xt7kkw57hk9m https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7kkw57hk9m/data/mets.xml  Thomas Merton 1965-11-02 This letter is from collection 75m28 Thomas Merton papers. archival material 75m28 English  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Thomas Merton correspondence Letter from Thomas Merton to Victor Hammer, November 2, 1965 text Letter from Thomas Merton to Victor Hammer, November 2, 1965 1965 1965-11-02 2023 true xt7kkw57hk9m section xt7kkw57hk9m __+__
$7

ABBEY OF GETHSEMANI

TRAPPIST, KENTUCKY

Nov. 2 . 1°65

Dear Victor:

Today I am sending you a cosy of Chuang Tzu. J. certainly got this one
out fast. I have no doubt he will send you one two. You will see he made a
generous use of the books Carolyn lent us, for which I am very grateful, and T
hope they got back to you all right.

About "ornatus", I am afraid that I do not have much to offer in the way
of clear ideas. I know St Thomas treats it somewhere as a virtue, but T think
only in comhection with dress. More likely the avenue to exnlore would be
medieval metaphysics. For instance I was reading a Cistercian of the 12th century
who talks about the accidental perfections of a being as being necessary to its
full reality, which is of course obvious *n'the case of anything created. My only
tho ght is that after all if we think of it, the mode which demands an annarent absenc
of "ornatus" is itself in its own way a form of ornamentation, i.e. an accid ntal
style which adds a "character" of some sort to the thing made. Ornatus in any case
is not "ornament", hence I would say that strictly speaking even austere simnlicity
could be classed as ornatus, for instance in Shaker work. However, I know that this
does not offer much.light, and T must conclude that this is a subiect about which
I know little. Whatever T may have to say about it , if it makes'sense, has already
probably been said much better by someone else: in this case you. '

It would certainly be a great nleasure to see you and Carolyn, if you could
make the trip. I will see if something can be done to arrange it at this end and
will then tell you. Visits are sunnosed to have ceassd in nrincinle, but of course
some rare exceptions are still foreseen. If the weather continues as it is now, No—
vember would be a good month. I will try to let you know in a few days.

Meanwhile I will get the book in the mail. The hermit life seems to agree with
me. The complete isolation is a blessing, but it is also a little difficult in some
ways. However as I realize that this difficulty is necessary for me, T do not mind
it. And in any case, life among a large group of people has ceased to have any
attraction for me whatever. Still less life in "the world".

Blessings to both you and Carolyn. Somehow I have had a hard time gettinp into
the Eric Gill book and I think I must finally send it back without finishing it.
But first let me see whether we will plan on a visit.

Tflith all affection, in Christ,

“A