The Four Chaplains

On the Episcopal calendar, the Four Chaplains are honored today, the anniversary of their deaths in 1943 when their ship, the SS Dorchester, was torpedoed by a German sub and sunk. Rev. George Fox was a Methodist Minister, Rev. John P. Washington was a Catholic priest, Dr. Alexander D. Goode was a Reform rabbi, and Rev. Clark V. Pooling was a Reformed Church minister. As the ship sank, they assisted soldiers in boarding lifeboats, calmed the men, and gave their own life jackets to soldiers. They prayed for the men and sang hymns together, their arms joined, and went down with the ship. Dr. Goode also prayed in Hebrew, and Fr. Washington in Latin. Only 230 of the 904 crew members were rescued. 

The four chaplains are honored in numerous ways, including the 1948 postage stamp pictured here. I first learned of the men when I was little and collected stamps, and my dad, who was a Pacific war veteran, told me the story.

The Illinois Territory

On this day in 1809, Congress passed legislation that established the Illinois Territory. Ninian Edwards, the namesake of nearby Edwardsville, IL (and father of Lincoln's brother-in-law), was governor for nearly all of the territorial period. Fun fact: Edwards' daughter Julia married politician Daniel Pope Cook, who became the namesake for Cook County, Illinois. There has never been a history focused upon Illinois territory and its government, but "The Illinois Country, 1673-1818" by Clarence Alvord (1918) is a classic study that has sufficed.

Copied under fair use principles. 

Landscape: Grant Wood

Grant Wood, Spring in Town, 1941. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 

Copied under fair use principles. 

Landscape: Oswald Achenbach

I discovered this artist this evening. Born February 2, 1827, Oswald Achenbach isn't so well known today but was acclaimed in his own time. Here are his paintings "Fireworks in Naples" (1875), "Morning" (1854), and "Constantine's Triumphal Arch in Rome" (1886). 

Anniversary of "The Raven"

"Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,/ In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore...."  

"The Raven" was first published in the New York Evening Mirror on January 29, 1845. Poe used internal rhyme and alliteration, and based the rhythm on Elizabeth Barrett's poem "Lady Geraldine's Courtship". Of course, the poem is about an agonized lover who becomes more upset by the single word spoken by his avian visitor.

(We used to have ravens in our Arizona backyard. They're nearly two feet long, depending on the type. If one flew into my house, I wouldn't talk to it, I'd run away, LOL) 

The poem brought Poe little income but acclaim as a poet.

Three Great Baseball Players

Great ball players!  Jackie Robinson, and Ernie "Mr. Cub" Banks, and also Nolan Ryan, were all born on January 31st (1919, 1931, 1947).  

Copied under fair use principles. 

Morris Founding Fathers

Here are Gouveneur Morris and Robert Morris, painted by Charles Wilson Peale in 1783. The two were not related but they shared a January 31st birthday (1752, 1734) and distinction as Founding Fathers. 

Robert Morris served as a member of the Pennsylvania legislature, the Second Continental Congress, and the United States Senate, and was one of only two people who signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. (Roger Sherman is the other.) Robert served as Superintendent of Finance of the U.S. in 1781-1784. With Alexander Hamilton and Albert Gallatin, Robert is one of the founders of the U.S. financial system. 

Gouveneur Morris not only signed both the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution, he also wrote the final version of the Constitution's Preamble. He advanced the idea of being a citizen of the Union, rather than only the citizen of an individual state. (This idea continued to develop in the U.S.). Gouveneur was also one of the outspoken opponents to slavery at the constitutional convention. He represented New York in the United States Senate from 1800 to 1803.

The two men served together in the 1780s when Robert was Superintendent of Finance and Gouveneur was Assistant Superintendent.

Jacqueline du Pre

Although her life and career were cut short by MS, Jacqueline du Pré is regarded as one of the greatest cellists. She was born January 26, 1945, 80 years ago. I remember getting such a lump in my throat as I listened to her playing the Elgar concerto, on Kent State's radio station several years ago. That 9/8 beginning is so affecting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPhkZW_jwc0

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

On January 27, 1945--80 years ago--Allied forces liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau. Auschwitz was the complex of camps, near the Polish town of Oświęcim, where nearly a million Jews were murdered within five years, and also non-Jewish Poles, Roma, the handicapped, and others, 1.1 million altogether. The United Nations designed January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, to remember the Jewish victims of the Shoah and the millions of other victims of the Nazis... I had heard of this book, "And Every Single One Was Someone," by Phil Chernofsky. Except for the introduction, the book contains only the word Jew, 4800 times on each page for 1250 pages, thus repeating the word 6 million times. The cover depicts a Jewish prayer shawl.

New Music Every Week: Bruckner's Fifth

 I decided to listen to new music---new to me---every week in 2025. 

I've always read about Bruckner's symphonies but had listened very little to them. Here is the beautiful Fifth, conducted by Sergiu Celibidache. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elVHvTrEM34

 

Landscape: John Clymer

 

New England's "Indian Wars"

 My most recent poetry book, "East Rock", includes a chapter about King Philip's War (1675-1676), the deadly conflict between Native tribes and English settlers in New England. I had distant English relatives in the war, including one who was killed in the ambush called Wheeler's Surprise. 

I collected several wonderful antique books about the "Indian Wars" of New England. 

 

This last book was owned by Bishop Whipple: 

"Henry Benjamin Whipple, the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota, is known for his missionary work among the Dakota and Ojibwe and his efforts to reform the U.S. Indian administration system. After the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862, Whipple was one of the few white men to oppose the death sentences of 303 Dakota." https://www.mnopedia.org/person/whipple-henry-benjamin-1822-1901#:~:text=Henry%20Benjamin%20Whipple%2C%20the%20first,Indian%20administration%20system

As that site indicates, he continued to work for the growth of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota and also on behalf of Native Americans.

See also: https://www.mnopedia.org/person/whipple-henry-benjamin-1822-1901#:~:text=Henry%20Benjamin%20Whipple%2C%20the%20first,Indian%20administration%20system.

50th Anniversary of "Blood on the Tracks"

 Dylan's classic album "Blood on the Tracks" was released January 20, 1975! 

https://forward.com/culture/music/690199/bob-dylan-blood-on-the-tracks-50th-anniversary-1975/

Ficowski's "A Reading of Ashes"

 A few years ago I discovered the poetry of Polish poet and writer Jerzy Ficowski (1924-2006). During the war he was part of the Polish resistance and participated in the Warsaw Uprising. I found this edition of his book, A Reading of Ashes: Poems (Odczytanie popiołów). The book is in Polish and Hebrew, with art by Marc Chagall. 

This source discusses Ficowski's desire to address the Holocaust, as well as efforts to conceal the horror. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/reading-ashes-poems-odczytanie-popiolow

In another source, we have this: "A Reading of Ashes is an attempt to invent a language to describe completely new things, as well as an expression of helplessness and genuine repentance." https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110671056-085/html?lang=en&srsltid=AfmBOopZw7nIo0ZchQcUzRlfJDHYGCptYQ3VNSBODeqM6ovhXRwRKC7G

A Precious Old Poetry Book

My mom purchased this book at one of Vandalia's used book sales downtown. Proceeds went to the Friends of the Library. This particular book had been withdrawn from library circulation. 

I liked to read some of the poetry as I sat outside in our backyard, when I was in middle school,  1971 and 1972. I liked Walt Whitman the best, and also Sidney Lanier. I hoped that someday I'd also write poetry. 

Anniversary for the Inspiration for "La Traviata"

Born 201 years ago--January 15, 1824--young Normandy native Alphonsine Pleissis was reputedly sold into prostitution by her father. Once she lived in Paris, she renamed herself as Marie Duplessis and became well-known as a discreet and witty courtesan and hostess of a salon. She died in 1847 when she was 23. The writer Alexandre Dumas fils, who had a relationship with her for several months, wrote a popular novel "La Dame aux Camélias" that fictionalized her life. The character of the golden-hearted escort became a frequent theme over the years. Dumas' play based on his novel was also popular, inspiring Giuseppe Verdi's beloved opera "La Traviata." Marie thus inspired the immortal opera role of Violetta.

The Joy of Red Books

 I enjoy books that have red covers. A few years ago, I decided to college a few red Bibles and also a few red Victorian poetry books. Red has been my favorite color since childhood, and so this eccentric project surely has nostalgic roots. Today, when I'm staying home on a snowy day, I decided to post photos of these books. They're photographed at different times, so there are repetitions. My Instagram account--and a few posts on this blog-- give explanations for some of these books.