The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-05
DIR. PHILIP MAXOM HEARD
HE ADDRESSES MEMBERS OF IR-
VINGTON ATHENAEUM.
His Subject, Drowning and ImmOr
taIity," Handled in an Inter-
esting Manner.

The Irvington Athenaeum held it's second
meeting of the year last night in the Athe-
naeurn Hall at Butler College. Over 200
members were present to hear the lecture
by DR.. Philip Moxom, of Springfield Mass.
Dr. Moxom is we'll known among the uni
versities of this country, being university
preacher at Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Vassar,
WELLESLEY Dartmouth and Chicago. He is
also a famous lecturer 'and representative
before the various congresses of the Inter
national Peace Association. He is a MEM
Der of the following societies: The Amer
lean Oriental Society, the Society of Bibli-
cal Literature the American Economic AS
ISOLATION and the American Art League.
Mr.. Moxom has written a number of books,
the best known being THE Aim Of Life
and 1.-THE Religion of Hope"
The reception committee last night in
cluded Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Helmng. Mr.
and Mrs. w. X. Cook, Mr.. and Mrs. w. J.
Karslake and Mr.. and Mrs. 5. J. Terrell
Before the lecture the following names
were chosen from which the club will elect
a nominating committee: Mrs. Robert
Browning, Prof. Omar Wilson, Mr. w. c.
Montgomery, Mr.. Fred Ritter, Rev. Allan
Philputt, Mrs. T. L. Thompson, Mr.. Henry
Graydon. Mr.. ]. D. Forrest and DIR. Alex
ander Jameson.
The president of the club introduced the
speaker and announced his subject as
Browning and Immortality" which might
be Poetry and Immortality" Mr.. Moxom,
who has engaged in the study of Browning
for many years and is considered leading
authority on the poet, spoke in a clear
voice, showing a complete mastery of his
subject. He agreed with the president of
the club that his subject might be taken
as Poetry and Immortality" for poetry
is the only single function through which
humanity expresses itself. The poet is
not only the maker but the seer. The
poets of age represent the deeper
thought and life Of that age. The nine
teenth century, Mr.. Moxom said, had been
a golden age in English verse. Among the
cluster of poets, two names arise above the
others like giant mountain peaks, the
names of Tennyson and Browning. Brown
ing is the greater of the two, not in artistic
verse and melody, but in the fact that he
could put his hand further into space and
come back with something, while Tenny-
son represented the doubt and search for
faith characteristic of a certain type of
cultivated mind in the nineteenth century.
Mathew Arnold voices the doubt, the pen
sive despair, but not the striving hope.
| Browning is more widely and profoundly
representative because he had gone down
| in doubt and despair and knew the tragedy
| of life. In his case the speaker said,
| 'it is a fearless facing and questioning, a
! brave struggle, a searching argument, is
| suing in a sturdy and inspiring confession
! pies of this, Saul, "A Breath in the
! Desert" Christmas Eve and Easter Day
| and others. The speaker continued: His
! faith is robust and rises into indomita bic
/ l.
mism of merely happy temperament, but
| the optimism of a spirit that faces the
worst and sees through it, the optimism OF
! that faith which Is the victory that over
! cometh me world " DR.. Moxom then
| went on to consider Browning's attitude
towards the question of immortality. He
/ said: THE belief in existence after death
| is an ancient and universal belief. For the
| most part in early times it "A vague
| and cherries faith. The Egyptians seem
/ to have developed the idea of immortality
very early. Among the Greeks it did not
become distinctly personal until the time
! of Socrates. Among the Hebrews it die
not become until the Hebrew mind was
! touched by the Greek thought. and the
messianic idea had developed into distinc-
tiveness. Since the rise of Christianity il
| has been more vivid and strong, through
the impression of Jesuss personality and
| teachings. During the nineteenth century
| the sudden and immense development OF
! the physical sciences gave it a severe
| shock. But a change is coming al
/ last The sciences are beginning to witness
! Of God and spiritual realities and to sup
| port the spiritual Interpretation of life
| The speaker mentioned an example
| Professor Shaler's Study of the Individ-
/ ual" Continuing, DR.. Moxom said
! Through the long period Of questioning
and clouded faith Browning stood as q
/ strong witness for the supremacy of the
! spirit, while maintaining the integrity OF
life. and for the belief in immortality His
belief is grounded. first, in his sense OF
/ God; second. in his sense of the reality
and worth of the soul: third i'm his de-
mand of life for fullfiilment. He holds i'm
! plcitly the idea that evolution, in the full
| sense involves immortality" To emoha.
size his statements the speaker read from
three of Browning's works, although hi
| said that any might do They were
! "Cleon." "A Grammarians Funeral ano
Rabbi ben Ezra" The first, he said, ex.
hibits the want. the second the necessity
and the third the calm assurance of i'm.
mortality. The first interprets the best
though of decaying paganism in the frs
| OF life in the Renaissance; the third
though It's historical setting is the twelfth
| century is modern IN its thought. In clos
| sduarely on a fundamental truth that life
here is but life's fashioning of the great
| eternity"
After the lecture the club was informal
opportunity being given the members tc
| meet DIR. MoXom. Refreshments were
| served
Or. Moxom will talk to the students Of
| Butler at 10 clock this morning in the
- l.