The death, on May 9, of John Williams White, professor of Greek in Harvard University, touches a large number of classical workers who have come into relations with him through his teaching or his writings, and concerns many a student, past or present, who may not have known his name, or a word of the language and literature which he professed. For the interest in Roman private life and Roman archaeology which so largely governs the teaching of Latin today is the result of a movement in the Greek field in which he played a large part. He was the first chairman of the Managing Committee of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, of which the corresponding school in Rome was the natural follower. He was an active and controlling worker in the American Institute of Archaeology, which of course covered the Roman field as well as the Greek. In particular, he gave the first methodical course in Greek private life in this country, illustrating it with the lantern; and he thereby set the model for the courses in Roman private life which presently were given in various institutions.
John Williams White was born in Cincinnati, March 5, 1849. He was graduated from the Ohio Wesleyan College, Delaware, Ohio, at the age of nineteen. Three years later, in 1871, he received the degree of A.M. from his Alma Mater. In this same year began his long and happy married life. In 1874 he was appointed tutor in Greek at Harvard. In 1877 he received the degree of Ph.D. from Harvard and was appointed assistant professor. In 1884 he became full professor. He retired in 1909, not for rest, but for unbroken work.
Recognition came to him in many forms, among which were the degree of LL.D. from Wesleyan and Ohio Wesleyan, and the degree of Litt.D. from both the English and the American Cambridge.
His thirty-five years of service at Harvard were spent in activities both varied and strenuous. From the beginning he threw himself ardently into teaching, and with singular success. His animated manner, which was the natural expression of a vigorous mind, itself deeply interested, commanded the interest of his students. Hence, while he exacted a great deal of work, he always had large classes-a fact which added much to the staying power of Greek studies at Harvard in the face of adverse influences. He also entered into personal relations with many of his students, making them welcome guests at his house; and out of not a few of the acquaintances thus formed grew enduring friendships.
He came into large contact with another aspect of college life, as chairman for many years of the athletic board at Harvard. For this work he was especially qualified by his quick sympathy with youth (perhaps one should say, his own unquenchable youthfulness) and his personal interest in many sports. He was a formidable tennis player, a lover of the life of the woods, and a skilful hunter and fisherman.
His dissertation for the doctorate was upon a syntactical subject. But his permanent interests proved to be literary and archaeological. The latter have already been mentioned. The former ranged from an excellent book for beginners in Greek, through college textbooks, to such volumes of monumental power as The Verse of Greek Comedy (London, 1912), and The Scholia upon the Aves of Aristophanes (London, 1914). These last two books belong to a projected great edition of Aristophanes for which he had made elaborate collections of manuscript and other materials, and to which he had long been giving all his energies and all his hours.
He had met an earlier malady of the gravest character with incomparable courage and decision, and, as it proved, with complete success. He had every reason to hope for years of unchecked activity. But, aside from the cutting short of the work which would have been the crowning achievement of his life, the manner of his death was that for which he had prayed. The name of the illness, angina pectoris, carries grim associations. But in his case there had been but slight indications, and the actual passage from life, coming in the course of an ordinary forenoon and with no warning, was made with such swiftness as to bring to his face only the expression of painless calm. WILLIAM GARDNER HALE, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
In Memoriam: John Williams White
by William Gardner Hale
The Classical Journal Vol. 12, No. 9 (Jun., 1917), pp. 585-587
The Tulip Folly, by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1882. A nobleman guards an exceptional bloom as soldiers trample flowerbeds in a vain attempt to stabilise the tulip market by limiting the supply.
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4 November 2021; Alex Mashinsky, Celcius, on Centre Stage during day three of Web Summit 2021 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Web Summit via Sportsfile
Ponzi schemes and MLM schemes are by design corrupt. They are designed to confuse and or hoodwink the investor or participant into believing he is buying into a surefire road to riches.
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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION16 CFR Part 23Guides for the Jewelry, PreciousMetals, and Pewter Industries
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A Satire of Tulip Mania by Jan Brueghel the Younger (ca. 1640) depicts speculators as brainless monkeys in contemporary upper-class dress. In a commentary on the economic folly, one monkey urinates on the previously valuable plants, others appear in debtor’s court and one is carried to the grave.
Max Ernst – Photo from the Dutch National Archives
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Country House Essays, the book is now in print. This is an eclectic collection of both original, and historical essays, poems, books, and articles created for our loyal reader hear at CountryHouseEssays.com. It is jam packed with reprints of articles from this website. The cost is $49.95 for this massive [...] Read more →
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Harvey Wiley, Chief Chemist of the Department of Agriculture’s Division of Chemistry (third from the right) with his staff, not long after he joined the division in 1883. Wiley’s scientific expertise and political skills were a key to passage of the 1906 Food and Drugs Act and the creation of the FDA.
“Saint John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, the main gateway to the Priory of Saint John of Jerusalem,” black and white photograph by the British photographer Henry Dixon, 1880. The church was founded in the 12th century by Jordan de Briset, a Norman knight. Prior Docwra completed the gatehouse shown in this photograph in 1504. The gateway [...] Read more →
The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee has a long heralded tradition of assisting farmers and growers through it’s Agricultural Extension Service. The following bulletin entitled Grape Growing in Tennessee discusses the Muscadine variety of grapes among others. Muscadine grapes are often found growing wild in Tennessee. On my grandfather’s West Tennessee [...] Read more →
Resolution adapted at the New Orleans Convention of the American Institute of Banking, October 9, 1919:
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Reprinted from FineModelShips.com with the kind permission of Dr. Michael Czytko
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A Lecture Delivered at the Guildhall, March 2, 1853 by Rev. H.M. Scarth, M.A., Rector of Bathwick.
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Eadweard Muybridge was a fascinating character. Click here to learn how Eadweard committed “Justifiable Homicide” after shooting his wife’s lover in 1874.
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Photo Caption: The Marquis of Zetland, KC, PC – otherwise known as Lawrence Dundas Son of: John Charles Dundas and: Margaret Matilda Talbot born: Friday 16 August 1844 died: Monday 11 March 1929 at Aske Hall Occupation: M.P. for Richmond Viceroy of Ireland Vice Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Lord – in – Waiting [...] Read more →
Dr. David Starkey, the UK’s premiere historian, speaks to the modern and fleeting notion of “cancel culture”. Starkey’s brilliance is unparalleled and it has become quite obvious to the world’s remaining Western scholars willing to stand on intellectual integrity that a few so-called “Woke Intellectuals” most certainly cannot undermine [...] Read more →
4 November 2021; Alex Mashinsky, Celcius, on Centre Stage during day three of Web Summit 2021 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Web Summit via Sportsfile
The element copper effectively kills viruses and bacteria.
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Formerly vinegar was prepared on the farm to a greater extent than now. The introduction of laws for the control of the sale of vinegar, altho intended to help the honest manufacturer, has discouraged the preparation of vinegar for sale in a small way, not because it is difficult to meet the requirements [...] Read more →
EIGHTEEN GALLONS is here give as a STANDARD for all the following Recipes, it being the most convenient size cask to Families. See A General Process for Making Wine
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The following recipes form the most popular items in a nine-course dinner program:
BIRD’S NEST SOUP
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H.F. Leonard was an instructor in wrestling at the New York Athletic Club. Katsukum Higashi was an instructor in Jujitsu.
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What follows is a chapter from Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward’s 1852 treatise on terrarium gardening.
ON THE NATURAL CONDITIONS OF PLANTS.
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Every home should have one to be opened in spring A jar that sits on the table full of baseball dreams
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Notes on the intaglio processes of the most expensive book on birds available for sale in the world today.
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Como dome facade – Pliny the Elder – Photo by Wolfgang Sauber
Work in Progress…
THE VARNISHES.
Every substance may be considered as a varnish, which, when applied to the surface of a solid body, gives it a permanent lustre. Drying oil, thickened by exposure to the sun’s heat or [...] Read more →
Here, where these low lush meadows lie, We wandered in the summer weather, When earth and air and arching sky, Blazed grandly, goldenly together.
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Noel Desenfans and Sir Francis Bourgeois, circa 1805 by Paul Sandby, watercolour on paper
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Artisans world-wide spend a fortune on commercial brand oil-based gold leaf sizing. The most popular brands include Luco, Dux, and L.A. Gold Leaf. Pricing for quart size containers range from $35 to $55 depending upon retailer pricing.
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THE FOWLING PIECE, from the Shooter’s Guide by B. Thomas – 1811.
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A Satire of Tulip Mania by Jan Brueghel the Younger (ca. 1640) depicts speculators as brainless monkeys in contemporary upper-class dress. In a commentary on the economic folly, one monkey urinates on the previously valuable plants, others appear in debtor’s court and one is carried to the grave.
Slice 5 pounds lean beef (flank steak or similar cut) into strips 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, 1 to 2 inches wide, and 4 to 12 inches long. Cut with grain of meat; remove the fat. Lay out in a single layer on a smooth clean surface [...] Read more →
The Abbots and Barons Leaving Bury St. Edmunds for Runnymeade – June A.D.1215
Note on Watercolour: F.A. Molony (fl. 1930-1938) was a Major in the Royal Engineers. The National Army Museum hold his work. His work was also shown at an exhibition of officers work at the R.B.A. Galleries (Army Officers’ Art [...] Read more →
A Lecture Delivered at the Guildhall, March 2, 1853 by Rev. H.M. Scarth, M.A., Rector of Bathwick.
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The following recipes are from a small booklet entitled 500 Delicious Salads that was published for the Culinary Arts Institute in 1940 by Consolidated Book Publishers, Inc. 153 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill.
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Max Ernst – Photo from the Dutch National Archives
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Lately, a seller going by the moniker gallery83fineart has an amazing collection of Max Ernst prints or photographs that are apparently signed [...] Read more →
Click here to access the world’s most powerful Import/Export Research Database on the Planet. With this search engine one is able to access U.S. Customs and other government data showing suppliers for any type of company in the United States.
The following research discussion is from a study funded by the U.S. National Institute of Health entitled: Boschniakia rossica prevents the carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rat. It may be of interest to heavy drinkers.
The Queen Elizabeth Trust, or QEST, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of British craftsmanship through the funding of scholarships and educational endeavours to include apprenticeships, trade schools, and traditional university classwork. The work of QEST is instrumental in keeping alive age old arts and crafts such as masonry, glassblowing, shoemaking, [...] Read more →
The Interrogation of Joan of Arc by Cardinal Winchester
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A rose-cut synthetic diamond created by Apollo Diamond using a patented chemical vapour deposition process.
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Photo Caption: The Marquis of Zetland, KC, PC – otherwise known as Lawrence Dundas Son of: John Charles Dundas and: Margaret Matilda Talbot born: Friday 16 August 1844 died: Monday 11 March 1929 at Aske Hall Occupation: M.P. for Richmond Viceroy of Ireland Vice Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Lord – in – Waiting [...] Read more →
Awakened to mild rumbles of thunder and pounding rain washed down by a steady drizzle and more downpour coating asphalt with mirrored reflections of oily alluvial runoff easing back into a soothing pattern of velvety rain drops drizzling down the foliage encased wrought iron balcony rails
Reprinted from FineModelShips.com with the kind permission of Dr. Michael Czytko
The SAN FELIPE is one of the most favoured ships among the ship model builders. The model is elegant, very beautifully designed, and makes a decorative piece of art to be displayed at home or in [...] Read more →
It might surprise the watch buying public to learn that Rolex watches are mass produced.
In fact, millions of Rolex watches have been manufactured since 1929 when Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis established the Wisdorf and Davis company in London, England in 1905. The name Rolex was registered in 1908 [...] Read more →
The arsenicals (compounds which contain the heavy metal element arsenic, As) have a long history of use in man – with both benevolent and malevolent intent. The name ‘arsenic’ is derived from the Greek word ‘arsenikon’ which means ‘potent'”. As early as 2000 BC, arsenic trioxide, obtained from smelting copper, was used [...] Read more →
Add the following ingredients to a four or six quart crock pot, salt & pepper to taste keeping in mind that salt pork is just that, cover with water and cook on high till it boils, then cut back to low for four or five hours. A slow cooker works well, I [...] Read more →
Are you dissatisfied with the Savings Account and CD Interest Rates your bank currently has on offer?
If so, go to https://www.treasurydirect.gov and open an account. The U.S. Government’s iBonds are currently earning 9.62% interest through October of this year.
Individuals may purchase $10,000 worth of iBonds per [...] Read more →
