Harvard Classics - Reading Guide - August
Aug 1: Calvin's DEDICATION
His Influence Still Lives
Steadfast allegiance to duty, simple living and adherence to plain,
honest, homely doctrines are Calvin's principles. Are not these
same old-fashioned truths followed to-day?
Read from Calvin's DEDICATION ................... Vol. 39, pp. 27-33
Aug 2: DRUMMOND'S POEMS
Poems from a Heart of Love
"Here is the pleasant place—and nothing wanting is, save She,
alas!" How often we too are faced with like adversity. So
sings Drummond—a master songster and composer.
Read from DRUMMOND'S POEMS ........... Vol. 40, pp. 326-330
Aug 3: Virgil's AENEID
When the Greeks Sacked Troy
They battered down the palace gates and ravaged with fire and
sword the chambers of King Priam's hundred wives. Through
halls resounding with shrieks of terror, Priam and his household
fled to sanctuary.
Read from Virgil's AENEID ..................... Vol. 13, pp. 110-117
Aug 4: ANDERSEN'S TALES
World's Greatest Bedtime Stories
Hans Christian Andersen had an extraordinary capacity for amusing
children. Were he living to-day he might be in great demand
as a radio bedtime story man.
Read: ANDERSEN'S TALES .......................... Vol. 17, pp. 221-230
Aug 5: Burns' COTTERS' SATURDAY NIGHT
Joys of the Simple Life
"Cotter's Saturday Night" for generations to come will remain
the choicest picture of Scotch home life. Into this poem Burns
instills the sense of all-pervading peace and happiness that comes
at the end of a well-spent day.
Read: Burns' COTTERS' SATURDAY NIGHT ........... Vol. 6, pp. 134-140
Aug 6: Tennyson's LOCKSLEY HALL
A Prophet of Aerial Warfare
"For I dipt into the future—saw the nation's airy navies grappling
in the central blue." We are amazed at the accuracy of
Tennyson's prediction. But he also foretells "the federation of
the world"—yet to be fulfilled.
Read: Tennyson's LOCKSLEY HALL ............. Vol. 42, pp. 979-986
Aug 7: Plato's PHAEDO
The Last Golden Words of Socrates
The death sentence of Socrates could not be executed until the
return of the sacred ship from Delos. One day his friends learned
that the ship had returned. They hastened to the prison to listen
to the last words of Athens' sage.
Read from Plato's PHAEDO .......................... Vol. 2, pp. 45-54
Aug 8: Homer's ODYSSEY
Men Transformed by Circe's Wand
Unfavorable winds sent by angry gods blew the ships of Odysseus
far off their course. The sailors were cast upon a remote island,
governed by an enchantress where, for their coarse manners, they
were put under a magic spell.
Read from Homer's ODYSSEY ....................... Vol. 22, pp. 133-144
Aug 9: Walton's LIFE OF DR. DONNE
English Bridal Party Jailed
Minister and witness, bride and groom were arrested by an enraged
father when John Donne married his employer's niece.
Donne was soon released, but he found himself without money,
position or bride.
Read from Walton's LIFE OF DR. DONNE .......... Vol. 15, pp. 326-334
Aug 10: Burke's THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE
"Give Them Cake," said the Queen
When the people of Paris howled because they had no bread to
eat, Queen Marie Antoinette exclaimed: "Well, then, let them
eat cake!" Such an attitude hastened the revolution.
Read from Burke's THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE ...... Vol. 24, pp. 143-157
Aug 11: Epictetus' GOLDEN SAYINGS
Clever Repartee of Epictetus
Epictetus advises that if a person speaks ill of you, make no defense,
but answer: "He surely knew not of my other faults, else
he would not have mentioned these only."
Read from Epictetus' GOLDEN SAYINGS .............. Vol. 2, pp. 176-182
Aug 12: LOWELL'S POEMS
Zekle's Courtin'
Huldy, the rustic belle, sat alone peeling apples. She was bashful
in her consciousness that Zekle would come soon. When he did,
she merely blushed and timidly said: "Ma's sprinklin' clo'es," and
then—
Read: LOWELL'S POEMS ..................... Vol. 42, pp. 1376-1379
Aug 13: Southey's AFTER BLENHEIM and Other Poems
Too Close to See the Battle
England and France came to battle near Blenheim. Years later
the people of Blenheim called it a "famous victory," but could
not tell whose victory it was.
Read: Southey's AFTER BLENHEIM and other poems ...... Vol. 41, pp. 732-735
Aug 14: Dana's TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST
A College Boy Goes to Sea
Leaving Harvard on account of ill health, Dana sought adventure
and thrilling experience aboard a sailing vessel that rounded
Cape Horn. He turned the dangers, hardships, and keen joys
of a sailor's life into a fascinating story.
Read from Dana's Two YEARS BEFORE THE MAST ..... Vol. 23, pp. 30-37
Aug 15: THE SONG OF ROLAND
Into Death's Face He Flung This Song
Charlemagne's rear guard was attacked by the Basques in the
valley of Roncesvaux. Roland, its leader, fought a courageous
fight, and, though conquered, became immortal.
Read from THE SONG OF ROLAND ............ Vol. 49, pp. 166-173
Aug 16: THE PSALMS
Inspiring Ritual of Temple Worship
David—the psalm singer—knew the wondrous ways of the Lord
and praised H im in his psalms. Burdened souls in all ages have
found comfort in these songs that once were used in the gorgeous
ritual of Jerusalem's temple.
Read from THE PSALMS ......................... Vol. 44, pp. 286-295
Aug 17: Luther's ADDRESS TO THE NOBILITY
Three Walls Luther Saw
Luther declared that the unreformed church had drawn its doctrines
like three walls so closely about the people that they served
not as protection but were the cause of untold misery and distress.
This he hoped to relieve by the Reformation.
Read: Luther's ADDRESS TO THE NOBILITY .......... Vol. 36, pp. 263-275
Aug 18: CELLINI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
"I Took Her by the Hair and Dragged Her Up and Down"
In Cellini's day the model's life was a hazardous one. Cellini's
Autobiography reveals how some models were treated. You
will find it more thrilling than the most modern novel.
Read from CELLINI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY ....... Vol. 31, pp. 312-323
Aug 19: Pare's JOURNEYS IN DIVERSE PLACES
Roses Boiled in Wine
Astonishing treatments and cures are related by Ambroise Pare,
famed surgeon of the fifteenth century. One remedy, for instance,
used to cure a distinguished nobleman, was red roses
boiled in white wine,—and it was effective.
Read from Pare's JOURNEYS IN DIVERSE PLACES ...... Vol. 38, pp. 50-58
Aug 20: Milton's PARADISE LOST
Plot Against Eve
Driven from Heaven, Satan meditated revenge. He decided
his greatest opportunity to injure God was to bring sin to mankind.
Satan's plot against Eve is told by Milton.
Read from Milton's PARADISE LOST ................ Vol. 4, pp. 154-164
Aug 21: CONFESSIONS OF ST. AUGUSTINE
Hidden Treasures in an Old Book
A certain man was willed a Bible. He scorned the legacy until
one day, penniless and downcast, he turned to the book for consolation.
Imagine his amazement on finding hundred dollar
bills between the pages. St. Augustine explains how he found
even greater treasures in the Bible.
Read from CONFESSIONS OF ST. AUGUSTINE ............ Vol. 7, pp. 118-126
Aug 22: Dana's TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST
Aboard the Old Sailing Ships
In the days when sailing ships plied the seven seas, common
sailors were often subject to a brutal captain whose whim was
law. Dana, a Boston college boy, makes an exciting story of his
sea experiences.
Read from Dana's Two YEARS BEFORE THE MAST ...... Vol. 23, pp. 99-111
Aug 23: Burke's ON THE SUBLIME AND BEAUTIFUL
Which Is a Beautiful Woman?
The Hottentot thinks his wife beautiful. Every American believes
his wife also to be beautiful. But the American and the
Hottentot are quite different. What, after all, is Beauty?
Read from Burke's ON THE SUBLIME AND BEAUTIFUL ....... Vol. 24, pp. 78-88
Aug 24: Pliny's LETTERS
Survivor's Story of Vesuvius
The eruption of Vesuvius that demolished Pompeii and buried
thousands of people was witnessed by Pliny. He describes his
panic-stricken flight with his mother from the doomed villa
through falling ashes and sulphurous fumes. His famous uncle,
the elder Pliny, lost his life while investigating the eruption and
aiding refugees.
Read from Pliny's LETTERS ...................... Vol. 9, pp. 284-291
Aug 25: Kelvin's TIDES
Britain Saved by a Full Moon
We to-day know that there is a direct relation between the moon
and tides. When Julius Caesar went to conquer Britain his transports
were wrecked because he did not know the tides on the
English coast; a knowledge of which might have changed the
whole course of history.
Read from Kelvin's TIDES ........................... Vol. 30, pp. 274-285
Aug 26: FROISSART'S CHRONICLES
The Prince of Wales Wins His Spurs
A brilliant victory for the English king was gained in this battle,
a fight in which vast numbers of French nobility, many princes,
and the aged King John of Bohemia were slain. Froissart describes
all in detail.
Read from FROISSART'S CHRONICLES ............... Vol. 35, pp. 27-33
Aug 27: Burns' POEMS AND SONGS
Priceless Treasures of Memory
"A man's a man for a' that." "Should auld acquaintance be forgot."
"To see her is to love her and love but her forever." "Flow
gently, sweet Afton." Every stanza of Burns is treasured. How
many have you stored up?
Read from Burns' POEMS AND SONGS ......... Vol. 6, pp. 317, 417, 442, 511
Aug 28: Goethe's FAUST
The World's Love Tragedy
"Almighty God, I am undone." With this cry of despair, Margaret
witnessed the fiendish work of Faust, her lover, who bartered
his immortal soul for worldly pleasure. A thrilling drama, based
on a famous medieval legend.
Read from Goethe's FAUST ................... Vol. 19, pp. 158-167
Aug 29: Plutarch's ANTONY
Cleopatra Bewitches Mark Antony
Cleopatra rode to meet Antony in a gilded barge with sails of
purple; oars of silver beat time to the music of flutes and fifes
and harps. She went as Venus, and her attendants were dressed
as Cupids and Nymphs.
Read from Plutarch's ANTONY .................. Vol. 12, pp. 339-349
Aug 30: Marcus Aurelius' MEDITATIONS
Simple Life in a Palace
Every luxury, all the wealth in the world at his command—yet
Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of haughty Rome, led a simple life
even in a palace. He left his secret in his "Meditations."
Read from Marcus Aurelius' MEDITATIONS ...... Vol. 2, pp. 222-228
Aug 31: Emerson's AMERICAN SCHOLAR
America's Greatest Thinker
Emerson was included in Dr. Eliot's recent selection of the
world's ten greatest educators of all time. Here the great thinker
discusses this force within man that makes him a scholar.
Read: Emerson's AMERICAN SCHOLAR ................ Vol. 3, pp. 5-15
