Old Hellas had its stadiums and its games. It also had its philosophers who always had a strong Greek word for it if anything were allowed to interfere with their normal life. The Vagabond as yet has not grown a beard but it did make him want to call up his Greek when he found that certain libraries and squash courts were closed because of the game and all that means. But he took a lesson from his friend the Hatter and all he said was: "Are Greeks today much different from Greeks of old?"

And with that, gentlemen, we may proceed to the business of the morning. It has to do with Aristotle. And his importance does not stop with his philosophical contributions. There is no field of knowledge where his influence is not felt. Dante is a closed book without some knowledge of Aristotelianism; and many a passage of Chaucer and Shakespeare and Milton are half-meaning to us unless we know something of this famous philosopher. When we speak of "liberal education," or "golden mean" or the "theory" of a policy as contrasted with the "practice" we are using words which derive their significance from the part they play in Aristotle's philosophy. As for politics, in view of recent events in Athens, one is reminded of the philosopher's suggestion that that is truly the Greeks' passion. Like the old Athenian ostracisms concerning Aristides and Themistocles we have watched Venizelos at one time exalted and now cast out; and again there is George II on his way to a country which put him into exile not so many years ago. To understand this Greek temperment, to understand much of modern philosophical discourse Aristotle is indispensable.

And it is for this that the Vagabond journeys to Emerson D at 9 this morning to hear Professor Demos talk on Aristotle. Other lectures are listed:

At 9--Professor Cross, "Pushkin", Sever 23.

At 10--Professor Sorokin, "Social Dynamics: Ethics", Emerson 211.