Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-08

and thought changed. Milton, how
/ ever. learned more clearly that
poetry was to be employed for the dis
semination of glorious truth.
During the last years of the Com
monwealth, Milton, now blind. owing
to inherited weakness in the nerves or
sight, conceived of the idea of writing
Paradise Lost. 1t was q time Of re-
ligious controversy in which the con-.
| tict ragged about the relations be-.
4 tween God and man Milton conclud-
| ed that the story of the Fail could be
| told in ali epic and that the story
| would be even better adapted to his
| purposes than the story of the founda-l
| ton of Great Britain. In such a poem
he could enshrine the religion OF. his
| country and lift their hearts to bet
ter understanding of God.
Paradise Lost became the beginning
of II new era In English poetry, and
the turning point in English religious
thought. At that time the prince OF
darkness was generally thought of.as a
ridiculous buffoon, q clown. On the
stage where the religious plays held
forth, he vas kicked about and rdi
culed In folklore he WAS driven into
Il nutshell, for instance, and pounded
by Il blacksmith; or, he was otherwise
represented as despicnble being. Mil
ton drew from his extensive knowledge
of pagan mythology and other sources
and represented Satan as the powerful
head of Moloch Belial, Mars. Venus.
Dagon and others. Satan. he represented
as being lower tFan the angels, only
because he had fallen from his first
estate. His power was unimpaired. his
intellect undiinmed. He was fallen
only in moral worth. The mythology
OF Milton has impressed profoundly the
theology Of IIDgish-speaking people
Many II pulpit has echoed for three
hundred years with the tones Of Para
disc Lost almost as much as of the
Gospels, Acts and Epistles.
The imagery of Paradise Lost is gor-
Egeous, aud yet natural, or, perhaps,
gorgeous because 1t is natural. In this
wonderful masterpiece of language, the
sun rises, "robed in flames and amber
light" The hill is "hoar with floating
mists of dawn" 1t shows US ia lows
gray the tanned haycock,' the tow
ers of the ancient manor "bosomed
high in tufted trees and peasants
''dancing in the checkered shade In
1t Philomcl with hersong, is smoothing
the rugged brow of night. The wan
dcring moon riding near her highest
noon,' the while "stoopng through a
heecy cloud" In It We have a tragedy
"sweeping by In sceptered pal" and
IOrpheus' song drawing iron tears
from Pluto's cheek.
The following lines describe the vic
tory of the Son of God over the rebel 4
lious hosts:
Sole Victor, from the expulsion Of his
foes,
Messiah His triumphal chariot
turned:
To meet Him all His Saints, who silent,
Eye-witnesscs OF His almighty acts,
With jubilee advanced; ana, as they
went,
Shaded With branching palm, each or
der bright
Sung triuhpm, and Him sung victorious
son, Heir. and Lord, to him dominion
given,
Worthiest to reign: He, celebrated. rode
triumphant through mid heaven, into
tho courts
And Temple OF His mighty Father
throned
On high; who into glory, Him re-
ceived,
Where now he sits at the fight hand
of bliss"
But ms we have said, Milton was
also one OF the most powerful cham
pons of religious liberty. His father
had suffered for embracing the Prot
estant faith. and Milton felt keenly the
spirit of anti-Christ in religious perse-
cution. In that day churches claimed
the right to compel assent to Its doc
trires. Milton believed that opinion
ought to be free. He attacked prelacy
with its extravagant claims. a minis
try working in the spirit of brotherly
love and humility would have been sus-
tanned by him. In the Areopagitica
he has given the world q powerful ar
eument for freedom Of thought and
opinion in the interest of truth itself.
The Following quotation from the
pamphlet mentioned may be given;
"Trutll indeed came once into the
world with her divine Master, ana
was a perfect shape most glorious to
look on: but when He assembled, and
His apostles after Him were laid asleep,
then straight arose a wicked race of
deceiyers. who. as that story goes of
the Egyptian Typhon with his conspir-
| ators how they dealt With the good
! Osiris. took the virgin Truth, hurled
| her lovely form into a thousand pieces,
and scattered them to the four winds,
| From that time ever since, the sad
| friends Of Truth, such as burst appear,
| Initiating the careful search OF Isis,
| went up and down gathering up limb
| by limb still as they could find theni.s
| We have not vet found them all. Lords
| aud Commons nor ever snail 90, tlll
| her Masters second coming.5 lie snail
| bring together. every joint and member.
| and shall mould them into an Immortal
| feature OF loveliness and perfection,
Milton's pleadings Tor liberty of opin-
| ion and OF tho press mark him as one
Of the great leaders III the advancement
az progress and civilization. Admirers
OF the poetic gift and friends OF liber-
| ~ in. all ages will honor his memory.