The New York herald., 1922-02-19

Sunent lies Set-pity, which leads TO
seif-loVe. and this love, grounded
on universal conflict, broadens out
to include all that lives and, there
fore. wants to survive. So, by an
act of love springing from desire for
Immortality we are led to give con-
sciousness to the universe, that
is. to create God. Immortality is
not proven by God, but God by inn
mortality practically the same con-
clusion as that reached by Bishop
Butler in the analogy"
"Hape faith in faith" This is
the most consoling message Una
mono has for mankind. The hearts
truth-the Immortality of the hui
man soul, the truth of the human
finality OF the universe-can never
be anything but antirauonal. He
above all deserves Immortality who
desires it in the face of reason. And
on the practical side the poet-phil-
osopher derives what he considers
't}e finest basis of action for the
man who can not and VIII not be
dOSmatic, who is unable to accept
that most solid basis OF morality Of
the Christian etlic-the end of man
is eternal happiness"
Senancour, the most tragic figure
among the men of heart and feel
ing that France has produced, wrote:
Man is perishabie. That may be;
but let Us perish resisting, and il it
is nothingness that awaits us, do
not let us SO act that it will be Just
fate" And Unamono. paraphras-
ing this reflection, offers as the guid-
ing rule of conduct: eff it is nothing
that awaits us. let us so act that it
shall be an unjust fate"
Perhaps the most interesting por-
ton of this volume to the general
reader will be those pages devoted
to an elaborate defense of Spain's
position in the modern world. Here
is a concrete example Of the tragic
sense of life as applied to peoples.
Reason has long marked her as a
declining or even dying nation: but
Unamono passionately believes in
his faith in the Immortality Of the
Spanish spirit.
The land of Don Quixote exercises
peculiar fascination over the i'm
agination of many minds in more
vigorous and progressive countries.
Here in America, Archer NJ. Hunt
ington. than whom there is no moro
Jealous deFOtee OF Spanish culture.
has written OF Spain as "the land Of
dreams that become realities, the
rampant OF Europe. the home of the
knightiy IDEAL" But spain has been
looked at from other angles and
with much Of the observation di-
rected from within her own borders.
1t Is this criticism that most
strongly stirs Unamono, and in elo-
quent words he not only defends the
Spanish spirit but attacks modern
culture.
"We have not the scientific spirit"
he says. "And what Of that il we
have some other spirit? And who
can tell if the spirit that we have is
or is not compatible with the scien-
tifc spirit?''
And the retrosra5e counter refor-
nation? Well, after the Council
OF Trent came the open and avOwed
struggle between reason and faith,
science and religion. With
out the counter reformation might
not the reformation. deprived OF the
support of pietism. have perished in
the gross materialism of the Age OF
Enlightenment?
Has Spain no philosophy? "Yes.
Spanish philosophy is iquescent and
diffused in our literature, in our life,
in our action. in our mysticism above
all. and not in philosophical systems.
1t is concrete"
In his own Interpretation of the
figure of. Don Quixote, who fought
for the spirit" this earnest pleader
has found an attitude in which TO
receive attacks upon his country.
'The greatest height of heroism to
which an individual. like a people,
can attain is to know how to face
ridicule; better stiD, to know how to
make oneself ridiculous and not to
shrink from Tidicule.''