Uncloistered

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  “She gazed ahead through a long reach of future days strung together like pearls in a rosary, every one like the others, and all smooth and flawless and innocent, and her heart went up in thankfulness. Outside was the fervid summer afternoon; the air was filled with the sounds of the busy harvest of men and birds and bees; there were halloos, metallic clatterings, sweet calls, and long hummings. Louisa sat, prayerfully numbering her days, like an uncloistered nun.” A New England Nun By Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930)

Finished reading: The Idea of A University

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Finished reading “The Idea of a University” by John Henry Newman (1801-1890). This verbose collection of lectures and essays squeezes every ounce of the idea into a mere 584 pages. Newman’s trademark is being thorough with a wide expenditure of words. Part One consists of nine discourses on the kinds and roles of Knowledge in University Teaching. Part 2 consists of ten lectures on “University Subjects,” namely Christian and Catholic literature as they relate to Science, Medicine, Classical literature, Grammar, and Writing. This collection is not light reading, requiring full attention to systematic and logical arrangement of his lessons. The present-day academic might consider perusing certain sections as a kind of measuring tool to determine how academics may have changed since the Victorian time. Stay Hydrated! It’s dry!


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