The Hawaiian gazette., 1883-10-17
Collegiate Transc1ndentalisn.

was the establishment five summers ago, of the
Concord School of Philosophy. Its conception
was owing to an avowed transcendentalist, Mr. A.
Bronson Alcott, and its organization and teaching
have been derided by men committed to take an
ideal view of things. Much of the ridicule which
has attended the operations of the school has been
owing to a want of comprehension of this fact.
Mr.. Alcott is now the most prominent survivor of
the great intellectual revival of forty years ago.
he was one of the great minds who formed Uni
versity of Brook Farm, and his whole life has been
conformed to that early dream. His single aim
has been to spirit1alize living. The habits of his
daily life have been modelled on the abstemious
standards Of the Greek philosophers, and at
the age of eighty he pursues his early ideals and
enthusiasms To found school resembling that
of Plato in the Groves of the Academe, was the
dream of Mr.. Acotts youth, but he had long since
ceased to think of it as practicable. During his
travels throughout the Sout and West, however,
while giving his " Conversations" he discovered
material out of which to realize that dream. In
Jacksonville Florida, he found Plato Clubs, under
the guidance and instruction of DR.. Jones, who
las devoted hiB life to that study. In st. Louis,
he found clubs for the study of Hegel and other
philosophers inspired by Prof. VIM. f. Harris, the
Superintendent OF public schools IN that city, and
the editor of the Journal Of Speculative Philosophy.
In ST. Louis also. under the tuition of Mr.. Denton
j. Ruider. author of DelpEic Days" and waller
in Hellar," he found societies for the study of the
literature of ancient Greece. To them, with others
he uufolded his plans and found in them ardent
co-workers. In July, 1873, the " Common School
of Philosophy" was opened at Mr.. Alcott's place
at Concord, Mass. A more fitting spot could not
have been found than this quaint old town, the
home and last resting place of Hawthorne, Emer-
son, Thoreau aud many other names prominent III
tina lr,h M a n
nounced that the meetings would be held in the
grounds of his residence. The Orchard House
which adioins Hawthorne's Way side Inn. Phil
osophy was 10 be made free to all II was to be a
revival of the old Greek days. After each lecture,
questions were TO be asked, and the topic in hand
to be discussed by any who chose. OF the
men and women who formed the Faculty, the only
one who was an ayowe0 transcendentalist was Mr..
AlcOtt The others were mostly enrolled under
the standard of some particular philosopher or
school of philosophy, though all had received
their earliest and best impulses from transcenden
tai sources They were all early Emerson enthu-
siasts The PHILOSOPHERS most studied and taught,
were those classed under the general name Of Spec
ulative PHILOSOPHERS the new ideal, spiritual I'M
aginative philosophers, differing widely from those
of the materialstic school, being in direct oppo-
sitiOn TO the teachings of COuite and Herbert
Spencer. An extract from the programme an
nounced for the opening session will perhaps, give
a clearer idea of the intellectual aim of the Faculty
Mr.. Alcott, five lectures on Mysticism, the sub
leCtS De1ng JONn tue ENaDgellst,- EGlOtluES,
'sfanler,'' "E-chart,'' "Behmen,'' and Sweden
borg" DR.. Jones, "Plato;" from Prof. Harris,
probably the greatest intellectual force of the
number, five lectures ON the History of Philoso
ply and five on @Speculatiye Phllosophy;' Mr..
Rinder, five on Shakespeare" four by the Rev.
VIM. ii. Claiming, on Oriental and Mystical
Philosophy three by DR.. Kedney. on the Sub
lime and the Beautiful" with many other single
special lectures on the fine arts and literature, by
distinguished and women, the last being an
essay on "Aristocracy," by Emerson. The sessions
were TO continue five weeks, with two lectures
daily, one at nine in the morning, the other at
half past in the evening. In the second year
a little house, called the Hillside Chapel, was
built in Mr. Alcott's grounds, by a wealthy and
philosophic lady, for the use of the school when
the weather did not permit of open air meetings.
Its style and decorations were severely simple.
Busts of Plato Ihoreau, Emerson, PestalOZZi, etc.
were placed around the room, and behind the rails
ed platform, from which the professors delivered
Their lectures was an engraving of "Ihe School Of
Athens" Most OF the audiences, outside of the
professors and lecturers, were women, and their
vital and intelligent interest. and the briliancy of
their intellectual acumen, displayed in the conver
satons, argued high degree of culture. As has
been often remarked, if Socrates himself were to
appear in this country, his audiences would be
composed mostly of women. In all these lectures
a strenuous effort was made to impress the idea
that philosophy was only rightly studied, when
sought as intellectual aid to practical living 1t
was not allowed. as was anticipated by many that
philosophy was to take the place of religion, but
rather to strengthen religious belief The follow
ing names and subjects are from part of the pro-
gramme of the fifth and last summer, Just ended:
Prof Harris four lectures on MANS Immortality
in the light of Philosophy Mr. Snider, four lee
lures on "HOmer and the Greek religions" Miss
elizabeth Peabody, a lecture on Milton" Mr..
Cheney, a "Study of Minerva" Mr.. Julian Haw-
thorne, a lecture on Novels" Mr. David A. War
ren, a lecture on "PlatOnism and its relation to
Modern Thought"
Unfortunately, although the Interest and attend
ancc during the last session, equal to any pre-
yious one it was deemed undesirable to attempt
to arrange for a continuance of the school. The
seriously impaired health of Mr.. Alcott, together
with his advanced age made ii impossible, even If
he should be spared, for him to continue to hold
the meetings at the Old Orchard Home. AS none
of the professors are in a position to offer the
school suitable place, and as there is no fund, 1t
has been adjourned sine die. Probably, howeS er,
arrangements will be made during the year 10 meet
once more and have an Emerson week The great
number of people who have been pleased to pre-
dict failure for it. and the newspapers which have
enjoyed exercising their wit upon it annually have
remarked its enuing with great satisfaction. If
1t is failure 1t is noble one and will perhaps,
in the future, bear more fruit than some of the
things which the world elects to call successes.
"a Washington Winter was issued month ago,
and has made Il great JHOr, though not of the kind
that was to have been anticipated. 1t IS amusing
to notice that the very things the critics complain
of as being grave caricatures are the most true
literally true--what people seem to want Is an
ideal Washington, where all the official persOnages
jre as grandiose as their prefixes. The old Wash
ingtonians are as class, cultivated, refined and
LIBERAL but the official life represents perfect
saturnalia, some good, some bad. The Miss Norton
of the novel is Mrs. Dahlgren herself, and of the
two young girls who compose Miss Milton's family
one is the authors daughter Romagne now the
Countess Won Overlook, celebrated beauty and
musician. Most of the characters in fact taken
from life, and are easily recognized. The sketch
of Garfield in particular, is very Just and pleases
all who knew him personally.
But the novelist of the day is Mr.. Marion Craw-
ford the author of "AIr. Is9acs or Claudius." and
A Roman Singer" now being published in the
AHaHtic. his stories are very sKetchy, but have u
great deal of power. His vigorous, thorough going
lovers, in refreshing contrast to those of Mr..
james. He comes to the work of story telling un-
usually well equipped. He.is a Bostonian the son
his life, not only in Europe but in India, where he
made study of itc religions and philosophy, which
accounts for his being able to write 'Alr. Isaacs"
He is young, handsome, and thorough musician,
the latter qualification being the key note of "a
Roman Singer Last winter he was In Boston,
the guest of his aunt, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, and
the coming season he expects to visit Washington,
when he too, will essay a Washington novel.
Speaking of James recalls an expression made
about him q few nights ago, which will serve to
show the growing disfavor with which he is re-
garded. At a little gathering, which met to hear
the poet Stedman read his criticism on Longfellow
which is to appear in the October Century. In the
discussion which followed the reading, it was re-
marked that Longfellow, in his Hyperion, began
the dramatizine tendency which all fond of
attributing to James. Upon the mention of his
name, an amusing conversation was carried on for
some time, rather in ridicule of James, and his
methods until at last one of his friends n pres
ent brilliant journalist and critic was called on
to defend him, which he did by saying: II think
YOU are altogether too severe with James; there
isn't thing the matter with him except that he is