personality? Do all inspirational images, states, conditions, or
whatever they may be truly called, have for a dominant part, if
not for a source, some actual experience in life or of the social
relation? To think that they do not--always at least--would be a
relief; but as we are trying to consider music made and heard by
human beings (and not by birds or angels) it seems difficult to
suppose that even subconscious images can be separated from some
human experience--there must be something behind subconsciousness
to produce consciousness, and so on. But whatever the elements
and origin of these so-called images are, that they DO stir deep
emotional feelings and encourage their expression is a part of
the unknowable we know. They do often arouse something that has
not yet passed the border line between subconsciousness and
consciousness--an artistic intuition (well named, but)--object
and cause unknown!--here is a program!--conscious or subconscious
what does it matter? Why try to trace any stream that flows
through the garden of consciousness to its source only to be
confronted by another problem of tracing this source to its
source? Perhaps Emerson in the _Rhodora_ answers by not trying to
explain

That if eyes were made for seeing Then beauty is its own excuse
for being: Why thou wert there, O, rival of the rose! I never
thought to ask, I never knew; But, in my simple ignorance,
suppose The self-same Power that brought me there brought you.

Perhaps Sturt answers by substitution: "We cannot explain the
origin of an artistic intuition any more than the origin of any
other primary function of our nature. But if as I believe
civilization is mainly founded on those kinds of unselfish human