BERGSON, HENRI-LOUIS: French philosopher; b. in Paris Oct.18,1859. He was educated at the Lye6e Condorcet and the Poole normale sup6rieure (Litt.D., 1889), and was professor of philosophy at the lyceums of Angers (1881-83) and of Clermont (1883-88), also conducting courses in the university of the latter city. He was then a professor at the College Rollin (1888-89) and the L

Henri IV. (1889-97), and a lecturer at the Ecole normale sup6rieure (1897-1900). Since 1900 he has been professor of modern philosophy at the Coll6ge de France, in 1901 being elected a member of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques. In his teaching he belongs to the idealistic school, and he maintains that life can be accounted for only on the hypothesis of a mysterious superconsciousneas. In man alone is consciousness able to overcome the limitations imposed by matter, and this fact not only explains the essential freedom of the human mind, but also gives ground for a scientific basis of belief in' immortality. He thus opposes strongly the materialistic philosophy and the crasser forms of the theory of evolution, at the same time avoiding the vagueness of extreme idealism of the older type.

The principal writings of Bergson are Extrait$ de Lucrke (Paris, 1884); Essai sur les donnkes immbdiates de la conscience (1889, 2d ed., 1898; Eng. transl. by F. L. Pogson, Time and Free Will, London, 1910); Quid Aristoteles de loco senserit (1890); Mati~re et mhrnaire (1896; Eng. transl. by N. M. Paul and W. S. Palmer, Matter and Memory, -New York, 1911); Le Mrs, Essai our la signifccation du comique (1900; Eng. tra,nsl., Laughter; an Essay on the Meaning of the Comic, New York, 1911); and

550

L'Evolulion cr&trtce (1907; Eng. transl. by A. Mitchell, Creative Evolution, New York, 1911).

Bibliography: J. Solomon, Bergson, Edinburgh, 1911; W. Durban, "The Philosophy of Henri Bergson," in Homiletic Seoteaa, hiii (1912), 20-28.

BOSSERT, GUSTAV: German Lutheran; b. at Tübingen (a village near Rottweil, 30 m. s.w. of Tübingen) Oct. 21, 1841. After being vicar at Dürrmenz, Muhlacker (1864-67), during which time he made a tour of northern Germany, Holland, and Belgium, he taught Hebrew at the gymnasium of Heilbronn and religion in the Ober-Realschule in the same town until 1869. From that year until 1888 he was pastor in Bachlingen, near Langenburg, being also editor of the Zeitsehrxft des historischen Vereins für Württemberg-Franken in 1878-88 and assistant editor of the Württembergischer Yierleljahrsheft in 1879-1888. From 1888 until his retirement from active life in 1907 he was pastor in Nabern, and in 1894 he was a delegate to the district synod. Among his writings special mention may be made of his Wart' temberg and Janssen (2 parts, Halle, 1882-85), Eberhard im Bart (Stuttgart, 1884),'and Der Interim in WürEtemberg (Halle, 1895).