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CHAPTER XV
Some Great Men of Our Time
I – RODIN – SCULPTOR
Ten club meetings are planned here, but as many more may be arranged by taking up the work of other men along the same lines as those mentioned.
The great sculptor of our day is Auguste Rodin. He was born in Paris in 1840, studied at the Petit École and later with Barye. From the latter he gained the double idea that statuary should suggest action and be literally life-like. Some of his statues are "St. John the Baptist," "The Hand of God," "The Thinker," "Adam and Eve." "The Bronze Age," now in the Luxembourg, caused a heated controversy, the charge being made that a plaster cast of the model had been used. Rodin is a pronounced realist and his figures are filled with force. He has inspired this generation of sculptors with a new conception of their work.
Read from "The Life and Work of Rodin," by Frederick Lawton (Scribner). For other meetings on modern sculpture study the work of St. Gaudens, Lorado Taft, MacMonnies, Niehaus, Mrs. Vonnoh, Miss Yandell, Mrs. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and others.
II – ROSTAND – DRAMATIST
Edmond Rostand, the dramatist, represents the literary playwright. He was born in 1869, and educated in Paris. His first play, "Les Romanesques," was staged in 1894. The next year came "La Princesse Lointaine," and two years later "La Samaritaine." But the height of Rostand's brilliant career was reached when he presented "Cyrano de Bergerac," a heroic comedy which took the artistic and literary world by storm. "L'Aiglon" followed this, and Rostand was then honored with an election to the French Academy.
"Chantecler" appeared in 1910; it was an attempt to imitate Aristophanes by putting birds and animals on the stage, but though largely advertised it was not a success.
Read from the study of Rostand in E. E. Hale's "Dramatists of To-day" (Holt). Have a number of selections read from "Cyrano" and "L'Aiglon." A meeting on Maeterlinck should follow this, and another on Ibsen, with criticism, comparisons, and readings.
III – JAMES – PSYCHOLOGIST
The man who has made philosophy popular to-day is William James. He was born in New York City, educated in London, Paris, Boulogne, and Geneva, and then in the scientific and medical schools of Harvard; he became professor of psychology and philosophy there. His chief books are "Principles of Psychology," "The Will to Believe," "Human Immortality," "Varieties of Religious Experience," "Pragmatism," and "A Pluralistic Universe." He died in 1910.
Professor James, like his brother, Henry James the novelist, was a man of letters. He dealt with the fundamental problems of human life in a distinctly fresh way and wrote of them in a style of singular clearness, vivacity, and humor. His philosophy is based on the idea that truth is that which has the value of truth to us.
Many clubs would enjoy a whole year of study of James's books. At least there should be several meetings for readings from "The Will to Believe," and "Pragmatism," and from the biography, "William James," by Emile Boutroux (Longmans).
Study also the work of the French philosopher, Bergson, and that of the German, Eucken, recent visitors to America.
IV – BOOTH – RELIGIOUS LEADER
Gen. William Booth was, religiously, one of the notable figures of our times; but aside from that he was one of the greatest organizers of his generation. Born in Nottingham, England, in 1829, he early became a Wesleyan Methodist, but later independent. He founded the society which developed into the great Salvation Army, modeled after the English Army, but involving a discipline even more strict.
At first Booth met bitter opposition: churches where he had preached formerly were closed to him; he was called a mountebank and accused of having brought religion into contempt; but he steadily won favor for obviously great good done. In 1890 he published his book, "In Darkest England and the Way Out," suggesting social and religious methods of helping the very poor. This book made his work respected by intelligent men everywhere. He died in 1912. Telegrams of sympathy were sent to his family by kings and emperors, presidents, governors, and great men of all nations. His funeral was a wonderful spectacle.
Read from the "Life of General William Booth," by G. S. Bailton, published by Doran, and have several papers written on different phases of the work of the Army. Read the poem: "General William Booth enters Heaven," by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay (Mitchell Kennerley).
Another great religious leader of the times was Dwight L. Moody; have a meeting on his evangelistic work and the Northfield schools.
V – TOYNBEE – SOCIAL WORKER
Clubs will be interested to follow this study with one of a man who inspired as great a work as Booth, and founded as important an institution – Arnold Toynbee, the originator of the social settlement.
Toynbee was born in London in 1852. He spent ten years at Oxford as undergraduate, tutor and lecturer, and there came under the influence of Buskin's social teachings. He took a deep interest in trades unions, and worked for better hours, more sanitary homes, open spaces in cities, and free libraries.
In 1875 he took lodgings in Whitechapel, one of London's worst slums, in order to live among the poor and help them in a neighborly way. On account of his delicate health he was unable to continue there long; but his example brought other Oxford men, and when he died in 1883 they organized a social university settlement and called it Toynbee Hall. This was the first fully equipped institution of the kind, and at once it attracted attention everywhere and was immediately followed by the establishment of others in England and America, and later in all lands. To-day in the United States alone there are more than five hundred such settlements.
Read "Arnold Toynbee," by F. C. Montague, published by the Johns Hopkins University Press, and see the "Handbook of Settlements," by R. A. Woods, published by the Sage Foundation, New York. Clubs may also have a meeting on Jane Addams and Hull House, and read chapters from the book, "Twenty Years at Hull House," by Miss Addams (Macmillan).
VI – EDISON – INVENTOR
Thomas Edison is one of the greatest inventive mechanical geniuses who ever lived. His life story is outwardly uneventful. He was born in Ohio in 1847, and at twelve became a train boy; he took advantage of an empty express room in a car and printed a little newspaper called The Grand Trunk Herald, and also carried on chemical and electrical experiments there. These came to an end when he set fire to the car accidentally, and was dismissed by the angry conductor.
He learned telegraphy and practiced it in several cities, coming after a time to New York. There he invented a printing telegraph machine, known as "the ticker," to record stock quotations. This brought him in forty thousand dollars and enabled him to set up his famous laboratory at Menlo Park, in New Jersey.
His first really great invention was the quadruplex telegraph, which makes it possible to send four messages over one wire at the same time. Next came the carbon transmitter. Edison's third great work was the discovery of the carbon filament for the incandescent light, and his next the phonograph, which has developed into extended and various use. His work on the cinematograph has brought moving pictures into a conspicuous place not only for amusement but for education.
Read from "Edison – His Life and Inventions," by F. L. Dyer (Harper). Clubs interested in modern discoveries, should take up in this connection the work of Marconi and the Wright brothers; there is material here for several meetings.
VII – MORGAN – FINANCIER
No study of the men of our time would be complete without considering one of the famous financiers of the present age of wealth. Among a group of several, J. Pierpont Morgan stands easily first as the greatest organizer.
Born in Connecticut in 1837, he studied in Boston and later in Germany, and at the age of twenty became a banker. His first large business deal, however, was in the acquisition of a railroad, taking it from the hands of an infamous ring who controlled it and reorganizing it. After this he adopted the syndicate method for floating bonds.
He financed many trunk lines of railway, the ocean steamship business, the coal and railway business of Pennsylvania, the Guarantee Trust Company, with a capital of $150,000,000, and the United States Steel Corporation, with a capital of $1,400,000,000. It is said that he controlled three billion dollars of railway properties.
The secret of Morgan's success lay in his skill in estimating railway values, his unerring memory, and his extraordinary genius for detail. He had immense determination and force hidden behind a profound reticence. His aims were broad and his outlook was over the country as a whole. His fame rests on his ability both as a financier and as a great collector, for he used much of his enormous wealth in building up one of the world's great collections of books, manuscripts, pictures, and curios.
Read from "The Life Story of Pierpont Morgan," by Carl Hovey (Sturgis and Walton). Study the lives of other financiers of our time, comparing and contrasting them, taking especially the two men of great wealth, Rockefeller and Carnegie.
VIII – KELVIN – SCIENTIST
William Thomson, later Sir William, and later still Baron Kelvin, the greatest exponent of physical science in our age, was born in Belfast in 1824, the son of a teacher of mathematics. At twenty-two he was made professor of natural philosophy at Glasgow, and he held this position for more than fifty years.
In 1851 he read his first paper before the Royal Society; its subject was "The Dissipation of Energy," and it was the original statement of the law now universally accepted. He made many leading discoveries concerning elasticity, electricity, heat, vortex motion, and magnetism, and was recognized as the leading authority upon them. He was also a practical inventor, with fifty-six patents to his credit. He devised the instrument which made ocean telegraphy practical, the device now universally used for measuring electricity, the present form of the marine compass, the tide gauge, and the deep sea sounding apparatus. He was knighted for his work in 1866 and made Lord Kelvin in 1892, besides receiving countless honors from universities, academies, and governments. He died in 1907.
Read from "Lord Kelvin," by Andrew Gray, in the English Men of Science series. Clubs may also study the work of Sir William Ramsay and the Curies.
IX – PEARY AND AMUNDSEN – EXPLORERS
The finding of the North and South Poles is among the great events of our times. The discoverer of the former was Robert E. Peary, who was born in 1856 in Pennsylvania, was educated at Bowdoin College, and became an engineer in the United States Navy, ranking as lieutenant. In 1886 he explored Greenland and five years later headed an expedition to that country and proved that it is an island.
Four northern trips succeeded this, the latter two under the auspices of the specially formed Peary Arctic Club. He was then given the rank of commander and was made president of the American Geographical Society. In 1905 and 1908 he went north in the ship Roosevelt, and on the latter trip the Pole was reached April 6, 1909.
Clubs should read Peary's own book, "The North Pole," published by Stokes, and also the book written by his wife, "The Snow Baby," the story of the little daughter who was born in the Far North. Read also the account of the claims of Doctor Cook to have found the Pole.
The South Pole was discovered by Roald Amundsen, who was born in Norway in 1872. Like Peary, he became a naval lieutenant. In 1891 he made observations of the East Greenland currents, and two years later he gave nineteen months to observations connected with the magnetic pole. In 1904 he made the Northwest Passage.
In 1910 there was a race to discover the South Pole, between the British, led by Scott, who perished after reaching the goal, and the Danish, led by Amundsen. The latter sailed in the little ship Fram, landed on the Great Ice Barrier, marched rapidly on more than eight hundred miles and, December 16, 1911, reached the South Pole.
Read the discoverer's own account: "The South Pole," published by Keedick. Clubs may make a serious study of polar expeditions, which have been many, and of their stories of bravery and tragedy. Read the books of Sven Hedin.
X – GOETHALS – ENGINEER
The construction of the Panama Canal is one of the striking engineering feats of to-day, and its success is owing mainly to George W. Goethals. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1858, was graduated at West Point, and began his career as a second lieutenant of engineers. He taught at West Point for a time, and was chief of engineers during the Spanish-American War and also a member of the Board of Fortifications. After 1907 he was chief engineer of the Panama Canal, and it is his work here that has made him famous. To secure efficiency great power was placed in his hands. He was chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission, president of the Panama Railway, and governor of the Canal Zone. He had forty thousand men working under him in different departments.
The completed canal cost $375,000,000 and is one of the most colossal engineering achievements of history.
Read "Panama, Past and Present," by Farnham Bishop (The Century Company), "Panama and the Canal To-day," by Forbes Lindsay (The Page Company), and "Old Panama," by C. L. G. Anderson (The Page Company). Clubs should study also the history of the canal in past years and especially the story of De Lesseps.
CHAPTER XVI
The Literature of the Bible
The study of the Bible, not from a theological or critical point of view but from that which is solely literary, makes a fascinating subject for clubs. Many distinguished writers have treated it in this way, and by using their books in connection with the suggested Bible readings clubs will find a year all too short to do justice to the subject.
I – THE BEGINNINGS
The first meeting will be on the Creation, with three main topics for papers, – the Creation narrative, the idyl of the Garden of Eden and the entrance of sin, – with readings from Genesis to illustrate each point. The emphasis should be laid on the simplicity, dignity, and naïveté of these early chapters, and their high literary value as a poetic attempt to describe the origin of the world. Compare with this Hebrew account that found in the Babylonian myths on the clay tablets discovered in the ruins of Nineveh, and also the Chaldean account of the victory of their chief god Marduk over chaos. These will be found in "The Religion of the Babylonians and Assyrians," by Morris Jastrow, Jr. (Ginn & Co.). Read these, and also Milton's account in "Paradise Lost."
The next meeting should take up the leading men of early times, beginning with Noah.
Notice the recurrence of the story of the Flood in the primitive legends of many lands. Look up the Deucalion story in Greek mythology, and see the Hindu, Australian, and American Indian myths on this point, and read the translation of the Chaldean account of the Deluge. The period closes with the story of the Tower of Babel, which is to be read from the Bible.
A study of the Patriarchs follows next. Abraham's life should be read, wholly or in part, and a picture should be drawn of him as a wealthy Oriental, pastoral chief, and the immense importance of his character in the thought of Jews, Moslems, and Christians. Select and read some of the traditions embedded in the Koran.
To introduce the topic of Isaac read first the charming love story of the wooing of Rebekah. Then read the story of the selling of Esau's birthright, and Jacob's dream. Compare the characters of the brothers.
The most complete story in the Bible from a literary standpoint is that of Joseph. After the description of his childhood give the outline of his earlier dreams and their result, his life in Egypt and his prison dreams, his release, the visit of his family, and his later life. This will all lead up to the topic of the next meeting.
II – THE MAKING OF A NATION
The civilization of early Egypt is of great interest, and material for a study will be found in Breasted's "History of the Ancient Egyptians" (Scribner), and the "Short History of Ancient Egypt," by Newberry and Garstang (Dana Estes). To illustrate, read quotations from "The Book of the Dead," in "Literature of All Nations" (Hawthorne's Library).
Show pictures of the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Nile, and any others which may be obtained, and have a talk on the relations between masters and slaves at this time.
The story of Moses the Deliverer may be introduced by reading from the Bible the account of the finding of the baby by the princess, and his adoption. Tell of his later history and his resolution to be the leader of his people, and read of the passage of the Red Sea, and Miriam's Song of Triumph. Follow by descriptions of episodes of special interest in the wanderings in the desert, the golden calf, the story of Korah and that of Balaam.
One paper should take Moses as a Lawgiver for its subject, with a brief outline of the remarkable Hebrew legislation; notice that this was what kept the Jews as a separate race. Have an estimate of Moses, comparing him with other great national leaders. Show a picture of Michael Angelo's statue; have recited the farewell of Moses to his people, given in Monitors "Modern Reader's Bible," in poetical form. The old poem "The Burial of Moses," by Cecil F. Alexander, in Warner's "Library of the World's Best Literature," may also be given.
Next will come the study of Joshua the Conqueror. At this meeting have a map of Palestine and use it to show the settling of the Hebrews in the land. Read the story of the expedition of the spies and its result, the siege of Jericho and, last, Joshua's farewell. Compare Moses and Joshua, and show the differences in their character and work.
III – THE HEROES
The hero stories of the nation come in at this point. Deborah and Sisera is a subject often used in poetry and painting, and the song of Deborah, one of the earliest pieces of verse in history, should be given. The story of Gideon, full of picturesque detail, and the pathetic story of Jephthah's daughter may be read, as well as the many references to the latter in literature. The curious story of Samson will follow this, and Milton's Samson Agonistes may be read in part. Close the study of the period with a reading of the entire book of Ruth, one of the most charming of Oriental idyls.
At the meeting following this last one, compare the Bible heroes with those of other nations of the same time, particularly those described by Homer. Bulfinch's "Age of Fable" may be used as a basis for the study.
IV – THE UNDIVIDED KINGDOM
This is one of the historical sections of the Bible, and is mostly in prose. In studying it a good plan is to have some one write a paper briefly outlining the period and giving the main events clearly. Then the different men of importance should have separate studies. One of the first is that of Saul, and at its beginning comes in the lovely little story of Samuel, which may be read, together with the short Song of Hannah.
The account of the anointing of Saul may be given, and in this connection note that the old custom is still in use to-day in the coronation of kings. Have a reading from Browning's "Saul" and discuss the two points of view.
Next will come the story of David and Goliath, the anointing of David, the feud between Saul and David and the idyllic story of the affection of David and Jonathan. Brief readings from all of these should illustrate the papers or talks upon them. Notice the other famous friendships in history, and compare them with that of the two Hebrews.
The subject of witchcraft may be briefly touched upon in connection with the old story of the Witch of Endor, and its singular persistence through the history of all nations down to the present time.
David's lament over Saul and Jonathan should be read and compared with other elegies, and also that over the death of Absalom; notice the difference in spirit between them.
The life of Solomon is full of unusual touches. Read his dream, the story of the judgment about the infant, and then the majestic dedication of the Temple, the last, one of the stately pieces of literature of the Bible. The visit of the Queen of Sheba may be read after this, and the allusions to it in literature noted.
V – THE DIVIDED KINGDOMS AND THE EXILE
The divided kingdoms furnish many episodes of literary value. The stories of Elijah and Elisha have a marked dramatic quality; the incident of Naaman and Gehazi is a bit of romance; the fall of Samaria is a tragedy, as is the fall of Jerusalem, about one hundred and fifty years later. There is a bit of interesting work which some clubs might like to undertake, the comparison of the literary style of Kings and Chronicles, one colored by the prophetic and the other by priestly ideas.
The subject of the Exile may be used in one meeting, as it relates itself to a considerable part of Hebrew literature, especially in poetry. One prose passage may be read, the brief book of Esther, which has always been of great importance to the Jews, and full of interest.
VI – HEBREW POETRY
This has no regular rhyme, nor is it divided into feet like the classical poems of Greece and Rome. Instead it has a certain stately sweep, a rhythm, which is the very essence of poetry. In structure it may be compared to Walt Whitman's rhythmical prose.
As the stage was unknown to the Hebrews, the drama was strange to them also. The book of Job is the principal poetic exception to this, although some authorities place the Song of Solomon as a versified drama also. Observe here the difference between the Hebrews and Greeks, and give reasons for it.
Occasional bits of ancient folk song may be found in the historical parts of the Bible: read the "Song of the Well" (Numbers xxi, 18), the "Song of Lamech" (Genesis IV, 23) and the "Song of the Bow" (II Samuel, I, 18-27). The riddles of Samson also come under the head of folk song.
The poetry of the Bible divides into two classes: lyrical poetry, such as the Song of Solomon, Lamentations, the Psalms, and certain passages in the prophets; and the so-called wisdom poetry – Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. The latter, however, come more properly under the head of philosophy. Notice one of the peculiarities of Hebrew verse, especially in this last division, the curious parallelism which is constantly found.
The extent of the book of Psalms is so great that selections are difficult to make. But by taking Moulton's "Modern Reader's Bible" (Macmillan & Co.), and Courtney's "The Literary Man's Bible" (Crowell), and Henry Van Dyke's "Story of the Psalms" (Scribner), the best will be found, and these should be read. Notice especially the wonderful imagery, so characteristic of the Oriental mind.
Many great poets have worked on the book of Psalms, trying to make transcriptions and translations, and it will be most interesting to look up some of them. Clement Marot, Martin Luther, Milton, Addison, Sir Philip Sidney, and many others have used them, and any hymn book will show how many familiar hymns are based on them. Programs might be illuminated by choir music, such as "Had I the Wings of a Dove," "How Lovely are Thy Dwellings Fair," "The King of Love My Shepherd Is," and a hundred other lovely songs, the themes all taken from Psalms.
VII – PROPHECY
Prophecy has been called the most typical part of Hebrew literature, and as such it should receive especial study. But prophecy does not mean prediction, but teaching, especially the teaching of morals.
A good way of handling this subject is to divide it into three parts, one on Isaiah, one on Jeremiah, and a third on Ezekiel, briefly describing the historical conditions under which they were written, with readings from each. The minor prophets might also have three papers, with readings showing the quality of each.
The conscientious severity of the prophets as the great moral teachers of their times should be emphasized, and their relation to our modern ethical ideas may be touched upon. Matthew Arnold's "Isaiah of Jerusalem" may be read in this connection. Carlyle is often spoken of as embodying the spirit of the Hebrew prophets. One paper might speak of the connection between the prophets and Puritanism. A meeting might be given to the great oratorios which have been written upon themes drawn from the writings of the prophets, with selections.
VIII – PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy of the Bible is embodied in the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. These are what are called "late" books, and lack the fiery quality of the more original period of the prophets. The prudential, cautious spirit of Proverbs should be illustrated with quotations.
Ecclesiastes represents the hesitating, somewhat skeptical aspect of human thought, and is in some respects the book of the Bible which comes nearest to the modern temper. Plumtre's handbook on Ecclesiastes (Cambridge University Press) has in its appendix comparisons between this book, Shakespeare, Tennyson, and Omar Khayyám which are interesting to refer to.
Carlyle called the book of Job the greatest literary creation of history, for it first deals with the problem of human suffering. Professor Genung has arranged this book in dramatic form, and clubs should read this aloud, in part at least.
IX – THE NEW TESTAMENT
Coming to the New Testament, it may be divided into three parts: History, correspondence, and allegory. The history comprises the four Gospels and Acts. A preliminary paper might show the varying points of view of the authors and compare their literary styles. Read from Matthew part of the Sermon on the Mount, noting his Jewish outlook always; from Mark, part of chapter III, showing him as the historian of action; from Luke (the writer was a physician), the story of the Good Samaritan; from John the philosophical prologue and the parable of the vine, displaying his mystical mind. Make a special study of the literary quality of the parables.
From Acts may be read passages showing the historian's vivid descriptions; see the riot at Philippi, Paul's address at Athens, and the shipwreck.
Letters form the greater part of the New Testament. Those of Paul should be arranged chronologically, and a brief account given of the circumstances under which each was written.
Some of the striking passages in the Epistles should be read, such as chapter XIII in I Corinthians which has been called a Hymn in Praise of Love. The whole of the little Epistle to Philemon may be read, to show the position of the early church on slavery. Reference should be made to the fact that Matthew Arnold said that Paul stood among the seven greatest literary men of history.
The book of Revelation is of immense interest. Have a preliminary paper on the position of Jews and Christians at this time in relation to the Romans, and show the necessity of concealing the meaning of the book. Follow this with another on the allegory in literature: Spenser's "Faërie Queene" and Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" are two famous examples of its use. After this read some of the famous passages from the Revelation; notice the extraordinary wealth of imagery and the stately beauty of its style.
X – SUBJECTS RELATED TO THE BIBLE
To these meetings on the direct study of the Bible may be added almost as many more on subjects nearly related to it.
One of these is the Bible in art. From the early days of the catacombs to the present time, themes have been drawn from it for paintings and sculpture, mosaics and glass. The old masters' work was almost wholly based on Bible stories or sacred subjects. The study of Italian art shows this in its most marked form, and many pictures should be shown. Notice also such books as "The Bible in Art" by Estelle M. Hurll, and "The Bible Beautiful," by the same author (The Page Company), and "The Gospel Story in Art," by John La Farge (Macmillan), as well as reproductions of the Tissot pictures.
The Bible in music is a theme already suggested, but meetings may be arranged on this by themselves, or each program may have selections appropriate to the day.
As a source of literary inspiration the use of the Bible is world-wide. From Milton and his successors to Browning and Tennyson, all have drawn largely from its wealth. The titles of novels, as well as their plots, have largely been taken from the same source. Roll calls might take up this topic.
What great men have said about the Bible is an interesting subject. "The Women of the Bible" is the title of a book. Shakespeare's use of the Bible has also been noticed, and could be used extensively.
