GEORGE W. RUSSELL "AE" TALKS AT UNION TONIGHT

George W. Russell, "AE," famous Irish poet, philosopher, and economist will lecture on "An Artist and Poet Considers Dreams" at the Union, tonight at 8 o'clock. He will be introduced by F. N. Robinson '91, professor of English, and lecturer on early Irish language and literature.

Russell, who came from a poor family and went to work in an accounting office when 17 years old to help support his parents, has since become one of Ireland's foremost men of letters. He has at various times been a poet, painter, critic, dramatist, prophet, economist, and a gentleman-farmer.

AE's early ambition to be a painter was thwarted because of lack of money, and instead he began to write poetry in his spare time. It is at this time that Russell became "AE." He used the pseudonym Aeon in signing his poems. This was shortened by a careless typesetter to the letters AE, which he has since written under this name.

It was also through his poetry that Russell became connected with the Irish Agricultural Society in which he was an active worker. He admits that he has never actually been a farmer, but is merely a philosopher on the subject. His ideas are based on esthetics and moral principles, rather on tables of statistics.

It is difficult to say just what Russell is, for while some may call him an economist, he is a well known painter, and he is also a poet of recognized genius. In addition, he is one of the most entertaining lecturers that can be heard today.