New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-22
PHILOSOPHY AT CONCORD.
THE RESULTS OF THE SESSION.

= ~ An ONNAsiosAL CORRESPONDENT THE TRrBU,J7.l
CONCORD, Mass. Aug. 1o.-Saturiay was tire
closing day of the five weeks, session of the
summer School Of Philosophy here This has been
,,s third season. and from almost daily visit to
itiilslde Chapel, without information from statis-
,ics' should say that it has been more successful
IMAM last year Its audiences have averaged larger
ana IL the departed of last year and wear before
VIII not make personal application of one remark
as they surely have no reason to do. they have
seemed to me to be of stronger and tougher in
teilectual FIBRE judge faces and craniums. bnt it
certainly seems as if the school has had an ex-
cehehe class OF patronage. Fun is often made of
i% ana fun comes easily when large number OF
men ana women are doing a very unusual thing
what do those women know about philosophy %
Is common question Well, perhaps three-fourths
Oh the school, on the WHOLE have been women
W whenever L have counted, four-hfths have been of
Vne geAtier sex. And Of all these women far more
are school teachers than of any other one class 7
am inclined to- think that the unlfcationifa con,
hoh WORD here may be allowed-of such women
anu such philosophy as is taught here will produce
Nv 'no"P resules IN the school-rooms where these
women reign and in the circles where they move
OF Vhe principles constantly maintained by the
lecturers here whoever has occupied the chair for
the hour are conservative of all that is best and
stable in our society and laws aud their application
TO the field of education has been frequent in the
discussions which have followed the lectures
Professor Harris, especially, who stands among the
nrst practical educators of the country and who
has the gift OF seeing the practical turn of the
underlying principles of the human mind to
greater Gegree than any of his associates on the
faculty, lays stress often upon the effect which the
principles enuncated must have upon the human
mind SO practical good result of wide benefit is
possible -supposing the school teachers to have
MINDS big enough to grasp the principles, and
memories retentive enough TO keep them and wills
strong enough to apply them. Most of them look as
II they had. As to the men who come here several
OF them are professors and instructors in colleges or
evidently recent graduates. Clergymen have
formed an appreclable part of the audiences, and
among the occasional listeners have been business
men, some of whom seemed to take in what was
SAID, while Others wnked at each other at the big
words and long sentences as i thew were mere
faTrago of nonsense.
Some of the doctrines set forth grayely by the
lecturers do seem somewhat ridiculous judging by
what l hear and by my own ideas also. 1t is an
assertion OF Mr.. Alcott, well known almost as TO
cease to excite SMILE that in sleep the soul retres
from the forehead into the backhead" and PLAYS
antics up and down the spine Dr. Jones' expound-
ing his doctrine Of the Immortality of the soul that
mortality is condition of sin ard Immortality Is n
condition of holiness says that souls can and do
pass from mortality to Immortality ard from inn
mortality to mortality. Then he quotes from Plato.
who seems to be absolute authority with him the
passage which says that the immortal existence
must he monotone To escape this monotony the
immortal soul runs over for while into the mortal
state, thus making the saying it's naughty, but
it's NICE" both profound philosophical truth and
the expression of deep longing of the immortal
soul. OF course the doctor would not acknowledge
that his doctrine goes far but do not see how il
stops short OF that ridiculous extreme The doctor
who Is an NJ d., not d. D., also holds that as
plants are largely nourshed from air, so is the
human body. Food does go to build up the
frame it merely makes blood, and the blood by the
lungs takes the solid material for the body from the
ar. Now 10 the average mind there is a ludicrous
side to these things, although the main subject ia
serious enough. Both Dr. Jones and MIR Alcott
believe that the human soul has existed before the
present NE, position not held by Professor
Harris But admitting these points against the
school, with Dr.. Joness long words aud lack of
logical proof-which he especially disclaims as
being out OF place for those who come simply 10
contemplate truth--and with Mr.. Alcott's specnla-
tions-which may be according TO the common
sense of his listeners or may motif remains that
beng done by the school.
Some may say that these three men haye men,
is not So DIR. Jones and Professor Harris have each
ten ten lectures n me Programme-twice as many
upon the philosophy of life No other lecturer with
distinctlyely philosophical subject has had more
Minneapolis. who delivered three.
Now few words as to this positive work of the
SChooL rst OF the lecturers must be put Professor
Harris. HIS course of ten lectures has been IN two
parts of five each, one upon phlosopbic principles
WITH OF course, some reference TO their history and
one upon HegeFs philosophy. Professor Harris is a
remarkably clear, RAPID and concise thinker aud
ms thinking is reflected in his speech. Like his
associates, he is firmly grounded on the superiority
Oh hnlnd over matter, and believers IN a blind
materlalisin have no mercy from his logic. One is
naturally governed much by his preintlces and if n
student denies the aXioms OF Professor Hauiss
ponent into agnostlcsm where he cannot IooicaIiy
affirm anything-he the student will not admit
the conclusions. But If one with firm belief i'm the
reality OF the unseen above the seen. but without
clear logical perception of the necessity of such n
position. wishes TO have his befoegcd brain cleared
Few men VIII DO the service as skilully and salts
factorlly as Professor Harris. He gets to the basis
of law, civil society, the family and the Church |
Doubtless many people who rldicue the school act
unconsciously upon the very PRINCIPLES which he |
aiiirms, but n clear holding Of them is a better |
guarantee of making no mistakes in their momen- |
t9us Application than mere blind feeling of them
lie clears up; he strengthens he builds "a broad |
foundation on which all humanity and its institu-
tons seem to have abiding place. ne asserts tho
Trinity as philosophical doctrine. and his hearers
would easily Imagine him true Orthodox. But he |
is IA member of no Church. AS to his familiarity |
with the history of philosophy, he is equally at |
home in ancient Greece modern Germany or the |
schoolmen of the Middle Ages and he seems 70 mt
every man into bis historical connection with his |
predecessors. contemporaries and successors. Dr. |
Jones and MIR. Alcot, too whatever their peculiar
side doctrines are IN accord with Professor Harms
upon the main question to the supremacy of the
spiritual over the material world. Mr.. AIcott in
deed, instead OF making thought a function of \
matter, makes matter tue precipitate of Thought"
They stand upon the philosophical basis as the
Christian religion, and all strongly opposed TO
those materialistic doctrines which teach that /
nature and man are evolved from matter by a |
blind working OF laws without any supreme intel
llgence brooding over it.
1t is observed that the school has the support of
the Trinitarians more than of the Unitarans-tle |
latter keeping rather shy of it, though the staunch
SaN-