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CHAPTER IV.

RELATION OF THE IMAGINATION TO SOME OTHER FACULTIES.

Memory and Imagination are alike in this respect, that they are both forms of Representation. But the former Memory and gives us objects as they actually were at some imagination. previous time; the latter has to do with ideal objects. The former deals with the past; the latter has no temporal limitations, — it disports.itself alike in the past and in the future.

Judgment differs from Imagination in that the former deals with the relations of things, and also that it has to do principally with actual relations; while the latJudgment. ter, as we have seen, deals wholly with ideals. Judgment has specific reference to truth, and nothing is really either true or false except Judgments, or, as they are called when expressed in language, propositions. But Imagination is not limited to what is true or real; it extends itself to all that is possible or conceivable. Still a good Imagination is always accompanied by a sound. Judgment. What is fitting and proper; what will best convey the ideas in the mind; or what will most correctly and properly fill out the representation, - these are largely matters of Judgment. The products of the Imagination are often much at fault from the lack of good Judgment on the part of the agent.

Reasoning.

Reasoning is to a certain extent subsidiary to, and affiliated with Imagination, but is clearly distinct from it. Like Judgment it has largely to do with truth and fact, while Imagination deals with possibilities and conceptions. Reasoning proceeds from established premises; but Imagination has no need of these. Still reasoning is not wholly alien to the work of Imagination, but has some subsidiary relation to it. In forming out of the materials in hand the combination desired, it is pretty nearly certain that there will be occasion for drawing inferences as to proportion, situation, or symmetry, or some other condition of the new whole, or all of these. Taste is closely connected with Imagination, while yet not at all identical with it. The latter may exist in high degree where the former is greatly deficient, if not wholly wanting. But taste is essential to the best effect of the Imagination. Without it, the latter will become wild, grotesque, and offensive. This is especially the case when agination. beauty is the aim in any department of representative art. Taste must regulate and direct the Imagination. Together with the Judgment it is an essential guide and modulator of this power of the mind.

Taste not

identical with, but

closely re

lated to, im

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE IMAGINATION.

Some distinc

This is a division made by some writers, but not admitted by others. Whatever may be the difference of opinion, it must have reference rather to the designation than to the matter of fact. There tion certain. can be little doubt that somewhat of a distinction is to be made. It is certain that while some persons have the power to originate pictures and representations of remarkable

effectiveness, others who cannot do this, yet can re-form these when presented to the mind, and can appreciate the representation when thus made. Only a few persons have the former power, while a great many have the latter; there are also a smaller number who have it in only a slight degree, or possibly not at all. It certainly requires some Imagination to appreciate a picture of real merit, or a group of statuary evincing much ability on the part of the artist, or a poem, or even a good dramatic story; and hundreds have this capability where perhaps only one could represent any of these.

CHAPTER V.

UTILITY OF THE IMAGINATION.

merely

MANY persons are disposed to regard Imagination as having no real utility, or, at least, none for the Imagination more serious purposes of life; they would treat often regarded as it as at the best wholly ornamental. But even without utilif this were true, it would not necessarily follow ity, and that it had no utility. Use and beauty are not ornamental. wholly alien to each other, nor are they mutually antagonistic. A thousand things are useful simply Use and because they are beautiful. Otherwise it would beauty not antagonistic. appear that the all-wise Creator had put a vast amount of useless work into the structure of the physical universe. It would probably not be very difficult to prove that many things are beautiful just because of Many things their utility. And this, too, by no, excess of beautiful by figurative language. But even if the allegation their utility. were true that there is such an antagonism, still we should find on examination that Imagination has an important office among the utilities of humanity.

reason of

In the first place, Imagination is often essential to the writer or speaker in setting forth what he wishes to convey to the minds of others. No man can so describe Imagination a scene or a series of events as to produce the useful to desired effect on those who hear him, unless he speakers. is possessed of a certain degree of Imagination. Hence an orator, an essayist, a teacher, a historian without this.

writers and

Difference between an imaginative and an un

speaker or

writer.

the

faculty would be, if not a failure, at least greatly lacking in effectiveness. This is one of the principal differences between an eloquent orator or writer, and one that is dull and uninteresting, though imaginative perhaps equally intelligent and learned former brings his subject vividly before our minds simply because he has a vivid conception of it himself, and is able to give us such outlines and points of the picture that it easily reproduces itself in the minds of those to whom it is presented; the other gives a dry detail of facts or principles or arguments, which commends itself to only a few minds.

Successful

We have already seen something of the mutual relations of Imagination and Invention. It would be nearly impossible for a man, no matter what his genius in invention im- other respects, to devise a complicated machine if he had no Imagination. Very often the whole structure must be imagined first in his mind and must there be held subject to various modifications, before even a draught of it is made, to say nothing of a model.

possible without imagination.

So, too, in great practical enterprises, plans must be formed in the mind, and, so to speak, be manipulated there, Business en- before they can be projected in actualities, or terprises. even described and published. Napoleon in arranging for one of his great campaigns, reaching through months of time, and extending over many leagues of territory, and comprising all the divisions and subNapoleon. divisions of an army of a hundred thousand men, with all the immense trains of artillery and baggage, -wishing to keep the matter secret till the time arrived to begin to carry it into execution, held the whole plan in his own mind. Each day's march of each division and the

Instance of

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