Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-02-03
Practical ldealism.

wide attention. Among the great
| workers of our time along the lines of
education. theology and philosophy he
holds high position and is winning
student. an original and independent
thinker and has the power of express
ing his views in vigorous and con
vincing manner.
His new book, practical Idcalism,"
which has just been given to the pub
lie. is companion volume to his
Social Theology" issued two or three
years ago. The object of that book
was to give popular statement in
| literary form of the main conclusions
CT the new theology" In sense
the object Of practical Idealism" is
! Csophy. This might almost he called
! the new philosophy for. though It
/ is as old as Plato. it has played Il
/ more important part in English thought
/ in the last two decades than ever be
/ fore In this volume, President Hyde
! deals with some very fundamental
I problems. but ii is one of the few
/ philosophical books that the learned
/ and the unlearned may both read with
| profit. The beginner in philosophy Will
look long for a better Introduction Ia
the wider fields of his subject; and the
! book worn philosopher will see with
! pleasure the fresh form which his spec
ulations take on. and the inspiring us"
made of them to guide practical men
to the life of the spirit.
| The work of Darwin turned the whole
course Of thought into entirely new
lines no less in philosophy. economies
and politics than in biology. Finally
| the application of the evolutionary
| idea to the problems of society led TO
the growth of the social idea" or the
organic conception of society. 1t is i'm
possible to expand this point here.
| Suffice it to say that this form of spec
| lation rests upon the idealistc meta
| physics as a substructure, and is itself
at the bottom of most of the dreams OF
OF schemes for. social reform
This connection of ideas is the key %
President Hyde's writings and teach
! ings Thoroughly imhued with th2
principles of philosophc idealism. h
would have all ethical, economic and
social problems treated from the stand
! point of an organic society. which is
moving to the goal of the perfect ad
| justment Of all its members. Thes'-
! members are the individuals of the
| community: the problem is to deter
| mine the function of the individual
| (person, or group. or institution in the
! life of the whole; and duty is the full
| fiment of this function for the sake cf
| the whole. He writes then not as Il
metaphysical but as "a social philoso-
| pher. The Practical Idealism is nor
meant to be SO much a-discussion Of the
underlying tenets of idealism, as IN
exposition of the significance of those
/ tenets. This fact is suggested by thy
| title. The work deals chiefly with the
! practical consequences of idealistic
! principles in the variety of worlds IN
! which we live Some books are solely
| for the intellect some are for the emo
| lions. The former leave us thoughtful
| but cold; the latter often would rouse
! Us to action. but furnish no reasoning
| to guide enthusiasm. President Hyde
/ avoids both errors, and gives us book
| at once compact with deep thought ami
moral fervor.
/ The earlier chapters of the book
! give the largest amount of exposition.
/ They treat of the Natural World" az
| if appears to the individual mind al
successive stages. From the first
blooming. buzzing confusion of the
! infants sensations the growing urdi-
/ illness of the world and it's problems of
/ increasing compleXity. are developed
4 step by step as they appear to the eX-
| banding intelligence, until they find
| their goal in the highest conceptions
/ of religion. The first chapter intro
! duces US to the problem of the activity
| of the mind in building an orderly
/ world out of the raw material of sen
| satons. The next three chapters
carry this world building process into
| It's more complicated stages dealing
respectively with the problems of
| psychology. logic and esthetics. These
| fundamental problems are handled
with such a liVcineSs of style and such
an aptnesS and humor of illustration
| that the interest is constantly main
| tanned.
The second half of the book is con
cerned with the spiritual World"
| and an idea of its scope may be OBJ
tanned from the chapter titles, the
World of Persons" the World of
| Institutions" the World of Morality
/ ID