The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-25

Prof Edward II. Griggs, the orator who
is making so great a reputation in the East,
is an Indiana man. Although born in Min
nesota, his parents still live at Irvington.
He graduated at our State University and
migrated with President Jordan to Mrs.
Stanford's California college In his boy
hood he attended the Indianapolis public
schools.
Curiously enough, he does not seem to be
known very widely in his old home. For
the last three years he has had amazing
success as public lecturer in Boston, New
York city and Philadelphia. In these great
cities no room was large enough to hold his
crowds. He speaks only upon scholarly
themes, and usually on literary or peda-
gogic subjects "a Book of Meditations'
Oh. w. Huebsch, New York; is the second
of his published productions, 1.-THE New
Humanism" being the first. To show what
manner of writer he is the following ex-
tracts are given from his "Meditations:''
1.-The faculty of arguing can be applied to
false premises as well as to true ones.
Many false view has been logically es-
tablished. We grow in knowledge of truth
not so much by processes of argument as
by coming to see what it is
allied heart of all religions is also every
where one?'
I'm the stir and hurry of life how careless
we are of little courtesies. We rudely brush
aside love that yearns to bless us. I'm
thinkirgly we wound hearts whose joy or
sorrow hangs upon our slightest act or
word. Pride or careessness checks the
spontaneous expression of our love. We
crush and cast aside the flower of lifes
mystery and then bemoan the monotony
of existence. Oh. to be awake every mo-
ment TO the wonder and majesty of it ALL"
Nothing great can come without entire
sincerity of purpose and of life. Given this
and one may pass through fires of mistakes
and yet grow on into life, but without earn
estness life means nothing 1t is the lack
of earnestness that is degrading modern
French life. 1t shows in the quick spasm
of irresponsible passion, in the cruel self
ishness revealed in a crisis, in the idle Gu
riosity. and easy abandonment to cheap dis
sipation. 1t is a Savonarola these French
people need. even more than the tickle Flor
entines needed him in the old days.
For every attainment one must renounce
something. The problem of life is one of
proposition. To affirm always the best and
renounce the lower, that is genius"
There is no doubt that a certain repose
of life is necessary, not only for balance
and elevation of spirit. but for the highest
creative energy. If. as Goethe affirms, we
must reach out into the manifold human
world to avoid degenerating into a harrow
| egotism 1t is equally necessary to have per-
| iods of serene and quiet repose and recep-
ton of beauty in nature, art and thought
to avoid the dissipation of the energies of
| the spirit. So with the personal re-
| lations of human life; we cannot be always
upon the heights, and ii is wrong to blame
| ourselves overmuch because of our failure
| so to be. Every mountain means at least
| two valleys. and the very possibility of
| standing at times upon the supremest sum-
mits depends upon the intervening periods
of quiet acceptance of the waiting during
the night. or slow struggle toward the yet
| unattained vision of the day."
This book is to be read, not studied. Its
| depth and beauty come to us like that of
the New Testament or Shakespeare, only as
we take IL up in our best moments