Year: 1871

Professor Porter was born in Pennington, in
this state, in the year 1911, and is consequently
now sixty years Of age. He has the appear
ance, however, of being much younger. and
would hardly be taken to exceed fifty-four or
tifty-dye years. In physical activity and mental
vigOr he is in the full prime of life, with still
many years of promised usefulness before him


He graduated at Yale in 1881, studied and en-
tered upon the ministry in the regular course
afterward, and was appointed Clark professor of
moral philosophy and metaphysics in the same
institution in 1S46, which position he has
filled with eminent success and most distin-
guished ability ever since. As ateacher of moral
philosophy and metaphysical science, he has no
superior and but few equals in this country. Iu-
deed, few men have happier faculty of fami-
liarly Calculating the problems of metaphysics


in their more intricate and subtle directions, or
of bringing their minds to bear upon the anaIy-
Sis OF the mental laws, preclusive of further in
quiry, than the Yale professor of metaphysical
science. The great work which he published in
1868, entitled "The Human Intellect: with an
Introduction upon Psychology and the Soul"
established his reputation at once as a profound
thinker, and a metaphysical scholar of the high
est order of attainment. The acuteness and
philosophical insight displayed in this work, in
disposing of the more abStruse speculations
touching the intellectual and moral nature of
man, and in clearing up the popular confusions
on the subject, show as complete an individual
mastery of this almost impossible science as anv
pen that has ever touched the philosophical
depths of our language. In addition to
this important contribution to metaphysi-
cal science-furnshing, as it does, the
best textbook in our language for its
study-Prof. Porter has given to the public
other literary efforts of Il very high order of
merit In 1851, he published a volume entitled


The Educational System of the Puritaus and
Jesuits Compared" which attracted no incon-
siderable attention at the time and in which
same tpllCifOug Of 10 h &,


seryaDle as in the more profound and thorough
ly digested work to which we have referred


From the title of this volume, and the fact that
Its author is of Puritan stock and profession


one might very naturally infer that the subject
would be treated in q less broad and catholic
spirit of inquiry than actually characterizes It's
every page. 1t is manifest, from the first initial
sentences of the work. that the writer defends
the Puritan system from the many groundless
attacks made upon il, not because he is of Pu-
ritan origin himself, but because of the ntrin-
sic merit it possesses over its opposing system !:
nor does he combat the system with which it is
compared from any other bias than that which
would elicit the truth as well from the extreme
as from the middle ground of the controversy


1t is this pre-eminent candor and fairness of ar
gument in the writer, as he passes over the dis
puted field of inquiry, and his impartial array
of facts as bearing on the points discussed,
which compes the reader to yield his conviction
and Judgment as against prejudice and error


In this work, as in all other writings of the au-
thor, there is little or no display of learning !;
and yet there is infused throughout its pages
that more delicate quality of scholarly culture
which gives the true aroma Of learning ITSELF


But the work which has more recently at
tracted the public attention, and especially that
of the American scholar, is the very timely vol
ume, entitled "The American Colleges and the
American Public" in which the author comes
forward as the champion Of the old system of
| collegiate education dispensed at Yale, making
a most vigorous defence of the classical studies,
grounded on their superior discipline and cul,
ture, against the more vaunted improvements
at the Michigan, Cornell and other universities
of the country, so called. He examines the
charges made against the old system in detail ;
shows that most Of them are either baseless, or
founded on misapprehension and error; and
that even those which are the most plausible
relate rather to details than principles. He is
not averse TO the development of the college
into the university, where the proper means are
| employed to that end; but to employ university
instruction, confer university freedom and re-
cognize university responsibility for classes
winch require the rigid discipline of the college,


Is, IN ms Judgment, as we think it must be in


the Judgment of the best and most experienced


educators of the country, one of those NEW