The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-26

The Nativity of Genius which opens
with the appearance before the au-
thor's tent door In a tiny pagan VII
lage Of Africa of the Lord of the Thun-
der. lie had on q wizards robe and
magical shells that ratified. and for n
bit OF silver he danced the dance that
brings on the thunder. This is a
symbol Of the history Of the divine
man or genius. The secret of genius
is s~ensitiveness. The Lord Of the
Thunder could not really call down the
thunder, but thunder called him
sooner than II did others. He had
merely learned to read his symptoms
as an average man reads a barom-
eter. II is indeed to an UNEMPLOYED
region that we must refer many OF
our experiences. 1t is to invisible
winds that blow we know not whence
u Of the ether, between the inter-
stices of the senses. that we must
refer most of our experiences. We
are like barks with sails spread and
rudders fixed to go in one direction,
while a strong undercurrent sweeps
us in another. For the invisible re-
gion in which we live and move and
have our being man has found no
better name than heaven. In this UNI
known. uncharted environment man Is
still growing. The relation of the
genius to humanity is that of man
to the animal. He has moved on
ahead. He has grown further. Man
Is the child Of evolution and the ge-
MUS is the great forerunner. The dis
-a-- - -.-.., a, -N~ htNt tta
greater power to feel. Its pains are
growing pains. Man is the change
ling of the animal world. The genius
Is the changeling of humanity.
1t Is impossible to follow Mr.. Up
ward along the winding road, thicket
grown and obstructed, OF his analysis
of the nativity Of genius, the nature
Of seers, witches. enchantresses. gods;
OF the doctrine Of the divine Child
and the theology of the Irvine Mother
and the unit OF the monogamic fam
lily: the meanings Of transubstantia-
ton; the influences of weather. sun,
moon, zodiac. the solar year, to the de-
velopment OF genius: the baptism or
fire: the effect of the heat wave on
mental development and civilization:
the chosen people; the fall or the
kings: the fall of the gods, the value
of the Hebrew scriptures; the law and
the prophets; the Messianic faith; the
good news of damnation and the peo-
pie of Christ. II is all there: some
what lacking in structure and CO.
herence, but sprawling speculatively
over the entire history of religious
dogma and legend.
This book Of Mr.. Upwards is by
way of n milestone on a long jour
ney. He is now making a study of
Jesus the NaZarene to follow. The
hardest part of making a book is not
the assembling Of the data OF a book.
but the arranging them in coherent
sequence after they are gathered.
Architectonike is the great art OF the
writer. The ordinary wagner can
bring the bricks and stones and NOR
tar TO the site: IL Is the artist who
says how they shall be laid one upon
another to make the finished build
ing. To deal with the life and the
significance Of the life OF one great
figure is an easier matter than 10
trace the entire outline of the reliE-
ious consciousness. In the next book
Mr.. Upward may be able TO sift and
mould his matter into better form, Il
more significant and beautiful h
He has made Il wide study OF the
religious sense. its symbolism, rites,
legends, significance and the interre-
lation of all these with greater IN
visible. intangible forces. But he has
49, .sr,-.I hta material with force.