1.For the Children—Simple amusements: candy-making, hide-and-seek, and other old-fashionedgames. Value of an attic. Tenting in the back yard. Gardening. Children's parties.
2.For the Young People—Small group games: checkers, card-games, chess, etc. Games of mental skill: twenty questions, guessing contests, writing of topical poems and jingles. The billiard-room in the house. Social advantages of the chafing-dish. Young people's dances.
3.For Adults—Reading aloud. Home carpentry. Entertaining: cards, music, dinners, etc.
4.For Everybody—Charades. Tableaux. Plays. The home orchestra. College songs. Discussion: What are the best books for family reading aloud?
Books to Consult—Mrs. Hamilton Mott: Home Games and Parties. Bancroft: Games for the Playground, Home, School, and Gymnasium. Benson: Book of Indoor Games for Young People of All Ages. Hoyle's Games (many editions).
The great point to be emphasized in this meeting is that parents should deliberately make a place in the home life for amusements, from childhood up. Discuss: In how many ways can parents and children share their pleasures, andhow may the spirit of mutual enjoyment be fostered?
1.Travel—Should we see our own country before going abroad? Preparations for travel. Advantage of reading in advance about places to be visited. How to travel with children. Travel as an education.
2.In the Country—On the farm. In the camp. Among the mountains. By the sea. Comparison of experiences by members of the club.
3.Vacation and Study—Is it a good plan to combine the two? Summer schools. Chautauquas so called. Conventions (religious, sociological, scientific, musical, pedagogical, etc.).
4.Vacations at Home—The opportunity of a delightful summer. The possibilities of the yard: tents, out-of-door meals, the arbor, the garden, etc. City roof-gardens for families. Trolley-rides. Trips and picnics.
Books to Consult—M. L. Pool: Vacation in a Buggy. F. H. Winterburn: Vacation Hints. Talfourd: Vacation Rambles and Thoughts (1845).
Discuss these questions: What proportion of one's income is properly spent in a vacation?What is the influence of life in a summer hotel on parents and children? Is the rest from housekeeping and the change of life compensation for the drawbacks there? Is the enlarging of the social circle of one's grown children a duty? Saving versus travel.
1.The Children's Rooms—The nursery and its furnishings. Rooms for the older children: seclusion, comfort, individuality. The playroom and the workshop.
2.Children and Parents—The ideal relationship: parents as friends. When should discipline end and personal freedom begin? Children at table. The bedtime hour and how to make the most of it. The blessing of grandparents in the home.
3.Brothers and Sisters—Mutual interests: work and play together. Cultivation and maintenance of the ideal of friendship between brothers and sisters. The spirit of chivalry and the spirit of service.
4.Children and Servants—Overfamiliarity versus dignity in the relation. Respect for a servant's rights and belongings.
5.The Children's Playtime—Team-work in the home. The family group: mutual interest of parents and children. Hospitality and entertaining for children.
Books to Consult—Ellen Key: The Century of the Child. E. S. Martin: The Luxury of Children. Gertrude Jekyll: Children and Gardens. S. D. and M. K. Gordon: Quiet Talks on Home Ideals.
One of the most delightful ways of making home interesting is to encourage the children to give little plays, illustrated poems and shadow pictures. Miss Alcott in Little Women gives the outline of one play which may be prepared easily, and there are others to be had.
1.Training in Work—The spirit of industry. Faithfulness to tasks. Making domestic duties interesting. Study of domestic economy for girls.
2.Training in Culture—Books, music, and pictures. Education in taste. Table-talk about things worth while. Outlook on the world's life.
3.Training in Character—The fundamental virtues: truth, honesty, fortitude, unselfishness. Teaching by reading, by counsel, and by example.
4.Training in Citizenship and Social Usefulness—Discussing politics. The father's politics and the boy's. Active philanthropy. Committee meetings in the home, and their effect on the children.
5.Training in Idealism—The steady ideal. Heroes and hero-worship. Stories of bravery and unselfishness in the daily press. What sort of politician shall boys be taught to admire? Lives of devotion in science, medicine, social service, and missions. Discuss the question: Are our children being really prepared for a broad and useful life-work?
Books to Consult—Lyman Abbott: The Home Builder. Newell Dwight Hillis: The Home School. Theodore T. Munger: On the Threshold. Kate Upson Clark: Bringing up Boys.
A talk may follow the fifth paper of this meeting, taking up the subject: How best to utilize the home as a training school, and yet to keep it cheerful.
The first meeting should be given up to a broad presentation of the whole subject of folk-lore, myths, legends, fairy stories, festivals and superstitions. One paper should present the universality of myths, the curious resemblances found among them in races far apart in time and place. A second paper may give the ways in which they have been preserved to us. The Egyptians as early as 2800b. c. used the stories on monuments and in manuscripts. Herodotus and Livy speak of folk-tales; Æsop's Fables embody many of them. In the Middle Ages story and song preserved them; and later they were collected. Walter Scott was especially appreciative of their value; he called them "antiquities," and tried to interest people in them in several of his books.
A third paper should deal with the importanttheories held by scholars as to the origin of myths. The Grimm brothers in Germany, and later Max Müller, held that the similarity of myths proved the common stock and language of all races; as divisions came the myths passed on from one country and race to many. Andrew Lang, however, has more recently developed a second theory, one held to-day by most scientists, that as all primitive people observe the same phenomena of nature, they invent much the same myths to explain them, as all pass through the same stages of culture.
Another paper might notice the growth in the spread of the study of myths and legends. Since Thorns in 1846 coined the phrase "folk-lore," societies have been formed in every civilized land to preserve the old stories, songs and traditions, and to study them scientifically. Immense value is placed to-day on their importance as throwing light on history, literature, religion, and language. One writer says that a full knowledge of the folk-lore of every nation would be synonymous with the history of human thought. On the general subject read G. L. Gomme's Folk-Lore as an Historical Science, Andrew Lang's Modern Mythology, and the valuable articles inthe encyclopedias. For readings from the stories of all nations, see a set of small handbooks published by Lippincott, called Folk-Lore and Legend.
In the earliest Western race, the Aryan, we find the simplest myths of creation and changing nature. They first invented the Sun God, riding in his fiery chariot, his glowing locks spreading out through the sky. The demons of darkness revolt against him, and must be overcome. The Rain God darkens the heavens, and the Dawn Maiden brings the light. From these first simple ideas grew a large mythology, full of beauty, and of the local color which we see in all national myths; these are warm and glowing. Read the translations of some of the stories and hymns. See Mrs. Poor's Sanskrit and Kindred Literatures, or Warner's Library of Universal Literature.
The mythology of the Greeks is the most beautiful, the most artistic, and the most perfectly developed of any that we have, and it repays careful study. The early myths are much like the Aryan; indeed some of the stories are practicallyidentical. The sun and moon, darkness, storm, spring and summer, the ocean and the sky were all personified. Phœbus Apollo in his chariot is the sun; Eros and Psyche are the coming and going of light and darkness; Demeter, the harvest, has a daughter Persephone who goes down to the underworld as seed, dies, and is revived as spring brings back life. Notice how from such first, simple ideas a whole complicated religious system developed, and how the original gods and goddesses became so many that earth, air, water, sky, and all nature were filled with them. See also the gradual decadence of the system, especially when the Romans adopted it. Compare the myths of light and darkness with those of other lands. Read from Stories of Old Greece, by Emma R. Frith, and H. M. Chadwick's The Heroic Age.
In this cold, northern land the same original myths developed as elsewhere but were altered by the environment. Here the legends are often terrible instead of beautiful. There are battles of hail and snow, great ice mountains to be surmounted, gloomy castles to be won. The spirits of storm, of thunder, of cold, all figure. Animals,too, are conspicuous in the stories, especially bears, wolves and eagles. The gods were stern and awful, rather than lovable. But in spite of this, there were still some, like the goddess of spring, who had charm, and some stories which show a sense of humor. Read In the Days of the Giants, a Book of Norse Tales, by Abbie Farwell Brown. Here are stories from the Sagas and the Edda, the earliest literature of the North. See How Thor Went a-Fishing, The Lost Bell, The Three Dogs, and The Meal of Frothi.
The Persian and Arabian folk-lore is really one, and stands quite by itself. It is unusually rich in well developed stories, many well worth study. The original myths of light and darkness were typified under the names of Ormuzd and Ahriman. The Zend-Avesta embodied their religion and literature, and is full of beauty. Later, however, the early and simple mythology degenerated into something complicated and almost puerile. The legends, preserved for us in The Thousand and One Nights, are marked by Oriental splendor. Often the setting of a story will be in a palace with wonderful gardens and fountains. We read ofgreat merchants, gorgeous silks, jewels and ornaments; of money, horses and camels; of sheiks, caliphs, viziers, magicians, and genii. In every respect the stories differ from those of other lands. Read Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp, and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, from Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book.
The peoples of Brittany, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland have folk-tales full of a certain mysticism. They have few nature myths, such as belong to earlier races, but they have drawn from their own imagination stories of beauty and charm, which are distinctly poetic, both in substance and form. Their legends deal largely with fairies, wishing-stones, haunted glens, and changelings. There are water fairies, some with human souls, and dwarfs who have homes in caves, and live and work like human beings. The whole of their folk-tales are filled with these little creatures, benign or malicious, who are closely in touch with the real lives about them.
The superstitions of these countries in regard to the reappearance of the dead as ghosts or spirits of one kind or another, also enter largelyinto the literature of the Celtic races. This subject, a very large one, may be taken up here, or later by itself.
There is a delightful book called Fairy and Folk-Lore of the Irish Peasantry, by W. B. Yeats, and another on the Fairy Legends of Ireland, by T. C. Crocker. Duncan Anderson has one on Scottish Folk-Lore, also. Read from any of these, and also a story in Little Classics called The Fairy Finder, by Samuel Lover.
There is much that is curious about the folk-lore of the Russians and kindred peoples. They have the old, original nature myths, with hero stories added. There is the same setting as in Scandinavian mythology, of cold and storm. There are epics in three cycles which embody some stories almost identical with those of the Greeks. There are, however, two striking differences between their legends and those of other countries: one is, that sorcery, witchcraft, spells, exorcisms and incantations abound; the other is that nearly all tales have folk-music accompanying them. Fairy stories are abundant and charming, and much like those of Norway and Sweden.Read from Myths and Fairy Tales of Russia, by Jeremiah Curtin, and Russian Folk Tales by R. Nisbet Bain.
In many respects the folk-tales of Germany are more interesting than those of any other country. They do not deal with the great, simple myths, except as they have been transformed into certain fairy tales, but are centered largely on more recent stories. There are tales of the Middle Ages, of knights, besieged castles, huntsmen and hermits; there are Rhine legends, with princesses and giants; there are mining tales of dwarfs and goblins, and stories of water fairies and forest elves. Notice the resemblance to the stories of other lands in some of Grimm's fairy tales. See how closely Peter Klaus is like our own story of Rip Van Winkle. Read Stories of the Rhine Gold, by Anna A. Chapin, and the best known stories from Grimm, especially Rumpelztiltskin, Hansel and Gretel and Snow White and Rose Red.
All parts of England are rich in folk-tales, festival customs and legends, and various shireshave preserved in book form those which are peculiar to them. In rhymes and jingles, nicknames, proverbs, riddles and nursery tales we find traces of very early tradition. Frazer's Golden Bough speaks of May Day customs, Maypole dances, keeping St. John's Eve and Midsummer Day, as survivals of religious festivals of great importance. The hero stories, especially those of King Arthur and his knights, are unusually well developed and beautiful. English fairies are most human and charming. Shakespeare is rich in allusion to them; read on this point Shakespeare's Puck and His Folk Lore, by William Bell, and parts of Midsummer Night's Dream.
In Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book all the delightful old fairy stories are preserved; read Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Ridinghood, Cinderella, and Jack the Giant Killer. Notice how several of these stories are considered by some students as nature myths.
Read Kipling's Puck o' Pook's Hill, the modern fairy story, and contrast with those of older date.
The negroes of the South have a complex set of stories of their own, some with the mark of theirsavage ancestors on them—as is shown in their fetishism, voodoo, magic and ghosts—and others which are full of a quaint humor. Most of the latter are in the form of animal stories, and have been gathered together by Joel Chandler Harris. Read from Nights with Uncle Remus, and see how each of the animals mentioned has its peculiar characteristic, and how the rabbit, who always represents the colored man, outwits the white man by his cunning. Clubs should make a point of reproducing some of the old negro folk songs.
The Indians have many myths and legends, which vary in different tribes and localities. The people of Alaska have legends quite unlike those of the Mission Indians of California or the Zuñi tribes of New Mexico. In the north, cold, devils, fighting and struggles with animals predominate; in the south there is more of the spirit of harvest, of festival and brightness.
The scenes of the legends in general are laid in wigwams and deal with feasts, love-making, and battles with enemies. There are also many legends about trees, bees, birds, and fish. The original myths of light and darkness, flood, and other phenomena also recur. Read Indian Story andSong, by Alice C. Fletcher, and F. H. Cushing's Zuñi Folk Tales.
In addition to the topics suggested, clubs should study more briefly than these the tales of other lands. Japan has a delightful set of tales, turning largely on animals, flowers and spirits. Read Ancient Tales and Folk-Lore of Japan, by R. G. Smith. Follow with the legends of China and Corea, both collected, full of originality and interest, with heroes and nature myths. Hawaii has much local color in her folk-tales, for volcanic fire often appears. See Hawaiian Folk-Lore by T. G. Thrum.
The myths of Egypt have recently been collected and are quite unlike those of other lands. They are divided into three groups, one dealing with the earliest times when simple nature myths occur; the second, when Egypt developed, and stories of town and country appear; in the third the stories deal with strangers, ships and sailors. Crocodiles play an important part, and the atmosphere of heat is always noticeable.
In modern Europe the stories of Spain and Italy and also of Roumania are to be studied, the latterin the collections made by Carmen Sylva, the queen. Add to these the subject of gipsy lore, from the book called Gipsy Folk-Tales, by F. H. Groome.
The subject of superstitions may follow the topics suggested, and ghosts, reappearances of all kinds, and haunted houses will prove a wide field.
Hero stories in all lands is also a delightful division of the general subject. The legends of Havelock the Dane, of Siegfried, of Roland, and Arthur put them in the class known as the "Fatal Children," or those whose innate greatness no earthly obstacle can withstand.
See Heroes of Myth, by Lillian L. Price and Chas. B. Gilbert.
One more important and curious topic is that of Were Wolves and Swan Maidens, as it is called, or the inhabiting of animal bodies by human souls, which is one of the constantly recurring legends in all lands. The rescuing of the imprisoned spirit has led to innumerable stories.
The myths concerning the ascent of souls to Heaven is most interesting, and the legends of the Milky Way and the Rainbow Bridge are poetic and lovely. The story of Jack and theBean Stalk is considered to belong to the general group.
If there is time, have one meeting on the subjects of dwarfs alone. Note the differences between black, brown, and white dwarfs, and trolls, elves, pixies, kobolds, brownies, and goblins. See how closely all are related to the life of man. Contrast their cleverness with the invariable stupidity of giants.
In addition to these topics clubs will find the folk-lore of the Australians, the islanders everywhere, and of savage races, full of interest. A book just published, called The Fetich Folk of West Africa, by R. H. Milligan, bears on the last point.
The subject of myths and legends will be found of far greater interest if each topic is illustrated by pictures. There are many fairy books for children for which artists have made beautiful drawings, and some especially lovely, in colors. In studying the Hero stories, get reproductions of famous pictures of the Rhine, legends, and look up Abbey's pictures of Arthur and his knights.
Clubs composed of mothers and teachers may take up the subject of telling fairy stories to children; which ones to tell and which to omit,and how to tell them. Hero stories are always interesting to growing boys, and teachers can suggest to them which are the wisest to choose. Instead of reading stories and legends at every club meeting it is well to have them told by some one skilful in the art.
Clubs which wish to study the general subject of folk-lore in a serious way will find the topic of comparative religions most interesting and valuable; scholars are everywhere taking it up, and there are many books upon it, notably Frazer's Golden Bough, already suggested under another head.
The folk-lore of the ancient Hebrews can be either taken separately or as a part of this subject; the old hero myths of the Bible, of Samson especially, will be found delightful.
1.Leaving New York—The docks, the harbor, description of the steamer; life on the ocean.
2.The Landing: Liverpool—The new docks; the art gallery.
3.On the Way to London—The Northwestern Railway; English railway-cars; English traveling companions; the countryside.
4.The First Stop: Rugby—English Inns; Thomas Arnold and Rugby School. Brief reading from Tom Brown's School Days.
5.Arriving in London—The London cab; the motor-bus; the London lodging-house; English and American comfort.
Books to Consult—John C. Van Dyke: The Opal Sea. Hare: Walks in London. E. V. Lucas: The Friendly Town. Hawthorne: English Note-Books. William Winter: Grey Days and Gold.
By stopping in Liverpool a few days, thereare several delightful side-trips possible: one to Chester, to see the cathedral, the Roman ruins, the famous walls, and the Rows; another to Hawarden, the home of Gladstone, and a third to Eaton Hall, the seat of the Duke of Westminster.
By going to London by the Midland, one passes through the Peak country; look up beautiful Haddon Hall and Chatsworth; read the Story of Dorothy Vernon and Scott's Peveril of the Peak. Going by the Great Northern, one can see the famous Five Dukeries, and pass through Sherwood Forest; read of the latter from Ivanhoe.
1.The Largest City in the World—Study of its map. Statistics. Modern improvements. Charities. Government (the county council; the Lord Mayor and aldermen).
2.The History of London—The ancient Britons and their pile dwellings. Coming of the Romans. The days of Alfred. Norman London. Under the Tudors. The Great Fire and the changes it made.
3.Survivals of Old London—Fragments of the Roman wall. The Hall of William Rufus.The Tower and its church. The Abbey. Readings from The Spectator and Washington Irving's Sketch-Book, describing the Abbey. Coronations, including a brief description of that of George V.
4.Modern London—Buckingham Palace and its history. The Houses of Parliament and their decoration. Art galleries and museums and their most remarkable contents. St. Paul's. Westminster Cathedral. The homes of the nobility.
5.Literary Landmarks of London—Grub Street. The Cheshire Cheese and the Kit-Kat Club. Dickens's London. Residences of literary people.
Books to Consult—Hare: Walks in London. Besant: London (also his books about the several sections). Hutton: Literary Landmarks of London. Singleton: London as Seen and Described by Famous Writers. E. V. Lucas: The Friendly Town.
An attractive discussion may follow these topics on such themes as the modern housing problems of London, and the transportation of the city (trams, tubes, motor-buses). Compare the hotels and restaurants with those of New York. Shopping. Social settlements, especially Toynbee Hall. The fashionable residence district. LondonBridge by day and by night. The London pageant of 1911.
1.Canterbury—Description of the town. St. Martin's, the Mother Church of England. Monastery of St. Augustine. Architecture of the cathedral, and periods represented. Great events connected with its history. Story of Thomas à Becket.
2.Winchester, Salisbury, and Wells—The ancient town of Winchester and its place in English history. Caskets of the Danish kings. The glass. Graves of Jane Austen and Izaak Walton. Salisbury: the most symmetrical of the cathedrals. The cloister. Wells: the moated palace of the bishops; the vicar's close; the chapter-house staircase.
3.Ely and Peterborough—Ely: the fens. Story of King Canute. The military architecture. Peterborough: the screen of the west front; the painted wood ceiling; the grave of Queen Catharine of Aragon, and the former grave of Mary Queen of Scots.
4.Lincoln and Lichfield—Lincoln: the bishop's eye, and the dean's eye; site of the shrine ofLittle Hugh of Lincoln; old houses around the close. Lichfield: symmetry; monuments of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Samuel Johnson, and Garrick. Johnson's connection with Lichfield. The Grammar-School.
5.York and Durham—York: the old city and its walls; the Five Sisters window; the military monuments; the famous chapter-house; the crypt; the horn of Ulphus. Durham: story of the monks of Lindisfarne and St. Cuthbert; the dun cow; the prince bishops; the Norman pillars; the Galilee, and the grave of The Venerable Bede; the knocker.
Books to Consult—Van Rensselaer: English Cathedrals. Pratt: Cathedral Churches of England. Singleton: Famous Cathedrals as Seen and Described by Great Writers.
If time permits, this program should occupy two meetings at least. To the great cathedrals given may be added the smaller ones, Chichester, Gloucester, Worcester, Chester, Exeter, Ripon and Carlisle. To the excursion to Wells add a side-trip to Glastonbury, the home of the Arthurian legends. At Winchester visit the Hospital of St. Cross and the famous school. At Canterbury read from David Copperfield.
1.Oxford: the City—The Cherwell and the Isis. The castle. Carfax. The martyrs and their monument. The cathedral. Trips to Iffley, Blenheim, Woodstock, and Gaunt House.
2.Oxford: the Colleges—Origin and constitution of university. New College: William of Wykeham's Tower and Sir Joshua Reynolds's window; Christ Church: Cardinal Wolsey, the great bell, the hall and staircase; Magdalen College: the Founder's Tower, the deer park, Addison's Walk, the outdoor pulpit; Balliol College: John Balliol, King of Scotland, Wiclif, Jowett.
3.Oxford: in English History and Literature—The monks; the Empress Matilda; Charles I.; the Oxford Movement. Famous authors educated at Oxford: Ben Jonson, Sidney, Locke, Jeremy Taylor, Ruskin, Matthew Arnold, Swinburne, Pater. Books describing life in college at Oxford: Verdant Green, Hard Cash, Tom Brown at Oxford. Readings about Oxford from Matthew Arnold, Andrew Lang, and Bagehot.
4.Cambridge: the City and the Colleges—The round Norman church; the Cam and the Backs.Pembroke College: Edmund Spenser's mulberry-tree; Queen's: the bridge; King's: Henry Seventh's chapel; Trinity: Wren's library, Milton manuscript; St. John's: the garden; Magdalen: the Pepys library; Emmanuel: the Puritans' college, John Harvard.
5.Cambridge and the Intellectual Life of England—Government and Science: Bacon, Newton, Harvey, Darwin, Thurlow, Palmerston. Letters: Ascham, Marlowe, Crashaw, Dryden, Gray, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Byron, Thackeray, Tennyson.
Books to Consult—Andrew Lang: Oxford. Edwards: Oxford Painted by John Fulleylove. Atkinson: Cambridge Described and Illustrated. Stubbs: The History of Cambridge.
Read especially the famous passage from the preface to Matthew Arnold's Essays in Criticism, concerning Oxford. Show a photograph of the beautiful memorial of Shelley and one of Holman Hunt's picture called, "The Light of the World." Tell of the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theater. Read O. W. Holmes's account of the granting of degrees. Under Cambridge, notice King's College chapel and compare the ceiling with that of Henry Seventh's chapel in WestminsterAbbey, built at the same time. Give a brief paper on Girton and Newnham Colleges for women.
1.Introductory Paper—General description of Westmoreland and Cumberland Counties. The sixteen lakes, including Windermere, Ullswater, Coniston, and Derwentwater. History of the region.
2.Windermere and Its Neighborhood—Bowness and its church. The steamer trip. Elleray and Christopher North. Hawkshead and the Wordsworth Grammar-School. Coniston. Brantwood and Ruskin. The Duddon Valley.
3.Ambleside, Grasmere, and Keswick—Coaching. Dove's Nest. Fox How, the home of Thomas Arnold. Rydal Mount. Nab Cottage and Hartley Coleridge. Grasmere Church and Wordsworth grave and monument. Keswick and the home of Southey, Greta Hall. Crosthwaite Church and Southey's tomb. Derwentwater and the Friar's Crag. The Falls of Lodore.
4.The Lake School of Poets—Wordsworth, Southey, and Coleridge. Readings from Wordsworth's Excursion and his sonnets. Reading from Southey's Lodore.
Books to Consult—Eric Robertson: Wordsworthshire. Rawnsley: Life and Nature at the English Lakes (also several other books by the same author). Knight: The English Lake District as Interpreted in the Poems of Wordsworth. A. G. Bradley (and Pennell): Highways and Byways in the Lake District. Palmer: The English Lakes.
If possible, have a talk on Dorothy Wordsworth and the home life of brother and sister. Mention some of their visitors, among them Charles Lamb, the friend of the three Lake Poets. Read Wordsworth's poem about his wife: "She was a Phantom of Delight." The connection of the Arnolds, Thomas and Matthew, with the lake country is full of interest, as well as that of Harriet Martineau. Refer also to Arthur Hugh Clough, who lived here for a time. The schools founded by Ruskin are worth study, where the plowboys learned to make beautiful pottery, and the farmers' daughters, embroidery.
1.Stratford on Avon—Shakespeare's birthplace; the signatures of famous people on the walls; the museum, the garden. The Grammar-School.New Place and the Mulberry-Tree. The church and the tomb of Shakespeare, with its inscription. The river Avon.
2.Around Stratford—Shottery and the home of Ann Hathaway. Charlcote and the deer-park. The Elizabethan mansion and the church of Hampton Lucy.
3.Kenilworth—The famous revels prepared for Queen Elizabeth by the Earl of Leicester in 1574. Shakespeare's relation to the Queen and the court. Were any plays written at her suggestion? The present ruins of Kenilworth and Amy Robsart's tower.
4.Warwick—The castle and its treasures and history. Leycester Hospital. The Church of Saint Mary with the tomb of the great Earl of Leicester. Guy's Cliff.
Books to Consult—William Winter: Shakespeare's England. Goadby: The England of Shakespeare. Leyland: The Shakespeare Country Illustrated. Turner: Shakespeare's Land.
The country about Stratford is constantly referred to in the plays of Shakespeare. In Henry IV., The Taming of the Shrew, and The Merry Wives of Windsor there are numerous passages which touch it. The Forest of Arden is deservingof a side-trip, and on the way travelers watch for the wild thyme, the primroses, the violets, and other flowers mentioned by Shakespeare. There may be a little tour to Coventry, the quaint old town associated with the story of Lady Godiva. Photographs for illustrating the Shakespeare country are abundant and beautiful, and are easily obtained.
1.Edinburgh—General appearance of the city. The old town and the new. The castle. Saint Giles's. The Knox house. Holyrood. The Tolbooth. The wynds. The Canongate. Grey Friars. The Scott monument. The university.
2.Through the Lakes and the Trossachs to Glasgow—Railway, steamer, and coach. Stirling: the castle, field of Bannockburn, the Wallace monument. The Trossachs. Loch Katrine and Ellen's Isle (see The Lady of the Lake). Loch Lomond and Ben Lomond. Glasgow: the cathedral, the university. The Clyde. Reading from The Lady of the Lake.
3.The Land of Burns—Ayr: the Auld Brig and the New Brig, Burns's cottage, the Brig o' Doon, Auld Alloway Kirk. The Burns monument.Dumfries: Burns's house (where he died), his grave and monument. Reading of Tam o' Shanter.
4.Scott's Country—Abbotsford. Melrose. Dryburgh. Reading from Washington Irving's account of his visit to Abbotsford, and the account of Scott's funeral in Lockhart's Life of Scott.
Books to Consult—William Winter: Over the Border. Hunnewell: Lands of Scott. Crockett: In the Border Country. Crockett: The Scott Country. Sir H. E. Maxwell: The Story of the Tweed.
A day's coaching-trip from Edinburgh takes one to the beautiful little chapel of Roslin with its "'Prentice Pillar," and to Hawthornden, the glen where Drummond, the Elizabethan poet, lived. A second excursion may be made to the old university town of Saint Andrews, with its castle (a ruin) and the bottle dungeon, and also the famous golf-links. A trip may be taken to the seaside town of Newhaven, to see the fish-wives in their quaint costumes.
1.Perth and Aberdeen—Perth: St. John's Church. Site of the convent and the story ofThe King's Tragedy (see Rossetti). Reading from Scott's Fair Maid of Perth. Balmoral: Reading from Queen Victoria's Journal in the Highlands. Aberdeen: History. The granite works. The Cathedral of St. Machar. The university (King's College). Bridge of Don (1320).
2.Oban—"The Charing Cross of the Highlands." The Island of Mull. Staffa ("Island of Pillars") and Fingal's Cave. Iona. St. Columba's church. Story of his life. Reading from Bede's Ecclesiastical History. The Celtic crosses.
3.The Caledonian Canal—Start from Oban. Glencoe and the story of its massacre. Ossian's cave. Ben Nevis (highest mountain in Great Britain). Invergarry Castle. Fall of Foyers.
4.Skye and the Islands—Reading from William Black's A Princess of Thule; also, from Scott's Pirate. The Orkney Islands. Sea fowl. Fisheries. The Shetland Islands. Story of Harold Haarfagr.
Books to Consult—James Boswell: Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides. R. B. Moncrieff: Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Archibald MacMillan: Iona. George Birkbeck Hill: Footsteps of Dr. Johnson.
Introduce in this program the ballads of theScottish Highlands, either read or sung. The origin of the tartans used by the different clans is interesting, especially if illustrated with colored reproductions. The unique Highland costume for men may be described or represented. The bagpipes should be noticed; their peculiar music and their historic use.
1.History—The Romans and their remains. Offa's Dyke. The Normans and their buildings. Griffith ap Rhyl. Llewlyn the Great. Owen Glendower's revolt. Origin of the Tudor kings in Wales. The story of the Princes of Wales.
2.The Country and the People—Wildness and grandeur. Llandudno, Llangollen, Bettws-y-Coed, Snowdon. Show photographs of the most famous places. The Celts and their languages. National customs of the Welsh: the eisteddfod.
3.Churches and Castles—Wrexham Church and the tomb of Elihu Yale. Valle Crucis Abbey. Truro. St. Asaph's Cathedral, the smallest in the kingdom, and the grave of Mrs. Hemans. Llandaff Cathedral. Cardiff Castle. Beaumaris. Hawarden Church, in the grounds of Gladstone's estate. Pembroke, the birthplace of Henry VII.Bangor. Denbigh. Conway. Carnarvon, the birthplace of the first Prince of Wales. Harlech. Powys.
4.Literature—Giraldus Cambrensis. The Arthurian Legends. The Mabinogion. Celtic Folk-lore.
Books to Consult—E. Thomas and R. Fowler: Beautiful Wales. A. G. Bradley: Highways and Byways in Wales. W. J. Griffith: Short Analysis of Welsh History (Temple Primers). George Borrow: Wild Wales. J. B. John: The Mabinogion.
Welsh music should have some place in the program. Great choruses of singers have traveled in America, and may have been heard by some of the club members. The best-known song is the stirring March of the Men of Harlech. An interesting paper may be prepared on the relation existing between Tennyson's Idyls of the King and the Welsh legends.
1.The History—The Celts: their characteristics, customs, and folk-lore. The Irish kings. St. Columba and St. Patrick. The conquest. The question of home rule.
2.Belfast, the City of the North—Differences between the people of the north and those of the south. Protestants and Catholics. Ship-building and the linen industry. Dimensions of some of the recently made ships. The Giant's Causeway.
3.Dublin—The government buildings. Phœnix Park and its history. The cathedral and Dean Swift. Excursions in the neighborhood.
4.Cork and the South—The city and its characteristics. The Gap of Dunloe. The Lakes of Killarney. Blarney Castle. Show photographs.
5.Irish Literature—Ancient. Readings from the publications of the Irish Text Society. Oratory. Sheridan, Burke, Grattan, O'Connell. Folk-tales and folk-songs. See volume x. of Morris's Irish Literature. Novels: Lover, Edgeworth, Lever, William Carleton. Readings. The New Irish Theater: Yeats, Synge, Lady Gregory.
Books to Consult—Mrs. Alice S. A. Green: Irish Nationality. J. P. Joyce: The Wonders of Ireland. W. C. O'Donnell: Around the Emerald Isles. F. Weitenkampf: The Irish Literary Revival.
To vary this program, illustrate with scenesfrom Sheridan's School for Scandal, and The Rivals, in costume. Have Moore's ballads sung: Oft in the Stilly Night, Those Evening Bells, The Last Rose of Summer, and The Harp that Once Through Tara's Halls. Read from Lever's Charles O'Malley and from Burke's speech on the impeachment of Warren Hastings. Clever Irish stories and famous bulls might be given to close the hour.
It is part of a liberal education to be more or less acquainted with the lives of our great composers and the operas they wrote; and the subject is quite as interesting and practical for the women remote from musical centers as for those near them. There are two books any club can own which are invaluable; one is called The Opera, by R. A. Streatfield, which gives a sketch of each composer and an estimate of his work; the other, Two Hundred Opera Plots, by Gladys Davidson tells the story of each opera. In addition to these (and of course whatever is to be found in a good encyclopedia) the score of any opera can be bought at a music store, and a pianist can illustrate a talk with leading airs; or, if practicable, one of the modern musical machines can reproduce the voices of famous singers in their great parts.
The year's work should begin by one or more meetings on the Rise of Opera in Italy in the latter part of the sixteenth century. Three little operas were written, attempting to give the old Greek dramas in a musical setting. The first public performance of opera as we know it, however, was given by Peri, in Florence, with his Euridice, to honor the marriage of Maria de' Medici and Henry IV. of France; this was a sort of recitative, set to the music of a violin, a guitar, and harpsichord.
Peri was followed by Monteverde, but the latter's production of Orfeo far surpassed the former's work on the same theme. His orchestra had thirty-nine instruments, and the effect of the whole was to open a new world of music. At once opera-writing became the fashion, and in fifty years all great Italian cities had their schools of opera, and France had adopted the same ideas. The subjects of all were classical, allegorical, and pastoral, and to the recitative, alone, were added songs and arias, and the overture was developed. Some clubs might take for a year's work the subject of Italy of this period,adding the study of art and literature to that of music. A good book to use is Morton Latham's Renaissance of Music.
At this point the history of opera divides, and three great composers are to be noted. Clubs should have a paper on each, the material drawn from the encyclopedia.
1. Lulli, though born in Italy, lived in Paris; he wrote twenty operas, all of which were splendidly produced. He used largely the form of recitative, but developed the overture, dividing it into a prelude, a fugue, and a dance.
2. Humphreys, an English composer, was sent by Charles II. to France to study; on his return he had for his pupil Henry Purcell, still considered the greatest musical genius England has produced. His Dido and Æneas is the first English opera.
3. The third great man of the time was Handel, who produced in Hamburg the opera Almira, a mixture of German and Italian ideas, but made beautiful by the charming dance music scattered through it. Later he wrote Rinaldo, and it was brought out with overwhelming success.
Clubs should give an entire meeting to Handel.Many of his well-known oratorios have selections which are more familiar than any passages from his operas, however, notably the Messiah and Elijah.
After the death of Lulli the French school followed him with little originality until, in the eighteenth century, Rameau gave opera more rhythm and melody, and added to the orchestration. Then Gluck appeared, studying first in Italy, where opera had degenerated; he wrote Piramo e Tisbe, which failed; later he brought out Orfeo ed Euridice, which at once made him famous. The music is appropriate to the lofty and sad classical theme, but is relieved with exquisite reproductions of bird and water music. The whole is one of the great operas. The great song is Che farò senza Euridice.
Mozart, though a German by birth, was trained under Italian influence. His first opera was written when he was twelve years old, and given in his native town. His greatest work was Don Giovanni, though his last, The Magic Flute, is best known. But it was his influence over other musicians, like that of Rameau, which was evenmore important than his own music. Mozart is one of the most delightful topics for club study. His charming personality, his friendships, and his life-story are full of interest.
Cherubini's work, at first cold and formal, developed into dignity and even grandeur. His finest opera is Médée, although his one light opera, The Water Carriers, is also well known.
Beethoven gave one famous opera to Germany at this time, his Fidelio. The music shows strongly the influence of Mozart, but it is original in form and beautiful in execution. The Fateful Moment is a good selection to give.
Weber, a German, was the first to turn from the conventional type of opera-writing to the romantic. To his solid foundation he added an exquisite, imaginative glow. After years of struggle he achieved success in his Der Freischütz. Oberon, his last work, full of fairylike and charming music, did not succeed. In fact, Weber's greatest accomplishment was the inspiration he gave others, like Mozart and Rameau. The overtures to both operas should be given.
Flotow, a German by birth, wrote distinctlyItalian music. His one well-known opera, Martha, still has a certain vogue, though it is remembered more for its tuneful airs than for any real merit. The Spinning-Wheel Song and the Last Rose of Summer are familiar.
Nicolai began his work by imitating Italian music, but later he became distinctly original and wrote a really excellent comic opera, the Merry Wives of Windsor, which stands in the first rank.
Schubert wrote many light operas of slight musical value, and Schumann one of more or less worth, called Genoveva.
Opera-writing now became so popular everywhere that it is necessary to take it up in its different homes, and to divide the work into that done in the earlier and later years. The first is:
Rossini, born at the end of the eighteenth century, knew little of technical methods, so he followed his native genius. His first great opera was Tancredi, and this was followed by others in a lighter vein, notably the Barber of Seville, bright and amusing, and later William Tell, his finest work, dignified and beautiful. The overture to the last is one of his familiar melodies.
Donizetti, born in the same decade with Rossini, wrote sixty-five operas; one of the best-known is Lucia di Lammermoor, with its famous sextet. Lucrezia Borgia, probably his best work, is but seldom given to-day, but La Fille du Régiment, a gay, charming little opera, is often presented.
Bellini, who comes a few years later than the last two composers, wrote operas famous in their day. I Puritani, La Sonnambula, and Norma, are all well known. The solo, Hear Me, Norma, is especially familiar.
Meyerbeer, born in 1791, though of German birth, spent most of his life in Paris. He wrote many excellent operas, even though they were marred by sensationalism. Robert le Diable, L'Africaine, Les Huguenots, and Le Prophète have all been often given by great singers. Les Huguenots is considered Meyerbeer's best work, and the duet in the fourth act is of immense dramatic force.
In contrast with this composer stands Berlioz, born in 1803. His work is serious, with romantic and delicate touches. He wrote The Damnation of Faust and Benvenuto Cellini, but his greatopera is Les Troyens, though it is scarcely known to the public.
Halévy belongs with Meyerbeer, for one reflected the other. La Juive appeared before Les Huguenots, and the music of both has much in common.
Just at this time light opera, oropéra comique, found in Auber its greatest composer. He began to write late in life, and his last opera, The Dream of Love, was produced when he was eighty-eight. His music was full of gaiety and brightness. Fra Diavolo and Masaniello are familiar, and the part ofFenellain the latter has been taken by many famous dancers. Auber has many followers to-day, notably Offenbach, whose Tales of Hoffman is well known.
Richard Wagner, born in 1813, is by far the most imposing and most interesting of all writers of opera. His life and work deserve more than a passing paper, and clubs are urged to make an entire year's study of them. At twenty he wrote his first opera, Die Feen, rather a simple affair; this was distinctly in the Italian manner. Next he tried the French method, and wrote Rienzi,with an excellent libretto but showy music. Later, in poverty in Paris, he wrote The Flying Dutchman, a picturesque piece of music with beautiful chorus work. After this came the first of his great operas, Tannhauser, the story of the struggle of a soul between good and evil. This contains two famous passages, the Pilgrims' Chorus and the exquisite song to the Evening Star. It is in this opera that there first appears Wagner's distinctive method, the use of theLeit-motif, or guiding-theme, which associates one strain or one set of instruments with one character. This idea had been slightly used by Gluck, but Wagner developed it.
Five years later came Lohengrin, not as strong a piece of work as its predecessor, though the prelude is acknowledged to be one of his most poetic conceptions. None of Wagner's work was successful, however; and after this point he relinquished the hope of popularity, and determined to write only what seemed to him great music. In this lofty spirit he planned Der Ring des Nibelungen. His subject was taken from the old Norse mythology, the myths altered to suit his purpose. The whole work is in five parts: the Ring, the Rheingold, the Walküre, Siegfried, andthe Twilight of the Gods. The plots of these should be read, and such music heard as can be obtained.
Then came Tristan and Isolde, called the Romeo and Juliet of music, and after it, strangely enough, followed a light opera, Die Meistersinger, at once a success; and last, what is considered his greatest work, Parsifal, which he called a Sacred Festival Drama rather than an opera. In this he returns to the theme he used in Lohengrin—the Holy Grail. The wonderful and touching mystical music must be heard to be appreciated. For years it has been given at Bayreuth, and musicians from all over the world have gathered to hear it. It is only of late that it has been produced elsewhere.
Wagner's life-work was to alter the whole course of modern opera and give it new dignity and power.
Gounod, born in 1818, is the greatest composer of French opera of modern times. His masterpiece is Faust, with its familiar Jewel Song; his second best work is Romeo and Juliet.
Thomas, the writer of Mignon, full of melody,and Hamlet, with its brilliant and powerful music, is distinctly a follower of Gounod.
Bizet shows in his Carmen the influence of Wagner; the Toreador strain is its guiding-theme. His work was to raise light opera to almost the dignity of grand.
Saint-Saëns has one well-known work, Samson and Delilah, somewhat suggestive of oratorio.
Massenet, who died but lately, was full of originality. His operas, The Cid, Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame, Manon, and Thais, are all to be seen on the modern stage.
Charpentier in Louise has also struck an original note, and his orchestration is considered unique.
Debussy has written Pélleas and Mélisande, a new opera of great interest.
Delibes has one charming opera, Lakmé, founded on the love of a Hindu girl for an English officer.
Verdi, born in 1839 and dying only recently, is the master of the modern Italian composers. Ernani is typical of his first style, and was immensely popular. Later he wrote La Traviata, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and Aida. When Verdiwas an old man he wrote Otello, called his greatest work. This was followed by Falstaff, full of bright fun.
Verdi's genius inspired many other musicians. Of them all Ponchielli owed him most; his best opera is La Gioconda.
Puccini, a living composer, also owes much to Verdi; his Manon Lescaut, La Bohème, Madame Butterfly, and The Girl of the Golden West prove his great promise.
Mascagni is associated with one opera only, the Cavalleria Rusticana, with its intermezzo which gave it popularity. His later work is distinctly second rate.
Leoncavallo has followed Mascagni somewhat. His I Pagliacci is his best-known opera.
Almost all Germans follow Wagner to-day, but Goldmark in his Queen of Sheba shows independence, especially in his orchestration. Humperdinck's lovely Hansel and Gretel has given him a place of importance.
The Bohemian, Smetana, who wrote The Bartered Bride cleverly used his national airs, andthis and his other operas are typical of his country.
Glinka, born in 1808, founded the Russian school; his fine opera A Life for the Czar is well known.
Richard Strauss, a follower of Wagner, is the composer of Salome and Elektra; the music is rich and complicated, and his talent unquestioned.
In England, Balfe, born in 1808, wrote several operas, the best known the Bohemian Girl, with its familiar airs. Since his day there has been little serious work done, but light opera, notably Sullivan's Pinafore, the Mikado, and others have had great success.
In America we have Horatio Parker, with his recent Mona, a production full of originality, if one not yet popular; Reginald De Koven, who wrote the excellent Robin Hood, and Victor Herbert, the author of lighter works.
In addition to using this résumé of opera, clubs should make out programs on popular topics; or there may be one topic used to close each program.
Subsidizing the opera: shall this be done by thestate, as in Germany; or by individuals, as in New York?
Cheap opera: is it possible for us to-day? How is it managed in Germany and Italy? What is the expense of opera in New York, in great salaries, scenery, costumes, etc.?
Give an idea of some famous opera-houses in Paris, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Milan, Buenos Ayres, and elsewhere, illustrating with photographs. Tell of great opera-singers and their careers; mention Patti, Christine Nilsson, Calvé, the De Reszkes, Caruso, and others; have records of such voices, if possible. Discuss the opera music of to-day: Is it on the whole melodious, or is there a tendency to return to the old style recitative? Are the airs as marked as those of a decade ago?
1.Italy: the Birthplace of Modern Painting—The influence of Byzantium; the intellectual awakening of Europe; the development of commerce.
2.The Early Painters—Cimabue, Giotto, Fra Angelico, Botticelli.
3.Art Patrons of the Renaissance—Lorenzo de' Medici; Leo X.
Leonardo da Vinci: The Father of Modern Painting—Story of his life; his versatility; the Last Supper; the Mona Lisa.
Readingfrom Walter Pater's Essay on the Renaissance.
Books to Consult—Luebke: History of Art. J. A. Symonds: The Renaissance in Italy. Vasari: Lives of the Painters.
A brief introductory paper might take up the influence of Roman classical literature and history on Italian art, and also the effect of Greek cultureafter the Crusades. The childlike subjects and methods of the early painters are also of great interest, and what they took from Byzantine art, and how they were influenced by the study of anatomy. The luxury of the times and its demands for pictures and statues, the influence of the extravagance of court life, the Popes as art patrons, all can be discussed. One entire paper might be given to St. Peter's at Rome, and another to Da Vinci's great picture "Mona Lisa," and what art critics have said of it. See also Ruskin's estimates of the Primitives.
1.Life of Raphael—His family and his father's influence; change in his style through his instructors. His patrons, and what he did for them. His personal disposition, and its effect on his style.
2.Raphael as a Painter—Give the impressions of famous travelers, authors and art critics. Where his paintings are, their number, their subjects. The Madonna, his favorite subject. Various ways in which he treated it.
3.Michelangelo—The story of his life and training as a painter. Versatility (as architect, painter, sculptor and poet). Brief description ofhis works and their location. Readings from his sonnets.
4.A Comparison of Raphael and Michelangelo—Their relations in life, their difference of temperament, and the contrast in the spirit of their work.
5.Titian—History of his personal experience. Description of his most famous paintings. His effect on the history of painting, as a colorist.
Books to Consult—Muentz: Raphael. C. C. Black: Michelangelo Buonarotti. Crowe and Cavalcaselle: Titian. C. C. Perkins: Raphael and Michelangelo.
This program should be liberally illustrated with photographs; if no others can be obtained, the Perry pictures will do excellently. Those who have been abroad may compare impressions of different painters, and especially of the various Madonnas painted by Raphael. Pictures of the exterior and interior of the Sistine Chapel and of Saint Peter's should be shown, with colored photographs of the frescoes on the walls and ceiling of the former.
1.Early Spanish Painters—Murillo: the artist of the church; his Madonnas. Ribera.
2.Velazquez—The artist of the crown; influence on him of Herrera and Pacheco; peculiarly Spanish character; his patron, Philip IV.; the forty portraits of this king; visit of the painter to Italy; mythological and religious pictures; his Christ on the Cross.
3.Recent Spanish Painters—Goya: his portraits; story of his quarrel with the Duke of Wellington. Fortuny: influence upon him of Meissonier; small and motley figures. Zuloaga: resemblance of style to Goya. Sorolla y Bastida: painter of sunshine on figures; pictures in the Luxembourg and the Metropolitan Museum.
4.The Madrid Gallery—The greatest picture-gallery of the world; built for Charles III. Collections of Charles V., Philip II., and Philip IV. (2,000 pictures.) Its paintings by Titian, Raphael, Tintoretto, Velazquez, Van Dyck, Rubens, and Teniers. Huge modern historical works like those at Versailles.
Books to Consult—Curtis: Velazquez and Murillo. Armstrong: Life of Velazquez. Stirling-Maxwell: Annals of the Artists of Spain. Temple: Modern Spanish Painting.
There were several great patrons of art in Spain, like Charles V. and Philip II. Read oftheir relations to the painters and their work. Discuss the contribution of the Spanish painters to realism. How does Velazquez compare with Raphael? Analyze the peculiar contribution of Sorolla to modern painting.
1.Painters of Interiors—Metsu, Van Ostade, Jan Steen, Wouvermans. Note the humor and satire in the painters of genre; also, their minutely careful method.
2.Landscapes and Marines—Cuyp, Ruysdael, Van der Velde. Describe the characteristics of the Dutch landscape. Show pictures of cattle combined with landscape.
3.Figures—Hals, Van der Heist, Van Dyck, Rubens. Tell the story of Van Dyck and the English court, and describe his pictures of King Charles I. Note the huge canvases of Rubens, his high colors and his heavy figures. Mention the meeting of Rubens and Velazquez and its probable effect on the former. Notice the quantity of works attributed to Rubens (1,300 titles Smith's catalogue), and discuss the likelihood of his having produced all these without help.
4.Rembrandt—His history, style (light andshade), and effect on painting. Describe the numerous portraits of himself and his wife. Note his work as an etcher. Description of the Night Watch.
Books to Consult—Crowe and Cavalcaselle: Early Flemish Paintings. Max Rooses: Dutch Painters of the Nineteenth Century. Malcolm Bell: Rembrandt van Rijn and His Work. E. Dillon: Rubens.
The Dutch school was the pioneer of modern landscape-painting; show its influence on Constable and other English artists. The Dutch were faithful illustrators of peasant and burgher life, and it is interesting to make a study of costume, furniture, and jewelry as shown by them. Take up the galleries of Amsterdam, The Hague, and Antwerp, and show photographs of Van Dyck's Crucifixion, and Rembrandt's Night Watch. At Haarlem there is a small gallery noted for its paintings by Franz Hals, particularly The Syndics. There is a small group of modern Dutch painters deserving of notice: Mauve, the two Marises, Mesdag, and Israels.
1.Poussin and Claude—Influence of Domenichino on Poussin. Relation to Cardinal Barberini.Richelieu and Louis XIII. Influence of Poussin on landscape-painting. Claude's studies in Italy. Late success. Mythological and Scriptural subjects. TheLiber Veritatis. Ruskin's estimate. Comparison with Turner in the National Gallery, London. Claude as an etcher. Hamerton's opinion of him.
2.Court Painters and Others—LeBrun. Patronage of Seguier. Work under Louis XIV. and Colbert at Fontainebleau, Versailles, and Sceaux. Watteau,peintre des Fêtes Galantes. Artificial pastoral scenes. Reading from Pater's A Court Painter. Chardin. Only painter of humble life of his time. Neglect then; appreciation now. Why this change in opinion? Fragonard. Relation to Chardin. Greuze. Names of some of his court beauties. Are they true to life?
3.David and Ingres—Inspiration of the antique in David. Historical subjects. Napoleon pictures. Compare Ingres with David.
4.Delaroche, Géricault, Delacroix—Delaroche's loyalty to classic traditions of painting. Pictures at Versailles. Géricault: His pictures of nature and especially animals. Delacroix: Connection of the romantic movement in paintingwith that in literature. Effect of Delacroix's influence on modern painting.
Books to Consult—Sir Edmund Head: Handbook of the History of the Spanish and French Schools of Painting. Lady Dilke: French Painters of the Eighteenth Century. Staley: Watteau and His School. Turner and Baker: Stories of the French Artists.
Have a paper on The Influence of the French Revolution on French Art. Before that, that artificial and frivolous spirit characterized the work of the painters as it did the life of the court, for which they largely did their work. Note the many pictures illustrating the life of Napoleon, his battles, and his victories; Versailles is full of them. The enthusiasm of patriotism and the new national sense are shown in this reaction.
1.The Romanticists—Followers of Delacroix. Their principles. Dupré, Isabey, Jacque, Corot, Daubigny. Story of Corot's life. Coloration and style. Compare with Constable.
2.The Barbizon School—Description of life in the Forest of Fontainebleau. Millet. Country life. Poverty. Later appreciations. The Angelus.Pictures in the United States. Rousseau. Diaz. Cazin.
3.The Impressionists—Manet, Monet, Degas, Raffaëlli.
4.Pictures of Genre—Describe what is meant. Discuss the relative merits of pictures that tell a story and those that merely give an impression. Meissonier, Cabanel, Baudry, Rosa Bonheur, Ziem, Bouguereau, Constant, Fromentin, Jules Breton. Pictures by these painters in the United States.
5.Painters of the Open Air—The appreciation of atmosphere in French painting. Lepage, Roll, Dagnan-Bouveret.
Books to Consult—Hourticq: Art in France. Theodore Child: Some Modern French Painters. J. C. VanDyke: Modern French Masters. D. Cady Eaton: Handbook of Modern French Painting. C. Sprague Smith: Barbizon Days.
The story of the life of the artist colony and their friends at Barbizon would make a delightful paper. Material of an interesting sort may be found in A Chronicle of Friendships, by Will H. Low. See also R. L. Stevenson. Among the great decorative artists of our time is Puvis de Chavannes. He has one well-known painting inthe Boston Public Library. Boutet de Monvel, the painter of children; Bonnat, the portrait-painter; and, among the younger artists, Sisley may be mentioned. Illustrate with photographs of a Corot landscape, Millet's Angelus, Meissonier's 1805, Rosa Bonheur's Horse Fair, Jules Breton's Brittany Pardon, Lepage's Joan of Arc, and Dagnan-Bouveret's Madonna.