Now I think there can be no doubt that we do judge that there is
a difference of value, such as I have indicated, between the three
cases in question. We do think that the emotional contemplation of a
natural scene, supposing its qualities equally beautiful, is in some
way a better state of things than that of a painted landscape: we
think that the world would be improved if we could substitute for the
best works of representative art _real_ objects equally beautiful. And
similarly we regard a misdirected affection or admiration, even where
the error involved is a mere error of judgment and not an error of
taste, as in some way unfortunate. And further, those, at least, who
have a strong respect for truth, are inclined to think that a merely
poetical contemplation of the Kingdom of Heaven _would_ be superior
to that of the religious believer, _if_ it were the case that the
Kingdom of Heaven does not and will not really exist. Most persons,
on a sober, reflective judgment, would feel some hesitation even in
preferring the felicity of a madman, convinced that the world was
ideal, to the condition either of a poet imagining an ideal world, or
of themselves enjoying and appreciating the lesser goods which do and
will exist: But, in order to assure ourselves that these judgments are
really judgments of intrinsic value upon the question before us, and
to satisfy ourselves that they are correct, it is necessary clearly to
distinguish our question from two others which have a very important
bearing upon our total judgment of the cases in question.
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