New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-09
CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY.
THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE INSTITUTE HE'D
AT .AvoN.BY-THE-SEA.
WHAT THE ORGANIZATION HAS DONE IN THE
TEN YEARS OF ITS EXISTENCE.

WHAT THE ORGANIZATION HAS DONE IN THE
TEN YEARS OF ITS EXISTENCE.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUsEJ
| Avon-by theSea, n. j., Aug. 6.-The American In
stitute of Christian Philosophy held its anniversary
here to-day. The Rev. DR.. Charles F. Deems of New
York, the President delivered an address. In open
Ing he called attention the blatant character Of the
attacks made upon the Bible and Christianity thirty
years ago BY men who took color from what was sup
posed to be science attributed the change in the
last quarter of century largely the fact that there
had previously been organized body 20 meet the at
tacks Of materialistc infdellty. such society
organized in Great Britain at Victoria Institute and
demonstrated that all the brains not the
side OF opposition TO the truth. The American Inst
tute Is society here for similar purpose. In giving
a history of this body DR.. Deems said:
ITO ascertain whether there was enough interest in
the subject to justify an attempt to form society
specially devoted TO the creation and dstribu
! ton of literature illustrating the relations be-
tween science and religion, in the of
| 1851, at Warwick Woodlands, on Greenwood Lake,
IN NewJersey, there was delivered course OF lect-
ures, beginning the 18th and closing on the 22d
OF July. The following were the lecturers The Rev.
Dr. Deems, Of the Church of the Strangers President
Noah Parker Of Yale; Professor Bovine, Of Boston
University Professor stephen Alexander and Professor
Charles A Young, OF Princeton; the Rev. DR.. A. II.
Bradford, Of Montclalr; Professor Alexander Win
chell Of the University Of Michigan; the Rev, DIR.
| Lyman Abbott, Of The Christian Union; the Rev.
| DR.. j. H. McIlvaine, Of Newark n. j.; Professor
B. " Martin Of the New-York University, and Pro-
lessor John Bascom Of the University Of Wisconsin.
THE whole expense Of this course, which lib
orally maintained, was born by William o. Mcdowell,
of New-Yorh. 1t was so successful that on July IL
A meeting was called for the purpose of organizing
! the American Institute Of Christian Philosophy. AT
its organization the Rev. Dr. Deems was elected pro-
visional president the Rev. DR. Bradford provisional
secretary and William q. Mcdowell, provisional
treasurer President McCosh of Princeton; President
Rattle, Of North Carolina; Bishop Cheney, OF
Illinois, Bishop McTyre, Of Tennessee; Professor
Bascom, of Wisconsin, and General G. W. Curtis Lee,
of Virginia. were the first vice presidents The first
monthly meeting was held at Warwick Woodlands on
August 2S 1851. The second was held on september
90 1881 in the paror Of the Church of the Strangers
The officers Of that church generously provided an
Office and place OF meeting for the institute from the
second monthly meeting to the winter Of 1880. Its
monthly meetings are held in Columbia College. The
number of members to-day is nearly 400, including
many Of the most distinguished thinkers in Europe
and America
During the ten years monthly meetings have been
held regularly and papers read, except in the summer
months. At those meetings there have been seventy
seven papers read. Two sermons have been delivered
before the institute in New-York one by the
/
| gan, on January 10, 1855, I'm st. Thomass
Church, and another by the Rev. DR.. James
| r. Day. on February 81, 1886, in the Madison
Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church. At the delivery
Of Bishop Harriss Sermon Bishop Potter presided, and
| followed the with remarks expressing his In
terest in the Institute and It's work, and his hearty
cooperation with it. He thanked the preacher for
his admirable address, and said that the Institute OF
Christian Philosophy had been organized to get at
those fundamental truths which especially con-
cerned society aud men. Its members were not con-
fined 10 any denomination, but embraced, in adj
dtOn to various Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal
Church. eminent scholars and professors throughout
the country. In speaking Of what the Institute Is
doing, the Bishop said that its publications had al
ready been sought for by Of the scholars in Japan
who especially turning their thoughts to The
Christian religion as the religion of the country.
The Institute has held fourteen summer schools,
the first and second at Warwick Woodlands, the third
at Atlantic Highlands the fourth, sixth and eighth at
Richfeld Springs, the eleventh al Round Lake, the
seventh at AsbIiy Park and the others at AvOn-by-
thesea At the schools, 100 lectures have been do
iyered, and three sermons one on August II, 1856,
by the Rev. Dr. Deems; another on July 81, 1e5O by
ArchdeacOn Mackay smith, OF New Ork aud the third
by President Reed OF Dickinson College. Two courses
Of lectures delivered in the Broadway Tabernacle,
in the winters Of 1so2-'s3 and 15s3J54 These LOO
lectures have prepared with great care, and many
of them by our ioemOst thinAers.
The lecturers nave represented the following col
leges BOWGOm. City OF New York, Columbia, Dick
nson, Emory, Hamilton, Lafayette Rutgers, 1rnity.
TUFTS, smith, and st Stephens and the following
unversities Boston, Cornell, Harvard, Ncwyork
North Carolina, Pennsylvania Princeton Texas, Van
derbt Virginia, Wisconsin,, and Yale. In addition
the presidents and professors, intellectual
men in business circles have contributed 70
the literature called forth by the Institute,
among them the distinguished explorer Hormuzd
Rassam, OF England, and the acute thinker,
Ram Chandra Bose OF India. These valuable prOduc
lions the Institute have been issued periodically and
now constitute eight large octave volumes Of which
DR.. MacCracken chancellor Of the University OF the
CITY OF Ncw-YOrk and professor Of philosophy says
The lectures and magazines IL the lnsttutej gvcN
each year almost themselves faculty Of graduate
philosophy for the whole country the Lectures and
other papers, and the transactions issued IN b
monthly called Christian Thought copy Of winch
Is sent 20 all members.
"The Institute invites to its membership men an
women learned aud uniearned. all who Wish b. their
names and fees to aid In Its good work. That one
cannot contribute u the production Of its literature Is
no reason for not becoming member OF inc III
stitute than the fact that cannot produce such
writings a. the prophecies OF Isaiah the ep,tles or
St Paul IS reason for not becoming member u the