Book X

, Chap. VI,--_Madame De Staël_.

ANNE LOUISE GERMAINE (NECKER), BARONESS DE STAËL-HOLSTEIN, a celebrated French writer, was born in Paris, April 22, 1766, and died there July 14, 1817. She wrote: "Letters on the Character and Writings of J. J. Rousseau," "Corinne," "Delphine," "Literature in Relation to Social Institutions," etc.

We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. Life's but a means unto an end; that end Beginning, mean, and end to all things,--God.

"Festus," Scene V, A Country Town,--_Philip James Bailey_.

PHILIP JAMES BAILEY, a noted English poet, was born in Basford, Nottinghamshire, April 22, 1816, and died in 1902. He wrote: "The Universal Hymn," "The Age," "The Mystic," "The Angel World," and his great poem, "Festus."

Friendship is constant in all other things Save in the office and affairs of love: Therefore all hearts in love use their own tongues; Let every eye negotiate for itself And trust no agent.

"Much Ado about Nothing," Act ii, Sc. i.--_William Shakespeare_.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, the great English poet, was born at Stratford-on-Avon, April 23, 1564, and he died there April 23, 1616. Among his famous works may be mentioned: "Henry VI," "Richard III," "Taming of the Shrew," "Love's Labour's Lost," "Comedy of Errors," "Two Gentlemen of Verona," "Romeo and Juliet," "The Merchant of Venice," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Henry V," "All's Well That Ends Well," "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "As You Like It," "Julius Cæsar," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Twelfth Night," "Hamlet," "Othello," "King Lear," "Macbeth," "Measure for Measure," "Antony and Cleopatra," "Cymbeline," "A Winter's Tale," "The Tempest," etc., etc.

Our thoughts and our conduct are our own.

"Short Studies on Great Subjects: Education,"--_James A. Froude_.

JAMES ANTHONY FROUDE, a celebrated English historian, was born at Dartington in Devonshire, April 23, 1818, and died in London, October 20, 1894. Among his works are: "Luther: A Short Biography," "Shadows of a Cloud," "Nemesis of Faith," "History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the Death of Elizabeth," "The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century," "Influence of the Reformation on the Scottish Character," "Thomas Carlyle," "Short Studies on Great Subjects," "Spanish Story of the Armada," etc.

Bowed by the weight of centuries, he leans Upon his hoe and gazes on the ground, The emptiness of ages in his face, And on his back the burden of the world.

"The Man with the Hoe,"--_Edwin Markham_.

EDWIN MARKHAM, a noted American poet, was born at Oregon City, Oregon, April 23, 1852. He is best known by his famous poem, "The Man with the Hoe."

But as some muskets so contrive it As oft to miss the mark they drive at, And though well aimed at duck or plover, Bear wide, and kick their owners over.

"McFingal," Canto i, Line 93,--_John Trumbull_.

JOHN TRUMBULL, a famous American lawyer, poet, and wit, was born in Westbury, Conn., April 24, 1750, and died at Detroit, Mich., May 10, 1831. He wrote: "The Progress of Dullness," "McFingal," which won for him his greatest fame, and several other works. His "Poetical Works" were published in 1820.

Whatever Thackeray says, the reader cannot fail to understand; and whatever Thackeray attempts to communicate, he succeeds in conveying.

"Life of Thackeray,"--_Anthony Trollope_.

ANTHONY TROLLOPE, an illustrious English novelist, was born in London, April 24, 1815, and died there, December 6, 1882. Among his numerous publications may be mentioned: "The Kellys and the O'Kellys," "La Vendée," "The Warden," "Barchester Towers," "Doctor Thorne," "The Bertrams," "Castle Richmond," "Orley Farm," "Tales of All Countries," "The Struggles of Brown, Jones and Robinson," "North America," "Rachel Ray," "Hunting Sketches," "Traveling Sketches," "The Claverings," "British Sports and Pastimes," "He Knew He Was Right," "Mary Gresley," "Ralph the Heir," "The Golden Lion of Granpère," "Phineas Redux," "South Australia and Western Australia," "Lady Anna," "The Prime Minister," "The American Senator," "South Africa," "John Caldigate," "Cousin Henry," "The Duke's Children," "Life of Cicero," "Ayala's Angel," "Marion Fay," "The Fixed Period," "Kept in the Dark," etc. His "Autobiography" appeared in 1883.

Come and see her as she stands. Crimson roses in her hands; And her eyes Are as dark as Southern night, Yet than Southern dawn more bright. And a soft, alluring light, In them lies.

"Fanny, A Southern Blossom," St. I,--_Anne Reeve Aldrich_.

ANNE REEVE ALDRICH, a noted American poet and novelist, was born in New York, April 25, 1866, and died there June 22, 1892. She wrote: "The Rose of Flame," "The Feet of Love," "Songs About Life, Love and Death," etc.

Take, O boatman, thrice thy fee,-- Take, I give it willingly; For, invisible to thee, Spirits twain have, crossed with me.

"The Passage," _Edinburgh Review_, Oct., 1832,--_Johann L. Uhland_.

JOHANN L. UHLAND, an eminent German poet, was born at Tubingen, April 26, 1787, and died November 13, 1862. He wrote: "Walther von der Vogelweide," "The Old French Epos," "The Myth of Thor, according to Norse Tradition," etc. Also two dramas: "Ludwig the Bavarian," and "Ernest, Duke of Suabia." His ballads and songs also won for him great renown.

Even bear-baiting was esteemed heathenish and unchristian: the sport of it, not the inhumanity, gave offence.

"History of England," Vol. i, Chap. lxii,--_David Hume_.

DAVID HUME, a famous British philosopher and historian, was born in Edinburgh, April 26, 1711, and died there August 25, 1776. Among his works may be mentioned: "Political Discourses," "An Inquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals," "Four Dissertations," "A Treatise on Human Nature," "History of England," "Two Essays," "Natural History of Religion," "Essays, Moral and Political," etc.

Let us all be happy and live within our means, even if we have to borrow the money to do it with.

"Natural History,"--_Charles Farrar Browne_.

CHARLES FARRAR BROWNE ("ARTEMUS WARD"), a noted American humorist, was born at Waterford, Me., April 26, 1834, and died at Southampton, England, March 6, 1867. He wrote: "Artemus Ward, His Book," and "Artemus Ward, His Travels."

On the approach of spring, I withdraw without reluctance from the noisy and extensive scene of crowds without company, and dissipation without pleasure.

"Memoirs," Vol. i, p. 116,--_Edward Gibbon_.

EDWARD GIBBON, a renowned English historian, was born at Putney, Surrey, April 27, 1737, and died at London, January 15, 1794. His notable works are: "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," "Critical Observations," "Essay on the Study of Literature," and "Miscellaneous Works, with Memoir Composed by Himself."

Volumes might be written upon the impiety of the pious.

"First Principles,"--_Herbert Spencer_.

HERBERT SPENCER, the celebrated English philosopher, was born at Derby, April 27, 1820, and died December 8, 1903. Among his noted works are: "Principles of Psychology," "Classification of the Sciences," "Education," "Essays," "The Study of Sociology," "Data of Ethics," "Principles of Sociology," "Political Institutions," etc.

Let us have peace.

Accepting a Nomination for the Presidency, May 29, 1868.--_Ulysses Simpson Grant_.

ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT, the greatest of American generals, and eighteenth President of the United States, was born at Point Pleasant, Ohio, April 27, 1822, and died at Mt. McGregor near Saratoga Springs, N. Y., July 23, 1885. His "Personal Memoirs," won for him everlasting literary fame.

Have you sent to the apothecary for a sufficient quantity of cream of tartar to make lemonade? You know I die if I have not everything in the highest style.

"Man and Wife," iii,--_Colman_.

GEORGE COLMAN, the Elder, a celebrated English dramatist, was born in Florence, Italy, April 28, 1733, and died in London, August 14, 1794. Among his comedies are: "The Deuce Is in Him," "New Brooms," "Man and Wife," "The Separate Maintenance."

Injuries from friends fret and gall more, and the memory of them is not so easily obliterated.

--_John Arbuthnot_.

JOHN ARBUTHNOT, a famous Scottish humorist, was born near Arbuthnot Castle, Kincardineshire, Scotland, April 29, 1667, and died in London, February 27, 1735. His most celebrated work was, "The History of John Bull."

Life is a game the soul can play With fewer pieces than men say.

"Field-Notes,"--_Edward Rowland Sill_.

EDWARD ROWLAND SILL, a distinguished American poet, was born in Windsor, Conn., April 29, 1841, and died in Cleveland, O., February 27, 1887. His poetical works include: "The Venus of Milo, and Other Poems," "The Hermitage, and Other Poems," and "Poems," published after his death.

To be bright and cheerful often requires an effort; there is a certain art in keeping ourselves happy; in this respect, as in others, we require to watch over and manage ourselves almost as if we were somebody else.

--_Sir John Lubbock_.

SIR JOHN LUBBOCK, a renowned English naturalist and paleontologist, was born in London, April 30, 1834, and died in 1913. Among his many works are: "Prehistoric Times as Illustrated by Ancient Remains," "The Origin of Civilization and the Primitive Condition of Man," "Origin and Metamorphoses of Insects," "Ants, Bees, and Wasps," "On the Senses, Instincts and Intelligence of Animals," "The Beauties of Nature and the Wonders of the World," "Flowers, Fruits and Leaves," "The Pleasures of Life," "The Use of Life," "The Scenery of Switzerland and the Causes to Which It Is Due," "The Scenery of England," "Essays and Addresses," "Free Trade," "Notes on the Life History of the British Flowering Plants," "Marriage, Totemism, and Religion," "Peace and Happiness," etc.

From our Dominion never Take thy protecting hand! United, Lord, forever, Keep thou our father's land!

--_John Campbell, Duke of Argyll_.

GEORGE JOHN DOUGLAS CAMPBELL, eighth Duke of Argyll, a noted English philosophical, scientific, and political writer, and statesman, was born in Ardencaple, Castle Dumbartonshire, April 30, 1823, and died in 1900. Among his notable works are: "The Reign of Law," "Primeval Man," "Iona," "The Eastern Question," "The Unity of Nature," "The Unseen Foundations of Society."

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.

[2] We Germans fear God, but nothing else in the world.

[3] The king reigns but does not govern.

MAY

MAY

It must be so,--Plato, thou reasonest well! Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, This longing after immortality? Or whence this secret dread and inward horror Of falling into naught? Why shrinks the soul Back on herself, and startles at destruction? 'Tis the divinity that stirs within us; 'Tis Heaven itself that points out an hereafter, And intimates eternity to man. Eternity! thou pleasing, dreadful thought.

"Cato," Act V. Sc. I.--_Joseph Addison_.

JOSEPH ADDISON, a famous English essayist and poet, was born at Milston, Wiltshire, May 1, 1672, and died in London, June 17, 1719. He wrote 41 original papers in the "Tattler," and 34 with Steele; 274 in the "Spectator," 24 to a revived "Spectator," and 2 to Steele's "Lover." His other works include: "Letters from Italy" (a poem), "The Campaign" (a poem), "Fair Rosamond" (an opera), "Remarks on Several Parts of Italy," and "Cato" (a tragedy).

As an orator, Webster has been compared in simplicity to Demosthenes and in profundity to Burke.

"Daniel Webster; History of the United States,"--_James Ford Rhodes_.

JAMES FORD RHODES, a distinguished American historian, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, May 1, 1848. He is best known by his noted work in two volumes, "History of the United States from the Compromise of 1850." His other works include, "Historical Essays," "Lectures on the American Civil War Delivered at Oxford," "History of the Civil War," "History of the United States from Hayes to McKinley," etc.

All power appears only in transition. Permanent power is stuff.

--_Novalis_.

NOVALIS, the _nom de plume_ of FRIEDRICH VON HARDENBURG, a noted German philosopher and mystic, was born in Saxony, May 2, 1772, and died, 1801. Among his writings are: "Hymns to the Night," "Disciples at Sais," and "Heinrich von Ofterdingen."

The people of Massachusetts in the seventeenth century, like all other Christian people at that time and later,--at least, with extremely rare individual exceptions,--believed in the reality of a hideous crime called witchcraft. They thought they had Scripture for that belief, and they knew they had law for it, explicit and abundant; and with them law and Scripture were absolute authorities for the regulation of opinion and of conduct.

"History of New England."--_J. G. Palfrey_.

JOHN GORHAM PALFREY, a distinguished American clergyman and author, was born in Boston, May 2, 1796, and died in Cambridge, Mass., April 26, 1881. He published numerous sermons, lectures, addresses, etc., but "The History of New England," won for him world-wide fame.

I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart.

"Three Men in a Boat," Chap. 15,--_J. K. Jerome_.

JEROME K. JEROME, a famous English writer, was born at Walsall, May 2, 1861. Among his works are: "Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow," "Three Men in a Boat," "Novel Notes," "John Ingerfield," "Fennel," "Ruth," "Passing of the Third Floor Back," "Esther Castways," "Malvina of Brittany," "All Roads Lead to Calvary," etc.

Bisogna che i giudici siano assai perché pochi sempre fanno a modo de'pochi.[1]

"Dei Discorsi," I, 7,--_Machiavelli_.

NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI, a renowned Italian statesman and political and historical writer was born at Florence, May 3, 1469, and died there, June 22, 1527. He wrote: "Mandragola," "The Prince," "Florentine History," "Discourses," "Art of War," etc.

There is another and a better world.

"The Stranger," Act. i, Sc. 1,--_A. F. Kotzebue_.

AUGUST FRIEDRICH FERDINAND VON KOTZEBUE, a famous German dramatist, was born at Weimar, May 3, 1761, and died at Mannheim, March 23, 1819. His best known works are: "The Spaniards in Peru," "The Stranger," "Misanthropy and Repentance," "German Provincials," "The Indians in England," and his noted novel, "Sorrows of the Ortenberg Family."

The Doctrine of Stoicism modified by a doctrine of culture is nobly preached in Matthew Arnold's verse.

"New Studios in Literature," p. 37,--_Edward Dowden_.

EDWARD DOWDEN, a distinguished Irish poet and historian of literature, was born at Cork, May 3, 1843, and died in 1913. He has written: "Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley," "Primer of French Literature," "Studies in Literature," "Poems," "Southey," "Shakespeare, His Mind and Art," "Introduction to Shakespeare," "Wordsworth," "New Studies in Literature," "The French Revolution and English Literature," "A History of French Literature," "Robert Browning," "Michel de Montaigne," "Essays: Modern and Elizabethan," "Poetical Works" (2 vols.). His "Letters" appeared in 1914.

The triumphs of the warrior are bounded by the narrow theatre of his own age, but those of a Scott or a Shakespeare will be renewed with greater luster in ages yet unborn, when the victorious chieftain shall be forgotten, or shall live only in the song of the minstrel and the page of the chronicler.

--_Prescott_.

WILLIAM HICKLING PRESCOTT, a famous American historian, was born at Salem, Mass., May 4, 1796, and died in New York, January 28, 1859. He wrote: "History of Ferdinand and Isabella," "History of the Conquest of Mexico," "History of the Conquest of Peru," "Critical Essays," "History of the Reign of Philip II of Spain," etc.

It is well to think well: it is divine to act well.

--_Horace Mann_.

HORACE MANN, a noted American educator and educational writer was born in Franklin, Mass., May 4, 1796, and died in Yellow Springs, Ohio, August 2, 1859. He published: "A Few Thoughts for a Young Man," "Slavery: Letters and Speeches," "Powers and Duties of Woman," etc.

The great end of life is not knowledge but action.

"Technical Education,"--_Thomas Henry Huxley_.

THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY, a renowned English scientist, was born in Ealing, May 4, 1825, and died June 29, 1895. Among his famous works are: "Evidence as to Man's Place in Nature," "On the Educational Value of the Natural-History Sciences," "Lectures on the Elements of Comparative Anatomy," "Lessons in Elementary Physiology," "On the Physical Basis of Life," "Half Hours with Modern Scientists," "American Addresses," "An Introduction to the Classification of Animals," "Science and Culture, and Other Essays," etc., etc.

Time, to the nation as to the individual, is nothing absolute; its duration depends on the rate of thought and feeling.

--_John W. Draper_.

JOHN WILLIAM DRAPER, a famous physiologist, historical and miscellaneous prose-writer, was born near Liverpool, England, May 5, 1811, and died at Hastings-on-the-Hudson, N. Y., January 4, 1882. He has written: "Human Physiology," "History of the Intellectual Development of Europe," "History of the American Civil War," and his most celebrated work, "History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science."

In La Fontaine there is an affluence of poetry which is found in no other French author.

"Literary Judgments,"--_Joseph Joubert_.

JOSEPH JOUBERT, an eminent French moralist and writer of aphorisms, was born in Montignac, Périgord, May 6, 1754, and died at Paris in 1824. Most of his epigrammatic work was published after his death, the titles of the volumes being, "Thoughts," and "Thoughts, Essays, Maxims, and Correspondence."

I feel the breath of the summer night, Aromatic fire; The trees, the vines the flowers are astir With tender desire.

"A Summer Night,"--_Elizabeth Barstow Stoddard_.

ELIZABETH DREW (BARSTOW) STODDARD, a noted American novelist and poet, was born in Mattapoisett, Mass., May 6, 1823, and died in 1902. Among her works are: "Temple House," "Two Men," "The Morgesons," and "Poems," collected and published in 1895, etc.

I trust in Nature for the stable laws Of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant And Autumn garner to the end of time. I trust in God,--the right shall be the right And other than the wrong, while he endures. I trust in my own soul, that can perceive The outward and the inward,--Nature's good And God's.

"A Soul's Tragedy," Act i,--_Robert Browning_.

ROBERT BROWNING, the renowned English poet, was born in Camberwell, May 7, 1812, and died in Venice, December 12, 1889. Among his poetical works are: "A Soul's Tragedy," "The Return of the Druses," "Colombe's Birthday," "Strafford," "Pauline," "Christmas Eve and Easter Day," "Fifine at the Fair," "Men and Women," "King Victor and King Charles," "Jocoseria," "Red-Cotton Nightcap Country," "Dramatic Idylls," "Pippa Passes," etc.

Facts are stubborn things.

"Gil Blas,"