The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-10-07
LECTURED ON TEN NYSON.
REV. DIR. LEETE DRAWS LESSONS
FROM POE7'S LIFE.
First of Series of Two Diseourses De-
Iivered at Dwight Place Church Last
Evening-The POETS Belief in the Lite
to Come Quotations from His Works.

1.-THE Religion of the Age in the
] Poetry of Tennyson" is the subject of a
series of two lectures, the first of
which was delivered at Dwight Place
church last evening by the pastor
Rev. DR.. Leete. The second lecture will
be delivered on some Sunday evening
near the close Of the month.
A large congregation heard DR..
Leete's lecture last evening and found
it very instructive. 1t was in a sense
departure from the usual Sunday
evening service and the second lecture
will be eagerly looked forward to.
Yesterday was the ninth anniversary
of the death of Tennyson and in his
| lecture last evening DR.. Leete dWelt
upon the poets treatment of faith and
reason: of his belief in the ultimate
purposes Of God; of his views on the
Bible and on the life after death N
the next lecture Dr. Leete will con-
slider Tennyson's general views on
Christianity and Christ; his problem OF
suffering: his idea of prayer: his oo'n-
ion on certain social questions, includ-
{ ing marriage and divorce; general pub
lie morals; the rewards OF goodness
and the punishment Of sin.
In opening last evening DR.. Leete
gave brief sketch of the life Of Ten
nyson, not forgetting mention of the Ill
ness of his infancy and the several
| narrow escapes from sudden death
which he had later There are good
reasons why writer like Tennyson
should be especially brought to the at
| tention OF a Christian congregation.
| The place of poet, as religious
teacher, is not unimportant Poetry
represents the highest thought of men;
it is the most perfect form of l1tera-
ture 1t safely cages the spiritual force
of any age. Thinkers of this kind can
not be measured like scientists and
philosophers and statesmen, and yet
they are. in one sense. doing the work
of all of them.
''Tennyson lived in every decade OF
the past one hundred years. And what
century it was, well worth reviewing
from the standpoint of any artist. Ten
nyson was a man Of remarkable men
tai grasp and attainment He was
genius of the first order; as a scholar
very hard worker, and as a reader,
omniverous. He travelled and he knew
personally the great men of the age IN
all departments of life. He set himself
severe tasks and had an earnest pur-
pose. 1t is very desirable to know how
to such a man appeared the great Verl-
ties Of the gospel, and doubly SO In an
age so full Of strange events. new dis
coveries and eager criticisms. HIS
preservation of the verities Of Christ
ian faith among such searching minds
as surrounded him makes Tennysons
testimony of value to the thinking
world to-day And he had felt the
pressure of human needs and disap-
pointments; he had sorrowed and strug-
gled.
Continuing Dr.. Leete quoted very lib
orally from Tennyson's poems in out
lining what the poet believed of the re-
lation of faith and reason; of his be-
lief in the ultimate purposes OF COD;
what he thought of the Bible, and of
the life after death, which he termed
1.-The cardinal point of Christianity.
IT can hardly understand" the poet
wrote how any great imaginative man
who has deeply lived, suffered, thought
and wrought, can doubt of the soufs
continuous progress In the after life.
OF this life to come Tennyson was Of
ten speaking. He especially sought out
the Door old men of the neighborhood,
from whom he tried to ascertain their
views on the subject.
In closing DR.. Leete quoted Tenny-
sons beautiful poem, Crossing the
Rar'