Art as Education. 85 



ing of essential trutb, does exist in us, was 'held also by Lord 

 Bacon, Dr. Ealph Cudworth, Kepler, Luther, Hooker, Pascal, 

 Leibnitz, Fenelon, Immanuel Kant, Sir Wni. Hamilton, Cousin, 

 Wordsworth, Coleridge, Mrs. Browning, and a host of other minds 

 most influential. Coleridge says, " it is evident that there is an 

 intuition, or immediate beholding, accompanied by a conviction 

 of the necessity and, universality of the truth so beholden, not 

 derived from the senses, which intuition gives birth to the science 

 of mathematics ; and when applied to objects supersensuous or 

 spiritual, is the organ of theology and philosophy. ' 



This higher power is the source of all art; and to this faculty 

 all art is addressed. So, the radical meaning of the word poet is, 

 maker, and the art faculty is universally called the creative faculty . 

 Goethe sings — 



" Oh that the true creative power 

 Through all my sense were ringing, 



Like juices ready fur the finwer, 

 From cut my fingers snringing." 



It is apparent that all the forms of musical art, all the sublime 

 conceptions of the great masters, are purely creations. They seem 

 the most spiritual of all the forms of art; there is in them no fit- 

 ness to awaken emotions either psiinful or unpleasant; r,hey serve 

 only to elevate and delight us. This is indc d the true end of all 

 art. It mav be depraved, as may all things pure ; it may even 

 be forced into the service of vice ; but the associati ^n is so incon- 

 gruous, that to the reflecting mind, evil is made only the more 

 revolting. It is a question whether an^^ subject which is to a 

 greater extent painful than otherwise, should ever be embodied 

 in art; for example, Landseer's "Death of the Stag," and the 

 group of the Laocoon, and only the beauties developed in their 

 treatment can reconcile us to them. 



The scientific man compares truth with truth, fact with fact, 

 and, by a process of induction, arrives at general propositions, or 

 laws ; he uses the judgment in acciM'dance with sense, in observ- 

 ing and comparing, and he uses the higher faculty of his reason, 

 in establishing principles. The artist observes particular objects 



