Evening star., 1936-12-08
Doubts That Melancholy
Philosophy Was Serious
To the Editor of The Star.

The Star is to be congratulated on
publishing those new and heretofore
unpublished extracts from letters Of
Oliver Wendell Holmes, the great jurist-
philosopher. They appeared in The Star
in an article by Thomas r. Henry on
November %. I wish they might be
published at great length in some more
permanent form. Rarely, If ever, do we
find such o profound thinker-outside
the realm Of pure philosophy.
But the great jurist's views on life and
immortality and the whole cosmic scheme
were much more melancholy and mate
rialistic than had expected. 1t is diff
f1cult for me to reconcile the Holmes
whom we knew, with his keen zest in
life and with the warm, rich mental
pattern he constantly exhibited, with the
man who could say, II regard myself
as q cosmic ganglion." OF course, II
taken as an ultimate implication, if we
are nothing but a "coSmic ganglion," life
has no definite meaning at all
I wish we knew more of the great
jurist's views on these matters. I am
unable to see how he could fail to be
impressed with the life, character and
teachings of Jesus Christ. Here is
something more than mere cosmic
ganglion." We often forget that the
life and teachings of Jesus can be sub
jected to the most practical test q
purely pragmatic test, if we want to
follow William James,, and when we
do, we make the astounding discovery
that only the principles of Christianity
have stood the test of time have applied
universally under all conditions and have
endured the strain and the stress of
the most violent disturbances to the life
and thought of men for 1000 years.
Curiously enough I found striking
and significant answer to the views of
the great jurist on the very day after
The Star published this article.
1 happened to be reading a copy of
in England, and found there review Of
Prof. John McMurray's new book,
structure of Religious Experience"
Undoubtedly Prof. Murray was not
thinking of answering Justice Holmes,
but what he has said forms the most per-
feet reply to the great jurist's philosoph-
ical peSsimism:
Said Prof. Murray: 1.-THE spiritual
world to which, by our transcendence of
the natural order, We belong is not an
other world, but the natural world known
and intended. We live in the natural
world in good truth; but we know it and
know that we are living in it.
Because of this knowledge our
actions, so far as they are human, are
intentional, and our intentions. directed
upon the natural world that our knowl-
edge reveals, transform it and all that it
contains. 1t is no longer world Of fact,
but world of possibility; no longer an
existing present. but a world with q
future. So we have our being in a
spiritual world which is the natural
world of existence raised to a higher
power by our capacity for reflection and
the Intentionally which reflection con-
fers upon our activities"
I have always felt that America S
greatest philosopher was John Fiske.
Certainly he was greatest in the field Of
the reconciliation of science and re-
ligion In 1883 Fiske delivered an ad-
dress at banquet in New York City in
honor of Herbert Spencer-the great
philosopher being then on this only visit
to America. In the course of this ad-
dress, Fiske gave utterance to this
belief: There Is a power outside Of
ourselves that makes for righteousness" J"
Here was the greatest of the evolutionary
philosophers affirming his profound be-
lief in what is really the essence Of the
Christian faith and doctrine.
Fiske never changed or gave up this
view, and no scientist since that time
has successfully overthrown the under
lying truth of his declaration-uttered
now So years ago. This statement Of
Fiske remains the last word of an en-
lightened scientific intelligence upon the
greatest of all themes.
Mr.. Justice Holmes was contempo-
rary of Fiske-and a warm personal
friend as well I have discussed Fiske
and their friendship with the justice.
cannot see how Justice Holmes could
have remained uninfluenced by the
deeply religious spirit that pervaded the
thinking and writing of the great Har-
ward philosopher.
The beautiful spirit of Justice Holmes,
his delightful sense of the beauty of
friendship and the glow of life, all caused
me to feel that Gin the statement like
the one published in The STAR he must
have been indulging in playful philo-
sophical pastime and that underneath it
all he must have entertained some pro-
found faith in the certainties of a uni
verse which had produced a marvellous
thinking and feeling mechanism such as
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes