The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-10-14
FROM Pu|Rl1 AN
And PARTISAN
Remarkable Interest i!' Harvard ''
Lectures.
THE cERcLE FRAN G Al S.
,r,,a o,,v one Of its Kind in Existence.
what Judge Dudley be-
quea.hed-What Has
Been Done.
RonarkahIe Interest in Harvard
THE CERCLE FRAN c a S.

&c has inst been announced, IS 70 De tAe
French itterateur who will lecture f'h4s
wear before the Cercle Francois de oLl-
versite Harvard, taking as his SUBJECT
..Ja Theatre Contemporain.' The name OF
Descban7ps is we'll known in French let
tiers. In this century there has been Emil
Deschamps de Saint Armand, the poet
who died a genera ION since, and I'VE nun
bred years ago another OF the name Euo
tache, is saI to have written no less IMAM
775 oarades NJ. Deseflanps IS. HAe
so many clever Parsians, Journalist aha
is now on the staff of the Paris Ierl2s:
He is a graduate OF the Ecoie ->orliiaie-
For few years he was connected WIN
the French school of archaeoioss III
Athens A couple of volumes are the re-
sulr of his study in the East, Sur les
Routes d'Asie," and LA Greco d'auJourd-
hui, Another volume published three
wears ago is a critical study OF the french
writer Marivaux. Last year he brought
out lie Malaise de al Democratic
political essay whose title might De trans
lated into English as What is the matter
with Democracy?" It caused much COM
ment and discussion, both in France and
abroad His most ambitious work, how
ever is a series of studies in five volumes,
brought out over a series OF yeaii5. eiu-
tied as {, whole. Life and Letters ola
Vie ct les Lvres.'D If one adds that NJ
DeSchanps has also written a novel, en-
titled "Champfleury" it will be readily
granted that his literary career is pretty
well representative of the intellectual and
literary activity of modern Paris
THE CERCLE FRANCItIS LECTURES.
The lectures which have been given
during the last few years before the Ger
Gle Francois at Harvard are one of the
most interesting features of the general
c,-c.aru of rlrbIic lectures which has been
! growing up under the auspices OF the
! University.
| III 1897 Ferdinand Brunetiere of the
| French Academy had delivered three lee
! lures on Moliere al the invitation Of the
| French department of Harvard and Red
| cliffe, and Coquelin had given a public
| lecture before the Cercle ten years previ-
| ously but the Cercle's present annual
| series was inaugurated in 1898 by inviting
| NJ Rene Doumic to lecture on the His
! tory of French RomantcisTn. The year
| following NJ. Edouard Rod gave a course
| on Dramatic Poetry in France and last
| year NJ. Henri de Regnier was invited 10
! deliver eight lectures on Modern French
| Poetry" It has been pointed out that
! these three lecturers were antl-DreyfuS-
| res, while NJ DescThamps to help restore
| the balance, is ardent Dreyfusite.
| All these lectures by eminent French
| men are given in the French language. OF
|
| appearing al Harvard have delivered
! courses at various other colleges through
| out the country, thus helping 10 spread in
| America practically first hand knowl-
! edge of modern French thought. The
| Cercle Frarcais has been able to invite
| these distinguished men from Paris by
I reason of the generosity OF MIR. James H.
| Hyde. of New York. a member of the
/ class of '9S. and II college an enthusiastic
| member of the Cercle and for a while its
| president. Mr.. Hyde has established Tor
| the benefit of the Society fund of
| $50 900. the interest TO be applied in bring
| ing to Cambridge annually distinguish
| ed man of letters TO lecture on French art,
! literature or history. II is interesting
! to note that in recognition Of this service
| in spreading the Influence Of French
| thought in this country the French Gov
| eminent has recently given Mr.. Hyde the
| ribbon Of the Legion Of Honor, which has
| been awarded to few Americans, and per-
haps never before to so young foreigner,
unless in the diplomatic service
UNDERGRADUATES COOPERATION.
The Cercle Francois, which is an under
graduate organization. is not the only one
of its kind to aid the University by call
ing in distinguished mem from outside the
! college to deliver lectures for the benefit OF
the whole student community or the
public at large. The number of lectures
of all kinds delivered annually, in addi-
ton to these in the regular college work,
undA- the auspices of the University,
NAV be safely set down at well over 200
| and of these perhaps two-thirds are an
! nounced as under the auspices of some one
| or other OF the serious clubs in the col
lege or the graduate school, such as the
Geological Conference, the PHYSICAL Colo
quinn, the Mining Club, the Harvard
| Christian Association, the Classical Club.
the Modern Language Conference, and the
| like These lectures are announced each
! week on The University calendar, srd are
| open TO members of the University, and
| the mere important ones TO the general
public Many, of course, are primarily de-
! signed for specialists, but the majority
make some appeal at least to the WIDER in
terests OF the college.
In addition to these the University itself
provides considerable number OF public
lectures The subjects and the speakers
are chosen on the broadcast principles. It
is announced, for example, that Carroll D.
| Wr[ ght will give this year a, series on
wa ges: DR. Wilhelm Dorpfeld. the celebrated
German archaeologist. was invited couple
| of years ago to lecture on recent develop
ments in Greek archaeology; and anoth-
er SERIES especially Intended for Sunday
school teachers on Palestine Ant:qui-
ties was delivered at the Semitic Muse
| UNI. A more celebrated appearance was
that Of Mr.. Richard Olney in Sanders
Theatre three years ago. when he deiv-
| cred the address on America as a world
| power. which has Deem 50 widely referred
| to IN the present carnoaigu7. In a, lighter
mood have been the various lectures and
readings which have been given from
time to time for several years by Nir. c.
T. Copeland. one of the instructors in
| English, whose programmes have inclu-
! dad not only Thackeray ard Dickens. but
such modern favorites as Mr.. Kipling and
| Mr. Dooley.
Many more examples of the range OF
! these public lectures at Harvard could be
| given. but perhaps these are enough to
| show their extent and variety. There is
| one special class. however, which de-
/ serves mention, that is. the lectures Civ
| en- annually from the proceeds of regular
| " established funds. There are three such
lectureships-the IngersoI lecture. on the
| Immortality of Man, the William Belden
| Noble lectures. and the tDudleian lecture.
| The first two have been established COM
! ratively recently, the Ingersoll lecture
| bv Miss Caroline Haskell Insersoll in
! memory OF George Goldthwaite 1ngersoil.
/ and the second by Mrs. William Belden
! -