THE IDEALIST AS MAN OF LETTERS

Idealists in every country, be they scientists or artists or philosophers, are beginning to recognize that unless the politician himself becomes an idealist and broadens his vision and deepens his insight, the religion of nationalism will destroy the nations and therefore civilization itself.

Among these idealists there are a large number of men of letters. The influence of the pen may not directly penetrate the consciousness of the people as the word of the orator-politician does; it may not produce as quick a response as the word of the scientist does; but it does filter through, making a more permanent dent in the heart of the Race, for the influence of the pen in sweetening as well as inspiring the life of the masses is very powerful, however indirect it may be.

There is a mental revolution in progress, though it is obscured by the economic and political turmoil. The masses are struggling not only for more money but also struggling to free their minds and their hearts of old beliefs and notions. They are struggling to create a new social order in which class competitions and nationalistic rivalries will disappear; they are struggling to establish a mode of living in which all the constituents of their being should play their legitimate parts, including the urge within their minds and the aspirations of their hearts. The masses do not know how to formulate with precision the intuitive surge they dimly feel. How can the creative artist best help in guiding the emergence of a new idealistic philosophy?

Creative writers are often moved by the feeling aspect of Nature which expresses itself as Compassion and Altruism. Just as men of science, seeking and pursuing truth, contact the hidden mind of Nature and gather knowledge, so poets and novelists, essayists and dramatists, are fitted by temperament to touch the comely heart of Mother Nature and to feel the Presence of Compassion which functions everywhere and at all times, but for which the scientist has little use.

Freeing himself from the limitations of the effete forms of life, leaving the scientist to work with that aspect of Nature which is ‘red in tooth and claw,’ and specialising in feeling the Divinity which works graciously in gentleness everywhere in Nature, the Creative Artist is in an excellent position to help our civilization. He can take modern humanity away from the crushing Soul-denying doctrines of modern science, away from the warring, nationalistic creeds of the politician, away from the narrowing, illiberal sectarianism of the church, the synagogue, the mosque, and whither? Towards the Truth that the Spirit in man is alive and functioning, towards the Goodness born of the realization of the Brotherhood of all men, towards the Beauty that sees Order in chaos, and Harmony in the manifold differentiations of great Nature.

-Madame Sophia Wadia. (At the P.E.N. Congress, Buenos Aires)

NATURE’S PATTERNS

Neither a contented fatalism nor religious expectancy nor reversions to the past can give meaning to a world which is in search of its soul. The slow dying of the old order need not fill us with despair, as it is the law of all nature that life comes only by death. Every civilization is an experiment in life, an essay in creation, to be discarded when done with. With the infinite patience of one who has endless time and limitless resources at her absolute command, Nature slowly, hesitatingly, often wastefully, goes on her triumphant way. She takes up an idea, works out its form till, at the moment of its perfect expression, it reveals some fundamental flaw, and then breaks it up again to begin anew a different pattern. Yet in some way the wisdom and spirit of all past forms enter into those which succeed them and inspire the gradual evolution of the purpose of history.

–Sir. S. Radhakrishnan. (Inaugural Address at Oxford)

THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

Their leader is Mr. Bhulabhai Desai, the leader of the Congress party, the largest single party in the Assembly. He is well-equipped for the eminent post he fills. A leader of the Bombay bar, well-favoured in personal appearance, correct in behaviour to the Government, cordial in his relations with the private members, he acts well his part of leader of the Opposition. Endowed with an agreeable voice, which he rarely raises above the pitch of a Wesleyan preacher, fluent in utterance, he tries to persuade by the force of his arguments. He is perhaps the only member of the Congress party that has a sense of humour and can join in a laugh against himself. The good leader that he is, he intervenes in debate only when it is necessary, leaves the question-hour entirely to his lieutenants, and resists the temptation of scoring mere debating points. It was his statesmanlike co-operation with the Law Member that ensured the smooth passage of the Bill amending the Companies Act. He has not perhaps the dominating influence of Pandit Motilal Nehru, but he leads his party and the Opposition by persuasion rather than by force.

–‘Stranger’ in The New Review, Calcutta. (January)

THE ARTIST’S MISSION

The artist has to see the ideal under every form, the perfect under every imperfection, and his splendid mission is to show the perfect Beauty to the blinded eyes of men.

Good music, good painting, good sculpture are among the many educators of the race, and every object should have its own beauty. There is every reason why all objects of practical utility should be artistic. There is every reason why commercial life should promote Art no less sedulously than material prosperity. Art is a stream flowing through all life. There is no fundamental distinction between Industry and Art, between Science and Art, between Religion and Art, between Philosophy and Art. For, Science reveals the frame-work of creation, Philosophy the inspiration which it brings, and Art the joy which it conceals. Indeed, without Art, all aspects of life fall short of achieving their purpose.

–The Theosophist, Madras. (January)

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