Liberty Of Thought
= UOTED jast week some flattering remarks of Voltaire on the subject of English treedom. The great Swedish mystic and visionary, Emanuel Swedenborg, as we usually call him, was a contemporary of Voltaire, but he looked out on the world with a very different pair of eyes from those of the French rationalist. In his work entitled "The Last Judgment," Swedenborg writes as follows: "Here I will say something of the noble English nation. The more excellent ofthe English nation are in the centre of all Christians . . . the reason why they are in the centre is because they have interior intellectual light. This light they derive from the liberty of thinking, and thence of speaking and writing. With others, who are. not in such liberty, intellectual light is darkened, because it has no outlet." Great praise, from such a source, is very humbling. We are worthy of it only in so far as we feel ourselves to be unworthy of it. But I have quoted it because it sets us a standard, and because in our literature at least we have not fallen altogether below that standard. For our great English writers at least we may make the claims that they have set their face towards the’ light, and have not encouraged us to domineer over others, or to find our happiness in doing evil to others--(" The Soul of England," by Professor Sinclaire, 3YA, October 1.)
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19411024.2.13
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 122, 24 October 1941, Page 5
Word count
Tapeke kupu
239Liberty Of Thought New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 122, 24 October 1941, Page 5
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in