INTELLECTUAL PIETY: A Lay Sermon.

New York: Fowler & Wells Co., 1896., 1896.. Very good. - Octavo, 7-7/8 inches high by 5-1/8 inches wide. Softcover, bound in light greenish tan printed wraps. There are a couple of light brown rust stains to the lightly soiled front cover with a small chip out from the top front corner of the cover. 30 pages. The top front corners of the first few pages are creased and there are tiny brown spots to a couple of the pages. Very good.

First edition. RARE. WorldCat locates only 5 copies.

The Scottish-American philosopher Thomas Davidson (1840-1900) was born at Old Deer near Aberdeen, Scotland. He first moved to Canada in 1866 and then to the United States a year later. He spent a few months in Boston before taking a position as classical master and subsequently principal in a St. Louis, Missouri high school. After eventually settling in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Davidson continued his extensive world travels while learning the languages of the cultures he visited, including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Arabic and even Latin. He studied Greek archaeology and wrote "Fragments of Parmenides". He studied in Italy, where the Pope suggested he should settle in Rome to aid those editing a new edition of "St. Thomas". He wrote "The Philosophical System of Antonio Rosmini-Serbati..." while living in Domodossola at Piedmont and translated Rosmini's 3 volume "Psychology". Davidson was instrumental in establishing "The Fellowship of New Life" in New York and London. Influenced by Aristotle's pluralism and concepts of the soul and nous, his philosophy "apeirotheism" is described as a "form of pluralistic idealism...coupled with a stern ethical rigorism...". Lecturing at Bronson Alcott's Concord School of philosophy, Davidson wished to establish his own school and, after first setting one up in Farmington, Connecticut, he found the ideal location in Keene, in New York's Adirondack mountains. With assistance from his friend Joseph Pulitzer, Davidson purchased 167 acres where he established "The Glenmore Summer School for the Culture Sciences". The location on the east hill of Hurricane Mountain was ideal as such luminaries as William James, Felix Adler, and Prestonia Mann already owned properties in the region. Stephen F. Weston and E.T. Harris had cottages on Davidson's land and John Dewey purchased land across the brook from the school. He envisioned the school as an experiment focusing on the whole person studying intellect, affections and will.