The Washington herald., 1906-10-21
AMERICAN IDEALISN
The Harvard Philosophical School
BY FRANK VROOMAN
BY FRANK VROOMAN

One does not refer to American phfoso-
ply WITHOUT consciousness Of the pathos
Of the illusions II Is not because We
have made no contributions TO a theory
of life It is that even our cultured
classes are not interested in the larger
point Of view Ordinarily whenever a
nation gets sufficient leisure from money
getting and killing people IL goes 10 phil
osophizing. But one only needs 20 spend
week in the book stores Of any OF our
large cities 10 see what is selling; in other
words the intellectual food of a great
people. The forewords therefore. Of a
group this side the Atlantic. who really
have something 10 say worth saying. con-
tain the promise OF a possible naissance
OF American philosophy. though while
one says this he Taps on wood. II Is TO be
hoped the movement. il indeed il is yet
movement. may not be lost amongst 3d.
100000 people preocCupied by Unprec-
edented material success For il Il was
true in Emerson's age. it IS more ap-
parent today that things are in the sad
die and ride the world.
The recent discussions Of American
y T.
answer to Gregory Maximes restrictions
upon American tho lghts. for Prof Brandcr
Matthews to cite Emerson and Lincoln
as practical idealists. A few instances do
not I'll the void. Moreover. idealism is
something larger. Again. even the aver
age best intellectual life Of the American
people cannot be said 10 be set more
strongly toward q theory Of the sum
mum bonum than toward the pursuit OF
the dollar almighty.
While there is in progress a distinct
and clear cut revival OF political morals
we have not yet laid the foundation of a
theory of ethics or politics TO say nothing
of theory Of life
Those who attended the courses of
philosophical lectures at Harvard fifteen
and twenty years ago remember well the
presence of certain cynical and destruct-
i've element not found in the Harvard
school to-day. The professor in the divini-
~ school who once bitterly complained
of the presence there Of the spirit that
would apologize for mention Of the name
Of God, has himself passed away. and
also the iconoclastjc spirit which is the
certain product of every period Of transit
ton. Harvard Is sounding a new note
Prof James Varieties of Religious Ex-
perience," Is almost an epoch making
book. His Ingersoll lecture on immor-
tality. his published essays and addresses
and especially his physiological psy-
cholOgy contain some of the most useful
reading I'm modern literature Profs
Royce and Palmer are more and more
constructive and wholesome. Assistant
Professor Santazana. more in his sug-
gestions of idealism in his Life of Rea-
son." than in his conclusions as to the
adequacy OF science. has made an I'm
portant constitution.
Not because it is most important. but
because of the brevity of its form, and
the lucidity Of it's statement special at
tention is called TO Prof Munsterberg'
lecture on Science and IdeaIism,r pre-
sented on the foundation established by
Harvard graduate to cement the union
between the two Oldest universities m the
country.
In this lecture IS epitomized as far as it
seems possible in so long a space the
best results of the Harvard contribution,
which is perhaps the best American in
depreciation of the age-long quest
For a half century or more science has
held the field with a revolutionary doc
trine-that OF evolution. II has trans
crossed its own proper frontiers and
gone 10 philOsophizing. Further yet. it
has been dogmatizing upon its own as
sumption of infallibility while looking IN
the face every day with unseeing eyes its
own reiterated admissions. that not a
scientific book in the library over ten
years Old is worth shelf room except for
historical purposes.
The monumental values contributed by
the century Of science just passed stand
in no need of claims OF monopoly OF
merit or infaIlibllity Of content. Their
just claims are sufficient glory. The
nineteenth century has already taken its
place in history as one of the few super
latively great creative periods Of the
human mind. Not that its work even ap