University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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THE REDWOOD oess to the refinement of the women of the Thirteenth Century. The passion of love for the ideal of a woman, as distinguished from any affection for the woman herself, was a power that fanned the distinct spark of early genius into the leaping flame of universal and immortal intensity — Dante will be read as long as Christi- anity survives. But Dante, for all his nobility of heart and loftiness of mind, was not a perfect man by any means ; his invect- ive utterances from exile against the Sovereign Pontiffs of his time and those responsible for his expatriation from his Florence can be overlooked, yet cannot be justified. For all that, although tossed about cruelly by his misfortunes, he remained courageous in spirit and strong in character, while his energies remained active and his cour- age unshaken. Dante lived his life as his conscience directed him, and we are not surprised to learn that he practised his religion in an exemplary and consistent manner. He recognized two guides to assist him in successfully traversing the span of life; the monarchical government of Rome he regarded as the most perfect form of civil rule, while in the higher life he turned to the Pope, the Vicar of Christ and successor of St. Peter, to lead him in the path of righteousness. Both Church and State he maintained, were ordained by Heaven to guide him to his two-fold end. Dante ' s chosen work in life is high- ly becoming the man ; he proceeded up- on the conviction that sin was the prime cause of disorder in the universe and waged an audacious and inexora- ble fight against its corrupting influ- ences. In his Divine Comedy the message and admonition are contained, advising humanity to look to the end that all may be well with them and their posterity. Never did a poem jump into such favor at the death of its author or en- gage the public attention more power- fully. This can be attributed, not alone to its intrinsic excellence, but be- cause it dealt freely and audaciously with the high characters of the time. It gripped the curiosity of the age, for many saw in it his neighbor or kins- man painted in his true coloi s of honor or infamy. Again, the subtle allegory pervading it, the striking allusions and originality of metaphoric language, were factors that drew a hungry legion of admirers. In later years as the mills of civili- zation ground out new conceptions and interpretations of life, the philosophy of Dante was often misunderstood. Readers saw only the grim and fore- boding mask of the man and unwitting- ly thought not to peer beneath. Few poets, perhaps, ever had their writings subjected to such varying criticism. Common men, not under- standing him, manifested only a luke warm interest. Education, with eyes solidly fixed on Shakespeare, Milton and Homer, had scarcely taken the trouble to flit the pages of Dante ; but the masters of all times have pro- nounced his name always with the deepest respect and reverence. At last in our time it is gratifying to find that the world has shoAvn an in- clination to follow the lead of these masters, so that the Poet of Flor- ence and the ideal of Christendom may come into his own.

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THE REDWOOD was ever steeped into the well of logic. Dante was a slave to right order ; it was too great a part of the procedure in life to be lightly put aside. He was not the greatest poet, but he remains to the present day the supreme apostle of order, and as the dispenser of truth he stands in splendid isolation. Dante knew his philosophy and religion as he knew men and their sinful propensi- ties. His Divine Comedy then is the ap- plication of philosophy and Christian teachings to the Avorld of his creation. We cannot always appreciate and real- ize in the fullest measure the real force and thought contained in that immor- tal work ; primarily, because it is based on a conception of the world long since rejected by the modern mind. There is, however, no missing the force, vividness and splendid intensity with which he sketches his medieval age. It evades description : — we only know tliis is so and are supremely glad and happy Ihat it is. We say we may not wholly under- stand Dante, but we can marvel at the completeness of his work and the in- genious weaving of science and logic into the design. He points out his Hell as nine concentric circles comprising an inverted cone, each round represent- ing a specific degree of offense against God and containing a properly fitting punishment. The offenses increase in gravity and punishments in intensity as the circles approach the vortex, where his satanic majesty, Lucifer, is held in the terrible frozen quagmire. The whole picture is a faultless ap- plication of the rules of logic. The scenes are appalling in their grim re- ality and the morals taught by them are as sound as they are explicitly pointed out. In the descriptions of Purgatory and Heaven, we find the same perfect bal- ance maintained in every respect. There too, we have nine circles; these, however, are ascending ; each round representing a greater degree of juxta position to God, and thus as Dante and his guides clamber steadily upwards, they at last come into full view of the city of God, shining forth in all its ir- radiant splendor. It is the most gigantic undertaking ever attempted by a human hand, yet it does not bear the stigma of laborious or forced lines. To our amazement, on examination and comparison, we are brought to realize that no tale was ever attended with more brevity, poignan- cy, or completeness ; in truth, no mortal creation is more terrifyingly vivid, piti- ful or trenchantly horrible. It is untainted by doting or doubtful digressions, or useless elaborations, is fearlessly related and straightforAvard in its diction. Developed along allegor- ical lines, other works of similar na- ture are lost in the shadows of this in- spired masterpiece which sprang from a depth of feeling and a richly gifted nature. Wonderful, too, is the intel- lectual enjoyment the poet furnishes to every class of student, artist, scientist, logician, theologist, and every other man of learning finds satiety and warm sympathy in his lines. Dante never lost sight of his purpose ; to teach and glorify his Christian phil- osophy, to lash the world of vice and expose it in all its liideousness, and by his exaltation of his beloved Beatrice, the symbol of Divine Wisdom and all that is noble in the world, to bear wit-

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St. John Berchmans . . in juventutis flore, maturus coelo . . EEP Kast delved, unstarred Astronomer, Far beyond tKe stars. Droopest wingless— wings, all Keaven KearetK, Wearily beating upon empyreal bars. Stillness, as of pool ' s profundity, SilencetK tKy tongue; Yet listetK Keaven to tKe lay tKat lulletK Caroling SerapKim— songless for tKy song! MARTIN M. MURPHY