Philosophical Conversations at a Summer Colony in the 1870's

Philosophical Conversations at a Summer Colony in the 1870's WARREN E. STEINKRAUS THE CONCORDSUMMERSCHOOLOF PHILOSOPHYbegan in 1879, and lasted eight years. Thomas Davidson sought to keep the idea going in 1888, in Farmington, Connecticut. And again in 1890, he sponsored a "Summer School of the Culture Sciences" in the Adirondacks at Glenmore, New York.1 Earlier, in the summer of 1881, with the backing of such men as Cornelius Vanderbilt, the "American Institute of Christian Philosophy" was founded. Its president was Charles F. Deems who later established a lectureship at New York University.2 This was short-lived, but other organizations grew out of it and 2 For a history of this activity, see Henry M. MacCracken, A Propaganda o] Philosophy. History of the American Institute of Christian Philosophy 1881-1914 (New York: F. Revell, I914). Initially a summer school, the American Institute later held monthly meetings. philosophy was discussed in summer schools at resorts in New York state such as Richfield Springs, Round Lake, and on the Jersey shore at Atlantic Highlands, Asbury Park, and Avon-by-the-sea. These last were affiliated with religious groups, but they included discussion of philosophical themes. But even before the Concord School got under way, culture-hungry American vacationers were exposed to learned philosophers at the Assembly on Lake Chautauqua near Jamestown, New York. A parade of distinguished American philosophers spoke at this famous and still thriving spot. The first was Borden Parker Bowne, a friend of Chantauqua 's founder, John Vincent. Bowne began lecturing and leading discussions on metaphysics as early as 1877, when he was but thirty years old. A host of other distinguished thinkers followed up into the twentieth century. Among these visitors to that summer colony we may note James McCosh, who spoke in 1879, and William Graham Sumner, who lectured in 1886. William Torrey Harris appeared in 1891 and 1903; Jacob Gould Schurman in 1891 and 1902; George Herbert Palmer in 1893, and John Fiske and G. Stanley Hall both in 1895. On July 24, 1896, William Jalnes delivered a lecture: "Psychology and Relaxation.''~ William DeWitt Hyde gave lectures in 1897. From July 24 through July 28 in 1900, John Dewey gave a series of talks on education.4 G. Stanley Hall and W. T. Harris were on the summer program several different years, but in the early days, the outstanding philosophical spokesman and most widely reported lecturer was Borden P. Bowne. In the period from 1877 to 1895, Bowne made eight summer appearances at Chautauqua and presented no less than twenty-five lectures on strictly philosophical themes from metaphysics and the philosophy of science to ethics and the philosophy of religion. 1 For a prospectus of one of these summer schools,see Herbert Schneider's ,4 History of ,4merican Philosophy (New York: Columbia University Press, 1946),pp. 460-461. Dewey and W. T. Harris were among the participants. In 1904, William/ames appeared in a five-lecture series. a This lecture was later published in James' book, Talks to Teachers (New York: Henry Holt, 1910), pp. 199-228. 4 A sample topic: "Social Duties of the School." [341] 342 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY Most of Bowne's lectures were printed word for word in the Chautauqua Assembly Herald, a local publication, and a few were summarized. Of the other philosopher-guests at Chautauqua, only a few had their lectures printed out in the camp daily newspaper. The presentations by John Dewey and William James are reported only in summary form? Now Bowne usually began his lectures at eight in the morning. A reporter describing his lecture of August 7, 1882, remarked: "Another wild metaphysical revel in the mornhag by the bright light." We have records indicating that Bowne received five hundred dollars for his lectures that year. Later, the intellectual stamina of the audience of vacationers began to dwindle, and in an 1886 newspaper report, this comment appeared: "Difficult to get enough of Bowne when you get through the difficulty of him." Bowne ceased lecturing at Chautauqua in 1895. The next year William James made a single appearance , but apparently did not find the type of audience Bowne had earlier become accustomed to. In a letter...