The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-11-19
AN OUTLINE OF A PHILOSOPHER

TRANSITION: A Mental Biography. BY Will Durant.
Simon & Schuster. 49,
pESTING from the arduous abors of his Story of Phil
osophy viii Durant, in his off-hours co-partner
of summer camp in Pennsylvania wrote the story of
how he actually became great If any there were
who may have been Segued by the persuasion Of
his previous volume the present performance will reveal
sharply and conVncng nature of his mind and the
depth of his spirit
Will Durant first appeared on the sociological horizon
public lecturer, and then director of the Labor
Temple in New York Swift and dazzling his rise
scholar who could lecture any phase aspect
of the world of knowledge Sweeping in his intellectual
interests the of Durant dsquistons to breahess
audiences in the Temple of Learning conducted by the
New York Presbytery revealed knowledge unrivalled
by the educational series offered in the HademannJuiu
"Bue Books"
Not for long, however was it given that the great
sage should continue his pure and Socratic e dspens-
ing light to the weary and heavy-laden. For with the
publication of his Story of Philosophy Ia volume of
quaint and pleasant anecdotes about various phosoph
ers Durant found that the attacks the cultural Phil
istnes of sordd America libel and SANDER en-
rely unjustfed With great joy and thanksgiving the
intellectual vrtuoso discovered the Great Awakening
Tho his book sold for the of SIS 15O00 people
purchased from the publishers who in their right
had become wealthy the sales Of the successive ed
tons of Cross Word Puzzles zone hundred and seventy
five thousand minds here and now" runs the publishers
announcement, "have shared Browning's conviction
Life has meanng-to find it is my meat and drink !"
The Labor Temple is without the great scholar.
Barren indeed must be the spacious auditorium without
the nasal and lngratatng voice of the Man Who Knows
Everything
No longer dazed by his meteoric success Durant has
taken his facile in hand to write the story of phil
oSopher. Happy the tremendous sale of his first
book and made mellow by the charming receptions he
received at the hundreds of Womens Clubs where he
ectured various aspects of Life at fee of $500
Durants Transition is naturally quite free from that
gloomy outlook which prevails among many contempo
rary writers, called by some Prophets of Despair"
|
Ushered in by the dedication "To Tender Mother and
Perfect Father the present volume under proper adj
vertlslng auspices should have happy sale The
Story of Philosophy The book res to show the effect
upon one growing mind of the profound transformation
modern science and research have brought in the
faith of the western world Also to trace the evolution
of fairly typical rebel from Utopian aspiration thru
cynical dependency to of reconciliation
and good cheer"
Will Durant born the son of a worker in cement
factory in Readsboro Vt. He to Catholic schools;
studied for the priesthood; read Darwin decided not to
become a priest for that land probably many other)
reasons, was subsidized by rich acquaintance during
period OF European travel and of study
at Columbia where he finally decorated with Phi
ID During one brief period he was a reporter for the
New York Journal, but curious tendency the part
of the city editor to assign Duran rape cases
the latter to resign his job Then too he found the life
too fast for philosopher and retired the slower
of professor at Seton Hall College So Orange N j." A
snrp nostalgia Tor the fast life OF Journalism must have
possessed Durant later for he returned
the profession and applied the dvng rod of the higher
philosophy to the mysteries of the SnyderGray murder
case and wrote expensive series of articles for the
New York Telegram.
Durant had some political disusions too In chap
ter called II Play Politics" the philosopher tells how he
Joined up with J. A. H. Hopkins and his fraternity ri
successful lawyers in bold EFFORT to Capture the
eminent for the people, Tho the political lessons to
be CLEANED from the narrative few and lean the
light which it casts the great philosopher himself are
many and fortunate.
"At bottom am romantic and sentimental as
II ~