Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-01-29
SCIENCE AND POETRY.

Are science and poetry compatible in
the same person?
The modern belief that science is
hostile to poetry must have become
so widespread as ii is because GER
tain men, more or less eminent in one
line OF science. have been Indifferent
TO and sometimes ignorant of, the
beautiful in literature. Men of wider
! scientific attachments have usually
been much given to admiration Of the
divner art OF the poet. On the other
HAND, great poets and all great ma
lures, from Lucretius down, have been
! profoundly impressed by scientific dis
| coveries and speculatlons regarding the
universe and the soul of man.
| a posthumous article in Figaro from
| the late French astronomer NJ. JANSEN
| reveals how and why this scientist
| kept mis- mind open also to literature.
| de maintains that science aud poetry
represent the two greatest manifesto
tons OF the human spirit and argues
that the time is now ripe for their
beautiful and fruitful" alliance. He
cites the case of Gounod, a great mu-
sician and therefore a person of poetic
temperament, who sought out Jansen
to ask for u few lessons in the higher
astronomy. one day. the discourse
fell on Kepler's laws, and as Gounod
grasped their theory, he was so much
moved that he burst into tears. ex-
claiming, How beautiful
The New York Post observes that 50
far as science wrote itself in Tenny-
sons verse. the result fell far short
of MIR. Janssens dream of poetry
transfigured and made at once more
vital and more beautiful by blending
| with the scientific spirit. Jansen could
| cry out, in one of his lectures on the
| chemistry OF the heavens. "Oh. star.
send me one of thy rays. and will
write thy history" To very many.
! however. "star-eyed science" has in
| dubitably waited back "a message of
| despair"
Scientific phrases and metaphors
color the verse of Tennyson. 1t is true
that some scientists have questioned
the real extent of Tennyson's knowI-
edge intimating that lie had caught the
jargon of science without really COM
pretending either it's achievements or
| its spirit But he at least was deeply
affected by what he thought to be the
! dlcta of science.
1t has been claimed that scientific
| conceptions such as the reign of the
iron laws of nature the struggle for
existence with the negative attitude to-
| "A.
are fatal TO poetry; that are not mere
| ly not susceptible of poetic treatment,
but they eat into the heart of the poet,
narrow his outlook. duh his hopes, and
extinguish his enthusiasm; and that
| Tennyson himself shows that the eff
feet of scientific study was not wholly
inspiring To his verse.
! But the natural man at his best, that
| Is, the man of heart and feeling who
is also educated, win ever be seeking
the imaginative Interpretation OF life
| and the imaginative presentation Of
truth. The Imagination is truly the
| queen OF our intellectual faculties. In
| earlier days. reason was thought to
| be the highest faculty, but imagination
! is now given the precedence as being
more fruitful. Exercised IN poetry, this
faculty makes life and truth more
| wildly apprehended. Imagination re-
conquers science. after the facts have
become known, transmutes its mes
sage into one of hope and beauty, so
that real knowledge wins its way to
the inner soul Of mankind.
All truth is one In the last analysis.
/ Some time man. II true TO his divine
calling and destiny must be able to
understand and enjoy every form OF
truth and beauty-.the "oue life. one
law, one beauty-rennyson's divine
event toward which the whole creation
moves"