New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-25
PAPERS READ At CONCORD.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrBUSE.I


Ros,ox. July 24.-At the Concord School of
philosopbv this morning Dr. II. X Jones lectured on
~Tae Relations Between Common Sense and Philoso
phy" 10 the average hearer however they did not a
pear to he closely allied After talking a. ength upon
the fact that there three degrees OF thinking
namely the sensuOus image, rational inference from Ino
image and that of logical order Dr. Jones went lnto
careful examination of the sansorit language which was
valuable philologically, for nothing else
He said that the sanscrit language, what
ever its antiquity, is, perhaps the rlcneSt
in grammatical forms OF any language with whlch we
are acquainted 1t Is wonderful than Greek more
copious than Latin, and more cultivated than either
There can be little doubt that it is derived from some
source common TO Celtic, old Persian old Chadee,
IA well as Phencian. Sanscr1t was probably current
not only over India, all the Oriental world The
annals of the tongues OF the great show that they
are all rooted in this language OF the Brahminlc
faith Nothing less than the highest CIVILIZATION
can account for this refined language because
language is the witness of civilization Dr. Jones paid
specia attention the Vedas sacred books OF the
race the first four Of which supposed to have been
revealed BY God and considered the fount OF all
knowledge, divine and human. These four Nedas are
the leaves Of the TO which God ilmseH mas Deen
compared Their doctrine OF caste Is hat IL not oi
human enactment that civil society Ia the creations
of Providence. They had most complete and wonder
full civil and criminal code and, moreover vouminous
commentaries together with bewdering mass OF pop
MAR literature Wherever we look their literature
the notion OF nnty presents itself The Vedas declare
that the is TO the visible world so are the lues
of beauty and good 10 the invisible world IRIS paper
was dis cussed by Mr. Alcot and Dr. McCosh OF frnce
ton. .
Professor W. t. Harris chose for his topic Gnosti
,,s and Neo Platonsm" He said the study OF the his
tory Of the first Of Christianity is OF very great
interest because 1t shows to the struggle OF new
principle supplantng the old and leading In new CIV
nzaton In days OF free investigation ana tne oe
sire for int cearness in matters of religion
there is tendency leave the authority OF the churct
and find another authority based the certainty
science or experience, or pure reason
we may find many people gad
consider with the history OF the beginnings OF ina
system thought long since grown INTO the
that supports our CIVILIZATION Inc speaker slo tna
he found that the vlw which seems TO explain the phO
sophie systems and THEOLOGICAL reactions OF those early
ages ia the one winch makes broad distinction between
Orentasm ana Christianity, ana DEFINES tne IT'S
tnre of man. the possibility for each individual OF ne
coming molly by putting of his animal nature
tnTe. Acc ,rding TO this view, the Oriental
religions do not ind God to be divine human put con
reye him TO utterly transcending all human atrl
butes be absolute reason but ABOVE reason
not 10 be the good but TO DC above tne goca
OF readers and admirers OF Oriental hera ure; put
oniy view that we ~ accept, because it
the only view that 1ustihes our CIVILIZATION
goal toward which we may advance indefinitely ant
never reach Professor Harris then said the mos
famous of the Gnostics born in Alexandria, or
SYRIA Pontls or Mesopotamia and went 10 Rome. Val
entnus Msrcion Bssildes Bar iesanes, saturnlus an
(renthus are perhaps the most famous names out OF
great number II ese hold that matter Is antagonist
to God and a limit the power that made IL Hence
God did IL. God Is ndetermnate ana pOsssse
no attributes through which reason may cOmprehen
Him Creation, therefore Is the work OF demiourgos
These rr the very OF Phlo, and Will reappea
among the Neo- Pia tOnists. some GnOstlcS neld IN
curious theory that demOurgos was opposed 10 IN
ruled II as ito prince, but should give way before IN
new dspensaIi0n brodgnt by Christ who came as
divine messenger to the rule of the prince Of thi
word"