"In the National Newspaper," July 1st, 1830.
LOUIS ADOLPHE THIERS, a renowned French statesman and author, was born
at Marseilles, April 16, 1797, and died at St. Germain, September 3,
1877. He wrote: "History of John Law," "Man and Matter," "On Property,"
"History of the Consulate and the Empire," and his most famous work,
"History of the French Revolution."
To be frank, the critics should say: "Gentlemen, I intend to speak
of myself apropos of Shakespeare, Racine, Pascal, or Goethe."
--_Anatole France_.
ANATOLE FRANCE (JACQUES ANATOLE THIBAULT), a celebrated French critic,
poet and novelist, was born at Paris, April 16, 1844. He has written:
"The Yule Log," "Our Children: Scenes in Town and in the Fields," "The
Garden of Epicurus," "Abeille," "Poems," "The Crime of Sylvester
Bonnard," "The Wishes of Jean Servien," "Balthazar," "Thais," "My
Friend's Book," "Le Jongleur de Notre Dame," "Histoire de Jeanne d'Arc,"
"La Revolte des Anges," etc.
When that my mood is sad, and in the noise
And bustle of the crowd I feel rebuke,
I turn my footsteps from its hollow joys,
And sit me down beside the little brook;
The waters have a music to mine ear
It glads me much to hear.
"The Shaded Water,"--_William Gilmore Simms_.
WILLIAM GILMORE SIMMS, a distinguished American poet and novelist, was
born in Charleston, S. C., April 17, 1806, and died there June 11, 1870.
His publications include: "The Wigwam and the Cabin; or, Tales of the
South," "Atalantis: A Tale of the Sea," "Castle Dismal," "The Maroon,
and Other Tales," "The Yemassee," and "War Poetry of the South."
Many a genius has been slow of growth,
Oaks that flourish for a thousand years
Do not spring up into beauty like a reed.
"The Spanish Drama: Life of Lope De Vega." Ch. II,--_Geo.
Henry Lewes_.
GEORGE HENRY LEWES, a celebrated English historical and miscellaneous
writer, was born at London, April 18, 1817, and died there November 28,
1878. Among his writings are: "The Life and Works of Goethe," "History
of Philosophy from Thales to Comte," "The Physiology of Common Life,"
"Seaside Studies," "Studies in Animal Life," "Aristotle: A Chapter from
the History of Science," "Problems of Life and Mind," "The Physical
Basis of Mind," "Ranthorpe," "The Noble Heart," etc.
Friendship! mysterious cement of the soul!
Sweetener of life, and solder of society.
"The Grave,"--_Robert Blair_.
ROBERT BLAIR, a noted Scottish poet, was born at Edinburgh, April 19
(?), 1699, and died February 4, 1746. His reputation as a poet rests
solely on his famous poem, "The Grave," written in blank verse.
If any man can convince me and bring home to me that I do not
think or act aright, gladly will I change; for I search after
truth, by which man never yet was harmed. But he is harmed who
abideth on still in his deception and ignorance.
"Meditations," VI, 21,--_Marcus Aurelius_.
MARCUS AURELIUS, the great Roman emperor, was born in Rome, April 20,
A.D., 121, and died in Pannonia, March 17, 180. His "Meditations" have
been handed down to posterity.
Immortality alone could teach this mortal how to die.
"Looking Death in the Face,"--_Dinah Maria Mulock Craik_.
DINAH MARIA MULOCK CRAIK, a famous English novelist, was born in
Stoke-upon-Trent, April 20, 1826, and died at London, October, 1887. The
best known of her works are: "The Ogilvies," "John Halifax, Gentleman,"
"Two Marriages," "A Brave Lady," and "A Noble Life."
No maid is near,
I have no wife;
But here's my pipe
And, on my life;
With it to smoke,
And woo the Muse,
To be a king,
I would not choose.
--_William H. Davies_.
WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES, a noted Welsh poet, was born in Monmouthshire,
April 20, 1870. He has written: "The Soul's Destroyer," "New Poems,"
"Nature Poems," "Farewell to Poesy," "Songs of Joy," "Foliage," "The
Bird of Paradise," "Child Lovers," "Collected Poems," "The Autobiography
of a Super-Tramp," "A Pilgrim in Wales," "A Poet's Pilgrimage."
The first groundwork of religious life is love--love to God and
man--in the bosom of the family.
"Aphorisms,"--_Friedrich Froebel_.
FRIEDRICH FROEBEL, an eminent German educator, was born at
Oberweissbach, April 21, 1782, and died at Marienthal, June 21, 1852. He
won fame by his celebrated work, "The Education of Man."
From Greenland's icy mountains,
From India's coral strand,
Where Afric's sunny fountains,
Roll down their golden sand.
"Missionary Hymn."--_Reginald Heber_.
REGINALD HEBER, a famous English hymn-writer and clergyman, was born in
Cheshire, April 21, 1783, and died at Trichinopoly, India, April 2,
1826. His prose writings include the Bampton lectures on "The
Personality and Office of the Christian Comforter," "Life of Jeremy
Taylor," "Journey Through India," etc. His fame rests, however, on his
hymns, "From Greenland's Icy Mountains," and "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God
Almighty!"
Life, believe, is not a dream,
So dark as sages say;
Oft a little morning rain
Foretells a pleasant day!
"Life,"--_Charlotte Brontë_.
CHARLOTTE BRONTË, a famous English novelist, was born in Thornton, April
21, 1816, and died in Haworth, March 31, 1855. She wrote: "Shirley,"
"Villette," "The Professor," and "Jane Eyre," her most famous work.
There are four varieties in society,--the lovers, the ambitious,
observers, and fools. The fools are the happiest.
--_Taine_.
ADOLPHE HIPPOLYTE TAINE, an illustrious French historian and critic, was
born at Vouziers (Ardennes), April 21, 1828, and died at Paris, March 5,
1893. Among his publications are: "Essay on La Fontaine's Fables,"
"Essay on Livy," "Journey to the Pyrenees," "French Philosophers in the
Nineteenth Century," "Essays in Criticism and History," "Notes on
England," "Contemporary English Writers," "History of English
Literature," "English Idealism," "New Essays in Criticism and History,"
"Philosophy of Art," "Philosophy of Art in Italy," "Tour in Italy,
Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice," "Notes on Paris," "The Ideal in
Art," "Philosophy of Art in Greece," "On the Understanding," "The Old
Régime," "The Revolutionary Governments," etc.
When I'm not thank'd at all, I'm thank'd enough;
I've done my duty, and I've done no more.
"Tom Thumb the Great," Act. i, Sc. 3,--_Henry Fielding_.
HENRY FIELDING, a celebrated English novelist, was born at Sharpham
Park, Somersetshire, April 22, 1707, and died at Lisbon, October 8,
1754. His most famous works are: "Tom Jones, or the History of a
Foundling," "The Adventures of Joseph Andrews," "Amelia," and "The
History of Jonathan Wild."
Sincerity is the indispensable ground of all conscientiousness,
and by consequence of all heartfelt religion.
--_Emmanuel Kant_.
EMMANUEL KANT, an eminent German philosopher, was born at Königsberg,
April 22, 1724, and died there, February 12, 1804. His three famous
works are: "Critique of the Practical Reason," "Critique of Pure
Reason," and "Critique of the Power of Judgment."
And all the bustle of departure--sometimes sad, sometimes
intoxicating--just as fear or hope may be inspired by the new
chances of coming destiny.
"Corinne," 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."