Inland cottages may be made of cobble or any native stone, or of wood, or cement, or a combination. There should be large, deep porches, to be used for living-rooms, and, if possible, out-of-door sleeping-porches. The house should be so placed as to command the best view, especiallyof the sunsets. There should be beautiful gardens all about the house.
Show pictures of all these styles of cottage, and of the famous California bungalows, which are in every possible style and at all prices.
Close this subject with a brief talk or paper on Furnishing the Summer Home, mentioning that it should be done appropriately, not with left-over city furniture, but with the plainer kinds which suit the house. Speak of simple and attractive curtains and hangings, of the use of chintzes and cretonnes, of white-painted beds and chairs, of porch furniture. Notice also the labor-saving contrivances for summer kitchens. Have members tell of what they have seen and done in summer; close with a talk on the names of summer houses.
The remarkable multiplication of apartments in the last few years is noteworthy. Have their advantages and disadvantages presented, and question: What are the essentials of a good, livable apartment?
Suggest that the street should be accessible and as quiet as possible; the rooms not too smallnor too crowded; that there should be light and air in the sleeping-rooms; that a few good closets, a sanitary bathroom, a convenient kitchen, are all necessary, and a private hall is desirable.
Discuss the question: How does the furnishing of an apartment differ from that of a house? Present the suggestion that as the rooms are apt to be small there must not be too much furniture, and that what there is should be plain, and simply upholstered. The wall-paper should be rather light in color, and plain or self-figured; to have it all of one kind makes the apartment look larger than if several kinds were used. There should be few hangings, and light curtains. Note also these questions: How can spaces be saved in sleeping and other rooms? What about heating and ventilation? Is living in an apartment hygienic? Does it tend to foster or discourage neighborliness? Does one form the habit of moving, and is the sense of continuity of a permanent family home destroyed? Have a discussion arranged in advance on these and similar points.
This very practical subject may be expanded into several meetings, since it is distinctly educational.
Floors—Carpets versus bare floors and rugs. What is the cost of hard wood, of Southern pine, of painted or stained floors? In the long run, are such floors and the necessary rugs more or less expensive than carpets? What sort of rugs are desirable beyond the Oriental? What are artistic, durable, harmonious in color and pattern? What can be done with old carpets?
Walls—The necessity of proper proportion should be emphasized; they should be neither too high nor too low for the size of the room. If they are wrong, what can be done? Show how papering can help the difficulty; too low ceilings call for a narrow striped paper without a frieze; a too high ceiling needs the calcimined ceiling carried down to a foot or more on the wall, with a narrow molding where it meets the paper.
Study the subject of wall-paper, and show illustrations. The dark paper absorbs the light. The gilt-medallioned paper is inartistic; hard, bright colors are tiring to live with. Chintz papers are suitable for bedrooms. Notice the value of self-toned papers, and of shades of tans and pale browns.
Hangings—Have a paper or talk here. Describe the ugliness of highly colored, fringed, two-toned,draped portières, and of imitation lace curtains, such as Nottingham, and contrast with the beauty of simple, plain hangings and curtains of net or muslin of good styles. Show pictures from catalogues of good and bad hangings. Do not overlook the fact that if windows are too large or too small, too high or too low, their outline can be altered by their treatment. Present the possibilities of stenciling.
Furniture—This topic gives opportunity for a whole meeting. Get catalogues from dealers, and illustrate papers on different styles of furniture, English of several periods, French, German, Colonial, and the modern varieties of no period at all. Read from Furniture of Olden Times, by Alice C. Morse. Show how the plain lines of old mahogany are forever beautiful. Contrast such furniture with the showy, ornate, over-elaborate things we too often see to-day.
Make a point of the necessity of having few and simple chairs and tables in small rooms; of the advantage of low bookcases over high ones; the beauty of shaded lights over glaring white ones; of side lights and lamps as better than a central chandelier or hanging lamp.
Pictures should be of good subjects; copies ofgreat masters, and of beautiful scenery or cathedrals, can be had in photographs; they should be plainly framed, hung flat on the wall, and opposite the eye. Bric-à-brac should be quiet in color and line, rather than complex and pretentious; speak of the value of pottery, and, if possible, study a little of what is being done in arts and crafts in all lines.
A practical discussion may follow on, What shall we do with our ugly belongings? Let someone show how carpets can be dyed or made into rugs, furniture simplified by removing the cheap ornamentation and staining the whole, bookcases cut down, hangings made over.
Have illustrated papers or talks on these topics:
The Living-Room—How can it best be made beautiful and comfortable? What colors are best? what furniture? what pictures and ornaments? Where shall the writing-desk, the large table, the piano, stand? What of the floor, the curtains, the cushions? What is essential, and what can we do without?
The Dining-Room—Which side of the house is best to choose? What colors are suitable for thewalls? What wood for the furniture? What about a sideboard, glass-closet, pantry? How can we make over what we have?
The Bedrooms—Shall we use wood or metal beds? What of the floor? Are wall-papers desirable? What of the use of chintz and white paint? What curtains and hangings are best? What furniture can be home-made for the bedroom?
The Boy's Room—How can it be at once sensible and attractive? What sort of furniture will he like best, and what colors? Shall there be a place for "collections"?
The Girl's Room—How shall this be at once dainty and practical? What colors are suitable? If the room is small, how can the space be best utilized? Does a pretty bedroom tend to make a girl orderly?
From this point have brief papers on other rooms: the mother's room; the guest-room; the nursery; the playroom; the grandmother's room; the out-of-door sleeping-room; the hospital room; the sewing-room; the linen-closet; the attic; the cellar.
Close with a practical paper on that important room in the home, the kitchen. Show that it is aworkroom, to be furnished and used as such. Speak of the floor, the walls, and their finishing; the tables and chairs; the pantries; the sink; the range; suggest labor-saving utensils and contrivances, and use illustrations; notice that the kitchen must be attractive as well as practical. Have members give ideas on all the topics.
Prepare in advance a discussion on these subjects: How much care shall we put on our houses? Shall women give up all their time to keeping them clean and orderly? What can they do to save steps? How much can the children help? Shall boys be taught housework? What can be eliminated from the daily routine?
If desired, there might be a practical talk on the necessity of keeping paint in good condition, to protect the wood underneath; of the care of glass, silver, marble, brass, hard wood; of how to prevent moths and mice, and of how often carpets must come up. It is better, however, to take up the larger aspects of the question, using such suggestions for talks or papers as these: Has housekeeping lost some of its difficulties to-day?What about modern appliances to avoid sweeping, and the like? Has house-cleaning lost its terrors? Can the average woman consider housekeeping as a profession? and if so, how and where can she best be trained? Compare the modern housekeeper with the one of half a century ago. Show how the trained housekeeper is a practical domestic economist. Discuss, Business-like Housekeeping; How shall we best train our daughters in it? If there is time, take up the servant question. Are our ideas changing on this subject? Present the new plans for specialists, with set hours, and the like.
This is one of the subjects which can be indefinitely expanded; indeed, a whole year's study might easily be put on it.
Begin with a study of historic gardens from the earliest times, and read Bacon's well-known essay. Then turn to the gardens of to-day, and begin with the description of what can be done in an apartment when one can have only window-boxes; take up the tiny plots behind city houses, and show what can be done there, with vines over the fences, climbing roses over a little arbor,narrow beds by the edge of the grass; show pictures of what has been done, if possible.
The lawn and small yard of a suburban house can next be studied, and here a little ingenuity can be shown to accomplish a great deal. Speak of the use of bulbs; of little cold-frames; of raising grapes under glass in a small way, and of annuals, shrubs, vines, and roses.
The large gardens of our modern country houses deserve especial mention. Have as many pictures as possible of these. Notice the formal gardens, the Italian gardens, the sunken gardens, the rose gardens, the massed shrubs, the walls of brick and stone, covered with vines. The adjuncts of the gardens are often most beautiful also, the pergolas, the marble and terra-cotta vases and seats, the sun-dials, the fountains, the lily-ponds, and the vistas cut through the trees.
Old-fashioned and herb gardens, kitchen and market gardens, growing violets and roses to sell, and the raising of unusual seeds and plants are all topics of interest both theoretical and practical.
1.Trees That Are Familiar to Us—Our home varieties: nut-trees, foliage-trees, evergreens, etc.; fruit-trees and their care.
2.Trees That Are Strange to Us—Mahogany and other Central and South American trees; teakwood; cedars of Lebanon; redwoods of California.
3.The Art of Forestry—Need of forestry; history of the movement; the United States Department.
4.The Tree in Sentiment and Literature—Famous trees (the Charter Oak, King Arthur's Oak, the Washington Elm, etc.); poetry about trees; Tennyson's trees; Shakespeare's trees.
Readings—W. C. Bryant: A Forest Hymn (in part). Longfellow: Evangeline (opening lines). Whittier: The Palm Tree.
Books to Consult—Julia E. Rogers: The Tree Book. What is Forestry? (U. S. Div. ForestryBulletin 5). G. Pinchot: A Primer of Forestry (U. S. Dept. Agri. Farmers' Bulletin 173, 358).
There are magazines which may easily be consulted for subjects for discussion on landscape-gardening, the grouping of shrubs and trees, and similar themes. There may be a valuable paper on Insects Which Destroy Our Trees, and How to Deal with Them; the Agricultural Department at Washington will gladly send pamphlets which will be of great use. There might also be a talk on The Lumberman and the Government, and another on The Paper Manufacturer and the Government, and a third on Forestry as a Profession for Young Men.
1.Geologic Ages Represented in the United States—Estimate of geologic time. Characteristics of the particular ages in this locality. Volcanic action and its effects, with local illustrations. Action of water.
2.A Geological History of the Local Region as Far as It Can Be Constructed.
3.Fossil Remains of Plants and Animals in the Neighborhood—Contents of local collections and museums described.
4.Value of Local Rocks and Soils—Use of rocks for building, for roads, for chemical purposes. Analysis of soils and description of their best use in agriculture. Defects of local soils from the agricultural standpoint, and the remedy for them.
Books to Consult—Dana: Manual of Geology. Shaler: Outline of the Earth's History. U. S. Geological Survey. (Get local reports.)
Discuss the importance of interesting the school-children in the local geology. What excursions may they take in the vicinity for this purpose? The value of making collections for school or town use is also a suitable topic. Are there readable books on geology in the public library, and are they read? In preparation for this meeting the chairman may obtain literature from the Secretary of Agriculture in Washington, on soils, and what can be done to improve them.
1.The Distribution of Water on the Globe—Water in prehistoric times. Geological action. The Ice Age. The unceasing circulation of water: clouds, rain, streams, etc. The coloration of water (blue lakes, green seas, brown streams, etc.).
2.The Ocean—The open sea. Movement oftides. Famous tides. The beach: sands, pebbles, shells, seaweeds, etc. The surf. Ocean traffic. Lighthouses and lightships.
3.Lakes—The great lakes of the United States. Differences between them. Their commerce. Small lakes. Great Salt Lake. Lakes in Maine, Wisconsin, Canada, the Adirondacks, etc. Ponds. Famous ponds (Walden, etc.).
4.Rivers—The Mississippi. The Hudson. Canal-boat life. Little rivers and their charm. The river as a highway. River-craft (canoes, etc.).
6.Relation of Water and Human Life—Water in hygiene. Famous springs. Irrigation and forestry. The revival of the canal as an instrument of commerce. Water in literature and art.
Books to Consult—Wright: The Ice Age in America. Reclus: The Ocean. Russell: The Rivers of North America. Fuertes: Water and Public Health.
A practical paper may be prepared on the Local Water-Supply and the Danger to Health from Well-Water and Impure Ice. Have a brief paper on the Suez and Panama Canals, with illustrations of the latter. Describe the systems of locks in the Sault Sainte Marie. Consider the subject of house-boats on rivers. Have readingsfrom Byron on the ocean; from Clough's Bothie (the idyll of swimming); from Van Dyke's Little Rivers, and from Thoreau's Walden.
1.Beetles(Coleoptera)—Great tropical beetles. Common local varieties: ladybugs, the potato-bug. Wood-beetles and their destructiveness.
2.Ants, Bees, and Wasps—Their life-history, habits, and products. Relation to man. Readings from Lubbock, McCook, and Maeterlinck.
3.Butterflies—Life-history and transformations. Gorgeous varieties of equatorial regions. Local varieties described.
4.A Practical Knowledge of Insect-Life—For the farmer: protecting crops, animals and trees. For the town resident: care of trees and plants. For the housewife: household pests, and how to deal with them: the moth, the cockroach, etc.
Books to Consult—Comstock: Manual for the Study of Insects. Buckley: Insect Life. Holland: The Butterfly Book. Osborn: Insects Affecting Domestic Animals.
This meeting may be made a very practical one. Begin with the life-story of the bee as helpful to mothers and teachers in explaining to childrenthe meaning of sex. Read from The Bee People, by Morley, to illustrate the point. Have a paper on The Danger of Contagion from the House-fly and the Mosquito; give preventives for these pests, the red ant, the moth-miller, and the bedbug.
1.Introductory Paper—The place of fish in the scale of life. Their structure and habits. Fossil fish. Peculiar fish: of the tropics, of the deep sea, of caves. Flying fish.
2.Local Fishes—Description of varieties and their habits. Stocking of local waters by the United States Fish Commission. Fish culture.
3.Commercial Fisheries—Whaling and its romance. Cod, mackerel, and herring. Reading from Kipling's Captains Courageous. Salmon-fishing on the Pacific coast. The Canneries. International laws about fishing.
4.Angling—The ethics of the sport. Methods of equipment: fly-fishing, trolling, chumming, etc. The literature of fishing. Read from Walton's Angler and Henry Van Dyke's Fisherman's Luck.
Books to Consult—Guenther: Introductionto the Study of Fishes. Goode: American Fishes. Louis Rhead: Book of Fish and Fishing. Bullen: Denizens of the Deep.
A talk on Fish as Food might be introduced into this program, or a reading from Atwater's book entitled, The Chemical Composition and Nutritive Value of American Food and Fishes Invertebrates. In a farming community the value of fish as a fertilizer might well be considered. Fishing birds, kingfishers, gulls, pelicans, and cormorants, especially the trained cormorants of China, are of interest. The program might close with some stories, perhaps, of the old whaling days of Nantucket, or some from the book called, Fish Stories, by Holder and Jordan.
1.Local Wild Animals—Squirrels, rabbits, moles, hedgehogs, woodchucks, gophers, etc. Their habits. What they mean to the farmer.
2.Large Game in the United States—Deer, moose, elk, buffalo, mountain sheep, wildcats, bears. The preservation of wild animals. The Yellowstone Park. Private preserves in New England, etc.
3.Beasts of Prey—Lions, tigers, leopards,jaguars, wolves, etc. Moving pictures of animals in a wild state. Skins and their value.
4.Monkeys—Varieties and description of them. Capacity for training. Discuss Garner's theory of a monkey language. What about the Darwinian theory?
5.Zoölogical Gardens, and Menageries—Le Jardin des Plantes. Amsterdam. Berlin (largest in the world). London (second largest). The Bronx Zoo in New York. Its architecture.
Books to Consult—Flome and Lydekker: The Study of Mammals. Elliot: Synopsis of the Mammals of North America. Romanes: Animal Intelligence. Roosevelt: The Wilderness Hunter, and African Game Trails.
If there is time, have an introductory paper on fossil wild animals, especially those of the Carboniferous Age, with pictures of such skeletons or reproductions of skeletons as those in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Give also a résumé of Huxley's essay on the horse. Close with a discussion of the psychology of animals. Do they think and reason? Refer to Darwin's Origin of Species and Descent of Man. Read from Maeterlinck's essay on the dog.
1.Horses—Origin of the horse. Varieties in different countries: the Arabian horse, Norman draft-horses, the American trotting-horse, the broncho. Readings from Huxley's essay on The Horse, and Black Beauty.
2.Cattle—World-wide use and value. Sacred bulls of Egypt and cows of India. Famous breeds: Jerseys, Alderneys, Holsteins. Pure milk, and how to get it. Butter and cheese making. The world's beef-supply. Meat as a diet.
3.Swine—Comparison of surviving wild and domestic varieties. History of the use of pork as a food. Commercial uses of the several parts of the pig (skin, bristles, bones, etc.).
4.Sheep and Goats—Characteristics and varieties. Raising sheep or goats as a business: the best regions, and the best breeds of animals for commercial purposes. Conditions of success.
5.Dogs and Cats—Antiquity of their domestication. Varieties and their qualities. Dogs as pack-animals, as hunters, in police work, as pets. Readings from Agnes Repplier, The Household Sphinx, and Maeterlinck on the Dog.
Books to Consult—Olive Thorne Miller:Our Home Pets. N. S. Shaler: Domesticated Animals. C. A. Shamel: Profitable Stock Raising. Théophile Gauthier: My Household of Pets.
One paper might be written on the horse in mythology and literature (Pegasus, Bucephalus, etc.); another on famous race-courses and racers. In farming communities take up the subject of horse-raising, sanitary barns, etc. A third paper may be on American packing-houses; a fourth on shepherds, ancient and modern, and stories of shepherd-dogs; a fifth on famous dogs. Illustrate the last with a reading from Rab and His Friends.
1.Birds of the Water and the Shore—The sea-gull, loon, wild geese and ducks. Herons, pelicans, curlew.
2.Birds of Prey—Eagles, vultures, hawks.
3.Birds as Game—Pheasants, pigeons, quail, grouse, wild turkeys.
4.Birds of the Night—Owls, night-hawks.
5.Birds and Insects—Woodpeckers, bee-eaters, swifts.
6.Birds of Song—The nightingale, the mocking-bird, thrushes, warblers.
Books to Consult—Robert Ridgway: Manual of North American Birds. H. K. Job: How to Study Birds. Chapman: Bird Life. Beetham: Photography for Bird Lovers. Weed and Dearborn: Birds in Their Relation to Man.
If there is time, have these papers also: Birds' nests in the different climates; the coloring of birds' eggs; the plumage of birds and its use in millinery; bird songs; bird study with opera-glass and camera. Have several readings from Burroughs' Wake Robin, and Mrs. Olive Thorne Miller's Little Brothers of the Air.
1.The Study of Botany as a Recreation—Character of the local neighborhood. The humble plants and flowers: grasses, mosses, ferns, and water plants. The herbarium.
2.Wild Flowers of the Forest, the Swamp, the Mountain, and the Prairie.
3.Cultivated Flowers—House plants. The amateur greenhouse. Window boxes. Curious flowers and orchids.
4.Gardens and Gardening—Literature (Evelyn, etc.). Cultivation of annuals. Raising ofspring flowers. Flowers for market. Italian gardens.
Books to Consult—Gray: Botanical Text Book. Mrs. W. S. Dana: How to Know the Wild Flowers. Caroline A. Creevey: Flowers of Field, Hill and Swamp. H. L. Keller: Our Garden Flowers. Kerner: Flowers and Their Unbidden Guests.
The subject of gardens can be extended to cover an entire program. The literature of the subject has become very great, and many interesting and beautiful readings may be chosen from such books as Ruskin's Proserpina, Elizabeth and Her German Garden, and Mabel Osgood Wright's Garden of a Commuter's Wife. An entire paper might be given to the fascinating subject of sun-dials. Another might deal with the literature of the rose, or the relation of plants and insects, or the color of flowers (consult Grant Allen).
1.Shrubs—Flowering shrubs suited to the climate. What shrubs are best adapted for hedges locally? Do hedges pay? The grouping of shrubs on lawns, and the principles involved. Landscape-gardeningand its history and local application.
2.Vines—Ornamental and fruit-bearing varieties. The Japan ivy, English ivy, woodbine. Care of vines and covering in winter. The enemies of vines. Pasteur and what he did for France. The English sparrow. Arbors and their construction and style. Value of the quickly growing vines, honeysuckle, moon-vine, etc.
3.Ferns—Local varieties. Description of tropical ferns. Ferns in the house, and their care. The Boston, sword, and asparagus ferns. Ferneries and how to make and care for them. Fern balls.
4.Mosses and Lichens—Description of varieties. Remarkable mosses of the arctic and the tropic zones. Edible mosses. The reindeer and its modern propagation.
Books to Consult—W. C. McCollum: Vines and How to Grow Them. N. L. Marshall: Mosses and Lichens. W. I. Beecroft: Who's Who Among the Ferns. D. C. Eaton: Ferns of North America.
This meeting may be made practical by considering how to beautify unattractive houses and grounds by the use of vines and shrubs. Inartisticverandas may be covered with Japanese ivy, unsightly fences taken down and replaced with hedges, and back yards concealed by screens of large shrubs. Photographs of transformed houses and yards may be shown.
1.Story of His Life: in the Country—Love of the Scottish countryside; saturation with old legends as a child; interest in odd characters.
2.Story of His Life: in the City—Homes in Edinburgh; relation to the law; his personal friends; his connection with the Ballantynes and publishing; his marriage and family; the building of Abbotsford; the last years.
3.As a Poet—Influence of ballads; simplicity of form.
4.Readings from His Poetry—Lay of the Last Minstrel; Lady of the Lake.
5.As a Novelist—The anonymous Waverley; rapidity of production; historic scope of the novels.
6.Readings from His Novels—Guy Mannering (Meg Merrilies); Ivanhoe (the tourney); Heart of Midlothian (Effie Deans).
Discussion—A comparison of Scott with later writers of historical novels.
Books to Consult—Lockhart: Life of Scott. R. H. Hutton: Scott (English Men of Letters Series). Washington Irving's account of his visit to Abbotsford.
Have a talk on Scott's romantic love-story and his later courtship and marriage. Give an account of his friendships, especially of that with Marjorie Fleming, and read from Dr. Brown's book about her life. Tell of the dogs Scott loved. Describe Abbotsford and Melrose; describe his death and the burial at Dryburgh; use as many photographs as can be obtained.
1.The Story of Jane Austen's Life—The county society; the material for her novels; her method of composition.
2.Emma and Mansfield Park—Analysis of the plots and the characters. Jane Austen's men and her women.
3.Jane Austen's Masterpiece: Pride and Prejudice—The story. The author's sense of humor. Readings: The ball; Mr. Collins' letter, etc.
4.The Place of Jane Austen in Modern EnglishLiterature—The pioneer novelist of modern society. Her realism. Estimates by Howells and others.
Books to Consult—Life of Jane Austen, by her nephew, J. E. Austen Leigh. Letters, edited by Lord Brabourne. Life, by Oscar Fay Adams. Life, by Walter Pollock.
Miss Austen is a charming subject, with many points of interest. The family life at Steventon is one; her letter-writing is another; her meeting with Thackeray is a third. Read from her letters, her brief unfinished comedy, and her poem. Describe her burial-place in Winchester Cathedral.
1.The Story of her Life—The home on the moors at Haworth, father and brother, the three brilliant sisters; boarding-school life; Brussels; her literary career, marriage, death.
2.The Professor and Jane Eyre—The Professor: rejection by the publishers. Estimate of it to-day. Jane Eyre: realistic and dramatic qualities. England's disapproval.
3.Shirley and Villette—Shirley: First novel by a woman dealing with the industrial problem. Its realism. Character of Shirley contrastedwith that of Jane Eyre. Villette: Local color. Character of Madame Beck.
4.Her Personal Experience as Reflected in Her Novels—The moors, boarding-school experiences, life in Brussels, the manufacturing region of England.
Books to Consult—Mrs. Gaskell: Life of Charlotte Brontë. T. W. Reid: Life of Charlotte Brontë. Clement Shorter: Charlotte Brontë and Her Circle.
The life of the three remarkable sisters, known at the time as Currer, Acton and Ellis Bell, is full of deep interest. Illustrate the program with readings from Charlotte's Jane Eyre, Emily's Wuthering Heights, and Anne's Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Read a few of their verses also. Contrast Charlotte with Jane Austen. Close with several brief selections from Mrs. Gaskell's Life of Charlotte.
1.The Story of His Life—School days at the Charterhouse. Cambridge. Study of art abroad.The Constitutional. Newspaper work. His marriage and his daughters. His first novel. His lectures. The English Humorist, and later, TheFour Georges. Visits to America. Attempt at political life. Editor ofCornhill Magazine. Read Thackeray's Death, in Spare Hours, by Dr. John Brown.
2.Vanity Fair—The novel without a hero. Becky Sharp: intellectminusheart; Amelia Sedley: heartminusintellect. Interest of the historical setting. Read from the Duchess of Richmond's ball.
3.Henry Esmond, and The Virginians—Henry Esmond: its place as one of the few great novels. The historical setting. Character of Beatrix. Is the estimate of the Duke of Marlborough just? The Virginians: connection with Henry Esmond. Is the American color correct? Reading: scene between Beatrix and the Pretender.
4.Pendennis, and The Newcomes—Pendennis: London newspaper life. Compare the characters of Laura and Helen. The Newcomes: most popular of the novels. Theme: the unhappy marriage. The character of Colonel Newcome. Reading: the Charterhouse and the death of Colonel Newcome.
5.Thackeray's Place in the Literary World—His instant success as a novelist. His friendships among men of letters. His warmth of affection.Discussion of his satire. His place as social preacher. Is Taine's estimate of him just?
Books to Consult—Biographical and Harry Furniss's editions of the novels (introductions). Melvill: Life of Thackeray. Merivale and Marzials: Life of Thackeray. Chesterton: Thackeray. Riding: Thackeray's London.
1.The Man and the Author—His early life of hardship and the material it furnished him. Reminiscences in David Copperfield. Newspaper life and Sketches by Boz. Origin of this name. The launching of Pickwick. Growing fame. Marriage. Trips to America. Dickens as actor and reader. Home at Gad's Hill. Grave in Westminster Abbey.
2.The Humor and Pathos of Dickens—Pickwick as a type of pure humor. The grotesque, illustrated by Quilp, Squeers, Uriah Heep. The farcical, as illustrated by Micawber, Pecksniff, and Sarah Gamp. Pathos in Tiny Tim, Paul Dombey, and Little Nell. Reading from Bardell vs. Pickwick, and the death of Little Nell (Old Curiosity Shop).
3.Dickens as a Humanitarian—Little Dorritand prison reform. Bleak House and the law's delay. Nicholas Nickleby and poor schools. Oliver Twist and youthful criminals.
4.His Greatest Novel: David Copperfield—Discuss the plot and the chief characters. Notice the individuality of the women: Mrs. Copperfield, Miss Murdstone, Betsy Trotwood, Peggotty, Little Emily, Dora, and Agnes.
Books to Consult—Forster: Life of Dickens. Letters of Charles Dickens. G. K. Chesterton: Charles Dickens. Gissing: Charles Dickens.
A paper comparing Dickens and Thackeray may be added to this program, for Dombey and Son, Dickens's sixth successful novel, appeared the same year as Vanity Fair, Thackeray's first. There might be a paper on The Names of Dickens's Characters, and Where He Got Them.
1.His Life—Son of the novelist Frances M. Trollope. Unhappy life at Winchester and Harrow. In the postal service. (See The Three Clerks for the examination of Charley Tudor—Trollope's own experience.) Post-office surveys in Ireland. Travels on post-office business. Material thus gathered. His forty novels. Firstgood novel, The Warden. The idea of it suggested while wandering about Salisbury Cathedral. Popularity and large earnings.
2.The Barsetshire Novels—Deal with upper middle class, especially clergymen and their families. Pictures of quiet country life. Realism. Evenness of tone. Favorite situation: the man who has compromised himself and is in danger of ruin. Description of the leading characters in these novels.
3.Four Novels—Give brief sketch of plot and description of the chief characters in Orley Farm, Phineas Finn, The Vicar of Bullhampton, and Can You Forgive Her? Readings from these books.
4.A Comparison of Trollope with Dickens and Thackeray—Their materials, plots, methods of treatment, and diverse styles. Their relative popularity and standing to-day. Influence of Thackeray on Trollope.
Books to Consult—Anthony Trollope: Autobiography. Cross: The Development of the English Novel. Saintsbury: English Literature of the Nineteenth Century.
One of the famous women in the books of this decade is Mrs. Proudie, the wife of the Bishop ofBarchester. Read a description of her, her methods of management, and the retribution which overtook her. The Rev. Mr. Slope is also a well-known character in connection with the Proudies.
1.Life—Birth and childhood. Fondness for medieval romances (compare Sir Walter Scott). Cambridge and the Chancellor's gold medal. Romantic adventures in the North. Unhappy marriage. Necessity the motive to work. Twelve novels in ten years. His plays. Parliament. Colonial secretaryship. The peerage. Westminster Abbey.
2.Novels—The novel of society: Pelham. The novel of adventure: Paul Clifford. The novel of crime: Eugene Aram. The novel of domestic life: My Novel. The novel of history: Last Days of Pompeii.
3.Plays—Lady of Lyons, Richelieu, Money. Analysis of plots, description of chief characters, and readings.
4.Critical Estimate of His Work and Place in Literature.
Books to Consult—Life of Bulwer Lytton, by his Son. Bulwer Lytton's Letters. T. H. S.Escott: Edward Bulwer. Lewis Melville: Victorian Novelists. J. F. Molloy: Famous Plays.
Bulwer Lytton was a personage in society in his day. Contrast his life with that of his contemporaries, Thackeray and Disraeli. Compare Vanity Fair and Coningsby with Pelham. Distinguish between Bulwer Lytton and his son, who was viceroy of India and author of the once-popular Lucile. Explain why Bulwer Lytton's plays have more vitality than his novels.
1.The Story of Her Life—Materials for her novels in her early life. Evangelical training and later change in her religious views. Life with Lewes and his encouragement of her writing. Literary friendships. Marriage to Cross.
2.Scenes from Clerical Life, and Silas Marner—Story of the appearance of the Scenes and of hernom de plume. Reading from Silas Marner.
3.Adam Bede—Study of Retribution.Felix Holt—Study of labor. Readings.
4.Mill on the Floss—Study of family life.Middlemarch—Study of selfishness. Readings.
5.Romola—Study of historic Florence.Daniel Deronda—Study of the Jew. Readings.
6.Comparison of George Eliot with Thackeray, Dickens, and Trollope—Her ethical quality as a writer.
Books to Consult—J. W. Cross: Life of George Eliot. Oscar Browning: Life of George Eliot. Mathilde Blind: George Eliot. C. S. Olcott: George Eliot: Scenes and People in Her Novels, illustrated from photographs. Also essays by Sir Leslie Stephen, E. H. A. Scherer, E. Dowden, R. H. Hutton, and Henry James.
No program on George Eliot would be complete without a brief presentation of her poetry. A scene may be read from the Spanish Gipsy, a selection from How Lisa Loved the King, and the whole of the beautiful short poem, Oh May I Join the Choir Invisible. A description of her grave in Highgate Cemetery in London, and its inscription, may conclude.
1.Story of His Life—Childhood and Edinburgh University. Travels on the Continent. Trip to America. First writing for publication. Story of his books. Samoa. Reading of passages from his letters.
2.Short Stories—His fantastic imagination.Style and how he cultivated it. Readings from the New Arabian Nights. Analysis of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
3.Essays and Sketches—Variety of subject and versatility of treatment. Readings from Crabbed Age and Youth, John Knox and Women, and In the South Seas.
4.Scotch Adventures—Analysis and description of The Master of Ballantrae, Kidnapped, David Balfour, Weir of Hermiston. Reading from Kidnapped.
5.Varied Romances—Treasure Island, Prince Otto, The Black Arrow, The Wrecker, The Ebb Tide. Note the great variety of material. Reading from Treasure Island.
Books to Consult—Graham Balfour: Life of Robert Louis Stevenson. A. H. Japp: Robert Louis Stevenson. John Kelman: The Faith of Robert Louis Stevenson. Isobel Osbourne Strong: Robert Louis Stevenson.
A program on Stevenson should certainly mention his poems. Read from his A Child's Garden of Verse. Notice also his prayers, which have had large circulation and use in the religious world. There might be a paper on the varied appreciation of Stevenson by his biographers, noting especiallyHenley. Show pictures of Stevenson, and especially of the bas-relief of him made by Saint-Gaudens for St. Giles's Cathedral in Edinburgh.
1.The Man—Story of his life and remarkable friendships. Peculiarities. His style and satire. Compare his prose with Browning's verse. Were they purposely obscure? Why is Meredith not more popular? His later days. Compare him with Dickens and Thackeray.
2.Richard Feverel, and Beauchamp's Career—Analysis of the plots and description of the chief characters. Have these books a moral? Discuss the novel as a teacher of morals. Readings.
3.The Egoist—Analysis of the plot and description of the chief character, Sir Willoughby Patterne. Is his refined and unconscious selfishness a common occurrence? Discuss the proper limits of egotism. Quotation of clever sayings.
4.Diana of the Crossways, One of Our Conquerors, The Shaving of Shagpat—Description in detail of these books, and their purposes. If possible, indicate any characters supposed to be from life.
Books to Consult—E. J. Bailey: The Novelsof George Meredith. Mrs. M. D. Henderson: George Meredith, Novelist, Poet, Reformer. R. Le Gallienne: George Meredith, Some Characteristics. J. W. Beach: The Comic Spirit on George Meredith.
Have a brief paper on George Meredith as a poet and the various estimates of his poetry by literary critics; read from some of the best-known poems. Indicate Meredith's relation to the Feminist Movement. Look up in the magazines published at the time of his death something about his manuscripts and how he disposed of them.
There is at the present day a more than usually interesting group of writers in England. Their personality is delightful, and their point of view is eminently modern, full of the spirit of the times. The material for study must be gleaned largely from magazine articles, and by looking over the files of such publications as theReview of Reviews, theLiterary Digest, theOutlook, and theBookman, there will be found sketches of the lives and work of all those given here. In addition the New International Encyclopædia has biographical sketches, and Poole's Index and other reference books at a public library will direct to more material.
All programs on these authors should be arranged in four parts: first, the life of the author, as full as may be, with sketches of his experiences, his home circle, his friends, his methods of work; second, a criticism of his writing, his style, his mannerisms, the general trend of his ideas, and somemention of his place among writers; third, readings from several of his books; and fourth, a discussion of his characters by the club members.
In place of one of these topics, some clubs may prefer a paper showing the change in the author's methods and style, based on a comparison of his earlier and later writings.
Thomas Hardy was born in Dorsetshire in 1840, and educated to be an architect. It was as a rebuilder of old churches that he became an antiquarian and then a student of rural types, since his work took him to country districts. His own county lives in his books under the name of Wessex, and the people he draws are taken from life. He has a sympathetic touch in dealing with their problems and peculiarities which comes from close contact and genuine affection.
His first novel, Under the Greenwood Tree, was followed by a second which won him popularity, Far from the Madding Crowd. This appeared anonymously as a serial, and at the time was attributed to George Eliot, because she was thought to be the only living author capable of writing it. The Return of the Native is perhapshis most characteristic book, although in Jude the Obscure he shows a merciless character analysis. But in Tess of the D'Urbervilles he reaches the height of his power. It is a story of tragedy, expressing the doctrine that man must reap what he has sown. Read several chapters from Tess and discuss the story.
Hardy's short stories also are well known and a collection called Wessex Tales will be found excellent for selections for club reading. The Three Strangers is generally considered his best story. Notice the descriptions of scenery, the characteristics of the country people and their personalities. Does Hardy show a lack of humor? Is he a fatalist?
Maurice Hewlett was born in London in 1866, educated there, and admitted to the bar. It was in the midst of city life that he wrote his first novel, The Forest Lovers, which he has never excelled in beauty and charm. It is an exquisite, simple picture of life in the Middle Ages, with a lovely romance running through it. Critics tell us that of all his contemporaries he has best interpreted medieval thought and sentiment.
Later he wrote other novels of the same period, notably Richard Yea-and-Nay, sometimes called an epic story, full of passion, war and poetry. It was with this book that fame came to Hewlett.
In The Queen's Quair we have a study of Mary, Queen of Scots, her court and the tragedy of her life. The Stooping Lady is laid in the Eighteenth Century, but the author shows the same peculiarity, that of making any time vividly real and preserving the atmosphere. This novel is full of imagination, yet terse and clear. Hewlett has also written some short stories of a delightful sort—Little Novels of Italy and The Madonna of the Peach Tree, quite unlike his longer books.
It is interesting to note that into all his writings the one idea is woven so skilfully as to be almost imperceptible—of the progress of the soul, either upward or downward. This key unlocks many of the puzzling passages, especially in Richard Yea-and-Nay. Clubs can follow out this suggestion in reading his books.
Read from the novels mentioned; note the strength of Jehan and the subtlety of Mary. Read also from his three delightful out-of-door stories of to-day, Half-Way House, Open Country,and Rest Harrow. Compare the descriptions of scenery in England, Scotland, France and Italy.
Mrs. Humphry Ward, born of English parents in Tasmania in 1851, lived in Oxford and was educated in the Lake Country. The granddaughter of Thomas Arnold of Rugby, and the niece of Matthew Arnold, she inherited a strong moral sense which was increased by the atmosphere of her home, and grew up feeling that life was full of ethical problems. She married an Oxford tutor, moved to London, wrote reviews, translated Amiel's Journal into English, and then in 1888 wrote her first novel, Robert Elsmere, a brilliant presentation of the religious difficulties of a young clergyman, leading to his abandonment of orthodoxy. It attracted so much attention that Gladstone thought it worth his while to review it and combat its views.
She wrote later The History of David Grieve, contrasting the spiritual development of a brother and a sister. This is called her most vital book. Marcella, her most powerful book, deals with the problem of socialism in England. Then came Sir George Tressady, Eleanor, Lady Rose's Daughter,Fenwick's Career, and others. Her later books, if more finished, lack the strength of her earlier.
Mrs. Ward has often been compared with George Eliot; clubs will find it interesting to note resemblances and differences and compare heroines and plots. Which of the two best concealed the moral purpose both used as the theme of their books? Read from several of Mrs. Ward's earlier volumes and also some selections from George Eliot's Adam Bede and Romola. Discuss the sense of humor shown by the two authors.
Hall Caine, though of Manx descent, was born in Cheshire in 1853, but he has always seemed less of an Englishman than a Manxman. His stories all have the atmosphere of the little Isle of Man, and his plots are laid there. Yet he lived in London as architect, journalist, novelist, and dramatist. There is much that is interesting about his life, especially the year that he spent with Rossetti.
His best books are The Shadow of a Crime, The Deemster, The Bondman, The Scapegoat, and The Christian. In all of them there is a definite somberness, a noticeable element of tragedy,only slightly relieved by the lighter aspects of life. His novels deal with profound issues.
Clubs should notice the relations' of fathers and sons in the books mentioned. Discuss the problems presented; read the descriptions of Manx life among the people; compare the heroes. Read several of the dramatic chapters from The Scapegoat and The Deemster. Does the play The Christian show more strength than the novel of the same name?
In striking contrast with this last novelist is Stanley J. Weyman, the writer of fascinating historical novels which rank among the very first of their kind. Born in Shropshire in 1855 and educated at Oxford, he became first a lawyer and then a novelist. His Gentleman of France brought him immediately into prominence.
The scenes of most of his books are laid in France, either in the period of the Great Cardinal, or later in that of the Revolution. They are crowded with adventure, the plots are of absorbing interest and his characters are full of life and individuality. The times of which he writes are described with accurate fidelity, and his picturesof the court, of campaigning, of travel, of village life, are romantic yet historically correct. Under the Red Robe, The Red Cockade, The Castle Inn, and The Abbess of Vlaye are all fascinating. Read from any one of these and then from a good history giving an idea of the same period, and note the precise study Weyman gave to his settings.
A paper might be prepared on Sir Walter Scott, Dumas, Hewlett and Weyman as historical novelists. The differences might be brought out by comparing the character of Richard Cœur de Lion in The Talisman and Richard Yea-and-Nay, and that of Richelieu in The Three Musketeers and Under the Red Robe.
James M. Barrie is a Scotchman, born in 1860 and educated at Edinburgh University. He knows thoroughly his own people. He does not write with any defined moral purpose, nor does he have any great events to record; but he has in an unusual degree the power to charm. His sympathetic insight, delightfully sly humor, play of fancy and light touch of pathos are all unique.
A Window in Thrums, describing the lives ofthe weavers, so apart from the world yet so full of interest, Auld Licht Idylls, with its amusing difficulties of the old churches, and Margaret Ogilvy, the exquisite portrait of the author's mother, are unsurpassed in delicate beauty. In Sentimental Tommy, Tommy and Grizel, and The Little Minister there is more of plot and more also of a certain gaiety. The Little White Bird shows the fancy which comes out more strongly in the incomparable Peter Pan.
Read from as many of Barrie's books as possible, and then discuss his work as a playwright. Do his books lend themselves to the stage? Let those who have seen The Little Minister, The Admirable Crichton, Peter Pan and Little Mary describe them.
Horatio Gilbert Parker, now Sir Gilbert, is both English and Canadian. His career has been marked by a great variety of experience, as his books show. Born in Ontario in 1802, he became a teacher, then a curate, then an instructor in a deaf and dumb asylum, went to Australia for his health and there took up journalism and play-writing, returned to Canada and became a novelist.Later he decided to live in England and went into Parliament. Many of his earlier novels are of Canadian life. When Valmond Came to Pontiac, The Seats of the Mighty, and The Right of Way are among the best of his early books. Later he wrote The Weavers, a strange mingling of East and West in the story of a Quaker in modern Egypt. His best recent novel is The Judgment House, having for its theme English society in the time of the Boer War. His versatility in turning from one scene to another, and from one type of character to another, is remarkable. Canada, Egypt, London, and Africa are all familiar ground to him, and trappers, Indians, Frenchmen of the seventeenth century, and men and women of to-day in cities are all equally well drawn. His early style was perhaps too diffuse, but his later stories are briefer and more direct. Read from The Seats of the Mighty and The Judgment House. Note his different types in his books and discuss them. Read also from the scenes in the different countries and see the local color.
Herbert G. Wells was born in Kent in 1866. He had a scientific training, and his first book wasa text book on biology. Later he became one of the staff ofThe Saturday Reviewand then combined science and literature in a series of romantic novels: His Time Machine, The Wheels of Chance and The War of the Worlds are all stories in which his scientific education was utilized. In 1906 he came to America to study social conditions and since then has written two books in quite another vein—Tono Bungay, a story of finance, and Marriage, a study of modern conditions of love and society.
His earlier work is marked by wild imagination; his later by swift analysis and warm sympathy. Compare the realistic description of village life in Part I. of Tono Bungay with that of the Five Towns in Arnold Bennett's Old Wives' Tale, mentioned later. Note Wells's socialistic leanings.
Read from The War of the Worlds and Marriage. Contrast the two styles; discuss the character of Marjorie in the latter; is she a possible woman?
William J. Locke, born of English parents in Barbadoes in 1803, was educated at Cambridge, where he took the highest honors in mathematics.He became a teacher, and it was only after years of hated drudgery that he obtained a secretary's position and leisure to write. For long his novels were little known, though At the Gate of Samaria, The Derelicts, Idols, and The White Dove were all full of interest and promise. Then with The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne, called his greatest book, and The Beloved Vagabond, his most popular, he suddenly became famous. Septimus, Simon the Jester and The Glory of Clementina have followed one another rapidly, and Septimus has been dramatized.
Locke's style is so easy as to conceal its art. His plots are lightly constructed and many of his novels have unexpected endings. His men are much alike, but so delightful that no one would have them altered. Each has a certain chivalry, an ability to endure hardships, a lack of practical judgment, but a simple goodness that is irresistible. Their humor is charming, and their gentle philosophy convincing. Locke holds the theory that life should be accepted cheerfully; this is his dominant theme.
Clubs should read the amusing diatribe against teaching, and especially against teaching mathematics, in Marcus. Read also the first and lastchapters of the Vagabond and Clementina. Compare his women and his men.
Arnold Bennett, in many ways the most talked-of English author living, was born in Staffordshire in 1867 in a district known as "The Potteries," or "The Five Towns." Here are furnaces, collieries, manufactories and a people whose interests are made narrow and provincial by the restricted boundaries of their lives.
Bennett went to London, became a journalist, an essayist, an editor, a novelist, and a playwright. He lived for a time in Paris and traveled extensively, and he has made use of his varied experiences in his writings.
He has some remarkable books, long, careful, full of psychological problems. His Old Wives' Tale, Anna of the Five Towns and Clay-hanger all deal with the place and the people with which he was first familiar, and are graphic pictures of types. In Hilda Lessways he presents a study rather unlike those in his first books, and in Denry the Audacious and Buried Alive he has quite another manner and keener humor.
He is singularly direct and painstaking in hiswork, a master of realism. For sheer observation, says one critic, he is unequaled. Of late he has visited America and made a close and remarkably sympathetic study of our country, our cities, our manners.
Take up Bennett also as a playwright, and note the good work he has done in this field; contrast his plays with his earlier books. Read from Hilda Lessways and from the graphic description of the siege of Paris in the Old Wives' Tale, and also a descriptive chapter from the Five Towns. Compare his realistic work with that of Henry James, and note the differences. Quote from his little essay, How to Live on Twenty-four Hours a Day.
Clubs which wish programs for more than ten meetings may take in addition to the authors already suggested these others:
De Morgan: read Joseph Vance, Alice for Short, and An Affair of Dishonor. Conan Doyle: Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The White Company. Eden Phillpotts: Knock at a Venture, The Port-reeve, The Secret Woman. A. E. W. Mason: Four Feathers, The Truants, Courtship of Morrice. Robert Hichens: The Garden of Allah, The Dweller on the Threshold. Anthony Hope: ThePrisoner of Zenda, The Dolly Dialogues, Quisanté. Agnes and Egerton Castle: The Pride of Jennico, If Youth But Knew, The Secret Garden. E. F. Benson: The Challoners, An Act in a Backwater, The Luck of the Vails. May Sinclair: The Divine Fire, The Judgment of Eve. Mrs. Henry Dudeney: The Battle of the Weak, The Story of Susan.
Detailed criticisms and complete bibliographies of many novelists here mentioned may be found in Some English Story Tellers by F. T. Cooper (1912).