The San Francisco call., 1896-12-19
ABOUT THE DIVINE
PERSONALITY
DR.. William T. Harris
Lecture in Berkeley
Last Evening.
The Existence of a Personal
God a Certainty of Philo-
sophie Thought.
Objected to the Theory That. Nature
Is an Accident in the Divine
Purpose.

BERKELEY. CAL. Dec. 1S.-The audi
torium OF Stiles Hall was not large
enough to accommodate all who desired
to hear Dr. William T. Harris tonight on
''The Nature of the Divine Personality"
and many were unable to gain place in
the audience.
The visiting philosopher was introduced
by Professor Howison, president of the
Philosophical Union, who made few re-
marks on the subject of his address.
MANY persons in the East who are in
terested in philosophy are looking to Cali
fernia Tor a new revival of philosophlc
thought" said DIR. Harris before entering
upon the discussion of his subject. II
have the highest regard for Professor
Howison, in whose thinking l take more
interest than in that of any other living
philosopher"
The noted visitor began his lecture by
reference to the importance OF concepts OF
first cause, which was declared to be the
basis of all religion, all philosophy and all
ethics. IF the evidence of senses
alone is to be trusted there can
be no certainty OF immortality"
said Dr. Harris, "bnt man has an inner
inner Consciousness, presenting to US feel
lngs, iaeas, acts of will, leads us to widely
different thoughts from those reached by
views only of the external mind. We can
not afford to look at the world only from
the objective point of view, but must in
clude in our evidence the phenomena and
the characteristics and necessities OF
mind
After reviewing ancient doctrines of
theism DR.. Harris proceeded to explain
the Christian theism OF the Hebrews.
s'The substance OF their early faith is
found IN the Psalms and in the early
prophets" said he. at dealt with god
external to nature, having infinite right
eousness and goodness and worshiped not
bv forms and ceremonies, but by
human manifestations of righteousness
and goodness. In this idea all exist
through the Almighty grace or kindness
in conferring life. 1t is loving kindness
rather than justice. Justice Is for the ma
ture being, loving kindness is for The i'm
mature. The Greek philosopher was the
source of the roots of Christian plety OF in
tellect, which, as opposed to piety of heart
or faith or piety of will or right actions, is
defined as comprehension of God"
DR.. Harris declared that Plato was the
first philosopher to trace the ontological
proof of God, establishing the necessity
for the existence of an independent being
Dy inc IdCI VI tAG SAiotCACC VI tuo Oc-
pendent being.
1.-The modern doctrine of the correlation
OF forces presupposes the existence of in
! finite personality" continued he 'just as
the doctrine of totality of dependent be-
| ings leads to the idea of an independent
being. If Spencer had had mind like
Plato's he would have reached this con-
clusion rather than arrive at the unknow-
able that is the basis of his universe"
The lecturer reviewed Aristotes addi-
tions to the system of Plato, and closed
his remarks upon the Greek philosophers
with the assertion that Nothing needs to
be withdrawn from their conclusions,
more may be discovered, but all only
makes more certain the fundamentals of
the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle"
Dr. Harris then proceeded to compare
the Greek and Hindoo conceptions of the
infinite, and to expound the Christian
doctrines of the holy trinity and of the
atonement. The doctrine of Father, Son
and Holy Ghost was elaborated philo-
sophicaly and declared to contain full
explanation of creation ana of the world
OF dependent beings.
Individuality" said DR.. Harris in
speaking of evolution, "begins to appear
in specific gravity in matter. 1t is found
all through creation, organic and in
organic, until in man it reaches the
height of moral action"
DR.. Harris affirmed the existence of q
personal God is a certainty of philosophi-
cal thought. He objected 10 the con-
ception OF nature as identical with God
and also to the teachings of some theo-
logians that nature is but an accident in
the divine purposes.
There are two orders of knowing
events" said he. "Ihe first is the SEN
sual knowledge of externals. The second
is the knowledge of God, the most certain
of all our ideas, the light IN all our SIM"