424 Life as a Fine Art. 



superficially, but profoundly ; think through them to their 

 solution. Do not stop short in the mire of pessimism or 

 repose on the flowery banks of fatalism. Take in the lights 

 as well as the shadows of the great world-picture ; strive to 

 see the necessary relation of light and shadow, the unity 

 and harmony of the whole. So shall your thoughts, in- 

 deed, transform the world and recognize the Keality behind 

 the pageant. As a recent writer has truly said : " We are 

 what we are through thought ; and we may reasonably infer 

 that this is not limited to our condition, but that mind 

 penetrates and animates all existence, forming (an) essential 

 part of that which was, and is, and is to be." * 



And again the Art-Spirit saith, Act. Act nobly and op- 

 portunely. Stand on the summit of your moment, and 

 make the most of the fleeting hours. Do not be a shirk. 

 Strive to make the world your little world, at least a bet- 

 ter and happier world, a more finished and artistic picture. 

 Do not be afraid of dirt and grime, if it so be that your 

 straight way leads through them. View them microscopic- 

 ally; you will find them full of beauty. Eemember that 

 out of the blackest mire grows the white lily, NympUcea 

 odorata, symbol of purity, drawing from its murky bed the 

 elements essential to its nourishment. If your path leads 

 over rough places, push on. Stout hearts are born of effort. 

 The ruggedest steeps develop manly strength. Seen in their 

 proper perspective, as we look back along the traveled road, 

 their harsh lines soften into harmony. 



Once more the spirit of this new philosophy exhorteth us, 

 Be sympathetic. It is only by sympathetic appreciation of 

 his object that the artist can perfectly portray it. No merely 

 intellectual comprehension of form and color and proportion 

 will suffice. How much more is this true of life ! When 

 Confucius was questioned about true knowledge, he said : " It 

 is to know men. When you can not serve men, how can you 

 serve the spirits ? When you do not know life, how can you 

 know about death ? " Know, then, thy brother man. Know 

 him by heart, not merely through sight and intellect. En- 

 ter into his joys. Participate in his sorrows. Do not let 

 prosperity separate you from your less fortunate fellows, nor 

 adversity chill the fountain of your human sympathies. 



* John Addington Symonds, in The Philosophy of Evolution. (Essays, Specu- 

 lative and Suggestive.) 



