Fruits of Thought

Irish Jesuit Province

Fruits of ThoughtAuthor(s): William A. SuttonSource: The Irish Monthly, Vol. 25, No. 294 (Dec., 1897), pp. 646-651Published by: Irish Jesuit ProvinceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20499219 .

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( 646 )

FRUITS OF THOUGHT.

37lINKING for oneself confers the power to express much in few words: how much and how valuabll depends on the

knowledge, experience and power of thought of the thinker. Every one thinks one way or another. It is inseparable from, identical

with the consciousness of intellectual life. It goes on like breathing, or the circulation of the blood, automatically; but it is much more under our control; hence we are responsible to a great

extent for what kind of thinking our " hermit spirits " range

through. The thinking which constitu'tes what is called a thinker, is a power acquired by study and observation and reflecting thereon. It may be possessed in a much higlher degree by men of vastly less

attainments and mental gifts than by otherA, who with all their

knowledge and ability are not much that way given. To be a

thinker, therefore, one must have considerable intelligence, knowledge ancd experience; he need not be very learned, or otherwise specially endowed; but the more intelligent, learned and experienced he is, the greater thinker he will be, when he gives himself to it.

One of its special fruits is, as has been said, that power of

condensing and expressing truth and experience of all kinds briefly, luminously, penetratingly. This power is like, though different too from wit. Like wit it delights by surprising us. Surprise is one of the greatest charms of intellectual pleasure. In the case of

wit the surprise is caused by the fusion, or union, of ideas, which are in themselves quite different, opposite, conflicting, but wit discovers some aspect, under which they become united. WVe are amazed, delighted and irresistibly compelled to manifest our delight by laughter. Laughter is caused by the consciousness of contrasts, that get mixed together. Wit is theexpression of the

mixture. The surprise causeQlby compressed and luminous thought

is not from the fusion of contrasted ideas. There is no doubt consciousnessof contrast, the comprehensive thought, its compressed expression, the few piercing words, that express so much knowledge, so much experience, so much truth. But we do not laugh. We wonder, we admire, we are filled with surprise, intera3st, intellectual



Fruits of Thought. 647

pleasure; we are oonsoious of gaining possesion of rare knowledge, of a share of real wisdom better than material treasure, "for knowledge and wisdom excel in this, that they give life to him, who possesses them: " and all this packed into so small a compass.

Another reason why we delight in few words, which vividly formulate comprehensive thought, is, because this linking, fusing, identifying more and more, what seems at first unrelated, simplifying complicated processes of intellectual working, is the perfection of the acquisition of knowledge. It approaohes more and more to unimpeded action of the mind, and "unimpeded action " is the causal definition of pleasure. Unification, simplification in the expression of real variety and complex actuality, is what the mind always instinctively tends towards.

Not only does compact ancd incisive thought delight and stimulate, but it also solves, or helps to solve, puzzles and difficulties of various kinds. Let us take a few examples. Numbers of people are greatly " exercised " by the way historians and writers about history more or less of set purpose, openly and covertly, by insinuation and suppression, attack and strive to damage every way they can the character and authority of the Catholic Church. A great thinker, and authority on such

matters (de Maistre), in a line thus states the facts of the case: " History, for the last three hundred years, has been a conspiracy against the truth." Such words from such a man are an immense help to ease minds and stimulate inquirers.

The most important truths are often difficult to attain. It is so, above all, with regard to religious truth and cognate subjects. Pithy sayings of deep thinkers on these matters will always be among the great helps to getting at conviction, getting rid of anxious doubts, attaining peace of nLinld. Mostly the trouble and disquiet are caused by expecting more light, less unevenIness and obscurity, than is reasonable, than the nature of things admits. Some one who has experienced the same kind of anxious suffering, who has power of mind and power of speech, briefly and for ever states how the thing is to be considered. Many are inclined to think that real difficulties make necessary doubt. Cardinal

Newman says: " A thousand difficulties need not make a single doubt; " and this short line has been a help to great numuoers in

mastering the truth, that evidence may prove without solving, directly at least, great difficulties. Pascal in his famous PcnsSes



648 The Irish Monthly.

states the nature of religious proofs with exquisite point, clearDess and depth. He says that God " voulant paraitre a decouvert a coux

qui le chercheut de tout leur ccour et cache a ceux qui le fuient de

tout leur coeur; il tempere sa connaissance en sorte qu' il a donne

des marques de soi visibles a coux qui le cherchent, ot obscures

a ceux qui ne le cherchent pas." He adds in the next pesee " IT y a assez de lumiere pour ceux qui ne desirent que de voir, et

assez d' obscurite pour ceux qui ont une disposition contraire. 11 y a assez de clarte pour eclairer los elus, et assez d' obscurite pour

les humilier. I1 y a assez d' obscurite pour aveugler les reprouves

et assez de clarte pour les condamner et les rendre inexcusables."

Cardinal Newman is a master of style and one of the master

minds of the age. He by no means aims at being perpetually

terse and epigrammatic. That would not be perfect style, how ever much it might delight some of us. But he frequently sums up the lesson to be learnt from the wisdom contained in erudite and eloquent passages in a few words, as for example in his great

work " Development of Christian Doctrine," where several pregnant sayings of his will for ever afford delight and discussion.

Such are:-" to be just able to doubt is no warrant for disbeliev ing; " " To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant; "

" In a higher world it is otherwise, but here below to live is to

change, and to be perfect is to have changed offen." Again, speaking of the Canon of Scripture, its inspiration and relation to tradition, how much he helps us to understand something of God's

ways, when he says :-" Nor were these difficulties settled by

authority, as far as we know at the commencement of the religion;

yet surely it is quite conceivable that an apostle might have

dissipated them all in a few words, had Divine Wisdom thought fit. But in matter of fact the decision has beon left to time, to

the slow process of thought, to the influence of mind upon mind, the issues of controversy, and the growth of opinion." (p. 60.) Another example of his power of putting much wisdom of experience in a few words is:-" Always to be safe is always to

be feeble." It would be no small comfort to many of us, if the

converse of this proposition were true, " always to be feeble is

always to be safe; " but alas! experience is against it.

However much one may delight in such fruits of thinking, knowledge and'experience, they are most appreciated and do most

good when mixed up with more diffuse and natural, or ordinary,



Fruits of Ihought. 649

style. Hence books of pensdes soon tire, if read like ordinary books, or as rapidly. Not every kind of pithily exjiessed thought interests every kind of thoughtful reader. Men of signal ability

have founad Pascal's Pesdes foi the most part commonplace. Perhaps one reason is that those who 'found it so take up the book, having heard so muclh of it, and think it can be read, as reviewers often read what they write brilliant reviews of. But a book of pensees is not to be read running. There is much in the saying of another distinguished penseur, Joubert :-" Fully to understand a grand and beautiful thought requires perhaps as

much time as to conceive it." He it is who says of himself: " If ever a man was tormented by the accursed ambition of putting a whole book into a page, a whole page into a phrase, and that phrase into a word, I am that man." This exactly expresses what much thinking inclines one to; but books, that would be read like other books, are not to be much written that way. Thoughts have to be pondered, that is the way to enjoy their peculiar flavour, a'little or few at the time. Read, stop, think, supply the implied qualifications, examine your own ex periencee. If the thought is really the fruit of experience and reflection, it will priuvoke you to think, whether you agree with it or not; and this is a sure test of genuine thinking. Another of Pascal's pensees may " give us pause " with regard to our not see.

ing much in what the best judges everywhere and always pronounce worthy of much admiration:-" a mesure qu' on a plus d' esprit on trouve qu' il y a plus d' hommes originaux. Les gens dau commun ne trouvent pas de differences entre les hommes."

One of the most valuable fruits of thinking is, that we learn more or less clearly, what we really know and don't know, what we really think, what our mental powers and tastes are, and how limited they are. We seldom enough express what we really think and know. Either we cannot, or it wouldn't do. Not that

we are untruthful morally. But the conditions of social inter. course necesitate our speaking or being silent often, when down right reality would require a different 'course. If every one were to say what he thought, what he knew, what he felt about every subject worth discussing, or what he believed he felt or knew, it

would often paralyse conversation. There is no want of moral truthfulness in not being " brutally frank." Another reason why we act well in keeping our opinions to ourselves, is, that not

VOL. xxv. Nd. 294. 47



650 The friskh lonthlY.

seldom it happens, that what we tbink we feel, or know, about

something, is not really our opinion or conviction; we are deceived for the time by forgetfulness or emotion. Besides it is the recognized thing to agree with certain judgments of the world generally about literature, art, science, &c., and so no one is

expected to question them. We may not agree from our own knowledge or experience, as so many of us do not about so many

world-wide ways of judging of such things. Many men have a good deal of knowledge and cultivated thought about some things

and are very ignorant and stupid about other things common

enough to be well known and duly appreciated. One of the best

fruits, T repeat, of being able to think justly and reflect for oneself is that we may learn what the things are we know nothing about,

or are incapable of appreciatinig. About these things the best course to adopt is generally to hold our tongues and let others speak, and agree or differ as quietly and harmoniously as circum

stances permit. Most men are pleased to be listened to and questioned on what they know no more about than their listeners.

If we listened more and strove to take more interest in what others

say, and if we talked less ourselves, and thought less of what we

were about to say instead of hearing what was said, we should

oftener enjoy and profit by the conversation of our betters in whatever line.

Cardinal Newman used to say of himself, that he could think

best with a pen in his hand. But if he had not thought much

without it, his writings, whatever knowledge and literary worth they might display, would surely lack that exquisite flavour of deep, wide, suggestive meditativeness, which pervades them and constitutes their special charm. Thackeray says, that no one knows the thoughts that are at the end of his peD, until he begins

to ply it; then they will come rolling off to his own and others'

wonder. But again if the thoughts are worth much, they are the

fruit of long preparation, of much reading, observation and reflection, combined with the special mental gifts of each writer. It was in the last decade or so of his too short life, that the last

named writer produced his great works. " He waited and came to forty," before he gave to the world the first of these, which at once gave him a place among the great creators of what is called fiction.

Sydney Smith in his lecture on "The Conduct of the



Fruits of Thought. 651

Understanding" enlarges on the difficulties and unsatisfactoriness, of what is called concentrated thought. He speaks there, as if there were very little of the kind going. He insists on the wayward, zig-zag, jumping-over-the-traces, shying and bolting style of getting over its ground the understanding pursues. If all he says is always true, then such phrases and cases as "' lost in thought," "passionate longing to lead a life of thought," the long spells of speculation eastern and other sages are credited with, are to some extent, it would seem, exaggerated. Probaby a great deal is to be said on both sides. It is with thought and thinking as with action and conduct generally. Things are done, great and small, and mostly far from perfectly. Then, when people speak of them, they mostly idealize, and so we have to qualify largely what is said about almost everything.

Reality is very different from what is said and written about it. It is also very different very often from what we really think about it. But persistent thinking, insisting on trying to see things as they really are, toldly and honestly facing all kinds of facts and truths that impress themselves on our consciousness and consciences, is the way to get at the truth which makes men free. If we depend too much on ourselves, we shall go fearfully and fatally astray.

"' Thus God has willed

That man, when fully skilled,

Still gropes in twilight dim;

Encompassed all his hours

By fearfullest powers Inflexible to him.

That so he may discern

His feebleness. And e'en for earth's success

To Him in wisdom turn,

Who holds for us the keys of either home,

Earth and the world to come." *

WILLIAM A. SUTTON, S.J.

* Newman's Verses on Various Occasions, p. 184,



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Fruits of Thought