The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-12

II IL a singular fact that the early
Creek philosophers had not very much
10 say about the Imagination. socra-
ZOE, OF whose philosophy we have only
reports was so occupied with the study
q virtue (Which does not concern must
c.Ans) that he seems to have made no
pechc contributions to the contem-
plation Of the worth OF beauty.
Plato's ethics and aesthetics contin-
pLly overlap and are pretty thor
oughly mixed so that one gets little
satisfaction from his dicta on art.
Aristotle also accepted art as a power
lur good, a moral influence. He goes
oar enough. however, 10 recognize that
jts creations are initiative in that th<e
are rearrargements of ideas amassed
ly the mind In the course of expert
tncs and contemplation. The tragedy
Is for Aristotle an educational agent
Doubtless II he had lived in 1900 he
would have ardently supported Oscar
Hammerste!n's theory educational
bperA
A Leap to spinoHa's Time.
Perhaps It Is easier to leap all the
way down 10 Splnoza- who held that
Imagination was the power of arriving
a. the conception of universals by
means OF induct!ons drawn from as
semb.ed sense perceptions.
Here We come upon the fundamen-
tsl law Of the imagination. Aristotle
declared that we could not think with
out what he called phantasms or what
W should describe as mental images
Of things presented to us first by the
lenses. The higher function OF the
imagination Is to discern the meaning
and relation OF these phantasms.
Any ono can read Hamlet" and af-
forward call UP in his mind an image
Of the battlements OF tho castle Gov
cred with snow and in the fore ground
r The qulvering young Dane confronting
HI shade of his father. But to pene-
trate the soul OF the Prince and recon
truLt his thoughts and emotions so as
10 deliver them to an audience in a
theatre is the office OF the Imagination
baking the inevitable induction from
tae analysis Of the representations OF
he senses.
This Is rather dry matter, as all
Mythology must be TO those not espe-
aally interested in II. But just TO
show that modern thought has made
TO addition TO old theory let US quote
,ne sentence from DR.. George w
Iacooy's Suggestion ard Psyche
| herapy"
Through combination OF old
memory images pictures OF the imagi.
ntion arise"
Music . Pure Creation OF Mind.
And now, dearly beloved, IL you vii
NOV why THE SUN chronicler lays sc
nuch stress upon the function Of
Imagination IN musical Interpretation
femenser that music Is a pure crea
ION Of the human mind. The h!ghes
4 a0n is composition. Music has n
rototype in nature. 1t is itself tn
n with which II deals. Architecture
.ssls with buildings; painting will
ran and nature as seen through tn
y-s: poetry with experience as re
S'ded IN supreme utterance; bu
rus!c Is and can be nothing but music
Therefore in order TO interpret 1t tn
Musician must enter into the score
Gamblers of the composers mind
h.rk as he thought and feel as h
Ell And the only guide he has is tn
sgs Of curious dots and lines. feebl,
,sped out by vaguely defined ltalial
arms.
That overpraised magician calle'
hmperament, by which most peopl
mean capacity for emotion, would hav
irather narrow chance for the exer
1se OF HIS powers II he were not mrs
rovded with material by the imaGi
cation. One recalls Wagner's almos
q .es7airing cry over the score o
i 'Lohengrin" that the notes migh
hund from OF the death pale paper.
Death pale, indeed. is the paper Int
i shch Imagination does not pour IN
tosy tint Of life blood. But let us no
forget that while the interpretatiV
artist needs Imagination, the heare
n not to lie entirely without 1t. Curl
orsly enough, hnbitual listeners 4
music think that the performing arts
must Do all and they nothing. the,
81 10 lean back comfortably In thei
Chairs and wait for him to arous
them, II is not their duty TO NEE
lin halt way. Doubtless that &C