its physical, intellectual, and affectional aspects and relationships. But as the Fancy is, in this school, the only incarnating power, a superficial, fictitious, and untruthful character is given to Art; and it becomes, on the one hand, simply a poor imitator of natural life, this being opposite to its legitimate function, which is to represent spiritual life; and, on the other, a falsifier of Nature, which is still more objectionable, because it weakens the power of legitimate natural perception in the mind, and either confuses or inverts all true physical and natural relationships; for, although the Fancy cannot realize any conception of the destructive laws of the mind, it is at this time unconsciously governed by them in the production of illegitimate effects which must partake, more or less, of the nature of caricature, varying from the slightest deviation from true proportion and relationship to those palpable deformities and false contrasts which are elements in the Comic. Even when the Imagination comes in aid of the Fancy, as it does in the internal development of modern art, — being now governed by its destructive law, it is unable to realize any of those legitimate correspondences between supernatural and natural, and between internal and external things, which characterize and constitute the inspiration of ancient art; or any of that instinctive knowledge of relationship between ideas and physical forms, colors, and substances, which is the primary basis of Art as a representative medium. Instead of this, it realizes inverted forms of these correspondences and relationships, by which an inversion of ancient art is produced.

The effects which have here been described are realized as a consequence of the development of the destructive laws of the mind, and their incarnation in the forms of Art by the Fancy and the Imagination while governed by the destructive, instead of the vital, law of their constitution. In accordance with a law already stated and illustrated, this destructive development of Art commences in its lowest form and condition, which is characterized as natural, unconscious, external, and affectional; and this we designate Unitarian Art. This is constructed exclusively by the Fancy, as the exponent of the Natural, from the most superficial point of view; and therefore appearances, and partial resemblances, are, in its constructions, confounded with realities and real relationships, which are opposite to them. The Fancy is the only constructor of Art at this period of its development, because it is realized in an external sphere of the consciousness, and confined to its lowest region. It is only when the mind comes into

an internal sphere of consciousness that the Imagination can again become the constructor of Art; and then it comes under the influence of its destructive law, and realizes inversions of legitimate religious symbolism, and of the legitimate relationships between internal and external, and between supernatural and natural things; and this we designate Transcendental Art. In order that we should show the degradation in Art, therefore, we are to show, first, that the Imagination ceased to be the constructor of Art, and that the Fancy became its constructor under the government of its destructive law, and under the influence of the destructive laws of the mind; and, next, that the Imagination has become the constructor of Art under the government of its destructive law, and as the exponent of the destructive laws of the mind which have been incarnated in conscious conceptions; and that its productions consequently include inversions of legitimate religious symbolism, and of all those vital laws and relationships which were represented by ancient art. It will be necessary,

therefore, that we first show the kinds of manifestation referable to the Fancy and the Imagination, and also show what are the vital laws and relationships represented by ancient art.

All that can properly be termed Art is founded in Laws of Representation, which are, in the natural, realized unconsciously and spontaneously through the Fancy, the Imagination, and the Reason: the Fancy being the exponent of natural relationships, which are destructive; the Imagination, the exponent of supernatural relationships, which are representative; and the Reason, the exponent of Universal Laws, which are vital and productive. In all legitimate Art, therefore, these three elements are individualized, and harmoniously combined as body, soul, and spirit; the body and the spirit, as representing the Human and the Divine, being united through the soul, as the representative of Divine Humanity: the Fancy realizing forms of natural perfection, which constitute the Beautiful; the Reason realizing forms representative of the Divine Perfections, which constitute the Sublime; and the Imagination realizing forms of Beauty, which represent Divine Humanity, Spiritual Life through Marriage,—or the union of opposites through voluntary sacrifice. But as the Reason includes opposite forms, a vital form representing "Perfection,” and a destructive form representing "Imperfection," - and as every department of the mind includes vital and destructive laws, which must be combined in all its manifestations, but one of which must govern them; so that these are divided into vital and destructive

manifestations, -opposite forms of Art become realized, and are made one with the individual consciousness. In the development of the mind from within outwards, Art becomes realized as simply destructive, or as representing conscious conceptions of these destructive laws of the mind; and the Fancy and Imagination become constructive of forms of Art which are founded in an inversion of the legitimate idealism of ancient art. These are realized, not as harmonious individualizations of body, soul, and spirit, but as dualistic and discordant representations of Chaos; and Naturalism and Affectionalism are set up in opposition to Idealism and Intellectualism. Thus, instead of representing Spiritual Perfection by the Sublime, which is the highest element in Art, the sublime is ignored, as idealistic, while a representation of Spiritual Imperfection by the Ludicrous is substituted, instead of recognizing External Nature and the Beautiful as the lowest and as the destructive elements in Art, they are regarded as vital, and as the highest, and instead of recognizing Man as a representative of Beauty, through the realization of a supernatural life, it degrades him by making him representative of imperfection, or evil, and dependent for his vitality upon the influence of external nature; while animal life, and the landscape, become the most prominent elements in Art.

Let us explain: The vital and destructive perceptive laws, included in the department of which the "Fancy" is the constructive power, are "Contrast" and "Resemblance;" the first of these being the law which regulates the combination of opposites for the purpose of making the higher conspicuous through contrast with the lower, and the second being the law which establishes external and partial resemblances in form and in function between things which are internally and really opposite. The vital phenomena in this department, which are realized through the combination of these opposite laws by the Fancy, with the subjection of the destructive to the vital, in the production of definite forms, are harmonious relations of contrast between physical opposites as mediums for the representation of natural and affectional states of the individual consciousness, including forms, upon the one hand, and colors upon the other, as intellectual and affectional elements which, in relation to Art, are vital and destructive ; and it will be understood that these harmonious relations of opposites are perfectly distinct from the perception of geometrical proportions and of harmonies of color, which is realized by the lower perceptive faculties of the mind. This perception is en

tirely separated from any relationship between physical properties and internal, individual experiences, the perception of which first appears in the "Fancy," and gives to its manifestations their representative character. The destructive phenomena in this department, which are realized through the combination of these opposite laws by the "Fancy," with the subjection of the vital to the destructive, are superficial resemblances between physical objects, and also between the external characteristics of these and the affectional states and indefinite conditions of the individual consciousness; being external, partial, and fictitious relationships, which are useful in representing in a superficial manner that which cannot be definitely expressed, and also in giving breadth and color to the mental manifestations and the individual communications; but which become destructive when assumed to be real, or to be truly representative of the real conditions and relationships of things. It will therefore be seen that these forms of the "Fancy" can never constitute a medium either for the expression or the representation of Truth, because they institute harmonious relationships between things which are really opposite; and that, when the Fancy comes under the government of its destructive law, and harmonious relations of contrast can no longer be conceived, while fictitious similitudes and contrasts of opposites are its only materials for representation, it must become a medium for the construction of the Comic, because this is founded in the most violent contrasts, combined with the most external resemblances. This destructive manifestation of the Fancy, by which opposites are confounded so that nothing can be truly known, appears in the forms of false Art, known as Wit and Humor; which we shall carefully analyze and illustrate in our psychological system: showing that the tendency of the first is to degrade what is high, what corresponds with the Rational and Supernatural, and therefore with the Imagination; and that the tendency of the second is to elevate what is low, what corresponds with the Affectional and Natural, and therefore with the Fancy; and that both of these forms are constituted by the combination of things which are not naturally connected, or which have no real natural relationship, and also of things which appear to be, or are superficially, like, while they are really the most unlike and opposite.

The vital and destructive perceptive laws which are included in the department of which "Imagination" is the constructive power, are "Opposition" and "Correspondence;" the first of these being the law which separates those things which appear to

be like but are opposite, and thus antagonizes the individual to the universal, the natural to the supernatural, and the external to the internal; and the second being the law which perceives, or directs the mind towards, those things which are really related; but, being unconscious of the laws of relationship, sees as one what are opposite, and identifies the symbol with that which it represents. The vital phenomena in this department, which are realized by the supernatural combination of these opposite laws in vital symbolic forms of which "Imagination" becomes conceptive, are representations of the relationships which have been established between the forms and functions of the Universe, and the laws and conditions of Absolute Existence, in the image of which it is created: they therefore represent the opposition that exists between the Individual and the Universal, and the means by which they become reconciled and united, through the Sacrifice of Personal Life, and the Regeneration of the natural form, by which the Human becomes Divine-Human; these being in harmony with the vital form of the Reason from which the Universal Laws of Correspondence are to be derived, and in correspondence with all the vital forms and institutions, both supernatural and natural, which have been established by supernatural means through the Church. The destructive phenomena in this department, which are realized by the supernatural combination of these opposite laws in destructive symbolic forms of which "Imagination" becomes conceptive, represent inversions of the relationships and manifestations which are symbolized in the vital forms here described.

From the statement here made, it will be seen that the Imagination and the Fancy are related as Supernatural and Natural,the first being the exponent of the internal, the rational, the sentimental, the sublime, and the perfect; and the second, of the external, the affectional, the beautiful, and the imperfect; but that both become manifested in a vital or in a destructive manner, as the vital or the destructive incarnating laws, as the vital or the destructive elements of these laws, and as the vital or the destructive elements in the principles which here become incarnated, predominate and rule. Even the Sublime-which is the vital element in Art, because it symbolizes the attributes of God - contains a destructive element, which is known as the material sublime, and is a prominent element in external natural productions; and this is not, therefore, found to be conspicuous in the productions of vital supernatural art, except in its decline, but is