Evening star., 1952-09-28
George Santayana,
Philosopher, Author
|0f The Last Puritan
BY the Associaied Pres,

/ wy s~AAeSS RAAA4O0SRAAO4 wiz WIOtC
the best-selling novel 1.-THE Last
Puritan" died last night in al
Catholic convent in which he had
lived in solitude for Is years. He
was SO,
Ranked as one Of the 10th CEN
tury's greatest thinkers. Mr.. San
tayana, a Spaniard by birth. was
known and loved by thousands of
Americans, many Of whom were
his students when he was a pro-
fessor of philosophy at Harvard
University from 1889 to 1911.
| His philosophers mind stayed
sharp and alert to the end, al
though age had enfeebled and
Shriveled him. His final book,
Nominations and Powers" a.
philosophical summation, was
completed and published only last
year.
Not Happy, but Content.
Surrounded by the books he
loved, Mr.. Santayana died in his
tiny room at the clinic of Brit
iSh order Of nuns. This room,
overlooking the Colosseum, had
been his home for IS years.
A year ago reporter asked him
whether he was happy. II am
not happy" he replied. II am
content. To say I'm lonely is
ridiculous. live alone, but 7
have everything I need. In soli-
tude I'm in my natural state"
The philosopher was born in
Madrid December 16. 1863. AL
though a Spanish national to the
end, he was considered by many
to be an American since he lived
in the United States from the time
he was 8 years old until 1911.
Mr.. Santayana was probably the
only philosopher to write a best
selling novel. In 1885 he turned
out "The Last Puritan" about
life in New England. Perhaps it
was this book. rather than his
many poems and philosophical
works, that brought his name to
the mass Of American readers.
All He Had to Say.
He once was asked why he never
wrote another novel and he re-
piled:
Il do not need money. I have
no greed. I have everything II
want. And I wrote all I had to
say in The Last Puritan the
memoirs of my time. My period
was 1890, and after that it has
been a survival period"
Mr.. Santayana was the son of
Augustin Ruiz and Josefina Bor-
raS de Santayana. His mother had
been reared in the United States
and her first husband was George
Sturgis. son of Nathaniel Russell
lSturgis of Boston.
Mr.. Sturgis died In 1857. Dur
ing a visit to Spain six years later,
the philosophers mother married
an old friend of Mr.. Sturgis,
} Augustin de Santayana. George
lSantayana was born the next year.
Led a Scholars Life.
His mother returned to the
) United States to be with her three
Sturgis children. Young Santa
Iyana remained with his father un-
It'll he was and then was taken
Ito the United States to be with
his mother. His father remained
in Spain.
AS a child. Mr.. Santayana led
the life of a young scholar, and he
followed a scholars life the next
'Ieight decades. He never used a
typewriter, never drove a car,
never danced and never played a
musical instrument. AS a boy he
played no games. but stayed at
home afternoons and evenings
reading and drawing. He never
married.
After % years at Harvard San
tayana received an inheritance
and returned to Europe as a lee
turer at oxford and the Sorbonne.
Wrote Life Of Reason"
The list of his works, which
dealt with every phase Of life, in
cludes "The Life of Reason"
Realms Of Being" and Persons
and Places" his autobiography
which was published during World
War II. He also published numer-
Gus volumes of verse.
He believed there were no great
world leaders in his time. He also
lost faith in the United Nations.
with more intelligent leader
ship" he once told an interviewer,
"the United Nations could have
been built into the most powerful
force in the world-an overwhelm-
ing force far greater than Russia.
But such leadership was not pro-
lvided. and so I have no faith in
the United Nations at ALL"