Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 11.pdf/593

 554 • ous declaration by an issue at law.

I must

best able to determine it. This conclusion be permitted, gentlemen, to carry the case is irresistible. into a court of equity, to bring in it other Just here the law has been at work for features. I must be permitted to raise six thousand years. It has been its constant questions of title, of ancient custom, and the effort to determine those rules by which public weal, that upon a final hearing the alleged matters of fact are established or chancellor may determine what gallant of disproved. From that first time when the them all has the best right to this whimsical, young men went forth to hunt in the forest, wayward lass. With whom she is happiest; or to dig in the fields, old wise men have re who sees clearest the sky-tints of her eyes, mained by the cave's mouth or the chimney's under lids a little heavy; the shimmering ingle, laboring to determine these laws — lights in her hair; the harmony of limb and merely to determine them. The laws were drapery; and behind that the deeps of her from the beginning. Finally, as the result nature, crowded with strange thoughts, fan of a labor simply incomprehensible, these tastic reveries, and exquisite passion, into laws have become clear, and men have un which one looks through a weird light, like derstood the relative weight and convincing a diver in deep seas. For what one will her virtue of evidence. These rules, as Greensmile be sunniest that the multitude below leaf points out, are no metaphysical refine may see it and be glad. What one among ments, but are founded upon the very laws all the gallants has the best right to this of nature existing anterior to courts. Argive Helen. And when the witnesses have Then, there is written down in the temple spoken and the argument is closed, I shall of the law for the benefit of her priesthood a not fear the conscience of the Chancellor great code of rules by other men but dimly unless, like that god of whom the ironical understood. Rules by which truth may be Tishbite spoke, it be sleeping or on a jour determined — that truth which is the indis ney. pensable beauty in all literature. There is It is a faith dear to those who are sorry no guesswork here; no probable result by to labor, that he who produces a masterpiece indefinite accident or vague, intuition. The in any department of art is one with the writer learned in these rules creates his mark of the godson him — through whom atmosphere of truth with the same unerring an influence from beyond is working, and! accuracy that the architect estimates the who, merely a medium for this influence, arches of his portico or the engineer calcu lates the strain on his truss. Other men produces an effect by a sort of divine intui tion without any knowledge of the laws may be guided by vague lights dancing on upon which that effect usually depends. I the marsh-land, but this man is following the stars. think there has never been a more trium There is another class of literature whose phant error. It ought to be written that the value of a mission it is to create a mood; to establish work will be found to depend largely upon an impression; to move the deeps of human how thoroughly the craftsman appreciates emotion. This object has been explained the laws of his art. For this reason it would with great learning by Whistler in art, and seem that nothing is so essential to a writer Pater in literature, but it seems- by the vast as a knowledge of the laws of evidence. If, army of craftsman to be but dimly under as we are taught, the one indispensable stood. It is the art of going deep; of tracking the sources of expression to their beauty in all literature is truth, then it fol lows, all else being equal, that he who is subtlest retreats; of knowing in what places best able to reproduce that truth is he who is and with what degree of delicacy it is neces