, as a subtitle explains, is an analysis
CT the lima ginative life in relation to the
creative spirit In man and nature.
Why do the birds sing? The question
lie suggested TO us by something that the
author says at page 81, in his chapter on
the evolution Of the Eoetio spirit The
instinct Of song, he say is not exclusively
human. we see the anne ~thing-surely
the same thing-in the impulsive spirit
of the meadow lark; over and over again,
and always a wondering joy-that the sky
could be 80 radiantly blue, the earth 30
verdantly sweet"
But are these beautiful matters the occa-
sion OF the meadow lark's singingp Does
he address the landscape and the ether in
praise? Almost universally, we think in
~stinctively, rather than as the conclusion Of
a severe analysis, the poets have assumed
that the song Of the lark is praise Of the
loneliness Of the world. Is it the case that
1t Is the beauty Of the song that lends pro-
priety to the ideap Let us consider for q
moment the utterances Of the rauoous
birds. What does the crow mean when he
sings? What does the owl signify when
he boots in the oolorless, insorutable night2
When the poet, writing Of spring, speaks,
as he so often does, Of the epithalamium
OF the birds it is not likely that the subtle,
l;ao~in i patinn xtiainn NJ HE Wind innlulaa
the owl and the crow in the chorus. These
harsh singers are not considered here in
the ~essayist's analysis Of song. And yet
the intelligence of the crow is quite as great
as that Of the meadow lark. 1t is reasonable
TO think that he perceives just as we'll the
beauty of his environment. We have often
asked ourselves, listening to the vocaliza-
ton of a CROW, il this was an expression Of
praise. 1t does not sound 80. At any rate
it is hard to think of it as a celebration Of
the landscape. But though they sing for
the same reason, the habit Of Jul thought
must remain unchanged. 1t must always
be-the lark's song Of praise, the cav OF the
crow.
At page 8 we remarked with interest
another observation OF the essayist's.
He there says: True poetic insight strives
to see beyond all the limitations Of time
and circumstance which create the mere
person and aims to compass in their stead
whatever is fundamental in character,
thereby the reality enduring through
individual histories and debating their
destiniee. When We feel that this aim
is realized, the appropriate expression
indeed attained. we say that the poetry
embodies universal truth-a truth not to
be distinguished from that which, in con-
trast to blank knowledge Of fact, we are
wont to call the higher, the poetic truth"
That Is doubtless clear enough, as h Ian
guage Of metaphysics goes, but it shows
what we have said, that this Is a difficult
science. It will be seen that the matters
sought to be established are wonderfully
elusive. They seem indeed to be oiled.
They are grains Of the golden sand that
surely escape the hand; grasp them as close
as we will, they vanish still. It Is a curious
fact that plenty Of fairly discerning minds,
confronted with such an expression as
"poetio insight" find a greater luminosity
in the expression itself than they do in a
metaphysician's definition Of IL.
Why is 1t that the poems of Byron may be
accounted to be really and in truth poems
perhaps not as much so as B~rowning's 3, but
still poems2 Persons interested il this
question may turn to page IA here. We
read: "To be sire, manifestations Of poetic
mood need not be invariably universal or
invariably exalted in character in order to
be genuine. The impulse Of a Byronio
love song is hardly what we conceive to be
a fine type Of human passion; yet the song
is none the less poetry The fact conceded
a1r ,nafiAno i n nnnnrNt1d nnnNndainn-
what is the reason? 1t Is Immediately
forthcoming. @The reason is that the
passion celebrated has ceased to be merely
Byronic. Embalmed in art it is perceived
as q great human heartburning, and because
Of it's virile humanity it is not alien to u.s.
the last clause here we see that meta
physics, though often occult, may at times
he obvious. What is virile and human
must indeed be close to us. What is Of US
ia not alien. What is intimate is not re-
mote.
We must not overlook an observation
that may be found at page 176. The essayist
is speaking Of the magnificent permissions
accorded to critics. He says: There is
concern of his craft that permits to the
fancy more notous license than
OF the motive Of art. Motives Of any
sort are vague enough, puzzling, intangible,
mixed; but for aesthetic expression, analysis
of motive is most of all a vanity. The
artist himself seldom understands his
motives, they are 20 many and so many;
and so the critic is given freedom Of the
city of the artists soul-and avails himself
thereof" That is utterly true, and we are
sure that the critic astonishes the artist
very often.
The book has greatly interested us.
U%nstrenuOus.