New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-05
MR.. PATER'S NEW BOOK.
LECTURES on PLATO AND PIATONlSM.
PLATO AND PLATCNi:M \ seli"S Of Lectures.
Ry Walter P,'er Fellow 81 BgTis"nuse COLLEGE.
octave PIP vii. 23i. Ncw-lork ana London
Macmillan d CO.. 1893.

~ walter iicr Fellow Of Ta, Go nse
octave. PIP VII. 31h New ORR ana Luhh"h'
Macmillan a CO., lob
For one thing. at least. the author Of this
| took might have been depended upon-for some
thing more than dryly scholastic survey Of tie
Platonic philosophy. for a thoroughly sympathr;i"
Interpretation of it's spirit. Perhaps as Just an
| observation as any other his calculation OF
Plato would he that it is consistently Piat0nlc III
| temper 1t j. Mr. Iat"rs distinction 10 have
RANGED himself. 10y an intensely penetrating ana
| exact habit Of thought and a passion for Ill"
| perfect integrity of the Thras'. with the few
| writcrs-all so different from him and from each
| othcr-likc De Quincy Matthew Arnold ana
| Flaubcrt. who have elevated prose to Il higher
power male il the vehicle Of an analytlc faculty
which apprchends not only the current but the
deeIpst Inducements. not only the tone nut III"
| semi-tones of the question upon which 1t Is
| brought to bear. and who have succced"i
in communication. through language Of inhn-
| tely subtle gradations not only the thrill Of
| thought, but, as Mr.. Stcdman would call it, In"
| thrill within the thrill Approaching Plato with
an instrument Of literary expression adapted 10
the translation Of his authors very dclicat"ly
| shaded ideas he has also the sensitive, flexible
understanding of those ideas which insure, for his
Interpretation the temper we have described
For the students Of philosophy 70 whom the lc'-
turrs composing this volume were originally al
dressed at Oxford. and TO whom they are n'w
| offered everywhere, there could he no criticism
more stimulating and helpful than this which aims
so purely and 50 surely at the truth. gooi
example Of it, may be taken from an especially
important chapter. that the doctrine OF Plato.
"Platonsm," writes Mr.. Patcr, is not Il formal
| theory or body of theories bat a tendency, OF
| group Of tcndcncies-a tendency 10 think or feel.
and 10 speak about certain things in particular
way discernlbc in Plato's dialogues rs rejecting
the pcculiarities. the marked peculiaritics, Of
himself and his own mental complexion. That
s an adequate explanation Of the note in FIT,
which distinguishes him in spite of the formu!aivc
| aim OF The Republic" and the strong
! svmrathy he had for the Dorian principle Of
order surviving in the mobile lif" Of Attici
about him, and in spite Of ia" endurance all
through his philosophy of the Pytla2oiran Gle
mcnt, the law Of numbers, OF music, which he
assimilated early. AMI only maturcd TO apply
with the more wisdom. Adherence 10 any
dogma threatening TO limit the boundaries Of his
thought as rcpugnant to Plato as II was to
his MASTER Socrates, and on" Of the characteristics
which Mr.. Pdter has TO enforce land cn'orccs
with deli 1litful fincness Of pcrccption Il the
peculiar nature Of Plato's Indebtedness to his
predecessors, ana eSlrciaIiy 10 tIic ioni'H an"
Eleatic teachers
An aristOcrat by blood conservatism was born IN
Plato, but ii was inherent in his intellectual genius
also and from the Dorian strain in HIM the
Spartan ideal warm response. Ii was an
ideal corpactcd OF Fythagor"an hypothesis. I'M
prcgnatcd with the natural tendency OF stern
race to rules Of life involving perfect harmony.
the elimination of nOnesscntials is thc
negative way Of arriving at order: it Inc
supreme ideal, in actually, Of discipline and 1t
became the ideal of Plato's ideal fabric. the
perfect city. In The Republic" Mr. Pater
finds an embodiment OF the LaccdacmOlian spirit
he describes the Platonism of that and the other
works as a highly conscious reasserion OF one
of the two constituent elements in the Hellenic
genius" the element OF balance. OF balance as
it was understood by the hardy Lacedaemonians
enamorcd Of rhythm. of memorable order, Of
abiding principles. the Athenians were en-
amored OF every new thing with Il willingness
TO adjust themselves to it, temporarily, perhaps.
but inevitably nevertheless. What was the i'm
pulse that served TO eounterbalance Plato's lean
ing TO the Spartan theory, what was it that gave
him pause on the threshold OF that imposing
spectacle and leaves Patonism, after "The
Republic" and the Dialogues mot u formal
theory or body OF theories, but tendency or
group Of tcndencies." to quote again Mr.. Pater's