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October 22, 1853.] THE LEADEK. 1027
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We should do cur utmost.to encourage the...
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¦ ¦' ' XX. ¦ ' Seven Hills, May 4,1S53. ...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
October 22, 1853.] The Leadek. 1027
October 22 , 1853 . ] THE LEADEK . 1027
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^ flrtffllnr ,
We Should Do Cur Utmost.To Encourage The...
We should do cur utmost . to encourage the Beautiful * for the Useful encourages itself—Goethe .
¦ ¦' ' Xx. ¦ ' Seven Hills, May 4,1s53. ...
¦ ¦ ' ' XX . ¦ ' Seven Hills , May 4 , 1 S 53 . &§ j ? Sf | OtX could scarcely understand , amici miei , how reluctant Margaret §» $ !§ is to speak , but still less if you knew how well she speaks . Edp ^ Bia wardes , who delights to draw put his young adversary , has twitted J |}|||) her for days with jiot having completed the exposition of her ® csk >( s principles . "Principles ! " she replied : " women have no principles . Men have principles ; women have only intentions . " It was again liy accident that we provoked her to explain herself . We had been going over good ' . " part of Kossini's greatest work , his own favourite , and Margaret's ; taking it up here and there . Julie , who grows more brilliant every day , and would be Margaret ' s companion in arms , or rather voice , but for a contingency that will spoil the fair Canadian for art by converting her into an English woman of " property , " had been singing the duet of the mother arid son ; but had been deposed by the pitiless Margaret , who declared that Julie ' s singing had no sense of guilt or penance—no tears in
her voice ; and Yseult was put in her place . The duet between the two rival generals—and Stanhope is developing a very fair basso cantante of the austere oi'der , —led'to . the other between Semiramide and Assurthat wonderful compound of triumph ., hoiTor , and defiance . But sweet Yseult , who could so . passionately urge her son to strike home and avenge his father , has the voice but not the fierce heart for the indomitable defiance of the warrior queen ; and in the midst of her threats to the dark traitor Assur , Margaret , exclaiming with irrepressible impatience ;— " Oh ! Yseult dear . ' "— -began the melody again with her own voice . You know what the music is ; but you would Iiaye been astounded if you had heard the force , the brilliancy , the triumphant dash with which ' the young contralto hurled forth the taunts of the audacious soprano , —10 ce lightning in coruscating sound ; arid she turned round on her music stool , as lmicli a 3 to tell Yseulfc— " That is the way to do it . "
" But , Yseult , you see , " said Julie , in reply to the look , " however slie may excel me in : guilt and contrition , has no hardened defiance like that , Margaret . " " Thank heaven ! " cried Edwardcs , " or some of Us would not be safe ! IBut where did you get all these dark passions , Margaret ?" " . From nature , " she said . Perhaps the study had called it forth ; especially of Hossini , for there is not a passion which he has not taught . jUI artists are so of the same scliool in that respect . It is often observed
that they must know nil parts of human nature , and be capable of all ; and she insisted on that , literally . The "true artist must not only know each passion , as a matter of critical contemplation , but he must be capable of heing the hero and the villain , the apostle and the apostate , the rescuer and the murderer , the tyrant and the victim that he paints ; each in turn , though neither one exclusively . " " But how , " aaited Edwardes , " would yon apply this principle of evoking the genius of martyrdom , ho"usebrealcmg , sudden death , aiut other virtues' ?"
"I don'b know , " answered Margaret , ingenuously . "I have not studied philosophy ; only art a little ; and I observe that life consists in what I said the Other day—in those same things that make the raw material Of art . " . ' ¦ ¦ ¦• " The application , " interposed ConVay , "is not so difficult as Edwardea pretends . You have to cultivate the faculties , not separately , but in ono and the same man ; and Margaret counts upon the sum as being a compie to and noble typo of manhood , iand therefore riot base , truculent , and unsafe . " "That may be all very well in a rude and barbarous , or a mediaeval and chivalrous state of society ; but at present , I confess , I neither nee the advantage nor necessity of cultivating murderers , martyrs , and other monsters . "
" You need not , Edward , " MiJfppirot answered for herself ; " they arc made for yon , as it in . You pretemd only that those bad qualities and pasrfionH are suppressed . You protend that there is peace or order ia society , between ahau and man , between nation and nation ; but how is the fact ? Aro all people 'living happy ever after ? ' Is there no cowardice , no meanness , ' " no tyranny , no breach of faith , no hypocrisy ? " ; . ;_ . ¦ ¦¦•¦¦ - ;; ¦ ' > j " ^ kirgaret is righi , " said Conway : " Society in but one pretence , in JvJiK'h the appearance ojffceb , is the reverse of the truth . We pretend to j > e devoted to peace and thus tacitly ( aider thousands to be flagellated , Juuiged , and imprisoned ; besides the . . ' thousands of patriots who ' aro still under spies . It is so over the greater part of Europe We pretend to « o- « ftllod virtues in oiir homes ; " and yot , in proportion to the virtue is the Vkr ' o that clamours in the streets . "
" -HeciiviiM von f . rv f , r » vpinmln . t . rt lif ' n h \ r > ilinfiri < v if " Heeaiirte you try to regulate Jifo by abating it ; . " " Yery ti-iio , " hWfd EdwlU-des ; " biit I don ' t sen how we can do other-¦ wise . Wo ( iiinnot induoo Ho < 5 iety—at least , not English society—to fcako up crusades or knigHt-rcryant bntorpriHos . We lock rip our culprits in prifctoiiH , and tl ^ ro is ^ votbihg for the K ' nighii-orrajifc to exercise his virtue upon . W < i * profer t / Ue I ' olicein . 'ui to the Knight-errant . " "And Hooioty consents to , live tlio life * of u policeman—in livery , with a beat , and a thief ever h \ th ( t > eye . " "Hut dome mow , tell us , Margaret , what you would do . " ""I am no reformer . " ,, "No , I moan you individually . How , being thus discontented with Boowt y as , it , iH , would you , act ? ,. Xou-twy you have no principles , but only intentions . " , ., . ¦ ,.,. . . .., " With an instont ' 3 pnuso , Mm ^ a rot etii < W « Well , at least . I would not
conform . Some must do so— -they cannot help themselves . I could , or at least , would not ; and I think , " she added , with a slight degree of indignation in her tone , " that those who dissent from society , and do not mark their dissent , but conform , are traitors to their own convictions , as well as to those who share them . " There was a slight pause ; the blow hit more than one of her hearers . " But , " asked Edwardes , " may not that arise from modesty ? Each one of us must feel that he cannot set the world right , however it may be out of joint . Indeed , there is a certain presumption in thinking so . " "Then there is a presumption in being a martyr . "
" Exactly so . " " After you , sir . ' " cried Julie ; " that is what Mr . Edwardes would say to the martyr . " " And there is a presumption , " continued Margaret , "in rescuing a fellow-creature . " ( ° " Without leave or apology ! " exclaimed Julie . " There are many things in society of which we must disapprove , " said Edwardes ; " but we must combat them by reason . "
" Yes , and example . Prove that it is possible to be rational , consistent , ' moral , ' afod yet to hold opinions the reverse of those often held ; and then you will vindicate for truth its own self-dignity . " " Still , " said Conway , " there is a defect here ; and you do not seem to me to fetch it out , Margaret . It is impossible for us to act in the present state of society as you recommend , hypocrisy apart . You commend bodily exercises ; but what man of the middle class , father or son , can command the due quantum . We may be sick of the world ' s hypocrisy , and yet our actions are not all our own , we drag others with us , and perhaps inflict on them the martyrdom to which we ourselves should be hardened . " "I told you , " said Margaret , " that I could not give you principles , and if you cannot do it for me , Alfred , it must remain undone . " and if you cannot do it for me , Alfred , it must remain undone . "
" How unjust women are to their own faculties . And yet I do not know After all , thinking is not the only , or the greatest , function of the creation . Inception is greater—intention as you call it . What would you do , Margaret ; tell me your acts , and I will tell you your principles . " "I would do what I could . " " And what would that be in the ease supposed ? Do not fence with me , my dear girl . " " I am not , Alfred ; and only hesitate because you suppose a case which I have not before supposed , in which one could not act according to one s own conscience . In that case , I suppose , one should do nothing , except watch to help those that are more fortunately Tree ; but I think that we should all try to make ourselves free . " " Yet the freest of us cannot act exactly as he resolves . Laws compel . "
" JNo , I know ; but compulsion exonerates conscience , and resistance . to that which is irresistible only ends in ridicule . So far as we think differently from those around us , or differently from the way in which those around us profess to think , we must act as if we wove in a foreign country ; observing the manners and customs of the natives , so far as we are compelled , either by force of law , or by the desire not needlessly to outrage other people ' s feelings . " " That is your first principle . Next . " " By viewing it in that light we shall avoid ill to others , and gratuitous trouble to ourselves , and still preserve our independence of mind . " " Good . "
" But then we should try to enlarge our independence of action as much as possible , because although independence of thought is greater than independence of act , and must come before that ; yet it stops with itself if it be not expressed in word or act ; whereas , put in action , it nets other thought in motion . " " But how would you enlarge your independence of act ? That is the whole question for some of us . " " I do not know how all could ; I only know how some could . Artists must obey laws which others need not . I mean if they are to be real artists , and not painters of still life , they must know the jwHsionn which others are taught to stifle ; and perhaps that is the reason why other laws—the common laws , aro not so strictly enforced upon them . " it
" I see , " cried Conway . " If a man wants to be free , he must be an artist . There is some truth in thai ;; at leant , no man is freer than the artist , if he pleases . Especially a , niUHieian—the most purely it ' tuhetical , and non-intellectual of artists . An artist needs not be of any established sect : no , he may be of any sect , and sing in the . Mass . lie needs not bind himself in wedlock if he disapprove of that ; bond—unless he go to America . Ho needs not be monarchical or unti-nio / uuvhical , so that his counterpoint be just , or his voiee pure . After nil , however , if we extract your principle ,, it does not apply exclusively to art , though it is quite natural that Margaret should think of that . I susport it depends on ' power . In any profession—except tho Ohuivh—aiiiiiii of great power , not caring for ' society , ' might be practically independent . Mo might « . u artisan , or a shopkeeper , or a manufacturer , if a genius in his way . It ; i . ll
dcptiiuln on power . . Ves , I see ; if we Juive power , we may ha independent—if wo have- power , will , and conviction . ' Thnt is it , Margaret . . Von would , you nay , obey positive compulsory laws . . Now , what do you mean by that ?" "I mown , that a perfectly distiijct law , which actually forces you to HubiniC , should bo obeyed without resistance . For example , nobody is master of his own ncfcio ' ns till he is twenty-one years old : do not let hh \ i attempt to act independently till that a <; o , except negatively . We can all of . us refuse to act ; we oun ' t always aefc iw we choose ; and I would do nothing till I was by the lnw free . The next hour I should no longer consider obedience due to any pne ; though I might consider deference duo to any person on i 4 | i |^ jc (; t which he understood better than "And all the while , " cried Julie , " Miirgarpfc han been thought tlio quietest , most obedient , most docile of Jitl lo girlw ! So then , I see , you wait ; two yours , and then . "
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 22, 1853, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_22101853/page/19/
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