THE NEW LEADER MAIL BAG
THE NEW LEADER MAIL BAG Durant WedsArt and Wealth Aa Editor of Tbe Near Leader: ' Eg H amusing, when H f> nothing "j^sa serious, te notice bow the eapw aajt«t areas twists any and...
...Is Contention...
...Secondly says "those nations and periods' .; Without making clear whether hi ¦swans "all" or "most" or merely "some' ' --though of course he implies "anV .and finally, he falls Into the most obvious fallacy of post hoe ergo propter *boc: assuming that because wealtl tad art occur together, the one la th< .'ansa of the other...
...Is It not really, a. product of religion...
...Then it tastted the meet obvious bit of irony Srthe support of another bulwark of aOws as they are, and...
...Durant declares the\ "in drought or pestilence, tn war or revolution, Ufa returns to half-conscious and artless immaturity...
...He declares "Only one thing more Is necessary before our renaissance can come...
...JOSEPH T. SHIPLEY...
...Nor do I know whether by "only one thing more" he chooses te Imply that a widespread freedom of tbe mind is imminent In America...
...The Romans knew that they could keep the masses |n mere or leas contented submission by offering free bread and circuses...
...2- No ported of wealth eclats without great art' S- No period of...
...It •p their function to explain, tn words ef-suPtoient subtlety to hoodwink the JlasH'i---- why things must he as fkey are, why, in spite of the objectless that can he raised, this, frt not the best of all, is tha best of all pos*H>le worlds...
...however, picture only a portion of the artistic products et the world...
...imagines tha' pa putting his minor premise first h| ;es it the major premise...
...Csnt in the New Tork Tunas Waa aa«arre an attempt te connect art and ZasRh, that 1 yield to the tmpuhro to St out 1U fallacies...
...America ia becoming the centet jg the world's wealth...
...The argument foi Mpcfe' a renaissance la vary simple...
...She latest to join this group is Will Durant, who in The Times Maga line ef August tsth is given first past prominence for his preeentation...
...THE NEW LEADER MAIL BAG Durant WedsArt and Wealth Aa Editor of Tbe Near Leader: ' Eg H amusing, when H f> nothing "j^sa serious, te notice bow the eapw aajt«t areas twists any and everything jjTits purpose—the Justification af the Statin* order...
...save my letter -fti-headlns, "Art a Product of Resajjg...
...It did...
...Duranf in the .Paly of his article is the proof of hii major premise, that "those periods thai ' ears marked by accumulating wealtl 'vera' djatlngfilshed alao by an efjggftjfca of aft" Here the impUet ' ^ajvarasltty of the .statement (heces*ery," and caught up again, for th< ceeehsnon about the United States) U oaaHftea...
...he finds it neOssiary to apologize for the late de.tfefepaiant of Roman culture (he reallj Asfiiiuj, Indeed, to mean culture rsthej than art for hie whole thesis rtflea the primitive, to mention aothing store, ont of court), that It'le safe, despttr tho rather poor oase fir, Durant make out, to admit'the truth ot his majoi prexalse,' - _ d) For art is of each frequent appearance ha tbe.world that aay fairly Intelligent person' could adequately establish that It ooeure whan there la wealth tn the world...
...Therefore...
...ePTerk City...
...I hap you will find room in* your eolEjfca far the entire letter, which needs as explanation, and makes its atahd Site clear...
...we must learn to love liberty aa the vital medium of art...
...Durant -vitiates his entire argument, auch as it is, in a closing paragraph...
...The poet declares ot his songs that "Out of heartbreak and bellyache into dear Joy their way they take...
...Elle Faure has Just given us a beautifully written book, "The Dance Over Fire and Water," to prove that art is a product of periods of war...
...It seems natural to suggest xthat such Increased awareness may be the result of some sort of dissatisfaction—-consciousness itself, says Carlyle, is a sign of disease...
...of greed...
...of any conceivable thing any imbecile or blinded partisan desires to forward...
...Qjwhat concerns Dr...
...These words of Ralph Cheyney may...
...it is equally conceivable that "increased awareness" may spring from tha exuberance, tbe excess energy ot abundance and Joy...
...We cannot create If we are not free...
...of philosophy, whose outline has become a best-seller, makes throe blun. dare ia elementary logic, any one' ol which would bring the teacher down upon a bigh school senior...
...Durant (doctor of philosophy, thi .£esis of which is logic...
...We seldom think how we walk, or digest until our lega or stomachs are out of order...
...But it Is harder to fancy It coming from the possession of a bank account...
...JOSEPH T. SHIPLEY...
...Btrt—by GtUag the opening paragraphs the fctf-f comments, and over a dosen jSaaosa and phrases in between, it aaajaT extracted the sting...
...But stop...
...Flemish art when Puritanism was moat intense...
...Obviously, Dr...
...Such an element ot life la art, rphich seems a sign of man's progress Steward higher things...
...they do not create tbe taste"* for reading...
...So these oily-tongued apoloLgiats are spreading the doctrine thai tart depends upon the continuance ol things as they are...
...Let art alone...
...Art is the product ot an Increased awareness ot the world...
...A recent article et Dr...
...The writer protects his ig" .anpjpet of -many ages...
...But historic^By thoae...
...Not -Wealth...
...In the first place r&r...
...If Increasing wealth be accompanied by Increasing Intolerance, what then becomes of art...
...Let me mention no more than Hebrew literature, most of the Greek...
...link this Inextricably with our social system, and he group seemingly most remote from Material concerns and influences be^emes the Juatincatlon ot the present "order...
...fe the Editor ot the N. T. Times: Every age and every system has its -fords of sycophantic apologists and fortifiers- Often they wear the weeds at respectability and high repute...
...The great artist may come under the patronage ot a wealthy man, but lt'a dollars to doughnuts tha patron didn't take him under until he ahowed signs of greatness, and It's minions to maggots that it wasn't the patronage that made him great Enough art haa come out of the proverbial garret to make mention of negative instances unnecessary...
...poverty has great .art The moat ho attempts to establish by bis major premiac is item 1. Let us grant what he submits aa "proof' of that—the same can be shewn of half a hundred other things: Dr...
...11 /fiat...
...Dante, Spenser, and Milton, and the medieval Gothic architecture, aa religious even in substance...
...Did the Threes E-t- aay letter...
...but Dr...
...of dissatisfaction...
...I do not know, as Dr...
...Montague's wisdom a dosen years ago, to see him now so shallow—or Insincere...
...And this means much less the freedom of the stomach than tbe freedom of the mind...
...Durant does not attempt to develop this statement whether ho would prove freedom essential to art by the same specious method be has employed for wealth...
...Durant known enough logic to he aware that ta prove his ease he would have to show that: 1. Every period of- great art Is alsowealthy...
...of lust...
...a groat outburst of literaturb and art...
...Ho begins: "WIS America witness, in the coming half ueaiuij...
...it would be interesting to hear him on that point...
...MliUonalree may endow libraries...
...Let ui Assume the major premise as a platljfflSe, and pass on to tha minor...
...In .his'first dosen lines, this popularise...
...nations and periods that : jhire marked by accumulating wtaltt frera distinguished alao by an efflorespeace of art...
...and it grieves me, who remember his alertness and earnestness when he sat near me under the stimulation of Dr...
...Shakespeare when the Church of England made its Virgin Queen the subject ot an embracing Mario la try...
...Durant is talking at cross-purposes...
...Whs1 have been the great periods of art li Jjjuropeen history...
...Sycophants, apologists, pleaders of causes: ' - Let art alone...
...culture came at the height of the inquisition in Spain...
...Can it not almost aa readily be-proven that art rises out of periods ot slavery...
...I* One convenient aad not too difficult -avenue for these lackeys is to single sat seme element of life commonly Considered precious, piously held as a pbjn of roan's spiritual progress, aad loT show how this valuable phase of Jnan'e being is possible only in tha pate of society they are happening to Aefend...
Vol. 3 • September 1926 • No. 37
