From: dfreemans@live.com   
      
   On Thursday, December 25, 2014 12:02:41 AM UTC-5, Vincent Maycock wrote:   
      
   > On Wed, 24 Dec 2014 12:46:03 -0800 (PST), Debra   
   > wrote:   
   >   
   > >ANAGRAMS? ~   
   > >ARS MAGNA!   
   > >   
   > >Great art!   
   >   
   > Yes, that was a good one.   
   >   
   > The first time I encountered the word "ars" was in the title of a poem   
   > called "Ars Poetica," by Archibald Macleish, which should be required   
   > reading in all high school curricula (which in fact it may be, since   
   > that might be where I encountered it).   
   >   
   > Of the two translations from the Latin anagram you posted,   
      
   ie Firstly, "The great art!"; Secondly, "Great art!"   
      
   > I would   
   > think that the first one would be the better one.   
      
   I don't know about "better", but what I did notice is that a kin art or   
   exercise called "Gematria" equals "Great aim", so for the   
   synchronicity of "Gematria" to equal "Great aim" and for "Anagrams"   
   to equal "Ars magna" which means "Great art" I think is really quite   
   profound, plus I love the symmetry and think symmetry has strong   
   value as well, just as well or better than your proposal to say that   
   anagrams are THE great art (which isn't actually true, is it? Gematria   
   is just as much of a great art as anagrams are, and there are other   
   equally great arts). [Note: I initially put "The great art" because   
   for some reason that is the meaning given in the few cites I took   
   the time to look at; but after doing so, it came into my mind that   
   magna just means great, not greatest, AND that the word "the"   
   is not actually in "ars magna / art great / great art", AND that if   
   I changed it to just "Great art" then there would be the above cited   
   synchronicity and symmetry, so that is when I then made the change.]   
      
   > Provided that you   
   > remove the unnecessary exclamation mark after it,   
      
   Alt.Anagrams is a Usenet forum. Any person in the world with access   
   to a computer can take a look at its postings and archived postings.   
   There are maybe, right now, only several thousand people in the   
   entire world who both know about anagrams AND gematria AND take   
   interest in both of these things. Though I may put up a posting now   
   and then with some particular person or persons of the other posters   
   in mind (of which there have only been about 10 regular posters for   
   the past 4 years), the majority posts of mine are directed at the world   
   and for their eyes an exclamation mark is most appropriate. But even   
   if this all were not the case, I think it very fair to say that each anagram   
   is a surprise and exclamation worthy, as long as such a mark fits in with   
   the syntax (thus even I have at times not utilized such a mark).   
      
   > it seems to have   
   > more gravitas, and is more an appropriately general in nature, than   
   > this second one you've posted.   
      
   Yes, that would ascribe more gravitas, but as explained above I don't   
   think that more gravitas would be appropriate, nor would it offer the   
   other bonuses or as well.   
      
   I am very pleased that you seem to want to continue at alt.anagrams;   
   that is one of the reasons why I ventured forth to talk.origins in hopes   
   of finding at least one new person interested in anagrams and in being   
   a poster at alt.anagrams (no newcomer-n-sticker in 4 years is pitiful).   
      
   All the best,   
      
   Debra Dee Freeman   
   A.A REDEEMER? D.F., NEB.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)