Evening star., 1928-03-18

The Story OF Civilization -'. ,:: rs: Philosophy: !"

The greatest of all scholastics was
born near Monte Casino. In southern
Italy, In the year 1925. His father was
the Count of Aquinum. and his mother.
too, was of aristocratic lineage, having
In her the blood of the Norman princes
of Sicily. His family ragged when he
Joined the Dominicans: they had hoped
that he would be another count. and
not disgrace the family by becoming a
philosopher. A monk at l8. at 20 he
was assistant to Albert at Cologne; and
Albert's nobility never shone so brightly
as in the love which he bore for his
pupil even when Thomas had surpassed
him. After four years with Albert
Auuinas went to Paris, and was made
full professor there at the unprece'
dented age OF 25.
From that time to the end OF his
brief life he toiled with a diligence that
endeared him to his fellows In that
task of making reason Christian. which
was to be the first step in the far
greater task OF making Christianity
reasonable. He lived but "a years
more, dying at the age OF 40: but In
those fieeting years Of what today
would be philosophic immaturity ne
encompassed all the knowledge OF ms
time, and produced. as Henry Adams
puts 1t, "a mass OF manuscript thai
tourists will never know enough TO esti'
mate except by weight"
He was a stout man, and had some
difficulty at meals: he had not been
architecturally designed with a view tt
sitting at a table, and gossip said his
table had a Semi-circle cut into IL SC
that he Nigh get near enough TO eat
Nevertheless he sat at ehis desk reso'
lutely. hour after hour, year after year
carving a cathedral OF logic In whicf
his mind. as we'll as his heart, mlgh
worship; and when WEAKNESS aSSallee
him he would turn round IN MS chdi
(which involved no little exerciSe) =
make the sign of the cross. ana tnei
turn back to his pursuit OF reason
Philosophy was everything to MIN, tn'
world a vain garment OF reahty
wherever he went It's problems "er'
with him. and one day when ne was ;;
guest OF the king. and the talk was al
Of hunting and hounds. Thomas inter
runted suddenly to say, with inspired
countenance: II have a decisive argu
ment against the Manicheans!" Philo
Sonhia magister vitae: philosophy was
in no mere phrase, the master OF nj
life.
ue hogan with commentaries on TIT
vsrious works of Aristotle. and tneI
nasSed on to his two masterpieces-tn'
"Summa Contra Gentiles" and TN
"Summa Theologiae." In the hrst o.
these he puts aside all authority o.
revelation and tradition. and. thougf
he does not fail To point out the scrip
tural and ecclesiastical support oil MI
doctrine. he proposes to rely on reasor
and evidence alone in his attempt tf
demonstrate to the "Gentiles "-thos'
who had not yet accepted Catnont
Christianity--the reasonableness OF tins
orthodox faith. To our minds 1t Seems
A failure but 1t was magnihcen'
failure like SpinoZa's effort to reduce
a living universe to mechanics anc
geometry. There Is something suolim'
even when life and truth have lef'
them.
The search OF the philosopher Is fol
unity. and In Thomas this was th'
ruling passion. Before him Christian
doctrine had been wild growth O
mysticism. asceticism. mythology an6
idcalism: with him IL became an or
OeTeQ SySIcUlt So iuS4SahS tAPou'NSN
that the hidden connections appeared
and the defects were wildly revealed
II was like a Gothic cathedral. grea
variety OF detail brought to sublime
unity. a great mass resting at last upor
one arch. with ribbed vaults and fivini
buttresSes of argument and startling
gareoyIes OF absurdity peering out nov
and then. The old habit Of central
izing strain at one point" says Henr!
Adams. and then dividing and sub
dividing 1t. and distributing 1t on visi'
BILE lines OF support to visible foun
dation. disappeared In architecture soor
after 1900. but fingered in theology two
centuries longer. and even. In very old
fashioned communities. far down to oul
own time" Never. not even In Aris'
Continued on Fifth PsgeD