Auckland Institute. 749; 



of the mediaeval Cliurch, and in the first instance its object was to atir 

 the emotions and purify the morals of the faithful by bringing home to 

 them the facts of sacred history with the greatest possible vividness. At 

 the outset, sacred dramas were enacted within the walls of the church 

 itself. Indeed, the form of service itself was, as a French writer has 

 noticed, "nothing but a long divine spectacle." The lecturer then gave 

 a description of the old miracle-plays, and an estimate of their relation 

 to the life of the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. He then 

 noticed the "moralities," or allegorical plays, and farcical interludes, 

 ending with an account of the genesis of the regular English drama, as 

 represented by Shakespeai'e's immediate predecessors. 



Seventh Meeting : 2iid September, 1895. 



Professor A. P. Thomas, President, in the chair. 



Papers. — 1. "Two Coming Echpses," by Professor H. W. 

 Segar. 



Abstract. 



This paper gave an account of an eclipse of the moon (partial) to 

 come o2 on the evening of the 3rd September, and a partial eclipse of the 

 sun to take place on the 19th September. 



2. "Browning's ' Vision of Life,' " by E. A. Mackechnie. 



Abstbact. 



The author commenced by stating that, although the high excellence 

 of Browning's poetry was beyond dispute, yet he could not be called 

 popular, and his works were not widely read. This is in great measure 

 due to the subject-matter of his poems, which is chiefly psychological. 

 Few people take an absorbing interest in such studies ; and it is this 

 want of interest in the subject, rather than obscure phraseology, which 

 is the true reason why Browning's writings are not more often read. The 

 writer then proceeded to illustrate the views which Browning held of life, 

 and of man'.s duty to himself and others, giving frequent quotations from 

 his poems in support of his statements. He considered that Browning 

 possessed in no ordinary degree the scientific spirit of patient research 

 and minute analysis. He threw himself, as it were, into the very mind 

 which he pourtrays, showing it from within, and laying bare its thoughts, 

 passions, and secrets. It is this study which lent interest to his life, and 

 to which we are indebted for those psychological pictures which give the 

 workings of a man's soul. Tennyson has often been called " the poet of 

 the nge," and, from the large circle of his readers, the claim is perhaps 

 just. But the music of his verse, like much other bygone music, having 

 supplied the requirements of the age, will probably cease to command 

 attention. But the admirers of Browning claim for him a more enduring 

 fame. He depicts our thoughts, our loves and hates ; the aspirations of 

 our spiritual nature ; the trials and disappointments of this life, — all, in 

 fact, that makes humanity ; he has not inaptly been termed " the dra- 

 matist of the soul," and as such his admirers anticipate that he will take 

 a position in the world's estimation second only to Shakespeare. 



