Dr. Rabindranath Tagore, the Oriental philosopher and poet best known to Western readers, who has come to this country for a short visit, will spend two days at the University next week, speaking in the New Lecture Hall under the auspices of the Department of Philosophy on both Wednesday and Thursday afternoon at 4.30 o'clock. In the first lecture he will discuss many phases of "Folk-Religion in Bengal," and in the second lecture, he will speak about "The Meeting of the East and West." The public as, well as members of the University, will be admitted without charge on both afternoons. Dr. Tagore will speak in English.

When he delivered several lectures at the University in 1912, the hall was crowded to capacity on each occasion and many people who came to hear him speak could not be admitted. In 1913, almost immediately after the first books which he had written in English appeared, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature, as the critics of Europe and America recognized that his works were masterpieces of style and expression.

Writer of Wide Versatility

Many of his early works which were written in Bengali, give realistic descriptions of the life in the villages and on the rivers of India and at the same time are filled with subtle metaphysical reflections. Included in his works are poems, novels, short stories, essays, sermons and dramas. Some of his most notable successes written in English are "The Gardener," "Sadhana," "The King of the Dark Chamber," "Nationalism," and "Gitanjali," which has been translated into a dozen languages.

His fame, however, is due not only to his ability as a writer and a dramatist, but also as a philosopher, for he is the modern representative of the long line of Indian philosophers which dates back to ancient times.

At present Dr. Tagore is making plans to develop the school which he founded at Balpur, Bengal, in 1901, into a university where Indian philosophy, arts and music will be taught.