SPECIAL PROGRAMS ON GREAT MEN AND WOMEN
Often a club finds it best to break into its ordinary routine of work by
having a special program. The birthday of a great writer, artist or
musician offers a good subject for such a meeting, and the following
programs are arranged to suggest such names with a brief outline of work
on each.
Some clubs may like to select from the names given two or more for each
month and so arrange a program for an entire year. In this case it is a
good plan to take alternate writers, musicians and artists, giving a day
to each one.
I--SEPTEMBER
History, music and literature may be represented by the life and work of
Queen Elizabeth, General Lafayette, Dvorak, and our own Eugene Field,
who were all born in September.
Divide the age of Elizabeth into several topics: the Court and the
Queen's favorites; discoverers; wars; Mary, Queen of Scots; and the
great literary men of the time, Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Spenser, and
others. Have readings on all these.
The story of Lafayette begins with the American Revolution; then the
Revolution in France and the part he played in it. Follow his career and
friendships, and the relations between France and America. Close with a
sketch of Lafayette's visit here after the war, and read a description
of it. (See the Diary and Letters of Gouverneur Morris.)
A good musical program can be arranged by having first a paper on the
composer, Dvorak, with comparisons of his work and that of his
contemporaries, and then several selections played from his
compositions.
Last, the life and work of Eugene Field will be found delightful. Have a
paper on his home life, his whimsical personality, his friends; read
from his prose, and have some of his verses sung. Compare his poems with
Stevenson's "Child's Garden of Verse."
II--OCTOBER
In this month art, drama and music are offered, in the works of Sir
Christopher Wren, Sheridan and Verdi.
In art Wren was a prominent figure in his century. Living when London
was being rebuilt after the great fire, he stamped his genius on no less
than fifty churches, and built St. Paul's, his own great monument. He
was called a "rare and early prodigy of universal science." His
friendships are among the most interesting points to be studied.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan wrote the "Rivals" and "The School for
Scandal," two plays which stand unequaled for humor and clever satire.
Read of their presentation, and of Sheridan as manager and theater
owner. Turn from this to his career as a parliamentarian and read his
speech at the trial of Warren Hastings, which marked him as one of our
most brilliant orators. Notice his death in poverty and his burial in
Westminster Abbey. Read from his plays.
Verdi wrote "Ernani," "La Traviata," "Riggoletto" and "Aida." Speak of
his long and interesting life, and his remarkable work. Note that his
influence over others was of unusual force. Have a musical program from
his operas.
III--NOVEMBER
Martin Luther, Schiller, Oliver Goldsmith and George Eliot all have
birthdays to remember at this time.
Luther was the greatest of the Protestant Reformers, and has left his
mark not only on Germany but on the whole world. Read of his early
peasant life, his education, his career as priest and teacher. Then
notice his trip to Rome and its results, and follow him through his
struggles with Emperor and Pope. Discuss his work as a whole. Read from
his Letters.
Schiller, the great German dramatist and poet, is honored and beloved
both in his native land and elsewhere. Give the story of his struggles
with poverty in exile, his love affairs, his professorship, his marriage
and invalidism. Notice especially his friendship with Goethe. Read from
his ballads, but especially from his dramas, "Die Jungfrau" and "Wilhelm
Tell."
Oliver Goldsmith, the eccentric genius, poet, essayist, dramatist and
novelist, should have special study, for he is a unique figure. Mention
his school days, his vagabond pilgrimage through Europe, his work as a
struggling hack writer; his remarkable friendships; read from "The
Deserted Village," "The Vicar of Wakefield," and "She Stoops to
Conquer."
The life and work of George Eliot are familiar to most club women, yet
they are always a delightful study. Papers may tell of her home life and
training as a free-thinker; of her translations, her marriage and its
social consequences, and her work as writer. Read from "Scenes from
Clerical Life," and from "Adam Bede." Discuss her philosophy, her moral
purposes, her humor, her realism; have several readings from both prose
and poetry.
IV--DECEMBER
The special meeting should be on the subject of the Christmas Birthday.
Describe the Christmas customs in mediaeval times, and read of the Yule
log, the waits, the boar's head, and other customs, and show pictures of
baronial halls. Have following papers on Christmas in various lands; one
paper may be on the Christmas Spirit. Read from Christmas stories, and
have carols sung.
V--JANUARY
There are four famous birthdays in January, those of Joan of Arc,
Mozart, Moliere, and Tennyson, illustrating history, music, drama and
poetry.
Of late so much has been written of Joan of Arc that there is an
abundance of material on her. Give a sketch of her personality, and show
what she did. Read also appreciations from different writers. Show
pictures of some of the statues of her, and, if possible, one of the
picture by Bastien Lepage, called "Joan of Arc Listening to the Voices,"
in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Mozart was a child prodigy at six years and maintained his ability
through a long life. Hampered, like most musicians, with poverty, he
still had many friends, wrote excellent music, played at various courts
and enjoyed a career full of interest, if not always of success. He died
in poverty, and no one knows where he is buried. Show a copy of the
well-known picture of him playing at court.
Moliere, the great French dramatist, presents a study which should fill
more than one meeting. Speak of his early life as a strolling player,
his failure as a tragedian and his success in comedy. Sketch the stage
of the period. Have scenes read from (translations of) "Tartuffe," "Le
Misanthrope," and other plays. Compare him with other dramatists. (See
his life by Chatfield-Taylor.)
Tennyson, the representative poet of the Victorian age, gives
opportunity for a charming meeting. Sketch his calm, delightful life;
show his interest in science and all modern ideas. Read from his
ballads; his other short poems; his longer poems, especially "In
Memoriam," the "Idylls of the King" and the "Dream of Fair Women," and
compare them. If possible, sing some of his verses, many of which are
set to music.
VI--FEBRUARY
Among many birthdays of famous men and women four may be chosen: those
of Madame de Sevigne, Charles Lamb, Dickens and Mendelssohn.
Madame de Sevigne lived at a time when there were many conspicuous
people at the court of Louis XIV, and she was the friend of them all;
Turenne and Conde, however, may be especially noticed. Her fame rests on
her Letters, which she wrote to her daughter with no idea any one else
would ever see them. They have slight pretension to literary quality,
yet they are among the classics of French literature. Have several
selections from them read, illustrating the times and the court life.
Charles Lamb and his friends will make the subject of more than a single
meeting. Give his life as a Blue Coat Boy and his early friendship with
Coleridge at school. Speak of him as a clerk in the East India House,
with his evenings at the Cat and Salutation. Tell of his family troubles
and of his sister Mary; then of his literary career, his life in the
Temple, his friendships with the Lake Poets and others. Notice the
peculiar gentle charm which is associated with him. Read from his
essays; give "Dream Children" as a whole.
Charles Dickens is a name to conjure with. Sketch his early life; read
from many of his books, and point out his humor, pathos, tragedy,
comedy, and realism; show his love of caricature and its place in his
methods. He is called to-day The Prince of Story Tellers by well-known
critics. Have each club member bring in and read her favorite passage
from his books.
Mendelssohn stands alone among musicians, for he was born to a
comfortable lot in life, was successful in whatever he undertook, happy
in his home and renowned abroad. His relations with his sister, his
position at the German courts, his various trips to England and what he
accomplished there will furnish topics for papers. If he seldom touched
the deeper side of life, yet what he gave was always good of its kind.
Illustrate this program with many selections from both his instrumental
and vocal music.
VII--MARCH
Michelangelo, and in later times Mrs. Browning, and our own William Dean
Howells, were born in March.
Michelangelo was the most distinguished sculptor of the modern world,
the most brilliant representative of the Italian Renaissance. Show the
assistance Lorenzo the Magnificent gave art at this time. Notice
Michelangelo's earlier work; speak of the curious way in which he, a
sculptor, was compelled to paint the frescoes in the Sistine chapel;
then how he became an architect, a builder of fortifications, a sculptor
again, and finally the architect of St. Peter's. Show pictures of his
best-known statues, and also of the frescoes.
Mrs. Browning is our best known and loved English woman poet. Her life
is inseparable from that of her poet-husband, yet it has great
individuality. Have papers on her early life, her marriage, her life in
Florence and her work. Read from the "Sonnets from the Portuguese,"
addressed to her husband, from "Aurora Leigh" and from her shorter
poems.
Howells is considered the most distinguished of our modern American
prose writers, the leader of the realistic school which has so largely
influenced recent work. He has written much besides his novels, but they
are perhaps best known. Notice his ability to portray character; the
delightful ease and naturalness of his style and his humor and truth in
character drawing. Read from "The Rise of Silas Lapham," and "A Modern
Instance." Read also from his sketches of travel.
VIII--APRIL
Study Hans Christian Andersen, Murillo, Wordsworth and Charlotte Bronte,
whose birthdays come in this month.
Andersen's life is full of a simple interest, and a sketch of it may be
followed by many readings from his books, especially from "A
Picture-Book Without Pictures," "Tales for Children," and "The Ice
Maiden." Notice that most of his work was illustrated from incidents
from his own experience, which makes it natural.
Murillo, the Spanish painter, the friend of Velasquez, painted in three
different styles, but he used only two classes of subjects; papers may
work out this suggestion and illustrate it from his well-known pictures.
Show copies of the "Assumption of the Virgin," his best-known religious
work, and of others of the same style. Notice the beauty and charm of
his children.
Wordsworth should certainly have more than one meeting given to him.
Write of his quiet country life, of his wife and sister Dorothy; of his
many friends; show his different styles of verse and read poems from
each; read also his best-known sonnets.
Charlotte Bronte is one of the unusual English women writers. Write of
her home life on the moors with her talented family, her work,
especially "Jane Eyre," so full of striking romance, and her early
death. Read several scenes from "Jane Eyre."
IX--MAY
Dante, Andubon, Browning and Brahms belong to May.
Dante's story, his life in Florence, his love for Beatrice, his military
service, his exile and death all need plenty of time to study. His fame
as a poet is unrivaled in its power and beauty of language. Have
sketches of his life, his times and his work, and read what critics have
said of it. Read also from translations of the "Vita Nuova" and the
"Divina Commedia," in their translations. (See Longfellow's.)
The work of our own Audubon is better known to-day than when he was
living. His life story is most romantic; read this, and show what he
accomplished. Have shown some copies of his famous pictures of birds.
Compare him with other naturalists.
Robert Browning did what no other poet has done; when he was twenty
years old he found the theme for his life work, the development of the
human soul; this is the key to his verse.
Read of his life in England and in Italy; speak of his friendships;
study his philosophy; discuss his versification; show his different
styles of work; have many illustrative readings. Compare him with other
poets. Have some of his songs sung which are set to music; read also
"Pippa Passes."
X--JUNE
Now come the birthdays of the musicians, Gounod and Schumann, and also
of the patriot Nathan Hale, the teacher Thomas Arnold, and the novelist
Thomas Hardy.
Hale is one of those men of whom we are always learning more. Have
papers on his early life, his years at Yale, the events which led to his
capture and his execution; show a picture of the statue in the City Hall
Park of New York. Compare him with Andre. Give selections from different
writers showing their estimate of him.
Thomas Arnold is the ideal for all teachers, and so an excellent subject
for a meeting. Tell of his home; of Rugby as he found it; of his ideas
for the school and for the individual boys; mention some of the great
men he trained; read from "Tom Brown at Rugby" and show pictures of the
school.
Hardy is one of the great Victorian novelists, a writer of somber,
realistic and pessimistic stories of great power. Read of Wessex and its
moors and wind-swept fells in the "Return of the Native." Notice the
homely humor in all his books. Read from his most artistic work, "Far
from the Madding Crowd," and from "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," his most
dramatic. Compare him with other writers of the day. Discuss his
philosophy.