OBITUARY

Evening Star, Issue 19276, 15 June 1926, Page 5

OBITUARY

MR FREDERIC HARRISON. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, June 13. The death is announced of Mr Frederic Harrison, who was formerly associated in the management of the Haymarket Theatre.—A. and N.Z. Gable. [Mr Frederic Harrison was born in London in 1831. He was educated at King’s College, London, and Wadham College, Oxford. He became a fellow and tutor of 'VVadham, hut soon settled in London. Galled to the Bar in 1858, lie was a member of the Royal Commission on Trade Unions in 1867-69, and from 1877-89 was professor of jurisprudence at the Inns of Court. Ho was one of the founders of English Positivism, and for twenty-five years president of the English Positivist Committee. Harrison wrote gracefully and well, if not always profoundly, on a variety of subjects, and when well over eighty was contributing to the reviews, dealing with current questions with the freshness and vigor of youth, qualities he also showed when in 1915 he wrote ‘The German Peril,' in which for many years ho had believed. Politics constant!v attracted him, although in practice he did not get beyond serving the L.C.C. ns an alderman from 1889-93. Ho wrote ‘ The Meaning of History,’ 1862, enlarged edition 1894; and ‘ Lives of Oliver Cromwell,’ 1883, and ‘ William the Silent,’ 1897; ‘ Byzantine History in the Early Middle Ages,’ 1900; and ‘ Theophano,’ 1904. On literature he. wrote ‘The Choice of Books,’ 1880; ‘Victorian Literature,’ 1895; ‘A Life of Raskin,’ 1902; and numerous introductions to literary masterpieces. On Positivism and ethical and religious matters generally he was voluminous, his books ranging from 1 Comte's Positive Policy,’ in 1875 to 1 The Positive Evolution of Religion ’ in 19]2, with ‘The Creed of a Layman,’ 1907, between. In 1911 appeared ‘ Autobiographical Memoirs.’ A man of strong physique, Harrison was a. noted climber, and in 1903 he published ‘ My Alpine Jubilee.’ His son Austin became editor of 1 The English Review * in 1910.]