New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-18
SUMMER PHILOSOPHY.
LECTURES AND TALKS AT CONCORD.

BEING "-CRFIfCISMS UPON The VIEWS "a
PRassFD-MR ALCoTr's PLEASANT TALK ON
MYsTICrsM-DR. TANNER REFERRED ro-oTHER
LECTURES.
lrnoM OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNE
CONCORD. Mass, July 14.-After sketchIng the
nature of philosophic thought, Mr.. Wm. I. Harris,
who oecupies Mr. Alcott's Orchard House for the
Summer was Obliged to attend an educational meet
ing in ST. Louis. and left here Yesterday. lie VIII
be back in time to resume his course next honoay
Meanwhile the school at the Hillside Chapel which
does not neglect art and literature, has listened TO
lecture on Color" giving both the scieniihc ana
spiritual philosophy OF that subject. from MIS-
Ednah D. ID. Cheney of Boston, who followed 1t
this morning with another on Early American
Art" Mr.. r. C.. Stedman who 10 passing his v1ca-
ton nc Swampscott where he is ut work upon
critical essay on Walt Whitman, for Scribpe's
Uoaihy. attended the conference this morning with
his wife, and expressed great interest IN the
school predicting for IT. If it should continue few
years a great future. Some interesting CONVEX
sation with personal "reminiscences from Miss Pea
body followed tho reading of Mrs. Cheneys MANI
script.
Last night, the Rev. W. n. Claiming began a
short course on Oriental and Mystical PhIiOso-
ply. The immediate subject announced was 'Mau's
Four-fold Being" which in Mr.. ChanninS's hands
became the basis for a sermon rather than philO
sophical disquisitlon He spoke without notes Tor
two hours occupying the time usually reserved for
discussion and stated at the close OF bis remarks
that he had lett his papers and books in England,
and was quite unfit to address tse school; but II
does not appear that any other lecturer will take
his place. He began by insisting again upon the
unsatisfactory results practically, socially and po-
tically of the German speculation. Hegel, it was
true had produced wonderful and in many ways
an admirable theory, which takes us into the very
! council-room of Heaven. whence the truth Is
spoken, but what have been the practical results
Their insuiciency has caused the reaction of real
ISM But il Is the public Of Europe that this
is a worse failure than ideasm. 1t is a disappOmt
ment even TO its leaders On the side they have
| a vast world Of objects, of matter" mind stuff,
as it may be called-but they cannot connect mind
with it. On the other they fail to apply satlsfacto-
| rily the laws of matter to mind Mr. Claiming
! cited Strauss. who with his noble mind, deep emo
tions and piercing criticism, reduced 10 des
| pair al the grave Of his brotherj Comte. with his
divided followers. and Mallock. with his unsatisfac
tory art criticism as witnesses to the ineectuaness
of realism to give its teachers any satisfaction.
! The need of the world, he seemed to think, was
/ new philosophy. which, passing through and be-
yOnd both speculation and realism TO a real IDEAL
| ism and ideal realism, resembling the philosophy
! Of Schelling would show universal life unified.
purified, sanctihed. He then passed on through
/ succession of SMILES and exhortati0ns not very
closely connected. hkeuing the human condition to
| existence in Gods great Kindergarten" After
| this he said it Gods great industrial school,
! His great mart. His grand studio His
royaI concert-room and academy. But
| must leave yOu to develop this at
your leisure" concluded the lecturer At
a later stage, however. he returned to
this train of SMILES, calling the world
Gods great penitentiary. in which are
all criminals together and made what strnck some
OF his auditors as a misapplIcaton of Hawthorne's
Marble Faun TO support this comparison. The
nearest approach made IN the lecture, or sermon, TO
the discussion of four-fold being was this, that
hitherto tbeoogians have insisted upon the three
foldness of God but the one in the Trinity coust-
tutes fourth element. new philosophy ia needed
to explain the unity presiding over the threefold
| life of man. Afterward n scheme OF his idea was
obtained from Mr.. Claiming privately as follows !;
l. God is immanent in the universe. 2 God medI-
| ates IN and through humanity. g. In the inte
| gent and ideal God Is lniiuent. H. God IL translu-
| cent embraces and embOsOms ALL Is the centre of
| all. and comprehends all Here He Is fully per-
| sonaI This scheme outlines the fOur-fOld being
! Mr. Channin2s address was brilliantly rhetorical,
| and contained some fine statements. The re-
| semblance to a sermon, spoken OF above, was in
creased by the appealing ieiteratlon OF certain
| clauses in "A peculiar chanting tone. and the re-
| peated of the apcstrophizIng Dear friends
dear SISTERS" which the other lecturers avoid. The
| latter half Of the remarks were rambling. and some
| of the strictly speculative Hegean fIequenters of
| the chapel have been heard 20 criticIse tine whole
as vague and incOncusve. 1t Is evident that there
to be some healthy difference of opinion in the
school
This evening Mr.. Alcott opened his conversations
on mysticism, under the light of haA dozen
| kerosene lamps IN brackets around the room and a
study lamp on the table before him, where stood
also a vase filled with ferns and flowers. Mr.. Alcott
sat in clair with his hand on Professor j. NJ Mac
donalds new work ST. John. TO which he
referred in general terms. 1t was pleasant
sight, that of the venerable but hearty figure of
this octogenaTan, with bland. deep voice and be-
nevolent manner, gently unfolding his views.
Mysticism he SAID Is tLat which we divine, without
being able TO put il INTO any II the categOres. How
little OF our lives can be put into categories! He
referred TO the instinct of woman, which cODylnces
her that certain things are true but she knows not
how. 1t Ia that essence of truth with which mystI-
cism has TO do. The special TOPIC for the evening
was personal or tneisJc mysticism, aud st. john
as its exponent. The other gospels are prose; his
is poetry The others tells US what Christ did and
said Jonn tells us what he thought. He possessed
divinatiOn. John asserts the personality of God.
The lecture which was broken up mic CONVERSE
ton by frequent questions, cannot be sketched IN
detail; Bnt Mr.. Aicost touched upon the rncarna-
ton OF the soul, through taking on body Though
| not from without; upon preexistence, and the
lapse of being BY unfalthtulness TO the pure
conceptions of the preeXstence " IOu devlate INTO
falsehOOd, say ana You Immediately become two !:
you pass out of the oneness IN which the soul orig
mates. You have done wrong. and" here the
speaker added punningy, " the deuce is in YOU
In speaking of throwing off portion of our cos
tune " of flesh, MIR. AlcOtt alluded 90 Dr. Tanners
experiment which he rather approved for its spirit
uaizlng tendency, though he admitted that GER
tain amount of flesh ana food is convenient" Ii
impossible TO do Justice to the mixture of playful
ness and earneS tness. the kindly urbanity and the
gentleuess of moral aspiration which showed
through this lecture and gave the impression that
Mr. Alcott has not quite received his due from the
outside world or from his sceptlcal fellow
tOwnsmen.
One hundred and forty persons in all have thus
far been present at the SIX meetings, and among
Y them Mr. Emerson has attended two or three times
though taking no part III the discussion, and with
HIM came Mrs Emerson once OF twice. Maria Nit
chell of Vassar was also among the listeners tO MIR.
Harris | understand that effort Will be made
10 get Walt Whitman who Is now making visit