Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-26

Perhaps these books are now out of
print They seem to me the very models
Of sound teaching in hterature--indeed,
Of inspired teaching.
must say in passing that no memory
of Woodbury. in his Columbia days
would be complete If 1t did not include
his friendship with Prof. A. v. Williams
scholar who elaborated with him in
certain of his courses and who happily
supplemented his personality. Prof
Jackson had social gift as remarkable
as Woodberry's reticence, and a light
ness of touch in contrast with Wood
berry's seriousness.
The friendship of these two great
men for each other seemed to us then,
and remains in our memory, q tortu-
nate illustration of those chivalrouS
loyalties which we were learning to ad-
mire in Sidney and Greville and the
other great companions of poetry. This
friendship Mr.. Woodberry recorded in a
charming poem to Prof. Jackson, in
Guided in his collected verse. Certain
lines referring to the first days of Co
lunbia on Morningside indicate the
ideal values which both men pursued
in their teaching.
Far From a Practical Man.
Woodberry was far from being a
practical man. He had singularly in
adequate contacts with AFFAIRS. He was
temperamentally destined to the cloister
Of the study. Yet 1t was only in later
years that we realized this. and none
of us thought the discovery was Of
much Importance. From his lectures
on poetry we derived a conception OF
life in the highest sense practical. He
was the first teacher from whom I got
the notion that the political life OF q
citizen is important and noble and
that the business enterprises OF a coun-
try cannot in the long run be sepa-
rated from its essential religious or
spiritual faith.
Having learned from him that poetry
Is the flower of life, but still an integral
part of 1t, we went on to learn that all
human activities are related and, I'M
less one is stupid or a hypocrite, must
be harmonious. The humanity of this
point is perhaps too magnificent for
the average citizen, especially II he Is
middle aged and a little world weary,
but for our boyhood it was thrilling
vision, and many student Of Wood
berry has tried to live in the power of
1t ever since.
This philosophy of his he embodied
in what Is to me enc OF the noblest
books written in my lifetime The
Heart of Man" The volume contains
three essays, one on poetry, one on pol
itics and another on religion, all at
tempting to show that these various ac-
tivities are natural outgrowths Of the
general heart of man. The essay on
poetry. which he called "a Defense" in
the Sidney Shelley tradition. summed
up his doctrine as teacher of literature.
These pages would be hard to match In
our time for breadth of sympathy, for
nobility Of purpose and for sheer elo-
quence.
Had Faith in Human Nature.
Other philosophers have addressed
themselves to the same theme, but usu-
ally with some cynicism, or at least
with an occasional note Of discourage
ment, WoodberrN writing at the turn
OF the century. had faith In the human
nature he was discussing and In youth
whom he addressed. How TO live, he
said, y the main matter, no matter
what we study; our highest intelligence
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