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tion is not la f olle d,u logis,lh.eclown of his intellectual householcl,but it is alwal's clocile tothe clirection of reason.That Dante could be so highiyimaginative and )'et sodeeplv clidactic is a proof ofhis rare genius. We have seenthat in his "Divine Comedy"he portrays all kinds of faithsand that he is always soundlymorai; ihat his intellect isvigolous and his will pos'ercorrect; we further shall findthal his imagination is creative.r.\NE critic has tiris to sav of\-/ tla rr te's irrraginatiorr:" Take that picture of the lanclof terror and gloom, with itshail and snow and roaringx'irrc1s, l'ith its grim and savageltrnclscapes, its forests ofg'narled trees, its burningplains ancl valleys of desolation,tlre whole overh"ung rvithclouds of inkv blackness, rentancl macle luricl by jets of redlight or try flickering tonguesof flame ("Inferno") ; or thatseconcl picture, as beautiful asthe {irst is terrible, n'ith itssoft landscapes lying in peacefullor.eliness beneath tenderskies, s.ith its verdant vaile-vsand clelightful groves, musicall'ith the sweet singing of bird,s("Pulgator)-") ; or still againthat thircl vision so dazzlingthat it hardlv leaves a pictureon the memorY, butthe effect of which is likethat of heavenlv melodl- orWHY NEGl.trCT DANTtr?the impression that colnesupon a man standing at midnightupon the snowy summitof some Alpine mountain withhis face r-ipturned to the starsshining above him ("Paracliso")-inthese pictures as inthe countless details that go tomake them up can be seen thepower of f)ante's imagination."It is not enough to say that1'ou have heard or read aboutDante I \\re must come in personalcontact with his writtenpage. It is this personalperusal that will stir us, moveus, enlighten us, and fire uswith enthusiasrn. It rs not,holer.er, necessary to read allthe book. \\re shall find Danter'vhole in one canto, and, rvithhim, his age ancl the centuriesthat go before him.It is perhaps because of itsso finished perfection, of its sowonderful complexity, and ofits so 1oft5. mot.l tone tliat the" Divine Comed.v " has remaineclthe favorite of the intellectualelite. The poem is,moreoYer, so exquisite thatonly the trained taste can properlyappreciate it. The workhas not been popular, nor is itnow, in spite of the rvider tliffusionof knowledge in our fastage. But in matters of religious,literar,y, or otirer art, thepopular v e r d ict, especiallywhen there is question of amasterpiece, is not a reliabletest of merit. \\Iith manv the277glaring circus-poster or abright chromo far outshines theTransfiguration of Raphael;and for rr&ny the materialthings of this earth are theonll- things worth while. Buttlre force of a plea for the"Divine Comed,v" need notrest upon eas-v clemonstrationsof the poor taste of those rvholor,e not Dante.Suffice it to sa.r' that eagleslove emeralds, kings adontcrowns with pearls, while swineprefer slop and mire, and sparrows,as the clox'n man saidsome -Years agor " see theirfinish" in the event of a horselessage. Be ye eagles thatsoar higher even than Pegasuscan mount, or sparrows thatpick the dirt spurned bv theproud hoof of the fabled horseof literary highwa,vs ?r r f IIERE ansels fear toVY tread the"wise will notlush in. Stuclents of Dante, inorcler not to be clisappointecl,must have a certain preparation.Their previous studies inliterary criticisrn must have sofar perfectecl their taste, andtheir acquaintance with the history69 l)ante's epoch and x'iththe chief tenets of schalastisisrnmust har.e so far progresseclas to qualify 11tn- for admissionamong those scholars whoalone ean read or u'i1l read andappreciate Dattte.The good, as. we conceive itin Dante, is happiness for all,and for that reason the famousepic will live eternall)..IT PAYS YOU IN DOLLARS AND CENTSTO SUBSCRIBE TO ATLANTICAIf l.ou are a purchaser of books, you ma)- avail -vourself of ATLANTICA'SBOOI( SER\IICE DEPARTMENT. A liberal cliscount is allowecl on all orders, forboth Italian and Arnerican books, placetl through us. See our ack'erjtisements elsewhere.