The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-03-30
DECLARES RELIGION
AVID POETRY ARE ONE
lnseparable Relationship Is
Expounded by the Rev.
DR.. Malick.

Only those who know the poetry o
religion and the religion OF poetry know
what we have lost and how much ~
have TO recover"
With these words the Rev. John Malick
pastor OF the First Unitarian church, con
cluded an eloauent sermon yesterda.
morning upon the topic. Poetry and Re
ligion." lie ponted out the uplift OF tn
Imagination. the inspiration OF standing
on heights where the vision goes beyon,
the realm Of demonstrated facts. sayin
In Part.
Jonathan Swift tells us that these
fields arc mutually exciusIvc-o,hers
that poetry. like art and music. is
sacred or secular. according to the
subject treated. Others insist that
poetry and religion are almost syn
onomous terms.
The early church brought poet.
artist and musician TO her service. She
gave them their tasks. She put MI
chael Angelo TO work on walk and
ceilings. She worsn!ped with great
musical productions. Poetry. art and
music were closely blended in the
mother church. Professionalism has It's
virtues. but IL has been less artistic
Those trained In It acquire by study
and travel what others absorb In
their religious surroundings.
We walk In little world Which
five senses bring to us. We say we
understand and experience. Even IN
the most abstract science We are on
the borderland OF fancy OF imagina-
tlon In the world, which we know
because we can Dut our hand into the
place. we. feel cramped, The horizon
Is painfully near. In this border land
or our soaring Imagination We be-
come important Brother 10 the OK on
one side. but on the other. big with
destiny and high relations. heirs OF
Ia In
of our best lmaginlngs we live I'm
specula ton. dream and hope. It
makes impression upon u.s. These are
the moments we wish back again
What we can verify we understand.
All else Is the field Of the lmag gina
tion. 1t is large territory. We di-
vide and name II philosophy. prophecy.
poetry, religion. Homer was the Bi-
a vast drama, covenant with the
poetic rendering from creation to the
day of doom. What gave the new
ity. not It's asceticlsn. not its moral
ity and brotherly love. not its figure
who died. The ancient world knew
all these tenets Here was new
universe with an ending added. Every
fact and man are lifted Into new re-
lations. touched with passion. related
To supernatural ends. It led as poetry
always lSdus, inspires IN the IrencneS,
leads men where they cannot be
driven. as the minstrel cares not who
is king II he can write the verses.
Here was a big poetic dealing with
God. maj, and destiny. 1t dealt with
facts with poetic license. AS a pas
slonate ideal. 1t led where better
thought had failed before.
The poet catches and phrases for
us the moods which we all rave and
lose. He IS a poet for us only as we
can catch what he saw when the
mood was on, when he arrested it
and wrote. Poetry and religion lift
US into a high tide OF feeling. the
same feeling whether We call II
poetical or devoul. We are not read
Ing much poetry. Only those who
know the poetry of religion and the
religion of poetry know what VIC have
lost and how much we have to re-
cover.