-
miwmmmmmtuiwmS!Sml!S
,
No. 10.
Nature and Art in Intem.kct.
236
,
2v
(
success of life. Tins m:ui of many talents
is Tory apt to be as hydrn-hcaded as the
fabulous Briareus, and for every bead be
may choose an avocation or profession
and follow it with some degree of suc
cess. It is for such intellects that art docs
most; for if any one of these many beads
should chance lo have more inlcllcctual
capacity than its fellow, then it should be
sorted out and given special culture. And
if it be difficult to search out the particu
lar head which seems endowed with the
most intellectual ability, then art may aid
in some degree in the finding of it, for it
is by culturing intellect that wc are cua
bled to find out its peculiar powers.
Again, art may symmetrize intellect,
just as it gives symmetry to material
things, and its application in the mind is
very like its application in material things,
and iho result in the former case will be sim
ilar to the result in the latter; so then, if
we can but comprehend how it is that art
gives symmetry and harmony to material
objects, then we can also understand how
it can give symmetry to intellect.
The difference between an object which
is symmetrical, and one which is not, is,
that in the latter such undue prominence
is given to some parts, and such irrogu
larky exists in thejarrangoment of others,
as to destroy the proportion and harmony
which should exist among them. A cube,
sphere, pyramid, cone and cylinder are
symmetrical bodies, because there is an o.
quality and likeness existing among all
the'diflerent parts and dimensions,
The human body is symmetrical, be
cause all the different sets of organs and
limbs arc equal and harmoniously arrang
ed.
Now the intellect may be made like un.
to a symmetrical body, and art may aid in
the accomplishment of this work. It is
composed of many parts, or organs per
haps we might say, each one of a make-up
peculiarly its own, and performing its own
special functions. If any one of these
parts be unduly cultured while others
are neglected, the symmetry of the whole
intellect is impaired. There is a part of
the intellect which can comprehend math-
cmatics the properties and relations of
numbers and quantities. There' is anoth
er part of it which can comprehend Ian
guage, and all the varied and intricate
methods by which it is built up of ele-
mentary sounds, words, phrases and claus-
es. There is a part of intellect which can
comprehend nature and natural laws.
There is another part of it which can com
prehend spirit and spiritual laws. Now
if any one of these parts be given, by na
ture or culture, an undue prominence ov.
er the other parts, the symmetry of the in
tellect is in some degree destroyed. Hence
it often happens that the intellect which
is devoted to some specialty is an unsym
metrical one, because some part or parts
of it aie cultured to a high degree, while
others arc totally neglected. Here is dan
ger of a speciality becoming an injury.
Men who habituate themselves to thinking
in One direction, in pursuit of some speci
al object, are apt to neglect culture in oili
er directions.and honce.while they become
strong in one thing, thoy yet become as
men narrow-minded, egotistical, conceit,
ed and illiberal. I do not maintain that
this is or need be the case with the spec
ialist, but I merely point it out as a dan
ger which he must avoid by making his
culture suillci'"ly broad to include other
things and other subjects of thought than
those comprised in his own speciality.
This he can do without impairing in the
IcaBt hid strength and usefulness in the one
direction in which he is devoting the ma
jor part of his time and abilities.
By far the most of the troubles and con
flicts which have sprung up betwixt relig
iou and science have been brought about
by the unsym metrically educated intel
lects of the votaries of science on
the one hand, and the no less lop.sided
culture of some of the devotees of theolo
gy on the others. Too many men of sci
euce study only nature and so can com-
prebend only nature's God, while ou the
other hand we have too many thologians
QHFfwJyG