Jul 1: Darwin's ORIGIN OF SPECIES

Darwin Not First Evolutionist

While Darwin was working on his theory of evolution, another
scientist independently arrived at the same conclusions. Darwin,
then, was not the first to study evolution.

Read from Darwin's ORIGIN OF SPECIES .........   Vol. 11, pp. 5-17

Jul 2: Plutarch's CESAR

"Julius" Becomes "July"

So that the date for certain festivals would not fall one year in
midwinter and in the heat of summer another year, Cesar reformed
the calendar. July was named for him.

Read from Plutarch's CESAR ......................   Vol. 12, pp. 310-315

Jul 3: Haskell's BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG

Gettysburg by an Eyewitness

An officer in that momentous battle narrates every major action
of both armies. Thus we see the swarming lines of Confederates
advance—the hand-to-hand struggle.

Read from Haskell's BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG ....   Vol. 43, pp. 326-335

Jul 4: DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Some Chose to Remain British Subjects

Some Americans preferred to be loyal to England and did not
want independent government. Their hesitation is better understood
when the finality of the Declaration is realized.

Read: DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE ...........   Vol. 43, pp. 150-155

Jul 5: THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS

A Tailor Entertains a King

Here is another of those fanciful Oriental stories that proclaims
the democracy of Eastern despotism. A tailor might talk with a
king and receive either a death sentence or the office of Grand
Vizier as a reward.

Read from THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS ....   Vol. 16, pp. 149-162

Jul 6: More's UTOPIA

The Origin of "Utopia"

When Europe was suffering from evil rulers, heavy taxes, and
despair, Sir Thomas More dreamed of a happy land where an
intelligently managed state perfected happiness.

Read from More's UTOPIA .................    Vol. 36, pp. 135-142

Jul 7: Sheridan's SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL

Scandal That Lurked Behind Lace and Powder

The painted lips of the eighteenth century ladies and gallants
vied with one another in whispering scathing gossip, in gleefully
furthering the destruction of a good name. Sheridan depicts
this gay world with a brilliant spicy pen.

Read from Sheridan's SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL ......   Vol. 18, pp. 115-128

Jul 8: Shelley's CENCI

Italy's Fair Assassin

When the monstrous Cenci forced his daughter Beatrice into a
horrible situation, she revolted and boldly struck for freedom.
Shelley tells her pitiful story in one of his best works.

Read from Shelley's CENCI ..................  Vol. 18, pp. 288-300

Jul 9: BACON'S ESSAYS

A Little Lying Now and Then

"What is Truth?" asked Pilate. For an answer Bacon discourses
not on human nature as it should be, but as it is. These shrewd
observations on making a life and a living admit occasional departures
from truth.

Read from BACON'S ESSAYS ...............................   Vol. 3, pp. 7-19

Jul 10: THE VOYAGES TO VINLAND

America's First Immigrants

The shadow of a phantom cast upon the cradle of Snorri, the
first white child born in America, was a warning of an Indian
attack on the settlement of courageous Norsemen who had
risked the terrors of unknown seas to visit "Wineland."

Read from THE VOYAGES TO VINLAND .....   Vol. 43. pp. 14-20

Jul 11: Newcomb's THE EXTENT OF THE UNIVERSE

Star Gazing—A Cure for Tired Minds

The greatest spectacle offered man is a view of the magnificent
vault of heaven. Under the stupendous arch of the Milky Way
the cares of the world roll off.

Read: Newcomb's THE EXTENT OF THE UNIVERSE .....  Vol. 30, pp. 311-321

Jul 12: Thoreau's WALKING

But He Walked!

Thoreau's individuality was unique and original. He had no
profession; he never married; he never went to church; he never
voted or paid taxes; he never smoked; he never drank wine. His
amusement was walking, to observe and meditate.

Read from Thoreau's WALKING ..................  Vol. 28, pp. 395-405

Jul 13: Plutarch's PERICLES

Athenians Also Complained of Taxes

Pericles used public money to beautify Athens. The citizens
protested against the expense, as citizens in all ages do. By a
clever stroke Pericles w o n their support to his ambitious plans.

Read from Plutarch's PERICLES .................   Vol. 12, pp. 47-57

Jul 14: Burke's THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE

The French People Triumph

What the Fourth of July is to Americans, the Fourteenth of July
is to Frenchmen. It commemorates an oppressive tyranny overthrown
by a freedom-loving people.

Read from Burke's THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE .....  Vol. 24, pp. 268-273

Jul 15: HOLINSHED'S CHRONICLES

When Elizabeth Dined

Meals in the houses of the gentry and noblemen in Elizabethan
England were taken most seriously. No one spoke. Holinshed
records the strange table etiquette of our ancestors.

Read from HOLINSHED'S CHRONICLES ........   Vol. 35, pp. 271-288

Jul 16: THE KORAN

The Mohammedan Jesus

The sacred book of the Moslems, the Koran, gives an account of
the birth of Christ. The Koran gives Jesus a high position among
the prophets but holds the first place for Mohammed.

Read from THE KORAN .........................   Vol. 45, pp. 908-913

Jul 17: Racine's PHAEDRE

A Throne for Son or Stepson?

Phaedre first persecuted Hippolytus, her handsome stepson, then
loved him. Suddenly he and her own son became rivals for the
throne. Should she push her son's claims or let Hippolytus take
the crown?

Read from Racine's PHAEDRE ...................   Vol. 26, pp. 133-148

Jul 18: Browning's BLOT IN THE 'SCUTCHEON

They Loved in Vain

"Browning's play has thrown me into a perfect passion of sorrow,"
wrote Charles Dickens of "The Blot in the 'Scutcheon."
Like Shakespeare's Juliet, Browning's Mildred plays the role of
a youthful lover in a tragic drama.

Read from Browning's BLOT IN THE 'SCUTCHEON .......   Vol. 18, pp. 359-368

Jul 19: Raleigh's DISCOVERY OF GUIANA

She Wanted Heroes All to Herself

The famous gallant who spread his gorgeous cloak so the dainty
slipper of his queen would be unspotted, soon lost the high favor
this action won for him. In spite of his glorious voyages, Raleigh
condemned himself when he fell in love with another woman.

Read from Raleigh's DISCOVERY OF GUIANA .....  Vol. 33, pp. 311-320

Jul 20: Bunyan's PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

A Cobbler in Jail

John Bunyan, imprisoned for preaching without a license, gave
to the world "Pilgrim's Progress," the greatest allegory in any
language, second only to the Bible.

Read from Bunyan's PILGRIM'S PROGRESS .......   Vol. 15, pp. 59-69

Jul 21: BURNS' POEMS

Scotland's Own Poet

The songs of Burns are the links, the watchwords, the symbols
of the Scots. He is the last of the ballad singers. In his works
are preserved the best songs of his people.

Read from BURNS' POEMS .......................   Vol. 6, pp. 70-79

Jul 22: Homer's ODYSSEY

Trapped in a Cave with a Frenzied Giant

Odysseus was wrecked with his men on an island inhabited
by one-eyed giants. Trapped in the cave of a giant who gobbled
up some of the crew for supper, the cunning Odysseus blinded
the giant and rescued the survivors of his crew.

Read from Homer's ODYSSEY ...................  Vol. 22, pp. 120-129

Jul 23: BACON'S ESSAYS

Friendship Above Love?

There are styles in friendship as well as in clothes. The mode
of friendship of Bacon's time went out with plumed hats and
long hose. But Bacon knew the true test of a friend.

Read from BACON'S ESSAYS ...................   Vol. 3, pp. 65-72

Jul 24: Darwin's THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE

Indian Sorcery Blamed for an Earthquake

Darwin visited a South American city ruined by an earthquake.
There he heard the superstitious account of the phenomenon.
The ignorant people accused Indian women of bewitching the
volcano. But Darwin has another explanation.

Read from Darwin's THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE ......  Vol. 29, pp. 306-316

Jul 25: LAY OF BRYNHILD

A Goddess and Her Mortal Lover

Brynhild, Woden's daughter, carried the dead heroes to Valhalla
where they could feast and fight without dying; until a sin divested
her of divinity, and she fell in love with Sigurd.

Read: LAY OF BRYNHILD ..........................   Vol. 49, pp. 391-395

Jul 26: Thomas a Kempis

Peace Amid Strife

While Europe was shaken with wars, Thomas a Kempis lived
in happy seclusion in his convent. His writings convincingly
reflect the serenity and happiness of a man who has found peace—
a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Read from Thomas a Kempis .......................   Vol. 7, pp. 205-211

Jul 27: ON THE ANTISEPTIC PRINCIPLES

Once Surgeons Operated in Frock Coats

The use of antiseptics in surgery is new. Hardly more than a
half century ago surgeons operated in frock coats. Lord Lister,
surgeon to Queen Victoria, was among the first to advocate
scrupulous cleanliness in dressing wounds.

Read: ON THE ANTISEPTIC PRINCIPLES ..........   Vol. 38, pp. 257-267

Jul 28: Cowley's OF AGRICULTURE

An Idyl of Agriculture

Cowley portrays the ideal life—that of a farmer, and blazons it
forth in heraldry. "A plow in a field arable"—to him, the most
honorable of all emblems.

Read: Cowley's OF AGRICULTURE .............   Vol. 27, pp. 61-69

Jul 29: Emerson's STONEHENGE

Jul 30: Gilbert's VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND

The First English Colony in North America

When the whole coast of America north of Florida was free to
the first comer, Sir Humphrey Gilbert naively chose to settle
on the rugged shores of Newfoundland. Read the glowing account
of his great adventure "to plant Christian inhabitants in
places convenient."

Read: Gilbert's VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND .......   Vol. 33, pp. 263-273

Jul 31: Defoe's EDUCATION OF WOMEN

Charm School for Women

Lack of education, writes Defoe, makes a woman "turbulent,
clamorous, noisy—" Defoe defied his generation and preached
equal education for women. To-day we have co-education, but
have we the benefits Defoe predicted?

Read: Defoe's EDUCATION OF WOMEN .........  Vol. 27, pp. 148-150