Mr. Rabindranath Tagore, the great philosopher-poet of India who is traveling in this country, delivered the first of the two lectures he is giving in the University in Emerson Hall yesterday afternoon. In the East Mr. Tagore holds an unparalleled position, and his reputation has risen to a considerable height in the West also. Since coming to America he has been received with enthusiasm in various cities and universities.

The subject of yesterday's lecture was "The Problem of Evil." Mr. Tagore said in part: life is essentially in motion and evil helps to draw it forward. But too often we exaggerate its importance by regarding it as static. The true movement of life is towards the enlargement of itself; selfishness may be regarded as the basic cause of evil, and society having thus gotten out of gear, we are obliged to use coercion to maintain order. Evil proves the dignity of life in that it is the right of man to suffer, but it is the duty of man to turn evil to good. As the opposite of joy for work well done, we must pay for evil in the hard coin of pain.

On Monday Mr. Tagore will deliver his second lecture on the subject of "The Relation of the Universe and the Individual" in Emerson F at 4.30 o'clock.