Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Laubach In India: 1935 To 1970, S. Y. Shah

The Courier

Dr. Frank C. Laubach, missionary and adult educator, dedicated his life to the cause of literacy for development and world peace. During his travels to 103 countries, he worked toward helping some 60 to 100 million people become literate. In addition, he founded or helped found four literacy organizations, including Laubach Literacy International; wrote forty books on adult education, Christian religion, world politics, and culture; and co-authored literacy primers in more than 300 languages. He was awarded four honorary doctorates—one of them from Syracuse University.

Although Laubach worked in many other countries, it is said that his heart was always …

Intentional Omissions From The Published Civil War Diaries Of Admiral John A. Dahlgren, Robert J. Schneller Jr.

The Courier

This article explains the events surrounding the publication of the biography of John A. Dahlgren, collected and penned by his wife Marguerite. The article was researched with the aid of the John A. Dahlgren Papers at the Syracuse University Special Collection. Marguerite had motives to exalt her husband's life: he had become an unpopular and controversial figure despite his accomplishments, and Marguerite was also in the process of petitioning Congress, seeking to receive royalties for her husband's military inventions.

An Unpublished Reminiscence Of James Fenimore Cooper, Constantine Evans

The Courier

A reminiscence of James Fenimore Cooper, written in 1889, lies among the papers of William Mather (1802-1890) in the George Arents Research Library at Syracuse University. It is written in pencil on two sheets of paper, one of which is the blank back of a Herkimer County newspaper supplement of 1889. Each sheet is folded to form a sort of booklet. Mather's text, as it stands, is disjointed and marred by occasionally confused syntax, illegible words, and repetitions. A series of false starts, of beginnings not decided upon, occurs before something of a narrative coherence is achieved. Material obviously intended …

Edward Fitzgerald And Bernard Barton: An Unsparing Friendship, Jeffrey P. Martin

The Courier

This article details the correspodence between the "Quaker poet" Bernard Barton and famous literary figures of his era, especially his friend and fellow writer Edward FitzGerald. The source of the article is the Alfred McKinley Terhune Collection, found in Syracuse University's Special Collections. Barton's letters, which are often lively and full of fresh opinion, are (thankfully) still valued today, both for the subjects they deal with and for the people they address. As one critic has stated, "Barton never considered his own letters as literary productions. Rather he felt that his poetry was his sole claim to literary fame." It …

The Punctator's World: A Discursion (Part Three), Gwen G. Robinson

The Courier

This is the third in a series of articles on the past and future of punctuation. The years under focus here are crucial ones, for they include the invention of the printing press and the shift it caused in the human response to the written word.

Toils And Perils Of Scientific Publishing In The Late Eighteenth And Early Nineteenth Centuries, Eileen Snyder

The Courier

It is perhaps not realized by the modem armchair naturalist what hardships attended his 'explorer naturalist' predecessor in the early 1800s. In the George Arents Research Library there is an intriguing—indeed, quite outstanding—group of volumes, landmarks in the history of the natural sciences, by American, British, and French botanists, ornithologists, ichthyologists, entomologists, and herpetologists. A study of the various prefaces, introductions, and accompanying advertisements reveals the overwhelming problems that not only attended every fact ,gathering expedition, but seemed as well to plague every stage in the publication of the new materials. Nevertheless, undaunted, these explorers were inspired to do what …

Five Renaissance Chronicles In Leopold Von Ranke's Library, Raymond Paul Schrodt

The Courier

This article describes the chronicles of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance that are maintained at the von Ranke Library within the Syracuse University Special Collections. The chronicles are diverse in nature, in both languages used and content respresented, covering chronologies, myths, and historical events. Ironically, the chronicles lack the objectivity that von Ranke was so fervent about, but the author argues these chronicles should not be measured against later standards of critical history.

The Forgotten Brother: Francis William Newman, Victorian Modernist, Kathleen Manwaring

The Courier

This article details the life and contributions to literature of the Victorian Era writer Francis William Newman. The article provides insight into his liberal views regarding abolition, women's rights, diet, and nationalization, as well as the tensions and creative differences with his famous brother and Cardinal, John Henry Newman.

A Book From The Library Of Christoph Scheurl (1481-1542), Gail P. Hueting

The Courier

This article examines a book written in 1530 by the German jurist and humanist Christoph Scheurl, a book which now resides in the Syracuse University Special Collections. The book is actually an amalgamation of nine total works, ranging in diverse topics such as royal weddings, wars (Italy and Spain in particular), genealogy, health, and theology. Originally in favor of Martin Luther's reforms, Scheurl remained a Catholic after the Church's division, and one of the works argues against Luther's views.

James Fenimore Cooper: Young Man To Author, Constantine Evans

The Courier

This article provides a biographical look at the American author James Fenimore Cooper. It traces his roots from his youth in Cooperstown—named after his father William—to his ill-timed naval career, and on to his time as a self-conscious novelist.

Alistair Cooke: A Response To Granville Hicks' I Like America, Kathleen Manwaring

The Courier

Written at the urging of his friend Louis Birk, managing editor of Modern Age Books, I Like America was Granville Hicks' attempt to present to a middle-class audience "the official line of the Communist Party in the Popular Front period". Published when the slogan 'Communism is Twentieth-Century Americanism' identified the interests of the mass of the American population, which was suffering from the Depression and the inadequate response of the New Deal for relief, with the aims of the Party, the book was later described by Hicks as "a venture in propaganda". The Granville Hicks Papers in the George Arents …

"A Citizen Of No Mean City": Jermain W. Loguen And The Antislavery Reputation Of Syracuse, Milton Charles Sernett

The Courier

This article describes the life and struggles of Jermain W. Loguen (originally named Jarm Logue), born a slave, who escaped to Syracuse, New York. Once in Syracuse, he became active in the Underground Railroad, the abolition movement, and even entered politics as a public speaker. His letters can be found in the Syracuse University Special Collections, as part of the Gerrit Smith papers. Smith was also a leading abolitionist who corresponded with major figures in the antislavery movement and influential freed slaves such as Frederick Douglass.

William Martin Smallwood And The Smallwood Collection In Natural History At The Syracuse University Library, Eileen Snyder

The Courier

This article details the life and efforts of Syracuse Professor William Smallwood to collect major works on many of the major disciplines of science. Together the Smallwood collection provides a wonderful resource for the history of science and natural history.

Leopold Von Ranke, His Library, And The Shaping Of Historical Evidence, Edward Muir

The Courier

This article describes the life and collection of the famous historian Leopold von Ranke, whose collection is now housed in the Syracuse University Special Collections. Von Ranke was instrumental in developing what he saw as the most objective form of history possible, adhering to primary sources and straying from moral judgments. The thousands of documents that make up the Ranke Library are an invaluable source for the study of history.

Ranke And The Venetian Document Market, Ugo Tucci

The Courier

This article discusses Leopold von Ranke, the seminal historian, specifically his times in Venice, where he developed his thorough objective historical method, under the influence of Venetian ambassadorial writings, or relazioni. He was also in the perfect situation to amass an impressive manuscript and rare book collection, as the Republic was falling at the time, and entire library and art collections were being liquidated. His vast collection is now part of the Syracuse University's Special Collections.

Ranke's Favorite Source: The Relazioni Of The Venetian Ambassadors, Gino Benzoni

The Courier

This article describes how certain administrative documents written in Venice during the Holy Roman Empire, dubbed relazioni, had a profound effect on the famous historian Leopold von Ranke, and the development of his extremely objective historiography. Von Ranke collected many of these relazioni, and they can be found in the Ranke Library at Syracuse University.

The Albert Schweitzer Papers At Syracuse University, Ursula Berkling

The Courier

This article highlights some of the documents contained in the Albert Schweitzer Papers located in the Syrcause University Special Collections. They contain a variety of materials, such as notebooks, letters, manuscripts, miscellanea, and books from Schweitzer's library. The article gives a synopsis of each of these categories, and includes some photos of Schweitzer's life.

Albert Schweitzer And His Nuclear Concerns Seen Today, Rhena Schweitzer Miller

The Courier

This article is adapted from a talk given by Mrs. Rhena Schweitzer Miller in which she talks about her father, Albert Schweitzer. Specifically, she talks about her father's view of the nuclear arms race of the mid-twentieth century between the Soviet Union and the United States. She puts Albert's thoughts in context to his overarching philosophy, called the "Reverance for Life."

Theology For Freedom And Responsibility: Rudolf Bultmann's Views On Church And State, Antje B. Lemke

The Courier

This article is adapted from an address that Antje Lemke gave on the life and contributions of her father, Rudolph Bultmann. He was a prominent Protestant theologian, having grown up before Hitler's rise to power, and Bultmann witnessed how the Nazis manipulated the Church to try to gain support for their devious political goals. He joined the voices that spoke out against this fusion of national corruption with the Church. After World War II, he became involved in debates concerning political and liberation theology.

Common Cause: The Antislavery Alliance Of Gerrit Smith And Beriah Green, Milton C. Sernett

The Courier

The Gerrit Smith Papers in the manuscript collections of the George Arents Research Library at Syracuse University are an indispensable resource for scholars interested in American social reform. Given to the University in 1928 by Gerrit Smith Miller, a grandson, the col

lection reveals that the abolition of slavery dominated the Madison County philanthropist's reform interests from the mid-1830s to the Civil War. Of Gerrit Smith's numerous antislavery correspondents, including such prominent reformers as William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, and Theodore Dwight Weld, none maintained a more regular and extensive epistolary relationship than Beriah Green, upstate New York's most radical …

The Stephen Crane Collection At Syracuse University, Edward Lyon

The Courier

This article gives a general overview of the items contained in the Stephen Crane collections at the Syracuse University Libraries. The article divides the collection into letters, manuscripts, presentation inscriptions and annotations, books from Crane's library, and memorabilia. A large portion of the collection is drawn from the Schoberlin collection.

Schoberlin's Annotated Copy Of War Is Kind, Donald P. Vanouse

The Courier

This article explains the controversy that surrounds one of the copies (the Schoberlin copy to be exact) of War Is Kind by Stephen Crane that is contained in Syracuse University's Special Collections. Inaccurate dates, strange annotations, and odd formatting are some of the features that make the copy unique.

Searching For Stephen Crane: The Schoberlin Collection, James B. Colvert

The Courier

This article meticulously recounts the building of the Schoberlin collection, which sought to gather material written by the American novelist Stephen Crane. The task was quite formidable, as competing collectors tried to beat each other to primary sources. The article also points out facts and discrepencies that the sources contain, giving a complex but interesting story about the ill-fated author.

New Stephen Crane Letters In The Schoberlin Collection, Paul Sorrentino, Stanley Wertheim

The Courier

This article recreates several letters written by American novelist Stephen Crane, unique to the Schoberlin Collection. By themselves the letters and inscriptions that are reproduced here do not form a coherent narrative; consequently, brief headnotes and footnotes supply the reader with sufficient detail to understand the context of each document.

Newly Discovered Writings Of Mary Helen Peck Crane And Agnes Elizabeth Crane, Paul Sorrentino

The Courier

Although several members of Stephen Crane's immediate family were writers, scholars know little about their work. Thomas A. Gullason

published writings by Crane's parents and brother Jonathan Townley, but other items remain to be studied and possibly printed. Fortunately, Melvin H. Schoberlin preserved holographs and transcripts of documents by Crane's sister, Agnes, and mother, Mary Helen, that further reveal the family's interest in writing. Because the transcripts, which Schoberlin copied from materials once owned by Crane's niece Edith, are unique to the Schoberlin Collection, researchers cannot verify their accuracy. As scholars examine the Collection, though, they will find that he …

The "Lost" Newspaper Writings Of Stephen Crane, Thomas A. Gullason

The Courier

This article details some of the little-known articles written by Stephen Crane when he was a journalist. He often wrote stories about the local New York society that got him fired from several papers, but served him in creating material for his novels, especially Maggie. The stories are infused with Crane's wit and uncanny sense of irony.

Granville Hicks And The Small Town, Leah Levenson, Jerry Natterstad

The Courier

This article tells the story of Granville Hicks' life, especially his life during the 1940s, revealed through journals that are now held in Syracuse University's Special Collections. The author was famously a Marxist critic and member of the Communist party during the 1930s, before defecting in 1939 due to the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact. He then somewhat retreated from intellectual life to become a member of a small community in Grafton, New York, closer to his rural upbringing. He struggled to try to better the small community in areas of civic institutions and racial prejudice, seeing Grafton as a microcosm of …

The "Black Dream" Of Gerrit Smith, New York Abolitionist, John R. Mckivigan, Madeleine Leveille

The Courier

This article tells the story of Gerrit Smith, a New York abolitionist who had been loosely linked to the raid on Haper's Ferry by John Brown. Shortly after the insurrection Smith was committed to an insane asylum by his family, and the scandal faded after John Brown's execution. Through their research in the Syracuse University Special Collections, the authors have uncovered much evidence affirming the financial link between Smith and John Brown. The authors also determined that the mental state of Smith seemed rather genuine, and he might have suffered from bipolar disorder. The fallout of the Smith scandal received …

Alvaro-Agustin De Liano And His Books In Leopold Von Ranke's Library, Gail P. Hueting

The Courier

This article tells the story of Liagno (or Liano), an author active in Europe during the early nineteenth century. The author discovered the little-known author while research annotations in the von Ranke collection within the Syracuse University Special Collections. He traveled to many cities and wrote in many languages, became a monk, priest, and then converted to Calvanism. Appropriately, he became responsible for cataloging materials in the area of theology, history, and literature in multiple languages.

Ivan Mestrovic Comes To Syracuse University, William P. Tolley

The Courier

This article, written by former Syracuse University Chancellor William P. Tolley, tells the story of his efforts to secure a professorship for famous Yugoslavian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, who at the time had legal and health problems while living in Europe.